John Jordan is a former policeman, recovering alcoholic, divorced husband and current chaplain at Potter Correctional Institution in Florida. One day he witnesses the killing of a prisoner. The man had been hiding (or had been concealed) in a garbage bag in a truck, and a guard checking for escapees stabs him with a pole.

The warden calls Jordan in along with the prison inspector, a man who hates Jordan. The warden is aware of Jordan’s experience as an investigator (he worked on the Atlanta Child Murders, among other cases) and wants them both to look into this death, along with other suspicious occurrences at the prison.

Meanwhile a pair of neighbor kids at the trailer park where Jordan lives visit him and ask for his help. Their mother, a waitress, has disappeared. They’ll work for him to pay for his time. He promises to try his best.

That’s what Power In the Blood by Michael Lister is about. The prison is a small community, and a corrupt one. The community outside is larger, but equally corrupt. Jordan will face suspicion, threats, actual violence, and false accusations before he can solve both the mysteries confronting him. In the course of the investigation he will learn things about himself as well.

Michael Lister is not a writer I recall hearing about before, but he has a large following, and with good reason. The writing is sharp, the characters vivid, the suspense compelling. (This edition is actually a revision of the first John Jordan book, written back in the ‘90s. Lister polished it up for the re-issue.)

However, this is not a series for me. My main objection is theological. Although John Jordan describes himself as a minister, and works as a chaplain, when he speaks about his faith he misses the mark by my standards (and those of historical Christianity, I might add). He never once mentions Jesus Christ or His cross, except to say how much he dislikes the hymn from which the book’s title is taken). When he preaches, he preaches a comforting message of universal love and acceptance. In other words, he’s a Universalist, though the story suggests he’s operating as a Baptist. If he’s a Universalist, he should be honest about it.

I liked this book, and enjoyed reading it. But it’s not for me. Your mileage may differ. Cautions for language, adult themes, and sexual situations, some of them disturbing.