Alcorn adds a surprising subplot, that of a dead Christian who goes to Heaven and begins exploring the unimaginable beauties that await us all.

I enjoy having knowledge a mile long, even if only an inch deep, and that’s what Alcorn’s book has done for me with regards to the state of medicine in the mid-90s. While none of these issues have been hot on my mind recently, I do always want to know more about areas where I know very little. As it turns out, Deadline is a medical mystery that touches on key social issues of the mid-90s, specifically the ethical voids surrounding violent pro-lifers attacking abortionists, the unanswered questions about organ donations, and the greed that sometimes informs life-changing decisions within hospital governments.

Recalling these two books, I was excited to try Deadline, though I had no clue what to anticipate. I’ve enjoyed reading Randy Alcorn before, specifically his great story about the underground church in China, Safely Home, and his magnum opus, Heaven. Thus I figured I’d search out a Christian novel by an author I already know. Cussler all but spoon-feeds his readers, and there’s very little the reader can’t guess other then, “How will the protagonist win this time?” Recently, however, I’ve longed for a bit more engagement, something that could possibly benefit my life rather than merely spend it. For whatever reason, I enjoy the simplicity of a Cussler, which allows me to veg a little bit after a long day. I have been reading so many Clive Cussler novels lately that I think I’ve been numbed to the idea of real mystery in a novel.

Randy alcorn heaven book review