Fallen by Matthew Raley

Jim, the church chairman, sees his pastor, Dave, get out of a car with a woman who is not his wife. As Jim wades into the water with his confrontation of Dave’s actions he soon finds himself in the deep end of a scandal that changes from bad to worse.

Raley’s debut novel doesn’t withhold it’s grip until the last page. In a setting that’s all too familiar for churches with a pastor who deceives and controls to the breaking point, Fallen is a forceful novel about the wolf among the flock, about the disastrous effects of sin, and about God’s formation through struggles.

Fallen is fashioned on its strong use of dialogue and Raley’s subtle observations that intensify each scene. Read an interview with Matthew Raley here. Buy the book here. Visit his blog here.