When I was wrapping up the final edits on The Mercy Seat, Kay and I had dinner with dear friends Bill and Derri Smith. Derri had recently retired as the director of an organization devoted to rescuing victims of human trafficking. I shared with them the story of The Mercy Seat and that I was considering a sequel with human trafficking as a theme. Derri committed to “looking over my shoulder” in the writing of The Stranger at the Door. Thus began a beautiful back-and-forth of Derri confirming or correcting my choices throughout the course of writing.
As with The Mercy Seat, The Stranger at the Door was plotless when I sat down to write. Because it is a sequel, there was much I needed to address. The story begins six months after the ending of The Mercy Seat, and opens with Maxwell Crane struggling with emotional and psychological pain as a result of his impulsive choices to defend his son against a real and present danger.
Once I establish Maxwell’s trauma, a stranger arrives at the front door of the church and the Crane family takes her in. Life spirals out of control. I created a world that was dark and dangerous, but based on a reality that few of us truly know or want to know. Thanks to Derri Smith, the created world of The Stranger at the Door rings true, and the twists and turns of the action and the character choices follow a fascinating logic.
I always enjoy the process of writing, but Stranger had a special pleasure because every character (the old ones and the new) had a believable persona and a character path with specific motivations that allowed them to make believable choices—good and bad—in hopes of achieving what they desired. I tried to keep out of their way and let the story unfold as they wished for it to be told. I never knew what my characters might do until they appeared in my imagination. I just prayed my fingers wouldn’t fail me as I kept typing.
The Stranger at the Door takes a hard look at the human trafficking that happens in plain sight, yet is rarely seen by the general populace. I hope the reader will have a meaningful experience in this journey through unfamiliar territory, and while at times it might make the reader squirm, I hope it will also offer an understanding for those who cry out for rescue from the dark corners of the world.
Mr. Arnold received his B.A. from Pepperdine University and his Master of Fine Arts degree at U.N.C. Chapel Hill. His career as an actor/author spans over five decades with multiple stage and film credits. His most recent film is The Hiding Place. He has recorded over one hundred audiobooks and is the author of the multi-volume biblical/historical fiction series entitled The Song of Prophets and Kings (available in all formats wherever books are sold).
The Mercy Seat, the first book in his Urban Chronicles suspense series, pits an urban pastor against the forces of crime, poverty, and power elites. It releases in March 2024 with Mountain Brook Ink.
When not writing, he can be found hiking on a trail somewhere in the world.
He and his lovely wife Kay have two beautiful daughters, married to two handsome men, with three above-average grandchildren.
Get a more detailed look at his creative life by visiting www.henryoarnold.com
When a beat-up van screeches to a stop in front of The Mercy Seat church late one night and a young woman leaps out in an effort to escape her captors, Maxwell Crane and his family jump to her rescue. But is this desperate girl the innocent victim she appears to be?
The family’s act of kindness leads to dire consequences. When the young woman and the Crane sisters are abducted by members of a ruthless cartel out for revenge, Maxwell is yanked into yet another harsh reality of life in Hell’s Canyon.
There are no good options. All strategies for rescue could exact a terrible price. Still haunted by the tragedy he caused the last time he took justice into his own hands, Maxwell can only cast his broken soul upon the mercy of God. He would rush into the gates of hell to save his daughters, but will he get there in time?
