MIDWEST REVIEW: The Fearless Moral Inventory of Elsie Finch is a work of Christian fiction that is highly recommended not just for religious collections, but for readers of literary suspense stories. The tale revolves around the carefully arranged legacy of parents who threaten to inject chaos into the next generation.

    Some families leave legacies of positivity and gifts. Others leave behind angst and confusion.

    Lynn Byk writes with a lyrical hand that captures passion and emotion with equal aplomb: "She didn’t shed a tear into this river. Instead, she began to breathe. It was time to figure out what had happened, and when. To finally begin to live her own life without guilt or compunction, she needed the timing of things. Timing was the only way to get a feel for each family member’s motives and to answer this: how had her warm, vibrant father died a broken stick of a man washed to the riverbank by the runoff? Her aim was to learn how to get past these wretched years since she first fled the nest and later, when she tumbled headlong into the rushing waters."

    As Elsie navigates her particular family maze, a series of consecutive vignettes emerge to capture the family's psyche.

    From her childhood's evolution and her early passion for reading books to her church connections, her experiences with youth leaders and guideposts of faith, and touchstones of building a connection with her higher power, Elsie's journey and coming of age details her psychological family dynamics, and community influences.

                                                                                D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer