Plain Heathen Mischief

By: Martin Clark

Narrated by: David Aaron Baker

Plain Heathen Mischief ups the existential ante, as Joel King, a defrocked Baptist minister, finds life even more bedeviling once he's served six months for a career-ending crime he might not even have committed. Now his incommunicado wife wants a divorce, the teenage vixen of his disgrace is suing him for a cool $5 million, a fresh start in Montana offers no hope for ex-cons of any religious persuasion, and the refuge provided by his sister turns as nasty as his parole officer. Talk about a crisis of faith.

On the upside,a solicitous member of Joel's former congregation invites him into a scam that could yield some desperately needed cash, and soon the down-on-his-luck preacher is involved with a flock of charming con men, crooked lawyers, and conniving youth.

In a feat of bravura storytelling, Martin Clark ranges from the cross to the double cross, from Virginia to Las Vegas, from jail cells to trout streams, as he follows his Job-like hero through dubious choices and high-dollar insurance hustles to a redemption that no listener could possibly predict. Wildly imaginative, at times comic, at times profoundly sobering, and even more audacious than his wonderfully idiosyncratic debut, Plain Heathen Mischief is a spiritual revelation of the first order.

©2004 Martin Clark (P)2015 Recorded Books

satisfactory

started really slow, but became interesting. Storyline was pretty well conceived. I'd recommend for those who don't have string feelings avout religion...either way.

Not Awful

Not a horrible book, but strange and a little dark. The title and blurb had me hoping for a bit of a romp. This tome is not a romp.
The narrator did a good job, better when I bumped the speed up a bit.

The con is good but the religion is too much

Like another review I exited a romp in the usual style of the author. This is more of a Job and redemption and sports a fair amount of religion.
Characters and the cons on which the story is built are all interesting.
If you’re new to this author try a different title first.

Joel’s naivete

Narrator was terrific but there were loose ends that did not get resolved, especially with the deposition in Virginia

Loved It!

This book was very well written. It caught my attention right away and kept it so well, I listened to the book straight through in one long marathon listen!