An Open Heart (47 page)

Authors: Harry Kraus

Tags: #Mystery, #Suspense, #Medical Suspense, #Africa, #Kenya, #Heart Surgery, #(¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)

BOOK: An Open Heart

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5. I’m currently working at Kijabe Hospital, just like Jace. I used the example of a decision not to stock snakebite antivenom to represent the reality and complexity of decisions we face here. In fact, we’ve decided
not
to stock life-saving antivenom here because of the expense and infrequency of use. That means someone may die someday. But we can treat so many cases of malaria successfully because of our decision to save money. Put yourself in my shoes (or the shoes of Jace’s father). What would you do? Can you justify putting a snakebite victim at risk just because of money?

6. Jace ends up in the middle of Africa, and right in the center of God’s plan. But he got there for a variety of reasons, none of which could be considered particularly noble. Do you think God can use our less-than-noble motivations (guilt, fear, desire to run away from difficulty) to help steer us toward faith? Again, imagine that you are Jace’s counselor back in Virginia and he asked for your advice after telling you of his desire to return to Kenya. Once he explained his honest motivation, what would your counsel have been? Would you have been correct?

7. Jace and Heather grew up as “third-culture kids.” These are citizens of one nation who have grown up in a foreign country. They are often caught in the middle, unsure where they fit. In a sense, that describes all Christians. We find ourselves in this world, but longing for a heavenly home. We don’t “fit” here. Can you relate to this longing or this kind of identify confusion? Do you ever have a sense that you just don’t belong?

8. While this story is fictional, I pulled from research into actual witchcraft practices in this country, some of which are very mysterious and colorful. For some reason, things that would be laughed at in American culture are accepted here. Post-Christian America is in some way becoming more “spiritual” while at the same time, less Christian. Do you see evidence of this? Why do you think witchcraft flourishes in a place like my home in Kenya?

9. What do you think about modern nonfictional accounts of experiences beyond the grave, either in heaven or hell? Are these real? Psychological projections? Spiritual … demonic perhaps? What’s your explanation? Are you a scientific skeptic like Jace?

10. In the end, Jace makes this statement: “Kenya can be a scary place if you don’t know the Savior.” Do you agree? I
f you were advising me on writing the sequel to this novel, what should be the next challenge for Jace and Heather?

AN OPEN HEART

Published by David C Cook

4050 Lee Vance View

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada

55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

This story is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.)

LCCN 2013935961

ISBN 978-0-7814-0535-5

eISBN 978-1-4347-0604-1

Published in association with Natasha Kern Literary Agency, PO Box 1069, White Salmon, WA 98672.

The Team: Don Pape, Dave Lambert, Amy Konyndyk, Renada Arens, Karen Athen

Cover Design: Nick Lee

Cover Photos: Shutterstock, iStockphoto

First Edition 2013

Photo by Kristine Kraus

HARRY KRAUS, MD
, is a board-certified surgeon, medical missionary to East Africa, and accomplished writer of both nonfiction and fiction. Medical realism and gripping plotlines distinguish his writing, as he gets most of his ideas with a scalpel in hand. Harry resides in Kenya with his wife, Kris, and the youngest of their three sons.

If you enjoyed this title, visit
DCCeBooks.com
for more great reads.

What people are saying about …

An Open Heart

“
An Open Heart
is a page-turning combination of loss and redemption, along with a glimpse into the spiritual realm that shouldn’t be ignored.”

Lisa Harris,
author of the Christy Award finalist
Blood Ransom

“
An Open Heart
is rich with international, spiritual, and medical intrigue. Who better than Harry Kraus, a doctor with great wisdom in spiritual matters and intimate with his setting, to pen such a fascinating novel? This is a thrilling read!”

Hannah Alexander,
author of
Keeping Faith

Praise for …

A Heartbeat Away

“Harry Kraus knows how to put a reader’s heart through the ringer. Fast-paced, suspenseful, and emotional,
A Heartbeat Away
kept me reading late into the night, eager to know where Tori Taylor’s new heart would lead her. This one’s a keeper!”

Robin Lee Hatcher,
bestselling author of
Heart of Gold
and
Betrayal

“With romance, hospital politics, and life-or-death action,
A Heartbeat Away
will grab your attention and command you to try to wrap your mind around the fantastic idea of cellular memory and how it could affect a person’s inner life and outer actions.”

Serena Chase,
USA TODAY

“A transplanted heart comes with a double dose of nightmares for its recipient and is the catalyst for danger, romance, and lives forever changed. Riveting and poignant with breath-catching twists, surgeon Harry Kraus offers masterful storytelling and ‘grace from the cutting edge.’ A perfectly prescribed read!”

Candace Calvert,
author of ECPA bestseller
Code Triage
and
Trauma Plan

“
A Heartbeat Away
is a medical thriller brimming with suspense, mind-blowing twists, romance, and a spiritual message that reaches deep into the soul. Harry Kraus has masterfully crafted another dynamic story that will keep you reading late into the night. Highly recommended!”

Mark Mynheir,
retired homicide detective and author of
The Corruptible

“An intriguing, fast-paced, compelling story that had me glued to the pages and raises the question, can we pass along the essence of who we are? Can you change someone’s eternity from beyond the grave? Fascinating medical questions with a riveting plot. Highly recommended!”

Susan May Warren,
award-winning, bestselling author of
You Don’t Know Me

“Writing with the authority of a physician, Harry Kraus takes us inside the world of medicine to meet a surgeon who needs a heart transplant … in more ways than one. This is, without a doubt, Dr. Kraus’s best novel yet.”

Richard L. Mabry, MD,
author of
Lethal Remedy
and the Prescription For Trouble Series

“Harry Kraus is as skilled with a pen as he is with a scalpel.
A Heartbeat Away
is a compelling, page-turning story that surprised me at every turn. And it is ultimately a beautiful picture of the depths of the human heart when God is allowed to reside there.”

Deborah Raney,
author of
Beneath a Southern Sky
and the Hanover Falls Novels

“I don’t normally read medical suspense novels. But I read this one. And once I started, I couldn’t stop.
A Heartbeat Away
is a great read. It has everything I want in a book. And it’s based on a premise I’ve never heard of and found utterly fascinating. Do yourself a favor: get this book!”