Grace in Mombasa by author T N Traynor is a Christian Fiction book inspired by true events. It traces the entire life of Grace Clifton through both World Wars, heartbreak and loss, a fall from faith, and a rediscovery of purpose in Kenya.

The story moves along quickly, starting with her birth. It covers a lot of ground and doesn’t get preachy. It hits the matters of faith that are important for the character and her development. In is an interesting tale and the only drawback I saw was the scope of the story. The reader is halfway through the book before Grace’s life in Mombasa starts. It’s like two books are trying to be one book, and this leaves the beginning of the story feeling a little unsatisfying. One example would be her relationship with William, whom she calls her best friend. She is willing to cross certain ethical lines to assist him, but that’s as deep as their relationship goes. They are great friends but we never see this relationship develop. This is a minor complaint and does not take anything away from the bigger story. I personally just think it might have played out better if the story started with Grace going to Mombasa, and from there let her past slowly be revealed to the reader as she lives through her trials and ordeals in Kenya.

The author does a good job of keeping the reader involved in the various places and times Grace experiences, even using several pictures to highlight certain events and people.

Grace in Mombasa fits the genre for which it is intended and according to the credits, proceeds help a worthy outreach program. I think readers who enjoy Christian Fiction will enjoy this book. 4 stars.

Allen M Werner is the author of the epic fantasy series The Crystal Crux