by Gayle Roper
I watched my breath plume and dissipate as “Oh, Dem Golden Slippers” filled the air once again. I leaned against my golden future and smiled.
DEAR READER,
Have you had the faith-building experience of having God care for you and provide for you even though you didn’t realize at the time that He was working? It’s fascinating to see the end result of situations that seemed hard or bad at the time but which ended up leading to rich and wonderful outcomes.
Libby sees this phenomenon in her life when she realizes that being raised by Jack and Mimi might have been hard, but it allowed her to meet Madge and, through her, the Lord.
One of my personal situations that seemed like the end of the world as I expected it to be occurred when I was twenty-six and had to have a total hysterectomy. As a result I would never be able to have any children. Yowzah! What was God doing?
Into this hard situation came Chip and Jeff, our adopted sons. God was providing for them as well as for Chuck and me, though at the time of the surgery, it didn’t look like it.
God is ever faithful, having plans to prosper us and give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
Our responsibility is trusting God even when things seem hopeless. One of the blessings of getting older, whether a year or a decade, is that we can look back and see how God has been there for us in the past. His previous faithfulness in things both large and small is a great assurance that He will be there for us in our current situations. “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” becomes even more real (Hebrews 13:5). Once again we can place our fragile faith, our lives, our hopes in His loving hands.
May you rest in Him today.
Gayle Roper
Readers Guide
One of the hardest persons to deal with in Libby’s life is her twin. Why is it so often family that causes some of our deepest conflicts?
For a moment, Libby considers abortion for her unwanted teen pregnancy. Why do you think this procedure is so often the automatic response? Do you consider it a viable solution? Why or why not? What should be our response to those who have gone ahead with the termination of their pregnancies?
What do you think are three things that enabled Libby to rise above what could have been crippling circumstances when she became pregnant at such a young age?
What are some of the things Madge did that made her such a pivotal person in Libby’s life? Has there been anyone like that in your life? How can you be that person to another?
What are some of the things besides twin sisters that try to lure our children from us and from the Lord? How do we protect our kids?
Do you have close contact with someone who is bipolar? What are some of the difficulties you have experienced as a result? Have you found any solutions to making life easier for everyone?
When Drew reacts strongly to the streak of color in Jenna’s hair, Libby cautions about picking your wars. What does this mean? What are wars worth picking?
What is your reaction to the life choices Tori made? What do you think about her getting away with theft?
Have you or someone you know had experience with the short-term paycheck loan shops like the ones Luke owns? Is it ever appropriate to use one? How does using one fit in with the concept of good stewardship?
Both Chloe and Jenna live with hurts inflicted by the choices of others. Has this ever been your experience? Or have you ever caused hurt to others by your choices? Does the application of 1 John 1:9 (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”) fix all these hurts?
Solution to Are You Next
Solution to You Are Overdue
Solution to Pay Up or Else
Solution to Last Warning
FATAL DEDUCTION
PUBLISHED BY MULTNOMAH BOOKS
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Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
A division of Random House Inc.
All Scripture quotations or paraphrases are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
Copyright © 2008 by Gayle Roper
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
MULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Roper, Gayle G.
Fatal deduction : a novel / Gayle Roper.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-1-60142-337-5
1. Sisters—Fiction. 2. Twins—Fiction. 3. Family secrets—Fiction. 4. Crossword puzzles—Fiction. 5. Domestic fiction. I. Title.
PS3568.O68F38 2008
813′.54—dc22
2007048922
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books by this Author
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Readers Guide
Copyright