The First Stone

Rev. Jonah Newman becomes the interim pastor of a congregation in the Pacific Northwest where the previous pastor's counseling ministry caused too many church and community members to be ready to cast the first stone. When the local newspaper alerts readers that the previous pastor left dictated notes on his counseling sessions, Rev. Newman must contend with townsfolk who fear that he has listened to these tapes and with the unsettling idea that the previous pastor's untimely death may not have been an accident. The First Stone introduces Jonah Newman, who with his son Mark, is trying to make peace with the death of his wife and ministry partner a year ago. Newman comes to Mason Street Church hoping to draw on his own experience in coming to terms with tragedy as a way to help another congregation that is reeling from the sudden death of its young pastor. What he finds is a congregation torn by the unresolved questions of whether their spiritual leader had been led astray by temptation or had met his end because he became privy to information that a counselee regretted sharing. In this novel Reid revisits the fictional characterization of a clergy sleuth and, with the creation of Jonah Newman, seeks to bring a fresh perspective to this genre. The story lifts up the inner workings of contemporary small Protestant congregation and explores the moral dilemmas faced by its people and their leaders. This is a world where passion and piety too often are uneasily yoked, especially when challenged by a society where matters sacred are no longer considered taboo.