{"product_id":"the-second-sentence-9798195906597","title":"The Second Sentence","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Bethany Claire Reed\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: American - General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwenty-three years ago, Caleb Mercer stood in a county courtroom and heard the first sentence of his life spoken over him.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was severe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was deserved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, after more than two decades in prison, Caleb is free-but freedom is not the same as restoration. With a worn prison Bible, strict parole conditions, and nowhere to live but a decaying highway motel, he returns to Harrow, Indiana, hoping for a quiet life of work, worship, and repentance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the world has not forgotten what Caleb did.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery apartment door closes. Every job application carries the weight of his past. Every public place reminds him of the boundaries he can never cross. At Grace Bible Church, he is allowed to sit only in the back pew, under supervision, far from the children's wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCaleb knows the restrictions are necessary. He believes they are right.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe also sees what others would rather ignore.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe church that fears his sin is full of people excusing their own. Gossip passes for concern. Cowardice passes for wisdom. Pride passes for holiness. And as Caleb watches respectable sins move freely through the sanctuary, his own heart begins to twist the truth into resentment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen one sudden emergency places an injured child in his path.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn that moment, Caleb must choose between protecting himself and protecting the vulnerable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEither way, the world may never believe him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Second Sentence\u003c\/b\u003e is a dark, unsentimental Christian novel about guilt, grace, justice, hypocrisy, consequence, and the God who sees hidden obedience when every human witness gets the story wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independently Published","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47882576658583,"sku":"9798195906597","price":1917.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9798195906597.webp?v=1781095993","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/the-second-sentence-9798195906597","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}