Marathon

Marathon (Jonathan Stride #8)
By: Brian Freeman

This is book 8 in a series. I have not read any of the other books and still enjoyed reading this one. (UPDATE: I read Immoral and it was the worst). If you plan to read the other ones after this, you may be exposed to what I perceive to be possible references to earlier books. Nothing major- a relationship change and a wrongly accused suspect from a prior case.

Though a suspense/mystery book, this story is also a discussion of sorts on profiling, terrorism, and inciting hatred and violence on social media. (Similar to Steven James’s book Every Deadly Kiss)

A bomb is detonated at an annual marathon in Duluth. A witness who claims to have seen the bomber posts the man’s picture on Twitter- also the man is of Middle Eastern descent. After a well-known Anti-Islam figurehead retweets it, the destruction of the man’s life (and other Muslims) ensues. Was he actually the bomber? Was it another Muslim in the community or someone else? How can the police stop the violence from spiraling out of control and conduct a legitimate investigation when operating from potentially biased information?

I believe profiling exists, especially in regards to terrorism. Obviously most Muslims are not terrorists. Can police and government agencies fight terrorism without profiling or being biased? I don’t have answers. Yet, it is an important thing to be aware of when we are making judgments about incidents.

That’s worth repeating: be cautious when making judgments about events, people, statements, incidents. As portrayed in the book- we, as the public, almost always have incomplete information. And we can’t accept blindly the claims of well-known “justice” fighters for any cause, because more often than not, they are pushing a particular agenda. This book shows us one example of the dangerous consequences of passing unchecked information as fact, or getting all worked up about something that has not been verified by the right sources.

In the context of the book, it focuses on profiling based on race. But considering the social climate of America right now I would apply this lesson more widely and say: the things we post on social media have real consequences and I believe Americans as a whole are being largely irresponsible with what they post and how they post it. We say we want to stop violence and hatred but scroll through your newsfeeds and that’s all you see. It’s basically still hatred even if you package it as the condemnation of ‘all that is wrong with the world.’ Regardless of our intentions we must be more cautious in our judgments and seek truth BEFORE we share all the things we deem “important.”

And I say all this to myself as well. We must humbly recognize that it turns out our thoughts and opinions aren’t actually as important or necessary as we think. I believe if we posted and retweeted less, we would have less violence and less hatred. The entire solution is more complex than that but it’s certainly not less than that.

Regardless of race, political, or religious affiliation, I believe the message of this book applies to all of us and is absolutely relevant to today. Seek the truth first, think for yourself, and be cautious in any judgment. Our words and actions have very real, and all too often, dangerous consequences.

Moral lesson aside, it was a well-written and suspenseful book. It’s the Jonathan Stride series, but I kind of liked how it wasn’t written from his point of view and I wouldn’t even say he was the main character throughout it all. Screen time was divided between several likable characters and helped drive the plot. I plan to go back and read others in this series- hopefully in order!

Oh just thought of something else. There is a common subtle theme of ‘purpose’ throughout this book. Each character looking for purpose or finding purpose. I found that really interesting to think about in the context of the overarching purpose of the book. What is the author getting at in regards to a person’s need for purpose? Especially when he writes one character who has a strong faith in God even amidst the pain and tragedy of her life.

Although there are several Muslim characters in the story and their faith is talked about, it is portrayed as more of something they do instead of who they are to the core of their being. It didn’t feel as raw or as genuine as the Christian character’s faith but more of a traditional, obligatory aspect of their lives that held meaning but not in the ‘this is my whole worldview, what changed me, what moves me, what gives me hope’ kind of way. Or rather. Their purpose. I did not feel as if Freeman was advocating for a particular faith and haven’t felt that in any of his other books either. So I’m curious to know his intent in including this aspect of purpose. Something I’m still processing.

In case you need it spelled out: I would recommend.

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