Dickson, Athol 1955-

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DICKSON, Athol 1955-

PERSONAL: First name is pronounced "ay-thole"; born 1955, in Tulsa, OK; son of a traveling salesman, and a homemaker; married; wife's name Sue. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Travel in Mexico, flatbottom boating.

ADDRESSES: Home—Dallas, TX. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Tyndale House Publishers, 351 Executive Dr., Carol Stream, IL 60188.

CAREER: Writer, architect, entrepreneur. Has worked as salesman, boxer, carpenter, bartender; teaches Sunday School.

WRITINGS:

Whom Shall I Fear?, Zondervan Publishing (Grand Rapids, MI), 1996.

Every Hidden Thing, Zondervan Publishing (Grand Rapids, MI), 1998.

Kate and Ruth: A Novel, Zondervan Publishing (Grand Rapids, MI), 1999.

They Shall See God, Tyndale House Publishers (Wheaton, IL), 2002.

The Gospel according to Moses: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me about Jesus, Brazos Press (Grand Rapids, MI), 2003.

Contributor of short story "Hannah's Home" to anthology The Storytellers' Collection: Tales of Faraway Places, edited by Melody Carson, Multnomah (Sisters, OR), 2000.

ADAPTATIONS: Whom Shall I Fear? has been adapted for audio cassette.

SIDELIGHTS: Athol Dickson is a Christian writer and an architect who has designed hundreds of restaurants throughout the United States. His first novel is the Southern gothic murder mystery Whom Shall I Fear?, which he calls "a murder mystery with a spiritual subtheme." Dickson's protagonist, Garrison ("Garr") Reed, owner of a family construction business in the Deep South, discovers the body of his former partner and friend and becomes the prime suspect in the murder. As these circumstances unfold, Reed begins to doubt his belief in God. A significant part of the plot of Whom Shall I Fear? revolves around Reed's spiritual dilemma. John Mort, reviewing the novel for Booklist, described the plot as one in which the "trials that come with [Reed's] being a [murder] suspect force him to rely on God." He also commented that Dickson's "charm" lies in his characters.

Melissa Hudak, writing for Library Journal, called the book "a dark, Gothic tale of old hatreds and … vengeance." She commented that the character Reed's "need for Christian life" at times sets aside the mystery but makes it "an engrossing novel." A writer for the Homer Public Library New Book List described the story as one that "ends with not only justice but also redemption."

Garr Reed returns in Dickson's novel Every Hidden Thing. When Garr accompanies his mild-mannered wife, Mary Jo, to a Christian demonstration at an abortion clinic, the peaceful rally turns violent. A priest is fatally shot and the doctor wounded. Mary Jo arouses Reed's suspicion when she runs away from the protest and later begins acting strangely. Melissa Hudak, in a review for Library Journal, called the book a "taut, fast-paced mystery" that gives a "nonpreachy" voice to the debate over abortion.

Dickson's They Shall See God is another murder mystery, this time involving two women, Rabbi Ruth Gold and Protestant Kate Flint, who as children witnessed a brutal murder and helped put its perpetrator behind bars for twenty-five years. When the killer is released from prison, strange events seemingly taken from the biblical book of Genesis begin occurring in Ruth's Jewish community in New Orleans. Her boyfriend dies from eating a poisoned apple, zoo animals are released into the city, and a man kills his brother. At the same time, a radical group of Christians begins to picket Ruth's synagogue in hopes of converting the Jews to Christianity. A Publishers Weekly contributor thought the story was told from too many points of view and perhaps had more Jewish terms than the average reader would understand. However, the reviewer praised the original writing, humor, and plot twists, calling the novel a "highly entertaining nail-biter" that could "promote greater understanding between people of both faiths." A contributor to Today's Christian Woman found the book "a page-turning story of bitter prejudice and the hope of reconciliation."

Published in 2003, Dickson's The Gospel according to Moses: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me about Jesus is a nonfiction book taken from Dickson's experiences as an evangelical Christian participating in a Reform Jewish Bible study group, or Chever Torah, at the invitation of a friend. The author's years in the group helped him to develop the character of Rabbi Ruth Gold in They Shall See God. It also helped him to understand the tensions between Christians and Jews as each group clings to its preconceived notions about the other. Richard S. Watts, in a review for Library Journal, said the lengthy description of the study group's discussions "make this book more scholarly than personal." However, Watts found that Dickson had learned to "ask questions and face difficult paradoxes" within Christianity. At the end of the book, the author states his strong faith in Christianity but does not preach, said Watts.

In an interview for Today's Christian Woman, Dickson said he continues to write his Christian-based novels because it gives him a chance to reach readers who are looking for an escape from everyday life. He told the interviewer: "Encountering a well-written novel with a Christian point of view, the doubter who trusts no sermon may willingly lift the veil from his imagination and peek beyond, thereby drawing near to the indescribable joy of knowing God."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, November, 1996, John Mort, review of Whom Shall I Fear?, p. 571; October 1, 2000, John Mort, review of The Storytellers' Collection: Tales of Faraway Places.

Christianity Today, May, 2003, review of The Gospel according to Moses: What My Jewish Friends Taught Me about Jesus, p.70.

Library Journal, November 1, 1996, Melissa Hudak, review of Whom Shall I Fear?; June 1, 1998, Melissa Hudak, review of Every Hidden Thing, p. 94; June 1, 2002, Melanie C. Duncan, review of They Shall See God, p. 122; February 1, 2003, Richard S. Watts, review of The Gospel according to Moses, p. 96.

Marriage Partnership, summer, 2002, review of They Shall See God, p. S5.

Publishers Weekly, April 29, 2002, review of They Shall See God, p. 42; March 4, 2003, review of The Gospel according to Moses:, p. S16.

Today's Christian Woman, May-June, 2002, review of They Shall See God and "An Author Speaks: Athol Dickson Explains Why He Takes Time to Write 'Mere Stories,'" p. 63.