Matthew “the Rocket” Rising is living the dream: He is one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the history of college football, the #1 NFL draft pick and madly in love with and married to his high school sweetheart. But this incredible string of luck ends abruptly, and Matthew finds his perfect life turned into a modern-day tragedy.
Best-selling author Charles Martin’s latest novel, A Life Intercepted, begins as Matthew leaves prison after serving a sentence for a crime he insists he did not commit, but which nonetheless has plunged the football hero from the height of his glory days to the depths of ignominy and shame literally overnight.
Matthew is determined to find his heartbroken wife, Audrey, who disappeared after her husband’s trial, fleeing the relentless barrage of media to seek solace with a group of nuns. But Audrey’s escape is tempered when she meets a teenage football player whom she takes under her broken wing—and who might be key to bringing the couple back together.
Avid football fans will be rewarded, as there are plenty of episodes detailing the finer points of the game, from strategies and plays to the particular mindset required to become a star. Still, Martin never lingers too long on sports details before tugging the narrative back to the heart of his tale, which is equal parts crime thriller/mystery and old-fashioned love story.
This article was originally published in the September 2014 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
