Book Review - Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

 1961 Minnesota. Frank is thirteen with a tagalong younger brother, Jake. Older sister, Ariel, dates the rich kid, Karl Brandt, and she's ready to leave for Julliard. In this small town, life is good for the preacher kids until it's not. 

One death - a young boy dies on the train tracks.  2nd death - a homeless man near the river and train trestles. Frank finds him and is drawn into the  mystery. 3rd death -  strikes too close to home and affects the whole town. 

Meanwhile, Frank is dancing between being a kid and growing up. He's observing his father's calm ways. He  sees his mother's restlessness. And where does Ariel sneak off to in the middle of the night? 

William Kent Krueger's Ordinary Grace is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God. (cover blurb)

I found this book  to be a calm folksy read with strong  characters that I cared about. 

Meanwhile,  the opposite of calm is Las Vegas.   We had a helicopter flight over  the Strip and that was a Wow. Only ten minutes, but the glow of the lights  is extraordinary.  Then  after landing, we went to  the Neon  Museum. It's the graveyard for old neon/ argon signs.   Here's an old Aladdin  Lamp. 

Walking through this outdoor museum and hearing  the  history was fascinating. Quite the works of handmade art!