The Sinners' Garden : A Novel

Andy Kemp’s young life has been as ravaged as his scarred face. Disfigured by an abusive father, the teenager hides behind his books and an impenetrable wall of cynicism and anger.
 
As Andy’s mother struggles to reconnect with him, his Uncle Rip returns transformed from a stint in prison and wants to be a mentor to the reclusive boy, doing everything he can to help end Andy’s pain. When Andy begins hearing strange music through his iPod and making near-prophetic announcements, Rip is convinced that what Andy is hearing is the voice of God.
 
Elsewhere, police officer Heather Gerisch responds to a late-night breaking and entering in one of the poorest homes in town. She soon realizes that the masked prowler has left thousands of dollars in gift cards from a local grocery store.
 
As the bizarre break-ins continue and Heather pursues the elusive “Summer Santa,” Andy and Rip discover an enormous and well-kept garden of wildflowers that seems to have grown overnight at an abandoned steel mill.
 
The identity of the gardener surprises them all—and a spree of miracles transfigures this small town from a place of hopelessness into a place of healing and beauty.
 

Intriguing and inspirational … a story with exceptional details whose characters come to life and invite you along for the ride.
—Kay Campbell, Huntsville Time

Set in a fictionalized version of the Downriver suburbs of Detroit where I pastor, this engaging story presents a picture of God that is both personally and mysteriously involved in restoring lives that have been marred and scarred by mistakes of the past. Faith is the key that brings hope and healing … and this is portrayed beautifully in The Sinners’ Garden.
—Brett Kays, Lead Minister of Southpoint Community Christian Church, Trenton and Allen Park, Michigan
 

William Sirls is a master at weaving God’s transforming power into the lives of seemingly real people with real-life issues. His personal transformation makes his writing even more credible and faith strengthening.
—Pastor Pat Pittsnogle, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Milton, Pennsylvania

William Sirls has done it again! I was living inside the story, waiting on every word and turning each page with anticipation … and that was just the prologue! You will find yourself completely wrapped up in The Sinners’ Garden … talking out loud, giving advice, and laughing with the characters. William gives you that rare chance to get lost in a story that you just can’t wait to see how it ends. Grab this book now and thank me later!
—Chris Harrell, speaker, author, and pastor at South Hills Church, Corona, California
 

The problem I had with this book was that I couldn’t put it down. I love fiction that touches both my soul and spirit, and once again, William Sirls did just that. The Sinners’ Garden portrays heaven touching earth in a supernatural way that shows us how God uses everyday people … characters that seem so real that they become your friends, leaving you with a desire to see them in yet another book.
—Joseph G. Milosic, Associate Pastor, Mt. Zion Church, Clarkston, Michigan, and author of My Home the Family Business

Give yourself a gift and read The Sinners’ Garden. I literally consumed it, every morsel of it. A great story that I couldn’t put down. I found myself relating very easily to the characters. It is thought-provoking and encouraging with a hint of mystery for added flavor. Even in tragedy there was hope and comfort. It inspired me with renewed faith to change the things that I can and leave the rest to God. That is one peaceful place to be! And … I will never see a flower garden in quite the same way again.
—Susan M. Tant
 

I am a fairly new Christian and consider William Sirls to be one of my favorite authors. The Sinners’ Garden had me hooked at the prologue and I found it impossible to put down. Prepare yourself for all kinds of emotions while reading and keep the tissue box close by!
—Donna O’ Brien

As a resident of the web of small towns in Southeast Michigan known as Downriver, I appreciated the local references. Sirls played with landmarks in a fun way to create his small town setting that could easily be anywhere. Now, when I see kids like Andy riding their dirt bikes along fields and trails, grappling with their own demons, I will think of The Sinners’ Garden … where Sirls opens the conversation about sin and redemption, but leaves it up to his readers to question and answer concepts for themselves. An excellent book club read.
—Rhonda Raft
 

The Sinners’ Garden exposes the fact that God is alive and well and He’s willing to go to great and unusual lengths to get people to listen to Him. This book reminds us that God has a plan, a purpose for each life, one that has healing and miracles and forgiveness. All He wants from us is to take that inexplicable thing called a “leap of faith” and believe. As you will read, some people have to leap farther than others, but we can all be confident that when we land, we’ll be surrounded by His goodness and grace.
—Cindy Benedict Barclay