An Arab Christian, an American doctor, and a rebel leader find their lives inextricably intertwined when a young woman with a bright future ahead of her is taken by the slave traders in the heart of Southern Sudan.

The characters come alive in this thought provoking and compelling read, as we are introduced to the brave men and women who have never known anything other than war in the divided Sudan. This book does an excellent job of explaining the conflict for those not familiar with the plight of the Sudanese and the loss of a country who has lost so many generations to war.

Larson is an American doctor who has spent years working among the Sudanese people that she has come to love, battling fatigue and a sense of duty. She is passionate about serving the Sudanese, and is fiercely protective of her young assistant, Rachel, and her adopted son, Ayok.

Ben Alier is a man educated in American who returned to his homeland to fight alongside his people. He is devoted to fighting for peace with the SPLA (Sudanese People's Liberation Army) each death another scar on his hardened heart. He is headstrong and can be impulsive or calculated, feeding an anger that keeps him fighting.

Arab Christian Paul Farid left his live of ease behind to bring much needed supplies the people of Sudan. He wants to do so much more with what God has given him, wanting to be ready to answer the call whenever it comes, but his past makes him a man that few will trust. Paul is a man completely transformed by the Word of God, I loved uncovering his story as the plot unfolded. I loved how he treated people with grace because of the grace shown him.

An unforgettable read, that brings to life the conflicts of Sudan, and the sacrifices of the young in this poignant story of epic proportions. Well researched, with strong well developed characters that leap off the page. I liked how the author showed the gritty, grisly reality of a war-torn country with so much lost potential due to the ravages of war, yet amidst it all is hope.

A must read, from bestselling author DiAnn Mills, this book brings together all of the best elements of her writing, compelling, heartbreaking, and suspenseful. A book you won't soon forget.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another book by DiAnn that really had me on the edge of my seat until the last paragraph. I love how her books takes a hold of me whenever I read them.

Long Walk Home, by DiAnn Mills, is book one in the Hope of Sudan series. This is an action packed, fast paced story that takes place in modern day Sudan. Paul is a pilot that takes supplies to war-torn Sudan, especially to American doctor Larson Kerr. His life is endangered since leaving his families religion and becoming a christian. Dr. Kerr left her family, home and faith when she travel to Sudan to work. She is very dedicated in her work and loves the Sudanese people. Her young assistant Rachel is abducted. Rachel’s brother Ben is a Colonel in the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army who is looking for her. Dr. Kerr took in a young boy, Nyok, to help her. He longs to be in the army. But she wants a safer life for him. Nyok is very protective of Dr, Kerr.
This was a hard book for me to get into, but once I did it was an enjoyable read. It has action and suspense with romance blended in. It was enjoyable to read of the dedication Dr. Kerr had with the Sudanese and the dedication Paul had to supplying their needs. The love triangle between Paul, Ben, and Dr. Kerr is also interesting. The part I enjoyed the most is where Paul went to see a man he had known in his past, a man who lead him to the Lord. That was a very touching part to this story I received a e-book copy of this story from the publisher through NetGalley, this is my honest review.

Could I just...self-proclaim myself as DiAnn Mills' biggest fan at this point? Long Walk Home is unlike any other novel I have ever read.  It reminds me more of a nonfiction book in its topic--missionary work in war-torn Sudan. In typical DiAnn Mills fashion, however, bullets fly. The bodies pile up, and the romance seems real. More than her other books, though, Long Walk Home focused on the good news of the gospel. Once I met the characters, I rooted for them from the first page to the very last, even the ones I didn't like as much. This novel isn't about the romance. First and foremost, it talks about what God can do and His never-ending love for His people. 

Paul Farid used to persecute those from southern Sudan, but an old man opened his eyes to the truth. After that point, nothing mattered to Paul but doing God's work. The fact that his family had a death wish for him...it didn't matter. All he wanted to do was use his wealth to impact lives in Christ's name. When he delivered invaluable medical supplies to Dr. Larson Kerr, he never expected to witness a kidnapping or suffer a bullet wound. The sister of a colonel has been taken, and he's determined to help find her. But she's not the only lost one in the village. Larson's heart is hard to the Lord, and Paul knows Christ is calling her name.

Meanwhile, Larson's seen it all, including the lives of far too many children cut short from disease. She's witnessed child soldiers, dying with rifles in their hands and fear in their eyes. There's no way a loving God would allow any of the violence or illness to happen. Clearly He either isn't there, or He just doesn't care. Colonel Ben Alier's younger sister, Rachel, had such a bright future ahead of her; why would God allow such an innocent heart to fall into enemy hands?

Mills always includes a faith element in her books. In that respect, Long Walk Home by DiAnn Mills is probably my favorite out of all her books. It so perfectly demonstrates how God can work even in the darkest of hours, and how it is never too late to listen to His voice. You can never do anything to make Him stop loving you, even if you no longer believe in Him. We may not always be holding onto Him as we should, but He always reaches a hand to us to pull us up out of the deepest of pits.

There were a couple things I didn't like, but I won't go into them due to spoilers. I didn't particularly like Ben Alier's personality, but I think that was intentional. At the time of writing this review, I've already read the second book; Ben's now redeemed in my eyes, and I understand him a bit better. Enjoy this book. Savor it. Step into the past, into a land to which I'm sure few of us have ever traveled. Take your time with Long Walk Home by DiAnn Mills. Examine it like a piece of piece of art, studying all its brush strokes and its different shades. In some novels, authors seem to throw in action scenes to fill dead space, but that's not Long Walk Home at all. In my opinion, it deserves to be displayed in a glass box at a museum for Christian literature. You won't regret your visit!

*Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adore DiAnn Mills books. And I grabbed this book from NetGalley because I hadn't heard of it before. The Hope in Sudan series felt like a bit of a departure from Mills books that have been previously published. But I loved them just the same!

Long Walk Home introduces you to Paul Farid, former Muslim Arab who became a Christian, and now delivers food and supplies to villages in Southern Sudan. He does this despite the bounty placed on his head by his family when he converted and walked away from his family, the ruling family of northern Sudan that is perpetuating the war on the country.

On one of his supply drops, Paul meets American Doctor Larson Kerr and Sudanese People's Liberation Army Col. Ben Alier. Ben's sister Rachel works with Dr. Kerr and in the first few chapters of the book is kidnapped. Forming an unlikely alliance, Paul, Larson, and Ben work to rescue Rachel, examine their beliefs, and find their way home.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was filled with suspense, introduced me to a whole new world across the ocean, and invited me to think about faith and missionary work in a whole new light. This book invites you into the struggle of those working and living overseas to aid a war-torn country. I appreciated seeing the wrestling work out in the lives of the characters and even the fact that nothing is tied up with a neat bow in the end. Looking forward to reading book 2 in this series!

Long Walk Home is a very well written romantic suspense. Great plot and character development. Suspense fans will not be disappointed. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

As an Arab Christian pilot for a relief organization, Paul Farid feels called to bring supplies to his war-torn countrymen in southern Sudan. But with constant attacks from Khartoum’s Islamic government, the villagers have plenty of reasons to distrust Paul, and he wonders if the risks he’s taking are really worth his mission.

American doctor Larson Kerr started working with the Sudanese people out of a sense of duty and has grown to love them all, especially Rachel, her young assistant. But despite the years she’s spent caring for them, her life feels unfulfilled. It’s a void that both Paul and Rachel’s older brother, Colonel Ben Alier of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, notice.

When Rachel is abducted, Paul, Ben, and Larson agree to set aside their differences to form an unlikely alliance and execute a daring rescue. Their faith and beliefs tested, each must find the strength to walk the path God has laid before them, to find their way home.

This book had a great story line and kept me reading. I will admit to skimming pages when the war details were discussed. Not that they were gory. I was more interested in the characters and the story than the background history. It was a necessary part of the story. I just felt it was discussed too much.

Larson is a doctor who is running from God and is working in the most primitive of conditions. Paul is a converted Muslim who is trying to atone for all he did while being a zealous Muslim. Paul also has a price on his head by his family because he converted to Christianity. Ben is fighting for the Sudanese people and has no time for God. He also doesn't trust anyone. Especially Paul. The one thing they have in common is they both love Larson.

I was given this book by Tyndale House Publishing via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

I have found that I very sadly do not enjoy DiAnn Mills recent books due to her writing style of late. I enjoyed several of her books a couple years ago but her books in the last year are not ones I enjoy.

"Long Walk Home" is a Christian suspense novel set in 2003 in southern Sudan. There were several viewpoint characters: an American doctor who has spent many years serving in this village, a colonel in the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army who is trying to protect his people, an Arab Christian pilot for a relief organization who was once a Muslim from northern Sudan, and a 12-year-old village boy who helps the doctor but who wants to join the Army to get revenge for his family's death. This provided a number of viewpoints on the situation in southern Sudan in 2003. When the sister of the colonel is kidnapped--probably to be sold as a slave or tortured for her Christian faith--the colonel must work with the man he views as an enemy, the Arab pilot whose conversion to Christianity seems suspect to him.

Details about the conflict in Sudan were woven into the story and drove the action. The characters were interesting, engaging, and reacted in realistic ways to events. Both the Arab Christian and the colonel were interested in the doctor romantically, creating relationship tension in addition to the dangers of working in war-torn Sudan. The Arab Christian also had a price on his head due to his conversion, making it even more dangerous for him to work anywhere in Sudan. The doctor left her Christian faith due to her anger that God allowed innocent people to die. The rest of the main characters were Christians, and the Arab Christian felt that God wanted him to help the doctor back to faith in Him. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting, suspenseful novel.

I just recently discovered Diane Mills. This is the third book of hers that I read. I really enjoy her writing style. It is fast-paced and easy to read. I highly recommend this book.

LONG WALK HOME is the first novel in the Hope of Sudan series by DIANN MILLS. The story starts in 2003 in the village of Warkou in South Sudan, where Dr Larson Kerr practises medicine in very primitive conditions. - her "surgery" being nothing more than a hut. She loves the people she tends, especially the children, but feels desperate with the enormity of her task.
When Paul Farid, of Feed The World, flies in with badly needed medical and food supplies, he is wounded, his plane is damaged, and Rachel, the beautiful sixteen year old sister of Colonel Ben Alier of the Sudan People's Army, is abducted.
It is a fast paced and exciting read with a really good Christian message. The characters are great and we come across some truly amazing testimonies of faith in Christ under terrible persecution. I love the description of the African setting, the Dinka people, and the White Nile - the latter being a symbol of hope in this war town country. It is obvious that the author has been to South Sudan and has done a great deal of research into the situation there.
I do not want to spoil the book for you so I will not tell you any more, except to say that it is an inspiring story which gives one a great deal of food for thought. I highly recommend Long Walk Home.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers, The opinions in this review are completely my own.