Something is wrong in Shibboleth, the home of Nehemiah, Billy, and Trice, currently young adults but raised together from childhood. Nehemiah left Shibboleth after the death of his mother and went to Washington, DC to build a successful career for himself. One night Billy and Trice show up at Nehemiah's door to tell him he is needed in Shibboleth because something is seriously wrong, and Nehemiah must go back there to make everything right again.

When Nehemiah returns, he finds that Shibboleth is not as he remembered it. The town is drying up, and the inhabitants seem unable to cope with that fact, nor can they arrive at solutions to prevent further decay. It is up to Nehemiah, Billy, and Trice to find a way to save their home town. All they really have on their side to do this is faith and hope. They have no idea if that will be enough.

River Jordan has a gift for writing beautiful, elegant prose that is difficult, if not impossible, to put down. She has a way of defining her characters and situations as though she's sitting right there beside you on the front porch swing explaining her story as you hang onto every word. Her characters have depth, and each of them is unique in how they view themselves and their surroundings.

Best of all, The Messenger of Magnolia Street is a book to be kept and re-read. It is a novel of love and hope; of good vs evil; of the power of the human spirit. It is exactly what I would have expected from someone named "River Jordan". ( )