Faster Pastor: A Review

I recently finished an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Faster Pastor (Ingalls Publishing Group, Inc.), a novel by Sharyn McCrumb and Adam Edwards, that will be in bookstores in April 2010.

The book, based on the “what if” premise of a group of ministers racing for a $2-million prize, is a hoot. Several hoots, actually. The book is full of numerous laugh-out-loud moments. 

Mix together a down-on-his-luck stock car racer, a recently deceased racing fan whose will specifies that his NASCAR collection be sold and the money given to the church of whichever minister wins a race, a gaggle of ministers each with a need for money, a handful of other characters with ulterior motives, and the small town of Judas Grove that just happens to have a stock car track, and you have a fast-paced book with a lot of twists and turns, a few crashes, and pit stop every so often. 

Camber Berkley, a minor league stock car racer, crashes the funeral of the town eccentric—literally crashes it with his car. Fortunately he stops just short of the casket and no one is hurt, but Camber is arrested and soon convicted on several charges. Given the choice of several months in jail or two weeks of community service, he naturally opts for the service. Pajan Mosby, an officer of the court and daughter of the judge who found Camber guilty, supervises Camber’s community service—teaching the preachers to drive a race car.

Camber succeeds in several ways, but I won’t give away what they are. Rest assured that the book comes to a satisfactory and believable conclusion. Getting there is half the fun.

What makes Faster Pastor interesting is that it has two authors; what makes it good is that you can’t tell where one’s writing ends and the other begins. The voice is consistent throughout, and the third person omniscient point of view allows for a little educating the reader about certain technical aspects of racing every so often. 

McCrumb, who already has two racing books out already—St. Dale (winner of numerous awards) and Once Around the Track, says the book began as a “what if” idea. What if an unlikely group of folks had to race stock cars—and who more unlikely than a bunch of ministers? She and co-author Adam Edwards, an actual race car driver, tossed the idea back and forth and Faster Pastor is the resulting piece of fiction.

Does art reflect life? In this case, it does. The idea of racing clergy isn’t just fiction. A plethora of pastors are already zooming all over—and have been doing so for years. Some actual faster pastor races are documented via You-Tube. Here's one from the 2009 Macon, IL race (Note: the race in the McCrumb-Edwards book is even more exciting!):



Numerous blogs mention various faster pastor races. This one takes place in Pt. Charlotte, FL, and this one in Jackson, MN, and this one at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and this one in Arizona. And there are more. 

  
Google “Faster Pastor” and you'll find a movie about Adam Farrell (watch the trailer here), a website about a faster pastor who provides motorcycle funerals in the UK, and lots of blogs. 

Whoever imagined that so many pastors were so speedy? I’ll bet the folks who attend all those faster pastor races (and possibly the motorcycle funerals) would enjoy the McCrumb-Edwards book. 

If you're a fan of down-home feel-good southern fiction, odds are good you'll like this book.

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