Excerpt from Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Eventually, Myrtle got up the nerve to ask Lynetta if she could take the boy to church.

What could it hurt? decided Lynetta. She figured Jimmy was too smart to fall for all that church baloney. Besides, without the kid around on Sunday, she could put up her feet and drink a forbidden beer or two.

That first Sunday morning in the Nazarene church felt like a homecoming to Jimmy. People welcomed him warmly. Ladies patted his round cheeks with the soft tips of their white--gloved fingers. Men thumped his scrawny back congenially. Everyone said it was good to see him.

He slid into a pew beside Myrtle. An organ began to soulfully play, a signal that the service was about to begin. The air smelled of perfume and hair pomade.

But it was the preacher who transfixed Jimmy—¬his shiny satin robe, his booming voice and fiery words. He commanded everyone's attention. The entire congregation sat riveted. And they did everything the preacher told them to do—-stand, sit, open their hymnals, pray. Jimmy suddenly wanted to be just like that preacher. Respected. Admired. The center of attention.

After that, Jimmy could hardly wait for Sunday. He memorized everything he heard at church. Within weeks he could repeat hymns, prayers, and lengthy Bible verses verbatim. His ability dazzled Myrtle. What a whip-¬smart, marvelously gifted boy she'd been called to save. He was going to make a fine member of the Nazarene church.

Excerpted from Death in the Jungle by Candace Fleming. Copyright © 2025 by Candace Fleming. Excerpted by permission of Anne Schwartz Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.