Saffire by Sigmund Brouwer


In the American Zone of the Panama Canal, James Holt, a rancher from the Dakotas, meets a young mulatto girl named Saffire. He soon finds himself in a position of helping this girl, but that’s not why he’s in Panama. His visit is a formality in answer to a favor from an old colleague, who just happens to be the President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt.

Holt ends up staying for the girl, but his questions draw unwanted attention, and his life could be in danger.

This book was not what I was expecting. It started off great, with our mildly flawed hero, Holt, meeting a feisty young Saffire. Holt’s adventures through Panama are entertaining and suspenseful at the start, but I found that the story slowed as it went on. I think part of the reason was a loss of interest for me as the story turned more political in nature. Saffire’s story takes a back seat as other information comes to light, and just as I found my attention being captured again toward the end, the story was over. The wrapup of the ending seemed abrupt.

The book is marketed as Christian fiction, and there are a couple of mentions of God and a brief mention of faith, but there’s no general Christian theme.

The writing was good, but I was a bit disappointed in the story. Though this may be a good read for you if you have any interest in the building of the Panama Canal.

1) Overall Plot = 3
2) Characters = 4
3) Flow/Pace of the story = 4
4) Is the story easy to follow? = 4
5) Overall Enjoyability = 3

Average of score 3.6 out of 5

Where to buy the book: CBDAmazon | B&N


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