Drawn by the Current

Written by Jocelyn Green

Narrated by Leah Horowitz

Lives depend on the truth she uncovers. She can’t give up her search.

A birthday excursion turns deadly when the SS Eastland capsizes with Olive Pierce and her best friend on board. Hundreds perish during the accident, and it’s only when Olive herself barely escapes that she discovers her friend is among the victims.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Olive returns to her work at a Chicago insurance agency and is immersed in the countless investigations related to the accident. But with so many missing, there are few open-and-shut cases, and she tries to balance her grief with the hard work of finding the truth.

While someone sabotages her progress, Olive accepts the help of newspaper photographer Erik Magnussen. As they unravel secrets, the truths they discover impact those closest to Olive. How long will the disaster haunt her—and how can she help the others find the peace they deserve?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705017319

Jocelyn Green

Former military wife Jocelyn Green is an award-winning author of multiple books, including Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front, which inspired her Civil War novels Wedded to War and Widow of Gettysburg. She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Military Writers Society of America, Christian Authors Network, and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with her incredibly supportive husband and two adorable children. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.  

Reviews for Drawn by the Current

[Candice Howard · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is the heaviest of the three in the series. Yet, Green still writes a story you can't put down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it, but would warn readers it may be tough for those who don't enjoy hard topics!

[claudia.castenir · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not too far into Drawn by the Current I flipped to the back to read the Author's Note. I wanted to understand to what degree the main historical event was based on fact. Discovering the truth of what took place on July 24, 1915 ramped up the emotional factor of an already emotionally charged story. It is shocking that this event from our country's history has been largely forgotten. Author Jocelyn Green is a master storyteller. Research has shown that readers as a group have a greater degree of empathy than non-readers. It is within the tales of writers such as Jocelyn Green that that deeper empathy is developed. She creates characters that readers care about, and draws readers into the depths of emotion her characters experience. I highly recommend Green's Windy City Saga series, of which Drawn by the Current is book three. The books can be enjoyed as stand-alone reads, but I am glad to have read them in order, getting to know the characters and their back stories. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this most recent release from Bethany House by NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

[becky_l-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Your value comes from a much deeper place than who your employer is. You were made in the image of God, and who you are is bigger than what you do.”Jocelyn Green is an amazing author who accurately relates historical events while conveying solid truth in an unforgettable novel. Drawn by the Current is the third and final book of The Windy City Saga which tells the story of one Chicago family from the Chicago fire through the sinking of the SS Eastland.While Green gives enough background for Drawn by the Current to stand alone, the book is so much richer with the memories of the previous novels. I enjoyed seeing old friends Sylvie, Kristof, and Meg again. The personalities of those three have matured and wrap the reader in the comfort of older, wise, and loved confidantes.Olive fights many of the battles of a modern woman, yet fits within her era. She is a nurturer at heart, finding meaning in life as she helps others. She works at a life insurance company and wishes to advance, but her boss feels women cannot use their brains. Olive deals with domestic abuse, PTSD, and loyalty. She desperately searches for the truth while concealing secrets of her own. I wholly identified with Olive when she, at last, learns a great lesson about herself and how God sees her.Erik is charming through and through. I loved how he takes so much time out of his life to help Olive with her searches. He is so brave to protect Olive. Yet, he doesn’t protect her heart.A historical novel of great depth, plumbing what it means to survive physically, emotionally, and spiritually. For the keeper shelf.I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book will make you laugh and cry and really make you think. It is hard to imagine that a disaster of this size is barely a footnote in history. I had never heard of this wreck before. It can be hard to identify people after a disaster these days so it must have been horrible at this time. There were a lot of twists and turns in this book. Olive and Erik worked well together. This is a must read for this year. Iris a book you will not want to put down. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[beautyinthebinding · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Drawn by the Current, Jocelyn Green recalls the USS Eastland tragedy with smooth writing and intriguing historical details. This aptly named novel explores the trauma of nearly drowning and its aftereffects in the life of Olive Pierce. As circumstances force Olive into the entanglement of deceit, she finds herself unmoored from her ideals and drifting in a riptide of physical danger. The author handled Olive’s PTSD with authenticity and gentleness.Compassionate and determined to serve her clients well, Olive is a strong female lead, but a particular incident caused me to like her less. Although my fondness for Olive never quite recovered, I still enjoyed her journey from finding worth by assisting others to the fulfillment of trusting God and stepping into a new time of life. I admired how the author intertwined statements of wisdom and the fruition of spiritual themes with Olive’s journey.Drawn by the Current concludes The Windy City Saga by Jocelyn Green. I recommend reading the series in order as Meg, Sylvie, and their backstories integrate with Olive’s story. Since I loved Veiled in Smoke and Shadows of the White City, I already held affection for this family and felt immediate interest in Drawn by the Current. Four stars!Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

[vernefan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

With Drawn By The Current, Windy City Saga book 3, Jocelyn Green has gone off the charts with outstanding writing and a superb plot. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this wonderful trilogy; Veiled in Smoke, and Shadows of the White City, but this grand finale went above and beyond into the realm of excellence! The basis for these historical novels is based on three true tragic events in Chicago’s past. Veiled in Smoke was about the Great Chicago Fire, Shadows of the White City tells the story of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Drawn by the Current is about the sinking of the Eastland. I had never heard about the Eastland, a cruise ship that keeled over not far from shore with 2500 passengers that were enjoying a day voyage courtesy of the Western Electric Company to give their employees a picnic and day trip away from the city. Our main character and heroine Olive Pierce works as a claims agent for MetLife Insurance Company. While her and her best friend Claire are excited to be invited to make the journey on the Eastland for a day of fun in the sun, they soon find themselves desperately fighting for their lives as they are tossed overboard into the Chicago River nearly losing their lives. Thrashing in the bubbling waters, so many people are reaching for air; including two small children that the girls attempt to save. Treading water with only minutes left, Claire, who has an abusive husband, wonders if faking her death would be preferable to dying at his evil hands. Once Olive is safe ashore, her life soon becomes living hell as multiple mysteries upon mysteries are in need of unraveling. Did Claire survive? Is she in hiding? Why were her clothes on another woman’s body? What happened to the mother of the two children they saved? Their father survived but her body was never raised from the deep as so many other victims were. Although still in shock and processing her grief, Claire not only begins to process all the insurance claims for those that did not survive the tragedy, but soon begins her career as an Insurance Investigator in order to untangle the complicated web of deceit, fraud, and sabotage that emerge from the Eastland case. For Olive, all roads lead to danger! Drawn by the Current exceeded all my expectations for the finale of a historical fiction saga I couldn’t put down. I had pre-ordered my copy many months ago and was eagerly awaiting its arrival. For two days I was glued to the pages of this sensational novel filled with history, mystery, and even a little bit of romance to round it out making this book an award winning hit! I can’t wait to see what is next from Jocelyn Green and hope it won’t be too long before her next novel appears!Historical fiction fans, this is NOT TO BE MISSED!

[estherfilbrun · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was delighted when I saw this book was coming out! And even more delighted when I started reading. What a gripping story! I’d never heard of this tragedy before, and seeing it through the eyes of those who experienced it…wow. Green’s history delivery is somewhat harrowing, but enthralling. Mixed with her masterful way of delivering strong characters and mysteries, I had a hard time putting this book down, and I confess to several days’ work wasted when I chose to read instead. A highly recommended book!I was given a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just a heads up that this is book three in this series, and it can be read alone, the thing that ties these reads together, Chicago.This is Olive Pierce's story, and I love that girl, she has such a big heart, and goes beyond to help those she loves and cares about.Olive and her best friend Claire are on the SS Eastland, when disaster strikes, and according to the author's notes, more died here than on the Titanic, if you don't count the crew, and to be truthful I never heard of it.This is a Christian read, and this girl wears her faith on her sleeve, she does risk everything to bring justice and closure.This is a book that will grab you and never let go, there is so much going on, and you will never see it coming!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.