Review: The Ambition by Lee Strobel

Title: The Ambition: A Novel
Author: Lee Strobel
Released: May 17, 2011
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages/format: 288 (Hardcover)
Genre: Christian Suspense
Source: Zondervan Publicist

Eric Snow is the disillusioned pastor of a thriving suburban megachurch, and when he announces a potential bid for the US Senate, skeptical newspaper reporter Garry Strider goes sniffing for a scandal. Meanwhile, a tormented attorney walks through the church doors seeking freedom from his gambling addiction and a way to atone for his crimes. His dealings with the mob and a corrupt judge place his life and the lives of everyone he comes into contact with in danger.

Quick Review: Entertaining and well-written, The Ambition is a strong start to Strobel’s novel writing career.

In-Depth Review:

¡Warning! This review contains spoilers. Spoilers are clearly marked in bold so readers can avoid them.

I’ve enjoyed a couple of Lee Strobel’s nonfiction works and I always thought he was the type of author who could easily cross over to fiction. Indeed his transition from fiction to nonfiction seems to have gone seamlessly and I would say that The Ambition is almost on par with his nonfiction books.

I think it’s fair to assume that Strobel based the character Strider (did anyone else picture Aragorn in khakis with a flip pad in one hand and Narsil in the other?), the cynical Tribune reporter, on himself, a former atheist and Tribune legal editor. It also appears that Garry Strider’s relationship with his spiritual seeker girlfriend is based on Strobel’s own marriage when his wife converted to Christianity while he remained a cynic for some time after that. It’s common for first-time novelists to base the main character on themselves, and in this case I think that worked quite nicely. The other characters in this story were developed well, particularly megachurch pastor Eric Snow, who I wasn’t sure whether to despise or pity.

Lee Strobel has a way of effectively straddling the fence between writing for a Christian audience and a skeptical audience without falling off on either side. {SPOILER} One way he does this is by creating a very likable protagonist who remains a skeptic to the end of the novel. Yes, Strider makes strides (excuse the bad pun) towards belief, but he is not so easily convinced that we know he will in fact accept the claims of Christianity. {END SPOILER} In this way Strobel feeds hope to Christian readers without shoving it down the throat of his unbelieving audience. There’s a message of truth without any preaching.

The pace of The Ambition fits the bill of a suspense novel more than a thriller. It was taut enough to keep me interested and there are a few major plot twists thrown in which I never saw coming. I was also very happy with the ending. It wraps up the legal part of the story in a way that is both satisfying and realistic. That being said, Strobel left a couple of strategic loose ends in the lives of Strider and Gina to make readers want to buy the sequel, which, according to C.J. Darlington, Strobel is currently working on.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Ambition. It’s an entertaining read with a good message and well-drawn characters. I recommend it to Christians and nonbelievers alike.

About Lee Strobel:

Lee Strobel, a former atheist, is a graduate of Yale Law School and was the award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune. Currently he is a teaching pastor at Saddleback Valley Community Church in Orange County, California, and a board member of the Willow Creek Association. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, including The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith.