Journalism can pay off, even for those of us who merely dabble in it. An assignment from the San Diego Reader to write a feature about Mother Teresa’s Tijuana seminary fed me ideas that played into both The Vagabond Virgins and The Little People.

Lately, the San Diego Union Tribune asked me to review a new book by Stephen L. Carter. This was Mr. Carter’s third book. My review, of Palace Council can be found at: www.kenkuhlken.net. Go to articles and click the link.

This was the third novel by Mr. Carter, a Yale professor of law and author of several non-fiction books. Because I enjoyed and admired Palace Council, I read the other two, and found myself most enchanted by the first, Emperor of Ocean Park.

Since I imagine other novelists are no happier than I’ve been when people have commented that they believe my first novel was my best, I’ll pause to explain. The other Carter novels are easily as gripping, deftly plotted and well-written. But Emperor has something I’ve found so little of in contemporary fiction, it makes this book a treasure.

Emperor of Ocean Park features, as the main character and narrator, a bright, thoughtful person, wise and experienced in the ways of the world, who is also a Christian, and who is humble enough to recognize his flaws and hang-ups and understand his need for wise counsel. At the moment I can’t recall another novel except The Brothers Karamazov (perhaps the greatest novel ever written), in which a Christian advisor is employed to such consistently graceful effect.

Those elements make the book rare. But much else in the book is wonderful. Like Mr. Carter’s other novels, Emperor has plenty of suspense, a variety of vivid, unique and credible characters, and a wealth of insights into the lives and attitudes of the east coast power elite, especially those belonging to the “darker nation,” Mr. Carter’s term for African Americans.

For readers who have missed his novels so far, I suggest beginning at the beginning, with Emperor of Ocean Park. When you get to the next books, you’ll be happy to find characters you already know and about whom you’ll be glad to keep reading.