Reviewed by Barbara Heming
Posted on: August 13, 2020
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Some novels forever change a reader’s awareness of the world around her. Disposable Souls is such a story. I will never see the photo of a missing woman or child nor read headlines about human trafficking in the same way. Inspired by true events, Kellie Fuller writes a riveting story of a woman who steps forward to confront the evil in her community and finds the strength needed to take action.
Zoey MacFarland worked hard to build a successful massage therapy business based on physician referrals, so she isn’t concerned when another spa opens nearby. Shortly, she notices men hanging around the parking lot and entering Waylay Spa. Before long she starts receiving questions about what’s going on over there from some of her referring physicians and surgeons.
The sight of a young girl sobbing outside the Waylay Spa spurs Zoey to investigate further. She discovers a human trafficking enterprise operating out of the spa. Zoey reports her findings to law enforcement. But because they don’t want to believe that such an evil resides in their community, the authorities dismiss her as a businesswoman simply trying to eliminate her competition. When Zoey continues to ask questions, she is abducted by the very trafficking ring that she was investigating. The fate of the women and children she has seen passing through the spa is even far more horrific than she could have imagined.
Kellie Fuller has created a fast-paced plot that carries the reader forward to the next paragraph, the next page, and the next chapter with hardly a pause to catch a breath. Given the reality of human trafficking, parts of the novel are a hard read, and the author doesn’t gloss over them. We feel the horror. Zoey relies on her faith, both to pursue her goal and to endure the results. That said, this heavily plot-driven novel could have used a deeper character development. There are moments when I wanted to know Zoey better. Also, after several breakneck chapters, the ending is fast and abrupt. I would have appreciated a little more space for ends to be tied up and to catch my breath.
Still, Disposable Souls is a compelling novel that demands to be read, challenges us to observe what is happening in our communities, and urges us to watch out for each other.
