IVES ANDRICH A Man Among Men Part Two

Ives in The Chase The unspoken subtitle of The Chase, the second book in the series, has always been Retribution, which could also be dubbed Revenge. As expected, Ives vehemently pur - sues the book’s first nemesis, David Seagate (the Director of Internal Affairs for the Bureau), who has spent his career taking down remarkably good Special Agents. The reader finds out that Seagate has attempted thirty-six times in Ives’ seven - teen-year Bureau career to oust him, but each attempt failed. So, if at first you don’t succeed, aim for someone your enemy loves. That is exactly what Seagate did in book one when he singled out Allina. In book two, we find out what Ives Andrich does to people who do that. As the story progresses, the reader realizes Ives is not responsible for everything that happens to Allina. In fact, so many inci - dences involving her began long before she and Ives met. She is simply a dominant player in so many other’s plots with Ives as the target. Once Seagate is tackled, along with his creepy sidekick, Dr. Fleming, Ives sets his sights on a new mastermind, Jeffrey Shepherd. Or as Walzinski recited in book one: “The man from the library, Jeff Shep - herd, alias Jeff Saravell, alias Tim Walstein, alias, alias, alias.” Shepherd’s pursuit of Allina is the catalyst for Ives taking the promotion of Chief of Investigation. Now he is the second most powerful man in law enforcement in the world, but even that power has limits. Everything Ives does in under scrutiny and he must use his great “Libra” sense to main - tain order and stability while balancing his deeply longed for life with Allina. He is helped by her easy take it as it comes atti - tude to the situation, cloaking her growing frustration and mounting fear something fatal will happen to Ives. The Chase reveals more about Ives as a man and what he endures to remain the sensible man he is. It also continues to pro - vide insight to his inner character, revealing where he goes for advice. In the world we live in, it is unexpected to hear a man tell that reading The Bible in different lan - guages is where he learned to speak the majority of the languages he does. During the pre-trial hearings of Seagate and Flem - ing, The Bible is brought up by the defense. The presiding judge, Joseph Forseth, asks Ives how many times he has read The Bible. Ives responds by asking if he should break it down by age and translation. Forseth is stunned, as well as the court, and Ives then proclaims: “Seven times by age nineteen and two times since then.” After that he gives the exact versions in the languages in which he read them—including: Croatian, Latin, Italian, French, English, Greek, Rus - sian and then adds: “I’ve also read all of the Hebrew Bible texts, partly in Hebrew, partly in Greek, and partly in Aramaic.” That alone was enough to make Seagate and Fleming cringe. With this detail, the reader learns more about Ives spirituality when he states, “Every day. In my profession, I need God and His guidance more than anything else.” He paused smiled and added, “Well, that and my wife.” Ives is a man who has his pri - orities straight. Ives is constantly going through situations that make him grow as a man, but more so, grow as a man strong in his faith in God. Time and time again, he puts worldly things aside to do what he knows is right, what is ingrained deep within him. And no matter the tragedy, his first choice all the way down to his last is to turn to God for help. Granted the tragedies of his life are overpowering, he knows what many humans do not; there is only one power to help. Ives knows that there is only one helper in this world that is all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-powerful. Beyond the shadow of any doubt, far sur - passing the advice of any human, demon, or angel, Ives knows only God is unstoppable. As this book draws to its close, he realizes God has allowed him to be broken another time. But to what end, he does not know. And as difficult as it is to accept, he does accept God’s decision to allow the absolute worst thing to happen to him. At the end of The Chase, Ives has morphed yet again into a conglomeration of every - thing he was before Allina and what is left after the disaster. Within a split second, he goes through a transfiguration that will pro - pel him into his uncertain future. A future he walks warily and blindly into, being led forward by a minuscule glimmer of hope and the promises his tortured mind can recall from God’s word. Ives’ actions prove that despite horrific circumstance, we must go on.