The Ambition    by Lee Strobel Order:  USA  Can Zondervan, 2011 (2011) Hardcover, CD, e-Book     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Lee Strobel, author of The Ambition, has been a reporter for a Chicago newspaper as well as a pastor at a suburban Chicago megachurch. The Ambition is his first stab at writing fiction. The plot revolves around a huge church and a scheme to replace a disgraced Illinois senator with Eric Snow, the pastor of this church. Dirty politics play a big role as do men from the mob (the Bugatti brothers) who try to control a trial judge's placement on a mob member's murder trial. The pastor must divorce himself from the church in order to show the voting public that he believes in separation of church and state. The story twists and turns and presents numerous surprises. I had trouble at the outset with the number of people who were introduced seemingly all at once. A few more detailed descriptions would have helped. But as the tale continued, this was corrected and I could separate one from the other. Murder takes a big place in this book although there isn't too much suspense to go with the deaths. But I did enjoy the story and was glad that it ended the way it did. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews