Wednesday

Elisha's Bones

If you like Indiana Jones, then you'll like what Don Hosesel has created in Elisha's Bones. It has all the great elements of suspense and mystery tied up tightly with very well executed story telling. Plus, there is enough humor to release a bit of tension--but, not too much. It's just right.
Is it plausible? In the exact same way that the Temple of Doom is plausible. Don't mistake me, I'm quite sure that God's power far exceeds anything that is claimed by Elisha's bones. And, this story is based upon a most wonderful and overlooked Scripture passage. After Elisha died and he was put in a tomb, some men tossed a dead man into that tomb and the body touched Elisha's bones and came back to life.
Hosesel turns that little known passage into a global trot to find the bones. The protagonist is Jack Hawthorne (picture Harrison Ford in the Last Crusade). We meet a lot of characters that Jack had known when he was an active archeologist. He has put all that behind him after his brother died in Egypt, so now he's a professor. Once he's presented with this fantastical story, his archeological juices start to flow and he can't resist spending his Christmas vacation searching for the bones.
Hosesal does an excellent job in developing the characters. They are all believable and quite charming--well, except for the villians who are also quite believable. The storyline runs smoothly and there aren't any sudden halts or jump starts because the story never bogs down. You are on a very fast ride to the end, which is very satisfying by the way.
The only thing that makes me wonder is why the protag didn't pick up on the fact that he was leaving a path of destruction earlier in the story. But, then I remember we all have a tendency to stay focused on what is ahead rather than reflecting on what's behind when things start blowing up on us and bullets pepper our surroundings (and friends) like highly seasoned chili.
Run go buy this book! It is well worth the money and it is a keeper.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Elisha's Bones

(Bethany House March 1, 2009)

by

Don Hoesel



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Don Hoesel was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, TN home. He is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal.

He lives in Spring Hill with his wife and two children.

Elisha's Bones is his first novel.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Every year, professor of antiquities Jack Hawthorne looks forward to the winter break as a time to hide away from his responsibilities. Even if just for a week or two. But this year, his plans are derailed when he's offered almost a blank check from a man chasing a rumor.

Billionaire Gordon Reese thinks he knows where the bones of the prophet Elisha are--bones that in the Old Testament brought the dead back to life. The bones of the prophet once raised the dead to life... but they vanished from history in a whisper.

Bankrolled by a dying man of unlimited means, Hawthorne's hunt spans the globe and leads him into a deadly conspiracy older than the church itself. A born skeptic, Jack doesn't think much of the assignment but he could use the money, so he takes the first step on a chase for the legendary bones that will take him to the very ends of the earth.

But he's not alone. Joined with a fiery colleague, Esperanza Habilla, they soon discover clues to a shadowy organization whose long-held secrets have been protected . . . at all costs. And he soon discovers those sworn to keep the secret of the bones will do anything to protect them. As their lives are threatened again and again, the real race is to uncover the truth before those chasing them hunt them down.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Elisha's Bones, go HERE

Saturday

Boneman's Daughters

This is probably one of Ted Dekker's most chilling novels he's ever written. It is also the most gruesome. Chilling because it could so happen to anyone's daughter, gruesome because I have a most excellent imagination and just the hint of some of the things this monster does makes me see the whole in living color. Ted brings horror to life.
I just love the characters that he has developed. They have huge flaws, but you love one of them anyway. Another is so self-centered, you are sure that Ted used someone you know to model her. The girl's mother makes you want to reach into the book and pinch her head off. (Was that gruesome?)
The plot is developed very well, but I think peeking into the mind of the killer does not move the story along and it does not add any "chill factor" to the story either. I'm really not sure what the purpose of looking into the mind of a killer actually does do to the psyche, but it didn't help me understand the man any better.
This novel is not for the faint hearted, because it does get graphic... even to someone who does not have a triple portion of imagination. The descriptions are not necessarily R rated, but I certainly would not want an older child or a young teen reading it. It gave me a nightmare, I'm not sure what it would do to a much younger mind than mine.
It's a keeper, and it is certainly worth the money.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing


Boneman's Daughters

Center Street (April 14, 2009)

by

Ted Dekker




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Surrounded by the vivid colors of the jungle and a myriad of cultures, each steeped in their own interpretation of life and faith, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing.

After graduating from a multi-cultural high school, he took up permanent residence in the United States to study Religion and Philosophy. After earning his Bachelor's Degree, Dekker entered the corporate world in management for a large healthcare company in California. Dekker was quickly recognized as a talent in the field of marketing and was soon promoted to Director of Marketing. This experience gave him a background which enabled him to eventually form his own company and steadily climb the corporate ladder.

Since 1997, Dekker has written full-time. He states that each time he writes, he finds his understanding of life and love just a little clearer and his expression of that understanding a little more vivid. Dekker's body of work encompassing seven mysteries, three thrillers and ten fantasies includes Heaven's Wager, When Heaven Weeps, Thunder of Heaven, Blessed Child, A Man Called Blessed, Blink, Thr3e, The Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, White), Obsessed, Renegade, and Chaos.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Would you kill an innocent man to save your daughter?

They call him BoneMan, a serial killer who’s abducted six young women. He’s the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.

Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.

Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan’s estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.

But the FBI sees it differently. New evidence points to the suspicion that Ryan is BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted, and in the end, only one father will stand.


If your an avid Dekker fan, and would like wallpaper and counters for your blog, go HERE.

You can listen to an audio clip HERE

Watch the VIDEO:




If you would like to read the first chapter of Boneman's Daughters, go HERE

Wednesday

The Secret

First and foremost, Beverly Lewis is an amazing and prolific author. She has so many books published, and a made for TV movie of The Redemption of Sarah Cain that I am astounded. However, The Secret is a bit disappointing only because it is intended to be the first of a trilogy. I found it very slow moving. In my Creative Writing class 101, I learned that by the end of the story, the main character must show some growth, either forward or backward, but grow she must.
I am truly not sure who the main character actually is.
We get the bird's eye view from many character's standpoint, which in a way, is extremely hard to do in a smooth well written fashion. Lewis has mastered this and it does work well in the broad scope. But, from a first of a trilogy standpoint, the end of the book left me very dissatisfied. We know the secret by the end of the book, but only one character has moved beyond her beginning point, albeit in the wrong direction.
The characters are very likable, somewhat irritating at times, then you find out the secret and there is such a great reason why you instantly forgive the character and start turning pages faster and faster until there are no more pages and still lots of questions.
I can see where the story line is going and it should prove very interesting... But, it moves very slowly which can truly wear a reader out.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Secret

(Bethany House May 1, 2009)

by

Beverly Lewis



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Not until her own children were well into middle school did Bev seek to publish her work, first in magazines such as Highlights for Children, Dolphin Log, and Guideposts for Kids. Her first book followed in 1993—Mountain Bikes and Garbanzo Beans—presently retitled Big Bad Beans (book #22 in the popular CUL-DE-SAC KIDS series of chapter books—see list of Bev's children's books).

Beverly's first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, THE HERITAGE OF LANCASTER COUNTY, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author's maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly's work to be "a primer on Lancaster County folklore" and offers "an insider's view of Amish life."

Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Bev's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."

A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and playing with their three grandchildren. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."


ABOUT THE BOOK

In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep in the night? Why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, everything Grace assumed she knew is shattered.

Her mother's disappearance leaves Grace reeling and unable to keep her betrothal promise to her long-time beau. Left to pick up the pieces of her life, Grace questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment.

Heather Nelson is an English grad student, stunned by a doctor's diagnosis. Surely fate would not allow her father to lose his only daughter after the death of his wife a few years before. In denial and telling no one she is terminally ill, Heather travels to Lancaster County-- the last place she and her mother had visited together.

Will Heather find healing for body and spirit? As the lives of four wounded souls begin to weave together like an Amish patchwork quilt, they each discover missing pieces of their life puzzles--and glimpse the merciful and loving hand of God.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Secret, go HERE

Monday

Deadlock

Seriously, Robert Liparulo is one of my all time favorite authors. He can take a What If and actully follow through. Deadlock is a sequel and it is not a sequel in the sense of other sequels. You absolutely do not need to have read Deadfall in order to completely understand and enjoy Deadlock.
In today's advanced technology, this is such a chilling story because it could actually happen. It is terrifying that someone with absolutley not conscience or moral apititude could have access to such fortune that puts him above the law and above accountability. That seems to be happening in our world today, more's the pity.
Liparulo has once again written a masterpiece of suspense. It will, no doubt, keep you up at night and you'll be thinking about it throughout the day until you can settle in your arm chair or bed to finish it. The characters are very well developed, and absolutely believable. They reach out from the page and grab you, pulling you into theri problems so much so, that there is no "relaxing" with this book.
He takes the possibilities of what would happen if a game suddenly became real... What would happen if violent-prone men who are not fully mature (18-25) were suddenly able to live out their violent fantasy completely legally... Then what would happen if one or two of these young men were suddenly brought face to face with reality?
oOo
If anyone would like a copy of Bob's Comes a Horseman email me. My review of that book is here. I will be sending out details as soon as I receive the copies from Bob.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Deadlock

Thomas Nelson (April 2009)

by

Robert Liparulo



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Robert Liparulo is a former journalist, with over a thousand articles and multiple writing awards to his name. Readers of his action-thrillers were not surprised when his visual storytelling style caught the eye of Hollywood producers. Currently, three of his novels for adults are in various stages of development for the big screen: the film rights to Comes A Horseman were purchased by the producer of Tom Clancy’s movies; and Liparulo is penning the screenplays for GERM and Deadfall for two top producers. He is also working with the director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Holes) on a political thriller. Novelist Michael Palmer calls Deadfall “a brilliantly crafted thriller.” March 31st marked the publication of Deadfall’s follow-up, Deadlock, which novelist Gayle Lynds calls, “best of high-octane suspense.”

Liparulo’s bestselling young adult series, Dreamhouse Kings, debuted last year with House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods. Book three, Gatekeepers released in January, and number four, Timescape, comes out in July. The series has garnered praise from readers, both young and old, as well as attracting famous fans who themselves know the genre inside and out. Of the series Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine says, “I loved wandering around in these books. With a house of so many great, haunting stories, why would you ever want to go outside?”

He is currently working on his next thriller, which for the first time injects a bit of the supernatural into his gun-blazing stories. The story is so compelling, two Hollywood studios are already in talks to acquire it—despite its publication date being more than a year away. After that comes a trilogy of novels, based on the critically acclaimed short story he contributed to James Patterson’s Thriller anthology. New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry calls Liparulo’s writing “Inventive, suspenseful, and highly entertaining . . . Robert Liparulo is a storyteller, pure and simple.” He lives with his family in Colorado.


ABOUT THE BOOK

John Hutchinson thinks it's no coincidence that Brendan Page runs this modern Praetorian Guard, and that the billionaire military industrialist must have had something to do with the atrocities his son Declan committed in Canada. The Canadian and U.S. Justice departments disagree, but Hutch has been digging for dirt ever since.

Brendan Page has some dirty not-so-little secrets. he's built an empire on supplying futuristic weapons and highly trained soldiers to the world's most powerful armies. But he's saved his most destructive weapons for himself.

When Hutch discovers the secret of Page's success, Page decides to teach him a lesson. But the operation goes terribly wrong, and Hutch's son is kidnapped. While a lone man stands little chance against the best black op soldiers ever issued M-16s, Hutch manages to survive longer than Page anticipated. As far as Hutch is concerned, high-tech helmets, machine guns, and hand grenades are nothing compared to a man determined to save his son. It's a lesson he sets out to teach Page-and one that he can only hope works as well in the real world as it does in his heart.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Deadlock, go HERE

Wednesday

A Love to Last Forever



I just finished this novel and found it to be pretty good, and a very fast read. The problems that Bethany faces, we all face at one time or another. Tell me who likes change in their lives and I'll show you a high risk taker, which Beth is not.




This is the second in a series. I really love it that you don't feel like you've stepped into the middle of a story. I hate feeling lost like that, but this storyline stands by itself. Tracie Peterson does this really well. The characters are fairly well developed, too.

The problem is that before the story ends, Beth winds up being a whiner and I get very annoyed at whiners. It would have made me feel a lot better if Beth had gotten over that fear of moving away, earlier in the story line. At least, we are not subjected to being constantly reminded what the storyline is, although it is brought up often enough.

Beth starts out a bit confused about what love feels like. Before too long, she discovers the solution to that question is this New Nick, the one who finally finds Jesus, which is another good thing. The love interest between Nick and Beth is well developed and is very enjoyable. The little problem that made Nick need to move towns suddenly surfaces and this could threaten their relationship. As to be expected (and it would be sorely aggrevating if it did not) love wins the day.

I do feel like the story ends abruptly. We see the happy ending and actually the first chapter of the next in the series, or rather that's what it feels like. All in all, this is a great way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon!


If you have never read anything of Tracie Peterson, I suggest you dive into her books. She is a best selling author with more than 70 books under her pen... uh, keyboard. You'd best get a start on it, daylight is burning.
Tracie Peterson lives in Montana with her husband, Jim.
Unabashedly, I have copied the following from her website.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."
Col 3:23


But we can't love God or anyone else, if we don't know them. Love at first sight happens, not only in the realm of our human daily existence, but in the spiritual as well. However, I was amazed at the times I saw people fall in love at first sight with God, only to have that love fade from their hearts as the vision of God wore away. They relied on that warm fuzzy feeling -- that peace like a river -- that mountaintop experience. And while all those things are possible and wonderful, they aren't what sustains. A relationship -- a one-on-one daily interaction -- is how you get better acquainted with another human being -- why not also find that true with God?

Angel of Wrath

Here is a suspense novel that lives up to the genre. The story line moves along at a very fast pace and has some quirky characters that stand out somewhat in relief. I absolutely love the subject matter, and the philosophical truths that peek out are quite thought provoking. I have been quite impressed with Bill Myers' work.
There is just one problem with this work, though... every character has a back story that is outlined for the reader. Perhaps this is necessary so we get the disjointed feel of a serial killer at work... perhaps it is so that we can see actually how a real FBI agent feels about each of those people murdered. But, for me, the flow of the story is disrupted when we jump into the head of different people so often without a lot of character development.
A back story is what every author develops about each character so the character won't step out of character. Most authors do this in their head rather than in the story line. Well, I guess it isn't actually a back story, but we step into the lives of each of the characters mentioned in the story which makes it difficult to keep track of who is who and what is important to remember.
Maybe I'm too old, but when a story is filled with so many names and places it is hard for me to keep track when I'm deep into a most suspense-filled moment and I'm jerked willy nilly to another character's head. Perhaps this new generation that can multitask -- read a map, drive a car, text message, listen to rap music, get to work on time -- may like this kind of suspense thriller. Maybe I'm so far out of the current loop that people consider me old fashioned, and that's okay. I just terribly miss those old fashioned thrillers that stick with one or two characters and follow the evidence trail, spin the suspense and keep it tight and clean to the end. Instead, I feel like I've been thrown into the washing machine and we wash a little soak a little wash a little soak a little, then we finally get to the spin cycle and what a spin it is.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Angel Of Wrath

FaithWords (April 8, 2009)

by

Bill Myers



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Well, one thing led to another and even though I got C's in my one writing class in college (and told God I could do anything for him but write) I got my first writing job for a TV series. And then another and then some directing jobs and finally some books. (I think I've written and/or directed a few dozen films and about 60 books). The projects have won about 40 awards, I get to travel all over the world, and I'm having the time of my life. I often think that none of this would have happened if I lived my life my way. I would have never chosen writing and directing for a living. Instead, I might be in somebody's mouth this very minute drilling away as a dentist. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being a dentist, it's just not what I was designed for. So, everywhere I go, I encourage people to say yes to God, no matter how foolish it may feel, because by doing that, they'll be in the center of His will and living a cooler life than they'd ever dreamed possible. It's not always easy and it can be a little scary…but it's anything but boring!

Today I live in California, not too far from Hollyweird (where I'm still trying to make a difference) with two cats, two kids, one dog and one wife.

Another Faithword book by Bill Myers is The Voice.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Thirteen-year-old Jazmin, her ex-Special Ops uncle Charlie, and former FBI agent Lisa are reunited in the second of the Voice of God series to stop a an assassin driven to murder members of a megachurch led by Lisa's brother. This assassin has drawn in a coven of teens toying with satanic practices to support his efforts. The naive youth engage in ceremonies that appear to usher in the death of each of his victims. When their rituals open a portal into the spiritual realm, a terrifying and mysterious entity crosses over to our world.
The battle culminates with the capture of Lisa's father as the next target and a Black Mass requiring both their deaths as a sacrifice. The team will, once again, have to rely on all their wits, strength, and faith to survive in this action-packed, unearthly warfare.

If you would like to read an excerpt from Angel Of Wrath, go HERE
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