The Reluctant Detective by Martha Ockley

I adore all things British, except maybe kippers. The Reluctant Detective was originally printed in the UK and Monarch Books is publishing it here in the States. An amazing  achievement for an author.

There is quite a bit that is very, very good about this novel. Ockley has tackled, in modernized Agatha Christie fashion the essence of a good mystery. Although, Christie moved her stories along at an amazing pace whereas Ockley's is much slower. Not that it is bad for a mystery to unfold slower, I just think the characters could have been crafted in a tighter description so the story flow wouldn't bobble at times. Although, she did an excellent job with characterizations and wove the plot so the reader suspects everyone at one point or another.

The unusual heroine is Faith Morgan who is a vicar, but is a former police detective, quite a combination. Since this is the first of a series, there are some loose ends as far as one or two characters relationships which gives the series a delicious anticipation such as Jane Austin sprinkled into her stories. The ending is surprising, which is also satisfying. Although, I have to admit I did do a bit of skimming, and I might have missed a vital clue that you'll catch.

If one reads with a slightly British accent, the humor is also wonderful, but one should be able to appreciate the heigh-ho English dryness, which for me is hysterical.

I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars simply because the story is a bit slower paced than I usually like even keeping in mind that this is the first of a series therefore there was a foundation to set. It's a keeper, though, and worthy of an evening's read.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Reluctant Detective Monarch Books (April 30, 2011) by Martha Ockley



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Martha Ockley is the pen-name of Rebecca Jenkins. She read history at Oxford University, and spent several years working alongside her father, the Rt. Rev. David Jenkins (Bishop of Durham 1984-94) during the turbulence of the 1980s. She lives in Teesdale in the North East of England where the landscape and history provide the inspiration for her Regency detective, F R Jarrett. Since September 2009 she has been Royal Literary Fund Fellow and Writer in Residence at York St John University. She is a full-time author, writing both fiction and non-fiction. (She should not be confused with a Canadian actor and singer, also called Rebecca Jenkins.)



ABOUT THE BOOK

The Reluctant Detective sees Faith Morgan arriving back in the region of her birth - Winchester in Hampshire. Recently ordained, she had been working as a curate in an Anglican inner-city church. Within an hour of her arrival at Little Worthy, she witnesses the sudden shocking death of a fellow priest during a communion service at St James's. He had been poisoned with a pesticide mixed with the communion wine. The senior police officer who arrives at the scene turns out to be Detective Inspector Ben Shorter, Faith's ex long-term boyfriend.

She is urged by the Bishop to stay on to look after the parish of Little Worthy. As she meets her parishioners she learns some surprising facts about her apparently well loved predecessor, and starts to suspect a motive for his death. And it is she who finally identifies the murderer.

The story gets off to a dramatic start with the previous vicar collapsing as soon as he drank the communion cup, and it holds the interest throughout. There is some romantic interest too. Inspector Ben Shorter starts by sneeringly telling his sergeant, "Ms Morgan is a vicar. One of the ordained," Ben emphasized the word. “She's a card-carrying professional at the touchy-feely stuff.” But he soon starts to feel differently about her again, although she is well aware that he "didn't understand the reality she experienced through her faith. He didn't even recognize its existence. That was the gulf between them." Her own beliefs and doubts are convincingly described, for even she can't help wondering, "What if there is no truth to it?" But for her, as for Pascal before her, it was a gamble worth taking.

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

According to Their Deeds by Paul Robertson

Paul Robertson has created the most charming characters in Charles and Dorothy Beale, and don't forget the formidable Angelo. This is quite possibly the best novel of the year. I could not put it down and even though I had to be up early, I read deep into the night. I loved it! I want more of it!

Robertson is an expert wordsmith. His play on words, sophisticated puns, and corny puns keep this murder mystery moving at a very fast pace. There is not one yawning page in the whole book. These days, that is quite an achievement. One of my favorites is this line: "He was a teapot of a man, short and stout..." and there was something about him coming steaming and whistling into the room, but I've forgotten the exact wording so I won't butcher the quote here.

Let's talk about Charles for a moment. He is a rare book store owner and drops $27,000 on 13 books at an auction without the least drop of sweat. Nevertheless, the running of this most amazing book store does not plug the storyline flow. Anytime he breezes in or out of the store, he asks his faithful sales clerk, Alice, what did we sell this morning? They always have sold something and it is amazing how it has something to do with what is going on. Fascinating. Charles is also a most wonderful romantic. He celebrates with his wife, Dorothy, by handing her one book at a time and the title of it recalls a moment of their life together. It is blissfully charming.

Robertson has an excellent command of suspense as well. He plays the story out in a satisfying way; we learn as Charles learns, we are mortified when Charles is mortified, we are joyful when Charles is joyful. However, the very end is a pleasant surprise, not jolting, not discovered long before the last page. The story is enhanced by the ending, not stretched into impatience or yawning boredom. Robertson gives the reader just enough to figure it out just before it is revealed who is behind all the turmoil and murder so the reader feels a great deal of satisfaction. If it had been done any other way, it would not have matched the pace and charm of the story.

Only one thing that mars this delicious experience and that is the conversations between Charles and the dead man. Some of it lends quite well to the story and some of it bogs it down. It is a most highbrow discussion and if you want more insight into the murdered man and why he was murdered, then you can study those conversations if you like that sort of thing. Or... you can skip through them. I did both and it did not subtract from the enjoyment or the understanding.

Simply put, job very well done, Paul Robertson. I want more of this fare!

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
According To Their Deeds
Bethany House (March 1, 2009)
by
Paul Robertson


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:




Paul Robertson is a computer programming consultant, part-time high-school math and science teacher, and the author of The Heir. He is also a former Christian bookstore owner (for 15 years), who lives with his family in Blacksburg, Virginia.



ABOUT THE BOOK

A Deadly Game of Justice Versus Mercy Charles Beale lives outside the shadow of Washington, D.C. Politics and power matter only when a client crosses the Potomac to visit his Alexandria Rare Books shop.

But that all changes when a former client--a man deeply connected in the Justice Department--is found murdered after a break-in gone bad. When Charles reclaims at auction the books he'd once sold, he quickly discovers he's bought more trouble than he could have ever imagined.

Inside one volume are secrets. A collection of sins that, if revealed, could destroy reputations, careers--even lives. Charles soon learns he isn't the only who knows. Going to the police means ruining a multitude of lives. But staying silent puts a target on his shop, his wife--and himself. Charles must decide: Should one mistake really cost you everything?

If you would like to read the first chapter of According To Their Deeds, go HERE

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