Fiction Addict

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Morrow

Publication Date:  1998

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

Imagine being a 20-year-old single mom living in rural Georgia.  You have only a seventh-grade education, and your meager income is from waiting tables at the local truck stop.  You live with your baby daddy out of necessity; he has a trailer you can call “home.”  He is frequently drunk and therefore does not hold a steady job.  Suddenly, you are guaranteed to win the national lottery of $100 million, and all you have to do is leave the country for ten years.  How could someone with such a bleak future resist?

This is the situation faced by LuAnn Tyler, an intelligent and extremely beautiful girl who, originally, prepares to decline the offer until she comes home to find her baby daddy dead from a drug deal gone sour.  She walks in on the killer and becomes his next target.  Knowing there is no way the police would believe her innocence, she takes the deal.  Her benefactor, Jackson, doesn’t like the extra baggage she brings in the form of an arrest warrant, but he looks to it as a challenge and fixes the national lottery.  Getting her out of the country gets hairy at times, but finally, he puts LuAnn on a plane to Sweden.

Of course there has to be a twist: ten years later, LuAnn decides to return to the United States, and a reporter covering high bankruptcy rates of lottery winners notices that she and eleven other winners actually earn, not lose, money after winning the lottery.  That puts him on the scent of a huge story that threatens LuAnn’s family and her very life.

Baldacci really gives the reader a reason to not put the book down.  From introducing LuAnn and her situation to describing how the lottery will be fixed to watching the plan in action, he makes the characters real and the story, while a bit over the top, fun and suspenseful.  It’s a bit sad when getting to the end because there’s that desire to read more.  I was constantly wondering what would happen next.  The mastermind behind the scam is resourceful and intelligent.  What he could do today would be absolutely amazing.

There is a bit of vulgar language and a couple of mild sex scenes, but the big caution here is the graphic violence.  It is not near the top of my list of violent books, but it does describe how Jackson kills people in cold blood.  What is disturbing is that he does not show remorse or a bit of reverence toward human life.  Readers who can handle some violence should be fine.

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Del Rey

Publication Date: October 2009

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Scott Mast has returned to his New Hampshire home to bury his father. Scott’s family has always been anything but functional, and it’s hard for him to be back. Granted, all that is waiting in Seattle is a going nowhere writing career, but nevertheless home is as un-sweet as he remembers.

Before leaving town, Scott happens upon an old manuscript that his father had started. Scott never knew his father wrote anything, much less an odd ghost story that has a familiar feel to it. Soon Scott is led to an old abandoned house outside of town, where he comes face to face with a terrifying past that reveals secrets about his family and his hometown. Unable to will himself to leave, Scott moves into the old house and sets out to finish the manuscript his father began. The story has become his obsession, and his obsession might just kill him.

Joe Schreiber recently made a huge splash in the Star Wars universe with the first SW horror novel, Death Troopers. With No Doors, No Windows he goes back to his roots with a more traditional horror tale that is absolutely impossible to put down.

Schreiber’s prose leaps off the page as he paints intoxicating word pictures throughout, dropping us right into the story as if it were happening all around us. Horror, drama, suspense, and mystery are effectively melded together to keep the pages flying and the reader guessing. Each character is fleshed out perfectly as secrets are exposed and fears realized. If you love scary, then there is plenty here to satisfy even the most hardcore horror fan. At the same time, amidst all of the darkness and turmoil there is a sliver of light that comes shining through offering hope when all seems lost.

Fair warning here: this is a dark, disturbing read. The story is laced with strong language and sexual content, but Schreiber somehow manages to keep the mature themes relevant to the plot without going overboard. If you like your stories light and fluffy, by no means is the book for you. But if you are on the prowl for a horror story with depth, then No Doors, No Windows is right up your alley.

Review copy provided by Del Rey Books.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Bethany House

Publication Date: July 2007

Reviewed by Tim George

There was a time when Riley Keep was a man of supreme confidence: minister, missionary, educator of New England’s finest. Then something terrible happened; he came face to face with his humanity and what he saw changed him. Now he returns home years later an abject failure, a ghost moving among the living.  By accident he catches his reflection in a mirror and he sees something far different: failed protector of an entire people, weakling of a husband, incompetent father, and drunkard.

Athol Dickson offers us the most unlikely, and to be honest, most unlikeable of heroes. Riley Keep has fallen so far that when he returns to his home town in Maine along with a dying homeless friend no one even recognizes him. Not the church people, not his former friends, and not even the mayor who just happens to be his ex-wife. Through an apparent accident Riley discovers something every person trapped by the demons of their personal sins would give anything to have, a magic bullet that would forever take away their addiction. Riley Keep has discovered The Cure.

What happens next is on one level a rousing suspense story and on another a parable of failure and despair.  It is the story of far away pagans and the pagan within us all. And in the end it is a story of ultimate hope. As always, Dickson’s characters are vivid, tragic, heroic, well-intentioned, and severely flawed. Even when Riley Keep gets his act together and appears to become a great success he is within himself a failure. In other words he is real. Perhaps this is why some found this story uncomfortable. Upon his return to his home town, Riley observes that people walk by him but never look into eyes, never see him. He guesses it is because they fear they see some of themselves. I think Riley Keep guesses right.

The Cure ends with these words: Riley was no longer dead; his ghostly days were over… here at last was something truly good to drink. The Cure is something truly good to drink.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Bethany House

Publication Date: February 2010

Josh Olds’ Review:

If you asked any one of the members of the historic Baxter line, if they had any political luck, they’d rival the Kennedys in terms of legacy. But without that political clout, they’re just another wealthy New York family with a better sense of history than most. Graham Baxter, grandson of Sal Baxter, seems likely to turn that around if he can secure the Senate seat. Already a State senator, he and his family have their eyes on the spot in D.C. Like any political race, you grease the right hands you get the right results, right? Just so long as you keep all those skeletons in the closet.

Meanwhile, bestselling novelist CJ Baxter—Graham’s brother—is finding his life in Tennessee collapsing around him. A lawsuit over here, a divorce settlement there, and then he gets the phone call that his grandfather Sal is dying. And after 17 years of telling himself that he would never face his family again, he finds himself staring them face to face.

To say that there was bad blood between CJ and the rest of the Baxter clan would be a gross understatement. CJ’s novels, which he claims but can’t quite convince himself aren’t autobiographical, have never portrayed those characters that might be modeled on family in a good light. But there’s more. A haunting secret that CJ has lived with since childhood, and seeing his family has kindled his desire to uncover the truth.

But digging into the closets to find the skeletons of a Senator-to-be can be a dangerous business, even if that one is your brother—perhaps especially if that one is your brother, in CJ’s case. In Hunter’s Moon, Hoesel takes the reader on a suspenseful story of a powerful family and their horrible secrets.

Unlike many authors, Hoesel takes Hunter’s Moon and really takes time to lay the foundations for the deep and complex relational storyline. Sure, it’s a little slow at first—I wouldn’t classify this as your page-a-minute thriller—but once the foundations are laid, Hoesel sufficiently fleshes out the story. Perhaps most appealing to this book for me was Hoesel’s subtlety, which really required the reader to dig down and think about what had happened. The contrasts and changes in the characters of CJ and Graham really draw the reader into the story. Moreover, mostly due to Hoesel’s subtle methods, the plot twists are both major and hard to predict.

Hunter’s Moon is a great novel. It’s a little weighty, a book to read if you want to think. And yet the charms of small-town life and the thrills of high-stakes politics make it a compelling and page-turning read.

Tim George’s Review:

CJ Baxter has managed to forge a life for himself far from his home town of Adelia in Upstate New York and the dysfunctional family he left behind there. Though a successful novelist, CJ doesn’t feel much like a success. His marriage is on the rocks and he has begun to doubt his talent as a writer. And now news has come that his grandfather, the one relative he truly related to, has died. Now CJ returns to a family he hasn’t seen in years with nothing but his dog and a newfound faith in God that he hasn’t quite sorted out the details of yet. Matters are not made any easier by the fact that everyone in CJ’s family and town is sure his novels are autobiographical.

Hunter’s Moon is a suspense story in which the characters hold center stage. Those characters include: CJ’s mother, whose own divorce and sadness has changed her, in CJ’s words, from June Cleaver to a hard drinking, chain smoking woman he hardly recognizes; a stuttering, some say simple-minded friend from the past, who coincidentally won a ton of money in the state lottery; a father who has long since lost interest in being a father; the girl he should have asked to marry him now wed to his own cousin; and a brother whose political ambitions threaten to tear down the last vestiges of hope for the family and perhaps the town.

The spiritual insights in this story work their way out in a most natural and yet powerful way. The hero of the story struggles with the tension between grace and human responsibility. Ultimately he must learn what it means to forgive and be forgiven. And, like most of us, he has to learn these lessons the hard way. There are no canned answers in Hunter’s Moon, just really good questions.

Don Hoesel does a brilliant job of drawing us into one man’s realization that most secrets, especially family secrets, have a bad habit of resurrecting themselves at the most inopportune moments. And the secret CJ holds about his family may prove to be the death of him. Or, it may just hold the key to a freedom he has yet to discover.

Review copies provided by Bethany House Publishers.

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Summerside Press

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Paradise, Pennsylvania is a small town nestled in the heart of Amish country. It’s not a huge bustling metropolis but it’s not really what you would call a quaint gorgeous little town. It’s more like…oh wait. I’m supposed to review the book, not the town. See, I grew up in Pennsylvania so I’ve been to Paradise (the town) on more than one occasion. So when I got a copy of this book in the mail from Loree Lough, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I’ve read Loree’s work before and I’ve visited the town. That’s a perfectly matched partnership for expectations on this book. As is Loree’s expertise with people and the location in this book.

Julia is a beautiful young attorney whose family originally hailed from Paradise. Her life growing up was the furthest thing from ideal that you could imagine. Initially removed from her drug addicted parents and placed in care with her grandparents, Julia loved life in their beautiful home in Paradise. Then the government system stepped in, removed her from her grandparents and placed her in the foster care system.  When her grandparents passed away and left her their home and their land, at first she wasn’t interested. After a lot of wrestling with the decision, she moved back to Paradise and that’s where she met Simon.

Simon is a handsome young widower whose wife died very young. He was left broken hearted and determined never to love another woman again. The first time he meets Julia, those promises go out the window. He can’t stop the attraction he feels, but Julia is broken by her past and believes that she’s somehow tainted, so she keeps Simon at arm’s length.

Their story is rich and beautifully crafted. With good friends in the Amish community, the two characters give us a glimpse of what the ‘simple’ life is like. We learn about forgiveness amidst great tragedy and how a deep and real love can change you to your core. Loree’s writing cuts to the heart of topics that touch everyone. Acceptance, brokenness, inadequacy. She writes them all in such a way that helps clear the mind and lets the reader see some of these issues in a new way.

Loree Lough’s books are a breath of sunshine in a market that has trended toward heavy topics of late. (Not that this is a bad thing. I have several books that I’m looking forward to reading that would definitely be called heavy topics!) I recently told someone that Loree’s books are like mouthwash. They are easy to use and leave you feeling fresh and clean. If you’ve been wrapped in heavy books lately or would like a breath of fresh romance in your reading, give Loree’s books a chance. They’ll not only leave you with that fresh feeling I mentioned earlier, but the characters will wrap around your heart and meet you wherever you are.

Review copy provided by the author.

Genre: Historical, Adventure

Publisher: Touchstone

Publication Date: July 2009

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

The Elizabethan era of England is the backdrop for this stunning historical novel from Philippa Gregory. Gregory, famous for her book, The Other Boleyn Girl is an artist who can easily render history into a vivid three dimensional tale of intrigue and mystery. The Other Queen is no different.

Told from the perspective of three major characters, The Other Queen follows the story of Mary Queen of Scots as she and Elizabeth I face off over the throne of England. We get to experience the voice of Mary herself as well as that of George Talbot (The Earl of Shrewsbury) and his wife, Bess (of Hardwick). They have been charged by Queen Elizabeth to ‘host’ Mary during her time in England. Really, they’re elaborate jailers who are meant to keep her under watch and key. It’s a slippery slope to jail someone of royal blood. She must be kept in the manner to which a queen is accustomed without allowing her freedoms that could lead to an uprising. While her stay begins as a short term plan designed to last only until she’s returned to Scotland (and her throne), it turns into a long term stay that’s marred with intrigue, rebellion, danger, financial despair and marital difficulties.

As rebellion against Queen Elizabeth weaves in and out through various countries in Europe, this intrigue comes home to roost for the Earl and his wife in very real ways. The way that Gregory builds the plots and shows the loyalties of each character through the eyes of the others underscores the danger of the times in which these people lived. One couldn’t mention Queen Elizabeth in any way other than positively. Even the mention that she could die someday far off in the future is an act of treason. Simply being friends with the wrong person could mean your death. Implication in treason plots can be based on little evidence and much speculation. It certainly helps give us a better perspective of the freedoms we have in the United States today.

The story, though well known in history, comes to life under Gregory’s brilliant mastery of the written word. Not only do we learn the facts, but Gregory delves into the minds of each of the characters, bringing them to life in such a way that at times it’s almost painful to read. Beautifully crafted, this book gives thoughts and details that allow the reader to have an intimate understanding of the time period. Plotting and treason is part of seemingly every royal story of the time period, but showing the story through Bess and George’s eyes allow the reader to glimpse what the world for a ‘regular’ person might be. Bess’s vision of her husband becoming further and further entangled in a plot that he doesn’t even see is tragically on target and beautifully portrayed. Marriages made of convenience and prominence are shown in contrast to characters actually feeling overwhelming emotion and love.

Everyone knows who Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen was. Most people know who Mary Queen of Scots was.  Even with extensive research, very few people have a true understanding of what life at that time would have been like. With painstakingly detailed thought and precision, Gregory executes her tale with rich beauty and utter grace. I cannot wait to dive into The White Queen, Gregory’s next book, which is currently waiting for me. If you love historical fiction and have for some reason not previously read Gregory’s work, do yourself a favor and get one today. You’ll be very glad you did.

Review copy provided by Touchstone Publishers.

Genre: Historical, Adventure, Romance

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: September 2009

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Every time you open a book, it’s a chance for a new adventure. Limitless potential. For me, opening An Echo in the Bone meant that I would be visiting with old friends. I have been following Gabaldon’s Outlander series since book one and have since truly become friends with Claire, Jamie, Brianna, Roger, and a host of others that Gabaldon has created.  So when I opened the book, I was ready for adventure and Gabaldon did not disappoint.

Let me back up a little. Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser is a time traveler. In the first book of the series (Outlander) she inadvertently traveled from 1940’s England to Scotland of the 1700’s. She quickly discovered what life was like for a woman in that era. Being without the protection of a man was not a good thing and she ended up forced to marry a young man, Jamie Fraser, for just this purpose. Since she was a married woman when she traveled back, you can imagine she was pretty unhappy with this development. But hey, her husband of modern times wasn’t even close to being born yet so could she really be unfaithful? Besides that, the marriage was a life or death situation. Without it, she wouldn’t have survived. Claire had a background in medicine which added to her knowledge of history and made her an incredibly valuable resource. And this was the humble beginning of a back and forth time travel series that sent modern day women around the world swooning over men in kilts.

Now, where were we? Oh yes. An Echo in the Bone. Echo takes place mostly in the United States though it’s not quite united yet. Claire knows enough history to remember major events or people (like George Washington and Benedict Arnold), but not enough to guide her own path safely through every circumstance of the war. After all, there were hundreds and thousands of people involved in the revolution that didn’t end up with their names and cities in history books. Still, Claire remains a brilliant encyclopedia for Jamie to rely upon when meeting new people or visiting new places. It creates for a delicious state of tension when Claire finds herself delighted with a handsome young man of impeccable manners and realizes that she has not properly introduced herself. Imagine her state of being when he takes her hand and warmly introduces himself as Benedict Arnold and places himself at her service.

The book takes place in a variety of places that span from the continental states to Britain, France and Scotland. Gabaldon has also straddled the storytelling between the 1980’s and the 1700’s. This device gives the reader an interesting perspective as Claire’s daughter and son-in-law discover where she has been and what she’s been doing through historical documents and research. The tension builds through this device as we all know where Claire is at certain times and they are able to research history and discover how close she is to battles, disaster or danger.

If it were possible for me to review each and every page of this book I would. Having been a Gabaldon fan since the beginning, I had high expectations. Gabaldon not only met but exceeded what I could have imagined for this book. I found myself gasping out loud, giggling in places and enjoying the pace of the book.

Though there were moments when I felt like the story slowed down in pacing, it was still a breathtaking ride. I also stumbled once or twice in places with references to characters from previous books. I know that some of the suspense and drama was probably not as exciting as it could have been had I re-read the previous books before diving into this one.

Still, I couldn’t help myself. When the book arrived in the mail, I had a hard time putting it aside so I could finish other books. I loved the story and where Gabaldon has taken Jamie, Claire, Roger and Brianna. I’m also thrilled to say that with the ending, it looks like we can expect more adventures in the future. It should say something when you get to the end of a book that’s 800+ pages and you frantically turn to the back cover to find out when the next release is expected. I’ll be biding my time until we hear from Gabaldon again. For anyone who loves adventure, romance, time travel or historical fiction, Gabaldon’s entire Outlander series is a must read.

Review copy provided by Delacorte Press.

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Guideposts Books

Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Claire Prescott’s life is not, in any way, in an ideal position. She’s just lost her job and she’s unhappy with…well, pretty much everything. So when her sister can’t go abroad to Oxford for a Jane Austen symposium, Claire volunteers to go present her sister’s paper in her stead.

Upon arrival, it becomes even clearer that she not only doesn’t belong in this sort of venue, but that her life is really, well, underwhelming. When she meets a charming handsome man, instead of sharing her story, she crafts a far more interesting tale of what her life is like. Unfortunately, it’s not true. This obviously puts Claire in a really difficult position. Enter The Formidables. Or at least one that we’ve met before.

The Formidables are a secret society that Pattillo introduced in her previous novel, Jane Austen Ruined My Life. Once again, they come to the aid of an Austen lover. Through exploration of Austen’s own life and works, they’re able to open up a lot of possibilities and a greater understanding of life for Claire.

For anyone who knows about Jane Austen’s real life, both of these books are an eye opener. I enjoyed reading both of them and learning more about one of my favorite writers. If you’re a fringe Jane Austen fan and haven’t read a lot of her books or only enjoy the really popular ones (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility) Patillo’s work will still enlighten you and give you interesting information about Austen while partnering it with an interesting story.

Though I really enjoyed her first book, this one felt a little more like Pattillo was trying her hand at rewriting Austen’s work instead of giving it a fresh new look. At times as I was reading I found myself pulled from the story and wondering if this was merely a vehicle for her own Pride and Prejudice rewrite. (Everyone else has been doing it. Why not?) At the same time, Claire Prescott is a fun character that is easy to enjoy and understand. Her journey is a little fantastical every now and then, but the ending to the story is satisfying and enjoyable.

This is a fun afternoon or weekend read when you’d like to get away and dive into some Jane Austen without immersing yourself in Austen’s own work. It’s a fun retreat and feels a bit like your own personal vacation from reality. A sort of Jane Austen light, Pattillo’s work and characters stand well enough on their own, but they are made vibrant with the backdrop of Austen’s work and life as an accessory.

Review copy provided by Guideposts Books.

Genre: Historical, Adventure

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Publication date: February 17, 2009

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

John Boyne, who received international attention following the success of the movie based on his 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, turns in another excellent historical novel with Mutiny, a retelling of the infamous events onboard the HMS Bounty.

In December 1787, 14-year-old John Turnstile is caught stealing in a Portsmouth market.  Facing prison time, he eagerly accepts the offer made him by his generous victim, opting to escape not only jail but a horribly abusive living situation by serving as the captain’s boy onboard the Bounty, bound for the West Indies by way of the island paradise of Tahiti on a botanical mission. Once the voyage is underway, Turnstile discovers quickly that life at sea is no picnic as he braves the elements, observes ship politics, endures mistreatment by some of the crew, and undergoes a brutal line-crossing ceremony at the equator.

When the ship reaches Tahiti, the doomed mission’s clock begins to wind down as tensions between Captain William Bligh and Lieutenant Fletcher Christian escalate, finally resulting in mutiny. Bligh and his sympathizers, including Turnstile, are set adrift in a tiny open launch to attempt the miraculous: find their way back to England with no food, no water, and no navigational instruments besides a compass.

Fictional accounts of the Bounty story are nothing new, yet Boyne’s stands out. His skill in narrating the book from the first-person perspective of young Turnstile, his treatment of Captain Bligh as a flawed but deeply honorable man wronged by his treacherous crew, his wonderful descriptions of exotic settings, and his imaginative depictions of real-life events combine to set this book above its peers.

The book does contain a fair amount of strong language—though most of the offensive stuff is cleverly couched in eighteenth-century vernacular—and some inexplicit sexuality, but the objectionable content merely underscores the authenticity of the narrative. The story is formulaic at times, which is perhaps unsurprising given the fact that this is the kind of real-life adventure on which fiction formulas are based. The story goes fast and seems much shorter than its nearly 400 pages. The bottom line: adventure lovers will be swept away by Boyne’s Mutiny.

Review copy provided by Thomas Dunne Books.

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Publisher:  Ballantine

Publication Date:  November, 2007

Reviewed by Jennifer Roman

The Amber Room provides those hungering for thrilling, cross-continent adventure with plenty.  There is intrigue, murder, and yes, a bit of sex as trial court judge Rachel Cutler and her ex-husband Paul search for the highly evasive and mysterious Amber Room, a room of artfully crafted amber panels created in the early 1700s in what was then Prussia.  The room was deconstructed and the panels were looted, and subsequently lost, during World War II.  Rachel’s father Karol Borya was a POW in World War II and saw things that led to the possible re-discovery of the Amber Room.  Unfortunately, early in the story, he is killed because of that knowledge.  Headstrong Rachel, in an attempt to put to rest this fascinating story, heads to Germany to search in places only her father and his comrade knew might contain the Amber Room.  Paul goes off to help her and tries to protect her from art “acquisitioners,” and, more importantly, from herself.  Along the way they learn powerful secrets and experience more violence than they ever expect.

It’s obvious from reading this novel that Berry did a lot of research on the sough-after Amber Room.  He brings the story of it from inception to creation to eventual destruction to life in great detail and includes fun anecdotes that most people never know.  In fact, after reading the story, I was intrigued and did more research on my own.  If Berry had not portrayed this great historical piece of art in such a fascinating way, I probably would not have cared.  The interesting details he gives are amazing.

That being said, the story itself is interesting, but not gripping.  The characters are your typical “headstrong woman goes off in a huff and love interest chases after her then they find mutual love and respect,” without a lot of development.  The sights in Europe are described well and brought to life, but that could be done in a good travel guide.  The “bad guys” are interesting, but predictable.  Overall, it’s a good thing Berry does so well telling the Amber Room’s story because the characters and storyline don’t do much to enhance it.

Cautions: there are a lot of gruesome murders in this story, complete with graphic descriptions of them.  If the reader has a weak stomach, this book might not be a good fit.  In addition, one of the characters in particular has a very foul mouth.  He drops the “F-bomb” throughout the story, so caution should be used when recommending this book to younger readers.  The same goes for sexual situations.  There are not a lot of sex scenes, but there are a lot of sexually explicit conversations and innuendos.  If a reader is OK with graphic violence, foul language, and sexually explicit scenes, he or she will be fine.  Otherwise, because there is so much of all, I suggest the potential reader skip this book.

Recently, Lori Twichell had a chance to talk with Jennifer AlLee, the author of the new book, The Pastor’s Wife. We are excited to share that interview with you. You’ll hear all about having a strange name, writing a book, and of course, The Pastor’s Wife. We’re so grateful that Jennifer took the time to share what’s happening with us and we look forward to hearing from her in the future.

You can read Lori’s review of The Pastor’s Wife here.

More about Jennifer:

As a child, Jennifer AlLee lived above a mortuary in the heart of Hollywood, California, which may explain her unique outlook on life. Her publishing credits include The Love of His Brother, a contemporary romance from Five Star Publishing (November 2007) as well as skits, activity pages, and over one hundred contributions to Concordia Publishing House’s popular My Devotions series. Her latest novel, The Pastor’s Wife, releases February 1, 2010 from Abingdon Press. She’s an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and serves as the Nevada Area Coordinator. Jennifer resides in the grace-filled city of Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband and teenage son. Visit her website at http://www.jenniferallee.com/

This interview can also be downloaded from iTunes (recommended for best quality).

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Genre: Romance, Religious

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Publication Date: February 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

When Maura Sullivan left the small town of Granger, Ohio, she didn’t plan to ever return. You see when Maura left town, she also left her husband, Nick. As sad as this is, we all know that this happens often in today’s society. What makes Maura’s story different is that Nick is also a beloved pastor in this small town. Throw in a well intentioned woman who leaves both Nick and Maura some very special things in her will and you have a very sticky situation with some interesting ramifications.

Everything in Maura’s life has gone south since leaving Granger and she is anxious to do what she needs to do and leave the town and its people behind once again. The last person she wants to see is Nick, so imagine her feelings when she ends up sharing an elevator with him at the attorney’s office building. Things get even worse when she discovers that in order to receive the bequest from the will, she’s going to need to live with Nick in the parsonage for six months. Really?!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. This subject could easily be overbearing and preachy and I admit that I feared the worst. Imagine my delight when I opened this book and found myself so deeply involved in it that I carried the book everywhere with me. This story completely entranced me. It drew me in with a compassion and interest that made me feel like these were people I know.  The writing shows a keen insight and understanding of what people go through as they live their Christian walk every day. AlLee addresses the hurt that comes from separation and divorce without ever preaching or judging. She moves deftly and with great beauty through the thought process of characters confronting sins of their past and mistakes of the present as they stretch through a sometimes painful maturing process.

The storyline could easily feel trite and contrived, but AlLee diffuses this by having Maura voice the same feelings herself. The disbelief, questions and concerns that a reader might have, all get addressed through the storyline and plot, helping to make the story more believable and real.

Many Christian books, especially stories about divorce or contemporary life, have a tendency to be heavy handed and preachy. The characters can sometimes speak some sort of Christian-ese language that doesn’t flow well with what believers live and speak daily. This book not only does not suffer from that problem, it flows with realism and understanding. The struggles are relatable. The language is honest. The writing is simple and beautiful. Several times as I was reading, I wanted to find Maura or Nick and give them a hug. This was a simple, beautiful story of love interrupted, found, and built again. This book would be a wonderful gift for a pastor’s wife, a newlywed, a seasoned wife… You know actually, just forget the list. This book is a beautiful read no matter who you are.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Morrow

Publication Date:  1970

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

Dr. Judd Stevens is one of the most popular and sought-after psychiatrists in New York City.  He has many friends and wonderful colleagues.  All of that changes the day his secretary, Carol, is brutally murdered in the office.  The next day, a client is murdered.  Dr. Stevens tries to work with the police (including a cop who doesn’t seem to like him), to solve these murders, when he realizes that the murderer is actually after him.  Convinced that the police don’t like him and therefore don’t believe him, Dr. Stevens proceeds to investigate the situation on his own.  Dr. Stevens is forced to use psychological profiling in order to discover the identity of the murderer.

Written 40 years ago, the book still packs a punch.  It doesn’t contain as much of the violence and “creative” killing seen so frequently today, but it is one of the first to explore psychological profiling.  It moves quickly and is an easy read.  The characters are well-developed and are likeable.  The story situation immediately grabs the reader and makes the reader want to find out “whodunit.”  Some may be surprised to find out it is not exactly who they expect, and that is part of the fun.

There is minimal sex and swearing.  There is some graphic violence, but not nearly as bad as one reads today.  Since the story is 40 years old, it is nice to go back memory lane to see what the norms and mores were at the time.  Some may call it quaint, but in my opinion it is simply fun.  Overall, it’s worth the read for a good story and a little nostalgia.

Genre: Suspense, Thriller

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication date: October 13, 2009

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

Daniel Judson continues his series of standalone cerebral thrillers set in the Hamptons with The Violet Hour, a tense yet thoughtful tale of murder, betrayal, and sacrificial love.

Caleb (“Cal”) Rakowski is an auto mechanic working for cash at a friend’s illegal but lucrative garage in Bridgehampton. He lives inexpensively in a sparse apartment on the garage’s second floor, drives an unregistered motorcycle, and does his best to stay under the radar and out of people’s way. The problem is, his beautiful and pregnant older cousin Heather, recently estranged from her powerful and abusive husband, is secretly staying with him. When Heather gets word that her missing half-sister has been spotted at a party on nearby Shelter Island, Cal volunteers to go pick her up, little realizing that his simple act of charity will prove to be the undoing of his previously simple existence. Because Heather’s husband isn’t the only dangerous man in the Hamptons—and Cal is about to be caught up in a plot so twisted, he won’t know where to turn or whom to trust. And he’ll be lucky to escape with his life.

The Violet Hour is a location thriller, but it’s much more than the stereotypical story set in the author’s hometown. For one thing, Judson doesn’t live in the Hamptons (though he used to). For another thing, the book’s dark, gothic feel coupled with unexpectedly rich characterizations, intensely realistic dialog, and eerie, suspenseful scenes set in wonderfully creepy locations render it a literary triumph that easily transcends so-called “local fiction.” Judson is an author to take seriously.

The action takes place over three days—Mischief Night, Halloween, and the Day of the Dead—and unfolds almost in real time, adding a sense of urgency to the drama. Some of the villains might be a tad overdone (a codependent assassin who derives her self-worth from her handler, for example), but in the end whatever minor negatives exist are easily and decisively marginalized by the book’s strengths. Be prepared for a few descriptions of rather gruesome violence, but mostly be prepared to see a side of the Hamptons you never imagined existed.

Review copy provided by Minotaur Books.

Genre: Military Thriller

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication date: June 30, 2009

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

Brad Thor’s eighth novel featuring special-forces hero Scot Harvath provides decent entertainment value along with an in-depth and realistic look at the conditions U.S. troops face in Afghanistan, but it is plagued by a flawed premise and lackluster writing.

When the daughter of a wealthy presidential supporter is kidnapped in Afghanistan, Scot Harvath is called upon to comply with the ransom demands by breaking a captured terrorist out of prison. Unwilling to compromise his patriotic principles by aiding the enemy, even under orders from the commander in chief, Harvath assembles a team to help him carry out a revised mission—free the terrorist, but instead of exchanging him for the American hostage, use him to ascertain where she is being held, then free her and return the terrorist to the Afghan authorities. True to form, Harvath is determined to right a wrong and save the day while upholding the fundamentals of conservative American foreign policy.

As a military adventure story, the book mostly succeeds. Thor is good at writing exciting action scenes, and the book is for the most part fun and easy to read. The problem is that in trying to manufacture a believable reason why the U.S. president would so blatantly misuse his office’s authority by ordering a terrorist freed in exchange for the life of a political ally’s child, the story becomes overcomplicated. By the time the reader has made it through the background investigation by a Secret Service agent into events that politically indebted the president to the hostage’s mother, the story is all but finished, rendering the background basically moot and the tidy conclusion ultimately unsatisfying. The book would have been better had it focused on a simple search-and-rescue operation. Of course, then there might not have been reason enough for Scot Harvath to rise to the challenge in the first place.

Thor actually traveled to Afghanistan and was embedded with a military unit as part of his research for writing The Apostle, which lends a degree of authenticity to the characters’ experiences. One tidbit that stands out is the acronym TIA—“This Is Afghanistan”—used to explain seemingly incomprehensible differences between American and Afghan sensibilities.

Unfortunately, the book’s positives are balanced, if not outweighed, by the negatives. Lack of character depth and the plot’s over complexity significantly detract from the well-researched story and genuinely suspenseful military action scenes. In the end, The Apostle serves as an example of what could have been a timely, compelling book held to mediocrity by a few avoidable flaws.

Review copy provided by Atria Books.

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Jove

Publication Date: January 26, 2010

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Audrianna Kelmsleigh has a problem. Her father, embroiled in scandal, has just committed suicide. Audrianna is convinced that he was innocent and though he’s dead, she’s determined to clear his name. Not only will it fix his reputation, but it will also reopen the door to polite society for her family.

With a fierce determination that matches her beauty, Audrianna plunges herself headfirst into the intrigue and danger that led to her father’s death. Against all better judgment, she leaves herself in an unguarded position with a man that she thinks knows more about the trumped up charges against her father only to find that not only is he not the man that she thought he was, but he’s also investigating the same mystery.

When Lord Sebastian Summerhays meets Audrianna, he has no idea why the man he was supposed to meet is a woman. Not only is she a woman, but a young beautiful, albeit naïve woman. Though known far and wide for being a rogue who romances women wherever he goes, Summerhays soon realizes that Audrianna is far more than just beautiful. She’s captured his heart. Adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance soon ensue.

If romance and passion are what you want in your reading, then Madeline Hunter should be in your reading list and Ravishing in Red belongs at the top. Hunter takes the classic stories of strong independent women and partners them with the brave handsome rogues that they tame. The characters are fresh and exciting as we follow Audrianna’s journey to discover whether or not her father truly committed treason. As she grows deeper into life with Summerhays and his family, she discovers that the mystery affects far more than just her own family. She begins to learn more about his motivations.

With a clever and sometimes heart wrenching mystery wrapped around the two lovers, Ravishing in Red brings new life to the romance genre.  This book does have adult situations and descriptions and the passion is not lacking in description, so be ready when you read it. But if you’re looking for something to take you away from bills, stress and hassles, give it a try.

Review copy provided by Jove Publishing.

We are thrilled to have novelist Travis Thrasher back on our podcast to talk about his new book, Every Breath You Take. Jake Chism had a blast catching up with Travis and discussing everything from self publishing to their thoughts on the upcoming final season of LOST. A special thanks goes out to Travis for taking the time to join us.

You can read Jake’s review of Every Breath You Take here.

More about Travis Thrasher:

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

This quote from Stephen King’s novella, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, sums up the goal of every single one of Travis Thrasher’s novels: providing hope. As the novelist of twelve works of fiction, Travis has spent a decade fighting against being typecast and labeled.

“It’s a natural thing for novelists to be put into a box,” Travis says. “My goal has always been to tell stories about flawed characters who find redemption, whether it’s in a love story or a supernatural thriller.”

Having lived in places as diverse as Munich, Germany, and Sydney, Australia, during his youth, Travis moved to the Chicago area during his junior year of high school. That’s where he has remained.

After graduating from Trinity Christian College, Travis landed a job at Tyndale House Publishers as Author Relations Manager. He worked for over a decade in that position, acting as liaison between the publisher and the authors. But writing always came first, and Travis was fortunate to have his first novel published in 2000. It was THE PROMISE REMAINS, a sweet love story in the vein of Nicholas Sparks.

“I wrote six or seven dark, ambitious novels that went nowhere,” Travis says. “It was only after writing a simple love story about unrequited love that I got my first break.”

Getting that first book published was a dream come true, but Travis always saw himself having multiple books in print. Travis’s drive and imagination have allowed him to see a variety of books published: from love stories (THE WATERMARK; THREE ROADS HOME) to suspense (GUN LAKE; ADMISSION; BLINDED) to drama (THE SECOND THIEF; SKY BLUE) to supernatural thrillers (ISOLATION; GHOSTWRITER).

“I tell people this is not the way to build a writing career, but I’m thankful I’ve been able to build mine the way I wanted to. I want to entertain and surprise readers, and to continue to build a readership that will take journeys with me, whether they’re going to 1929 Brazil or current day Geneva, Illinois.”

2010 will mark a decade of publishing for Travis. It will also be a significant year with the release of BROKEN by Faithwords in May and SOLITARY by Cook in August.

“I’m excited about these two upcoming stories that will surely surprise and move readers,” Travis says. “BROKEN is about a young woman who is just that—broken and bruised by this world. SOLITARY is the first in a teen series that combines a love story with the supernatural. Both are powerful stories.”

His goal continues to be to tell powerful and moving stories that will reach fiction readers of all types. As a fulltime novelist for over two years, Travis feels he’s still just warming up.

“There are things I learn about the writing process and about myself with every novel. I believe my best stories are still in front of me, waiting to be discovered like a buried treasure. I’m thankful that I’m able to dig a little more every day.”

Travis lives with his wife and three-year-old daughter in a suburb of Chicago.

This interview can also be downloaded via iTunes (recommended for best quality).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Genre: Romance, Supernatural

Publisher: Lucas Lane

Publication Date: December 2009

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Kayla Rowe is getting married. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, she is having trouble fully embracing the moment. Her first love, Billy, has suddenly come back into her life and Kayla can’t escape the intense feelings between the two that seemingly never left. What they shared was often unstable and surprising, yet always full of passion and longing, the kind of love Kayla had never felt before. The problem with Billy was that he reminded Kayla too much of what her father must have been like. She lost him when she was only two, but as the big day approaches she wishes more than anything that he could be there to give her away. Being around Billy again has brought out all of those old emotions leaving Kayla more confused than ever.

Thomas Rowe loved to dance with his baby girl. His time with her was short, only two years, but even in heaven he remembers those precious moments. He is overwhelmed when he is suddenly presented with an opportunity he can’t refuse. He can return to earth and dance with his daughter on her wedding day. The only catch? She won’t know it’s him and he must make sure she marries the right man. This is everything Thomas has dreamed of, ever since he first held Kayla in his arms. He only hopes he has enough time…

Travis Thrasher has carved out a nice little niche for himself in recent years as a supernatural thriller writer. With Every Breath You Take he goes back to his roots and gives readers a powerful love story with a supernatural twist that will sit with you long after the final page. This is first and foremost a love story that Thrasher has written to his daughter. Indeed, the relationship between Thomas and Kayla is beautifully crafted and I challenge any father not to shed a tear or two as they think about their own little girl while reading this story.

Thrasher uses his love of music to cleverly carry this narrative. The novel is broken up into six parts, each part bearing the name of an album from Coldplay or The Police. In each part, the chapter names are taken from songs from the corresponding album. In lesser hands this approach might come across as gimmicky, but I found myself constantly scrolling through my iPod to see how each song fit with the story. The characters’ love of music added a whole new depth of emotion to the story, drawing me effortlessly into the pages.

In the end I was knocked off my feet by the unexpected, only to be reeled back in by the powerful message that comes surging through. Every element of this story worked for me, and I’m shocked that a publishing house didn’t pick this up. While Thrasher is more than content with this being a special little project, I can’t help but wonder about the potential of this story if placed in some influential hands. Whether Every Breath You Take eventually takes the publishing world by storm or it always remains a fan collector’s item, I’ll be forever grateful that I took this journey with Kayla, Billy, and Thomas.

NOTE: Currently this novel can only be purchased directly from the author. To order your copy click here. If you want to read Travis Thrasher’s account of why he chose to self-publish this story, you can check out his blog. You can also hear Travis talk about the story behind this novel in our recent interview with him.

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Dutton

Released: October 2009

Reviewed by Jonathan Schindler

Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897, is a staple in the horror genre. It shows surprising restraint for a horror novel, with the bulk of the action and violence taking place “off-stage” and with letters, telegrams, journal entries, and public documents mitigating the gore and narrating the action. Dracula: The Un-Dead, the authorized sequel by Bram’s great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker and screenwriter Ian Holt, deviates from Bram’s novel, chronicling in gory detail the trail of violence that naturally follows in the wake of a vampire. Unfortunately, it breaks from Bram’s novel in more than just storytelling method and provides a revisionist account that falls far short of what it seeks to revise.

Dracula: The Un-Dead takes place twenty-five years after Bram Stoker’s Dracula ended. When we last saw the “band of heroes,” they watched as Dracula went up in smoke, thus ending their adventure together. When we find them at the start of Dracula: The Un-Dead, they all in some way bear the mark of their encounter with the enemy, and doubt is cast on their status as heroes. Dr. Seward is dismissed as a madman and a morphine addict. Jonathan Harker is an alcoholic. Arthur Holmwood has withdrawn into his persona as Lord Godalming. Dr. Van Helsing is pursued as a possible Jack the Ripper. Mina Harker, affected by Dracula’s bite, hasn’t aged a day since his death.

Things don’t look good in the heroes’ personal lives, but something far worse begins to happen. One by one, they are hunted down in a manner befitting Dracula. Has their old foe returned for revenge? Or is there a new evil bent on their destruction? And this isn’t their only worry. Young Quincey Harker, Jonathan and Mina’s son, has run away from home to pursue his dream as an actor, under the tutelage of the mysterious Romanian actor Basarab, and he finds himself entangled in a production that hits a little close to home—Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The plot of Dracula: The Un-Dead seems to be interesting and clever enough. It seeks to be historical, drawing in details from Bram Stoker’s life (Bram appears as a character in the book), the Jack the Ripper murders, the sailing of the Titanic, and other timely events. But while its setting may be historical, imported into this gothic environment are all kinds of modern ideas and sensibilities. It’s like the Jonas Brothers showing up in a period piece. Even if they’re wearing period garb, you know they don’t belong.

Most egregious of these snuck-in modern sensibilities is the antagonistic stance the novel takes toward Christianity (and not just the evil character at the center of the book). Each character who claims Christian status, no matter how minor, is deconstructed and cast aside. While such deconstruction may be merited if the stereotype is further explored, Stoker and Holt seem content using stock characters and images. In Bram’s original story, the only symbols able to overcome Dracula were those of Christianity. In Dracula: The Un-Dead, Christian symbols are no longer effective and Jack Seward even dangles the symbols of every religion known to man to try to ward off his foe, which seems to reflect a modern pluralism rather than Bram’s original Gothic setting. The dialogue in many places also seems anachronistic, including bits recorded almost verbatim from soap operas and Star Wars.

In addition to the wrong “feel” of the book, I was also almost offended on behalf of Bram Stoker. That this sequel was given the Stoker family’s imprimatur is baffling, considering how far it goes to reject Bram’s original vision and the unflattering picture it paints of Bram himself. Bram is a cowardly, bitter hack, who copies down what he overhears at a pub. He is sniveling and controlling, and one is almost glad when he is removed from the book. The revisions made for this sequel are justified on the basis of the “inconsistencies” in Bram’s original account. However, the revisions completely set aside the original book, not just those sections deemed inconsistent. It’s as if the sequel guts Bram’s book, taking only what it likes (vampires, gore, and Freudian innuendo) and casts everything else off as worthless. The new picture of Dracula painted by this sequel is nowhere near Bram’s Dracula. Instead of being an evil force that deserves to be hunted and killed, the perpetual damned incapable of good, Dracula is recast as a brooding lover—the Heathcliff/Mr. Darcy/Edward Cullen type—who pines for his lost Mina and is practically sainted by book’s end. (This, however, fails to take into account Jonathan Harker’s terror-stricken journal that begins Dracula, unless this, too, is to be attributed to Bram’s incoherent ravings.) Dracula: The Un-Dead is also far more graphic than the original, both sexually and violently. That Bram achieved an atmosphere of terror with far less of this is to his credit.

Dracula: The Un-Dead is billed as a sequel but is more of an entirely new account. While the premise and the way the accounts are woven together are novel and clever, fans of the original are better served by rereading Bram’s version. It’s shorter, better, and far scarier.

Genre: Literary, Historical Fiction

Publisher: New American Library

Publication Date: May 2009

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Pasha, a teenager in 1970s Iran, falls in love with Zari, the girl next door who happens to be betrothed to Doctor, a counterculture philosopher and a friend of Pasha’s. When Pasha accidentally reveals Doctor’s hiding place to the Shah’s secret police, Pasha feels racked by guilt. As he and his friends grieve, they grow to hate the secret police even more. Then, on the day of the Shah’s birthday, Zari makes a drastic choice born of this grief that thrusts the group of friends apart.

In Rooftops of Tehran, Mahbod Seraji attempts to take the reader into the world of a turbulent region but ultimately falls short. The reader expects to be transported to another culture—to smell, feel, taste, hear Iran—and instead remains in his living room watching wooden characters being puppeted through the action. Seraji violates “show, don’t tell,” the mantra of great writers, with his explanations and adverbs. He steps outside of the story to paint a setting instead of interweaving it into the book and he has Pasha, as narrator, explore lengthy tangents from a melodramatic point-of-view.

Portions of the plotline ring false and feel unfounded, while teen angst seems to dominate the narrative. While a measure of this is acceptable in a coming-of-age tale, it’s monotonous to bemoan heartbrokenness, the cruelty of God and the pain in one’s soul in each chapter.

Rooftops of Tehran offers a golden opportunity to present a truly unique culture and worldview but falls far short of the sweeping drama promised by the book’s cover copy. The Reader’s Guide in the back is far more interesting as it reveals Seraji’s personal journey and experiences. Seraji shines in his discussion there and may be better suited to writing memoir.

Review copy provided by New American Library publishers.

Genre: Drama

Publisher: Algonquin

Publication Date: November 2009

Jennifer Roman’s Review:

Dr. Pete Dizinoff and his wife live a comfortable life in the suburbs of New Jersey.  He is an internist with a good practice and she teaches English at the local college.  Their dearest friends, Joe and Iris Stern, have been friends with them since college.

The story begins with Dr. Pete looking at his family from outside the house.  He has been banished from the home and is now living in the studio apartment above the garage—the studio apartment that used to belong to his son Alec.  Why he is thrown out of the house is not known, but it’s up to the reader to discover his transgressions.  Dr. Pete recounts how he and his wife and the Sterns used to go on vacations every year, how they celebrated holidays together, and how they just generally grew up together.  He then explains how the Sterns and he survive the tragedy caused by the Sterns’ daughter Laura.  It turns out that she gets pregnant as a teen but hides it from her family.  She delivers in a public restroom, and the baby dies.  All of this becomes the talk of the town when the baby’s body is found in a Dumpster, and Laura is charged with killing the baby after it was born.  Dr. Pete then fast-forwards a few years to after Laura is released from a mental institution (her punishment for killing the baby) and is back with her family.  Even though she is considerably older than he is, Alec is taken with Laura and spends every waking moment with her.  This leads to Dr. Pete’s downfall and subsequent estrangement from his family.

This book was rather tedious with more details and information than needed.  As I read the story I kept wondering what one thing had to do with another.  Usually the “daily activities” in life of a character are interesting, but these ones were not.  I was also challenged by cultural differences because I struggled to understand Jewish references. There are many cultural activities, vocabulary, and observances that are not familiar to me.  Knowing Jewish culture and vocabulary would be a big help.

There is a smattering of profanity throughout the book, but what I mostly caution about is the death of a baby.  For those sensitive to such issues, I strongly caution them about several scenes in the story.  There’s not necessarily blood and gore violence, but there are some sensitive scenes.  Readers with an aversion to violence against a baby should seriously consider not reading A Friend of the Family.

Overall, the story was tedious and didn’t really make me want to find out what happened.  As I read, I mostly was concerned with just getting through the story.  Maybe others will feel differently, but as I read, I just wanted the book to be done.

Marianne Peters’ Review:

“I was never as grateful as I should have been for everything I had.”

As Lauren Grodstein’s engrossing novel, A Friend of the Family, opens, we find Pete Dizinoff exiled to his son’s former digs above the garage. His wife is contemplating divorce, his only child is abandoning his home, his internal medicine practice has imploded, and he has lost his best friend. The novel explains how he came to this desperate moment, how a solid suburban life can be slowly dismantled when someone unexpected inspires possibilities a parent never imagined for his child.

It’s popular to dismiss the suburbs as a place for shallow social-climbers to show off their wealth. However Grodstein’s Round Hill community is a place where friends cook out, take walks, and even enjoy a glimpse of wildlife now and then. The Dizinoffs dote on their son Alec, nineteen. In their circle of moneyed professionals, everyone expects that their children will equal or surpass their achievements.  Alec has not turned out to be a motivated scholar, so Pete and Elaine have enrolled him in college, hoping he’ll land on his feet.

Meanwhile, their best friends and neighbors, Joe and Iris, welcome back their long-lost daughter Laura. As a troubled teen, Laura got pregnant, concealed her condition, and killed her newborn after she bore it alone in a bathroom stall. Now thirty years old, living on her own, she’s back for a visit before she heads off again, this time for Paris. Though she’s now lovely, smart, and engaging, Pete still thinks of her as a child-killer. Alec falls in love with Laura, planning to ditch college and accompany her overseas. Pete tries to stop him, convinced he is doing the right thing for Alec. In his struggle to preserve his son’s future, Pete’s efforts arouse the ghosts of the past, re-opening wounds that had almost healed and blinding him to very real concerns of the present: a faltering marriage and a patient with a puzzling condition. Even with his world coming apart, Pete believes he’s doing what any parent would do for his son … isn’t he?

In this age of helicopter parents, Grodstein challenges her readers to think about the role a parent should play in their adult child’s life. Her novel also reveals how a smooth-as-glass life can suddenly ripple, and it is all the more chilling because in her capable hands, such a story has the ring of truth.

Review copy provided by Algonquin Publishers.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Tyndale House

Publication Date: May 2002

Reviewed by Tim George

They Shall See God begins with one man breathing the air of freedom for the first time in 25 years as he walks away from Louisiana’s infamous State Penitentiary at Angola. But from the moment we are introduced to Solomon Cantor it is obvious neither he nor any of those in the orbit of his life are truly free. Two girls, Katy and Ruth, though both reasonably successful, still live behind the invisible bars of fear and distrust. Sol’s wife, now a prosperous real estate agent, is a virtual prisoner to the good name she has forged for herself in New Orleans’ Garden District. And one twisted soul stalks them all; on a mission he believes to be from God. His goal, to exact retribution in a way that will shock a city that rarely notices anything.

At the center of this story are Katy O’Connor and Ruth Gold. Their childhood friendship was abruptly ended on the day their testimony helped send Sol Cantor away to Angola. Now, 25 years later, their lives are thrown back together by Sol’s release and a spate of bizarre murders in the city they never left. So much has changed in that quarter century. Katy is now a lonely widow doing her best to raise two children and keep her late husband’s business afloat. Ruth is a Reformed Jewish Rabbi with a simmering anger she does not understand. Together they have many lessons to learn about suspicion, prejudice, and the greatest enemy of all – the dark corners of their own hearts.

They Shall See God, like all of Dickson’s works, has too many layers to allow it to be pigeonholed. It is suspense of the first-rate variety. The characters are three dimensional with both good and not-so-good qualities. The plot is superbly paced. The dialogue is crisp and believable. Beneath all of these layers is the foundation of a powerful parable. Just as you label the story’s villain evil and pathetic, you realize there is some of that dark killer in all of us. And the villain’s end should serve as a warning to all where the path of hatred ultimately leads.

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy, Young Adult

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: November 2009

Reviewed by Kaci Hill

I have a confession. I picked up The Curse of the Spider King without knowing what it was supposed to be about or having read anything by either of its authors. My ARC copy has no back cover description, either. In fact, it includes a handwritten note letting me know it wasn’t the final version and errors were already in correction. But that title just sounds like it’s going to be amazing, so I requested it. Like several I’ve reviewed lately, both Hopper and Batson were suggested to me by other authors whose works I am familiar with. Besides, where in the world is the adventure if I know exactly what to expect?

At any rate, the story fixed its hooks in me from page one, with a group of Elven Sentinels (an elite class soldier) heading through a portal into Earth to retrieve several missing persons after, in Allyra time, eight hundred years of searching. The problem, I soon discover, is twofold: these seven missing thirteen year olds (Earth time) don’t know they’re missing, and the enemy assassins sent to kill them are also closing in.

Two dimensions, two basic storylines. The kids’ stories are simply about their lives, turning thirteen, discovering they’re from another world and have incredible power. They’re each given a book of their own history—a book that comes alive (literally) as they read it. And in their readings we learn how seven Elflings came to be lost on Earth. That is, they learned the story of the Elves. In some ways, however, I felt the story really belonged to the Sentinels searching for them, largely because the kids really don’t know what’s going on for so long, and they join the battle pretty deep into it. Moreover, despite the large cast, for the most part I had no trouble enjoying the characters and keeping up with plot. I confess a couple times I had to flip back, but this was only once or twice.

The themes largely involve the intricate nature of the past and present. I read one review (remember, I read reviews after I read the book) that suggested it was a coming-of-age story, but I must respectfully disagree, for the aforementioned reasons. The book has several strong themes and resists any temptation to beat the reader to death with them, and some of that I fully expect to cross over into book two, Venom and Song.

One small thing regarding a particular review: I read one from a woman  who said she thought a boy would enjoy it better due to the action sequences, and I read a couple who thought adults wouldn’t enjoy it as much or relate to the characters as well. Please note, I am a twenty-six year old female, and I find such assessments poppycock. The story and characters were both engaging. In fact, the only other thing I could find to comment on was, really, that the ending of the story snuck up on me: I wasn’t quite expecting it to end where it did, but, with the primary goal of the story accomplished, that was where it needed to end. It actually reinforced, in my mind, the idea that it’s really about the Sentinels bringing the children home, not simply the children learning they’re Elves in a ‘coming of age’ fashion. Suffice it to say, I’m looking forward to Venom and Song, a bit anxiously, at that.

Review copy provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Publisher: Penguin

Publication date: January, 2010

Reviewed by Jennifer Roman

Tami Hoag is known for her suspenseful novels that have plenty of twists and turns before the final reveal, and Deeper than the Dead is no exception.  In a sleepy California town in October of 1985, several children cut through a park on their way home from school.  One ends up tumbling down a hill and lands smack on a body of a young woman.  Her eyes and mouth are glued shut and her eardrums are pierced, possibly in reference to, “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”  The students’ teacher hears the commotion and rushes out to console them.  From that moment on, she is involved in a murder investigation that eventually threatens her life.  In the meantime, several students’ home lives are exposed as less than perfect and townspeople’s personal lives are made public.  What makes the investigation interesting is that since it is set in 1985, there is no access to high-tech devices and processes, even fingerprint databases.  Imagine being a police department and barely having a fax machine.  There is not a computer at each investigator’s desk; in fact, using a computer requires a wait for long stretches of time.  The police have to rely on phone calls and favors from officers in other locales.  Psychological profiling is just beginning, and many still don’t put credence in it.

Never once did I get the feeling that the story was lagging.  I was constantly on the edge of my seat, ready to turn the page, trying to get to the bottom of the investigation.  I was entertained, and best of all, my mind was engaged as I tried to figure out who could have committed the crime.  I loved that things kept moving at a good pace and just as the resolution seemed imminent, something else happened.  Nothing was as it seemed.

While this novel is highly entertaining and fast-paced, there are several grisly scenes that may upset some readers.  One woman is kidnapped and held hostage, but she is severely injured while she is held captive.  There are some very upsetting things that happen to her, and a subsequent victim, that are uncomfortable.  I know many times when I was reading a description of the torture, I had to clench my hands and take a minute to settle myself.  I was especially unnerved by another situation in which a young boy pulls a finger off the corpse and tries to shove it into another student’s mouth.  While these things may happen in real life scenarios, it is still difficult to read some of it.  In addition, there are a couple of people who are mentally unstable, and it is difficult reading some of the things they say and do.  For those who are easily unnerved, this book may not be for them.

Overall, if a reader is interested in a fast-paced, murder-mystery and can tolerate some psychological and physical torture, this is a good read.

Review copy provided by Penguin Publishers.

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Mira

Publication date: May, 2009

Reviewed by Jennifer Roman

Debbie Macomber brings back her beloved characters in Summer on Blossom Street.  Its usual residents, Anne Marie, Lydia, and Alix and their friends once again face trying personal issues: Lydia tries to deal with her mother’s memory loss and a difficult foster child; Anne Marie meets someone from her newly adopted daughter’s past; and Alix needs to stop smoking so she and her husband can have a baby.  Lydia decides to create a “Knit to Quit” class so people can substitute their vices for knitting.  In addition to the regular group, Macomber introduces some new people in the class: Phoebe, who is trying to get over her philandering ex-fiancé; and Bryan, an executive trying to bring calm into his life through knitting.  Of course the group has its usual challenges, but together they offer each other support, a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, and solutions to problems.  Regular readers will get their usual “happy ending,” of sorts; there are some complications to the situations but Macomber gives creative and interesting ways of dealing with their life’s challenges.

Macomber demonstrates again why she is a best-selling author; she makes an easy-to-read dialogue that’s entertaining and thought-provoking.  Her writing presents situations that her readers can easily empathize with and understand.  Oftentimes, her readers have similar situations of their own.  Macomber’s best trait is that she reaches into a reader’s heart and makes her feel as though she is part of the situation.  She manages to tell a story without using profanity or explicit sex.  All in all, Macomber creates an engaging story that keeps readers interested up until the wrapped up, happy end.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Tyndale

Publication Date: August 2009

Reviewed by Josh Olds

A coded email. A mysterious phone call. A sinister plot. A powerful cult. James Pence wastes no time throwing the reader into an intense and fast-paced story of redemption and hope. Thomas Kent had lost it all—all that really mattered anyway. His own family had been killed and he had been powerless to stop it. He had little in life to live for until one phone message changed his life. Save…the…children.

Thomas embarks on a mission that will pit him against a powerful cult whose sins are threatened to be unveiled by the children he must now protect. And there’s no choosing not to protect the children. A trained killer is already beating down the door of his cabin.

He can’t trust anybody, only God, but he and God haven’t been on speaking terms since the accident that stole his family away. Now he’s going to have to put his life back together while on the run, and in the end, Thomas must rely on the God who seemed to forsake him.

A powerful story of hope, Blind Sight takes what could have sounded ridiculous or cliché—a cult attempting to take over the world and killing those who stand in its way—and makes it sound all too plausible. From Thomas’s redemption from his broken past, to the new life brought from escaping the cult, the action rarely lets up, resulting in a great and heartfelt story.

Perhaps even more powerful is the true story connected with this fictional novel. On March 1, 2008, armed men broke into Terry Caffey’s home and killed his wife and two young sons. Terry was shot and left for dead, as the men set fire to the house. Terry’s only surviving family member, his daughter, would later be implicated in the crime. In one night, Terry had lost his entire family.

Six weeks later, as Terry stood looking at the remains of his house and thinking about the loss of his family, he noticed a scrap of paper on a nearby tree. That scrap of paper happened to be a page of Blind Sight. The page that survived recounted Thomas’s struggle with God as he too had lost his family. That single portion of a page, the lone remnant from a destroyed home, was enough for Terry to look through his pain. Terry now travels the country giving his testimony, carrying that scrap of paper with him. His story is recounted in a non-fiction title, Terror by Night.

Whether in real life or in story, this novel is a powerful testament to the sovereignty and tender mercies of God.

Review copy provided by Tyndale House Publishers.

Genre: Adventure, Religious

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

Lori Twichell’s Review:

Christy Williams is determined to make a change for the better in her life. She’s had a long rough road to travel, but she’s done with making mistakes. And thus begins a sometimes painful yet overwhelmingly beautiful story of how someone who is in over their head can make a real change for the better.

Christy has a fascinating job. She deals with rare books. She’s been trained to know their value, recognize fakes, and purchase the books for resell. This creates a wonderful backdrop for intrigue, mystery and scandal in a world that is rarely explored in fiction. It also gives us everything we need to watch Christy’s life slowly unravel from her bad choices.

Christy’s sister, May, is a hard worker who appears to have made all of the right choices in her life.  She lives and works on a ranch where she’s part owner and she loves every moment about it. The only thing missing in her life is her sister, whom she hasn’t seen in years.

C.J. Darlington, in her writing debut, doesn’t sugar coat the journey back from making all of the wrong choices and decisions in life. Her characters are real, flawed, and so recognizable that they feel like friends.  None of these characters is a cardboard cut-out or caricature of themselves. They all make mistakes, question what they’re doing and are unsure, and yet still you can clearly see the hand of God leading them in their life’s journey. This happens in language and situations that is familiar and well traveled for most of us who live a life of faith.

As I read this book, I didn’t want to put it down. I needed to know what would happen next. For anyone who loves books, stories and people, this book is a must read. It contains beautiful displays of God’s love, forgiveness, mercy and grace that everyone needs to experience in their lives. Darlington’s characters are never preachy, overbearing or false. Their honesty and depth ring true and strike directly to the heart of the matter with concise accuracy.

Thicker than Blood is a beautiful masterpiece and it’s so well done, I’m hard pressed to believe this is a first novel. I can’t wait to see what C.J. Darlington brings to the publishing world next.

Ashley Barrett’s Review:

A stolen copy of For Whom the Bell Tolls rips apart whatever life Christy Williams did have. Homelessness, an abusive ex-boyfriend and an uphill battle with alcoholism draw Christy back to her sister, May, whom she left fifteen years ago. But time has changed both sisters, and Christy finds herself reluctantly accepting May’s heartfelt welcome to Triple Cross Ranch. Can the same thing that transformed May rescue Christy? Or will the pitfalls of Christy’s past separate the Williams sisters for good?

Thicker than Blood pulled me in with its compelling plot and peppering of fascinating details. Multiple times, I got lost in the story and read more than I meant too. This book managed to do what many can’t: it made me care. I wanted to know what happened to the characters and found myself cheering for them all the way to the end. Thicker than Blood helped me remember how refreshing a good book can be!

Although a little preachy or forced in some places, Thicker than Blood was the most enjoyable book I’ve read in a while. I would recommend it, especially to readers who enjoy Christian redemptive stories and a page-turning plot.

Don’t miss our interview with C.J. Darlington.

Review copies provided by Tyndale.

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Scribner

Publication Date: August 2008

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

In Kathy Reichs’ eleventh book, Devil Bones, forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan is called in to study the skull of a teenage girl found in a cellar. What she discovers surrounding the skull looks like relics from a satanic ritual — a decapitated chicken, animal bones, beads, and feathers.

Shortly after, a headless body of a teenage boy appears on the banks of a nearby lake. A pentagram and the numbers 666 are carved into his chest. Brennan and the detectives wonder if the two cases are related. If so, does this imply the presence of Devil worshipers?

Meanwhile, an extremist politician creates fear among the citizens, setting in motion a witch hunt to find the murderers. Brennan must fight time and circumstances as bodies pile up and the public’s frenzy for blood and “justice” increases.

Though this mystery is a good one and Reichs keeps the reader wondering who the killer(s) are, the story disturbs at times, especially when dealing with the occult. Through Brennan, Reichs studies cults such as Wicca, Santeria, voodoo, and others. She paints others who don’t accept these groups as valid forms of religion as intolerant. The “Christian” in the book is a fanatical jerk who misrepresents his faith.

Reichs made some very misleading statements in this novel, claiming Wiccans are not Satanists. They are. She also states that this is a religion that predates Christianity. But Wicca is not a religion. Secondly, Reichs’ meaning of Christianity is unclear. She confuses the change after Christ’s coming with the faith of the God in the Bible. Wicca predates Christianity as we know it today, but not faith in God.

When it comes to Devil Bones, the reader must decide if a few hours of an entertaining read is worth dealing with the very questionable underlying messages. I am still a fan of Reichs’ work, but this book is a disappointment when dealing with matters of faith.

Genre: Children

Publisher: Puffin

Publication Date: 2007

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The Grandson has grown up with his grandmamma’s tales of witches, their wicked ways and their horrifying hatred of children. She has told him these tales to prepare him for the inevitable day when a witch will try to eliminate him, in the same way witches try to do away with other children. But the Grandson never expects to encounter a whole room full of witches and when he does, he must find a way to foil their evil plan to destroy all of England’s children.

The Witches by Roald Dahl plays upon children’s love of the fantastic and their fascination with the frightening, but in an empowering, child-centric fashion. Children will sit on the edge of their seats, itching to learn more about the unique, and yet still familiar, world Dahl has created. Of course, the tale needs to be prefaced with an affirmation that the book is indeed pretend, since readers are told multiple times that witches do exist despite what any adult says. But once this is handled, Dahl treats readers to a plot line of magic and heroism, legends and oral history. This simply told tale is a Dahl classic.

Genre: Literary, Historical Fiction

Publisher: Hawthorne Books/Riverhead Books

Publication Date: 2007

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The Moores are a coal-mining family in Depression-era Alabama. Tess, the middle of the family’s three children, witnesses a frightening event—a strange woman dropping an infant into the family’s well. When the police investigation reveals little, Tess and her older sister, Virgie, search for the mother of the infant among the women in their town.

The girls’ parents, Albert and Leta, both work desperately hard—Albert on the farm and in the mine, and Leta at home—to provide for their family. They grow very concerned when Tess begins having nightmares about the dead infant. Then Jack, the youngest child, is involved in a severe accident, straining the family even further. As the Moores struggle emotionally, financially and physically, friendships are tested and the truth about the infant in the well is revealed.

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips is an understated account of family, struggle, race relations and growing up. What could easily become a story with a sensationalistic plot remains believable and honest. The tone is as down-to-earth as Phillips’s characters and readers find themselves feeling right at home in the mine, on the country roads and in the Moores’ small house. Told from the point-of-view of each family member in turn, readers view the full family dynamic at work: Albert’s work ethic, Leta’s self-sacrifice, Virgie’s tentative adolescence, Tess’s joyfulness and Jack’s memories of childhood all combine into a humble work of beautiful family life.