Cry in the Night

Colleen Coble's Cry in the Night takes the reader to Rock Harbor, Michigan (the setting for previous Rock Harbor mysteries) where search-and-rescue worker Bree Matthews and her dog Samson find an abandoned baby in the woods. Bree ignores the objections from Kade, her second husband, takes the baby girl in and continues to search for the baby's mother. But, when her search reveals a strange connection to her first husband's mysterious death, it unravels her faith.

This was another easy-to-read "who done it" story. The characters draw the reader into the setting while keeping the reader intrigued with solving the mystery.

Walking Lazarus

Since T.L. Hines gives away the subject of his book in the title, Walking Lazarus, it is no surprise that the main character, Jude, has died and come back to life. The twist is that it happened three times and seems to have an underlying purpose. Jude has changed his name, moved to a new town and become a recluse near an area where children are disappearing.

As Jude unravels the mystery of his own deaths and the evil lurking around his new hometown, he struggles to hide his identity while being accused of killing children. the book definitely has the one thing most appealing about a good supernatural suspense thriller ... things are not always as they appear while the reader is traveling through the pages of the unknown.

Dead Heat

Joel C. Rosenberg's Dead Heat is the fifth and final novel in his geopolitical thriller series. The author's note prefacing the first chapter reiterates that the novel is fiction, but it still makes one wonder about the turbulent world we live in and what role, if any, the United States will play in the end times.

President MacPherson's second term in office is ending, a new dictator is rising in Iraq, Israel is on a urgent quest to complete the Third Temple, China and North Korea forces appear ready to strike and  the world is on the verge of a mammoth disaster. After terrorists attack the United States, Jon Bennett is called upon again to help. But this time he is in a remote Jordanian refugee camp with his wife, Erin, who has contracted a potentially fatal illness.

Although it is a fast-paced, action-packed and thought-provoking read, I add my prayer to the author's that the events stay fictional.

Scream

Scream, by Mike Dellosso, is a thriller that will keep you glued to the pages. The main character, Mark Stone, has his phone calls interrupted by otherworldly screams, the kind of screams that remind him of the weeping and gnashing of teeth describing hell.

When Mark realizes that the people on the other end of his phone calls die shortly after hearing the screams, he begins to search for their meaning. While struggling with his own broken faith and marriage, he receives a phone call from Cheryl, his kidnapped estranged wife. That phone call sends Mark racing to save Cheryl from both the kidnapper and the screams.

A final note from the author points out that while the book was written to entertain, it was also written to challenge us to think about life and death, heaven and hell, and where we will spend eternity. He also gives a call to action: to accept Jesus and then tell everyone about it. A good reminder that the Christian supernatural thriller I'm working on also has that dual purpose.



 

Going Rogue

Going Rogue is Sarah Palin's memoir. Although scrutinized and criticized to the nth degree, I enjoyed the book. I wasn't looking for the errors, exaggerations, and "gotcha" moments I'd heard so much about from mainstream media since the book was published. I was looking for the story of the ordinary woman who became the 2008 vice presidential candidate. The woman who believes in many of the same things I do.

I wasn't disappointed. I learned a lot about how the people and situations in her life led to that momentous event. I also learned a lot about Alaska, a state at the opposite end of the spectrum from my state of Florida. And, I enjoyed the stories and the photographs inviting me into her life.

The parts that talk about the campaign and the events since losing the election that have been so vehemently attacked in the media did not appear to be vindictive to this reader. They were written from her perspective so of course they are subjective to her perception of reality. Isn't that how we all see things? From our own reality.

Conservatives and even many independents will enjoy this look into Sarah Palin's life. Liberals will continue to be outraged.

A Tendering in the Storm

A Tendering in the Storm by Jane Kirkpatrick is part of her Change and Cherish Historical Series. Although the main character is Emma Giesy, some chapters are written from Lousia Keil's point of view. Since I find switching characters and point of view with chapters distracting, I didn't get lost in the story as I do with those that glide effortlessly between the characters.

However, it is a compelling story about the struggle of a strong-willed German American living inside a religious community and the desperate choices she makes so she can raise her children her way. A good reminder that our way isn't always the best way and may, in fact, hinder the blessings God has planned for our lives.

Whispers of Winter

Whispers of Winter by Tracie Peterson is part of her Alaskan Quest series. The main characters face fierce weather conditions in an unforgiving terrain and are challenged to trust God through unexpected losses and tragic events.

It wasn't a page turner for me, but if you enjoy reading historical fiction with adventure and romance mixed in, you'll like this one.

Big Sky Dreams series

I picked up Cassidy (book one) and Sabrina (book two) of the Big Sky Dreams series by Lori Wick off the clearance rack. Since I had read a couple of her other books (Bamboo & Lace and White Chocolate Moments) and enjoyed them as light, easy reads and a change from adrenaline-laced suspense novels, I thought I would also enjoy these.

Cassidy is about a Token Creek seamstress, with a difficult past, in the Montana Territory during 1880. The story was predictable and slow-moving with an awkward thought thrown in every now and then. It also bothered me when she would refer to one of the characters as "that" lady instead of using a pronoun.

Sabrina is about a prostitute, estranged from her family, who is rescued from the streets by a policeman and his wife. After becoming a Christian, she also moves to Token Creek where she interacts with characters from Cassidy, befriends other prostitutes and eventually becomes involved with the pastor. This book held my attention more than Cassidy, however, grammatical errors in this one also distracted me from the characters and the plot.

This series is probably more suitable for mature teens.

In Search of Eden

In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols is the story of an unwed teenager who is forced to give up her baby for adoption and the subsequent search for her child.

Miranda DeSpaino begins her search after her mother's death when her aunt gives her an envelope postmarked "Abindgon, VA" containing a baby picture. While she eventually finds her child, along the way she also finds out about her family heritage explaining her deceased mother's coldness, an unexpected visit from her long-lost father, a brother she didn't know existed and a new family.

In the end, she makes a decision of love and also finds forgiveness, redemption and God's grace.

Seminole Song

Seminole Song by Vella Munn is a story about the struggle of Seminole Indians and runaway slaves living in the Everglades during the 1830s. Growing up near the Everglades and a Seminole Indian reservation, I'm always drawn to books about both topics.

 The story focuses on Panther, the war chief of the Egret clan of Seminoles, Winter Rain, half Seminole and half runaway slave, Gaitor, a runaway slave who is Panther's closet confident, and Calida, a runaway house slave who escapes a cruel plantation owner and former army officer. Army generals, angered by the Seminoles who help runaway slaves, refuse to live on reservations, and conceal themselves in the swamps, offer a false treaty to the tribal chiefs. Meanwhile, the cruel plantation owner rejoins the army under the false pretense of helping the army round up the Seminole clans so he can pursue capturing Calida.

One of the unique aspects of this book is the little-known alliance between the Florida Seminole Indians and runaway slaves just prior to the Civil War. It also examines the prejudice and injustice white plantation owners and army soldiers inflicted upon both the Seminoles and the slaves struggling for freedom. From the very beginning, I was struck by the cruelty, hate,and inhumane treatment white men dispensed while they referred to the Seminoles as savages and the slaves as animals.

Ice Bound

The 2001 Ice Bound book is the true story of Dr. Jerri Nielsen and her self-discovery and survival at the coldest and darkest place on earth. She was the only doctor at the South Pole in 1999 when she performed a breast biopsy on herself and then began chemotherapy treatments, with the help of her close-nit group of friends, to battle breast cancer.

The book gives insight into living at the coldest, darkest and harshest place on earth within an isolated community and the obstacles they had to overcome in addition to the cancer. It also highlights the importance of family and friends combined with the pain of a mother estranged from her children. Choosing to live at the South Pole and then battling breast cancer in such a desolate place was inspirational to say the least. However, for me, it was reading about a mother estranged from her children who learned to live life to the fullest and continue to help others with that void in her heart that really hit home.

At the end of the book, she had returned to the United States, completed her cancer treatments and had still not seen her children. I looked her up on the Internet and learned that she wrote this book, which was also made into a TV movie, became an international motivation speaker, and remarried following her adventures at the South Pole. She was still speaking three months before she died on June 23, 2009. In a Washington Post e-article she was quoted as saying, "There is no end of your life until your last breath. We can all do something to help someone." I agree.

The Circle Trilogy

The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker consists of three books: Black, Red, and White. The trilogy is about the main character, Thomas Hunter, living in two worlds. He falls asleep in one world and wakes up in another. Although he isn't sure which world is the real one and which world is the dream one until the very end, he comes to realize his actions in one world has an impact on the other.

I must admit I struggled reading Black in the beginning and had to get past the first several chapters before I was hooked. Once I reached that point I spent several late nights (too late I'd discover the next morning) absorbed in the books and racing to find answers to Thomas Hunter's questions.

The story continues with the The Books of History Chronicles broken down into two additional series: The Lost Books (Chosen, Infidel, Renegade, Chaos) and The Paradise Novels(Showdown, Saint, Sinner). I didn't realize Showdown was part of the this story and read it many months ago. It will fun to go back and scan through it in the context of the chronicles.

Love Comes Softly Series

One of my sister-in-laws recently sent the Love Comes Softly Series consisting of eight books. The series is about the pioneer lives of Marty and Clark Davis, their family and their neighbors. Although these are not the type of books I lean towards, I can't pass up reading a book once it makes its way through the front door.

It was good to take a break from trying to figure out a thriller plot and speed read through the stories about the frontier prairies of the 1800s. I'm sure I would have also enjoyed watching the movies on the Hallmark channel.

When I finished book eight, Janette Oke had a farewell note for series, however, it also had a P.S. note that she wrote the Prairie Legacy series picking up with Marty and Clark's youngest daughter's offspring. If you enjoy reading prairie novels and Janette Oke's books, I'm sure you'll also enjoy reading those books. As for me, I'm back to Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti novels.

"Fireflies in December" Book Review

This historical novel addresses the issue of prejudice and the widespread influence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1930s. While reading the book, I thought about how far we've come as a society,how far we still have to go, and how God will always be there to see us through it.

It transported me back in time and melded with stories my grandma used to tell me about growing up in south Georgia. I don't know if she witnessed burning crosses or white-robbed men, but I'm sure she knew about them. She talked some about the 'colored' family that lived near them and about being dirt poor ... the house she grew up in had dirt floors. This leads me to believe the Ku Klux Klan most likely visited the area, but it is only speculation.

When she talked about the 'colored' family, she never talked about them with disrespect or prejudice. Perhaps her family's lack of social status had something to do with it, perhaps a lack of white supremacy indoctrination, or maybe just blissful ignorance in her case. I'll never know. I do know, however, there was still a separation of color even at the lowest level of social class and prejudice would eventually rear its ugly head even in her family.

Thank you, Jennifer, for a great read, a reminder of America's imperfect past, and a look at what can be accomplished through faith, friendship,and Christian love.