FROM BEGINNING TO END . . . AND BACK AGAIN
Shadows on the Sand
July 22, 2011
The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)
by Gayle Roper
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gayle is the award winning author of more than forty books. She has been a Christy finalist three times for her novels Spring Rain, Summer Shadows, and Winter Winds. Her novel Autumn Dreams won the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Summer Shadows was voted the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Book of the Year (tied with fellow author Brandilyn Collins).
Gayle has won the Holt Medallion three times for The Decision, Caught in a Bind, and Autumn Dreams. The Decision won the Reviewers Choice Award, and Gayle has also won the Award of Excellence for Spring Rain and the Golden Quill for Summer Shadows and Winter Winds. Romantic Times Book Report gave Gayle the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her Amhearst mystery series, Caught in the Middle, Caught in the Act, and Caught in a Bind, originally published by Zondervan, was reprinted in 2007 by Love Inspired Suspense with a fourth original title added, Caught Redhanded. Another original single title, See No Evil, was also released. Caught in the Middle has been optioned for film.
For her work in training Christian writers Gayle has won special recognition from Mount Hermon CWC, St. Davids CWC, Florida CWC, and Greater Philadelphia CWC. She directed St. Davids for five years and Sandy Cove CWC for six. She has taught with Christian Leaders, Authors and Speakers Services (CLASS), serving for several years as their writer in residence. She enjoys speaking at women’s events across the nation and loves sharing the powerful truths of Scripture with humor and practicality.
Gayle lives in southeastern Pennsylvania where she enjoys her family of two great sons, two lovely daughters-in-law, and the world’s five most wonderful grandchildren. When she’s not writing, or teaching at conferences, Gayle enjoys reading, gardening, and eating out.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.
When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But Carrie has a painful past, too, and when the reason she once ran away shows up in town, the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg threatens to implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry. Two wounded hearts struggle to find a way to make one romance work. Failure seems guaranteed when Carrie locates her waitress but is taken hostage…
If you would like to read the first chapter of Shadows on the Sand, go HERE.
Sally Says: Nobody writes normal people better than Gayle Roper. My fiction tends to run to things I could never be or do (like the last few books I’ve reviewed–be a homicide detective, a female gladiator, live in wealthy Atlanta during the Depression). And Gayle writes about normal, everyday people, but their story still fascinates me, still keeps me flipping pages.
Shadows on the Sand takes us back to Seaside, New Jersey, where she had four other books set. One unique thing about the book is the cult aspect. Cults have been done, but for the first time in books that I’ve read, I saw it brought out that not only the leaders of the cults are the evil, perverted ones. Sometimes the people that join the cult and seem to be duped were far more aware than we give them credit for. And I liked that she brought that out.
If you’re looking for a great summer read for these last few official summer weeks, buy Shadows on the Sand. There’s nothing like spending time with Gayle’s fascinating, realistic characters.
Pattern of Wounds
July 15, 2011
The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand
Bethany House (July 1, 2011)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years, earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after one hurricane too many he relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.
ABOUT THE BOOK
It’s Christmas in Houston, and homicide detective Roland March is on the hunt for a killer. A young woman’s brutal stabbing in an affluent neighborhood bears all the hallmarks of a serial murder. The only problem is that March sent the murderer to prison ten years ago. Is it a copycat — or did March convict the wrong man?
Alienated from his colleagues and with a growing rift in his marriage, March receives messages from the killer. The bodies pile up, the pressure builds, and the violence reaches too close to home. Up against an unfathomable evil, March struggles against the clock to understand the hidden message in the pattern of wounds.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Pattern of Wounds, go HERE.
Sally Says: I love J. Mark Bertrand. So far I’ve read all three of his books, and every one has been great. He’s now on my must-read list.
Back on Murder is the first book following Roland March, Houston homicide detective. But if you’re new to Bertrand and Roland March, you don’t need to read the first book to enjoy Pattern of Wounds.
And Pattern of Wounds is enjoyable. It’s everything that’s right with Christian fiction. For those who like life as it is and like a realistic crime novel, this is it. The characters, the setting, the mystery — it’s a pleasure to read, and I sure hope there are a lot more Roland March books coming. Whether you’re going on vacation or staying home, Pattern of Wounds is a book you’ll want to pick up for an entertaining read.
Bridge to a Distant Star
June 29, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
David C. Cook; New edition (June 1, 2011) by Carolyn Williford
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carolyn Williford has authored seven books, including Jordan’s Bend, Devotions for Families That Can’t Sit Still, and Faith Tango, as well as numerous articles. She and her husband, Craig, live in Deerfield, Illinois, where he serves as president of Trinity International University. They have two children and four grandchildren.
ABOUT THE BOOK
It All Comes Tumbling Down
As a storm rages in the night, unwary drivers venture onto Tampa Bay’s most renowned bridge. No one sees the danger ahead. No one notices the jagged gap hidden by the darkness and rain. Yet when the bridge collapses vehicles careen into the churning waters of the bay below.
In that one catastrophic moment, three powerful stories converge: a family ravaged by their child’s heartbreaking news, a marriage threatened by its own facade, and a college student burdened by self doubt. As each story unfolds, the characters move steadily closer to that fateful moment on the bridge. And while each character searches for grace, the storms in their lives loom as large as the storm that awaits them above the bay.
When these characters intersect in Carolyn Williford’s gripping and moving volume of three novellas, they also collide with the transforming truth of Christ: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Bridge to a Distant Star, go HERE.
Sally Says: I chose to read this book because I guessed the author came up with the idea after the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. I was wrong — she was thinking of another disaster years ago.
The book begins with the accident that causes the collapse, but before we know what happens, we’re whisked back in time a few months, and we know someone we’re reading about will be on the bridge when it collapses.
As I read, I wondered how these people were going to survive, how their stories were all going to intersect once they hit that water. But the ending was nothing like I’d imagined, which was both good and bad.
If you’re looking for something different than the usual novel, this may be the one for you. There are three completely separate stories in the book, all connected because of people in the story being on the bridge. While there were some writing techniques that distracted me a bit, I kept reading because I had to know what happened to these poor people. Having the three short stories in the book made it easy reading, easy to pick up from right where I’d last put it down.
She Makes It Look Easy
June 24, 2011
This week,
the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
David C. Cook (June 1, 2011)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marybeth Whalen is the wife of Curt and mom of six children. The family lives outside Charlotte, NC. Marybeth is a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries writing team and a regular contributor to their daily devotions. Her first novel,The Mailbox was released in June 2010. Her next novel, She Makes It Look Easy, will be released in June 2011. Additionally, she serves as director of She Reads, Proverbs 31 Ministries’ fiction division.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Ariel Baxter has just moved into the neighborhood of her dreams. The chaos of domestic life and the loneliness of motherhood, however, moved with her. Then she meets her neighbor, Justine Miller. Justine ushers Ariel into a world of clutter-free houses, fresh-baked bread, homemade crafts, neighborhood play dates, and organization techniques designed to make marriage better and parenting manageable.
Soon Ariel realizes there is hope for peace, friendship, and clean kitchen counters. But when rumors start to circulate about Justine’s real home life, Ariel must choose whether to believe the best about the friend she admires or consider the possibility that “perfection” isn’t always what it seems to be.
If you would like to read an excerpt of She Makes It Look Easy, go HERE.
Sally Says: She Makes It Look Easy is women’s fiction at its best. If this is characteristic of Whalen’s writing, then sign me up! I’m a fan.
What woman hasn’t looked at another who seemed to have everything together and wondered how she did it, who tried to copy her? This book addresses that, giving us a peek into that perfect world and reminding us that things aren’t always what they appear.
She Makes It Look Easy is a fast-paced enjoyable read, perfect for summer. I’m going back to get Whalen’s first book and eagerly watching for her next one.
Going Back in Time to Pompeii
June 17, 2011
The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
B&H Books (June 1, 2011) by T.L. Higley
Sally Says: T.L. Higley does ancient historical fiction well, and she doesn’t disappoint in her latest book Pompeii: City on Fire.
There are a number of unique elements in Pompeii — a female gladiator, a Roman politician with a moral heart, and a deeper look into life in Roman times. The characters were fun people to spend time with, easy to root for, and throughout the plot, I kept waiting for Vesuvius to erupt which lent a great ticking clock element to the story.
One thing Higley did very well was capture the dark, twisted morality of the times without being graphic. I knew the main character had fled horrible circumstances, but I never knew the details. When they did come out, it was very subtle without making the reader live through it but just enough where I found myself angry with the villain and feeling terrible for the character.
I hope you’ll pick up Pompeii and enjoy it as much as I did. Whether you like contemporary or historical fiction, I think you’ll find Pompeii a great way to spend a few relaxing hours.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A fiction aficionado since grade school, T.L. Higley, author of Pompeii: City on Fire (B&H Publishing House, June 2011) started her first novel at the age of eight.
Now the author of nine historical fiction novels, including the popular Seven Wonders series, Higley isn’t just transporting readers: She’s transporting herself, too.
“My Iifelong interest in history and mythology has taken me to Italy, Greece, Egypt, Rome, Turkey, Jordan and Israel, where I’ve gotten to study those ancient cultures in rich detail,” says Higley. “It’s my desire to shine the light of the gospel into the cultures of the past, and I figure what better way to do that than to visit the cultures themselves?”
In addition to her accomplished novelist career, Higley is a business entrepreneur and a mother. In fact, for Pompeii, she brought her daughter along with her to Italy for the research trip.
“We gave it to her as a graduation present, not only because Italy is terrific, but because I believe in exposing children to global cultures,” says Higley, who became a student herself again this year. She’s now a graduate student at American Public University, earning her master’s degree in Ancient and Classical Studies.
When Higley isn’t traveling on research trips, writing her novels, or studying for class, she operates four online retail companies, including KoolStuff4Kids.com – a family-run business that began as a way for her oldest daughter to make some extra money for camp. Today, it is a go-to site for parents, children and teachers all over the country, looking for beads and other kid-friendly craft supplies.
Higley lives with her husband and her three other children (aforementioned daughter now in college) just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Pompeii, a city that’s many things to many people. For Cato, it’s the perfect escape from a failed political career in Rome. A place to start again, become a winemaker. But when a corrupt politician wrongfully jails Cato’s sister, he must oust the man from power to save her.
For Ariella, Pompeii is a means to an end. As a young Jew, she escaped the fall of Jerusalem only to endure slavery to a cruel Roman general. She ends up in Pompeii, disguised as a young man and sold into a gladiator troupe. Her anger fuels her to fight well, hoping to win the arena crowds and reveal her gender at the perfect time. Perhaps then she will win true freedom.
But evil creeps through the streets of Pompeii. Political corruption, religious persecution, and family peril threaten to destroy Ariella and Cato, who are thrown together in the battle to survive. As Vesuvius churns with deadly intent, the two must bridge their differences to save the lives of those they love, before the fiery ash buries Pompeii, leaving the city lost to the world.
Watch the book trailer:
If you would like to read the Prologue of Pompeii, go HERE.
The Sweetest Thing . . . A Must-Read Book
June 14, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Bethany House (June 1, 2011) by Elizabeth Musser
Sally Says: The Sweetest Thing is the best book I’ve read in the past two years. Easily.
The book is set in Atlanta in the midst of the Great Depression, set in the wealthy neighborhoods that still live like the Depression never happened. The main characters, Perri and Dobbs, are teenagers, yet I found them easy to relate to and root for. My favorite character was Dobbs. I grew up in a similar way as she did, just not quite so bad. And so I totally related to her idealistic views of serving God and the struggle she had when faced with all her family was giving up.
Whatever type of Christian fiction you enjoy, I’m sure you’ll love The Sweetest Thing. The writing sets the stage so beautifully, and nothing in the story is wasted. Technically the book is character-driven, but at the halfway point I felt like the book should be almost done because so much had happened. So the plot is very strong as well.
As a writer, this is a book I’ll be rereading and studying. It’s a beautiful work of art that was a pleasure to read. I look forward to Elizabeth’s next book and hope she returns to historical Georgia which worked so well in her first book The Swan House and here again in The Sweetest Thing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Elizabeth Musser, an Atlanta native, studied English and French literature at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. While at Vanderbilt, I had the opportunity to spend a semester in Aix-en-Provence,
France. During her Senior year at Vanderbilt, she attended a five-day missions conference for students and discovered an amazing thing: God had missionaries in France, and she felt God calling her there. After graduation, she spent eight months training for the mission field in Chicago, Illinois and then two years serving in a tiny Protestant church in Eastern France where she met her future husband.
Elizabeth lives in southern France with her husband and their two sons. She find her work as a mother, wife, author and missionary filled with challenges and chances to see God’s hand at work daily in her life. Inspiration for her novels come both from her experiences growing up in Atlanta as well as through the people she meets in her work in France. Many conversations within her novels are inspired from real-life conversations with skeptics and seekers alike.
Her acclaimed novel, The Swan House, was a Book Sense bestseller list in the Southeast and was selected as one of the top Christian books for 2001 by Amazon’s editors. Searching for Eternity is her sixth novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Compelling Southern Novel Explores Atlanta Society in the 1930s.
The Singleton family’s fortunes seem unaffected by the Great Depression, and Perri—along with the other girls at Atlanta’s elite Washington Seminary—lives a life of tea dances with college boys and matinees at the cinema. When tragedy strikes, Perri is confronted with a world far different from the one she has always known.
At the insistence of her parents, Mary ‘Dobbs’ Dillard, the daughter of an itinerant preacher, is sent from inner-city Chicago to live with her aunt and attend Washington Seminary. Dobbs, passionate, fiercely individualistic and deeply religious, enters Washington Seminary as a bull in a china shop and shocks the girls with her frank talk about poverty and her stories of revival on the road. Her arrival intersects at the point of Perri’s ultimate crisis, and the tragedy forges an unlikely friendship.
The Sweetest Thing tells the story of two remarkable young women—opposites in every way—fighting for the same goal: surviving tumultuous change. Just as the Great Depression collides disastrously with Perri’s well-ordered life, friendship blossoms–a friendship that will be tested by jealousy, betrayal, and family secrets…
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Sweetest Thing, go HERE.
Cut Here
Over the Edge
May 26, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Over the Edge B&H Books (May 1, 2011) by Brandilyn Collins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline “Don’t forget to b r e a t h e…”® Brandilyn’s first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). She is now working on her 20th book.
In addition, Brandilyn’s other latest release is Final Touch, third in The Rayne Tour series—young adult suspense co-written with her daughter, Amberly. The Rayne Tour series features Shaley O’Connor, daughter of a rock star, who just may have it all—until murder crashes her world.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Torn from the front lines of medical debate and the author’s own experience with Lyme Disease, Over the Edge is riveting fiction, full of twists and turns—and powerful truths about today’s medical field.
Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University’s Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn’t exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment.
One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next.
But Janessa’s marriage is already rocky. She’s so sick she can hardly move or think. And her husband denies she has Lyme at all.
Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.
“A taut, heartbreaking thriller. Collins is a fine writer who knows how to both horrify readers and keep them turning pages.”
–Publishers Weekly“Tense and dramatic. Holds its tension while following the protagonist in a withering battle.” –NY Journal of Books
“A frightening and all-too-real scenario. Very timely and meaningful book.” –RT Reviews
“If you know someone who suffers from Lyme, you need to read this compelling novel.” –Lydia Niederwerfer, founder of Lyme-Aware
If you would like to read the Prologue of Over the Edge, go HERE
Sally Says: Brandilyn Collins’ books really should come with a warning–WARNING: Do not start reading before five pm or you will be up until two in the morning.
Sheesh.
Each time I read one of Brandilyn’s books I think that she’s written a better one than her last. And I thought the same thing after I finished Over the Edge. Seriously. This is her best book ever. Better than Deceit. Better than Exposure.
As a rule I don’t do medical stories, mostly because I’m a wimp when it comes to anything medical. But I let that rule slide because, well, it’s Brandilyn. And I’m so glad I did! Over the Edge was a thriller that kept me turning page after page after page, even though I knew how late it was and even though I was having a hard time staying awake.
If the book sounds remotely interesting to you, go buy it! If it sounds absolutely boring to you, go buy it anyway because I’m pretty sure you’ll change your mind.
And I can’t wait, Brandilyn, to see what you do next!
An Unlikely Suitor
May 11, 2011
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Bethany House (May 1, 2011) by Nancy Moser
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of over twenty inspirational novels. Her genres include contemporary stories including John 3:16 and Time Lottery a Christy Award winner, and historical novels of real women-of-history including Just Jane (Jane Austen) and Washington’s Lady (Martha Washington). Her newest historical novels are Masquerade and An Unlikely Suitor. Nancy and her husband Mark live in the
Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She gives Sister Circle Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. Find out more at www.nancymoser.com and www.sistercircles.com and her historical blog: http://footnotesfromhistory.blogspot.com/
ABOUT THE BOOK
New York dressmaker Lucy Scarpelli befriends socialite Rowena Langdon as she’s designing her 1895 summer wardrobe. Grateful for Lucy’s skill in creating fashions that hide her physical injury, Rowena invites Lucy to the family mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, encouraging the unusual friendship.
One day Lucy encounters an intriguing man on the Cliff Walk, and love begins to blossom. Yet Lucy resists, for what Newport man would want to marry an Italian dressmaker working to support her family?
Rowena faces an arranged marriage to a wealthy heir she doesn’t love, but dare a crippled girl hope for anything better?
And Lucy’s teenage sister, Sofia, falls for a man well above her social class–but is he willing to give up everything to marry a woman below his station?
As the lives of three young woman–and their unlikely suitors–become entangled in a web of secrets and sacrifice, will the season end with any of them finding true happiness?
If you would like to read the first chapter of An Unlikely Suitor, go HERE.
Sally Says: For reasons I’ve decided not to spend too much time thinking through, life in New York’s Guilded Age has captured my attention. I don’t know if it’s the wealth, the history — oh, wait. I wasn’t going there.
Nancy Moser’s latest book takes us to immigrant life in New York — to the notorious Five Points tenements (which would now be Soho!) and the uber wealthy Newport vacation area where the cottages are several thousand square feet in size.
Lately there have been a few novels set in this era with seamstress heroines , and the main character, Lucy, is as well. But like I said, something about the setting and the era makes these books so fun. It’s always eye opening to see how really hard it was to make it in America as an immigrant — and how segregated America was to the point of having severe consequences if you didn’t marry as you were “supposed to.”
I think that’s the thing that’s capturing my attention more and more. Most of us have a varied ethnic background — I’m English, French, Dutch, Scottish, Irish, German, and American Indian. And my kids are part Polish. We take pride in that, but a hundred years ago that wasn’t the case.
And maybe that’s what appeals so much in these books — the beginnings of that strong American spirit, the bravery in stepping outside what’s always been done, characters we admire and root for, knowing we may have some of that in our own family tree. And the details of how the wealthy used to live are fun to read about too.
So without further thinking it through 
, go get your hands on a copy of An Unlikely Suitor. I know you won’t be disappointed.
An Eye for Glory
April 22, 2011
This week,
the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
Zondervan (February 28, 2011) by Karl Bacon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A word from the author:
I grew up in the small picturesque town of Woodbury, Connecticut. After graduating from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, I returned to Connecticut and found employment in manufacturing. “Just a job” turned into a professional career, much of which was spent working for a Swiss machine tool company. In 2000 I started my own business to provide services to manufacturing clients across the USA. This change also allowed time to develop my writing craft.
From youth I’ve been a serious student of the Civil War. The draft of An Eye for Glory took ten years from conception to completion. Thousands of hours were spent researching every detail through copious reading, Internet research and personal visits to each battlefield so the novel might be as historically accurate and believable as possible. I live in Naugatuck, Connecticut with my wife of thirty-three years, Jackie.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Michael Palmer is a good man, a family man. But honor and duty push him to leave his comfortable life and answer the call from Abraham Lincoln to fight for his country. This ‘citizen soldier’ learns quickly that war is more than the battle on the field. Long marches under extreme conditions, illness, and disillusionment challenge at every turn. Faith seems lost in a blur of smoke and blood…and death.
Michael’s only desire is to kill as many Confederate soldiers as he can so he can go home. He coldly counts off the rebels that fall to his bullets. Until he is brought up short by a dying man holding up his Bible. It’s in the heat of battle at Gettysburg and the solemn aftermath that Michael begins to understand the grave cost of the war upon his soul. Here the journey really begins as he searches for the man he was and the faith he once held so dearly. With the help of his beloved wife, Jesse Ann, he takes the final steps towards redemption and reconciliation.
Using first-hand accounts of the 14th Connecticut Infantry, Karl Bacon has crafted a detailed, genuine and compelling novel on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Intensely personal and accurate to the times, culture, and tragedy of the Civil War, An Eye for Glory may change you in ways you could have never imagined as well.
If you would like to read the first chapter of An Eye For Glory, go HERE.
Sally Says: I am really enjoying Karl Bacon’s Civil War novel An Eye for Glory. This is one of those unique books that feels like fiction and non-fiction and that stirs patriotrism and dread all at the same time.
While the book isn’t a page turner and is somewhat easy to put down, it’s also very easy to pick back up. Michael Palmer’s story feels authentic, like I’m really reading the journal of a soldier and yet it isn’t dry. The wars are presented bluntly, as they happened, without being gory, and the history is fascinating. The dread comes from when Michael just happens to mention a town they’re marching to and I know the carnage that’s ahead.
Since the tale is form the viewpoint of a Union soldier, we see his love for his country, the country we enjoy today, and his thoughts at times are very moving. Here’s my favorite after they’ve just retaken a city from the Confederates:
“Indeed the only display of any kind was a lone Union flag hanging slack in the still morning air . . . The flag was tattered and torn and very dirty. The red, white, and blue of her stars and stripes were stained with several mottled shades of brown and gray. Surely this flag had waved proudly in the breeze when the Confederate army entered the town, and surely she had been thrown angrily down and dragged through the mud. Perhaps she had even been kicked and beaten or run through with saber or bayonet. And yet she flew once more, wounded and soiled to be sure, but unbroken and unbowed, just like the army that defended her. I stared and stared at the simply beauty of that flag . . . “
Usually fiction only appeals to fiction readers, but this book is very unique in that it will hold appeal for history fans, for those who like to read non-fiction about the Civil War, and for fiction readers as well. It would even be a great read for someone studying the Civil War to get that deeper, personal take on the various Union generals, the horrible living conditions, and the hardness that comes with war.
The Civil War has always been fascinating to me, and I was happy to hear that there was a new Christian fiction novel dealing with it. The Civil War hasn’t been done much in that arena for years, but with the 150th anniversary this month, I guess they decided to let a new one out. And I’m very glad that it was this one, a book not enraptured with the lifestyle of southern slave owners, but a book that captured the sacrifice so many gave for this nation so long ago.
The Alarmists
April 6, 2011
This week,
the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
Bethany House (April 1, 2011)
by Don Hoesel
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Don Hoesel is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. The Alarmists is his third novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The 2012 phenomenon that’s going viral around the globe has led sociology professor Jameson Richards to study the impact on society when, like the Y2K scare, 12/21/12 comes and goes with hardly a wrinkle.
This is the date that, according to the Mayan calendar, the doomsayers predict the world will end. Richards teams up with General Michaels, a scientist stationed at the Pentagon whose job it is to monitor the world’s fanatics, keeping an eye out for potential terrorists. Together they uncover something sinister going on beneath the surface, linked to billionaire and media mogul Jeremy Maxwell, who also happens to be a huge manufacturer of weapons systems.
The 2012 date has captured Maxwell’s attention too, and he’s looking to cash in on the public’s fear and paranoia. And what he instigates–along with his corrupt partners–nearly starts another war in the Middle East, while also bringing the world to its knees economically. It’s up to the professor/general team to blow the whistle on Maxwell, hopefully in time to avert a major catastrophe.
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Alarmists, go HERE
Sally Says: While I haven’t been able to finish the entire book yet, I know it won’t take me too much longer to do that. Hoesel’s books are a nice mix of action and suspense with well-written characters to root for and a puzzle that keeps me turning pages. The Alarmists is a great read for male readers and women who enjoy international suspense and drama.