Mystery Books - Page 13

Abomination

Colleen Coble

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Back to Rock Harbor! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Back to Rock Harbor and back to Bree, Kade, Davey, and Samson. I love this series! This story was not a disappointment. Colleen Coble writes an enticing story that keeps you from putting the book down. Oftentimes, I read a story and I've figured it out before the write reveals the truth, not this story. When the "villain" is revealed I'm totally shocked and sad as well.

The only problem I had with the story was all the "disasters" that hit Eve and how they are all so neatly resolved before the story ends. But, it doesn't change how much I enjoyed the story and how I would love to see another story in Rock Harbor.
[...]

Editorial Review:

A beautiful woman stands by the side of the road, barefoot and bleeding, a child in her arms. Someone just tried to kill her, but she wouldn't recognize him if she saw his face. She doesn't even remember her own name.

A suburban cop surveys a kitchen in disarray-a woman and child missing, a chilling note. This crime scene is unlike any he has ever seen.

The man who calls himself Gideon waits and plans. He sees himself as a destroyer of evil, one who rids the world of abominations. He has already killed five. He will kill again.

And somewhere in the wilderness, in a secret geocache near where the wild swans gather, lies the unspeakable clue that links them all together.

Michigan's rugged and beautiful Upper Peninsula is the setting for this absorbing tale of love and loss, beauty and terror, grievous sins and second chances. A deftly woven thriller from the popular author of the Rock Harbor novels.

Without a Trace (Rock Harbor Series #1)

Colleen Coble

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Without a Trace (Rock Harbor Series #1) 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 5 people found this review helpful.

exciting book..got all of them in this series..Great writer..waiting for more of her other series to come soon..

Just Right 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Colleen Coble has given us everything that it takes to make a good Christian Mystery. It has a good message, a brave, but conflicted heroine, and a great mystery. Caught me totally by surprise.

Editorial Review:

When a plane carrying Bree Nichols' husband and son disappears, her life changes forever. Her relentless determinaiton to find them starts an investigation that links their disappearance to a violent crime threatening to tear the peaceful town of Rock Harbor apart.

Mystery fans will love this romantic suspense novel from best-selling author Colleen Coble. Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw readers into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wilderness.

In the Dead of Winter: Ivy Towers Mystery Series #1

Nancy Mehl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Mehl weaves a cozy spell in this one... 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Reviewing a cozy mystery is a new experience for me, but I became an immediate fan of the genre. Nancy Mehl weaves her cozy spell so skillfully that I was enthralled from page one. Ivy Towers is an appealing heroine, Winter Break, Kansas the ideal location, and supporting characters lend depth to the delicious plot.

Ivy Towers holds fond childhood memories of Winter Break and her Great Aunt Bitty. Ivy's parents are missionaries to China. Bitty nurtured the girl in her parents' absence. Many happy, comfortable times were spent in Miss Bitty's Bygone Bookstore. Now Bitty has died, leaving everything she owns to Ivy, including the book store. Winter Break is a tiny Kansas town where winter comes early and leaves late. The book store never changes. Outside a wintry wind blows sleet and snow against the windows, but inside Bitty's store Ivy finds a familiar sanctuary: the scent of lemon oil and smell of old books, a warming fire crackling in the fireplace, the old grandfather clock, and a purring cat. Cozy. Safe. Comforting. Ivy knows Aunt Bitty considered death to be a "home-going" and not a loss, but the truth is immediately apparent and troubling. Bitty's death was not the accident it seemed at first, and someone helped Ivy's aunt get to heaven prematurely. The small town book store owner and doting aunt was an expert in rare books and had clients all around the world. Did someone kill Bitty to possess a rare book? Or is the cause of death more sinister than that?

Mehl scatters tantalizing hints and red herrings throughout the story for readers to unravel. Did one of the colorful locals murder Bitty? Maybe the kindly owner of the Food-a-Rama didn't love Bitty as much as he pretends. Did her hired assistant weary of his labors and do Bitty in out of spite? And why is Amos Parker, Ivy's childhood friend turned sheriff, so insistent that she leave town immediately? I can almost guarantee readers won't solve the mystery before Ivy does.

If you love mysteries -- cozy, Christian, or otherwise -- you won't want to miss even one of the Ivy Towers books.

Editorial Review:

Samantha "Ivy" Towers returns to Winter Break, Kansas, where she spent her summers as a child, to make funeral arrangements for her Aunt Bitty. While there, she begins to suspect her aunt's death, which resulted from a fall in her bookshop, wasn't an accident after all. Childhood friend Amos Parker, now sheriff of Winter Break, seems anxious to get Ivy out of town. A missing book, a message scrawled by an unknown person, and an extra coffee cup leave Ivy with more questions than answers.

Broken Angel: A Novel

Sigmund Brouwer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A dark quality, but inspiring 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A very good read. It has a generally dark overall quality, but I would guess it would be enjoyable to most Christian fiction readers. Good pacing, not too long, interesting characters. There are a number of subplots but they are not difficult to keep track of.

Editorial Review:

Her birth was shrouded in mystery and tragedy.
Her destiny is beyond comprehension.
Her pursuers long to see her broken.
She fights to soar.

In the rough, shadowy hills of Appalachia, a nation carved from the United States following years of government infighting, Caitlyn and her companions are the prey in a terrifying hunt. They must outwit the relentless bounty hunters, skirt an oppressive, ever-watchful society, and find passage over the walls of Appalachia to reveal the dark secrets behind Caitlyn’s existence–and understand her father’s betrayal.

In this engrossing, lightning-paced story with a post-apocalyptic edge, best-selling author Sigmund Brouwer weaves a heroic, harrowing journey through the path of a treacherous culture only one or two steps removed from our own.

Ulterior Motives (Sun Coast Chronicles Series #3)

Terri Blackstock

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Terri does it again! This is a great book! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This is a great book, as are all Terri's books! She keeps you guessing and in suspense. As always, she provides you with biblical answers to difficult situations. She doesn't skirt or sugarcoat the hard issues, but deals with them head on.

Ulterior Motives Review 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

In this third book of the series, Terri Blackstock introduces a new character to the mix. While still excellent, the characters don't have as much punch as in the previous two books. Her characters' struggles with coming to the Lord need to be better worked out. Still, this is a great read.

Another Great Blackstock Book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Terri Blackstock is not only one of the most unique writers today,incorporating her stong faith in her work; but is also among the very best in creating compelling plots and people about whom the reader cares. This talent is increasingly rare, even among the "best-selling" secular authors. --Ron Howe (a.k.a., Toby Martin II)

Editorial Review:

Book 3 in the Sun Coast Chronicles series. Sharon Robinson and her daughters find their love, courage, and values challenged as they are swept into a plot of art theft and murder.

A Penny for Your Thoughts (The Million Dollar Mysteries, Book 1)

Mindy Starns Clark

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Start to a Promising New Series 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.

Callie Webber is looking forward to a week's rest as soon as she drops off one last check for her boss Tom. But when Wendell Smythe says that it's only a loan to Feed the Need and not a gift, Callie finds herself with an hour's paperwork to do. Returning to his office with the proper forms all filled out, she finds Wendell dead. The police quickly rule it a murder and ask Callie to stay in town as a material witness. Then Tom asks Callie to investigate. And how can she turn her boss down?

Staying with the Smythes gives Callie easy access to her prime suspects. But beneath the surface of a seemingly happy family lurks some sinister secrets. Who is leaving threatening messages for Sidra? What drove Sidra and Derek apart? What was going on at the company? And does this have anything to do with the murder?

Meanwhile, Callie is finding her own emotions hard to deal with. Being around this much sadness and death is reminding her too much of the death of her own husband. Can God help her deal with her own renewed emotions and solve the case?

The titles of this series really intrigued me, so I decided to give the first a try. It was certainly worth it. Callie was a very human character and I found myself chocking up on more then one occasion with the hurt she was going through. She's also strong and fun to hang out with. While the story started a little slow, it gained speed quickly. The twists came so fast in the final 100 pages I stayed up much later then was wise to finish. I never saw the ending coming, either.

If the rest of the series is this good, I can't wait to read it. The author has won herself a new fan.

Editorial Review:

Callie’s latest assignment—go to Philadelphia and present an old family friend of Tom’s (her employer) with a check for $250,000. Wendell Smythe heads a relief organization and needs immediate funds. When Callie goes to his office, check in hand, she discovers him dead on the floor. At Tom’s request, Callie moves into Smythe’s home and begins a murder investigation. But it’s a dangerous place to be, for the family has secrets they would rather not have uncovered.

Callie’s only hope is that God will help her use her investigative skills to discover the murderer and escape the web of deceit that surrounds her.

This fast–paced, inspirational mystery series will delight readers with its hint of romance and strong heroine 

Into the Deep (Rock Harbor Series #3)

Colleen Coble

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Great Read 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I was up until midnight finishing this book. The setting is so vivid I thought I could walk outside my door and find myself in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the characters felt like real people. The main character's search for a murderer is complicated when her beloved dog Samson is snatched by a dog-fighting ring, and I agonized along with her every step of the way. I loved the scuba diving scenes, too! A great mystery suspense story. I can't wait for Coble's next, which her website says will be based in Hawaii. I've always wanted to visit Hawaii, and I know this talented author will take me there as surely as if I've been there in person.

Editorial Review:

A local scientist misses his son's birthday party and turns up dead in Lake Superior. A radical environmental group blames a mysterious lab for the dead fish found in a remote stream. Then an Alzheimer's patient goes missing and his home is ransacked.

Into the Deep is third in the acclaimed romantic suspense series from best-selling author Colleen Coble. Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, The Rock Harbor novels deftly pull readers into the life and operation of a canine search-and-rescue team as it helps unravel the screts of an enchanting wilderness.

A Skeleton in God's Closet

Paul L. Maier

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Very condescending 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I will give this book one plus. It made me ask myself the obvious question -- what would I do if science "disproved" my faith? A friend of mine pointed out that science stands in the way of faith everyday -- virgin birth, creation of the world, the miracles of the Bible.

The writing in this book was poor, very condescending, and very melodramatic. The author seemed to love showing off some bit of knowledge that the average person could never understand and then explaining it to us.

--Nodding in courtesy, he said "Shalom aleichem. Bo itti, bevakasha, ten li leharol lecha et hakevarim." Then in case his biblical Hebrew proved inadequate, he turned to the Hasicid scholar who had spoken English and said slowly, " Peace be with you...."

The book is full of this kind of writing. It is also condescending in its view of how the world would accept the premise of Christ's bones being found. If that were the case most people would assume it was a hoax, or realize we had interpreted the Bible wrong. This is not what happened in the book. In the book the world lives and breathes the plot of the book. Good news on the resurrection, the world rejoices! Bad news, the world trembles in fear...people even commit suicide! Is there no one rational in all the world? Even after multiple back and forths with the resurrection news, the author does it one more time in the last pages of the book...and the crowd overreacts on cue. Christians I guess are just dumb robots with shallow faiths.

The book presents itself as "a fast paced thriller". I did not get that. Lots and lots of talking. People have said this would make a great movie. Perhaps, but there was one seen of action, if you don't include the "climax" of the book where we have 15 pages of "Scooby-Doo" explanation. -- No exaggeration.

I am a born again Christian, but am frequently turned off by Christian fiction. The Bible is full of violence and sex. Why can't Christian writers at least show the world as it really is. Do I have to endure "for goshsakes!" ? Bad guys swear once in a while. and the vomit inducing love scenes! I don't want anything gratuitous, but any sane person who actually reads books sees "Christian fiction" on the first page, because the writing is so bad, people don't act the way they are potrayed in these books. Only Peretti comes close, as far as I've seen.

The book is very preachy, the author likes to share every bit of knowledge pertaining to the topic...including the half that was completely unnecessary.

Editorial Review:

From the author of Pontius Pilate comes a fascinating novel of archaeological adventure. The evidence seems incontestable: bones unearthed in an Israeli tomb are those of Jesus of Nazareth. But which is the hoax . . . the archaeological find or the Resurrection itself?.

Deadlock

James Scott Bell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

ENTERTAINING, ENLIGHTENING 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.

James Scott Bell tackles a fascinating dilemma: What if a Supreme Court Justice becomes a Christian right before appointment as chief justice? The one who holds tie-breaking power has changed her worldview. Bell handles the social debate with excellence and entertaining form. I meant to do a quick read, but had to peruse every word. The woman who had a knack for "beating God back with a stick," must scramble to open herself up to faith and the perplexity of answering why she's become the bait in a vicious public battle. Great enlightenment for anyone who'd like to understand the people behind the politics.

A Great Story 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Deadlock is a well crafted legal thriller that is hard to put down.

It centers around Supreme Court Justice Milly Hollander who has some major life happenings including a near death experience that makes her examine her relationship with God. That leads to a major transformation of her legal philosophy.

This happens about the same time that she is nominated to be the Chief Justice by a liberal president. Her new views cause major consternation for the president and members of Congress who share his philosophy. They make it their mission to destroy her.

Along the way, the author weaves in a subplot of a young woman who has a major legal battle with the abortion industry.

Overall, the story was excellent. It addresses issues of concern to all and will make the readers think. There are two things that I did not like. One is a plot twist that I would have liked to have seen done differently. Although the way it was written led to a major surprise, I think it took away from some excitement that could have occurred later on had it been done differently.

The other criticism was this: One of the characters, Jack Holden, had written a legal brief exploring the big questions of life, God, etc. during his own spiritual searching. Holden shares it with the Justice. Mr. Bell only provided enough of the brief to whet the reader's appetite. I would like to see him expand on that. He could actually write a complete future novel based around that.

In spite of that, this is a great book with superb character development. I highly recommend it.

Editorial Review:

A suspense novel that asks what if a liberal Supreme Court Justice, and the all-important swing vote, has a religious conversion that changes her whole life--and the way she views the law?

Shadow of Doubt (Newpointe 911 Series #2)

Terri Blackstock

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A wonderful Story 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The story begins in Celia and Stan Shepherd's house on Mill Street in a small city named Newpointe. The day had gone along just as every other day except for the fact that during the night Stan had a horrible stomach ache and was terribly dizzy.
The doctor's do lab work on Stan's blood and they see that he has been poisoned by arsenic. Celia is traumatized and becomes very quiet. When questioned it comes to the front that her previous husband was poisoned the same way and he died. However, she had been the one who had been tried and came very close to being convicted. Fortunately the charges were dropped when one of the lawyers went a little too far and started to sound biased.
Throughout this whole story Celia is trying to put her life back together and she is trying to keep her world from falling down. Her friends and even some of her closest family members turn their backs on her. It seems to her as if someone is trying to sabotage her and trying to make her look very much like the killer. The police officers are convinced that she is the murderer and so are many readers. Throughout the whole story different things are happening and it seems as if every minute something new is happening. As different people are introduced into the story it seems as if the suspects change so you never really know who did it.
The ending is extremely surprising and many other readers agree with me.

Editorial Review:

Book two in the Newpointe 911 series in which Celia Shepherd is arrested for the attempted murder of her husband, Stan.