Into the Fire

This one touched quite a few. If you've read it, tell me what you thought. 

Father, thank you for each one. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

I'm disappointed. Those of you who follow my reviews surely have noticed that the majority of novels reviewed in the last year, maybe two or more, have been general market thrillers. Even five years ago, it would be unusual to find a general market (secular) novel on that list in the side column of reviews. Granted, Vince Flynn's books, once I discovered him, have appeared as quickly as I could read them. I've continued the Mitch Rapp saga with Kyle Mills after Vince's death. There are no finer novels of political espionage thrillers. 

What I'm saying is, as far as I know, there are no comparable thriller authors in Christian Fiction to those who I've reviewed here from the general market. If there were, if I knew of them, you can bet I'd be investing in their literature. I don't blame authors. I blame publishers.

At some point, established Christian publishing houses opted for what can only be termed "safe" fiction. In the romance realm, it seems their favorite qualifier now has turned to "clean and safe" which registers sharply with their very vocal cache of romance readers and reviewers who can be downright brutal in their one-star Amazon reviews. A large bunch of legalistic, self-righteous reviewers decide definitively who and what is "acceptable" Christian romance and fiction in general, but those seem to be the major purchasers of the genre. And why is that? That's who the Christian publishing houses have made their audience, catering to their narrow demands. 

Here's the surprising deal about that little factor: the secular realm does not produce better writers than those in the Christian fiction stable. Christian Fiction as a genre has plenty of excellent authors (writers), high quality, good storytellers, but the only way for a large number of them to get published is to do it independently because the restrictive nature of the Christian publishing houses – due to the reading audience they've developed and exploited – has contributed to the inferior grade of both thrillers and romance novels. And by "inferior" I simply mean less than realistic when it comes to the frank reality of what can happen in either thrillers or romance novels. 

So. There you have my little spiel about some areas of Christian fiction and why it disappoints me that more of my favorite genres to read aren't well represented in the current Christian publishing houses. 

And, quite honestly, one of the reasons why I write love stories, heavy on the real romance.  

Raw  Romantic  Redemptive 

Amazon.com : Nicole Petrino-Salter 

Father, you are the source of everything that is good. You give all the talents and gifts. If anything is worthwhile, it comes from you. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The classic "Layla" on the pseudonym album Derek and the Dominoes. Those in the know realized it was Eric Clapton's group with his famous rendition of his hit song. Great old song. 

Father, you've brought Eric through all kinds of junk, that stuff many went through in this era of amazing music. You rescued him like you want to do with so many, many more. Thank you for rescuing me. And please keep reaching out, Holy Spirit, bringing lost souls to Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

True Believer is Book 2 in this series by Jack Carr. 

James Reece left his country after spending many years as a SEAL Team operative when he watched as most of his team were blown up and his pregnant wife and young daughter were assassinated by a small political group engineering and overseeing the distribution of an experimental drug to supposedly reduce the possibility of and the intensity of PTSD for military combatants. In other words, this drug was designed to further enhance soldiers to keep them serviceable. However, there was a serious problem with the trial they distributed without the recipients' knowledge. And evidence of that problem had to be eliminated in order to keep the big financial investments turning a profit. When James Reece learned of this secret political program and those responsible for the devastation of his SEAL team and his beloved family, he went on a vengeance-filled killing spree to eliminate every single one of the people involved. After all, he figured he was a dead man too from what he learned about the drug and how it was administered to him and his team. That was his Terminal List.

After escaping to sail the Atlantic Ocean for close to three months, James decides to find a friend's uncle in Mozambique. He is welcomed, fed, clothed, and, after settling in, helps the sanctioned hunting business capitalize on his talents to reduce the terrible consequences of ruthless poachers. When one of the crew is shot by a poacher, James risks everything to expose himself by rushing his friend to the hospital. That saved his friend's life but also exposed where James had turned up. 

Found by a former Team member who now works for the CIA, James is offered a deal he can't refuse and is transported to a compound in Morrocco to train in order to return to an operative level. And so begins his re-engagement with the military, with his country, with taking down the very bad guys staging horrible acts of terror. 

There is a Russian George Soros-type orchestrating and masterminding the manipulation of perceptions of these acts of terror and a traitor passing him the information he needs to do it. There are innumerable pieces to the convoluted puzzle which do make for a fairly slow entry into the heart of this story. Of course within this turmoil, there are multiple politicians involved in the receiving of funds and providing of favors for the Russian. 

Jack Carr has been there, done that, and the redactions that are blacked out in his novels are the real deal. Authenticity is everywhere from the weaponry to the explanations of ops. Once this story starts rolling, it takes off with a rush. He gives his protagonist James Reece all the emotional strain to decide to once again do what needs to be done and trust that the CIA handler really does have his back and will honor their deal. There is success and tragedy and more decisions to be made at the end of this leg of the series, but James needs a little time to do the hard thinking before agreeing to continue down this road. 

True Believer shows the enemy in all of his various forms and ideologies making note of how ideas cannot be killed. If you love military thrillers with a reality seen and deftly described in situations and characters, Jack Carr's novels should definitely be on your reading list. 

The Glossary at the end is very helpful.

Some profanity. 

Father, please continue to use Jack's real-life experience to convey important subjects through his fictional writing. Bless him in every area of information/research gathering and keep him safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.   

     The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."

     He [Jesus] replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 

Luke 10:17-20 (NIV) 

Rogue is Book One in An American Ghost Thriller Series by J.B. Turner. 

Rogue might be the most unusual novel I've ever read. It's dark, the anti-hero is a psychopath, not because he was meant to be "that" way but because he was re-created to be exactly that. Successfully. If you're unfamiliar with Project MK-Ultra (not the 90's band), the story might just seem like a vicious take on "natural" assassins who follow orders without a conscience and actually get a thrill from murdering people. 

However, Turner uses a subtle approach to gain a bit of sympathy for his character (Nathan Stone) by giving the reader periodic history of his childhood with his older sister. It isn't pretty. And those who recruited Stone for the wet work went to the "ultra" extreme when he was in a boating accident and "died". Not only did they revive him, "they" remade him physically, emotionally, and tactically to make him a killing machine they could dispatch to wherever they wanted for whomever they wanted dead. 

There's no easier way to describe the "they" in this story than to equate it with "the cabal". A secret group who wants to control the world's political scene, conduct, and actions and will not tolerate those who don't play along with their money, their power, their demands, their domination. They have people in their tight circle who have compiled a list of those who need to be "neutralized" because of opposing actions, belief systems, compliance issues. The decisions for what follows must be unanimous, and they've got one of their best handlers directing Nathan Stone. 

But when the list is leaked from a secret CIA file, and their intentions become exposed, there is panic when "things" go haywire. And when Nathan Stone discovers their intentions for him, everything and everyone is threatened.  

Rogue is so contemporary, more so than probably most people care to admit. Some of the reviews were killer in a totally negative way. One-stars asking why an author would even attempt to justify an anti-hero like this one, a complete psychopath, vowing never to read another one in the series or even to read another J. B. Turner novel! Others criticized the weaponry used saying the depictions were impossible.  

Unlike some reviewers, I wanted to like Nathan Stone, but the cabal in this story did in fact make him into a unique and unappealing psychopath with one soft spot: his sister. Again, it's hard to deny the MK-Ultra factor in this story which basically boils down to man's inhumanity to man and wanting the ultimate control over others by a small "elitist" and evil group. 

Can I recommend this novel to you? I cannot. It's dark from start to almost the finish. But here's the thing, because of the world today: it's believable. 

Profanity present. 

Father, you've told us that one day you will have had enough and will put an end to all of this. In the meantime, you continue to reach out to your creation, longing for them to repent and turn to the sacrifice made on their behalf by your Son. You see hearts beneath all the actions. May your creation reach out to you in great numbers before you say it's over. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

My one mystery/police procedural. Love these statements in reviews of Race:

"I enjoyed this detective procedural about the workings of a murder case at the racetrack."

"If you're looking for a cookie-cutter suspense novel, this isn't it, and that makes it good! 

"I found myself unable to put it down as I struggled to determine 'whodunnit'!"

"This is a great “who-done-it” mystery. Twists and turns keep you wondering who the killer is!"

"I can always figure out a mystery about 1/2 or 3/4 way through the book. This one I can't it is so well written."

Thank you, Lord, for every inspiration/word/character. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Here's the thing: if I don't like the cover models, or if I picture them differently in the story from how they appear on the cover, the cover is a disappointment. Which is why I generally don't like full-on faces on book covers. When you write a love story, it's personal. You get inside the heads of your hero and heroine in order to make them seem/feel real to the reader. With that "reality" comes a visual, and if the visual, which of course won't be the same for every reader, defies the reader's idea of what the hero/heroine should look like, the cover subtracts from the overall experience. At least it does for me. And, frankly, this happens more often than not.

The simplicity of this is that each reader's personal tastes in beauty or handsomeness is unique. Sometimes there are those who have a universal appeal. Nearly everyone finds certain women beautiful, sexy, attractive, and certain men handsome, sexy, hunky, etcetera. But, unless an author is writing a story about one of those universal characters, a book cover about fairly ordinary or regular individuals means they can certainly be good looking, pretty, attractive, handsome, cute, and/or sexy, but their images still have to transmit, let's say, less glamour than a celebrated actor with universal appeal.

All of that to say this, authors and of course cover designers take a calculated risk by giving the reader full visuals of their selected models. But, unlike me, I doubt most readers are as sensitive about seeing and equating those cover models to the story they read about inside the book.   

What are your feelings about cover models and the stories within the books? 

Father, thank you for cover designers. You have given such wonderful talents to all kinds of artists. May each one know from where that incredible talent comes. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

One of my absolute favorite Christian rock musicians. Love him. Real talent. Real lyrics. Amazing sound. Timeless music. 

Father, thank you for Mylon LeFevre. He led a rocky life before he returned to you. He's a wonderful example of your gifts and talents and what can be done when they're dedicated to honor you. Thank you for those who do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

L. T. Ryan and Brian Shea bring Book 8 in the Rachel Hatch Series titled Whirlwind. 

In the aftermath of the loss of a beloved team member in Aftershock, Hatch is called to a private meeting with her boss, one her team member Cruise, who's healing from his injury in the Alaska fiasco, is surprised not to be invited too. Defining Cruise and Hatch's relationship is still, after all this time, non-committal. Her boss needs a personal favor and asks Hatch if she'd be willing to find a missing niece he just found out he has from his estranged brother in a small town in Tennessee. He wants Hatch to do her sleuthing but to engage and pass all information to the local law enforcement. She agrees to go and will be undercover as an online investigative reporter to find out why this young girl went missing from a strange cult in the small town. 

Meanwhile in another small town, a young man (Billy) walks into the local hardware store and empties a gun into the back of a 72-year-old customer and then remains motionless and speechless until he's taken into custody. Turns out he's autistic and only spoke one sound. That word gave Sheriff Savage what he needed to know as to a motive. 

Many years ago, Billy and his sister went for a walk in the forest, and when neither of them returned, he was found alone.

It's tornado season in Tennessee, and it just so happens that as Hatch's current and Savage's cold case intersect, they're brought into an unexpected emotional collision during the actual whirlwind, but Hatch can't deny her life story still needs to be ironed out before she can commit to Cruise or Savage.   

Between the strange cult with a typically suspicious cult leader and the murderous kid who can't talk, the story richochets back and forth between discoveries and locations, finally arriving at some justice before more killing takes place. 

What doesn't get justice or resolution is the longing between Hatch and Savage. 

(Some profanity.) 

Father, again and again, I thank you for the various talents you've given to writers. Only you give good and perfect gifts. May each one know who has given them their talents and respond accordingly. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.