Into the Fire

The only One to provide true Victory. Jesus Christ. Thank you is never enough. 

The stark reality of "Good Friday" is only "good" because on that critical day many, many years ago, as prophesied, the Savior of the world gave His life to set us free from the bondage of sin in order to make peace between our Creator God and us, His wayward, sin-stained creation. 

As if it wasn't horror enough that Jesus was beaten beyond recognition prior to being strung up and literally nailed with spikes into his hands and feet to the wooden cross along with two other career criminals, He was tasked with taking upon Himself the sins of us all. I shudder every time I consider my own sins placed upon his sinless body. Mine alone would've killed him. It gives me great sorrow. Added to my own are the sins of the entire population past, present, and future – even though as Solomon said: There's nothing new under the sun. In fact, when Adam and Eve gave into the temptation to sin, every sin known to man entered this fallen world. Think of that terrifying declaration. Then imagine the holy sinless Jesus Christ taking them all upon His damaged physical form and enduring those moments of dire pain before declaring "It is finished." Committing His Spirit to His Father, He experienced physical death because "the wages of sin is death". Seriously, there is nothing "good" about Jesus taking our place of punishment and suffering the consequences of our sins.   

However, "because of the joy set before Him" which was our rescue, salvation, redemption, He went to His physical death in our place. That arranged the opportunity for creation to decide to embrace His sacrifice for us and give our lives back to Him for His service and for our heavenly eternity when death on earth comes our way after our ordained days for our lives. And then, because He is a God who desires our allegiance but will not force it upon us – unlike mankind tries to do – He allows us the freedom to choose Him or hell, the place of eternal torment. One would think that would be an easy choice to make, but, as we know, there are many who do not believe a word of what I've presented here. And, again, that's their choice. One they will ultimately regret. 

So. It's "good" Friday for us, a brutal and horrific death for our Savior because of our sins but followed by the astounding resurrection which led to our redemption. 

Jesus answered, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  John 14:6 (NIV)      

Went for three days to the ocean (Ocean Shores, Wa.). My husband needed it, and we had a relaxing time of zero pressure to do anything. Of course we ate too much, walked on the beach, collected a few rocks for my collection of ocean finds, played double solitaire, slept in, and enjoyed the beauty of God's steady waves as he designed them. Drove home the long way and topped it off with local teriyaki to go. So there you have it. Fun. 

Father, thank you for those times of letting down and enjoying your creation and its beauty. We're grateful for every minute. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Liar Like Her by D.L. Wood is Book 2 in the Secrets and Lies Suspense Series. 

Quinn Bello lied to her parents when she was 12. The result was a near tragedy. Escaping the brand of being a liar – or trying to – she left her Seaglass Cove, Florida, memories behind by becoming a lawyer in Tampa. But things got tough after some success, work became exceedingly demanding, stress escalated, medication was advised, and at first it worked, but then it didn't. A different medication was prescribed and Quinn's life dove into a haze of medication, alcohol, extreme paranoia which seemed to increase her migraines, and irregular heartbeats. Her life with her fiancé worsened and dissolved, a horrifying incident in court forced her disbarment. 

She returned to Seaglass Cove, became the manager of her parents' realty while they enjoyed a cruise, living in one of the five oceanfront dwellings they rented to tourists. Prior to her new job, she attended an offshoot from her church, the rehab/ministry facility next door and made the best friend of her life with the woman (Lena) who operated it. In town she still felt conspicuous as if everyone knew her childhood and recent past so she mostly volunteered at the ministry facility, ate regularly at a food truck that served Mexican food, and frequently stopped at "The Shed", the coffee, etc., stand that also served delicious meals. Owned by an attractive man (Ian Wolfe) who'd been in Seaglass Cove for only six months, he seemed not to have heard about her past and treated her with interest and attention. 

Having been clean and sober with no desire for any of her previous indulgences, she loves the beach living and wishes she could truly put her past behind her. But when she discovers a shocking reality in her home only to find when one of her previous "friends" who is the sheriff responds to the 911 call, there is no evidence of what she found in her home when they go to investigate. 

From that point, Quinn is assumed to have relapsed. Everyone seems to know what happened in Tampa, law enforcement treats her as if she's still in the same state of mind and refuses to take her claims seriously. Two more crimes are attributed to her, neither of which she has any knowledge of while incriminating, although questionable, evidence against her shows up. 

Her only friends are Ian and Lena and before she knows it, she's poured out her past and present to Ian. He surprises her by totally believing her story and wants to help her any way he can. Little does she know how much she's going to need his help.

D.L. Wood has written a very good "gaslighting" story which supplies ample suspense, a reasonable romance that doesn't overpower the mystery, and well-developed, interesting characters with some great dialogue. The two novels so far in the Secrets and Lies Suspense Series are definitely entertaining and solidly composed mysteries. 

Father, please continue to bless D.L. for her efforts to create good mysteries while honoring you with her writing. Keep her supplied with stories and please meet her needs. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Our Savior, the Light of the world, Redeemer, Giver of Life, the Lamb of God sacrificed to save you and me. Thank you, Jesus. It's never enough. We're all desperate for you. Always. 

Chasing the Pain by Matthew Iden is Book 8 of 8 so far in A Marty Singer Mystery Series.  

Marty Singer is famous for doing things to help people he wishes he'd say no to doing. He can't help himself. Give him enough of a mystery, the threat of harm to a friend – or in this case a crusty associate – and he can't resist going all in to find out what's happened or what's going on. 

When the ex-wife (Elizabeth) of the former US Marshal Karl Schovasa (he met when trying to make a gangster's nephew escape and disappear) contacts Marty with a note she found in Schovasa's condo, after arguing with himself not to get involved, he succumbs to his usual curiosity and, after processing information about a particular local rehab clinic that whisks clients/patients off to a Florida rehab center assuring them that their insurance will pay for everything, Amanda helps him get set-up with a flight and a room in Palm Beach. 

Marty faces major shock upon his arrival at the B&B Amanda reserved, but after the proprietor holsters the gun he has pointed at Marty's stomach, everything turns out fairly okay. 

Schovasa is missing after following a drug-addicted girl (Meredith, aka Merrie) to the Florida rehab center. The girl happens to look like his daughter who OD'd several years before. Whether or not motivated by guilt or just trying to save a life, Marty determines Schovasa isn't at the clinic.

Turns out Marty's lodging's proprietor who is as colorful as a character can possibly be is a former cop who recreated himself after an incident with a niece's boyfriend. He knows all about addiction after his experiences with his niece. 

In the crazy course of events and information gathering, which involves finding Merrie but not Schovasa, the two former cops find a warehouse where horrors greet them along with one of the masterminds running the scam of these clinics and treatment centers who makes them an offer they can't refuse. If there was any other option, they would've have taken it. 

It's a convoluted mystery where dead-ends and some law-breaking occurs but only with the best of intentions – at least that's what Marty must tell himself. It's a sad commentary on addictions but not unfamiliar to those who've seen what it can do to people. 

By the end of it all, Marty just wants to go home, but he's in no way satisfied with how it concluded. Will that dissatisfaction lead to a recurring possibility in another book? Since Chasing the Pain is the last so far in the series, I hope we'll see justice finally served in a future story.

A very entertaining mystery series, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy complex mysteries and/or police procedurals. You get one and/or both in Matthew Iden's A Marty Singer Mystery Series. 

Profanity present. 

Father, please continue to bless Matthew's writing and story-telling. And may he know from whom his talent comes. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
          

" . . . Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

John 17:3 (NIV)

The Bitter Fields by Matthew Iden is Book 7 in A Marty Singer Mystery Series.

Marty and Julie travel to Virginia from DC to help Julie's friend Ruth at her Blue Moon ranch located in the midst of a "hero-driven" town known as Burwell. Apparently this so-called hero owned most of the farms and wineries in the area a long time ago and those who trace their lineage back to him have their own cemetery which borders part of Ruth's land. However, this Burwell fathered an abundance of kids who didn't happen to be all the same "color" which makes for some disputes about burial inclusions and the expansion of the cemetery to accommodate present-day "relatives" – some of whom fail to acknowledge their "different" half-families. 

Long story short in that arena: Ruth's had some vandalism involving the horse part of her ranch and needs help finding out exactly how it happened and who engineered the ugly deed. In the course of investigating motives and opportunities, Ruth's foreman Nano learns one of his Argentine "boys" Freddie has been murdered at another farm where Freddie's been keeping company with its wealthy married owner. 

Singer is exasperated by all the pomp and circumstance of polo matches, snobbery, winery etiquette, and now murder, while just trying to find out who committed the dastardly deed at Ruth's place. With the murder added on, the wealthy mistress insists her husband killed Freddie, and that unleashes a whole other proverbial can of worms especially when the Sheriff is devoted to the mistress and committed to condemning her husband. 

In a small way this is similar to a cozy mystery with all the eccentric characters that show up in the story. The intricate workings of this historic town make for all kinds of odd behind the scenes complexities that spin every angle Marty with Julie's assistance try to take. Two crimes lead to one more and finally after several insufferable people and efforts, Marty whittles it down to the truth. 

A real mystery here, but the reader can guess who did what when only if they can wade through the convoluted clues with Marty, and it's not a pretty journey. 

(I have one petty objection – and I always do when horses or equipment are incorrectly written. Reins are attached to a bridle of some kind. Horses do not wear a bridle with reins when they're being shod. They wear a halter and the holder uses a shank attached to the halter. If they're being led out to pasture or walked around a barn, same equipment – not a bridle with reins.) 

Profanity present. 

Lord, once again, only you know hearts. Every good and perfect gift comes down from you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

  See ya next year (although some of your locations are still "celebrating" winter). 

Father, you're amazing beyond words, somehow creating beauty from every season no matter how challenging for us humans. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Once Was Lost is Book 6 by Matthew Iden in A Marty Singer Mystery Series. 

Marty Singer encounters a unique circumstance when his girlfriend (Julie) and "adopted" daughter (Amanda) co-opt him to help a guy (Tommy) who's running from his gangster uncle (Patrick) and his goons since hoping to get into WITSEC after testifying against his uncle. However, everything went completely wrong in those efforts, several marshals were murdered, and his wife was snatched outside the federal building. He takes off running with his young son and for the moment is safe and helping out as a handyman at FirstStep women's shelter where Amanda works and occasionally Julie does pro bono work for them. 

The problem lies in the fact that Tommy is a jerk, and Marty has to force himself to tolerate him longer than the first few minutes of meeting him. The long term plan is to help him disappear and Chuck Rhee is able to hook them up with a friend of his who has mastered skip-tracing as well as helping those who need to never be found. It's far more convoluted than Marty would like and there's a real rush on the itinerary which makes doing it seem impossible and very expensive. Tommy is all but broke, and Marty isn't fond of dipping into his retirement fund – maybe especially for Tommy, but his kid is a sweetheart and is handling the mess he and his dad are living. 

There were some difficult moments in this story but there were also some laugh out loud descriptions of other moments and thoughts. Singer is a sarcastic, cynical, sometimes teddy-bear of a man, but he's quick-witted and often hilarious with his snide comments out loud and to himself. Self-deprecating but privately bombastic, he's a good guy who's becoming more and more aware of his limitations. 

The two critical twists that Marty misses aggravate him and make him question why and how he missed them. 

Matthew Iden's Marty Singer is well-written and therefore well-defined, but like most of us, he's still surprising himself every now and then. Definitely imperfect but overall respectable, he does his absolute best when he engages in helping someone – even when he'd rather not. 

Enjoyable series with a strong protagonist and good peripheral enhancements. 

Profanity present. 

Father, please continue to bless Matthew's prolific career, family, and life. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.