Ahh, the rustic kitchen. You like? I do, but, granted, it needs a certain kind of home to go with it.
Lord, always something for everyone. I cannot imagine the beauty of heaven. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Ah, can't get enough of them . . . One more scheduled for 2016.
Lord, rescue. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Cold As Ice by M.K. Gilroy has been provided for review by the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance (CFBA).
M.K. (Mark) Gilroy has been in many facets of publishing for a long time. His successful debut novel Cuts Like A Knife introduces us to the heroine of his third novel in the series Cold As Ice. The middle book is Every Breath You Take.
Detective Kristen Conner is a piece of work. In progress. Oldest daughter of three, she's the successor to her cop father who was killed on the job. It hasn't been that long since he's been gone, but her work as a homicide detective in the Chicago PD keeps her willingly immersed in murder and mayhem and in a place where relationships play a distant second to ferreting out killers. Plucky, smart, vulnerable but tough, she's Jane Rizzoli of Rizzoli and Isles, Kate Beckett of Castle.
Kristen is visiting her sister Klarissa in New York, and it's her final day of vacation. Against her sister's better judgment, Kristen heads out for a final run in Central Park in sub-zero weather at 4 AM. Realizing she's made a considerable mistake since her extremities are freezing in spite of her winter gear, she comes upon the attempted murder of a man bleeding out in the snow. Doing all she can to save him while waiting for the ambulance she called, she realizes his life is probably over. All she is able to see as she discovers his body is a hulk of a figure running away.
She is detained while local law enforcement sorts out her story but finally returns to CPD only to learn that she must see the police "shrink" because of the events in a previous case. She's supposed to stay in her sister's condo after her return to Chicago, but Kristen has misconstrued her sister's actions and elects to stay with her mom instead. Then there's a murder. Then there's a killer after Kristen because of what happened in Central Park. And then the Russian "Red Mafyia" goes crazy back in New York which is related to the murder in Central Park and the killer who's after Kristen.
Cold As Ice is a busy novel with unrelated killings and investigations mixing CPD with the FBI to get a handle on the Russian mob uprisings and the dangers Kristen faces. Add the imprisoned serial killer Kristen put behind bars rising up in her life again, her partner thinking of quitting to pursue being an attorney because of family issues, her confusion about her relationships, and her visits to the therapist, and she's surrounded by trouble and personal chaos on all sides.
Gilroy uses internal dialogue for multiple characters besides telling most of the story from Kristen's point of view. Kristen is an interesting character who trains hard physically, has trouble accurately shooting her weapon, is insightful, does her best to follow her Christian faith and attributes the unusual "feelings" she gets interpreting crime scenes to the Lord. The faith factor works organically in the story residing in the background but surfacing in prominent moments naturally and believably.
I enjoyed Gilroy's voice and several of his characters plus, although the story was what I call "busy", it was interesting. The only thing I didn't like was the use of the names Barry Soto and Tony Scalia for two peripheral characters that showed up in different roles in Kristen's life. I can't determine the purpose of using those names. If designed to add a bit of humor, it had the opposite effect on this reader. In fact, my immediate reaction was annoyance. For me, it took the "reality" out of the story and indirectly proclaimed the entire manuscript as "tongue-in-cheek". I disengaged to figure out why the author would choose to use those particularly politically charged (and one not positively) names for useful, though minor characters. His prerogative of course but I found it to be a negative in the storytelling.
Cold As Ice brought both a positive and a threatening ending to a complex story, setting up the next in line in this series but putting a wrap on most of the complicated events in this particular book.
Father, please continue to supply the stories you have for Mark to tell. Bless him as he honors you with his writing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
Galatians 4:13 (NIV)
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There are those moments or pieces or concepts or characters that just don't work in a story. Generally speaking, those things we identify as a problem for us might not even cause a brief ripple in another's reading time.
How many times have you loved a novel and would've given it 4 or 5 stars on an Amazon review and are shocked to read the comments given in a couple of 1 or 2 star venomous reviews? I'm not talking about those 1 or 2 star assessments that are written by readers who will actually admit it's not their favorite genre and manage to make a couple of thoughtful points instead of just ripping the author and story to shreds. It's surprising to see the exact opposite opinions of our own on a book we loved.
However, every so often, an author will include something, a device, a character who turns unexpectedly, something that doesn't work. A mistake. If the publisher let it go or the independent editor overlooked it or maybe the author argued to leave it in the story and won – whatever the reason to have it in the book, many readers agree it doesn't work.
Can you think of something you've read in a story that didn't work for you?
Father, help us to always write our best to honor you. It won't be perfect, but please help us avoid obvious errors. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Major fires rage across eastern Washington and Idaho and into western Montana. The weather is hot and there are winds. The fires have jumped rivers. Homes, ranches, businesses have been consumed. Firefighters have died. People have lost everything. Animals have died. In excess of 400,000 acres have burned. Other countries have been summoned for help as far away as Australia and New Zealand. The Canadians have come to assist. Resources for fighting the fires are strained.
Please pray.
God, oh God, these places need to see your mercy and goodness in the land of the living. Lord, we can only count on you for these desperate situations. Please, Lord, have mercy on your creation. Please. We ask it all in the Name, Authority, and Blood of Jesus. Amen.
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Gourmet kitchen. Light and bright. I like it.
Father, thank you for design and beauty in the most practical of décor. You lend yourself to all things lovely and functional. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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If you loved Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) and still love Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) of NCIS fame, this is a collage of the best of those times between them. The series hasn't successfully replaced Ziva. The chemistry was just as it should have been and so well done by both actors.
Father, thank you for what you do in people. May they realize it's you who is responsible for every good and perfect gift. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Okay. I've got an assignment for you. Tell me something meaningful about what you're currently reading. Don't tell me the title. Don't tell me the plot or the author's name. Tell me something about how you feel about the book. No details about the story – just how it's affecting you. Good, bad, or indifferently. Ready? Go!
Lord, you know what we need, what blesses us as individuals, how to lead us if only we'll pay attention, and how you will work everything together for good for those of us who love you and serve you. Again: apart from you, we can do nothing, and thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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A false witness will perish,
and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.
A wicked man puts up a bold front,
but an upright man gives thought to his ways.
Proverbs 21:28-29 (NIV)
