Into the Fire

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  • Experiencing the . . . Separation of Power

     

    (Reprinted from April19th, 2010)

     

                
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    You can see I’m on a Vince Flynn reading spree—or binge if you prefer— here. It’s not often someone hands you a bag of books by an author you’ve just discovered and tells you to take your time with them, but that’s exactly what happened to me via an associate of my husband’s—all of Vince Flynn’s novels almost immediately after I read my first one, his latest, Pursuit of Honor (reviewed here). What a thrilling opportunity! And since I only had two novels to review for April, this opened up several days to begin pouring through the history of contemporary political thriller hero Mitch Rapp.

     

    Separation of Power (published in 2001, pre 9/11 I presume) opens at the graveside of CIA giant Thomas Stansfield. His protégé Dr. Irene Kennedy knows she has lost not only her mentor, her friend, and even her father figure, but her biggest ally and the greatest leader the CIA has ever known. However, on the Beltway there is trouble brewing in the form of one Congressman who has always hated not only the CIA but Thomas Stansfield and Dr. Kennedy and has made no bones about it. The slimy world of politics played on both sides of the aisle is making ready to thwart the historical ascension of Dr. Kennedy, the favored presidential nominee, to the position of the new Directorship of the CIA and in this process bring down the President.

     

    Meanwhile Mitch Rapp is ready to settle into the proffered position in Langley that Thomas Stansfield arranged for him, but doubts plague his outright acceptance of the position for a couple of reasons. The main reason is his ongoing love relationship with Anna Reilly, the reporter he rescued at the White House terrorist attack, due to her desire for them to live a “normal” life which Mitch wants more than he ever imagined but deep down fears will not become a reality. The second reason is because he was trained to be a lone wolf, defying orders from anyone and everyone when they didn’t mesh with the objective and getting away with it because he always produced results. The thought of blending in and taking orders doesn’t hold even a vague semblance of desirable to Mitch.

     

    But first, Mitch has unfinished business in discovering who tried to have him killed not once but twice. The only person who can begin to unravel the mystery is his beautiful ex-lover and fellow Italian assassin. Deciding to take Anna to Milan so he can give her an engagement ring and take care of “business” with his former girlfriend who killed the man he intended to “question”, as only Mitch can do, as to who was paying for the attempted hits on him, the wisdom of this combined effort proves disastrous in the worst possible scenario, leaving Mitch wondering how it all could’ve happened the way it did.

     

    Forcing himself into compartmentalization on his return to the states with his former lover Donatella and sans the love of his life Anna, Mitch learns of a critical new development in the Middle East involving Saddam Hussein. Agreeing to participate in this adrenaline-charged, Special Forces high risk adventure, he fights to release his thoughts about leading a normal life with Anna and is successful until the mission is accomplished and he returns to his empty home.

     

    The tangled web of discovering who hired Donatella (and why) results in finally gaining the answers to Mitch’s questions and brings a satisfying conclusion to the intricacies of politics in D.C.

     

    As with all of Vince Flynn’s novel titles, Separation of Power carries the added innuendo. Perfect.

     

    A side note to this review . . . I’m not of the opinion that the Press is entitled to inform the people of any country of every single endeavor attempted by their governments. Deep caverns exist between political ideologies and practices, and in despot led countries there’s no such thing as a “free press”. I believe in the United States of America’s government ideals, torn asunder as they have become in past and recent days. I believe in elite forces that must do the unthinkable because of horrendous fanatics who only seek to destroy all that they cannot embrace as their own. The lusts for power exist in city, state, county, and country governments all over this world. Coupled with the love of money which is at the root of all kinds of evil, power and money rule those with no consciences who pretend to have them. I’m not naïve enough to think that our country’s agencies are without flaws and defectors and heartless individuals, but I think that the invincible code of right and wrong eventually rises to the top in the big picture, and I applaud those who strive to insure that evil fails and is punished.

     

    For this reason, I failed to like either of the female reporters/characters in this ongoing story. I could feel the love Mitch gave to Anna—she touched this untouchable man so deep he didn’t know how to react to the love dynamic. When he assessed her character after their altercation, I thought he was right on, but as I noted in a previous review “You can’t help who you fall in love with” . . . and she owns Mitch’s heart.

     

    Flynn’s writing keeps tension amping up at a gradual pace until he wreaks havoc in specific incidents. His ability to alternate and grind out the intrigue in the plans of both the bad guys and the good guys keeps the pages turning.

     

     
    Again, Lord, I ask that Vince Flynn know you as you desire to be known. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

  • Using . . . The Third Option

     

    (Reprinted from April 12th, 2010)

     
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    First of all I love the Prelude in The Third Option. It’s a perfect setup for the third leg in this continuing Mitch Rapp saga by bestselling author Vince Flynn published in 2000. This story picks up a year after Transfer of Power, and Mitch Rapp is on assignment in Germany. He’s got that nagging feeling in his gut that something isn’t quite right, but while hoping this will be his final gig in service to his country, since he’s fallen in love with the reporter he rescued during the terrorist siege in the White House, the woman he’s working with turns on him and fires two bullets into his chest.

     

    Mitch wrangles out of the mess like only he can do, but as he works his way back to the USA, he wonders if his oldest and most trusted friends in the CIA could possibly be responsible for this betrayal. Meanwhile one of those friends, Rapp’s elderly mentor and top CIA man Thomas Stansfield, is dying of cancer, but once he learns about what happened to Mitch he summons his final energy to solve the obvious leak in this most secretive of organizations.       

     

    As an author it’s quite obvious Vince Flynn likes feisty women. In his fiction he creates two almost identical female characters in Congressman Michael O’Rourke’s wife and Mitch Rapp’s soon-to-be wife who also happen to be best friends. Both reporters, both headstrong and in-your-face to their men, both demanding to know secrets related to the government when their husbands are involved too deep to reveal information. As reporters they don’t think twice about protecting sources, yet when they’re the ones with the questions, they require answers which can’t be given without a potentially dreadful cost. This is probably my only difficulty with the Flynn stories so far. These women should know better, and I find their personalities too demonstrative in light of the particular circumstances of these two individual men.

     

    I rarely comment on POV changes within stories, and Vince’s writing produces a lot of flip flops from one character to another. To date it rarely bothers me, and I don’t think it’s a sign of bad writing as many professionals insist. It could be argued the problem belongs more to a lazy reader who doesn’t want to be troubled by staying with the story wherever it leads. However, I will say there were a couple of swift transitions in this story where I had to go back a sentence or two to see if I was now in another character’s frame of mind. That didn’t happen in his other novels.

     

    The Third Option leaves the reader dangling for the first time without resolution, laying the groundwork for the next book in line: Separation of Power. Mitch is given an “out” by Thomas Stansfield who convinces him he’s much too valuable to lose and being unable to refuse Thomas’s generous offer to remain with the Agency, he looks forward to his new life and a hint of normality. As a reader, I’m now anxious to know if Stansfield is going to last long enough to give Mitch the insight he needs to “be” The Third Option long enough to eliminate this villain which is unknown to Stansfield, Dr. Kennedy, and Mitch Rapp when the story ends.

     

     
    God, each story reminds me of man’s lust for power, his overwhelming greed, and his inhumanity to one another. Vince Flynn captures it all in the gift of storytelling. I do pray this man knows you as you want to be known, and that eventually he works you into his stories. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

  • Complications with the . . . Transfer of Power

     

    (Reprinted from March 25th, 2010)

     

                                     
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    Well, since I’ve willingly and shamelessly admitted my new addiction to Vince Flynn novels, it’s just pure pleasure to review my third adventure into the realm of spies, Special Forces, and dirty politics in this story Transfer of Power published in 1999.

     

    It seems to me that God Himself provides certain insights to particular writers which enable them to see—and sometimes foretell—unique renditions of possible events before they take place.

     

    If you’ve ever read Jeanette Windle’s two novels, Crossfire and Firestorm, published by Kregel Publications, you know what I’m talking about. Jeanette wrote about the South American drug cartels, having grown up down there with missionary parents. The delicate diplomatic “balance” between certain countries and the USA often depends upon the politicians who happen to be in power on both sides of the equator. Transcending political powers in order to do what’s right often lies in the hands of unique individuals.

     

    To the best of my knowledge author Vince Flynn is not what many people refer to as a “religious” man, although he has a Catholic background, but his stories do acknowledge a few vague references to God and occasionally people offer prayers in dire circumstances—of which there are plenty. Regardless of his personal spiritual choices, the ultra-sense of defying the odds to do the right thing, to commit to acts of swift justice against pure evil—these ideals which emulate from godly principles are personified in the protagonist Mitch Rapp (aka Mitch Kruse).

     

    Mitch Rapp is by no means perfect in his personal or emotional makeup. The wear-and-tear on his soul must be tamped down, suppressed, and managed by compartmentalizing his feelings and assessments of himself and others. He defies political positions and directives, sometimes tuning them out to accomplish what must be done.

     

    His “handlers”, CIA top guy and Spymaster, the aging and unflappable Thomas Stansfield, and the brilliant female Dr. Kennedy, have learned to expect that given his freedom to make the call—without political restrictions—Mitch Rapp will inevitably get the job done.

     

    In Transfer of Power certain protective safeguards set in place by the Secret Service are sidestepped by the Democrat leadership to insure a hefty payoff to their party coffers by a man they presume to be an Arab prince. The brokered deal insures the prince’s meeting with the unsuspecting President. The real identity of the prince turns out to be a major terrorist with whom Mitch Rapp has a score to settle—and a scar down the side of his face which required a plastic surgeon to make into a thin line.

     

    The first bloodbath ensues after the prince’s entrance into the White House while he waits just outside the Oval Office. The intricate planning over a period of years by this Beirut terrorist Rafique Aziz posing as an Arab prince zooms into action as he slays the man who gave him entrance. Somehow the head of the Secret Service is given just enough time to whisk the President, his secretary, and a few Secret Service agents to the double-vaulted president’s bunker in one of the White House basements. Shortly afterward, Aziz jams all communications to the White House and prepares to make his demands with the threat of killing hostages and/or the ultimate destruction of the White House and all who are in it, having figured out a way to penetrate the bunker and capture the President.

     

    While this chaos develops, the spineless power-hungry Vice President, who assumes command when communication with the President is lost, and his younger conniving aide strategize the way to handle the crisis from a purely political, poll-taking, vote-getting viewpoint.

     

    Vince Flynn propels us through this story with heart-thumping tension. Mitch gains an older partner who proves to be an invaluable assistant and encounters some unusual distractions. It’s all about the story with these novels, and they don’t mess around. It’s conflict after conflict with consequence after consequence. True thrillers with a genuine hero at the controls.  

     

    Terrific, intense, good vs. evil, a hero to cheer on, incredible risks, and satisfying conclusions. You want excitement in a political thriller which gives you an undoubtedly accurate picture of the interference of pure politics versus the need to keep this country safe? Read a Vince Flynn novel. If you don’t start with Term Limits, give Transfer of Power a whirl. You won’t be disappointed.

     

    (As with all of Vince’s novels, there is some offensive language. I don’t think he overdoes this, but it’s there if it’s a problem for you.)

     

    (Also, I must ask my friend Mark Harbeson [or anyone else who's read these novels] if he's formulated an opinion of who should play Mitch Rapp in a film?)

     

    Lord, you have blessed Vince Flynn with incredible skills and insights. I pray he would grow closer and closer to you, Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Taking the . . . Kill Shot

     

    (Reprinted from February 13th, 2012) 

     

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    The New York Times multiple bestselling novels by Vince Flynn give the contemporary thriller readers an informed and realistic look at the world of assassins and espionage. No one does it any better than Vince Flynn. Kill Shot is the latest in the Mitch Rapp series, the second prequel following American Assassin. Vince has said in a few of the interviews he's done for this novel that he wanted to expose the loneliness and isolation that an individual in Mitch's profession faces. He nails his objective with great flair in Kill Shot, a novel that moves quickly to the final page.

    A young Mitch Rapp has been turned loose to eliminate a list of terrorists in multiple locations around the world. His next assignment is in Paris, France, and as he scopes out the target, the job looks textbook. He takes his time to make sure of every detail because his attention to precision is what makes him the best at what he does.When everything is in place, it's time to move on the target, but something feels off. It's an intangible that resonates in his gut but nowhere else. He proceeds, completes his mission, and as he's about to exit the hotel room, he's ambushed by men with automatic weapons spraying every inch of the suite. His incredible skill at assessing the attack is the only reason he escapes and not without damage as one bullet hits and exits through his left shoulder.

    Mitch Rapp no longer knows who he can trust. This last hit erupted in an incredible mess and Paris law enforcement is all over it. A DGSE (the French CIA) agent appears on the scene and a side plot is injected into the story. Mitch does what he's been trained to do when things go horribly wrong, but he delays calling his handler Irene Kennedy because he's beginning to wonder if even she is trustworthy. When he decides to call, he exposes the prejudiced assumptions being made about the situation as errant and conspiratorial against him, insisting he was set up.

    When a team is dispensed to Paris to find Mitch, he's not sure a "kill order" hasn't been sent along with them. The man who trained him (Stan Hurley) has misjudged him from the beginning and one of Hurley's top guys ("Victor") hates Mitch and wants him dead. Mixed in with all of this is a Monsignor who's an elderly spy, Mitch's gorgeous girlfriend Greta, a British MI6 friend of the acting Director of the CIA (Thomas Stansfield), some jihadists, and a few crooked politicians on both sides of the pond. 

    If you want genuine thrillers with a larger than life hero in Mitch Rapp, Vince Flynn's novels should be next on your reading list. The importance and significance of the CIA with its successes and failures is never diminished in Vince's novels. The positions of political, law enforcement, espionage, and military types get honest portrayals and accurate assessments in characters of all kinds. If you get uptight about "head-hopping" in writing styles, Vince's approach might bug you, but I find it seamless and easy to follow.

    If I had to fault the novel, I'd make the point that Mitch Rapp's character makes these stories, and a fair amount of this novel is partitioned off to those characters who want Mitch's head. It's not a big problem because it heightens the battle waged between the good and bad guys in the same professions and exposes the lusts for power, wealth, and dominance.

    If you're squeamish about violence or uncomfortable with varying degrees of cussing, you'll be overlooking some valuable, yes, even meaningful, stories in Vince Flynn's novels. Kill Shot focuses on the isolation of an assassin who methodically takes care of the most evil terrorists in the world. His meticulous skills, extreme accuracy, and his personal moral code require him to avoid non-combatants at all costs where and when it's possible.

    American Assassin and Kill Shot have taken us back to the young Mitch Rapp to show us how he became the elite assassin of Vince's later books. His next Mitch Rapp novel will pick up in time after Pursuit of Honor, bringing his readers back to the present in Rapp's life. There's no contemporary writer I can recommend more in this particular genre than Vince Flynn.

    God, you've brought Vince through tremendous pain, physical and emotional suffering, and you've protected him along the way. I pray you would bring him back to full strength and provide complete healing. Continue to lead him in all that he does and in the stories he's born to tell. Watch over him with your protective hands, I pray. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

  • In favor of . . . Term Limits

      

    (Reprinted from February 24th, 2010; the only novel without featuring Mitch Rapp.)

     

                                
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    Vince Flynn has written multiple New York Times Bestsellers with his political thrillers. I admit his stories will not be for everyone. They most certainly hit homeruns for readers like me. From the technical standpoint of writing, Vince is good, but it’s not his writing you notice. No. Instead you sense his impeccable research into the guts, glory, and horrifically ugly underbelly of DC politics and the various agencies set in place to protect citizens and this country from criminals and terrorists of all kinds—including those politicians who qualify for that ignominious description.

      

    As you know, I swore off secular, or the more common term “general market”, fiction several years ago. In fact, I’ve read only three novels outside of CBA fare in the last several years, two of them belonging to Vince Flynn with more of his to come on my reading agenda. He’s scored two direct hits with Pursuit of Honor (his latest) and Term Limits published circa 1997.

      

    Term Limits could have been written today. As in right now. In other words it’s somewhat prophetic in the political essence of this story. We’re introduced to the feisty ex-Marine Congressman Michael O’Rourke who despises “the way things are done here in DC” and who will not buckle to the pressure of passing an outlandish over-the-top presidential budget that will continue to sink the country into a totally unmanageable debt for years to come. Sound familiar?

     

    When three corrupt heavy-hitters in Congress, who twist arms in clandestine meetings and buy votes by any means, are assassinated Commando-style with no one else injured, Michael O’Rourke senses who is behind the executions. When he learns the full facts, his loyalties are challenged and decisions he never anticipated must be made.

     

    Following the deaths of the three most corrupt politicians, two more decent members of Congress are gunned down and blown up along with Secret Service personnel and other members of law enforcement. Because of this, the decision is made easy for Michael O’Rourke.

     

    Vince Flynn writes a compelling story of political spin and corruption and takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the dedication of Special Forces, FBI, and CIA operatives contrasting valor to the lust for power in the different agencies. We can’t help but be on the side of valor even though it takes us where we might not want to go.

     

    For Christian readers I must point out there is the language factor to contend with in Vince’s stories, but it’s not obsessive and it’s always real.

     

    I loved this novel which quite honestly only feels slightly fictionalized.

     

     

    Father, you know Vince. You know his heart for justice. You are the just judge, the only One. I pray Vince would hear your voice. And I pray you would continue to inspire the talent you’ve given him. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Sunday’s Offerings

     

    Many are the woes of the wicked,

    but the Lord's unfailing love

    surrounds the man who trusts in him.

     

    Psalm 32:10 (NIV)

  • Why I loved his writing . . .

     

     
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    Whatever "it" is that sets some writers apart for us, that certain something usually has to do with their style, plots, and voice. That description probably simplifies it too much because often there are intangibles with novels we love that separate them from the rest even as we take in the first chapter. Whether we glide into the story or whether we're compelled into the story – by a whisp or a whirl, a hint of drama, or the whispered  fatal zing of a silencer - we realize subtly or forcefully that we're in for a special tour.

    Vince Flynn was not the "best" writer I've ever read in the literary sense. It wasn't his style. And technically speaking, he probably wasn't even close to passing the test for "best" writers in that he didn't observe "the rules". That fact made him extra special and endeared him to me. In one of my most recent reviews I pointed out there always seems to be a number of typos and mistakes in the final renditions of his hardcovers but the stories make up for them. And that's true. I'd gladly endure the errors to read many more Vince Flynn novels.

    To the best of my knowledge, and I could be wrong, his final novel is titled The Survivor, due out in October of this year (2013). I've read the first three pages, and it's vintage Vince Flynn. I can't wait to read it, but then I dread it being the possible last fling with my hero Mitch Rapp.

    What made Vince Flynn's writing so special, so vital, so, dare I say: important, is his accuracy. It's somehow easy to accept Mitch Rapp because, although his feats seem super-human, his training and fervency ring true. I mentioned a few posts ago about Mitch Rapp being an emotional character. Truly, his emotions run the gamut of a man's man. He knows how and when to suppress them, but they always surface somewhere, sometime, and even when he can't deal with them, they're still there. I've said many a time Consent To Kill was my favorite, but you could bunch several of them together to place second. Consent To Kill gives Mitch an extra dimension, and this is where Vince's writing excelled.  

    Vince once told Rush Limbaugh there were maybe 60 Mitch Rapp types in service. Vince had inside knowledge, valuable and secret sources, and when reading his novels, you knew it. Authenticity poured off the pages.

    Vince's only weakness – in my opinion - came in the woman he created for Mitch. She was shrill, brazen, and I hated her. I did. She generated no empathy from me.

    Anyway, if you've never read any of his novels, you've missed out on some fascinating, reality-based, dynamic, exciting, genuine espionage and political thrillers. No one will equal Vince Flynn's writing and his creation of Mitch Rapp.

     

    Father, I pray again for your comfort to his family and loved ones. So sad for those left behind. Please bless their mourning and help them to draw nearer to you in the process. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.         

     

  • My tribute to Vince Flynn

     

      About-vince

     

    I never had the pleasure or honor to meet this man, but I can tell you this: He was a patriot. From hearing the various acknowledgments of his death, I've learned he was extremely generous, willingly sharing his time, charity, and gifts. He loved deeply. Family and friends mattered to him. And so did God. He was a practicing Catholic and knew the Lord Jesus Christ. The verse in Psalms which says "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." surely applies to Vince.

    I will miss his creative accuracy which gave us devoted fans a truer picture of the conflict in keeping this nation safe not only from the terrorists who desire to destroy us but from those within our government who work against all that operatives like Mitch Rapp try to do to keep us free. It's no secret Vince Flynn's detailed stories came from sources "in the know". Clandestine information came through his stories taut and true. I loved him as a writer. And I'm sure I would've loved him as a man.

    A close friend of his, Rush Limbaugh, said in many ways Vince Flynn was Mitch Rapp. I believe that. No one could write the character like he did without residing somewhere in his skin.

    I hope his novels set new records for sales just because there couldn't be a better time to read them than right now.

    If you'd like to know more about Vince, here are some links to investigate:

    http://www.vinceflynn.com/index.html

    http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=814071&ocid=ansent11

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uhbbhWWuMU

    All of his novels have been reviewed here at Into the Fire.

     

    Father, please comfort those who've lost this precious man. You're truly the only one who can. My tears mean nothing other than to join with those who mourn this earthly loss. Such a decent man will be missed, and I pray the extreme pain of his loss will slowly subside by your gentle and reassuring hand. Bless his family with your divine presence and intense comfort. In the Name, Authority, and Blood of Jesus, Amen.  

     

     

     

     

    Related articles

    Vince Flynn Dies At 47
    I'm stunned and deeply saddened by news that novelist Vince Flynn is dead.
    RIP Vince Flynn
    Best-Selling Author Vince Flynn Dies at Age 47

  • What are you afraid of?

     

     
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    So what is it you're afraid to write? I'm not talking about topics – like constructing a spy thriller which might be what you love to read but have no contacts for researching such an expansive project.

    I'm asking what do you consider your weakness? What scares you when you place your fingers on the keys and know the upcoming scene is keeping you from depressing any of those letters?

    Is it authentic dialogue? Is it enticing character development? Is it an action-heavy scene or pacing the story? What are you afraid of when you know it's coming or perhaps before you begin?

     

    Father, you give us our inspiration, our courage, our hopes, and dreams. You supply the talent and we do our best to orchestrate it. Help us to complete what you have for us to do. Lord, apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

  • Discovering . . . Ties That Bind

     

                              
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    Death, family, antiquated books, drugs, the love of horses, and empty lives collide in C. J. Darlington's latest novel Ties That Bind, published by Mountainview Books. Picking up with familiar characters from her past novels (Thicker Than Blood, Bound by Guilt), C. J. takes the reader on a search for belonging and redemption, both of which seem an impossible feat for her protagonist Brynn Taylor.

    Brynn Taylor's mom's dying request was that she find her father and give him a chance. Her only guide to his possible location is a rare book she inherits with an inscription addressed to her from him. His name is Peter Williams, and in the back of this book is the name Edna Williams with a location in Elk Valley, Colorado. With her meager belongings and a five year stint in jail behind her, she sets out to do what she thought her mother asked. Her bitterness about having no one in her life since her mother ebbed away from cancer when Brynn was 17, knowing her inability to cope with losing her led to a downward spiral, Brynn hopes to renew her life by meeting a dad she's never known. What little faith she had in God plus her passion for painting passed away with her mother.

    Through twists and turns in her journey, she meets the Williams' sisters, Christy and May, but getting the nerve to introduce them to her real identity amps up Brynn's old cravings for medicating her angst. Making it to May's ranch, she's readily accepted by the gentle old woman known as Ruth who co-owns the ranch with May and encourages her to trust the two women enough to tell them who she is. Ruth promises not to reveal her secret at Brynn's request. When Ruth hires her, much to May's surprise and annoyance since she can't afford her and doesn't really need her, it doesn't get past Brynn's notice, but her desire to please May weighs even heavier on her fragile shoulders.

    The stark realities she learns about her father leave her even more empty and yearning for a real relationship with the Williams' sisters, but as all addicts do, she manages to find a way to secure some drugs and revisit that fake calm they incur until they wear off, realizing they'll just take her where she doesn't want to go.

    C. J. weaves an intricate story of loss, addiction, recovery, and redemption through the lives of diverse characters and personalities illustrating how lives become entwined with or without our efforts. Showing hurting lives with and without Jesus, C. J. manages to make a way for her characters to mend not only broken down fences on the ranch but in relationships.

    And for anyone who's ever loved a horse and made that once-in-a-lifetime connection with a special equine, there's something especially edifying – and tear-jerking if you're a sap like me – with the inclusion of a particular relationship between a young lady and a flashy mare.

    All the different avenues of plot points in Ties That Bind do, in fact, come together and make for a quality story. C. J.'s clean and purposeful writing, some meaningful character sketches and development, combined with some good dialogue, provide a realistic tale of finding redemption, a place to call home, and amplify Brynn's mom's final instructions to her daughter.

    Available in print or e-book:

     http://www.amazon.com/Ties-That-Bind-C-Darlington/dp/0989162109/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371512937&sr=1-1&keywords=ties+that+bind+c+j+darlington   

     

    Father, C. J. has served you faithfully. Please continue to bless her life with clear direction and a straight path as she endeavors to follow after you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.