Reviewed by Symon: 7 out of 10.

The Night Watchman (Ray Quinn Series, Book 1) by Mark Mynheir.

Eleven months ago, Ray Quinn was a tough, quick-witted Orlando homicide detective at the top of his game-until a barrage of bullets ended his career, and his partner’s life. Now medically retired with a painful handicap, Ray battles the haunting guilt for his partner’s death. Numbing the pain with alcohol and attitude, Ray takes a job as a night watchman at a swanky Orlando condo. But when a pastor and an exotic dancer are found dead in one of the condos in an apparent murder-suicide, Ray can no longer linger in the shadows.

I semi-enjoyed this book and read it relatively quickly.  I must say it felt like a made-for-TV-crime-scene mystery, rather than an original big-screen-blockbuster  (and aren’t we all a little over the crime-scene mysteries these days).

This book is an anomaly in the genre of Christian crime fiction however, as the protagonist is a fairly anti-God, self-centered, bitter alcoholic who doesn’t find God at the book’s conclusion.  Also surprising, is the minimal violence which may (or may not) encourage more readers.

Author Mark Mynheir, is a real-life detective and therefore this story is highly realistic. The plot, characters, and crime-solving techniques are all highly believable.  Realism  may be the book’s Achilles Heel though, as it does make for a somewhat predictable, ‘no-surprises-there’ read.

The Night Watchman is receiving rave reviews and has been nominated for a Christy award.  Avid Christian crime-fiction/mystery fiction buffs will enjoy. For me, it was goodish but definitely not great – Maybe I’m getting harder to please in my old age, or perhaps Ted Dekker has raised the bar too high for most.

Reviewed by Rachel: 8.5 out of 10.

For those of you who have read The Hunted by Mike Delosso, this book is very similar to it. I say that and not the other way around because I read The Oath second. However, I liked and disliked things about both books and I would happily read both again and don’t fancy one over the other.

This must be one of the very few novels I have ever read that actually scared me. Even though I read it during the day, I was still spooked by the smallest of sounds and had to keep looking around the house to make sure I was alone! I don’t think it was the ‘fantasy’ part of the novel so much as simply realising what atrocities that evil can commit through human beings when allowed. When the mind dwells on that instead of the saving power of Jesus, one cannot help but feel helpless and lost. However, Peretti certainly allows his readers to believe that things will certainly turn out better than they seem.

Superbly written and delicately crafted as have been the tradition of all the Peretti books that I have read so far.  He draws his readers in piece by twist-turning piece to gradually end up with the finished puzzle being not quite what you expected. A fantastic writer and certainly right up there with the best authors I have come across.

As you journey with the main character of the story, you find yourself feeling sorry for him when he gets hurt, cheering him on when he does the right thing and really drawn in to the story as if you were part of it. The way Peretti makes the characters come alive is quite spectacular and realistic.

All in all, a great read (certainly not at night though) and I would highly recommend it. If you like a bit of fantasy, drama, action, and spiritual themes all combined into one, then this book is for you!

Click here to visit www.frankperetti.com

Reviewed by Symon: 8 out of 10.

A Ship Possessed is Book 1 in the  J. D. Stanton Mystery series (trilogy) – A series in which a retired navy captain/historian (Stanton) is called upon to investigate paranormal occurrences relating to the armed forces.

Military + Paranormal + Christian worldview = Definitely my kind of series.

The Back Cover blurb from A Ship Possessed follows.

The USS Triggerfish–an American World War II submarine–has come home over fifty years after she was presumed lost in the Atlantic. Now her dark gray hulk lies embedded in the sand of a San Diego beach, her conning tower barely above the breaking surf. The submarine is in the wrong ocean, her crew is missing . . . And her half-century absence is a mystery that’s about to deepen. For the Triggerfish has returned, but she has not returned alone. Something is inside her — something unexpected and terrible. To J. D. Stanton, retired Navy captain and historian, falls the task of solving the mystery surrounding a ship possessed. What he is about to encounter will challenge his training, his wits, and his faith. Complicating his mission is a ruthless madman bent on obtaining a secret artifact stolen from the highest levels of the Nazi regime. And poised in the middle is a young woman, a lieutenant who must contend with invisible forces she never knew existed. A Ship Possessed is a story of faith, courage, and determination in the face of unexpected and unknown evil.

This book is a cleverly crafted mystery, alternating between 2 stories separated by 5 decades:  The happenings on a submarine during world war 2, and the happenings when the same sub suddenly appears 50+ years later.  The two stories eventually intersect, and all is revealed (as would be expected in a mystery novel), in the final chapters.

I cannot say much more than what’s on the back cover without spoiling the story, but suffice to say – this is a genuine ghost story, not the disappointing rational-explanation-man-in-ghost-costume-scooby-doo plot.

Gansky has an amazing knack for developing characters and atmosphere which are totally believable.  Some books, inbetween sittings, stay with you (in your mind) – and this story was definitely one of those.  It also single-handedly rekindled my childhood interest in submarines, resulting in another viewing of the classic Das Boot ).

A Ship Possessed is an intense read and has some genuinely unsettling/scary moments (depending on the readers’ imagination), and Gansky’s take on ghosts and other paranormal entities is thought-provoking to say the least.

Not an epic, nor classic, but a very enjoyable/engaging read nevertheless – and I’m looking forward to reading the other 2 books in the series (which are currently sitting snug on my bookshelf).

Reviewed by Symon: 8 out of 10.

I began reading The Knight almost immediately after finishing The Rook. In this third installment of ‘Patrick Bowers thrillers’, Steven James has done it again, and even better than his previous tale.

Reviewed by Symon: 8 out of 10.

Firstly, I must say that because of this series, Steven James has just become one of my favourite authors. There is currently no better crime fiction/mystery author in my opinion.

The Rook is the second installment in a series of crime fiction/thriller/mysteries where FBI Criminologist, Patric Bowers, tracks down serial murderers (or should I say they track him down?) It follows The Pawn, and precedes The Knight and the upcoming The Bishop.

Reviewed by Kristy: 7.5 out of 10.

Reviewed by Symon: 8.5 out of 10.

The Pawn by Steven James has finally ended my ‘When am I going to read a book that I can’t put down?’ drought. This review in 3 words: Exciting, compelling and disturbing (possibly the most disturbing book I have ever read). Okay… that’s 13 words.

From the back cover:

Special Agent Patrick Bowers never met a killer he couldn’t catch. Until now. Called to North Carolina to consult on the case of an area serial killer, Bowers finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Cunning and lethal, the killer is always one step ahead of the law, and he’s about to strike again. It will take all of Bowers’s instincts and training to stop the man who calls himself the Illusionist.

If I could judge Steven James’ authorship based on this book alone, he would easily make it into my top five favourite author’s list. His writing is fast-paced, his plot-crafting is very intelligent and unpredictable, and his ability to create a vivid scene in the reader’s mind is masterly. So much so, that before you rush out to find a copy of The Pawn to read, I must give a warning…

This book is definitely not for the squeamish. In some places it is extremely disturbing. The Pawn’s plot revolves around a sadistic serial murderer, and quite frankly too much detail is given at times. I was going to say that nothing is left to the imagination… but in this case, my imagination was given plenty, resulting in some not-so-pleasant dreams about serial murders (not surprisingly). Needless to say, this book will play with your mind long after you’ve turned out the light.

The Pawn leaves me in a conundrum. I agree with Dekker’s reasoning: that to really understand how great the light is, one must understand how great the evil is, but… When it comes to depictions of violence in Christian fiction, where is the line drawn? Especially with novels, that aren’t overtly Christian such as this one?

Definitely something to think about while I track down book 2 in this series, entitled The Rook

Click here to visit Stephen James’ site.

Reviewed by Kristy: 8 out of 10.

What mysteries lie hidden beside the dark water of the bayou? Swept away from Louisiana Bayou country as a child, Miranda Miller is a woman without a past. She has a husband and child of her own and a fulfilling job in a Manhattan museum, but she also has questions – about the tragedy that cut her off from family and caused her to be sent away, and about those first five years that
were erased from her memory entirely.

Follow one woman’s search through the hidden rooms of a bayou mansion, the enigmatic snares of an ancient myth, and the all-consuming quest for a heart open enough for love – and for God.

I just loved Whispers of the Bayou! Mindy Starns Clark has written a brilliant story, complete with suspense, mystery, emotion, plot twists and a dash of historical fiction thrown in. I definitely didn’t see some of the twists in the plot coming!

The main character, Miranda, has a dark past. So dark in fact that she herself has erased it from her memory. Although her memories are forgotten, you can see the effect her past has had on her current emotionally detached state. As she faces her past, her present state is also challenged.

I really enjoyed the different characters portrayed in this book, and how the relationships changed throughout (without giving too much away here!). I was constantly wondering while reading… who was it, who did that, who was who???

The only negative thing I would mention is that end seemed rushed in regards to the decisions made and the future of people in the story once the mystery had been solved.

All in all a great read. If you love mysteries with suspense, this is a book I am sure you would enjoy!

Click here to visit Clarkes’ website.

Reviewed by Stephen: 3 out of 10.

Jumping straight to the back of Tested by Fire – Book 1 in the Baxter Series by Kathy Herman…

A bizarre houseboat explosion rocks the close-knit community of Baxter to its core. Firefighters and friends stand by powerlessly as the blazing hull of their neighbours’ home sinks to the bottom of Heron Lake.

Have all five McConnels perished in the flames? Was it an accident? Or murder?

If you read the Amazon reviews and the praise at the beginning of this book, you could be forgiven for thinking that it is a tense thriller with terrific yet subtle Christian morals woven throughout. Before I really get into this review, I have to say that I do not like heavily critiquing creative works of any sort unless I have at least something good to say about them. I know how much effort goes into making something like this a reality, and simply ripping it apart is not constructive to anyone.

So, with that said, let’s go through the redeeming features of Tested by Fire.

• The character Casey and the role he plays – “I am Casey!” He brought a very authentic and comedic flavour and kept my otherwise waning interest from all but disappearing.
• The cat, ‘Pork’.
• Herman’s occasionally poetic writing style. Sure she bows to cliches here and there (who doesn’t), but overall she had some pretty neat descriptions to share.
• Despite being far too blatant throughout most of the book, the morals of this story are still relatively thought provoking. However, the whole moral ethic behind Tested by Fire would have been far more effective painted with a much softer stroke so to speak.

Now I suppose we must wade through the bad. The first thing I kept noticing was that the characters in this story constantly ‘tell’ you that you are reading a Christian book. I prefer Christian fiction, however this is not supposed to be a sermon but a believable story right? The characters are also continuously praying and there are at least four ’sinner’s prayers’, which again is not a terrible crime, but I think it gets a little tedious and the reader would prefer more left to the imagination. But in Tested by Fire, you have no room to think for yourself as it is all spelled out for you.

There was zero tension in this book for me. The plot certainly did not keep me awake at night nor the story kept me turning pages as the praise of the book so ardently promised it would. Practically nothing is skipped in the chronology of this book, and it plays out almost in real-time. This is not a good thing as a lot of the uninteresting occurrences could have been replaced with much more thrilling scenes. I would liken it to a badly edited movie.

There were snippets at the end of each chapter that led to a sort of ‘tie in’ at the end. The trouble was that by the end of the book I was almost groaning at yet another of these unrelenting paragraphs that really did not add anything to the story. Along with the sermon I skimmed, there was a lot of material that simply made this book unnecessarily cheesy.

I don’t know if I finished this book more out of tenacity or plain denial to the truth that it wasn’t going to get any better. But I did finish it. Was the ending worth the effort? Well, to sum this book up in a sentence: it had a halfway decent plot with potential to be a suspenseful piece of Christian fiction but was unfortunately terribly played out. It could have been suspenseful but, well, it wasn’t. Perhaps if this was specifically aimed at pre-teens it would be okay. But sorry, I won’t be reading any more of the Baxter Series in a hurry.

Click here to visit Kathy Herman’s website.