VICIOUS CYCLE BY TERRI BLACKSTOCK

 VICIOUS CYCLE by Terri Blackstock.
This is the second book in the INTERVENTION SERIES - a gripping suspense story with a strong Christian message.  It is not necessary to read INTERVENTION first, as this book can stand alone, but I can also highly recommend it to you.
When I saw the title, I thought of Romans chapter 8 verse 2 in the Living Bible where Paul says that Jesus has "broken the vicious circle of sin and death", and this truth is brought out very strongly in this book.  We see the struggle that teenagers have trying to resist the drug culture of today, the destruction that addiction brings to families and individuals, and their inability to kick the habit in their own strength.  We see a mother so hooked on drugs that she doesn't care what happens to her own daughter who, at the age of fifteen, is totally addicted and has to give birth alone to her own baby girl while high on meth.  This young girl, Jordan, and her baby are nearly destroyed due to the wickedness of her mother and her half brother.
We see Emily, who we first come across in "Intervention", with a loving mother, Barbara, who is fiercely protective of her children, but who had to give in to using intervention  in her desperation to save her daughter, and a brother, Lance, who has been through a lot due to his sister's addiction.  When "Vicious Cycle" starts we find Emily about to graduate from New Day Treatment Centre, a Christian facility for girls wanting to be set free from addiction.  Without being forced to stay, they are encouraged to stay for a year, and learn how to stand against temptation, using Scripture and a personal relationship with the Lord.  When Lance gets into trouble trying to help Jordan and save her baby, Emily is nearly drawn back into drugs due to her involvement with Jordan and her old gang.  The pull is very strong, especially as she feels very lonely without her friends at New Day, and she can no longer hang out with her old friends who are still doing drugs.
Barbara is a widow who is struggling financially due to her losing her business when she was trying to clear her daughter's name ("Intervention" tells this story) and she is desperately trying to keep her family going in the right direction.  After coming out of New Day, Emily decides to be totally honest with her mother about her feelings of loneliness, and the pull that drugs still has on her.  She knows she will not be able to cope alone, and needs all the help she can get.  We see the selflessness shown by Lance, who is thrown in jail and nearly killed for his trouble, and Emily who risks being drawn back into addiction, when these two youngsters do all they can to help Jordan and baby Grace.  Barbara's friend, Kent, who is a detective, is very helpful and supportive and also risks his life trying to save others' lives.  We are brought to the conclusion that, not only is it fruitless trying to fight against sin and temptation in our own strength, but also that truly "nothing is impossible with the Lord."

LISTEN BY RENE GUTTERIDGE

LISTEN by Rene Gutteridge takes place in a small town called Marlo.  Marlo is a well maintained town with citizens who, on the surface, get on well together.  Nothing really bad has ever happened in Marlo.  The main characters are Damien Underwood, his wife Kay, and their children Jenna and Hunter.  Damien really loves words, and feels they are an important part of life.  He works for a newspaper making crosswords and other word games. He feels he wants to make more of a difference and asks to become an investigative reporter.  His best friend is Frank, a divorced police detective who is still in love with his ex-wife.  He is a good friend to the whole Underwood family, and an unofficial uncle to the children.
Jenna and Hunter have always been close to one another and to their parents, but since becoming teenagers they have drifted off into their own worlds.  This worries Damien and Kay, and they wonder where they could have gone wrong as parents.  There is a definite theme running through the book on the relationships of teenagers with their parents.
The peace is destroyed in Marlo when private conversations are posted on the internet.  These conversations are very derogatory and lead to broken friendships and even riots.  This listening device, whatever it is and whoever is using it, leads to exposing the underlying evil in the town.  We see the hypocrisy of nominal churchgoers worshipping with those they really despise.  They are  suddenly shocked by having the bad things they have said about their "friends" broadcast on the net!
The disasters in Marlo make a big difference in everyone's lives and relationships.  The Underwood family turn to the Lord and make big changes in their lifestyle.

This book makes it very clear that there is indeed "life and death in the tongue"!

POSSESSION BY RENE GUTTERIDGE

POSSESSION by Rene Gutteridge is a mystery novel which keeps you guessing from the very beginning.  It is a well worked out plot and very exciting.  Tied into the drama, is the lovely story of a little boy, Conner, and his childlike faith in the Lord.  To start with, his parents, Vance and Lindy, are embarassed by him praying at all times and in every situation, but when they lose their material possessions and are about to lose everything else that mattered, namely each other, they are very grateful for his prayers.  When they are stripped of their possessions they see what is really important in life.  As they look back after their terrible ordeal, they see how God's hand of protection had always been upon them.
Vance is a retired detective, who has secrets from the past, and in his reluctance to bring these secrets out into the open he is in danger of destroying himself and his family.  He is in terrible fear due to having been in charge of a gruesome murder case, and is too proud to go for counselling, which has caused problems in his marriage.  He and Lindy try and make a new start in a new place when he takes early retirement from the police force, but there is no new beginning until the fears of the past are finally brought out into the open and dealt with.  Lindy's mother, Joan, finds it hard to show love.  She is afraid her daughter's marriage will turn out like her own did.  She is also changed through the family situation.
There is definitely a case of demon possession in the story.  We see how far a demented soul will go to destroy the lives of those that she feels have let her down.
In this book we see how the faith and prayers of a young child bring liberation and salvation to his family.

THE ACCUSED BY CRAIG PARSHALL

THE ACCUSED by Craig Parshall is the third book in the Chambers of Justice series.  Although all the books in this series are legal dramas, they are very diverse as far as the plots are concerned.  In this book Will Chambers fights a legal battle of huge dimension in the International Criminal Court.  Once again he puts his life on the line for his client - this time a Special Forces Colonel, Caleb Marlowe.  Right through the book we see the Lord's hand of protection over Will and his wife, Fiona, even as we see Will finally coming to terms with his past.  He has to fight a lot of demons in order to allow the Lord to bring him to the place where he can let go of his late wife Audra, and her tragic and brutal murder.  As he is brought to a place where he is willing to forgive her murderers, he has victory over the trauma of his past.
Part of the book takes place in Mexico, where we learn quite a lot about the Mayan culture with their ancient blood sacrifice rituals, and part in The Hague where we see Will and Caleb standing up for the truth against the lies and threats of their opponents. It is a very exciting book and I can recommend it if you enjoy legal and political drama with a strong Christian message.

FOOLISH TO BE WISE BY ROY PEACOCK

FOOLISH TO BE WISE by Roy Peacock is one of the best books I have ever read.  I had a copy which I unfortunately lent out once too often, and was devastated to find the book is out of print.  I have been looking for a copy for years in second hand book stores, with no success.  The other day I found that Amazon had seven second hand copies - now they only have six!  I have ordered one and can't wait for it to arrive.  The book is an autobiography by Roy Peacock, an aeronautical engineer and highly educated scientist, who came to know the Lord, together with his whole family.  Roy doesn't come to the Lord without a struggle, but finally he makes a total commitment and then he understands how science and the Bible fit together.  This book definitely proves the absurdity of some scientific theories that deny the existence of God. Roy and his whole family come to know the Lord in a very dynamic way, and their lives are never the same again. 

CUSTODY OF THE STATE BY CRAIG PARSHALL

CUSTODY OF THE STATE by Craig Parshall is the second book in the Chambers of Justice legal drama series.  In this book a child abuse case has been fabricated against a farmer and his wife by someone who is desperately trying to cover up his illegal activities.  We see the lies and manipulation that people will stoop to in order to cover up their criminal activities.  Once again Will Chambers has to take a stand against the forces of darkness that threaten to destroy him as well as his client's family.  This book is very exciting and hard to put down once you start reading.  
We see how Mary Sue Fellowes is more harshly judged because of her Christian beliefs.  We see how the State is trying to prove her guilt, rather than take into account the fact that she may well be innocent.  Will has quite a fight against the pre-conceived opinions of the state officials, as well as a whole lot of corruption in the town.  A child's life hangs in the balance.  Will is determined to prove the innocence of his client and to get the Fellowes family back together again on their farm, and fights against terrific odds to do so.
There is a definite Christian message in this book.  Having recently made a commitment to the Lord, Will finds that all hell seems to have broken loose against him.  He meets opposition at every turn, puts his private life on hold, and goes more than the second mile to prove the innocence of his client and to save a child's life.

OCEANS APART BY KAREN KINGSBURY

Oceans Apart by Karen Kingsbury is a very moving story showing how  children very often suffer for their parents’ mistakes.  We see in Kiahna, a mother who is totally devoted to her child and who brings him up with a lot of love and in the ways of the Lord.  We see the childlike faith of Connor Evans’ children in their acceptance of Max.

Connor expects his wife, Michele, to take to Max like everyone else does, and it’s only when he turns to the Lord in repentance for his mistake that he sees how much he is expecting of her.  He sees that he has all but destroyed his family and that it is his fault and not Max’s, but that Max and Michele are suffering the most from what he did. When he admits that it is all his fault and really turns to the Lord, Michele has a change of heart.  There is reconciliation, not just between Connor and Michele, but also between Connor and his father.

When Connor’s secret comes out and is dealt with, there is restoration in his marriage, in his family and in his faith in the Lord.

THE ATONEMENT CHILD BY FRANCINE RIVERS

The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers is more than just a story about rape, unwanted pregnancy and abortion.  We see how the victim, Dynah,  who was brought up in a Christian home,  and was attending a Christian college and engaged to a young Christian man, and who loved the Lord with her whole heart, was almost victimized by the very people who should have tried to understand her situation.  She is let down by the very people who are closest to her.  Except for her grandmother and her friend Joe, all the well-meaning people around her want her to have an abortion.

Dynah’s story can be compared to the story of Job.  We see her desperately trying to seek the Lord’s will for her life, at a time when her faith is being tested.  We see her stripped of practically all support and given a lot of advice by her friends and family. She tries to please those she loves, but she finally finds peace through giving herself and her situation to the Lord.  

The book shows how the Lord can bring good out of all situations and we see how her predicament brings healing in her family as secrets are uncovered and dealt with.

It is a beautiful book, written with the greatest sensitivity.  Francine Rivers does not judge or criticize, but shows us the anguish of all the people whose lives are touched by Dynah’s rape and subsequent pregnancy.

THE RESURRECTION FILE BY CRAIG PARSHALL

The Resurrection File by Craig Parshall is the first book in his Chambers of Justice Series.  It is well worth reading if you enjoy suspense novels.  It is very exciting and hard to put down. There is also a very good message in the book and the characters are well thought out and very real.  On the one hand you see corruption, even at the highest levels, and on the other hand you see Will Chambers and his client, Angus Mac Cameron, fighting for truth and justice.

Will Chambers is a trial lawyer who has seen better days.  After his estranged wife is murdered, he resorts to alcohol and loses interest in his work and life in general.  This leads to him being fired from a big law firm and being left on his own to pick up the pieces.

Against his better judgment, he takes on a case for Angus Mac Cameron, a fundamental Christian, and his Digging for Truth magazine, and finds himself literally in a war against satanic forces who are trying to deny the resurrection of Christ.  Through his exposure to the truth of the Bible, the influence of Angus Mac Cameron and his lovely daughter, and the evidence he digs up for the case itself, his own life is literally resurrected.  When he comes to know the risen Christ for himself, his life takes on new meaning.