TRUTH STAINED LIES BY TERRI BLACKSTOCK

TRUTH STAINED LIES by TERRI BLACKSTOCK is an exciting thriller with a definite Christian message.
When Jay Cramer is suspected of murdering his estranged wife, his three sisters, Juliet, Cathy and Holly, and his best friend Michael Hogan, are totally committed to getting him released from prison and reunited with his five year old son, Jackson, who has been placed in the custody of his very sick maternal grandmother and uncaring uncle.
Cathy is a lawyer who is no longer practising - she now writes a blog where she tries to get justice for victims of crime by giving her slant on court cases. When her brother is proclaimed guilty by nearly everyone, she realizes she must be more careful what she writes in future and should even ask for God's guidance beforehand! She sees how easy it is to ruin someone's life by what one says or writes about them.
Her relationship with The Lord was badly affected when her father, a pastor, left his family and ran off with his secretary. Holly was also badly affected, and we see how the trauma they go through trying to save their brother and nephew draws them back to The Lord and even leads them to visit their father and to forgive him. We also see Holly, who has lived a wild and selfish life, show compassion to old Mrs Haughton, and gain self esteem when she is asked to help Michael, who is now a P. I., after disgracing himself and his family as a cop by withholding evidence which led to his brother's killer being set free, asks her to help him solve the crime.
Juliet learns to be more understanding of Holly and is impressed by her maturity. When Holly sees Warren Haughton's disregard for his nephew's unhappiness she makes a major decision in her own life.
Michael battles with guilt for being thrown out of the police force, but he mostly feels that, as a Christian, he has let his Lord down! Cathy was engaged to his murdered brother, Joe. They both feel guilty when they find they have feelings for one another.
The plot is well worked out, the characters are believable, and the story is fast paced. I like the way the characters work through their feelings and relationships. It is good to see ordinary people dealing with what life throws at them, and coming out stronger when they realize that God is not the source of their problems, but is indeed "a very real help in the time of trouble." I enjoyed this novel and can recommend it.


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DAMASCUS COUNTDOWN BY JOEL ROSENBERG

 DAMASCUS COUNTDOWN by JOEL ROSENBERG follows The Twelfth Imam and The Tehran Initiative, both of which I reviewed on the 9th January 2012, and which I recommend you read first in order to get the most out of this novel.
It is also full of biblical prophecy and shows how Iran, Syria and Israel fit into God's scheme of things.  
The Twelfth Imam, or Mahdi, has set himself up as a tyrannical "god" and has forced other leaders in the Middle East to bow to him as supreme leader of the Muslims.
There are two nuclear warheads that were not destroyed with the others and David Shirazi is sent back to Iran to find them before they are fired on Israel and even maybe the United States.  He has to leave when he knows his beloved mother is not much longer for this world, but is comforted by the fact that his father knows the truth about his work and is proud of him.  David doesn't know that Marseille Harper has found out the truth from something that was let slip at the C.I.A. Headquarters.  Marseille, who has recently committed her life to Christ, shows great compassion and is a tower of strength to the Shirazi family at the time of his mother's funeral.
Marseille feels that the Lord has drawn her and David together but is also aware of the fact that she cannot be unequally yoked with an unbeliever.  She remains unaware of David's conversion to Christianity until he comes home after the mission.
In this novel we see the forces of evil unleashed against Israel and the hatred shown by militant Islamists towards those they call infidels, namely anyone who doesn't embrace their beliefs. We see the determination of the Jewish leaders to prevent a second Holocaust, and the weakness of the American president who believes that the Mahdi will see reason if he is treated with diplomacy.  We see Israel refusing to hold back and their determination to protect their homeland and citizens.
The warheads are on the move and David uses his contacts amongst the Twelvers, who have come to trust him, and information from the Israelis, to hear that they are going to be launched from Damascus.
The book is very exciting and well worth reading, in fact it is rather like reading tomorrow's newspaper!
The author keeps our interest with well portrayed characters and interesting relationships throughout the story. We are keen to find out what will happen between Marseille and David, whether Dr Birjandi will ever reveal his allegiance to Jesus Christ to the Twelvers, and whether David's rather desperate plan to find and deactivate the warheads will be successful.
We see bravery and patriotism at its best, and bigotry and hatred at its worst. We also see God's faithfulness to His people. I can highly recommend this novel.

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT BY T. DAVIS BUNN

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT BY T. DAVIS BUNN is a suspense story with a romantic twist.
Wayne Grusza is asked by his sister, Eilene, to look into the finances of a seniors' complex where she ministers from time to time. Eilene and Wayne were orphaned quite young and, as the older sister, Eilene despairs of her brother ever settling down and prays constantly for his conversion to Christianity. Wayne has been through a lot and his past troubles him. Having been in special ops, married too young and divorced by his wife while serving in Iraq, he is bitter and very angry. He has come to the end of himself and has nowhere else to go, so he goes to work at the seniors' community and finds friendship and acceptance there. While he was in the armed forces he was put in an office job where he found an incredible aptitude for figures. He finds that the residents have been badly conned and gets their money back in a most unorthodox manner!
Eilene is a pastor who has a church in Orlando with an outreach centre. She has a beautiful friend, Tatyana, a lawyer who works for Ted Easton. There is something strange going on in his company and Tatyana asks Wayne to use his expertise to look into the books. Easton is a Christian who is forced to stay under virtual house arrest due to a threat against his life. He has been warned by an "angel", and the same person also warns Wayne of danger.
There are a lot of likeable characters in this novel, including the elderly Victoria who prays without ceasing for Wayne, Foster and Jerry who become his friends and who, together with Julio, the teenager his sister asks him to take under his wing to save him from the gangs, back him at every turn.
We see broken and lonely people restored to wholeness and hope. We see the power of intercessory prayer as Victoria prays for those The Lord brings into her life. We see how Wayne and Tatyana become able to love again when they let go of feelings of betrayal and anger and learn to forgive.
I can highly recommend this novel, it is an exciting read and is full of Scriptural truth.







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SCREEN PLAY: A NOVEL BY CHRIS COPPERNOLL

SCREEN PLAY: A NOVEL by CHRIS COPPERNOLL is a charming book about a young girl's dreams, and like the play Apartment 19, there are many layers to the story.
Harper Gray is a young actress who has been through a difficult year, her thirtieth year, without work, living in an apartment in Chicago with nothing to do.  Her boyfriend has left her and her best friend, Avril, has left for New York where she is doing well in the acting scene.  She is ready to give up until she meets Bella who invites her to church and gently leads her into a relationship with the Lord. 
She gets a call from Ben, a friend from college, who is now a director, telling her that his leading lady's understudy has left suddenly and he wants her to come to New York and take her place.  She knows this is an answer to prayer and is very grateful.
We see how she copes in a difficult situation, with an impossible leading lady, an unfriendly director's assistant and a feeling of not fitting in anywhere.  
She is a young Christian but she makes a definite stand for the Lord.  She feels she has been placed in this situation for a reason and is determined to see what He wants her to do here.
One of her dreams is to become a good actress and the other is to meet the right man. Avril has found a boyfriend online called Jon, with whom she is madly in love, and Harper very tentatively joins the Love.Set.Match website where she meets Luke from Alaska.  Harper has great compassion and finds herself praying for the people she comes in contact with, even the men she meets online.  When she is acting in the play, she takes it to a different level by praying with all those involved before going on stage.  We see how the other actors come to love her and stand up for her when she is maligned by Helen Payne.
We see the difference between Harper and Avril.  Avril misses the underlying meaning in Apartment 19, whilst Harper relates to a character enduring life in a difficult situation as she has  been doing just that for the past year.  Avril seems to live a charmed life, and is sadly disillusioned when she finds her boyfriend has been lying to her. Harper sees clearly the difference between acting and reality.  She feels acting is her ministry, and succeeds in her first dream.  
Although in the natural Luke seems to be quite wrong for her, living such a different lifestyle and being so far away, Harper comes to see that he is the soul mate she has dreamt about for so long.
This is a novel that I enjoyed immensely.  It is beautifully written and has tremendous depth and a strong Christian message.  I love the interaction between the characters, and Harper is a heroine that one cannot help taking to one's heart.  

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SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN BY BRANDT DODSON

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN by BRANDT DODSON is a novel which brings home the message of forgiveness, which is not surprising considering the title!
Colton Parker is a former F.B.I. Agent, turned private investigator, who is called upon by a wealthy business man to find his missing wife. Things are not as they seem, and when he finds the man's wife he is forced to face the mother who abandoned him as a baby, and is drawn into doing battle with  some very dangerous people.
Colton is struggling to forgive himself for his wife's death, which he feels was his fault, and he is also trying desperately to connect with his thirteen year old daughter, who has lost the mother she adored and who blames him for her death.
Colton's struggles are well portrayed, and we are left with the feeling that he is finally ready to turn to the One who died so that his sins could be forgiven.  We also see the importance of facing up to what one has done wrong in order to be set free from guilt.
The plot is exciting and well worked out and there is a strong Christian message. I really enjoyed this book.  I have read two other Brandt Dodson novels, WHITE SOUL and DANIEL'S DEN,  which I can also recommend.



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WHAT LIES WITHIN BY KAREN BALL

WHAT LIES WITHIN by KAREN BALL is the third book in the FAMILY HONOR SERIES.  I have read and enjoyed all three and, although it is better to read them in sequence, each can be read as a stand-alone novel.  In fact, I have only just read the first two, having read WHAT LIES WITHIN many years ago.  It has been great re-reading it in sequence.
Kyla Justice has taken over her deceased father's construction business, JuCo, and has made a name for herself in a male dominated profession.  She is not emotional like her sister Annot, or Annie as she is called, and is disciplined and driven rather than passionate.  She and Annie, with their brother Avidan, or Dan,  are a very close family and they look after one another, especially since their parents' deaths.
In spite of her success, she is not satisfied, and longs to build something worthwhile, something that will be pleasing to God and will make a difference.  Her first reaction to her father's old friend Fredrik's request to help with rebuilding the church into a Teen Centre, in the middle of the 22's territory, is that it is impossible, but she soon gets drawn into the vision. She feels strongly that the Lord is calling her to do this.  
This leads to trouble and Kyla is in grave danger from those who are trying to stop the project from being finished in time. JuCo has made a lot of money and she does what her father used to do when he came across a project that he felt was worthwhile, and that is to do it out of her accumulated profit.  
Rafe Murphy is an ex Marine who was injured on duty and now runs a coffee shop.  He meets up with Kyla, who he has been in love with all his life, when she comes in for coffee.  She doesn't recognize him, but he knows who she is, and their relationship is quite volatile as he tries to keep her safe, while she thinks she is capable of looking after herself.  Her sister Annie calls her "Sister-Mommy" because of her bossy and protective ways.  Her siblings wonder what happened to her to quench her passion and put such a tight rein on her emotions, but Rafe knows.  Through all they go through in the "war zone" she is drawn to him and second guesses her engagement to Mason.  Rafe's Marine unit is loyal to him and they are more than willing to help in the situalion.
The story follows closely the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, where the Israelites trusted in God to keep them safe.  They held a sword in the one hand and a building tool in the other.  Their enemies were determined to stop Jerusalem from being rebuilt, and did everything in their power to hinder the work.  Nehemiah soaked the whole project in believing prayer, and Fredrik is the one who, with his elderly deacons, does the same for the modern rebuilding project.  It is a beautifully worked out story, with believable characters, and the biblical story is paralleled  in the modern world with gangs, the greed of business tycoons, threats and betrayals,  The power of prayer is shown strongly together with the importance of trust.  I like the verses at the beginning of each chapter, many of them taken from the book of Nehemiah.
This is a novel I can highly recommend.

FATAL JUDGMENT BY IRENE HANNON

FATAL JUDGMENT by IRENE HANNON is the first book in the GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE series. It is a fast-paced thriller with a strong Christian message.
Deputy U.S. Marshall Jake Taylor is placed on protective duty and is surprised to find that Elizabeth Michaels, the high profile judge he is protecting, is his best friend Doug's widow. He has pre-conceived ideas about her because of the derogatory remarks Doug made to him about her, however his opinion changes as he gets to know her better. What starts out as a purely professional relationship turns into something more. The truth is that, just as her murdered sister Stephanie's husband abused his wife physically, Liz's husband abused her mentally.
Jake has more or less given up on God because of his wife's death, and Liz understands how he feels as she was tempted to do the same when Doug died.
The Taylor family are very close and are all involved in law enforcement in one way or another. Their mother is a godly woman and they were brought up in a Christian home. Cole is a detective and Alison works in child services. Stephanie was Liz's only living relative and she feels desperately lonely when she is alone in the condo where she is being kept safe until the killer is apprehended. She is drawn to Jake and he becomes her lifeline to normalcy. She looks forward to his visits and they come to trust one another and open up to one another. Jake has to put up with some subtle teasing from his siblings and his co-workers as it is obvious that he and Liz have feelings for one another. They are both looking forward to being able to pursue a romantic relationship once the case is solved.
Liz has developed a strong faith in God over the years and she encourages Jake to take up Alison's invitation to go to church with her. It is when Liz is in mortal danger that his childhood faith in the Lord is re-awakened.
The characters are well portrayed and their relationships with one another and with the Lord come through strongly. The importance of family and friends, of forgiveness, kindness and understanding, shows throughout the story.
We see how a diabolically clever killer, with weird anti-government ideas, has his plans thwarted by the very government agencies he is trying to expose! I can highly recommend this book. I have read the next two novels in the GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE series, where Cole's and Alison's stories are told, and can highly recommend them as well.











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