THE NIGHT WATCHMAN & THE CORRUPTIBLE BY MARK MYNHEIR

THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by MARK MYNHEIR is an exciting detective novel with a good story, believable characters and a subtle Christian message running throughout.  I particularly enjoyed the sarcastic wit with which the protagonist, Ray Quinn, faces the world!
Ray is a former detective who is now working as a night watchman at a very superior apartment building which forms quite a contrast to his very basic and not very pleasant living conditions.  He is crippled due to being shot whilst on duty, and he is bitter at having lost the love of his life in the same shootout.  He feels guilty due to his inability to save her life.  He is a confused and unhappy man with a serious drinking problem.  His problems are deep seated - he never knew his parents and was passed from one foster home to another as a child, thus battling with rejection and heavy depression.
When a pastor and a prostitute are found dead at the apartment building where he works, he and his co-worker Crevis Creighton help the pastor's sister, Pam, to look into what really happened at this so called "murder-suicide".  
Pam is a committed Christian and is unfazed by Ray's antagonism to all things pertaining to her faith, and is a healthy influence in his life.  It is interesting to see how a gradual friendship is built up between the three of them.
In THE CORRUPTIBLE we find Ray and Crevis as Private Investigators. Pam, who is a school teacher, helps them in the afternoons and is also helping Crevis to pass his exams.  Crevis badly wants to become a polIceman but he has a learning disability. He is a likeable character - fiercely loyal and sometimes rather over enthusiastic.  He works out at the gym, getting tips from Ray who was a kick-boxer before he was injured, and has become Ray's protector.  Pam is also always ready to help, which pleases Ray but also exasperates him as he feels she is just waiting to pounce on him with a Scripture or a prayer!
The case they deal with is exciting and dangerous, although this time Ray gets the help he needs from the police department as he has been made a consultant.
The novels are fast paced and there is an interesting message throughout.  We can't help wondering when Ray will finally give up trying to get through life with the help of his "friend" Jim Beam and give the Lord a chance to help him get his life in order!
Although the books are better read one after the other in sequence, they can each be read as stand alone novels.  I can highly recommend them both. 

LOVE IN A BROKEN VESSEL BY MESU ANDREWS

In LOVE IN A BROKEN VESSEL MESU ANDREWS tells the biblical story of the prophet Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer, with incredible insight and sensitivity. The novel is "up there" with some of the best Christian books I have read!
Whilst following the story and backing it with scripture throughout, the author introduces fictional characters who add their part to the novel without taking away from the truth. The characters, their struggles and their feelings are beautifully portrayed against the background of day to day life in Israel and Judah during the time of Hosea, Amos, Isaiah and Jonah.
We see God's judgment on His adulterous people, but we also see His incredible love and compassion as He restores those who turn to Him.
The Lord speaks to Hosea and tells him to marry a prostitute and to stay faithful to her even when she turns back to harlotry. This mirrors God's unconditional love for His people and His longing for them to turn back to Him. We see the consequences of sin and the importance of obedience. Hosea's patience with his rebellious wife and his obedience to God's voice show his total trust in Yahweh..
The theme of restoration runs right through the story. It is when Gomer is broken like the pottery vessel she throws at the cave wall in frustration, that she finally lets the Lord in to restore her. Then we see Amoz mending the broken vessel and making it into something beautiful.
There is also a lovely parallel of Christ purchasing us by his sacrifice on the cross when Hosea buys his adulterous wife back from slavery.
Altogether a lovely book, beautifully written, and one I cannot recommend highly enough.





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BETRAYED BY JEANETTE WINDLE

BETRAYED by JEANETTE WINDLE is a suspense novel which takes place in Guatemala.  Like all the books that I have read by this author, it is most thought provoking.  
Vicki Andrews has no idea what secrets she is about to uncover when she arrives in Guatemala, nor does she have any idea that she is about to be challenged personally as far as her belief in God is concerned.  Through a lot of "coincidences" she uncovers the truth about her early childhood and her birth parents, and through the faith of people like Evelyn and Cesar she is drawn back to the Lord.  
Vicki is an anthropologist who works for Children at Risk, and comes to Guatemala to look at the children's home, Casa de Esperanza, at the municipal rubbish dump, in order to see if the funding they have been given is being used properly.  She has great compassion for people in need, especially children, and cannot understand that a loving Heavenly Father can sit back and do nothing when there is so much suffering in the world.  She is different to her sister, Holly, who is a veterinarian and loves animals and the beauty of the world around her, and has never lost her faith in a loving God.  
In her search for the truth about what happened to Holly, Vicki takes up a position as interpreter at the Wildlife Rescue Centre, where Holly used to work, and it is here that she faces her greatest fears and shows great courage in the face of danger.  Faced with so much corruption, she doesn't know who to trust. In the end she turns to the Lord who came through for Sarah when she was abandoned in the king's harem, trusting Him to do the same for her!  In fact, the idea of being "a woman like Sarah" runs right through the story.   
The novel is exciting and the characters are very believable.  It is an enjoyable read and one I can highly recommend.

BLIND JUSTICE BY JAMES SCOTT BELL

 BLIND JUSTICE by JAMES SCOTT BELL is a courtroom thriller with a twist. There is definitely something going on behind the scenes in Hinton where Howie Patino is suspected of murdering his wife, Rae, and when he screams out that the devil is after him, it puts a whole new slant on the case!  In fact he says he saw the devil at the murder scene!
Jake Denney is a lawyer who has a drinking problem, and as a result he has not been very successful. He is divorced and unhappy and the only thing that keeps him going is his love for his five year old daughter, Mandy.
Howie had a hard time at school as he has always been slow, and it is there that he and Jake become friends. When Jake is asked by Howie's parents to be his defense lawyer, he accepts, not only because Howie is his friend but also because he needs the money.  Howie is confused about what happened the night of the murder, which doesn't make Jake's job very easy.
Jake's childhood was not happy. Because he could never please his overbearing father, he has the wrong idea about God and feels he will never be able to please Him either. His friend Trip, who is a private investigator, tries hard to lead him to the Lord.  Howie's sister, Lindsay, makes quite an impression on him with her steady trust in God, and the way she recognizes the demonic power at work in Hinton.  I like the way the story is written in the first person.  We really get to know and understand Jake as he expresses his feelings.
It is not only an exciting story but there is a strong Christian message. I can highly recommend this novel.



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DON'T LEAVE ME BY JAMES SCOTT BELL

DON'T LEAVE ME by JAMES SCOTT BELL is a suspense novel that I found hard to put down!
Chuck Samson is trying to put his life back together after his horrific experiences in Afghanistan, where he served as navy chaplain, and the death of his wife, Julia, in a car accident.
Chuck has a job as a school teacher, which he finds most fulfilling, and he is responsible for his younger brother, Stan, who has special needs. 
Everything changes when a man Chuck calls the "Mad Russian" deliberately causes him to slam into his car and then pulls a knife on him.
His life gets really complicated when his house burns down and he is suspected, not only of of manufacturing amphetamines, but also of committing murder!
Things are not at all as they seem and Chuck is devastated when he finds out the truth behind all that he goes through. Chuck has always had to be the brave one, the one with the answers to life's problems for his brother, the children in his class and those he ministered to in the army, but he is at a total loss as to why all these things are happening to him. He is gradually drawn back to the God he hasn't spoken to since his wife's death seven months ago.
It is a story of betrayal, the unfairness of life, and greed, as opposed to simple trust and tremendous courage. For example, we see how Stan, the fearful one, overcomes fear when his brother's life is in danger. The relationships between the characters are convincing and the plot is well worked out. It is an excellent read and I can highly recommend it.




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CONGO DAWN BY JEANETTE WINDLE

CONGO DAWN by JEANETTE WINDLE is a rivetting suspense novel which is set in the Congo in the Ituri rainforest area. We see unbridled horror, greed and corruption on the one hand, as opposed to Christian love, compassion and forgiveness on the other.
Trevor Mulroney is horrified to find that the interpreter he has hired as part of his security team, Chris R. Duncan, is in fact a woman. Robin, as she is called, is an ex marine who was deployed in Afghanistan. It is there that she knew Michael Stewart, who she is surprised to meet again in the Congo. Michael, who is now a qualified doctor, was a medical orderly in Afghanistan and she blames him for her brother's death. They haven't seen one another for five years, and whilst Michael is still a committed Christian who lives out his faith, Robin has lost her childhood faith and feels very far from God. It is Michael's sister Miriam, with her loving ministry, and the danger that Robin finds herself in, that cause her to draw close to the Lord once again.
While it doesn't take long for Michael and Robin to uncover the truth about what happened that dreadful day in Afghanistan, it takes longer for them to uncover the truth about what really is happening in the Ituri rainforest, what really happened to the local population and why the mine workers are being held as prisoners.
The Are Solutions operatives are going to be well paid for this mission which is very important for Mulroney, who stands to lose everything if it fails. The mine has been sabotaged by the man they call Jini, the ghost, and these soldiers, together with some of President Wamba's men, are hunting him like an animal.
Robin is a dedicated operative and does her job well, but this assignment is especially important to her as her sister's child of four needs expensive surgery in order to survive. Little Kristi is the only person that Robin has allowed herself to love and she wants to help by paying for her operation.
We see how Robin learns that God is able to supply His children's needs without her help, and we see her great bravery and compassion for others when put to the test.
The characters are well portrayed, the setting is beautifully described and the story is full of biblical truth. There is much food for thought in this novel and I can highly recommend it.


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THE MEETING PLACE BY JANETTE OKE & T. DAVIS BUNN

THE MEETING PLACE by JANETTE OKE and T. DAVIS BUNN is a story of reconciliation, forgiveness, and overcoming heartache through faith in God and His goodness.
Catherine Price and Louise Belleveau are two young girls from neighbouring villages in Acadia, one of them English and the other French, whose friendship and desire to study the Scriptures and have a living relationship with the Lord, not only affects their lives but the lives of their husbands, families and communities.
The French village of Minas consists of a community of Huguenots who left France due to religious persecution. They are hard working and have no desire to fight, either for France or for England. The English are afraid of the alarmingly large number of Frenchmen in Acadia, and have the misguided idea that they will join with the Indians to fight against them. This is why the French have been ordered by the British to sign a declaration of allegiance to the British throne, promising to fight on the British side in any war. This they refuse to do.
Catherine marries Andrew Harrow, a captain in the British regiment, and they live in the village of Fort Edward. On the same day Louise marries Henri Robichaud. The women's friendship grows in leaps and bounds and they meet regularly in a beautiful clearing. Catherine, who has learnt some French, takes out her grammar book and studies it throughout the winter in order to be able to better communicate with her friend. Both women are open with their husbands about their meetings and their friendships, not wanting to go against their husbands' wishes, and this leads to a strong bond between the two men as well.
In this novel we see two godly couples who dare to be friends, and who are literally prepared to lay down their lives for one another, in contrast to the bigotry and hatred shown by others towards those they consider a threat.
It is a well known fact that the two countries, England and France, have hated one another for a long time, and in this book we see how brave and godly people follow God's commandment to love one another, no matter the cost.
It is a beautifully written book in which the struggles and heartaches of the characters are well portrayed and the message of the Gospel shines through. I can highly recommend this novel.


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