STORM GATHERING, THE SPLITTING STORM & STORM SURGE BY RENE GUTTERIDGE

STORM GATHERING, THE SPLITTING STORM & STORM SURGE by Rene Gutteridge are a series of thrillers which are well worth reading for the exciting plots and for the strong Christian message that runs throughout.  The storm theme and the theme that "things are not as they seem" flow through the three novels. 

In the beginning of "Storm Gathering" we come across a strange child who is obsessed with fighting the dragon that is trying to hurt his mother.  We only find out who this tortured soul is at the end of "Splitting Storm". The main character, Mick Kline, has always been fascinated with the weather, and is a keen storm chaser.  He is a qualified accountant, who now has a job as a high school coach where he is very undervalued.  He starts out in "Storm Gathering" as a very angry man, a heavy drinker, estranged from his brother Aaron, who is a cop and a committed Christian and who frustrates Mick by always doing things right, while Mick's life is falling apart.  The main cause of the falling out is that Aaron gets engaged to Jenny, who Mick is in love with and who was his girlfriend.  Mick's relationships with women have never been very committed, and he plays hard to get with Jenny and loses her to Aaron. Jenny is a Christian and is drawn to Aaron which infuriates Mick and the story starts with the two brothers in a fist fight.  It is sad, as they have always been close, and Mick used to look up to his older brother until he became "religious" and became a thorn in his side. 

Aaron has always tried to make Mick see that he is not inferior in any way, and tries hard to get Mick to see himself as special, someone who matters to God and to his fellow man.
While Mick is in a state of rejection and anger he goes to a bar to drown his sorrows and meets Taylor Franks, a beautiful blonde who has her own problems of rejection by her ex boyfriend, Sammy Earle, an arrogant attorney who is not all that honest in his legal dealings and who has destroyed Taylor financially whilst destroying her self esteem.  Mick is very drunk and goes home with her.  He wakes up in the morning on the floor with a huge hangover and not much memory of what happened the night before, with Taylor having disappeared.  Mick ends up being accused of kidnapping and possible murder. 
There is an undercurrent of evil, and we feel that with the storm gathering against Mick, his life could go one way or another -he could be destroyed by the storm building up against him, or saved by admitting his inability to cope on his own and surrendering to the only One who can help him.  He is falsely accused and knows he has been set up somehow, not only for Taylor's kinapping and possible murder, but also for the murder of Stephen Fiscall.  Aaron tries to help prove Mick's innocence, but Mick doesn't help matters by running off.  Shep Crawford, a rather weird homicide detective, seems to be the only one who believes in Mick's innocence. Mick's search for truth leads to restored relationships - with his brother and also with the Lord - when he is brought to the end of himself and literally goes through fire and water, and also nearly dies from food poisoning.
In "The Splitting Storm" we find a regenerated Mick Kline, who is now working for the FBI and is living a very different life as a committed Christian.  We find that Aaron has been murdered, and Mick is determined to find his killer.  He has a theory that Aaron was murdered by a serial killer, and looks into several cop murders. Because of his obsession with his brother's murder he is sent to the FBI psychiatrist, Abigail Grenard, who has worked in profiling and who believes in Mick's theory and does some research of her own.  He is also put on thirty days' forced leave as he is not meant to be looking into Aaron's murder and interfering with the FBI's investigation.  One of the murder files fascinates him and he finds Faith Kemper, the blind wife of Paul Kemper, who was murdered in front of Faith.  Paul was a committed Christian, but his brutal murder and her fear for her own life, has made Faith turn away from her childhood faith.  Mick wants revenge against his brother's killer, and Faith is so afraid that she just wants to hide away behind her dark glasses and live quietly with Sissy, her dog.  She trusts no one. She moves every two or so years and tries not to interact with anyone, but she finds a good friend in Dixie and becomes fond of the people who work at the local diner, who are kind to her.  Dixie does all she can to get her to church, but it is through what she and Mick go through in the search for Paul's killer that she eventually turns to the Lord. She and Mick become close and Faith eventually learns to trust him. A splitting storm is one that divides in two - one part dying out and the other one developing into the storm.  Mick has two suspects in Paul's murder case. Abigail helps with profiling both the suspects and the end of the book is very exciting and full of suspense.
Ten years pass in Mick's life and we come to "Storm Surge."  Mick now chases storms and photographs them.  He has always, even during his rebellious days, been someone who wants to help people.  In fact, in the Taylor Franks' case he is the only one who seems to want to find out what has happened to her, to see if she is all right or if she has indeed been murdered. We see him risking his life over and over again to save people's lives.  His fight for truth and justice even causes him to try and find the truth about Stephen Fiscall's murder,  when Sammy Earle protests that he is innocent and is about to be executed for a crime he did not commit.  In fact, it is the realization that Mick risked his life for him which leads Sammy to accept the Lord. He realizes that he has been like Judas at the Last Supper who allowed Jesus to wash his feet and then betrayed Him.  Sammy realizes that he can either be self-sufficient and try and make up for his own sins as best he can, or he can become weak and humble before the Lord and accept what He did for him on the cross. 
Mick and his partner Reggie are called to a fire where they meet Libby Lancaster who works for the ATF.  It is a well known fact that the FBI and the ATF do not enjoy sharing their cases.  At first Libby is very standoffish, but eventually she and Mick become friends and work well together.  The man who is found burnt in the building is Joel Sanderson, who is being investigated by the FBI in an embezzlement case.  He used to work for Ira Leville, who is also under investigation.  There have been a series of arson cases that are connected with businesses that are involved in insurance fraud that lead back to Sanderson and Leville. 
Mick and Libby are injured in another fire where she rushes in to try and save the firefighters and injures herself badly, and Mick tries to go in after her and is flung back and breaks his arm.
Reggie spends his life trying to set Mick up with dates, and he is quite surprised when Mick has not only one woman who he may be interested in but three!  We find out in the end who it is - will it be Jenny, Faith or Libby?
In the end we find Mick and Libby in the middle of a category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Eve, being tossed around by the storm and at the mercy of a deadly killer who has been playing mind games with Mick all along.  Mick comes face to face with evil in the form of a psychopathic killer.

In the end Mick decides what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and who the woman is that he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

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.