CFBA: Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand

Song Stuck on the Brain: Figaro and Cleo from Disney. Sang it to my great nephew this morning.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


Back On MurderBethany House (July 1, 2010)


byJ. Mark Bertrand

MY TAKE:

Back on Murder takes me back to old school murder mysteries. The gruff detective battling his way back into the saddle while healing old wounds. The case that can either save his career or ruin it permanantly. The new partner he's not sure he wants. It's great. And looking at those story bones you might think, "ho hum, been there read that". But Bertrand has done a great job in creating the cast and the plot. The story quickly begins to feel like a long lost friend. Familiar in goodways, but with so many new layers to uncover. The mystery is well done, with mulitple cases woven together seemlessly. I closed the book and felt a little sad that I was done. I look forward to his next release.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Det. Roland March is a homicide cop on his way out.

A missing girl. A corrupt investigation. They thought they could get away with it, but they forgot one thing:

Roland March is BACK ON MURDER...

Houston homicide detective Roland March was once one of the best. Now he's disillusioned, cynical, and on his way out. His superiors farm him out on a variety of punishment details. But when he's the only one at a crime scene to find evidence of a missing female victim, he's given one last chance to prove himself. Before he can crack the case, he's transferred to a new one that has grabbed the spotlight--the disappearance of a famous Houston evangelist's teen daughter.

All he has to do? Find the missing teenage daughter of a Houston evangelist that every cop in town is already looking for. But March has an inside track, a multiple murder nobody else thinks is connected. With the help of a youth pastor with a guilty conscience who navigates the world of church and faith, March is determined to find the missing girls while proving he's still one of Houston's best detectives.

Battling a new partner, an old nemesis, and the demons of his past, getting to the truth could cost March everything. Even his life.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Back On Murder, go HERE.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.

Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of a hung jury in Houston, and after relocating served on the jury that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead. Besides his personal website, visit his Crime Genre website at http://www.crimegenre.com/.

The next book in this series, Pattern Of Wounds will come out in the summer of 2011.

CFBA: Tomorrow We Die by Shawn Grady

Song Stuck on the Brain: Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:



Tomorrow We DieBethany House (July 1, 2010)



by Shawn Grady


MY TAKE:

Loved it! I thought Shawn's first book Through the Fire was impressive, but he knocked this one right out of the park. The story is fast paced, exciting and keeps you guessing clear to the end.

Jonathan Trestle is so real, I feel like I could fly to Reno today and meet him at the coffee shop. I know as writers we all do the research and put as much reality in our characters as possible. We want them to live and breathe in the readers minds. Shawn made that happen. His experience in the field of emergency services is obvious, but it takes talent to turn that experience into a character that surpasses paper and lives in our minds. He did that, not only with Trestle, but his field partner Bones and every other character you meet. In fact, Bones cracked me up. I want to meet him in real life too.

True to life characters wouldn't stand much of a chance though, if the setting didn't seem just as real. Shawn's descriptions of the city and nearby mountains were crystal clear, and I love his use of music and lyrics to show you emotion and mind set.

This is one of those books that I read with two halves of my brain arguing with the other. Every page was devoured by the book addict in me, with hardly the strength to set it down when necessary. When the book did get set down (briefly) the writer half couldn't stop analyzing everything written.

If it isn't obvious yet, I highly recommend this book. Shawn Grady deserves the title of Most Promising New Writer.

If you want to read an interview with Shawn, visit Mark Young's blog Hook'em and Book'em.




ABOUT THE BOOK:

Chase the Angel of Death and You Might Catch Him

Jonathan Trestle is a paramedic who's spent the week a few steps behind the angel of death. When he responds to a call about a man sprawled on a downtown sidewalk, Trestle isn't about to lose another victim. CPR revives the man long enough for him to hand Trestle a crumpled piece of paper and say, "Give this to Martin," before being taken to the hospital.

The note is a series of dashes and haphazard scribbles. Trestle tries to follow up with the patient later, but at the ICU he learns the man awoke, pulled out his IVs, and vanished, leaving only a single key behind. With the simple decision to honor a dying man's last wish, Jonathan tracks the key to a nearby motel where he finds the man again--this time not just dead but murdered. Unwilling to just let it drop, Jonathan is plunged into a mystery that soon threatens not only his dreams for the future but maybe even his life. He must race for the truth before the Angel of Death comes calling for him.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Tomorrow We Die, go to HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shawn Grady signed with Bethany House Publishers in 2008. He was named “Most Promising New Writer” at the 39th Annual Mount Hermon Writers Conference. He is the author of the novels Through the Fire & Tomorrow We Die.

Shawn has served for over a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in northern Nevada. From fire engines and ambulances to tillered ladder trucks and helicopters, Shawn’s work environment has always been dynamic. The line of duty has carried him to a variety of locale, from high-rise fires in the city to the burning heavy timber of the eastern Sierras.

Shawn attended Point Loma Nazarene University as a Theology undergrad before shifting direction to acquire an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science Technology as well as Paramedic licensure through Truckee Meadows Community College.

Shawn currently lives in Reno, Nevada, just outside of Lake Tahoe. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife, three children and yellow Labrador.

Dubai Water Feature

While visiting author Angela Hunt's blog, A Life In Pages, I came across this video of a water feature in Dubai. The song playing is Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. It was so amazing I had to share it. Stop by Angela's blog too, she's got great posts.

CFBA: Nightmare by Robin Parrish

Song Stuck on the Brain: Love is Like a Butterfly by Dolly Parton.

Love Dolly. Watched her 25th Anniversary show for Dollywood and couldn't help but think of this song. Between her and Kenny Rogers, my musical senses were formed at a VERY early age. I was going to marry Kenny at the age of 4...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:

NightmareBethany House (July 1, 2010)

byRobin Parrish

MY TAKE:

Hmmm, what can I say other than that the title is very appropriate. This one was a whole lot more than I bargained for. At a little over a third of the book, I had to stop. I was just to freaked out. I expected more of a suspense style and got more horror. Not my thing at all.

However, Robin's writing style is fantastic. You feel every moment and it's hard to put down. I had a hard time stopping, despite being freaked out beyond belief.

If this is a genre you enjoy, then I don't think you'll be disappointed. His writing is amazing, even if I don't appreciate the story topic. Not even Frank Peretti scared me like this.

With that said, I'll leave it to your own judgement. Not having completed the book and considering how creeped out it left me, I can't personally say I recommend it. However, if you do read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. For once, I wish someone would just tell me how it all turns out... without having to read the book.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Nightmare is Coming...

Ghost Town is the hottest amusement park in the country, offering state-of-the-art chills and thrills involving the paranormal. The park's main ride is a haunted house that promises an encounter with a real ghost.

When Maia Peters visits during her senior year of college, she's not expecting to be impressed. Maia grew up as the only child of a pair of world-renowned "ghost hunters," so the paranormal is nothing new and to her most of the park is just Hollywood special effects. In fact, the ride feels pretty boring until the very end. There, a face appears from the mist. The face of Jordin Cole, a girl Maia knows who disappeared from campus a few months ago.

Convinced what she saw wasn't a hoax and desperate to find answers to Jordin's disappearance, Maia launches into a quest for answers. Joined by Jordin's boyfriend--a pastor's kid with very different ideas about paranormal and the spirit realm--Maia finds herself in a struggle against dangerous forces she never expected to confront on the edge of the spirit realm that try to keep the truth from emerging.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Nightmare, go HERE.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robin Parrish is a journalist who's written about the intersection of faith and pop culture for more than a decade. Currently he serves as Senior Editor at XZOOSIA.com, a community portal that fuses social networking with magazine-style features about entertainment and culture.

He had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract with Bethany House Publishers. They contracted him for the rights to The Dominion Trilogy: Relentless (2006), Fearless (2007), and Merciless (2008). His science fiction thriller, Offworld came out in 2009. This summer debuts Nightmare, and he's working on another for 2011. Robin and his wife and children live in North Carolina.

CFBA: Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson

Song Stuck on the Brain: Enterprise Theme Song

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


Refuge on Crescent HillKregel Publications (March 11, 2010)


by


Melanie Dobson






MY TAKE:

Great read! I've always been intrigued by the Civil War era history, especially the underground railroad. Melanie's story weaves the intrigue of past and present into an intense story that's hard to put down.

The main characters seemed at first to be wide set, unconnected to what the story set out tell. As the plot progressed, it was amazing to see each twist and secret uncovered, revealing how each was connected in a way I hadn't anticipated.

And amidst all of the secrecy and intrigue, each character discovered a new form of compassion and grace. I found myself identifying in some way with all of them. Camden, Alex, Stephanie... When you can see yourself reflected back in the story, it makes it more real and all the more compelling. It's a great book.





ABOUT THE BOOK:

THE HOMECOMING WASN’T WHAT SHE EXPECTED…

Jobless, homeless, and broke, Camden Bristow decides to visit the grandmother she hasn’t seen in years. But when Camden arrives in Etherton, Ohio, she discovers that her grandmother has passed away, leaving her the 150-year-old mansion on Crescent Hill. The site of her happiest summers as a child, the run-down mansion is now her only refuge.

When Camden finds evidence that she may not be the mansion’s only occupant, memories of Grandma Rosalie’s bedtime stories about secret passageways and runaway slaves fuel her imagination. What really happened at Crescent Hill? Who can she turn to for answers in this town full of strangers? And what motivates the handsome local Alex Yates to offer his help? As she works to uncover the past and present mysteries harbored in her home, Camden uncovers deep family secrets within the mansion’s walls that could change her life─and the entire town─forever.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Refuge on Crescent Hill, go HERE.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of The Black Cloister; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana; and Together for Good.

Prior to launching Dobson Media Group in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of events, products, films, and TV specials. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. She has worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.

Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Jon works in the field of computer animation. Since they've been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their new home in the Pacific Northwest.

Jon and Melanie have adopted their two daughters —Karly (6) and Kinzel (5). When Melanie isn't writing or entertaining their girls, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, traveling, hiking, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.