CFBA: The Alarmists by Don Hoesel

Song Stuck on the Brain: This is the Stuff by Francesca Battistelli

Today, I'm touring for Bethany House Publishers. They were kind enough to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Alarmists

Bethany House (April 1, 2011)

by

Don Hoesel

MY TAKE:

This was an interesting take on the Mayan calendar end of the world theory. Although the author makes it clear that the theory is not valid in the opinion of the characters, it does play a strong roll in the high octane plot. A plot that was intricate, fast paced and very creative. The idea that there are multi-millionaires with power hungry desires isn't all that new, but the creative way they chose to use that power and funnell it into a massive plan to change the global economy and life as we know it, well that was just well planned. In fact it made me a little nervous, because as far fetched as it may seem, well, on second thought in this day and age maybe it's not so far fetched.

The characters were well drawn and I enjoyed the softer side represented in Colonel Richards, he wasn't just a tough as nails army leader, he had depth of character. Amy Maddigan was an easy fit as the love interest. The romance is mild and more of a flirtation toward a deeper relationship. I did find that Professor Michaels spiritual change was a little sudden and could have used a teensy bit more context at the end, but I also appreciated that the author didn't overwhelm the story with a heavy handed conversion experience. Some stories are better suited to that than others and I can see that a lighter touch was needed to balance the story and keep the pace. It's a tough line to walk for an author and although I'd have appreciated a little more detail, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, it was a definite hit for military suspense and action readers.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

The 2012 phenomenon that's going viral around the globe has led sociology professor Jameson Richards to study the impact on society when, like the Y2K scare, 12/21/12 comes and goes with hardly a wrinkle.

This is the date that, according to the Mayan calendar, the doomsayers predict the world will end. Richards teams up with General Michaels, a scientist stationed at the Pentagon whose job it is to monitor the world's fanatics, keeping an eye out for potential terrorists. Together they uncover something sinister going on beneath the surface, linked to billionaire and media mogul Jeremy Maxwell, who also happens to be a huge manufacturer of weapons systems.

The 2012 date has captured Maxwell's attention too, and he's looking to cash in on the public's fear and paranoia. And what he instigates--along with his corrupt partners--nearly starts another war in the Middle East, while also bringing the world to its knees economically. It's up to the professor/general team to blow the whistle on Maxwell, hopefully in time to avert a major catastrophe.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Alarmists, go HERE


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Don Hoesel is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. The Alarmists is his third novel.

CFBA: Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel

Song Stuck on the Brain: Finally Home by Mercy Me

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:

Hunter's Moon

by

Don Hoesel
Bethany House (February 1, 2010)



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Every family has secrets. Few will go as far as the Baxters to keep them. Bestselling novelist CJ Baxter has made a career out of writing hard-hitting stories ripped from his own life. Still there's one story from his past he's never told. One secret that's remained buried for decades. Now, seventeen years after swearing he'd never return, CJ is headed back to Adelia, NY. His life in Tennessee has fallen to pieces, his grandfather is dying, and CJ can no longer run from the past. With Graham Baxter, CJ's brother, running for Senate, a black sheep digging up old family secrets is the last thing the family and campaign can afford. CJ soon discovers that blood may be thicker than water, but it's no match for power and money. There are wounds even time cannot heal.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Hunter's Moon, go HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Don Hoesel was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, TN home. He works as a Communications Department supervisor for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal.

Don and hopes to one day sell enough books to just say that he's a writer. You can help with that by buying whatever his newest novel happens to be.

He lives in Spring Hill with his wife and two children.

CFBA: Elisha's Bones by Don Hoesel

Song Stuck on the Brain: She Works Hard For the Money by Kris Allen. He did a fantastic job on American Idol last night.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
Elisha's Bones
by
Don Hoesel(Bethany House March 1, 2009)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Every year, professor of antiquities Jack Hawthorne looks forward to the winter break as a time to hide away from his responsibilities. Even if just for a week or two. But this year, his plans are derailed when he's offered almost a blank check from a man chasing a rumor.

Billionaire Gordon Reese thinks he knows where the bones of the prophet Elisha are--bones that in the Old Testament brought the dead back to life. The bones of the prophet once raised the dead to life... but they vanished from history in a whisper.

Bankrolled by a dying man of unlimited means, Hawthorne's hunt spans the globe and leads him into a deadly conspiracy older than the church itself. A born skeptic, Jack doesn't think much of the assignment but he could use the money, so he takes the first step on a chase for the legendary bones that will take him to the very ends of the earth.

But he's not alone. Joined with a fiery colleague, Esperanza Habilla, they soon discover clues to a shadowy organization whose long-held secrets have been protected . . . at all costs. And he soon discovers those sworn to keep the secret of the bones will do anything to protect them. As their lives are threatened again and again, the real race is to uncover the truth before those chasing them hunt them down.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Elisha's Bones, go HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Don Hoesel was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, TN home. He is a Web site designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal.

He lives in Spring Hill with his wife and two children.

Elisha's Bones is his first novel.