Excellent Legal Fiction Debut

While unpublished authors may decry this down-turned publishing economy that makes it difficult for them  break in, the reader is definitely benefiting. The debut fiction that has come out these past two years is often better than that of seasoned authors. Anyone familiar with this blog knows that I love supporting the debut author--the works that have come out these past couple of years have made it easy to support them. Todd M. Johnson's The Deposit Slip is no exception.

This legal thriller hooked me from the very first chapter and kept me captivated, escalating the conflict throughout. Johnson created intriguing characters that I cared about. His pacing was excellent and didn't become bogged down with tedious courtroom drama. This novel was as much about the characters as it was about the legal conflict presented. The Christian element isn't in-your-face, but faith is part of the undercurrent pulling the story along.

If Todd Johnson's follow-up novels maintain this quality, I can easily foresee him joining the ranks of Randy Singer, Robert Whitlow, and James Scott Bell as a top writer of Christian legal fiction.

Other Christian legal fiction writers of note: Don Brown (JAG fiction), Craig Parshall, Diane and David Munson, Rick Acker.

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THE DEPOSIT SLIP
by Todd M. Johnson

$10,000,000 Is Missing.

Erin Larson is running out of options. In the wake of her father's death, she found a slim piece of paper--a deposit slip--with an unbelievable amount on it. Only the bank claims they have no record of the money, and trying to hire a lawyer has brought only intimidation and threats. Erin's last chance is Jared Neaton.

How Far Will One Lawyer Go to Find the Money?

When Jared wearied of the shady ethics of his big law firm and started his own, he never expected the wheels to fly off so quickly. One big loss has pushed him to the brink, and it's all he can do to scrape by. 

And How Far Will Someone Go to Stop Him?

He's not sure if Erin's case is worth the risk, but if the money is real, all his problems could vanish. When digging deeper unleashes something far more dangerous than just threats, both Jared and Erin must decide the cost they're willing to pay to discover the truth.


Todd M. Johnson has practiced as an attorney for over 30 years, specializing as a trial lawyer. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Minnesota Law School, he also taught for two years as adjunct professor of International Law and served as a US diplomat in Hong Kong. This is his debut novel. He lives outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife, his son, Ian, and his daughter, Libby.
Website: www.authortoddjohnson.com

Novel Anticipation - June 2012

The month of June provides more exciting reading opportunities, including (2) debut novels. I love the variety too: a police procedural, a legal thriller, a medical mystery, and an historical romance. Any of these would be perfect lakeside reading.

NOTHING TO HIDE

Roland March Mystery, Series #3

by J. Mark Bertrand

Thomas Nelson Publishers

352 pages

The body was an undercover agent working to bring down Mexican drug cartels. The feds want the case closed rather than risk exposing other agents in the field, but March can't abide letting a murder go unsolved. And he doesn't have to dig long to figure out something isn't right. Someone is covering something up, and it seems that everyone has something to hide. Maybe even March, as the case soon intersects, unexpectedly, with the murder that led him to become a homicide cop, all those years ago.

THE DEPOSIT SLIP

debut novel by Todd M. Johnson

Bethany House Publishers

368 pages

Erin Larson is running out of options. In the wake of her father's death, she found a slim piece of paper--a deposit slip--with an unbelievable amount on it. Ten million dollars. Only the bank claims it has no record of the deposit and stonewalls her attempts to find out more. This lawsuit, her last chance, has brought only intimidation and threats. Now she needs to convince Jared to take a risk, to help her because the money is real. And both need to watch their backs as digging deeper unleashes something far more dangerous than just threats.

PROOF

Bloodline Trilogy Series #1

debut novel by Jordyn Redwood

Kregel Publications

304 pages

Dr. Lilly Reeves is a young, accomplished ER physician with her whole life ahead of her. But that life instantly changes when she becomes the fifth victim of a serial rapist. Believing it's the only way to recover her reputation and secure peace for herself, Lilly sets out to find--and punish--her assailant. Sporting a mysterious tattoo and unusually colored eyes, the rapist should be easy to identify. He even leaves what police would consider solid evidence. But when Lilly believes she has found him, DNA testing clears him as a suspect. How can she prove he is guilty, if science says he is not?

THROUGH RUSHING WATER

by Catherine Richmond

Thomas Nelson

352 pages

Sophia Makinoff is certain that 1876 is the year that she'll become the wife of a certain US Congressman, and happily plans her debut into the Capitol city. But when he proposes to her roommate instead, Sophia is stunned. Hoping to flee her heartache and humiliation, she signs up with the Board of Foreign Missions on a whim.

     With dreams of a romantic posting to the Far East, Sophia is dismayed to find she's being sent to the Ponca Indian Agency in the bleak Dakota Territory. She can't even run away effectively and begins to wonder how on earth she'll be able to guide others as a missionary. But teaching the Ponca children provides her with a joy she has never known-and never expected-and ignites in her a passion for the people she's sent to serve.

     It's a passion shared by the Agency carpenter, Willoughby Dunn, a man whose integrity and selflessness are unmatched. The Poncas are barely surviving. When U.S. policy decrees that they be uprooted from their land and marched hundreds of miles away in the middle of winter, Sophia and Will wade into rushing waters to fight for their friends, their love, and their destiny.

Release dates taken from Christianbook.com