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

Novel Anticipation ... The Drop

Finally, this November, Michael Connelly's next Harry Bosch mystery is coming out! Can you tell I'm excited?

For those of you who haven't read any of the Bosch series (17 books with a minor appearance in another Connelly novel), you're missing out.

Bosch is an LAPD officer who's a bit curmudgeonly and slightly maverick. Plus, he's got an impressionable teenage daughter at home so you know his stories will have more depth than the average mystery. The author, Connelly, always does an excellent job at blending plot and character, something I always look for in mystery/suspense.

No, you will not find any Michael Connelly works in your church library, (he does do a fair amount of swearing and periodically has sexual situations) but, his works are typically a fight of good vs. evil in addition to dealing with the shades of grey in between. I've read all of Connelly's novels and, unlike so many other authors in the general market, he does not denigrate Christians. He's occasionally had religious figures in his novels, and they've always been treated with respect. So, maybe it's not church library material, but I have no qualms recommending his books to Christians.

So, if you enjoy a good police procedural, if you're a fan of J. Mark Bertrand, Mark Mynheir, or Brandt Dodson, I recommend you pick up a Harry Bosch mystery from Michael Connelly. You can find his complete list of works on his website: http://www.michaelconnelly.com/extras/series/.

THE DROP

by Michael Connelly

Little, Brown and Company, November 2011

Harry Bosch has been given three years before he must retire from the LAPD, and he wants cases more fiercely than ever. In one morning, he gets two.

DNA from a 1989 rape and murder matches a 29-year-old convicted rapist. Was he an eight-year-old killer or has something gone terribly wrong in the new Regional Crime Lab? The latter possibility could compromise all of the lab's DNA cases currently in court.

Then Bosch and his partner are called to a death scene fraught with internal politics. Councilman Irvin Irving's son jumped or was pushed from a window at the Chateau Marmont. Irving, Bosch's longtime nemesis, has demanded that Harry handle the investigation.

Relentlessly pursuing both cases, Bosch makes two chilling discoveries: a killer operating unknown in the city for as many as three decades, and a political conspiracy that goes back into the dark history of the police department.

Michael Connelly is the author of the recent #1 New York Times bestsellers The Fifth Witness, The Reversal, The Scarecrow, The Brass Verdict, and The Lincoln Lawyer, as well as the bestselling Harry Bosch series of novels. He is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He spends his time in California and Florida.

http://www.michaelconnelly.com/

Rugged Reads

As I glance through the listing of all the books I've read this past year, I notice half of my favorites are written by men. Now considering that women comprise the majority of Christian fiction writers, I find that interesting.

I love mystery/suspense/thriller type of books that have a million loose threads to weave together. It's nice to have a little romance thrown in, but in edge-of-the-seat reading, I don't want romance to be the major storyline. In my opinion, male writers are better at this than women.

I also enjoy a story with a sports background as games can be a telling metaphor for life. Again, I usually prefer the male voice when it comes to sports stories.

My husband and I even enjoy many of the same books, so it's with his help that I put this list together (in no particular order) for those searching for a gift for that special man in their life.

A Season of Miracles by Rusty Whitener - A team of little leaguers learn life lessons when they ask an autistic phenom to join their team. This is a must-read for everyone. Fathers. Sons. Even mothers and daughters. It's beautifully written. One moment you're laughing and the next you're crying. This may be my favorite read this year.

Tomorrow We Die by Shawn Grady - After attempting to save a man's life, a paramedic wishes to honor the dying man's wish and is thrown into a mystery that may just cost him his own life. This is Shawn Grady's (a real life firefighter and EMT) second novel and I was thrilled to see his writing growth from book one to book two. It's a fast-paced story with intriguing characters.

Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand - When an evangelist's daughter turns up missing, a burned out homicide detective follows his gut and searches for her where no one else can imagine and he won't back down no matter the cost. This is Bertrand's solo debut novel (he co-authored Beguiled with Deeanne Gist) and it's a phenomenal debut. If you like Micheal Connelly's Harry Bosch stories, be sure to give Back on Murder a try.

Blaze of Glory by Major Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky - A string of female suicide bombers sends a special ops team overseas to stop the bombings and to thwart possible heads-of-state assassinations. In this sequel to Certain Jeopardy, Struecker (of Black Hawk Down fame) and Gansky capture the reader with non-stop action.

The Bishop by Steven James - In book #4 of the Patrick Bowers series (see The Pawn review on this blog), James once again keeps readers guessing as an FBI Special Agent tracks the murderer of a congressman's daughter. If you love jolts of adrenaline, then you'll have to read this series by Steven James. James stories are always complex and he excels in misdirection. In my opinion, James is by far the best writer of thrillers in Christian fiction, if not all fiction.

Hero's Tribute by Graham Garrison - Dying from cancer, a hometown hero (for his high school football excellence and decorated military service) asks a reporter, whom he's never met, to deliver the eulogy at his funeral. As the reporter digs into the hero's life he discovers secrets that may greatly alter the town's opinion. In a time when we herald sports figures and Hollywood celebrities as heroes, Garrison, in his debut novel, helps us discover the true definition of Hero.

Danger Close by Lt. William G. Boykin and Tom Morrisey - A highly decorated Army special forces veteran is asked to go undercover in Afghanistan to stop a potential mass terrorism plot in the United States. But in order to save the country, he is asked to leave behind family and friends and all he knows. Forever. Readers of Vince Flynn should enjoy this peek into the world of secret ops that gives the reader a glimpse of the lives of unheralded men and women who sacrifice all for their country.

Enemies Among Us by Bob Hamer - A cowboy FBI undercover agent is given the assignment of tracking a terrorist cell in Los Angeles. This is an adrenaline laced, detailed, and intricate novel, written by a veteran FBI Agent. Hamer also shows the delicate balance between work and marriage. Hamer's solid debut novel should appeal to both Christian and general market fiction readers.

Blackout by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn - In this third book of the Riley Covington series, football star and special ops veteran Riley Covington races to detonate electromagnetic pulse bombs that could render the United States without power. They're too late to stop the first. Will they be on time for the second? Fans of football and military action will enjoy this novel.

Back on Murder

(a Roland March Mystery)

by J. Mark Bertrand

Bethany House
384 pages

Crime Drama That Towers Above Others in Christian Market

Roland March is a Houston homicide detective who seems to be headed out of the force. He’s lost the respect of his fellow officers and doesn’t seem to care. But then he’s given one last opportunity to prove himself when an evangelist’s daughter goes missing. His gut tells him her disappearance is tied to recent multiple murders at a drug house, but the facts don’t point in that direction. The case becomes personal to him, and he won’t back down until he uncovers the truth, regardless of what it costs.


Review:

I love a good crime novel. Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch stories are among my favorites. But, in the world of Christian fiction, where Amish and romance stories reign, finding novels that even shadow Connelly’s quality are rare. J. Mark Bertrand, in his first solo effort (He wrote Bequiled with Deeanne Gist), has proven himself more than capable. He’s penned an intriguing mystery, one that keeps the reader guessing to the end. He layers it with details that show he understands not only police procedure, but how it affects their thought process and their home life.

Bertrand also uses a couple of literary devices that I typically don’t care for. Back on Murder is written in first person using present tense, which if not written very well, will draw the reader out of the story. More and more authors are attempting to write in present tense as it theoretically makes what happens more immediate, but what they succeed in doing is jarring the reader from the story. My internal editor can’t help but edit the story to the more common past tense. Not once did that happen in Back on Murder. Bertrand used the device with expertise so that the reader doesn’t automatically say to themselves, “This is present-tense.” You’re just reading his unique voice.

I look forward to reading more from J. Mark Bertrand.