Review: The Bone Box

The Bone Box is the latest release from author Bob Hostetler, an award-winning author and pastor in Ohio. I think this is the first book of his that I've read, and it reminded me of John Olson's Fossil Hunter. It follows in the niche genre (that I may be coining) of archaeological suspense. Usually these books focus on a what if that surrounds the Bible. What if a fossil was discovered that supported intelligent design. Or in the Bone Box: what if a scroll is found which supports the resurrection?

Randall Bullock is an archaeologist in need of redemption both in his career and with his daughter. He's ready to pack up and head home to the States when his mentor sends him to a burial chamber uncovered by excavation. He's under an extremely tight deadline to complete the excavation. Then his 19 year old daughter arrives.

Joseph ben Caiaphas has been made the high priest. He's caught in a whirlwind of intrigue as he tries to bring righteousness back to Israel and protect his people from the Romans.

This book was a slow start for me -- not sure why. I think initially it may have been the back and forth between Rand's story and stepping back 2000 years to Caiaphas' story. Early on that slowed the story down for me, but about a third of the way through, that element is what kept me turning the pages.

This book is like many of the archeology suspense stories I've read. Misunderstood archaeologist trying to redeem a career that's on the skids and finds something they weren't looking for. In this case it's the bone box for the high priest at the time Jesus was killed. For the first third at least, I wondered why that would be important until Rand finds the scroll.

What set this book apart -- at least for me -- was the way that the author brought Caiaphas to life. Caveat -- remember this is a work of fiction. But sometimes fiction helps me try to imagine what was going on in the background that the Bible doesn't supply. I actually turned to the end notes about the midway part because what the author hypothesized fit and I wanted to see if he'd done his homework. He has, but it is fiction.

That said, this book's strength is in transporting you to Israel -- both today and 2000 years ago. The intrigue that may have surrounded the Sanhedrin comes to life and I found myself wondering about the tightrope Caiaphas may have walked. Now, what really happened could be far from the scenario the author paints, but I found his portrayal believable and challenging.

The suspense element didn't really build for me -- I think the action and adventure tag is a better fit. There isn't a real sense of a ticking bomb, though the setting is definitely exotic. I enjoyed this book, and kept returning to it. If you enjoy questions about what happened in Jesus' times with the flavor of Indiana Jones, then you will enjoy this book.

Review: Lonestar Sanctuary

Allie Siders is desperate to help her 5-year-old daughter, Betsy speak again. But with a stalker out for revenge, all Allie can think about is the safety that awaits them at the peaceful Bluebird Ranch, nestled deep in Texas Hill country. The ranch is a sanctuary for abused horses and troubled youth. …

In this book, author Colleen Coble takes her characters’ deep into a mix of mystery and suspense as well as relational issues. The book opens with the stalker in Allie’s residence taunting her. In a panic, Allie grabs Betsy and runs to the only place she can think to hide that also promises safety. The only problems: she has no money, nobody expects her, and she can’t tell anybody what’s really going on for fear the stalker will find her.

The book is filled with romantic twists that kept me turning the pages as much as the suspense did. She’s been so focused on surviving since her husband died, that she hasn’t had time to fully grieve. Romance is the last thing she is looking for, especially when the only men around are ranch hands and Rich Bailey, the handsome foreman. Everything conspires to keep Allie isolated, yet for the sake of her daughter she will do things she never imagined.

The tension is high as the stalker continues to strip Allie of everything important to her and strange events occur at the ranch. Just when it doesn’t seem like things can get worse, Allie faces a custody battle that could destroy Betsy.

The setting is rich. I could picture the isolated Texas setting, and almost taste the grit in my mouth. The characters are richly drawn and detailed, with even the supporting cast causing me to root for them.

This was a book I couldn’t put down. Fortunately, I read it on a plane so I had uninterrupted hours to inhale it.

Review: Wiser than Serpents

Susan May Warren's latest thriller Wiser than Serpents, is another page-turning, nail-biting, can't-life-stop-until-I'm-done kind of book.

The third in the Mission:Russia series, this book from Steeple Hill stands completely on its own. Somehow I have book two but managed not to read it, yet didn't feel like I missed anything that was important to this book.

Yanna Andrevka infiltrates a human slavery ring in an attempt to locate her sister who has vanished. David Curtiss has spent months attempting to infiltrate an organized crime cartel. All seems to be going well until he finds Yanna at the meeting he's supposed to have with the kingpin. From the moment he sees her the story rushes into overdrive in classic Susan May Warren style.

If you love books with international intrigue and a thread of romance, this book is for you. You get to hop around the globe with the characters, all while learning more about the human slavery issue. Susan is donating a portion of her profits from each book sold to International Justice Mission, a non-profit dedicated to fighting human slavery.

While this book may seek to highlight an issue, that focus doesn't preach or slow down the plot. Instead, it enhances it as you get an international and stateside exposure to the problem.

note from Susan:

Did you know that there are 27 million people around the globe held as slaves today – more thank 80% of them women and children, and up to 50% minors. In fact, there are MORE slaves today than were in the time of William Wilberforce. That leaves me horrified, and it was those stats that compelled me to write a story with a human trafficking plotline.

Wiser than Serpents is a continuation of the Mission:Russia series, a thriller about Yanna, whose sister is snatched through a Russian dating service, and disappears. Yanna enlists the help of Delta Force Captain, David Curtiss to find and rescue her. Readers who’ve read, In Sheep’s Clothing and Sands of Time will recognize Yanna as the tech expert, and David as the solid Christian of the group. (Read the 5-Rose Review here!)

The book is written from the point of views of the rescuers, not the victims, and offers hope and empowerment, instead of feelings of helplessness. It raises awareness without lowering the standards of Christian fiction.

However, the world is real, and the need to get involved is great. I so greatly admire people who take their beliefs and put action to them –hence why a portion of the proceeds of Wiser than Serpents is going to help the International Justice Mission, (www.ijm.org), an organization dedicated to rescuing victims and fighting the scourge of slavery.

Contest Info! Susan will be giving away 3 SIGNED sets of the Mission: Russia (In Sheep’s Clothing, Sands of Time, and Wiser Than Serpents) series. To enter the contest…click on over to Susan’s blog tour post here (http://susanmaywarren.typepad.com/scribbles/2008/06/wiser-than-serp.html) and tell us which ministries/charities you support and why! Susan will randomly select three winners!

Anathema Review

From time to time in addition to reviewing Love Inspired Suspense books, I will also let you know about other suspense books I've read and enjoyed. Here's one I raced through:


If you've read my blog or reviews, you've probably figured out I'm a fan of Colleen Coble's suspense. They are all so good! Sometimes I wonder when -- if -- I'll be disappointed. Her latest release, Anathema, tops them all.

In Anathema, Colleen brings her fiction to Indiana for the first time, this time in the heart of Parke County and a close-knit Amish community. Here's the quick summary:

After years of running, Hannah Schwatrz has finally built a life for herself--far from the insecure husband who bullied and abused her. Far from the close-knit Amish community who raised her, then shunned her. Still haunted by nightmare memories of her parents' murder and the guilty secret that made her anathema--a true outcast--from her friends and family.

Only love can bring her home again. Love for a child she had feared was lost forever. And love for the peaceful people who shaped her life. But can love heal old wounds . . . or keep the community safe from a deadly danger?

This book is richly layered with conflict. But it's not all external conflict related to finding the killer and staying alive. Instead, as I've come to expect in Colleen's books, the internal conflict is as compelling -- maybe even stronger -- than the problems plaguing Hannah and Matt.

Hannah is so conflicted about the Amish faith she abandoned and the problems that she created for herself when she left. She has a hard time separating those she controlled from the ones she didn't ask for...and is left paralyzed. She's also running scared from her abusive husband, but he's found the one tool that could drag her back to him -- the idea that her daughter is alive. Could he be telling the truth?

Matt hides a secret from Hannah that can only destroy the relationship they may have. But he doesn't see that he has a choice. He's also torn between duty and the past.

Add in a host of supporting characters, and the texture and twists of the plot form a tangled weave that pulled me through the pages and chapters. I have to admit, I did not fully guess the killer. I was close -- only the person I thought was the killer was the accomplice.

Bayou Paradox Review

In this fourth installment in her Bayou romantic suspense, Robin Caroll brings readers a fast-paced read filled with romance.

It can cure you. Or it can kill you.

The untamed Louisiana bayou is not for hte faint of heart. But until now, Tara LeBlanc has always considered it a sanctuary, its lush foliage a source of medicinal healing. What evil has infiltrated her haven? Two elderly women she loves lie near death, and Tara knows their illnesses are no accident.

Only one man can save Tara from the same fate: Sheriff Rene "Bubba" Theirot. The strong-willed lawman throws his all into protecting her, laying his heart on the line as well as his life. Now they both stand to lose it all as a killer gets ready to pounce....

Tara is deep into voodoo and fighting the efforts of her sisters and her grandmother to introduce her to Christianity. Then when her grandmother and the woman who is now mentoring her in voodoo are found ill, Tara is determined to find out what happened and to use voodoo to restore them to health.

Bubba is just as determined that the voodoo can only harm them. He tolerates Tara until she gets too close to the line, and her life is in danger. Neither expected the attraction...especially when there is so much to keep them apart. And why is it so hard for the doctors to help the two women recover? Was there really someone else involved? And if so, why? What could they have that he wanted? The more Tara pushes, the more Bubba begins to believe she may be on the right track after all.

Once again Robin Caroll has written a book that moves. The pages flip fast and furiously. And I found myself completely vested in the characters -- even Tara who hasn't been the most sympathetic character in past books.

And while this book is technically the fourth, it stands well on its own. Anything you need to know is slipped into the story without distracting from the current plot.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of romantic suspense.

Review: Bayou Judgment

Bayou Judgment is the third book in Robin Caroll's Love Inspired Suspense series. If you haven't read the first two, go pick this one up...you are in for a treat!

Here's the blurb:

Phone counselor Felicia Trahan desperately needed to dial in to the Christian Crisis Hotline. She'd come home to her apartment to find Jolie, her roommate and coworker, dead. And few clues to the killer's identity: There was a shady boyfriend. A rival at the crisis center. And disturbing phone calls from a distraught young woman who was becoming increasingly unhinged. So much so that the center's tough-guy pastor feared for Felicia's safety. Spencer Bertrand promised to protect her, even if he lost his heart in the process. Yet drawing out a killer hiding in the Louisiana bayou could be the only way to save them all.

This book was one that I couldn't put down from the first page to the end. Felicia is desperate to show everyone that she can stand on her own after a lifetime of being sheltered. Yet, when her roommate is found murdered, her family and friends want to shelter her. Spencer wants to be honest with her about his past, but is afraid of what her reaction and the rest of the town's will be if it comes to light.

Felicia wants to help others, but finds that this one caller becomes more irrational with each call. And she seems to know things that strangers shouldn't. When the police's investigation dead ends, Felicia is determined to jump in and do her part to make sure her roommate's murderer is brought to justice. Despite the cost there to her.

The character's are real with flaws and strengths. They interplay between Felicia and Spencer is filled with potential potholes without any promise that all can be worked out. And the suspense is intense. Strange things keep happening. Yet the more they do, the more stubborn Felicia becomes. And there is no question that this book could happen anywhere else. The bayou is an integral character, and Caroll does a masterful job weaving in details without overwhelming the readers.

If you're looking for a great suspense filled with romance and twists, then I highly recommend this book.

Review Deadly Exposure

No, I did not review my own book. That just felt way too weird. So I asked ACFW President Robin Miller if she'd review Deadly Exposure. If you haven't read any of her books yet, she writes great suspense for Love Inspired Suspense under her pen name Robin Caroll. She graciously agreed to review my book, so here it is...

What's a girl to do when she finds a dead body in the theater box next to her own? Especially when she's a reporter and she owns the story? Follow through and investigate, of course. But it comes at a cost to Dani Richards, and that fee just might be her own life.

Enter Caleb Jamison, the cop assigned to the case. He's determined to protect Dani, but they have a history. A past littered with pain, betrayal, and broken trust. Can he keep Dani safe while protecting his heart?

Dani is a woman torn--the sense of responsibility and loyalty to her aunt, the pain she's endured from the past with Caleb, doing her job, and following up on the story. I felt her inner turmoil as she turned so many corners, only to be faced with more conflict.

Caleb is a changed man from the boy Dani had known years ago, and is determined to prove that. I related to his struggles--work, love, and facing the mistakes of the past.

In Cara Putman's first suspense novel, she proves herself as a writer who can spin twists and turns to keep the reader flipping the pages. I was intrigued by the hero and heroine's past, as well as the suspenseful plot that kept throwing the two flawed but learning characters together. With a strong supporting cast (who I hope to see in future installments), this book is a great read for romantic suspense lovers. Looking for a great vacation read? This is a book I'd recommend you slip into your carry on-but be warned, you'll not want to put it down until you've read the last page, landing or not!

Review: First the Dead

Tim Downs is back with another Bug Man Novel, First the Dead! I cheered as soon as I heard he was bringing Nick Polchak back as the main character in a novel. If you’ve read Chop Shop and Shoo Fly Pie, then you know why I was so excited. If you haven’t, race out and get those books now! (You can read the first chapters of all his books on Tim's website.)
Nick Polchak is like Grissom from CSI: Consumed by his job, dedicated to finding the truth, and unable to let go once he’s on the trail of a murderer. This time Nick is headed to New Orleans hours ahead of Hurricane Katrina. While everyone else is focused on taking care of the living first, Nick wants to ensure no murders are covered up by the hurricane. Once he finds his first body that clearly wasn’t killed in the hurricane, he’s off to the races, with all his idiosyncrasies kicking into high gear.

With this novel, I anticipated who the bad guys were from about page 100, but that didn’t keep me from flying through the novel. I couldn’t imagine how Tim would pull it altogether. Even as I began to figure it out, I was drawn in by his tight plotting and great writing style.

Tim is one of those authors who pours on the description where it will help the story and backs off where it would only bog things down. His main characters are multi-dimensional and complex. If this is your first novel with Nick, you may wonder whether you’re supposed to love or hate him. If it’s your third, you’ll love the way Tim adds depth to his development.

While published by a Christian publisher, this book (and others by Tim) do not contain a shoe-horned in spiritual plot. Instead, the book is all about the story – and it’s another great one.

If you like tight suspense that keeps you guessing, even as you begin to figure out who did it, you’ll like this book.