Murder on an Alaskan Cruise Ship

Raleigh Harmon, FBI agent and forensic geologist, is on a working vacation with her family on a cruise to Alaska. Her aunt Charlotte has been hired by a film company to provide crystals to enhance the performance of the actors. Raleigh is the consultant on FBI matters. Almost immediately the vacation turns deadly when the wife of the star is murdered.

Complications arise when Jack Stephenson, her nemesis from her days at the Seattle office, arrives to help with the murder investigation. When her mother discovers that Raleigh is an FBI agent, she has a mental collapse. Claire, the clairvoyant, provides comic relief, and the film company is filled with characters, as is the ship's personnel.

The Alaskan scenery is beautifully described, and we learn a great deal about the geology of the area and about gemstones. The mystery is intertwined with the characters and the setting, but little information is given to allow the reader to participate in the solution. I would call this book more of a thriller than a traditional mystery.

The pace of the novel is good, but I found the main character unlikable. She seems far too angry and disturbed. The minor characters are well drawn, particularly Jack Stephenson and Geert, the officer in charge of ship security. Although the book is billed as Christian fiction, I found the ties to Christianity rather tenuous and primarily related to Raleigh feeling bad about what she's doing, but not changing her behavior. Therefore, I can't really recommend it as Christian fiction.

The scenery and setting on a cruise ship are the most attractive features of the book. If you like the thriller genre, this could be an enjoyable book.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.

Time to Write a New Story

Getting stuck in the story of your life is easy. It's change that's hard. In fact, it's not possible until you realize that you can rewrite your life story. All it takes is changing your perspective and thinking about your life in new ways.

I thoroughly enjoyed Same Life, New Story. While the book isn't a traditional self-help book, giving step by step instructions for changing your life, it is a book that makes you think. The author uses the Bible stories of Naomi, Leah, Deborah, Hannah and others to illustrate the theme of looking at your life and with God's help realizing that the old story is not the one you have to have for eternity. Reading about the lives of these women gives concrete illustrations of the challenges in the book: playing it safe, dealing with widowhood, finding self-worth.

The book contains material for group discussions and questions to ask yourself to jump start an analysis of your life. Even if it isn't time for you, personally, to write a new story, the questions are well thought out and will act as a guide when you do think it's time to evaluate your life.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze program. 

A Witty Selection of Quotes

Chesterton was a literary giant in the early 1900's. Yet his ideas are relevant today. The excellent selection of quotes in Belemonte's The Quotable Chesterton is both an introduction to his writing, allowing a newcomer to sample a variety of his prose, and a compendium to refer to over and over for a serving of Chesterton wit.

The quotes range from serious discussions of Christianity and philosophy to literary criticisms and fiction. I particularly enjoyed enjoyed his quote about Jane Austen. “Jane Austen may have been protected from the truth: but it was precious little of truth that was protected from her.” Chesterton got it exactly right and said it in a pithy sentence. It makes you think and then smile because it is so apt.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a challenging paragraph or sentence to mull over. Belmonte has done an excellent job. It's a tribute to both men.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program. 

A Tale of Love and Forgiveness

The second book in the Ladies of Summerhill series is much like the first. A young woman, Charlotte Hale, wants to be a newspaper reporter. When offered the chance of an undercover assignment, she jumps at it, although he has qualms about the ethical nature of her assignment, particularly after she meets her handsome employer, Daniel Wilmont.

The plot is predictable and the book much too long. As a novella, it might work better. The author has a tendency to wander about in the middle and then rush the ending. The prose is stilted and the character's speech is very formal. I assume the author thinks this is the way people talked at this period.

The Newport setting is intriguing. I enjoyed reading about the manners of the denizens of the cottages and their relationship to the working class. The themes of forgiveness and a young woman finding her relationship to God are a plus and the author handles them with delicacy. If you like romance with a Christian undertone, you may enjoy this book.

I review this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.  

An Exploration of Good and Evil

Three Seconds is a fast paced crime story, but much more. The plot revolves around the Eastern Europeon Mafia drug traffic. Infiltrators are used by the Swedish police to get information on criminal activities and in this book to attempt to stop the trade.

The central character, Piet Hoffman, works for the Swedish police as an infiltrator. A man with a criminal past, he is used by the police but also distrusted. In the course of his duties, he takes on a dangerous mission with the blessings of the highest levels of government authority. It is in this juxtaposition of the criminal world with the government bureaucracy that the exploration of good and evil occurs.

I found the book fascinating and highly recommend it to lovers of crime fiction and to those interested in character study. For the crime lovers, the clever ruses employed by the criminal element are delightful. (I just hope law enforcement officers are reading this as well as the criminals.) For those interested in psychology, the characters, from Piet, the infiltrator, to Grens, the harden cop, and of course, the beaurocrats, are well drawn and thought provoking.  

What a Marvelous Way to Spend a Year

A Year With God is a unique devotional experience. The book uses God's words from the Old Testament to illustrate the themes of: love and hate, hope and fear, joy and sadness, perseverance and quitting, and many more.

I found the length of the devotionals exactly right for a few minutes of meditation in the morning, or any other time of day that is appropriate for the reader. While not being heavily theological, the devotionals were easy to read and gave you something to think about. I find it helpful to have something that starts my thinking on a topic. I don't like long treatises that try force you to adopt the writer's point of view.

For anyone who wants an uplifting start to the day and an assurance of God's love and care for us, I can highly recommend this book.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.  

A Romance set in Colonial Philadelphia

Where Hearts Are Free is the third book in the Darkness to Light Series following the adventures of the Clavel family in their new home in Pennsylvania. The main characters in this book are Philippe and Charles, the sons of the family who are working as indentured servants in Philadelphia. The book contrasts the situations of the two brothers. Charles works for a man who abuses his servants. Philippe works for a wealthy family and is well treated.

Bridget, the daughter of the family, falls in love with Philippe although a wealthy girl marrying a servant is unthinkable. The story revolves around Bridget's desire to make her own marriage choices and her parents desire to have her make a suitable match. Through the striving of the young lovers, the book shows the power of Christian love and God's ability to make good things happen.

While the story was interesting, I found the writing very stilted, and it wass difficult to get involved in the fate of the characters because they didn't seem real. However, the story is interesting, and the setting is good. For readers of Christian Romantic Fiction, it should be an enjoyable experience.