Editor's Note: This is Lisa's last post for us. Thank you Lisa! Keep up with her at Lisa writes….. Astute readers of this site will be familiar with my affection for the Patrick Bowers Files, a series of novels by Steven James. I’ve reviewed The Rook and The Knight and have eagerly awaited The Bishop, the latest installment featuring FBI agent Patrick Bowers. As I’ve stated in earlier reviews, James’ novels are not your grandmother’s Christian fiction. They are thrillers in every sense of the word. In fact, The Bishop takes the intensity to a whole new level. The bad guys are beyond bad; they are evil, disturbingly so. And yet, like The Rook and The Knight, James tells his story apart from gratuitous violence and language. He is not unnecessarily explicit and instead employs good ...
Category Archives: Mystery/Suspense
Fragile
I have to admit that I wasn't familiar with the author Lisa Unger, but the description of her newest release, Fragile, immediately appealed to me. While her previous four novels fit into the literary thriller genre, her newest book combines a mystery in the plot with a realistic depiction and exploration of the complex nature of family relationships. Set in The Hollows, a small town outside of New York City, this novel introduces a large cast of characters, who are all interconnected in some way, from the coincidental to the significant. Much history exists among the key players-- the adults among them all attended school together and they have produced the next generation of the town's families. At the center of the story is Maggie, who couldn't get out of town fast enough upon graduation but was ...
Back on Murder
Back on Murder is, from what I understand, J. Mark Bertrand’s first foray into detective fiction and it’s a good one. Really good. Everything that marks a good book is here: compelling plot, complex characterization, smart prose. It is an intricate, intelligent mystery with a complicated and sympathetic protagonist. I liked Back on Murder. I liked it a lot. Houston homicide detective Roland March was once one of the best. Now he's disillusioned, cynical, and on his way out. His superiors farm him out on a variety of punishment details•until an unexpected break gives March one last chance to save his career. And his humanity. All he has to do? Find the missing teenage daughter of a Houston evangelist that every cop in town is already looking for. But March has an inside track, a multiple murder nobody ...
Dark in the City of Light
Paul Robertson certainly could not be accused of exploiting one particular genre. No niche for him. His previous novels (linked to my review) centered around a DC bookseller in According to Their Deeds, a city council making a decision on a municipal project in Road to Nowhere, and a wealthy beneficiary embroiled in politics and murder in The Heir. His newest novel, Dark in the City of Light, takes place in Paris in 1870s at the brink of the Franco-Prussian War. From the publisher’s description: What Evil Haunts the Shadows of 1870s Paris? Baron Ferdinand Harsanyi — After his wife's mysterious death, this Austrian attaché holds control over mines whose coveted ore could turn the tide of war. Therese Harsanyi — Swept up in new romance and the spectacle of Paris, the Baron's daughter is blind to the dangers stalking her family and ...
Broken
I was invited by Amy of My Friend Amy to participate in a Faith-n-Fiction Roundtable discussing Travis Thrasher's novel Broken. Our discussion occured via email and the following is a portion of our conversation. Be sure to check the other participating blogs to read the rest of what we had to say about this supernatural thriller! Amy: I've read Travis Thrasher's two earlier thrillers and really enjoyed them, but I have to admit that I had a harder time following the plot with this one. What did you think of the way we were thrust into the story? In some ways, I found it quite masterful that we were immediately sucked into the broken, fearful heart of Laila with no sense of history to guide us. We just knew immediately how much she had come to dread her life and the ...
White Picket Fences
I've been a fan of author Susan Meissner since I read The Shape of Mercy, (review here), so I was excited to have an opportunity to read Meissner's newest book, White Picket Fences. In Fences, the Janviers are the perfect family with the beautiful home and "white picket fence" lifestyle. Neil is a financial advisor who spends his spare time making exquisite furniture that he gives away. His wife, Amanda, is a reading teacher. Their children, Chase and Delcey are All-American teenagers. Yet beneath the perfect facade, secrets are weighing down on Neil, Amanda and Chase. Their family foundation is beginning to crack. Enter Amanda's niece, Tally. Tally's father has disappeared. Amanda agrees to take Tally in to their home, not expecting that the girl's visit will change her family forever. Meissner has crafted another touching ...
Books on Screen: Presumed Innocent
In the 1990's the legal thriller was king. There probably aren't many people who were reading in the 90's, whether confirmed bookworms or summer vacation readers, who haven't read a John Grisham book. But before any of John Grisham's bestsellers then movie blockbusters, there was a 1987 book and 1990 movie -- Presumed Innocent. I won't give the movie away, because I know that there are some of you reading this who were weren't old enough to watch a rated R movie in the early 90's, but I still remember the hype -- this suspenseful story of murder and betrayal with a surprise twist at the end. I recently watched the movie to prepare to read the brand new Scott Turow novel Innocent, which revisits the same character Rusty Sabich 22 years later. This movie keeps ...
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Jennifer Donovan
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