I breezed through Nick of Time in record time. It was one of those ‘can’t put it down’ novels. I had forgotten just how much I enjoy the bug man and his unique take on life. As usual, Nick Polchak is hard on the trail of a crime, using his expertise in forensic entomology to decipher the clues. Unfortunately, he has less than a week before his wedding and for one reason or another he manages to forget to call his fiance Alena at the appointed time. Feeling both worried and a bit rejected, Alena takes off with three of her well trained dogs to find him.
What a twisted web Tim Downs weaves! All the clues fall neatly in place and Nick follows them exactly as expected. Well almost. When Alena reaches the Poconos, she is unable to find Nick but manages to find a few answers on her own. Things take a seriously dangerous turn yet everything seems to turn out well. Or does it? This is an ingenious story where nothing is as it seems. And the fact that it ends with a cliffhanger gives me hope that there will be yet another bug man novel.
If you haven’t read any of The Bug Man series, give Nick of Time a try. I can almost guarantee you will be looking for the previous novels in this series after you read it. Or you may just want to start with the first one and get to know Nick from the very beginning.
This book was provided for review by BOOKSneeze.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Tying the knot may be the toughest thing Nick Polchak has ever tried to do.
Nick Polchak is comfortable with bugs. Their world is orderly. He knows where he stands and exactly how to interpret the signs they give him. But a fiancée and an upcoming wedding? Not so much.
That’s why—a mere four days before the nuptials—Nick finds himself driving to Philadelphia for the monthly meeting of the Vidocq society. Being among a group of forensic professionals consulting on cold cases will surely allow him to feel useful and normal.
But while there he discovers that a close friend has been murdered . . . and in classic Nick style, begins to follow the trail of evidence rather than returning to his fiancée. Fearing that his one-track mind won’t lead him home by Saturday, Alena and three of her dogs go to track him down.
When she finally finds him, nothing is as Alena expected . . . because the twists in this case will surprise even the most dedicated Bug Man fans.
Read the first chapter of Nick of Time. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tim Downs is the Christy Award-winning author of Plague Maker and the Bug Man novels. When he’s not writing, he and his wife are featured speakers for the Family Life conferences. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and three children.
Paul took an interest in writing fiction in 1993, and with the advice and encouragement of author Tony Hillerman, he began writing mystery novels set among the Amish in Holmes County, Ohio. The first of Gaus’s mysteries, Blood of the Prodigal, An Ohio Amish Mystery, was published by Ohio University Press in June of 1999, and a total of six novels have appeared in this series: Broken English, 2000, Clouds Without Rain, 2001, Cast a Blue Shadow, 2003, A Prayer for the Night, 2006, and Separate from the World, 2008. A seventh novel in the series is in preparation.
All of Paul’s stories have now been republished by Plume (a division of Penguin Group USA) as The Amish-Country Mysteries, and these editions have been embraced by Christian retailers such as CBD.com, Family Christian Stores, and LifeWay. Future mysteries in the series will still first be published in hard cover editions, as The Amish-Country Mysteries by Ohio University Press, with Plume bringing out the soft cover editions some time later.
Paul and his wife Madonna still travel frequently in Holmes County. He lectures widely about Amish culture at libraries, bookstores, literary societies, and the like, and his books have been featured at Book Expo America and similar professional shows around the country. Paul’s novels have been reviewed in prominent journals and newspapers, for instance, Kirkus Reviews, ForeWord Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Ohioana Quarterly, and the New York Times Book Review.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
For Jonah Miller, shunned by his Old Order sect and cast into the wider world, the summer begins with his decision to kidnap his ten-year-old son from the home of the bishop who had exiled Miller a decade earlier. In his desperation to retrieve the boy, the bishop appeals for help to the only “English” men the sect would ever approve.
Professor Michael Branden and Pastor Caleb Troyer had been looking forward to the kind of sleepy rural summer they had enjoyed as boyhood friends growing up in the small college town of Millersburg. Instead, they plunge into the normally closed Amish culture to find the boy. When the kidnapping leads to murder, they can no longer keep the case from the law. Working sometimes at cross purposes with his friend Sheriff Bruce Robertson, Professor Branden digs through the past to uncover truths that many would prefer to leave undisturbed. Little does he suspect that even the anguished bishop, torn by an insoluble moral dilemma, tragically does not tell everything he knows about the case. Suddenly the vast tangle of Amish and Mennonite settlements that sprawl among several thousand small farms and homesteads seems less bucolic than unknowable and impenetrable.
As they inquire delicately among the peaceful ones, Branden and Troyer learn that the troubles of Jonah Miller began far earlier than the kidnapping, with his Rumschpringe – the customary wild year before taking Amish vows. But his grand Rumschpringe had exploded into a decade of drugs, whiskey, and women, in the company of people no Amish person should meet.
In the tradition of Tony Hillerman, P. L. Gaus depicts a culture that successfully stands outside the mainstream yet interacts with it in complex and fascinating ways, a culture that is every bit as susceptible to the undertow of the human spirit as any we might know.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Blood of the Prodigal, go HERE.
Learn more about P.L. and his books on his Website.
MY REVIEW:
Blood of the Prodigal is quite different than the usual Amish novel in that it has no romance and it is a mystery. Rather than a day-to-day inside look at Amish life, any details of the lifestyle are given as background information connected to the mystery itself. Overall the book was interesting and held my interest well. The ending was rather a surprise because there were no real clues leading to that conclusion until nearly the end. This is definitely one mystery the reader will not solve early in the book.
The book description above is so complete that I see no reason to repeat it. Blood of the Prodigal is not what most would classify as Christian fiction since it does not have a strong message of faith. Nevertheless it has no excess violence, offensive language or other questionable content.
It took me a few chapters to become reacquainted with Ray Quinn but once that was taken care of, I was pretty well hooked. It was refreshing to find a fairly flawed hero – past his prime, physically handicapped, emotionally challenged, and an alcoholic. Although I don’t watch the series, I kept picturing Ray as Dr. House. It was probably the cane but for whatever reason, the image wouldn’t leave me.
The Corruptible narrates the story of a case Ray has taken after starting his own detective agency. He soon finds out that the simple location of some stolen files turns into a murder investigation as well as attempts on his own life. With the help of sidekick Crevis, Ray works with his former police department cronies to get to the bottom of an increasingly puzzling mystery.
Filled with plenty of drama, action, and humor, The Corruptible takes several twists and turns and reveals a few surprises before it reaches a satisfying conclusion. While not an overtly Christian novel, it does however include scenes in which Ray’s friend Pam attempts to share the gospel with him. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy novels from this type.
This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group and Blogging for Books.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
How much money would it take for you to betray the truth?
Ex-homicide detective Ray Quinn never had glamorous thoughts of the life of a private investigator—but being cornered in a bathroom stall by the enraged philandering husband of a client? That’s something he could live without. Retired from homicide and living with a painful disability, Ray’s options are limited. Stick to the job, keep impetuous sidekick Crevis alive, and spend quiet evenings with trusted pal Jim Beam, that’s about the best he can hope for.
As a new client emerges, Ray finds himself in an impossibly large boardroom holding a check with enough zeros to finally lift him from his financial pit. The job seems easy enough: find Logan Ramsey, an ex-cop turned security officer who’s taken off with sensitive corporate information. But few things are easy in Ray’s world, regardless of the amount of zeros in the check.
In what should be an open-and-shut case, Ray stumbles across Logan Ramsey in a seedy motel room. Only Ray wasn’t the first to find him. Now Logan’s dead, the client’s information is nowhere to be found, and Ray’s employer is less than forthcoming with the details. Suddenly the line between the good guys and bad guys isn’t so clear. With a foot in both worlds and an illuminating look at an unhappy ending that could well be his own, which will Ray choose?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mark Mynheir is the author of the Christy Award nominated The Night Watchman, the first Ray Quinn mystery. He has worked undercover as a narcotics agent, as a SWAT team member, and recently retired from his work investigating violent crimes as a detective with the Criminal Investigations Unit in central Florida, where he lives with his wife and three children.
It took me a bit to get into A Trail of Ink but once my mind became acclimated to the customs and terminology unique to its medieval setting, the pace accelerated and I found it to be an enjoyable experience. This story had it all. The mystery contained plenty of puzzling twists and seemingly unrelated events to keep this reader guessing. The plot was infused with the perfect balance of action, drama, wit, and even a romantic rivalry. Complete with well rounded and interesting characters, both good and bad, this tale kept me intrigued until the end. I hope to continue the journey with Hugh in a future volume.
I was thankful for the glossary included at the beginning, especially when it came to food descriptions. I could not imagine eating egg leaches until I discovered it was probably much the same as an egg custard which I do enjoy. However, I still don’t think I’d like eels. I also liked the way Hugh expressed himself by wondering if God had arranged just the right circumstances for him to discover new clues. His faith was so naturally human.
Overall, I would definitely recommend A Trail of Ink as a delightfully different tale of mystery and intrigue. You can purchase your own copy of A Trail of Ink HERE.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
An excellent medieval whodunit by the author of The Unquiet Bones and A Corpse at St Andrew’s Chapel
Some valuable books have been stolen from Master John Wyclif, the well known scholar and Bible translator. He calls upon his friend and former pupil, Hugh de Singleton, to investigate. Hugh’s investigation leads him to Oxford where he again encounters Kate, the only woman who has tempted him to leave bachelor life behind, but Kate has another serious suitor. As Hugh’s pursuit of Kate becomes more successful, mysterious accidents begin to occur. Are these accidents tied to the missing books, or to his pursuit of Kate?
One of the stolen books turns up alongside the drowned body of a poor Oxford scholar. Another accident? Hugh certainly doesn’t think so, but it will take all of his surgeon s skills to prove.
So begins another delightful and intriguing tale from the life of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon in the medieval village of Bampton. Masterfully researched by medieval scholar Mel Starr, the setting of the novel can be visited and recognized in modern-day England. Enjoy more of Hugh s dry wit, romantic interests, evolving faith, and dogged determination as he pursues his third case as bailiff of Bampton.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mel Starr was born and grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating with a MA in history from Western Michigan University in 1970, he taught history in Michigan public schools for thirty-nine years, thirty-five of those in Portage, MI, where he retired in 2003 as chairman of the social studies department of Portage Northern High School. Mel and his wife, Susan, have two daughters and seven grandchildren. www.melstarr.org
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Arielle Roper of Bring It On! Communications for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jeff Dixon was raised in Florida and has always been fascinated with the man Walt Disney and the theme park he created. Dixon feels that any guest who would take the time to look would discover a story that will never be completed. It is against this canvas that Dixon paints this mystery, adventure, and thriller.
Grayson Hawkes learns how imaginative and elaborate Walt Disney World is when he accepts an invitation from a trusted friend landing him in a world he never knew existed. Suddenly unraveling a perplexing puzzle and trying to solve a mysterious disappearance, Hawkes navigates through the kingdom where knowledge of seemingly unimportant Disney facts and some divine help are the only way he can discover the answers and get out. In this world Disney trivia is no game…And the ancient key is the only way out.
Soon the lines between right and wrong begin to blur, and telling the difference between real and unreal become nearly impossible. Loyalty to faith, family and friends are stretched to the extreme in the pulse quickening adventure through a magical place where dreams really do come true.
List Price: $15.99
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Deep River Books (December 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935265245
ISBN-13: 978-1935265245
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Day One
Night
Halogen headlamps pierced the darkness of the cool central Florida night. The GPS guided the Mustang surging toward the coastal community of Port Orange. Racing along Taylor Road, Dr. Grayson Hawkes approached an unknown destination. Questions swirled in the tornado of curiosity whipping through the preacher’s mind. The glow of the dashboard light illuminated the business card propped against the gearshift; “1819 Taylor Road, Port Orange” had been neatly printed in blue ink. Flipping the card he read the name on the other side.
Farren Rales
Imagineering Ambassador
Walt Disney Company
Reading the name of his dear friend brought a slight smile to his face. Rales had been hired by the late Walt Disney himself as an animator at the Walt Disney Studios on Rales’s thirtieth birthday. In the years that followed he had worked on animated features, been involved in projects at Disneyland, and eventually became a part of that exclusive group of creative Walt Disney Company designers known as Imagineers. Rales was part Disney historian, part Disney philosopher, and a modern day keeper of the dream that Walt himself had begun.
Farren Rales had given him the business card with an invitation to meet the old Imagineer at ten o’clock this evening. The GPS announced a turn seconds before an inconspicuous dirt road veered to the right. Hawk responded sluggishly and shot past it. He instantly banked his ride into a U-turn that corrected his course. Slowly navigating the heavily wooded, chassis-jarring dirt road, he watched for signage. The headlights threw a glow on a sign that read Gamble Place Parking with an arrow that pointed right. He turned the wheel. A gate immediately came into view, blocking forward progress. Hawk looked over the steering wheel trying to decide whether he had managed to bungle the directions and gotten hopelessly lost. With the car idling, he got out and walked to the gate. Grasping the chain that held the gate closed, he saw the lock had been secured to the chain, but the chain was not fastened. When he dropped the chain, the gate lazily swung open. Hawk slid back behind the wheel of the car and it crawled forward as the dirt became softer below the tires. The Mustang eased up to a parking barrier, above which the headlights shone on a yellow house trimmed in green.
Exiting the automobile, Hawk left the parking area and made his way toward the house. There was a display in front of the walkway to the house that probably explained where he was. The automatic timer for the headlamps clicked off, leaving him standing in darkness. Sensing his eyes would never adjust in the moonless night to read the display, he remembered a flashlight that was hopefully still in the trunk of the car. He retraced his steps. In addition to the soft sound of his shoe steps in the sand, Hawk thought he heard something else moving near him. He came to an abrupt halt. Rales? Listening closely, he now only heard the sounds of the outdoor evening. The trunk popped open, producing a blast of light that momentarily blinded him. He fumbled for the flashlight and flicked the switch. The beam shone strongly as he slammed the trunk shut. He again moved toward the house. Sweeping the beam around him, he saw a large historical marker looming in the dark, over his left shoulder. He refocused the attention of the light on this newly discovered sign.
Gamble Place
In 1898, James N. Gamble, of the Proctor and Gamble Company and a longtime winter resident of Daytona Beach, bought this land on Spruce Creek for use as a rural retreat. In 1907 he built a small cracker cottage with an open front porch and a breezeway connecting a separate kitchen and dining room . . . In 1938, Gamble’s son-in-law, Alfred K. Nippert, completed the “Snow White House,” a Black Forest style cottage inspired by the Disney animated film classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The house is surrounded by a Witch’s Hut, the Dwarfs’ Mine Shaft, and an elaborate network of rock gardens. Collectively these buildings and grounds form a historic landscape now known as Gamble Place. This property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
Obviously Rales had asked Hawk here because of the Disney connection. It had been a Disney connection that had started the friendship between the two men. Hawk had been introduced to Rales and asked the Imagineer if he would meet with him and his church staff to teach them the art of storytelling. The first meeting had gone so well it turned into a standing appointment each month. However this evening the invitation was for Hawk alone. Sighing deeply in an attempt to relax, Hawk listened closely and his ears tuned in to the sound of water gently playing along an unseen shoreline. The unexpected snap of a branch unleashed a wave of adrenaline spinning him in the direction of the noise. He peered into the blackness of the trees, searching for the maker of the sound, but heard nothing.
“Farren, is that you?” Hawk spoke with a bit more edge than he anticipated.
Silence confirmed Rales was not the source of the sound. “So when did you get so scared of the dark?” he muttered to himself. “And when did you start talking to yourself?”
Out of the corner of his vision he noticed a glimmer of light across the wooded darkness. With a bit of reservation he moved toward it. His shoes cracked sticks and crushed leaves, creating a symphony of sound that shattered the haunting noises of nature that had moments ago surrounded him. His flashlight began to dim. Shaking it violently he resurrected the brilliance of the beam, only to watch it fade into a momentary glow, and then disappear completely.
“Tremendous,” he said in frustration at the malfunctioning light. “Still talking to . . . and answering yourself.”
The point of light he had been moving toward disappeared as well. Pressing onward, he drew nearer to where it had been. Once again it appeared and this time looked brighter and stronger. Hawk’s trudging through the undergrowth yielded to softer ground as he heard a familiar voice cut quietly through the night.
“I began to think you weren’t going to make it.”
“I was starting to think you were playing a practical joke on me,” Hawk whispered back.
“Now, would I do that to you?” Rales laughed softly.
Hawk could now see much better as he approached the place where Rales stood. Farren had brought a lantern that illuminated the place he was standing and cast long shadows in multiple directions. Hawk descended the steps to join Rales on what appeared to be a recently created platform. The sound of the creek was closer and Hawk assumed they were now on the edge of the river. Rales was dressed in a pair of black slacks with a lightweight black windbreaker. Hawk did not miss the stealth attire and was getting ready to comment on it when Rales again spoke in a hushed tone.
“Any trouble finding the place?”
“I suppose not, since it’s out in the middle of nowhere!” Hawk decided to satisfy his curiosity. “And could you tell me why we’re whispering?”
“Didn’t you read the sign? We’re in a state park. It closed at dusk. We could get arrested for being here.”
“Then why didn’t we come here in the daylight?”
“Now, that wouldn’t be as much fun, would it?”
“Farren, we should clarify our definitions of fun.”
“Breaking into a state park is a story you’ll be able to tell for years!”
“I didn’t break in, the gate was unlocked.”
“So you opened it and drove on in.”
“You invited me.”
“Shhh,” Rales interrupted.
Hawk grew quiet and strained to hear sounds coming out of the darkness. He studied Rales’s tense features, trying to decide whether the old man was toying with him or was actually concerned that they might be caught after hours in the park. Rales’s face softened and he turned away from Hawk, letting his lantern shine toward a nearby wooden cottage that looked as if it had been plucked off of an animation cell from an antique piece of film. Hawk’s mouth opened slightly. Rales moved forward and panned the light across the front of this cottage that did not belong in this time or any other. It was recognizable as the cottage in the Black Forest of the classic cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Hawk’s eyes followed the movement of the lantern to the carved lintel and a stone trough. Rales moved toward the front door, fumbled with the handle, and then opened it. Looking back to Hawk, he motioned for him to follow him inside. Hawk entered, feeling like he was stepping into a fairy tale as Rales silently closed the door behind them.
The Key to the Kingdom: Unlocking Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
MY REVIEW:
The Key to the Kingdom is a uniquely different story that takes place primarily within the confines of Disney World. The author uses his intimate knowledge of the park and its history to concoct a page-turning mystery filled with fun facts, many in the form of clues leading Grayson Hawkes on a quest to solve the puzzle left by his missing friend. As his time grows short, Hawkes finds it more and more difficult to separate friends from foes.
I found The Key to the Kingdom to be an entertaining and interesting read and even began to interpret some of the clues before the book ended. The story is suitable for most ages and contains no graphic violence or objectionable language. Other than the fact that the primary character is a pastor with the expected morals, there is little spiritual content. If you are looking for a bit of a change in your usual reading fare, this might be the book for you.
Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin’s mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage—two aspects Robin weaves into each of her books. When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty years, her three beautiful daughters, one precious grandson, and their four character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else?
Robin gives back to the writing community by serving as Conference Director for ACFW. Her books have finaled/placed in such contests as RT Reviewer’s Choice, Bookseller’s Best, and Book of the Year. An avid reader herself, Robin loves hearing from and chatting with other readers. Although her favorite genre to read is mystery/suspense, of course, she’ll read just about any good story. Except historicals!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Informed by the real-life fallout of the U.S. economy plus devastation caused by multiple hurricanes along the southern coast, In the Shadow of Evil casts the modern day story of a building rebound scam exposed. It begins when the body of a property inspector is found among the ashes of a burnt out Homes of Hope house. Wrapped up in this mounting case of unethical practices, supply shortages, and murder, top Louisiana homicide detective Maddox Bishop is losing his heart to a charitable contractor, Layla Taylor, whose own sister is under suspicion. He’s also about to discover a deep secret about his tragic past.
Learn more about Robin and her books on her Website.
Watch the trailer:
MY REVIEW:
This review is a reprint of one I posted last week on another blog tour for this great book. If you have not read anything by Robin Caroll, I urge you to give her novels a try. If you love good suspense, you won’t be sorry.
I first became familiar with Robin Caroll’s books as a monthly subscriber to Love Inspired Suspense. I was always glad when a new shipment contained one of her novels. With her newest series based in Eternal Springs, Louisiana, Robin has gifted her readers with even more of a good thing.
In the Shadow of Evil meets all my requirements for a good suspense novel. It has realistic and interesting characters, adequate action, and lots of clues that are not too obvious – plus a first-rate romance is the icing on the cake. Components of the story are the stuff of the evening news. In fact, one detail (minus the murder) has been under investigation on our local Memphis news this week.
I liked the way Robin dropped hints that could apply to more than one suspect. Every time I thought I knew the guilty party, something would prove me wrong. I hate it when I have a mystery solved halfway through a book. No chance of that with In the Shadow of Evil.
All things considered, In the Shadow of Evil is an excellent read. I give it my thumbs up and suggest that you pick up a copy asap.
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Tim Downs is the Christy Award-winning author of Plague Maker and the Bug Man novels. When he’s not writing, he and his wife are featured speakers for the Family Life conferences. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and three children.
