B.D. Lawrence's Blog

This Is the Way, the Truth, and the Life: What The Mandalorian and Star Wars Reveal About Jesus, Hope, and Redemption by David Vogel

 

This fascinating book is all about redemption – true redemption by God. Mr. Vogel compares the journey of Din Djarin, known to most as The Mandalorian, to the Christian journey. It seems like an odd comparison, but Mr. Vogel does a great job, and by the end the comparison makes complete sense.

This book has thirteen chapters. Each one focuses on a different aspect of Christianity and shows how the show The Mandalorian parallels the spiritual concepts. It is packed with scripture, show trivia, quotes both from the show and from the Bible, and interesting comparisons. At the end of each chapter there are five discussion questions as well as a spiritual practice. The influence of John Mark Comer’s book Practicing the Way on Vogel’s work is apparent. And Vogel quotes and references the work of John Mark Comer several times.

Vogel presents the Chrisitan spiritual journey in a way that a non-Christian can get a good understanding and in a way that a new Christian can deepen their faith. The book is also good for strong Christians to reinforce the basic tenants and to show another way to present those tenants to non-Christians.

If you know Star Wars fans that love The Mandalorian (and any true Star Wars fan does), this book is prefect for them, whether they have a relationship with Christ or they don’t. I believe it is especially effective for Star Wars superfans that do not know Christ. This could be that vehicle that tips the scale for them.

The book is well-written, clear, understandable without a lot of Christian jargon. And where there is Christianese language, Vogel explains it well using the comparisons to The Mandalorian. I highly recommend this book for any Star Wars fan no matter where they are in their Christian journey.

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The Book of Answers by Darrow Woods

 

This not quite a cozy mystery features justice, a form of vengeance, and at least the beginnings of redemption for one of the minor characters. It has some mystery to it and some suspense. The setting and protagonist make it seem like a cozy, but it’s a little raw for a true cozy. It’s labeled as a thriller on Amazon, but I would not call it a thriller. It’s an interesting read and the start of a potentially good series.

The Reverend Thomas Book is second fiddle at a well-established church called Saint Mungo’s in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. While the niece of one of the wealthy patrons of the church is shooting a documentary about the church, a body is uncovered in the basement furnace room that had been there for some time. This launches a series of events in which Tom finds himself a target and a possible suspect for murder. He has a sidekick, Michael Powers, an ex-cop that is still involved in law enforcement. Michael is also Tom’s protector. There are several exciting scenes that the typical minister would not be involved in. Early on, there are a couple supernatural events, but these happen and are mentioned on and off but never deeply explored.

The topics this book deals with are what make the story compelling. It tackles abuse of power, buried family secrets, keeping up appearances at a steep cost, addiction, the Fentanyl issues, and the impacts bad parenting can have on children well into their adult years. It’s a large mix that Mr. Woods weaves together well.

For the most part, the story is clean. However, there is some profanity, again, knocking it out of the cozy genre. No on page sex, though immoral and illegal sexual affairs are one major topic of the story. For the Christian reader, the church and Tom are on the liberal side of social issues. The book is well-written, but it does have quite a few typos. Not enough for the non-writing reader to be distracting. It’s a series that I may continue at some later date. I’ll rank this one fifth of those I’ve read so far this year.

 

The Last Exchange by Charles MartinRelentless by Ed GormanAfter Her Deceit by Steve RushWater Grave by Mitchell S. KarnesThe Book of Answers by Darrow WoodsNeon Prey by John SandfordPerfect Daughter by Ion Esimai Commission Earned

Relentless by Ed Gorman

 

This is a western, thus it must have justice. Though for this one, it’s tainted and not complete. There’s a little redemption sprinkled in for one of the minor characters. One could argue there’s an undercurrent of vengeance. I find that westerns are similar to crime fiction, only set in a different time. The mood is similar to private detective fiction. This book is about a murder and there is a mystery, one that is not revealed until nearly the end. An ending I did not see coming.

Marshal Lane Morgan has arrested the son of the most powerful man in the small western town of Skylar, CO. The events that take place in this story are a direct result of Morgan’s standing by the law and not allowing anyone to skirt that law. This well-written book is about small town corruption, buried secrets coming to light, and one man’s unwavering commitment to justice. There are drifters, grifters, and petty politicians. Gorman does a great job with vocabulary and artifacts of the time. One thing missing, no gunfight on main street, but that omission takes nothing away from this compelling read.

The story is written in first person from Morgan’s point of view. We experience the ups and downs of the town marshal as he fights against powerful people, waxing and waning community support, and protecting his family.

Mostly clean, with some minor profanity, suggestive sex, and necessary violence. The whodunnit carries the story forward as the reader watches Morgan get deeper and deeper into trouble. The climax doesn’t wrap up the mystery, though Morgan thinks it does. Don’t skip the last couple chapters. The ending for some may be disappointing, but it’s realistic. I’ll rank this one second so far. Gorman was a master of both the modern private eye story and the western. His books are worth reading.

 

The Last Exchange by Charles MartinRelentless by Ed GormanAfter Her Deceit by Steve RushWater Grave by Mitchell S. KarnesNeon Prey by John SandfordPerfect Daughter by Ion Esimai Commission Earned

The Last Exchange by Charles Martin

 

This excellent book, another by Charles Martin, definitely features redemption. There is poetic justice as well as egotistically motivated revenge. While not crime fiction, there are crimes. This story hits many important topics.

Only a brief word about what the story’s about because it needs to be experienced and I don’t want to ruin any of the many surprises. The two main characters are Maybe Joe Sue. Yes, that’s her name. She goes by Joe most of the time. And Kelly MacThomas Pockets, who goes by Pockets most of the time. Joe is a Hollywood megastar and Pockets is her bodyguard.

The format is interesting. Each chapter is either Before or After. The before chapters slowly reveal Joe and Pockets’ lives in the past. The rise of Joe in Hollywood. Where Pockets comes from and why. The after chapters are the current action going on.

The themes hit on this story include what fame can do to a person, the ineptitude and sensationalism of our modern media, true sacrificial love, infertility, and addiction. One of the questions in the discussion section at the end asks if the reader thinks this story is an allegory. I do. I believe this is an allegory of true sacrificial love like Jesus has for his followers. There is little to no religion or Christianity mentioned in the story, so don’t worry if that kind of thing turns you off.

Well-written, engaging, and one of those few books I didn’t want to put down. Another question in the discussion is whether the reader liked the ending. This is a tricky question and one hard to answer without giving away too much. My answer: I wasn’t happy about the ending, but I agreed with the ending. It needed to end the way it did.

As all Charles Martin books are, this one is clean. No profanity and no on-page sex. Drug use is prevalent, but it’s an integral part of the story and never glorified. Very little violence and what is there is again, necessary.

As usual, this Charles Martin book is the best book I’ve read this year. And I anticipate there won’t be any better. But we’ll see. I hope I’m excellently surprised and find one that is better. That will be a fantastic read. I highly recommend this book. It’s very different from the other four Charles Martin books I’ve read and reviewed, but just as good.

 

The Last Exchange by Charles MartinAfter Her Deceit by Steve RushWater Grave by Mitchell S. KarnesNeon Prey by John SandfordPerfect Daughter by Ion Esimai Commission Earned

Water Grave by Mitchell S. Karnes

 

Justice, the beginnings of redemption, and vengeance play heavily in this police procedural set in Nashville, TN. It’s book one of the Abbey Rhodes Mystery series. Yes, that’s her name. Though as the reader learns, she changed her name to that to get back at her dad, an ardent Beatles fan.

Abbey has recently transferred to a homicide group, so she’s the newbie on the block. A pastor is brutally murdered in his own church. Abbey is teamed up with a veteran police detective who has lost his passion for the job due to a tragedy in his life. This story deals with recovery from trauma, church hurt, and the fallback when those trusted to be ministers go down the wrong path.

It’s well-written but does have a few typos scattered throughout. Nothing that distracted me. The style is one that a lot of crime fiction writers have taken up lately where there are first person chapters from Abbey’s point of view and third person chapters from other people’s points of view. Not my favorite technique, but it worked okay in this book. There were a couple chapters that mixed both points of view in the same scene. Jarring for a writer. But it probably won’t bother most non-writing readers.

I struggled to like Abbey in the beginning. But I didn’t know her entire background, which unfolds throughout the story. She is anti-social and rash. She makes some poor decisions that get her into hot water early with the new department. As the story unfolds, I grew to understand her more. Never really reached “liked” but that’s okay as the mystery carried the story for me.

The author portrays nearly the entire spectrum of people we’d find in a church. There are strong, Godly people, weak-minded mean-spirited people, and those who take advantage of their position. The only real complaint I have is I would have liked to see more development of Skylar, a fifteen-year-old around whom the story pivots. We get some hints and see a lot of her at the end, but I would have liked to have had more of her to make the ending more believable.

It’s a clean book. No profanity. No on page sex. There are references to rape and abuse. Some violence, but it’s warranted. This is not a suspenseful book, but it has a good mystery. I’ll rate this one number two so far this year due to the topics covered, the mystery, and the clean read.

 

After Her Deceit by Steve RushWater Grave by Mitchell S. KarnesNeon Prey by John SandfordPerfect Daughter by Ion Esimai Commission Earned

After Her Deceit by Steve Rush

 

This book heavily features revenge and justice. It touches on redemption. This is the second book in this series about Ridge Warner and Angel Meade. It’s well-crafted thriller with plenty of action and a couple of twists to keep the reader on their toes.

In the first book (see review here), Angel Meade discovered that the man she was about to marry, Ridge Warner, was actually her half-brother. This sent Angel into a psychological spiral. Both her and Ridge are specially trained operatives for a secret government organization. Ridge escapes the attempts to kill him by Angel. But these attempts of Angel’s continue in this book. And Angel doesn’t let anyone get in her way.

Ridge reminds me of Liam Neesom in Taken. He’s a man with incredible skills. Larger than life, but that makes the read fun. And with Mr. Rush’s law enforcement background the details are enlightening and enhance the story. Angel is a worthy adversary for Ridge as she is as skilled as he is, and in some areas even more so.

This is one of those books with two predominate and mixed points of view. Angel’s, which is written in third person and Ridge’s which is first person. It’s a technique I don’t use and one I sometimes find annoying, but in this book, Mr. Rush does it well. It adds to the suspense and gives us an insight into Angel’s twisted mind.

There is a lot of emotional inner dialog we get from Ridge. Maybe more feelings being at least thought about than I’d expect. Again, not a criticism, just pointing it out.

This book easily slides in at number one for the year. It was a fun and informative read. I look forward to reading more of Steve Rush’s books.

 

After Her Deceit by Steve RushNeon Prey by John SandfordPerfect Daughter by Ion Esimai

Neon Prey by John Sandford

 

This US Marshall Service thriller featured justice, some vengeance, but no redemption. It’s the first Sandford novel I’ve read. This one features Lucas Davenport, who seems to be the lead US Marshall with a special setup. He’s politically connected and uses that connection throughout.

The novel is thrilling. It’s a chase story that starts in New Orleans, goes to California and ends in Las Vegas. We get the story told from the point of view of Davenport as well as a couple of the bad guys, though when in their point of view, it’s an omniscient narrator.

In this book the bad guys are excessively bad. One has a particularly nasty predilection that I’ll let the reader discover on their own. The writing is crisp. The action is intense. And the story kept me reading to find out if and how they’d catch the bad guys. There’s a surprising twist about a third of the way in. I’m not quite sure why this situation was put in. Maybe to fuel Lucas Davenport, but I didn’t think it necessary.

This is definitely not a clean novel. Profanity throughout, sex scenes, including rape, and violence. Some of the violence is graphic and brutal. If this doesn’t bother you, then it’s an exciting story.

I’ll rank this one ahead of the other book I’ve read this year. Even though it’s a four out of five star for me, I probably won’t read another Sandford due to the excessive profanity, sex, and violence. It’s not needed to make a thrilling story.

 

Neon Prey by John SandfordPerfect Daughter by Ion Esimai

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Perfect Daughter by Ion Esimai

 

This is a story of vengeance, along with greed and some justice. Maybe some readers might see redemption. I didn’t. Full justice is not served. The book starts out with incredible potential and the storyline is good. Unfortunately, the presentation falls short.

Miriam Cassidy goes to her mother’s house for their usual Tuesday lunch. Their relationship is precarious at best. She finds her mother dead in the bathtub. An apparent suicide. The story is told from two points of view. Miriam’s is first person. The potential for an unreliable narrator is there. I love a good unreliable narrator. Unfortunately, this one fails to impress.

The second point of view is Detective Rourke who takes the case of Elaine Cassidy’s death. His point of view is third person limited.

The story starts to fall apart once Rourke gets involved and we start seeing things from his point of view. There is way too much repetition in this book. Repeatedly the crime is rehashed. Both by Miriam and Rourke. The book is full of inconsistencies. For example, the time of death changes at least four times. There is one time of death that makes the entire story believable, but that one is only mentioned once. And finally, there are so many inaccuracies. Even though I am a crime fiction writer, I’m not overly concerned about every little detail, as long as they are believable. However, the numerous and constant inaccuracies in this story pulled me out and irritated me. One minor example is that New Jersey is a grand jury state. Every felony goes through the grand jury. Not in this story. This is just one inaccuracy around the legal proceedings.

My final issue with this book is that most of the story is told. It’s subtitled as a “Haunting psychological thriller.” But it’s not a thriller because everything that happens, already happened. After chapter 1, the reader learns about everything through dialog or thoughts of the point-of-view character. There is a mystery. And like I led with, the storyline has good potential. Unfortunately, the “telling” of the story lacks substance and engagement.

It is a fairly clean book Just some mild profanity. No on page sex. And no violence. It’s the first book of the year, therefore ranked number one. I don’t expect it to remain there long.

 

1. Perfect Daughter by Ion Esimai

Commission earned

Kill List by Brian Shea

 

This FBI thriller is filled with revenge and justice is served. Since it’s a series, redemption comes in small steps and in different flavors. This is the first Nick Lawrence novel. Nick is an FBI agent who has recently transferred to Connecticut because of his mother’s failing mental condition. This thriller focuses on two cases for Nick. One a bank robbery – not a mystery as to who is the perpetrator. And the other a terrorist loose in the USA wreaking havoc. Again, no mystery as to who this person is.

This book has an interesting structure. The prologue and the first chapter are about a man named Declan Enright, a former Navy Seal and cop who was fired from his job. The prologue recounts the reason for the firing. In chapter two we meet the terrorist. And finally, in chapter three, we meet Nick Lawrence, FBI agent. This chapter is mostly backstory. That’s one complaint I have is the amount and length of info dumps throughout the book.

The other interesting feature of this book is the moral dilemma presented with Declan. You’ll have to read it to see what I’m referring to. But this dilemma hanging over Declan throughout adds suspense and the desire to keep reading to see how it will be handled. I was satisfied by how it turned out.

Overall, this is a good read. The writing is good, but not great. Lots of narrator asides and head hopping, if that bothers you (it doesn’t bother me). There are several high-tension scenes where I didn’t want to stop reading until resolved. Those who like stories about special forces unleashed in the non-military world will like this story. Nick’s background includes serving as an Army Ranger. Declan’s and Nick’s common enemy is smart, resourceful and well-trained. The climax is intense.

There is profanity scattered throughout. No on page sex, though one off-page reference. There is a lot of carnage, but necessary due to the nature of the bad guy. The author, through his characters, offers harsh commentary about our current-day media and politics. The situation in this story is all too possible. I liked Shea’s Boston cop series better, but to his credit, he has an FBI agent working on cases the FBI actually works, unlike so many other authors who have FBI protagonists.

I’ll rank this one seventeenth. Thirty-one books for the year and all of them were worth the time to read.

 

Thunder and Rain by Charles MartinLove’s True Calling by Lori DeJongThrough Thorny Ways by Jennifer Q. HuntBook of Days by James L. RubartWhispers of a Southern Moon by Pricilla BettisThe Seven Day Resurrection by Chevron RossYour Son is Alive by James Scott BellWild Instinct by T. Jefferson ParkerWith Mercy’s Eyes by D.T. PowellJustice by Jeff HillAlready in the Kudzu by Hannah Hood LuceroDreamwalker by Carrie CottenThe Last Wife by Matt McGregorLoving the Rodeo Queen by Rebecca ReedThe Misadventures of Itchy Izzy by N.Y. DunlapSave the Last Dance for Me by Ed GormanKill List by Brian SheaRanch Showdown by Tina WheelerThe Unhired Hand by R.O. LaneThe Shocking Truth by Steve RushDaughter of Darkness by Ed GormanBurning Angel by James Lee BurkeOne for Sorrow by Sarah A. DenzilDeath in the Kremlin by E.J. SimonThe Conan Doyle Notes: The Secret of Jack the Ripper by Diane Gilbert MadsenWhite Gold by Michael E. JimersonIrresistible Impulse by Robert K. TanenbaumLine of Fire by Taylor S. NewportThe Longest Day by Terry TolerLeft to Die by Lisa JacksonSurviving the Bringer of Death by Kira Black

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One for Sorrow by Sarah A. Denzil

 

In this psychological thriller, justice isn’t completely served. The crimes are not motivated by vengeance. The protagonist is on the road to redemption and makes significant progress. Psychological thriller adequately describes it, especially since at least half of the story is spent in a psychiatric facility. This is book one of a three book series. The series is named after the antagonist, which in itself gives some indication of the direction of the novel.

Leah Smith is a psychiatric nurse who, along with her little brother, has moved from their hometown after the death of their parents. Most of the book is from Leah’s first-person point-of-view. There are several chapters titled “True Crime Junkie” that are blog posts from a man following the crime highlighted in the first “True Crime Junkie” chapter. The crime involves the death of a small child. The accused and convicted killer is a fourteen-year-old girl, Isabel Fielding. The story opens in the psychiatric facility where Isabel is incarcerated six years later. Leah becomes Isabel’s nurse.

It’s also hard to review this story without giving away too much. It starts slow. The first half of the story is setting the stage for the second half and the subsequent books. Plow through the first half and the reader is rewarded with the ending, which is intense and interesting. Ms. Denzil keeps the reader guessing as to the guilt of Isabel Fielding, much the same as Leah battles the same question. I liked the unreliable narrator. That’s all I’ll say about Leah. Several twists are revealed that we don’t see because Leah doesn’t realize them.

This book has an ending. It’s not THE END, but there is an ending and we get enough resolution to be satisfied. The setting is England, so of course, there are scenes on the moors. There is some profanity, though not too much. No on page sex. There is some goriness, but it adds to the suspense, so it’s not gratuitous.

Overall, it’s a good read, you just have to get through the first half. My one complaint is the psychology isn’t quite accurate. I’m not sure if it’s the author or the protagonist, but Leah interchanges sociopaths and psychopaths. Yes, they are both anti-social personality disorders, but they are not at all similar. They don’t have the same symptoms or etiology. I was also disappointed in not finding out the background of one of the serial killers, as just calling them a psychopath is not sufficiently accurate. There are many functioning psychopaths in society that are not killers.

I’ll rank this one twenty-second. Again, it’s a good story, but I’ve read a lot of great books this year.

 

Thunder and Rain by Charles MartinLove’s True Calling by Lori DeJongThrough Thorny Ways by Jennifer Q. HuntBook of Days by James L. RubartWhispers of a Southern Moon by Pricilla BettisThe Seven Day Resurrection by Chevron RossYour Son is Alive by James Scott BellWild Instinct by T. Jefferson ParkerWith Mercy’s Eyes by D.T. PowellJustice by Jeff HillAlready in the Kudzu by Hannah Hood LuceroDreamwalker by Carrie CottenThe Last Wife by Matt McGregorLoving the Rodeo Queen by Rebecca ReedThe Misadventures of Itchy Izzy by N.Y. DunlapSave the Last Dance for Me by Ed GormanRanch Showdown by Tina WheelerThe Unhired Hand by R.O. LaneThe Shocking Truth by Steve RushDaughter of Darkness by Ed GormanBurning Angel by James Lee BurkeOne for Sorrow by Sarah A. DenzilDeath in the Kremlin by E.J. SimonThe Conan Doyle Notes: The Secret of Jack the Ripper by Diane Gilbert MadsenWhite Gold by Michael E. JimersonIrresistible Impulse by Robert K. TanenbaumLine of Fire by Taylor S. NewportThe Longest Day by Terry TolerLeft to Die by Lisa JacksonSurviving the Bringer of Death by Kira Black

Commission earned