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Keller & Morris #1
The Apostle Murders
Reverend Samuel (Preach) Preston is a full-time Christian evangelist traveling the country preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. But Preach is on a mission - a mission to re-create the martyrdom of the original apostles of Jesus Christ. To his family he is father and grandfather. To the Christian world, he is a dedicated man of God. But to FBI agents Duncan Morris, Lynn Keller, and George Benjamin, he is a serial killer they must stop before he can kill again.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2011
62 people are currently reading
383 people want to read
About the author
Jim Laughter
17 books13 followersCreator of Galactic Axia, a commonwealth of planets and basis for sci/fi adventures spanning the galaxy. Books include best sellers Escape to Destiny, The Horicon Experience, Space Trader, First Contact, and The Wounded Warrior.
Jim is also author several stand-alone books including thrillers, true crime, climate fiction, and children's books.
Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant. Father of three wonderful sons, and grandfather of four marvelous grandchildren.
"
Jim is also author several stand-alone books including thrillers, true crime, climate fiction, and children's books.
Retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant. Father of three wonderful sons, and grandfather of four marvelous grandchildren.
"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 29, 2013
When a book has several editing errors....allude instead of elude, parameter instead of perimeter, course instead of coarse...I will overlook them if the story is well done. It wasn't in this case.
The plot could have been a decent one in better hands. Instead, it became trite...not even a good episode for a tv crime show.
The author shamelessly plugged his book about Steven Stayner, in a totally irrelevant aside.
Much unnecessary garbage about one character's apparent prejudice which didn't advance the plot or develop the characters.
The top FBI agents continued to be clueless as late as chapter 34, with the smart young whippersnapper agent having to patiently explain once again how the killer was after people named for apostles.
Don't waste your time.
The plot could have been a decent one in better hands. Instead, it became trite...not even a good episode for a tv crime show.
The author shamelessly plugged his book about Steven Stayner, in a totally irrelevant aside.
Much unnecessary garbage about one character's apparent prejudice which didn't advance the plot or develop the characters.
The top FBI agents continued to be clueless as late as chapter 34, with the smart young whippersnapper agent having to patiently explain once again how the killer was after people named for apostles.
Don't waste your time.
July 30, 2013
A real page turner!!!!! A traveling evangelist on a cross country murder spree re-creating the martyrdom of the original apostles of Christ. A rookie FBI agent working the case with two seasoned agents. Lots of twists and turns.... With some bible history thrown in for good measure. Enjoyed it!!!!
July 9, 2014
Very fast paced murder story. Reverend Preach is on a mission for God. Or so he believes. Story line is believable. Locations used in book are accurate. Church history and workings are accurate. Great story. Will look for other stories by this author.
February 29, 2012
A fun read on a serious subject. Jim keeps you entertained with good visualizations of his characters.
July 2, 2013
Interesting idea. Great characterization. There are awkward shifts in point of view. Some of the writing needs work.
July 13, 2013
Great book! Well written, interesting, loved the detectives, worth the read!
July 16, 2013
This was a very good book....hard to put down.
July 14, 2013
I could not put this down! The characters are multifaceted and the storyline is gripping. A great read and definitely recommended!
July 4, 2013
Really liked this one, but it ended kind of abruptly.
August 28, 2018
Read this on my Kindle, and I always notice the typos when things are on the Kindle. Ugh.
Other than my insane quest for grammatical perfection, I loved this book. I could not put it down. It's a pretty far-out tale of a preacher committing murders....well, that's all I'll say. Go read it. I bet you'll like it.
Other than my insane quest for grammatical perfection, I loved this book. I could not put it down. It's a pretty far-out tale of a preacher committing murders....well, that's all I'll say. Go read it. I bet you'll like it.
November 9, 2020
Excellent read!
Not your normal serial killer book. It’s a fast read and not overly predictable. The end was somewhat surprising and I’d like to see a series with these characters.
Not your normal serial killer book. It’s a fast read and not overly predictable. The end was somewhat surprising and I’d like to see a series with these characters.
June 11, 2017
Good book
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
December 31, 2013
I was looking for a decent thriller to read towards the end of 2013. I chanced upon the Kindle edition of The Apostle Murders by Jim Laughter. This turned out to be a good choice since it was a neat page turner.
The story is about a series of murders perpetrated by Reverend Samuel "Preach" Preston, an evangelist. Preach sincerely believes that God is instructing him directly to carry out His bidding through a series of killings patterned on the martyrdom of the Original Apostles. He carries out a series of grisly murders across several states of the USA.
A FBI team headed by Morris and Lynn Keller are clueless until a rookie FBI agent George Benjamin (an African American) with a seminary education makes the connection of the killings with the death of the original apostles. Morris, the senior FBI agent comes across as hard redneck who reluctantly accepts that the role of Benjamin in tracking down the killer. The conversations between Morris and Benjamin are racially charged, but with the undercurrent of Morris quietly admiring the work of Benjamin.
The story takes us through a ride across the Bible Belt as Preach carries out his unholy mission. Preach commits these murders closely following the manner in which the original apostles were martyred, and yet shows some twisted empathy for the victims. The story does not any suspense since the killer is known. The book maintains the gripping pace as Preach moves on from one kill to another, with the FBI team closing down on him.
I loved this book and the story telling style of Jim Laughter. There are a few words that appear to be incorrectly used, but I guess they are the result of the notorious auto-correct feature of the word processor the author used. In spite of some shortcomings, I think that this is a wonderful book. I finished reading this book in the forenoon of 31 December 2013. Time for me to pick up a book that will tickle my funny bone and usher in 2014!
The story is about a series of murders perpetrated by Reverend Samuel "Preach" Preston, an evangelist. Preach sincerely believes that God is instructing him directly to carry out His bidding through a series of killings patterned on the martyrdom of the Original Apostles. He carries out a series of grisly murders across several states of the USA.
A FBI team headed by Morris and Lynn Keller are clueless until a rookie FBI agent George Benjamin (an African American) with a seminary education makes the connection of the killings with the death of the original apostles. Morris, the senior FBI agent comes across as hard redneck who reluctantly accepts that the role of Benjamin in tracking down the killer. The conversations between Morris and Benjamin are racially charged, but with the undercurrent of Morris quietly admiring the work of Benjamin.
The story takes us through a ride across the Bible Belt as Preach carries out his unholy mission. Preach commits these murders closely following the manner in which the original apostles were martyred, and yet shows some twisted empathy for the victims. The story does not any suspense since the killer is known. The book maintains the gripping pace as Preach moves on from one kill to another, with the FBI team closing down on him.
I loved this book and the story telling style of Jim Laughter. There are a few words that appear to be incorrectly used, but I guess they are the result of the notorious auto-correct feature of the word processor the author used. In spite of some shortcomings, I think that this is a wonderful book. I finished reading this book in the forenoon of 31 December 2013. Time for me to pick up a book that will tickle my funny bone and usher in 2014!
February 9, 2012
It's not every day you find the story of a Christian serial killer. The Apostle Murders tells the story of a new FBI agent, George Benjamin, as he helps track down a serial killer who is repeating, to the best of his ability, the martyrdom of the original apostles. The concept is a great one. Author Jim Laughter knows the Bible belt. He also knows the Bible and early Christian tradition, and he weaves it all into an interesting story. Though there were a few areas where I think the novel could have been stronger, the plot kept my attention, and I wanted to see how it resolved. It's worth checking out, especially if you're looking for a Christian crime thriller.
My full review, if you're interested, is on my blog: http://thechippermuse.blogspot.com/20...
My full review, if you're interested, is on my blog: http://thechippermuse.blogspot.com/20...
January 18, 2014
"My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mt 27:46).
EXCEPTIONAL story telling for those interested in spiritual thrillers sprinkled with Bible history and told in modern day/no punches pulled speak. Perfect example of a cleric’s misguided belief system gone awry. A "good" preacher man becomes spiritually lost to the religious sign of the times vs "the way it used to be". When God "tells him" to rectify things, he listens, and martyrs one "apostle" at a time, in God's name. Sick, twisted, warped thinking? Or just a religious fanatic? No matter! Interesting and fast moving read!
Moral evils, in contrast, come about through the misuse of freedom in the world.
From Catechism in a Year – Day 41: Why Does Evil Exist
EXCEPTIONAL story telling for those interested in spiritual thrillers sprinkled with Bible history and told in modern day/no punches pulled speak. Perfect example of a cleric’s misguided belief system gone awry. A "good" preacher man becomes spiritually lost to the religious sign of the times vs "the way it used to be". When God "tells him" to rectify things, he listens, and martyrs one "apostle" at a time, in God's name. Sick, twisted, warped thinking? Or just a religious fanatic? No matter! Interesting and fast moving read!
Moral evils, in contrast, come about through the misuse of freedom in the world.
From Catechism in a Year – Day 41: Why Does Evil Exist
January 20, 2015
This was not a good book. It was .99 cents and I was interested in the premise of a traveling preacher serial killer, but came up sorely disappointed.
The writing (especially the dialogue) was awful and cliche. The characters were under developed and basically just were bad caricatures of FBI agents on TV.
Alsoooo, the racist, drunk FBI agent who never listens to anything, whom everyone has to repeat and explain slowly because he always interrupts, made the book super painful to read....along with the author's repeated use of the word "luscious" to describe the rookie's wife, and numerous editing errors.
Really terrible book, don't bother.
The writing (especially the dialogue) was awful and cliche. The characters were under developed and basically just were bad caricatures of FBI agents on TV.
Alsoooo, the racist, drunk FBI agent who never listens to anything, whom everyone has to repeat and explain slowly because he always interrupts, made the book super painful to read....along with the author's repeated use of the word "luscious" to describe the rookie's wife, and numerous editing errors.
Really terrible book, don't bother.
August 20, 2013
I absolutely could not get through it, which is so unusual. Normally, once I start a book, I feel compelled to finish it. In this book, I could not get past the dialogue between Preach and his next chosen victim. I found it extremely tedious. I also had a very difficult time summoning the "willful suspension of disbelief" normally required to read a piece of fiction. My mind kept screaming to Thomas, "Follow your intuition! Get out of the motor home!" So at only 5% read on my Kindle, I threw in the towel
September 16, 2013
When "Preach" gets a higher calling from God to fulfill a mission, it becomes a "deadly mission".
Tracked cross-country by a crackpot, [screwball] team of FBI agents, it takes a rookie agent to understand a killer, and get inside his head to get one jump ahead of him. But not before a string of brutal killings leaves the team frustrated and stumped at every turn.
I couldn't put this one down folks! You're gonna love The Apostle Murders by Jim Laughter.
Five Stars and a Big Thumbs Up!
Tracked cross-country by a crackpot, [screwball] team of FBI agents, it takes a rookie agent to understand a killer, and get inside his head to get one jump ahead of him. But not before a string of brutal killings leaves the team frustrated and stumped at every turn.
I couldn't put this one down folks! You're gonna love The Apostle Murders by Jim Laughter.
Five Stars and a Big Thumbs Up!
December 27, 2015
I picked this book up as a freebee. The title is what first grabbed my attention. The premise also sounded interesting. An older evangelist is going around the country murdering people in the same manner as the faithful apostles (disciples). The FBI is hunting him down.
I enjoyed the book. Although I would not consider it, or recommend it as a Christian novel. Especially with some of the racial slurs towards one of the agents, and the language.
I enjoyed the book. Although I would not consider it, or recommend it as a Christian novel. Especially with some of the racial slurs towards one of the agents, and the language.
July 19, 2013
I loved this book! I thought the characters worked so well together, I really don't like books,movies and or tv shows that have a killer that claims God told them to do it, however it does make for a good subject I think everyone can struggle with the good and bad in themselves. Sometimes the evil in people win.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2014
Good detective story. Very creative angle with the murderer killing to recreate the martyrdom of the apostles of Jesus. Duncan made me a little crazy and by the end I was hoping George would take him out back and punch him in the face!! The story kept me guessing all the way to the end. Thanks to the author for not writing a super disgusting, overly graphic, crazy psycho murder story.
November 14, 2014
Suspenseful
the author was very descriptive and the story line was awesome. I was anxious to finish the book. Man I wanted to be the person who finished off Preach. Oh by the way I laughed a lot due to Morris character.
the author was very descriptive and the story line was awesome. I was anxious to finish the book. Man I wanted to be the person who finished off Preach. Oh by the way I laughed a lot due to Morris character.
July 23, 2013
A page turner.
August 29, 2014
Really enjoyed this one. Smart with nice twists. Would highly recommend this one.
August 24, 2013
Really enjoyed this book. Fast moving plot,with lots of information and great range of characters to bounce off each other.
September 4, 2013
This was a surprisingly excellent book. Similar to an episode of "Criminal Minds" but as a book much better.
October 27, 2013
Interesting theme for a serial murder story.
April 5, 2014
Weak plot, weak characters (besides the racist FBI agent) and resolved itself far too quickly. Certainly wasn't a page-turner.
April 16, 2014
A good little book standard type serial murder mystery and quite enjoyable. Good characters and fun too. I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews