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CrossFire #1
CrossFire
Explosive fiction of a young woman whose marriage into a prominent South American family draws her deep into a world filled with danger, intrigue, and confrontation with the U. S. DEA. Guaranteed fiction!
624 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2000
47 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Jeanette Windle
35 books69 followersAs the child of missionary parents, award-winning author and journalist Jeanette Windle grew up in the rural villages, jungles, and mountains of Colombia, now guerrilla hot zones. Her detailed research and writing is so realistic that it has prompted government agencies to question her to determine if she has received classified information. Curently based in Lancaster, PA, Jeanette has lived in six countries and traveled in more than twenty. She has more than a dozen books in print, including the political/suspense best seller "CrossFire" and the Parker Twins juvenile mystery series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 25, 2016
SUMMARY: Adventure and drama suddenly flood the life of a young woman whose marriage into a prominent South American family draws her deep into a world filled with danger. Crossfire is an exceptionally well-written novel, filled with intrigue, action, realism and biblical truth
REVIEW: Intense suspense at its ultimate. This new-to-me author kept me up late reading a couple of nights in order to finish this long, but thrill-a-minute book. This book would indeed make a movie that would pack the wallop of a James Bond; but filled with a superb Christian faith thread, this novel has greater depth.
Sara, a naive, love-longing, young woman rushes into marriage after a short whirlwind romance with a romantic, handsome Bolivian studying in the US and heads off to Bolivia to be caught up in danger, intrigue, and the underworld of the Bolivian drug culture. Windle's research into the Bolivian drug culture and US DEA is apparent from start to finish in this book. I must say it definitely opened my eyes to a part of the pipeline of drugs with which I wasn't very familiar. Doug's past, his strong efforts to combat the drug pipeline, and his faith were exactly what Sara needed to weave her way out of the situation she had become caught up in. He also supported her growing renewal of faith.
My favorite part was when Sara was out with the campesinos and spent many quiet hours in studying the Bible and renewing her faith. A wonderfully written chapter that shows how God gives forgiveness, second chances, and never ending mercy.
This book does contain some violence which might repel some readers, but it is definitely appropriate where it is used in order to develop the insight into the drug culture.
I look forward to reading book 2 in the CrossFire series: Firestorm.
FAVORITE QUOTES: (Too many to list them all but here are just a few.)
" If only she could go back! Not to the blissful early days with Nicholas, but further. Much further. Back to when she'd known God's tenderness and has felt his very arms close around her! Back before she'd ruined it all with her own stubbornness and rebellion."
"Joy. Plain, simple, sheer joy. Not because things were going well, but because...Because they had you, God! That's why they could rejoice, all of them! Even when they were yelling at you and confused like Jeremiah and Habakkuk. They didn't have anything else, but they had you. And that was enough, wasn't it?"
"Oh God, I mocked when Sam Histed read those verses! I didn't think I needed to hear because I had it all! A family, a home, everything I wanted. And now it's all gone. But even if I had it all back, it wouldn't matter, because that wasn't really what I wanted. It was you! And it wasn't you who turned away. It was me!! I ran away from you as soon as things got hard, and then I got lost and I couldn't find my way back. And all these years that I've been missing you, and searching for you, and thinking you'd abandoned me, you've been right here, waiting for me!"
REVIEW: Intense suspense at its ultimate. This new-to-me author kept me up late reading a couple of nights in order to finish this long, but thrill-a-minute book. This book would indeed make a movie that would pack the wallop of a James Bond; but filled with a superb Christian faith thread, this novel has greater depth.
Sara, a naive, love-longing, young woman rushes into marriage after a short whirlwind romance with a romantic, handsome Bolivian studying in the US and heads off to Bolivia to be caught up in danger, intrigue, and the underworld of the Bolivian drug culture. Windle's research into the Bolivian drug culture and US DEA is apparent from start to finish in this book. I must say it definitely opened my eyes to a part of the pipeline of drugs with which I wasn't very familiar. Doug's past, his strong efforts to combat the drug pipeline, and his faith were exactly what Sara needed to weave her way out of the situation she had become caught up in. He also supported her growing renewal of faith.
My favorite part was when Sara was out with the campesinos and spent many quiet hours in studying the Bible and renewing her faith. A wonderfully written chapter that shows how God gives forgiveness, second chances, and never ending mercy.
This book does contain some violence which might repel some readers, but it is definitely appropriate where it is used in order to develop the insight into the drug culture.
I look forward to reading book 2 in the CrossFire series: Firestorm.
FAVORITE QUOTES: (Too many to list them all but here are just a few.)
" If only she could go back! Not to the blissful early days with Nicholas, but further. Much further. Back to when she'd known God's tenderness and has felt his very arms close around her! Back before she'd ruined it all with her own stubbornness and rebellion."
"Joy. Plain, simple, sheer joy. Not because things were going well, but because...Because they had you, God! That's why they could rejoice, all of them! Even when they were yelling at you and confused like Jeremiah and Habakkuk. They didn't have anything else, but they had you. And that was enough, wasn't it?"
"Oh God, I mocked when Sam Histed read those verses! I didn't think I needed to hear because I had it all! A family, a home, everything I wanted. And now it's all gone. But even if I had it all back, it wouldn't matter, because that wasn't really what I wanted. It was you! And it wasn't you who turned away. It was me!! I ran away from you as soon as things got hard, and then I got lost and I couldn't find my way back. And all these years that I've been missing you, and searching for you, and thinking you'd abandoned me, you've been right here, waiting for me!"
July 4, 2012
Got sore thumbs clicking pages on my phone. This story has no let up. Windle knows the culture and has done her homework on the politics. Her characters are compelling and the arguments for accepting the drug trade are convincing—until we learn what these men are really like and see the hollowness of their logic and the selfishness of their motivation. May God have mercy on Bolivia and raise up leadership that will stand against corruption.
December 10, 2017
I have no idea why I loved this book so much the first time around. When rereading the book this time, I first became wary when barely a hundred pages into the novel Windle trots out a technique used by far too many Christian authors, a technique that I abhor, preaching. Whenever an author includes actual (fictional) sermon text in the novel the book does not survive long in my collection or my opinion. I have no recollection of this the other times I read this book. When I read that section I had a feeling that the book would not survive but I persisted even though over 500 pages remained. In the end, what did this book in was a lack of engagement with the characters. I simply could not get over Sara's annoying naiveté through the first half of the novel. How could she not see the signs so obvious they practically screamed at her? Windle does know how to write suspense well but the above two reasons, particularly her over-reliance on sermonizing which made Doug an indefinable character (not a good quality in a character as prominent as that) were the reason that this book does not survive round two of the purge from my personal collection.
June 2, 2012
Loved this book...if you like Dee Henderson's books you will also enjoy Jeanette Windle. This is the first book of hers that I have read....really enjoyed it and will look for others of hers to read. I think this book would make a great movie!!
Read
September 29, 2008This is well written book about the Drug wars in South America. You would enjoy it Megan. She's an MK.
July 19, 2014
One of my all-time favorite books
January 26, 2010
this book was amazing and very interesting it will keep you in the edge of you page=]
April 14, 2012
This story would make a great Movie!
May 23, 2012
I truly enjoyed this book! I really liked that she kept it clean while it still remained very exciting! I loved the message. I couldn't put it down! Makes me want to read Ms. Windle's other books.
June 8, 2012
WOW!!
December 17, 2012
Action-packed. Amazing detail about DEA and drug trafficking. Very, very long.
May 9, 2014
It is rare indeed for me to have a Christian fiction book that is difficult to put down. The last few nights have been way too late as I've gone for "just until the end of this scene" and then carried on to the next.
While at college, Sarah, the naive young heroine falls head over heels for the handsome, smooth-talking, Nicky. She has no family, and is desperate for love. After a whirl-wind romance, of which we read very little, she marries Nicky, and he whisks her off to a new life in Bolivia. Only after the plane lands does she start to suspect all is not as ideal as she first anticipated. She faces a devastating twist to her dream life and desperately hangs onto belief in her husband's innocence.
The tension grows as she struggles with her relationships with Nicky, her new family, and a growing awareness of the horrors of the Bolivian drug culture. She initially loathes Douglas Bradford, the DEA agent responsible for trying to bring the Cortez family and their business to their knees. However as the story develops, she soon finds herself fleeing for her life, pursued by a formidable group of enemies, and the only one to whom she can turn is the DEA agent.
There are a number of lengthy explanations of the Christian faith, as seen through the eyes of both Sarah and Doug, and I feel at times they are too long. Having said that, at no point did I want to skip the passages, as Sarah grapples to see God in the impossible situation she faces. Sarah asks a lot of questions many of the readers will ask.
Jeanette Windle's research has been tremendous. She displays a clear knowledge of the Bolivian drug industry, as well as the way of life of both the incredibly rich, and the desperately poor. It is a long book, and at what appeared to be the climax of the story, I noticed with disappointment that I was only half-way through the book. I thought the second half would surely be drawn out and a let down from the excitement of the first half. I couldn't have been more wrong. The tension escalated, and although some of the scenes were long, they kept me reading right until the final resolution.
Well done, Jeannette. I will definitely be looking for more of your books. I have rated this five stars, based on Amazon's explanation of the star rating: An excellent read.
While at college, Sarah, the naive young heroine falls head over heels for the handsome, smooth-talking, Nicky. She has no family, and is desperate for love. After a whirl-wind romance, of which we read very little, she marries Nicky, and he whisks her off to a new life in Bolivia. Only after the plane lands does she start to suspect all is not as ideal as she first anticipated. She faces a devastating twist to her dream life and desperately hangs onto belief in her husband's innocence.
The tension grows as she struggles with her relationships with Nicky, her new family, and a growing awareness of the horrors of the Bolivian drug culture. She initially loathes Douglas Bradford, the DEA agent responsible for trying to bring the Cortez family and their business to their knees. However as the story develops, she soon finds herself fleeing for her life, pursued by a formidable group of enemies, and the only one to whom she can turn is the DEA agent.
There are a number of lengthy explanations of the Christian faith, as seen through the eyes of both Sarah and Doug, and I feel at times they are too long. Having said that, at no point did I want to skip the passages, as Sarah grapples to see God in the impossible situation she faces. Sarah asks a lot of questions many of the readers will ask.
Jeanette Windle's research has been tremendous. She displays a clear knowledge of the Bolivian drug industry, as well as the way of life of both the incredibly rich, and the desperately poor. It is a long book, and at what appeared to be the climax of the story, I noticed with disappointment that I was only half-way through the book. I thought the second half would surely be drawn out and a let down from the excitement of the first half. I couldn't have been more wrong. The tension escalated, and although some of the scenes were long, they kept me reading right until the final resolution.
Well done, Jeannette. I will definitely be looking for more of your books. I have rated this five stars, based on Amazon's explanation of the star rating: An excellent read.
October 21, 2017
Sara, a young college student, falls in love with a Bolivian man and, after their marriage, moves to his country. She has come to terms with the fact that his standard of living may not be very high and is shocked when she discovers his family is among the wealthiest, millionaire wealthy, in the country. It is not until much later that she discovers just how the family makes their money and how deeply involved her husband is in criminal activity.
Author Jeanette Windle, in her page-turning novel, thoroughly explores the social, political, and cultural aspects of the Bolivian people and the rights and wrongs of how the American people contribute to their well-being. Jeanette draws on her own experience as a missionary in Bolivia and knows firsthand the daily lives of the people she portrays through the fictitious characters in her novel. They effectively play out the drama of life in the midst of the cocaine industry.
The book is long, 600+ pages, but provides romance, suspense, a strong but not preachy Christian basis, and a compelling story that keeps the reader turning pages. There is a great deal to be learned throughout the story about the drug trade in South America, the DEA, the influence the United States has on other countries, and the Bolivian culture.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look forward to more reads by this author.
Author Jeanette Windle, in her page-turning novel, thoroughly explores the social, political, and cultural aspects of the Bolivian people and the rights and wrongs of how the American people contribute to their well-being. Jeanette draws on her own experience as a missionary in Bolivia and knows firsthand the daily lives of the people she portrays through the fictitious characters in her novel. They effectively play out the drama of life in the midst of the cocaine industry.
The book is long, 600+ pages, but provides romance, suspense, a strong but not preachy Christian basis, and a compelling story that keeps the reader turning pages. There is a great deal to be learned throughout the story about the drug trade in South America, the DEA, the influence the United States has on other countries, and the Bolivian culture.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look forward to more reads by this author.
June 18, 2013
Sarah Connor and Doug Bradford are in Bolivia for different reasons. Sara arrived as a starry-eyed young bride starting her new life with her Latino prince charming Nicolas Cortez. Doug Bradford fills his days as a DEA agent squelching drug traffickers at every turn. When Sara’s world starts spinning out of control she turns to Doug for help. Jeanette Windle introduces American readers to Bolivian culture and mores of both the very wealthy and those caught in poverty. She crafts a great story of intrigue in the midst of a society that often looks the other way in order to gain wealth. This well-written book kept me engaged in the story most of the time. I must admit those few times when the lengthy, detailed descriptions of drug labs and such bogged me down. I found myself skimming those sections in order to get back into the action of the story.
The subtle references to faith are well-crafted so the unbeliever would not close the book. Sara’s discovery that her ideas about God were wrong come out naturally as the plot develops. Jeannette’s research and character development makes this book a top-quality read.
The subtle references to faith are well-crafted so the unbeliever would not close the book. Sara’s discovery that her ideas about God were wrong come out naturally as the plot develops. Jeannette’s research and character development makes this book a top-quality read.
January 27, 2015
3 1/2 stars. I'm glad I finally had the chance to read Jeanette's first adult novel. As I suspected, the details were amazingly well-researched and the plot believable. Unfortunately, the main character was not so believable. It's hard to imagine someone as naive as Sarah, but perhaps the author purposely made her thus to encourage young women to NOT be like her. Some of the descriptions and backstory about military and the drug wars in Bolivia were very loooong and tedious (though true to life), and that made me almost put the book down twice. However, I kept with it, and the ending was satisfying. I've read and enjoyed some of Jeanette's newer novels, and she's developed a lot as a writer since penning Crossfire. Still an interesting read if you have a little patience.
August 3, 2012
Really liked this book. Sara Conner falls in love with a handome, charming man from Bolivia, marries him after a few weeks of dating, and leaves te United States to join him and his family in Bolivia. Nicholas, come to find out, is the only son of an extremely influential and wealthy man and lives in a huge mansion with his parents where Sara is expected to sunbathe, shop, and basically do nothing. After some time with her new in-laws she finds that Bolivia beyond the doors of the Cortez mansion is strugling with drugs and corruptions and finds herself heavily surrounded by this world.
I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down at night. Sara is a bit gullible and airheaded for my liking at times but I was able to gloss over the most offending moments.
I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down at night. Sara is a bit gullible and airheaded for my liking at times but I was able to gloss over the most offending moments.
December 17, 2013
This book started out very slowly. I began to wonder if it would be worth the time and effort to read it! I am a rather stubborn person,so I stuck with it, out of sheer determination. It was worth the effort to stick with it! The story did pick up and it did not slow down. At times I caught myself very nearly holding my breath. Ms. Windle kept my attention,and I found myself not wanting to put my kindle down, for fear I would miss out on something!
I think I may just check out some of her other books!
I think I may just check out some of her other books!
May 21, 2014
This book started very slowly and I only pressed on because it came highly recommended. It eventually picked up and kept me up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it. Windle did amazingly thorough research, though I feel like she included more than necessary. The book was ridiculously long and could have benefited from some editing. Overall, though, it was a gripping story rooted in reality - an eye opening expose of Bolivan drug cartels and the rampant poverty the cocaine industry leaves in its wake. With a little romance for good measure. ;-)
May 3, 2015
Money can Burn
The plot was intriguing. But Sara was too naive, believing she could change the system. There was too much emphasis on religion. The description of the scenery was spectacular, the jungle escapes vivid. I would recommend the book with some prefaces
The plot was intriguing. But Sara was too naive, believing she could change the system. There was too much emphasis on religion. The description of the scenery was spectacular, the jungle escapes vivid. I would recommend the book with some prefaces
October 3, 2015
This book started off a bit slowly as the author has vast knowledge of her subject matter and introduces you to it in detail....however, about halfway through the book, things really started moving a long and by the last part of the book, I couldn't put it down. I really enjoy this author!
January 23, 2017
I need to read more by Jeanette Windle. 'DMZ' is my favorite so far, but I did enjoy this one as well! Her writing is realistic, and her characters are strong. I also find her plots to be page-turners that I don't want to put down.
March 10, 2017
I felt this book was rather tedious, though not bad. I read about 40% then skipped to the epilogue. The main character, Sara, was just too naive and difficult to tolerate, as noted by other reviewers; I preferred the sections that did not involve her.
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December 7, 2013False
December 15, 2013
This is my favorite of the windle's titles, packed with action at every corner.
January 28, 2015
This book has a good plot but is too drawn out with too many unimportant details. I like her writing, but the other 2 novels that I read by Jeanette were really good.
May 10, 2016
A novel full of suspense and intrigue. An exciting read from the first page to the last.
January 3, 2019
"CrossFire" is a Christian suspense novel. The first third of the book was setting everything up: a young gal longing for a loving family (since hers has died) has a whirlwind romance and marries a man from Bolivia. They return to his home, and she's shocked to realize how rich his family is. She accepts the lies that he tells her about his family because she wants it to be true, but soon she realizes that the family business is being used to smuggle cocaine into other countries. Through an English-speaking missionary church, she knows a DEA agent who has offered to help her if she ever needs it.
By about halfway through, she really, really needs help. She's gotten on the wrong side of powerful people determined to contain any damage she might do to them. She's brave, has integrity, and can think on her feet when she has to, so she manages to stay alive despite everything. The DEA agent is a kind and determined fellow who helps as much as he can.
The story is exciting and suspenseful, but I think I would have liked it better if it was a little shorter. We learn a lot about Bolivia and the drug situation there, and these details are what I like about this author's books. However, even right in the middle of suspenseful situations, we get these long lectures about things like what each character thinks about cocaine and how they justify their actions. A lot of this was repetitive, so it didn't add to my understanding of the situation and slowed the scenes.
Sara feels like God is a remote, uncaring deity to allow so much suffering to happen to her family. By the end, she can see how God has been using events to bring about a positive end and has a stronger sense that God personally cares about her. There was no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.
By about halfway through, she really, really needs help. She's gotten on the wrong side of powerful people determined to contain any damage she might do to them. She's brave, has integrity, and can think on her feet when she has to, so she manages to stay alive despite everything. The DEA agent is a kind and determined fellow who helps as much as he can.
The story is exciting and suspenseful, but I think I would have liked it better if it was a little shorter. We learn a lot about Bolivia and the drug situation there, and these details are what I like about this author's books. However, even right in the middle of suspenseful situations, we get these long lectures about things like what each character thinks about cocaine and how they justify their actions. A lot of this was repetitive, so it didn't add to my understanding of the situation and slowed the scenes.
Sara feels like God is a remote, uncaring deity to allow so much suffering to happen to her family. By the end, she can see how God has been using events to bring about a positive end and has a stronger sense that God personally cares about her. There was no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.
November 21, 2018
Although a bit too rah-rah americano for me, and a rather implausibly rushed timeline, I loved the characters and the descriptions. I was there, people were moving around me and talking in voices I could hear. This author is gifted that way.
I knew I was in for Christian lit when I read it the first time 10 years ago. I hadn’t forgotten when I reread it just recently. It’s still very christian-y. However, aside from massive scripture quotations and a church scene in which the pastor speaketh the voice of God, I did actually enjoy how the author worked personal growth through faith into the story line.
All in all, very standard-issue, mainline conservative take on the issues presented, but not unenjoyable. And yea, I’m a sucker enough to read it again - and enjoy it! - so long as I’m in the right mood.
I knew I was in for Christian lit when I read it the first time 10 years ago. I hadn’t forgotten when I reread it just recently. It’s still very christian-y. However, aside from massive scripture quotations and a church scene in which the pastor speaketh the voice of God, I did actually enjoy how the author worked personal growth through faith into the story line.
All in all, very standard-issue, mainline conservative take on the issues presented, but not unenjoyable. And yea, I’m a sucker enough to read it again - and enjoy it! - so long as I’m in the right mood.
June 26, 2019
CrossFire has a very slow start...didn't really get invested until about 18 chapters in. I did not like how Sara, the heroin, was portrayed as a naive, baby-Christian, blonde female. I felt as if Windle undermined the female mentality and abilities.
Doug, the male hero, was portrayed decent enough.
Windle for sure did her research as far as it goes for Bolivia's drug trafficking issues, but it sometimes came off as too textbook-ish and wasn't an appealing read and dragged the plot line out longer than it should have. Because of this, I do not know if I will continue to read more books from Windle.
Doug, the male hero, was portrayed decent enough.
Windle for sure did her research as far as it goes for Bolivia's drug trafficking issues, but it sometimes came off as too textbook-ish and wasn't an appealing read and dragged the plot line out longer than it should have. Because of this, I do not know if I will continue to read more books from Windle.
May 14, 2020
Crossfire felt like a refreshing change from the Amish hallmark scene of Christian fiction. When I finished, I felt like I had a sense of Bolivian life and definitely of the impact of the drug trade. I just wished for more depth in the main character, Sara. The reader never gets to know much about her; mostly, the story just jumps in with her marriage. She's nice and courageous without coming across as very smart. Still, the 617 pages had enough interest and suspense that I will read the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews