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Sam Michaels / Daniel Davis #1
Burnt Offerings
The scratch of a single match—spark, heat, chemical reaction, fire being born—and an intense thriller begins.
Terror reigns over the North Florida National Forest, the coastal town of Bayshore, and the barrier island of Pine Key—a fiery terror whose flame threatens to consume the whole world.
An exacting and methodical killer whose weapon is fire is working on his masterpiece, and only a wounded and scarred FDLE agent and a retired ritual crimes expert hiding from the world in a cabin in the woods have any hope of stopping him.
Rich and textured, yet fast-paced and pulse-pounding, BURNT OFFERINGS will leave you breathless right up until its heart-stopping conclusion.
Terror reigns over the North Florida National Forest, the coastal town of Bayshore, and the barrier island of Pine Key—a fiery terror whose flame threatens to consume the whole world.
An exacting and methodical killer whose weapon is fire is working on his masterpiece, and only a wounded and scarred FDLE agent and a retired ritual crimes expert hiding from the world in a cabin in the woods have any hope of stopping him.
Rich and textured, yet fast-paced and pulse-pounding, BURNT OFFERINGS will leave you breathless right up until its heart-stopping conclusion.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
41 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Michael Lister
184 books233 followersNew York Times bestselling and award-winning novelist Michael Lister is a native Floridian best known for his literary suspense thrillers as well as his two ongoing mystery series, the prison chaplain John Jordan "Blood" series and the hard-boiled, 1940s noir Jimmy "Soldier" Riley Series, and the post-apocalypic suspense thriller Cataclysmos.
Visit www.michaellister.com for more information, or follow his youtube channel - Writing and Life at https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelL...
The Florida Book Review says that "Vintage Michael Lister is poetic prose, exquisitely set scenes, characters who are damaged and faulty" and Michael Koryta says, “If you like crime writing with depth, suspense, and sterling prose, you should be reading Michael Lister," while Publisher's Weekly adds, “Lister’s hard-edged prose ranks with the best of contemporary noir fiction.”
Michael grew up in North Florida near the Gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola River in a small town world famous for tupelo honey.
Truly a regional writer, North Florida is his beat.
Captivated by story since childhood, Michael has a love for language and narrative inspired by the Southern storytelling tradition that captured his imagination and became such a source of meaning and inspiration. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology with an emphasis on myth and narrative.
In the early 90s, Michael became the youngest chaplain within the Florida Department of Corrections. For nearly a decade, he served as a contract, staff, then senior chaplain at three different facilities in the Panhandle of Florida—a unique experience that led to his first novel, 1997’s critically acclaimed, POWER IN THE BLOOD. It was the first in a series of popular and celebrated novels featuring ex-cop turned prison chaplain, John Jordan. Subsequent books in the series include BLOOD OF THE LAMB, FLESH AND BLOOD, THE BODY AND THE BLOOD, BLOOD SACRIFICE, and RIVERS TO BLOOD, and each takes readers through the electronically locked gates of the chain-link fences, beneath the looping razor wire glinting in the sun, and into the strange world of Potter Correctional Institution, Florida’s toughest maximum security prison. Of the John Jordan series, Michael Connelly says “Michael Lister may be the author of the most unique series running in mystery fiction. It crackles with tension and authenticity,” while Julia Spencer-Fleming adds “Michael Lister writes one of the most ambitious and unusual crime fiction series going. See what crime fiction is capable of.”
Michael also writes historical hard-boiled thrillers, such as THE BIG GOODBYE, THE BIG BEYOND, and THE BIG HELLO featuring Jimmy "Soldier" Riley, a PI in Panama City during World War II. Ace Atkins calls the "Soldier" series "tough and violent with snappy dialogue and great atmosphere . . . a suspenseful, romantic and historic ride."
Michael Lister won his first Florida Book Award for his literary novel, DOUBLE EXPOSURE, a book, according to the Panama City News Herald, that “is lyrical and literary, written in a sparse but evocative prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy.” It is a contemplation of life and death, art and meaning, set deep in the swamps of the Apalachicola River, a thriller about a wildlife photographer whose camera traps capture a crime, that shows the beauty and danger of the Panhandle paradise.
His second Florida Book Award was for his fifth John Jordan novel BLOOD SACRIFICE.
Visit www.michaellister.com for more information, or follow his youtube channel - Writing and Life at https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelL...
The Florida Book Review says that "Vintage Michael Lister is poetic prose, exquisitely set scenes, characters who are damaged and faulty" and Michael Koryta says, “If you like crime writing with depth, suspense, and sterling prose, you should be reading Michael Lister," while Publisher's Weekly adds, “Lister’s hard-edged prose ranks with the best of contemporary noir fiction.”
Michael grew up in North Florida near the Gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola River in a small town world famous for tupelo honey.
Truly a regional writer, North Florida is his beat.
Captivated by story since childhood, Michael has a love for language and narrative inspired by the Southern storytelling tradition that captured his imagination and became such a source of meaning and inspiration. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology with an emphasis on myth and narrative.
In the early 90s, Michael became the youngest chaplain within the Florida Department of Corrections. For nearly a decade, he served as a contract, staff, then senior chaplain at three different facilities in the Panhandle of Florida—a unique experience that led to his first novel, 1997’s critically acclaimed, POWER IN THE BLOOD. It was the first in a series of popular and celebrated novels featuring ex-cop turned prison chaplain, John Jordan. Subsequent books in the series include BLOOD OF THE LAMB, FLESH AND BLOOD, THE BODY AND THE BLOOD, BLOOD SACRIFICE, and RIVERS TO BLOOD, and each takes readers through the electronically locked gates of the chain-link fences, beneath the looping razor wire glinting in the sun, and into the strange world of Potter Correctional Institution, Florida’s toughest maximum security prison. Of the John Jordan series, Michael Connelly says “Michael Lister may be the author of the most unique series running in mystery fiction. It crackles with tension and authenticity,” while Julia Spencer-Fleming adds “Michael Lister writes one of the most ambitious and unusual crime fiction series going. See what crime fiction is capable of.”
Michael also writes historical hard-boiled thrillers, such as THE BIG GOODBYE, THE BIG BEYOND, and THE BIG HELLO featuring Jimmy "Soldier" Riley, a PI in Panama City during World War II. Ace Atkins calls the "Soldier" series "tough and violent with snappy dialogue and great atmosphere . . . a suspenseful, romantic and historic ride."
Michael Lister won his first Florida Book Award for his literary novel, DOUBLE EXPOSURE, a book, according to the Panama City News Herald, that “is lyrical and literary, written in a sparse but evocative prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy.” It is a contemplation of life and death, art and meaning, set deep in the swamps of the Apalachicola River, a thriller about a wildlife photographer whose camera traps capture a crime, that shows the beauty and danger of the Panhandle paradise.
His second Florida Book Award was for his fifth John Jordan novel BLOOD SACRIFICE.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 24, 2020
The premise attracted me to this story, a serial killer using fire to kill his victims. The investigative portion of the story kept me going. I found the relationship story an unnecessary distraction that really didn’t help me develop any additional interest in the characters.
I thought the chase for the killer was plotted well. The motivation was very interesting. I agree with some other reviewers that the punctuation and formatting made it a struggle at times.
I thought the chase for the killer was plotted well. The motivation was very interesting. I agree with some other reviewers that the punctuation and formatting made it a struggle at times.
June 23, 2019
Lister books
I love your books. I have read almost all of them. One small thing. You need a better editor, I lost track of the misspellings and it seems you also made up a couple of your own words. At least I can't find them in the dictionary. But if you'll keep writing, I'll keep reading.
I love your books. I have read almost all of them. One small thing. You need a better editor, I lost track of the misspellings and it seems you also made up a couple of your own words. At least I can't find them in the dictionary. But if you'll keep writing, I'll keep reading.
July 13, 2019
The Intensity is HOT
This is a good short read, intense from the beginning. The mystery elusive to the end just as it was for the characters. I don’t know why male authors feel it necessary to throw in bodice ripping sex scenes. The story really doesn’t need them but if you are a reader that doesn’t enjoy a book that doesn’t include some sex, you can safely read this series.
This is a good short read, intense from the beginning. The mystery elusive to the end just as it was for the characters. I don’t know why male authors feel it necessary to throw in bodice ripping sex scenes. The story really doesn’t need them but if you are a reader that doesn’t enjoy a book that doesn’t include some sex, you can safely read this series.
December 13, 2020
Great Book on Daniel and Sam
Thank you for the great work. I had the antagonist before the reveal but that made it no less exciting. This is a head long rush of mind, bodoies, feet, and puzzles. I loved the length of the book tme to become invested in the story line and characters. Read it.
Thank you for the great work. I had the antagonist before the reveal but that made it no less exciting. This is a head long rush of mind, bodoies, feet, and puzzles. I loved the length of the book tme to become invested in the story line and characters. Read it.
December 23, 2018
Great job Mr. Lister
Michael Lister is one of the many authors who do not have contracts with a big publishing firm. But he has written a Lot of that I heartily recommend. Get on his mailing list now!
Michael Lister is one of the many authors who do not have contracts with a big publishing firm. But he has written a Lot of that I heartily recommend. Get on his mailing list now!
January 19, 2022
Burnt Offerings was a TOTALLY AWESOME READ!!
This is one fantastic read!! One of those books, that I found I couldn't put down, until the very end! Michael Lister, keeps the reader only want more of the main characters!!
This is one fantastic read!! One of those books, that I found I couldn't put down, until the very end! Michael Lister, keeps the reader only want more of the main characters!!
September 24, 2025
By reading teasers and descriptions of this book, I thought I'd be reading an exciting, page turning, thriller. What I got was a lesson in religion with a unbelievable love story that dragged on and on. This story could have been told in 1/3rd the time.
August 1, 2019
Wow intense and spellbinding
Can't wait to read the next set of books from 7 onwards what a a brilliant up to date writer!
Can't wait to read the next set of books from 7 onwards what a a brilliant up to date writer!
May 25, 2012
For Professor Daniel Davis and his friend Ben Greene this late September morning is the time for good natured give and take and a run along some abandoned railroad tracks in the heart of the North Florida Wildlife Preserve. The running for Daniel is not just exercise but as a means of escape from nightmares of his past. The same is true of his job these days as he has isolated himself by teaching online courses from his isolated home and working on various projects.
The problem is as Ben stops and takes a breather is that every step Daniel takes running away down the railroad tracks is taking him closer to an old abandoned rail depot. An old depot that will contain a horrific crime scene with a badly burned body at its center. Daniel is literally running himself right into a murder investigation where a killer intends to make Daniel a major player and interpreter of his horrific vision.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agent Samantha Michaels can’t escape her nightmares either. The latest one has put her on leave and at her mother’s home while she waits for her former boyfriend to get his stuff out of her place. She has scars now and apparently what had to be done to her was a problem for her old boss when they were in the bedroom. It was stupid to get with Stan Winston, twenty years older than her and her boss. Instead of the apologetic phone call she was expecting from him he quickly makes it clear that he just wants her back to work. Seems the Sheriff of Bay County wants and needs the help of the FDLE to investigate a case of a badly burned body. Since Agent Samantha Michaels is physically very close to the crime scene and is the closest thing to an expert the FDLE has on killing using fire she is the one to go.
Not only did Daniel find what was left of the body but Daniel has expertise that may prove crucial to the case and that initially forces Daniel and Sam to work together again. They have lots of old baggage, individually as well as relationship wise, so any investigation is going to be complicated and that is before Sam suspects Daniel of being the killer. The fact a second body, burned in time before the first, is found on Daniel’s land reinforces her suspicion that it might be him. As more bodies burn, hostages are taken, and the killer taunts them demanding Daniel understand, Sam and Daniel not only have to stop him but put aside their mutual suspicion and see if anything they once had between them can reignite.
Shifting in point of view between the crazed killer who believes he is on a religious mission and the various characters the book moves forward at a rapid pace. Character development is limited and occasionally clichéd as nearly all in the book have suffered some emotional trauma in the past. Traumas that definitely impact their way of looking at life and how they relate to others. This includes the crazed killer who appears every few pages to explain why he does what he does.
As in Thunder Beach dialogue is not set off by quotation marks but dashes at the beginning of sentences. While that works the author occasionally runs the risk of reader confusion by his addition of narration immediately following a dialogue sentence. Despite that occasional glitch, the story telling itself as well as character motivations and scene descriptions, etc. are all handed well in Burnt Offerings.
Despite the impression given in the opening pages it appears this is a stand-alone novel and not part of a series. The read is a good one that could have been better but does work well in most aspects as the novel moves quickly towards a strong ending.
Burnt Offerings
Michael Lister
http://www.michaellister.com
Pulpwood Press
http://www.pulpwoodpress.com
April 2012
ISBN# 978-1-88146-90-5
Paperback (also available as an e-book and audio recording)
364 Pages
$16.99
Material supplied by publicist PJ NUNN owner of Breakthrough Promotions in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2012
More reviews at http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
The problem is as Ben stops and takes a breather is that every step Daniel takes running away down the railroad tracks is taking him closer to an old abandoned rail depot. An old depot that will contain a horrific crime scene with a badly burned body at its center. Daniel is literally running himself right into a murder investigation where a killer intends to make Daniel a major player and interpreter of his horrific vision.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agent Samantha Michaels can’t escape her nightmares either. The latest one has put her on leave and at her mother’s home while she waits for her former boyfriend to get his stuff out of her place. She has scars now and apparently what had to be done to her was a problem for her old boss when they were in the bedroom. It was stupid to get with Stan Winston, twenty years older than her and her boss. Instead of the apologetic phone call she was expecting from him he quickly makes it clear that he just wants her back to work. Seems the Sheriff of Bay County wants and needs the help of the FDLE to investigate a case of a badly burned body. Since Agent Samantha Michaels is physically very close to the crime scene and is the closest thing to an expert the FDLE has on killing using fire she is the one to go.
Not only did Daniel find what was left of the body but Daniel has expertise that may prove crucial to the case and that initially forces Daniel and Sam to work together again. They have lots of old baggage, individually as well as relationship wise, so any investigation is going to be complicated and that is before Sam suspects Daniel of being the killer. The fact a second body, burned in time before the first, is found on Daniel’s land reinforces her suspicion that it might be him. As more bodies burn, hostages are taken, and the killer taunts them demanding Daniel understand, Sam and Daniel not only have to stop him but put aside their mutual suspicion and see if anything they once had between them can reignite.
Shifting in point of view between the crazed killer who believes he is on a religious mission and the various characters the book moves forward at a rapid pace. Character development is limited and occasionally clichéd as nearly all in the book have suffered some emotional trauma in the past. Traumas that definitely impact their way of looking at life and how they relate to others. This includes the crazed killer who appears every few pages to explain why he does what he does.
As in Thunder Beach dialogue is not set off by quotation marks but dashes at the beginning of sentences. While that works the author occasionally runs the risk of reader confusion by his addition of narration immediately following a dialogue sentence. Despite that occasional glitch, the story telling itself as well as character motivations and scene descriptions, etc. are all handed well in Burnt Offerings.
Despite the impression given in the opening pages it appears this is a stand-alone novel and not part of a series. The read is a good one that could have been better but does work well in most aspects as the novel moves quickly towards a strong ending.
Burnt Offerings
Michael Lister
http://www.michaellister.com
Pulpwood Press
http://www.pulpwoodpress.com
April 2012
ISBN# 978-1-88146-90-5
Paperback (also available as an e-book and audio recording)
364 Pages
$16.99
Material supplied by publicist PJ NUNN owner of Breakthrough Promotions in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2012
More reviews at http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
December 9, 2023
Slow to start...
This story started a little slow, but gained momentum towards the middle. The ending was eerie. So much fire and death.
This story started a little slow, but gained momentum towards the middle. The ending was eerie. So much fire and death.
January 6, 2017
Another thriller from Michael Lister. I truly don't get much sleep when I read his books, it keeps me guessing until the end. The psychology behind criminals is very interesting, the author has done his research. The history is something that should never be forgotten, so this kind of book is very relevant for this time also. The descriptions of these places are very detailed, I feel that I am in North Florida, right there with these characters, that is why I read. Everyone of the books that I have read by Michael Lister transports and teaches.
March 24, 2014
Kept me reading
it really kept me interested and kept me reading to know what happened next. I enjoy twists and turns that I never see coming. This book had those too. I'm not one to pick apart a book on it's nearness to truth or facts but this one probably had a few. There was some "creepiness" too but I still enjoyed it. I would recommend this read to someone who likes a good serial killer thriller read.
it really kept me interested and kept me reading to know what happened next. I enjoy twists and turns that I never see coming. This book had those too. I'm not one to pick apart a book on it's nearness to truth or facts but this one probably had a few. There was some "creepiness" too but I still enjoyed it. I would recommend this read to someone who likes a good serial killer thriller read.
November 15, 2014
This was my first exposure to Michael's work, and I loved it! This story has so many layers, and Michael does a masterful job peeling them back one by one. At first I wasn't sure about his choice of present tense, but after a chapter or so I started to enjoy it, and now I think it just wouldn't be the same story written any other way. Characters, dialogue, settings, descriptions, it's all fantastic. Can't wait to read more of his books.
March 19, 2015
An interesting serial killer mystery/investigation, unwrapped slowly but satisfyingly. Definitely clever and well thought-out. I just couldn't get over the punctuation choice for dialog. Plus, I've been absurdly busy with Ingress shard season, so it took a little longer than usual. God, I'm so tired. Fucking shards.
July 11, 2015
Burnt offerings is one that will for sure make you wonder if anyone is going to make it out alive. This book kept me on my toes thinking what's actually going to happy next. I could not quite figure it out at first but once I got into it I really enjoyrd trying to figure out if anyone was going to make it out Alice
March 18, 2013
This book by Michael Lister makes you want to lock your doors and look over your shoulders. The twist and turns never stop. Michael does a great job of bringing to forefront of our minds the ugly past of this world while entertaining us with the craziness of todays world.
May 11, 2014
Plot deserves a five, but the style deserves a two. Lack of quotation marks very irritating and continually confuses speaker as well as the constant "he says" "she says" which even results in speaker confusion and in several instances, plot errors.
June 14, 2012
Liked the story, but the ridiculous way of quoting dialogue throughout the entire book is incredibly distracting.
March 21, 2013
A very good book. Had me hooked till the end.
Read
January 20, 2014Compelling and riveting.
Was hard to put down. Keeps you going.
There are one or two slow spots, but a good read overall.
Was hard to put down. Keeps you going.
There are one or two slow spots, but a good read overall.
January 31, 2014
Great read I couldn't put it down
May 30, 2014
Not bad. I finished it which a lot for Lister.
March 27, 2018
Great read. I didn't figure out the who the real bad guy was until it was revealed. Can't wait to start the next book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews