Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over seven million books sold worldwide.. She has had over thirty years of success as a novelist.
Terri spent the first twelve years of her life traveling in a U.S. Air Force family. She lived in nine states and attended the first four years of school in The Netherlands. Because she was a perpetual “new kid,” her imagination became her closest friend. That, she believes, was the biggest factor in her becoming a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.
In 1994 Terri was writing romance novels under two pseudonyms for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin, Dell and Silhouette, when a spiritual awakening prompted her to switch gears. At the time, she was reading more suspense than romance, and felt drawn to write thrillers about ordinary people in grave danger. Her newly awakened faith wove its way into the tapestry of her suspense novels, offering hope instead of despair. Her goal is to entertain with page-turning plots, while challenging her readers to think and grow. She hopes to remind them that they’re valued by God and that their trials have a purpose.
I want to "review" each book in this collection as I read. Really, I am just jotting my thoughts as I go along, but I want to note what I think about each book and not just the collection as a whole.
TRUTH STAINED LIES--Rating 3.5 to 4 stars. This was a good story. I particularly liked Michael's character as well as Holly's. Juliet and Cathy were OK. I would have liked more mystery or suspense but the story was basically interesting.
DISTORTION--Rating 3.0. I liked this story. I do think I read it a little soon after the first book and I was a little bit disappointed with similarities. However, to give the author credit, it did involve a lot of the same people. I dislike hearing anything from the bad guys' point of view in a mystery or suspense. It is a pet peeve of mine. Anyway, I am still interested in reading book 3 and I do like this author.
TWISTED INNOCENCE-- Rating 5. I really, really loved this story and I even read it right after the others. I just love Creed and Holly and liked that this story was primarily about them. I enjoyed following the story of the families from previous stories. I am sorry that there is no book 4.
One factor that I liked in all three stories was that these PIs basically tried to work with law enforcement and within the law. Lots of times, these PI stories have such crazy, lawless folks doing the investigating that it detracts from the story for me.
One thing that puzzles me about the ratings on this collection is that the individual books have much higher marks than this collection. I know that is just how it is on goodreads but I would not rely alone on the collective star rating for this set. Check out the individual books and their ratings for more information.
Truth Stained Lies was very exciting. At first I thought it was going to be confusing, with the opening being split between several characters. As the story unfolded, though, each person fit and made the story flow. I would have made other decisions. I think, but then my life is nowhere near as exciting as Cathy and Michael's! Distorted Lies had a lot of action and traumatic events. Juliet's life changed in a moment, but then it kept changing at warp speed! I truly did not understand Michael's story and disagreed with the outcome. You knew what was coming but as all the consequences of lies unfolded I was still caught in suspense awaiting the outcome. Really good story. Twisted Innocence blew me away! The story continues one month after Holly has given birth to her daughter, Lily. I did not want to put it down but, you know how it is, there are things you have to do...lol. The story is filled with excitement and danger yet also with three sisters struggling to regain their personal relationships with God. Does He hear prayer, does He care? Without bombarding readers with "religious talk" a beautiful story of redemption unfolds. While I worked, every song on my Christian station shared the same message and I had to laugh! God was reinforcing the lessons I was thinking through. If you enjoy the genre, some of the best were Scars by I Am They, Flawless by Mercy Me, Into the Sea ("though the mountains may be falling into the sea. I can hear my father singing over me, It's gonna be ok") by Tasha Layton and Help Is On the Way by Toby Mac. I'm going to miss this group of family and friends! I'd like to continue to know more about Michael's brother Joe and the sisters' brother, Jay.
The main characters of all the books are 3 sisters, Juliet, Cathy, and the youngest sibling, Holly, along with their brother, Jay. They all go through very suspenseful events in each book, murder to kidnapping! These books are Christian suspense novels, they are very worth reading, I had a hard time putting them down! Terri Blackstock is a wonderful writer, I really recommend her books, no matter if you are a fan of Christian books or not, the suspense in them just grabs you!
The author, Terry Blackstock, is a genius at taking her readers on a gripping literary journey from the first sentence. I was all in by the end of the first paragraph on all three books. Blackstock has a beautiful way of weaving the redemptive love of Jesus through each book in a way that flows right with the story and doesn’t slow down the plot, disrupt character building , etc. These were all fast paced reads that you won’t want to put down.
I started this collection and finished it in 3 days neglecting other things on my to do list. The title says it all. It is a thrilling series and am grateful that the testimony of how having Jesus Christ in your heart can help one in all kinds of situations. You just have to hold on to your faith, keep trusting God to give you what you need to endure the very difficult times. Don’t give up! Proverbs 3:5-6.
Wonderfully written, my 1st time reading any of her books. I love how she gently inserts God's wisdom and teaching through the various uprising that the Cramer's endured. To be honest, I wasn't expecting the Christianity undertones but very greatful that was there. I am in search of my next read by Terri Blackstock now 🤗🤗😊😊😊
It kept me captivated. Enjoyed this book so much. Love all of Terri Blackstocks books, will keep reading her as long as she's continues to write.......Virginia Huff
I finished the trilogy and hated for it to end. Terri Blackstock is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors because of the way her books grab you from the beginning and don't let go. They are "Christian fiction" but are not preachy.
Terri Blackstock knows how to pull you into a story and become a part of the lives of each character. You laugh, you cheer, you cry and then thank God for His mercy when He shows them the right path to take. Good job, Terri!
An entertaining read. Nice to have some characters with Christian values. You know it's all going to be OK, but still fun to follow the story. I liked it well enough to buy the next 2 in the series.
Three books that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Christian writers can write mysteries and crimes that will blow your mind. Terri is one of my favorite authors.
This book was excellent! Terri does a great job of mixing in mystery, action, and the love for the characters. With some Christian authors, I find that they have a hard time keeping my interest, based on the level of action in the story. This was not the problem with this first book in the series. Terry has found a way to write an excellent, exciting story, without adding all of the four letter words and extreme violence. I found of the characters to be believable, interesting, and I was left wanting to know more. I am glad that this is the first book in the Siri's, I will be picking up the second book and moving right along.
I reserve 5 stars only for time-honored classics (Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, etc.)
So I give this series my highest rating for modern fiction. The mysteries kept me reading. And the characters were well fleshed-out (like real people that you know).
Teri Blackstock is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.
Terri Blackstock has done it again – – another hard to put down series that keeps you coming back for more. I love how she takes the reader into the story and keep you in suspense waiting to see what will happen next. It is a powerful story of love and God's redemption and Grace.
I just really enjoy Terri Blackstock and her imagination in writing her series. She makes it a point to add Godly and encouraging statements in her books. She keeps things relevant to today's issues in this world. May God continue to bless her as she blessed those around her including her readers.
It is so great to have 3 books combined in 1. This is a wonderful series by Terri Blackstock. There are lots of twists and turns and keeps the reader interested. I loved what she wrote at the end of the 3rd book. Such encouragement. I love her writings.