Thy Rod and Thy Staff

The Psalm 23 Mysteries #12

by Debbie Viguié

Cindy has jury duty on a high profile trial. When the jury is sequestered, Mark and Jeremiah start counting the ways in which something could go wrong. As dead bodies begin piling up outside the courtroom Cindy comes to realize that not all her fellow jurors are who they appear to be. She soon finds herself racing against the clock to unmask the killer among them.

Genres: Mystery, Christian, Cozy Mystery

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Debbie Viguié is the New York Times Bestselling author of more than three dozen novels including the Wicked series co-authored with Nancy Holder. In addition to her epic dark fantasy work Debbie also writes thrillers including The Psalm 23 Mysteries, the Kiss trilogy, and the Witch Hunt trilogy. Debbie also plays a recurring character on the audio drama, Doctor Geek’s Laboratory. When Debbie isn’t busy writing or acting she enjoys spending time with her husband, Scott, visiting theme parks.

Reviews

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY OH MY OH MY, love this book so much! Goodreads needs more stars as 5 is nowhere near enough ratings for this book!! I am a big fan of this series and author, this is book 12 in the series and it just is becoming better and better! I love all the characters feeling a connection with them throughout their stories, Cindy and Jeremiah are just amazing! Debbie creative plots for these books are fantastic, keeping you on the edge of your seat until you have finished the book - which you can not put down until the end then I get MAJOR BOOK HANGOVER!!! SPOILERS BELOW, if you have not started this series please pick up book 1: The Lord is my Shepherd, if your a fan of the series please up to date yourself with the rest of the series before reading my review!


This book is number 12 in an amazing series called The Psalm 23 Mysteries written by my favourite author, Debbie Viguie. As this is book 12 I can not go into too much detail regarding the other books within this series, as well, we will be here forever! If you have not started this series, please stop reading and buy The Lord is my Shepherd. If you are up to date with the Psalm series, please note this is officially not released until 31st October 2015 due to preordering through Debbie e-books/book forms get sent out early (Thank you Debbie). This e-book arrived Saturday evening on my kindle and I have read it twice since then.

Psalm 23 follows a variety of characters two who are our main characters, Cindy (a church secretary) and Jeremiah (A rabbi ) who get involved in mysteries and help the police department in solving crimes and catching the bad guys (which they are amazing at doing). During the books we see great character development, in book 1 Cindy is a nervous, scared women who "falls over" a dead body in the church, however throughout this series we see her change into a confident women who is enjoying solving mysteries. Jeremiah, is the friendly rabbi from next door, who seems to enjoy the quiet life, throughout the series we find out he has a past with dark secrets which is revealed in book 9, believe me it was a frustrating but amazing wait to see who he really was. I do still adore him anyway, but will say no more as you either know or should read for yourself.

Book 12 starts a few weeks after book 11, so we all finally got to see Jeremiah propose to Cindy (which moved me to tears), again if you already follow this series you will know we have had a lot of feelings and chemistry between our two characters and now we can celebrate... oh and plan a wedding!

Another psalm book means another murder and mystery for our lovely Pine Springs characters to solve, this novel Cindy is picked to do jury duty however not all the jurors are what/how they appear to be. The jurors and Cindy will be overseeing Jason Todd's case, who has believed to have murdered his wife, throughout this case there a fellow juror know as Wyatt go missing, a body of a guy with no hands or head discovered, however we later say murdered after Jeremiah and Cindy find his bones in the ceiling of his hotel room! Mark and Liam (Our lovely two detectives who I have grown very fond off) are always the guys on these cases and as you may have guessed always need our super duo couple to assist in solving the mysteries. While reading this series I am also on the edge of my seat due to all the twists and turns Debbie folds into the book, you always become attached to the mystery and I have begun starting to analyse all the suspects and trying to solve the crime myself. This novel had 2 potiental bad guys for me: Tanner - only people excited to be on jury duty, however as information unravels it is revealed he is a reporter known as Felix who paid the real Tanner from his jury summons in order to be on this case for the inside story. Carson - who turns to have wanted to rig the trial outcome for people in Vegas who he owes money too. Both of these guys seemed very strange, mysteries and at times displaying usual behaviour. Both Carson and Tanner was arrested by our great detectives however neither was responsible for the murdered report or fellow juror. Mike, who I thought seemed like a lovely guy was responsible for the murders and also trying to get trust from his other jurors in order to find Jason not guilty, enabling his release so someone can kill him! Mike's real identified was also false as he killed the real Mike, cutting hands and head off in the process to stop the police from identifying him. WOW did not see that one coming!!

This is another amazing book, this series is so fantastic and I recommend anyone to start it, I have become attached to all the characters, I have become connected to each mystery. I have laughed, cried and thoroughly enjoyed reading this series and do not want it to end.

Now favourite parts within this book? Normally I have no problem answering this however with Debbie's books I never have favourite sections but do have parts I love that little bit more. Firstly, Jeremiah babysitting Traci and Marks twins when we first met Jeremiah we knew he had a dark past, grew up in Israel and had amazing "survivor" (seen in book 3) skills as well as other special skills. I also loved the special, little teasing cute moments between Cindy and Jeremiah (as we all know it has been a very long time coming). Marie and Cindy's scene brought me to tears, we know Marie dislikes Cindy calling her "that Gentile woman" and she now dislikes her even more after the engagement to Jeremiah. In the book we find out Marie has a brother, who was the murdered reporter called Issac, I do enjoy reading Marie's character and hope we see her a lot more in future books.

This is a FANTASTIC, AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL series, which I struggle to find the correct words, however I do know everyone should pick up book 1 and enjoy this series.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. Interesting setting.

[Julie Graves]

One problem with being caught up with the series...now I have to wait for the next installment instead of just moving on to the next book!

In book 12 of the Psalm 23 Mysteries Cindy has jury duty. A high-profile case has been moved to the city that Cindy lives in. Of course where Cindy is involved there has got to be mayhem and mischief. Cindy and her fellow jurors are sequestered for their own protection, but it seems that someone is determined to get to them. Rest assured though that Mark and Jeremiah are close by to keep an eye on Cindy and to keep any harm from coming to her or other members of the jury.

Outside of all of the courtroom drama Jeremiah and Cindy's drama is heating up as well. They knew they would probably have opposition when they announced their engagement. Sure enough they are both faced with the fact that not everyone is going to be happy that they are engaged since they come from two different religious backgrounds.

I was definitely a fan of the mystery in this installment. With so many different personalities of the jurors the author kept me guessing as to who was wrapped up in what. This was a solid mystery/suspense that managed to keep my interest throughout. As for Cindy and Jeremiah's relationship, I knew this was going to be a hurdle. I have to say I am hoping that they can work things out. After all that they have been through and considering the chemistry that they have, and the almost physical pain they experience when they are apart you can't help but want them to live happily ever after. Together. But all of that does not make two people being unequally yoked right. Soooo, what is going to happen next? Thy Rod And Thy Staff left us with a pretty big cliffhanger that is going to drive me crazy until the next installment comes out! As I've said in each review, if you haven't checked out this series yet I encourage you to do so!

[Becky Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I'm happy with something being coincidental." So opines Detective Mark Walters, as he deals with an increasingly frustrating task of keeping the sequestered jury Cindy serves on safe. NOTHING is coincidental when it comes to Jeremiah and Cindy. As it was said of Hart to Hart in the 80's, "When they come together, it's murder!"

How will Mark keep Cindy and the other jurors safe, keep Jeremiah out of the high-security hotel, figure out a couple of unrelated, gruesome murders and keep his head? Oy, that is the question.

How can Jeremiah and Cindy deal with their respective church/synagogue people's reaction to their engagement? We meet a potentially pivotal character to the series in this book.

Just when the tension is almost unbearable, Debbie Viguié, in Thy Rod and Thy Staff, presents the funniest statements as if daring you to laugh at your fears. I chortled out loud in glee many times!! As always, be on the lookout for references to songs, movies, and books.

If you expect anything other than a cliffhanger, you probably have not read enough Debbie Viguié. Read 'em and weep because of the wait for the next book on the series. If you follow only one mystery series, this should be it!!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better with each book. Cindy, newly engaged to Jeremiah, is chosen for a high profile, sequestered jury. Of course, things do not go well. Jeremiah is trying to deal with the upcoming festival of Purim, along with not being able to see Cindy for awhile. There are also several people beginning to question whether or not Cindy and Jeremiah should really be together in the first place.

One of the things I really love about this series is how the characters continue to grow and progress in their relationships. I highly recommend this book, along with the entire series.

[Peg Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series!! A MUST read, but start at the beginning.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the same fast-paced mystery as the rest in this series.

I thought the author did a better job than most mystery writers of making a book exciting while centering on a legal trial.

I knew the importance of the paper before Mark did.

Not all the loose ends were wrapped up. I wasn't sure if the author forgot one, or if it will come back in a later book. She's done that before, had loose ends appear again later on for further development.

It was harder to figure out whodunit than usual because SPOILER ... there were several different people committing several different crimes.

People have become more outspoken about the differences in religion between Cindy and Jeremiah in their dating relationship. This was not done at all tactfully or well. It is dubious whether they have any consideration in it beyond the cultural differences and prohibitions, which certainly can be addressed and waded through.

What Cindy believes, exactly, has been murky from the start, and so I suspect there's not as much difference between their beliefs as one would imagine. Very little has been said in this series about Jesus dying for our sins, which is the main difference in the two religions. I think Cindy just wants to believe in God, pray to Him, and have Him come to her rescue when she prays. In those things, they can both agree.

But for Cindy to miss Jesus' salvation from our sins, to be rescued from them both eternally and now, is to miss almost everything, because fellowship with God hinges on that. "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." - Romans 5:10. There is no reconciliation or fellowship with God apart from Jesus. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12

We all need this reconciliation with God because "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23 and "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:23

Even more beautiful is that this is available for all people across all cultures and demographics. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

It is a separate issue as to whether or not this branch of Christianity would consider Jews "saved," whether it's because God has special, separate plans for Israel, ("For God's gifts and call are irrevocable." - Romans 11:29) or whether they would consider Jews lost and falling into another category, ("Whoever believes in him [Jesus] will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." - John 3:18). "Love always ... hopes." (1 Corinthians 13:7). We need, however, to discern the truth of scripture, not just our own desperately wanting the best for someone.

It's not my point here to argue which side of that controversy is right, just that there is a consideration that Cindy has not seriously contemplated, and seems unwilling to, because she only wants one thing - Jeremiah. If you believe that someone is lost and facing Hell, then uniting more closely with that person in marriage will ultimately further break your heart if they maintain that course. Even worse is if they dissuade you from faith and you walk away from God yourself.

Also, there is the tug-of-war in attempting to go two different directions, having two different sets of goals, but there is probably less of that between these two religions than there are between most possible pairs of religions.

All Jeremiah does is get angry (an emotional response) when someone questions their differences in religion, instead of coming up with a rational approach and/or answer to the considerations. That leads me to think that he doesn't have a well-articulated answer in mind, either. It's an easy out, when writing a book, to have someone react to something rather than think about it. I don't know what Jeremiah's thought out answer should be, so I wouldn't be any help at resolving it, but just getting angry isn't the answer.

In the end, ... SPOILER ... Cindy just shows that she would rather give up her job than consider breaking up with Jeremiah. At first glance, it looks like he has become her idol, or perhaps romance has become her idol, even more important to her than faith-considerations and truth and possibly, Jesus. That's not unusual in today's literature, whether it's Christian literature or not. But that may not necessarily be an apt description of Cindy's heart. She may just value the relationship more than her job at the church, not her relationship more than God.

One of the other reviewers said that this story is about making connections, rather than about religion or worship. Well said.

[Danielle Turko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cindy and Jeremiah are newly engaged and just want to enjoy their happy news and start planning their wedding. Unfortunately Cindy gets jury duty and is sequestered due to the high profile of the case. She of course wants to do her best to deliver on an honest judgment but things keep going wrong. After a car accident, a missing juror, and information being leaked to the press, it's beginning to look like the trial is doomed as a mistrial. Add to that Mark has a witness to a murder but no body, and while preparing for purim Jeremiah has to take over all the planning as his secretary estranged brother dies. Will the group be able to figure out all their difficulties, and Cindy and Jeremiah figure out how to make a Christian and a Jewish relationship work, before the cases verdict?
I liked this book, and really enjoyed the progression of Cindy and Jeremiah relationship. Plus the bad guy kept me guessing although once they revealed it I couldn't believe how obvious it should have been.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Convoluted mystery.

More danger for Cindy and Jeremiah in a tangled case while Cindy is on jury duty. To be continued, as usual. This book captures and keeps your attention, but it's also wildly implausible - which I realized as soon as I finished it and wasn't swiftly turning pages.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an Ending!

Another fabulous story in this series. I so enjoy these books!
The ending was not what I expected and I’ll be getting the next book to see what happens next!
Great job Debbie V

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably not my favorite of the series but still entertaining and very fast paced. Ready for the next one!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much tamer than some of the others in this series. Cast of characters became confusing. I will read the next one.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tad better , 3 1/2 stars. But the series seriously needs better editing.

[Norma Boles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt there were too many unanswered questions at the end of the story.

[Edna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trouble just seems to follow

Cindy is on jury duty and trouble shows up as missing jurors and body's start piling up. Also Cindy and Jeremiah have their faiths questioned.

[Taylor Fahnle · Rating 3 out of 5]

love this series 🥳

[Tina at Mommynificent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newly engaged Cindy and Jeremiah are separated when Cindy pulls jury duty for the hottest case of the year and gets sequestered in a high security hotel. Not all of Cindy's fellow jurors are who they appear to be, and Cindy must solve more than one mystery in this nail-biting installment of this riveting series. Of course, no high security hotel is secure enough to keep Jeremiah away for long so he has a hand to play in solving some mysteries and, most importantly, keeping Cindy alive!

Side stories abound with friends of both Cindy and Jeremiah expressing their concern about their relationship and their differing faiths, Mark finding more clues in the mystery of his former partner, and Jeremiah's feisty secretary revealing more of her backstory.

I am an avid fan of this series and excitedly awaited this book for months. It was good and moved things along, but it wasn't as great as some of the other books in this series. That said, Debbie has set the bar so high in this series that even if this were the best one, I'd still be an avid fan. Debbie did introduce a new character in the jury who I hope we meet again, but I don't want to give anything away so I'll leave it at that.

The mysteries in these books are good enough that I would read them even if they had stereotypical cookie cutter whodunit characters, but they certainly don't! I love Viguie's characters and how they grow and struggle, even stagnate and get stuck in ruts for a bit (like we all do) and then grow some more. The journeys that these characters are on are so believable, inspiring, and challenging.

And then there are the slow burn mysteries! Jeremiah's past has been pretty thoroughly revealed although I'm sure there are still a few secrets lurking, but the mystery of Paul goes on and is so fascinating. I absolutely can't wait for the next one!!!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven’t read anything by Debbie Viguié yet, you should. She writes so well that I can fly through her novels effortlessly. The dialogue, character and plot development, and the raveling of the mystery flow naturally. There’s nothing contrived or hokey. Just excellent stories. And the Psalm 23 Mysteries aren’t her only endeavor. Viguié also writes dark fantasy and historical thrillers. Check http://www.debbieviguie.com to see her full book list.

So, Thy Rod and Thy Staff. Now that Cindy and Jeremiah have solidified and publicized their relationship, it’s a lot easier for them to team up to solve mysteries. Except they are separated for two weeks while Cindy is called for jury duty. For a murder trial. The day after a second murder “randomly” occurs. See where this is going? Rabbi Jeremiah has to figure out how to help Cindy, the police, and his synagogue secretary, all in the same week. He’s spread a little thin but saves the day more than once! Cindy holds her own: Even while avoiding getting killed, she manages to help Jeremiah out of a pinch.

Though there are textual references to Scripture, The Psalm 23 Mysteries aren’t about religion or worship. They are about making connections… in the criminal world and in a personal sense.

Five big stars, because as usual I am astounded and impressed by Dbbie Viguié.

[Anam Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast read. The book is 252 pages, but the print is larger than normal typeface, so it goes especially quickly.

I love this series and can't wait for the next one to come out - whenever that will be. It seems to me that there is a long period between publications. It is also a little frustrating that her own website isn't up to date - this most recent book was not listed there when I went to see what might be coming. Her facebook page talks about a book coming out in August for those who preordered, but I can't find a reference to anything on amazon. This book was published in Oct 2015 (I waited for the library to get it because I can't justify spending the $$$$ for something I can read so fast!)

At any rate, Cindy had been chosen for jury duty on a high profile murder case. Since I just served on jury duty last year, it was interesting for me to read Cindy's experience. Of course, I was not sequestered and was allowed to go home at night as long as I didn't discuss the case I was seated on.

Then, naturally, bodies start appearing. They seem unrelated to the trial, but are they? And just who is the woman whose body was found earlier? I don't think we ever learned that part.

Twists and turns. So many people appear guilty, but are they guilty of the murder or just something else?

Looking forward to the wedding and all the planning that precedes it.

[JaneReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed that Cindy and Jeremiah are finally open about their feelings towards one another. This has been such a long time coming that it was great to see them act like any other engaged couple. But will they really wait so long for the wedding? In regards to the mystery aspect, there were so many incidents happening and characters introduced, it was hard to keep them all in straight and trying to figure out if/how they were connected. Most of the mysteries were wrapped up expect for a couple. Will we find out who hired Mike and is Todd guilty? My favourite moment had to be between Marie and Cindy, hopefully things continue in a positive manner for these two. Of course the book ended with a cliff-hanger, what will happen now? Now to wait for the next one.

[Flewts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series. There is tension between the lead characters, one a church secretary and the other a rabbi, and yet they have fallen in love and are now engaged. They keep stumbling into mysteries, usually there's a murder involved, or more than one, and this is no exception. This time Cindy is serving on jury duty, the jury is sequestered for their protection, and as usual chaos ensues.

If you haven't read these books, start at book #1. You could read them as stand-alones, but the back story continues and it would be helpful and more fun to start at the beginning.

[Mark]

As always, I enjoyed the newest book in this series. The plot was different, and it was cool to see the relationship between Cindy and Jeremiah coming along nicely. I did think this book ended with too many loose ends and am hoping #13 is soon coming out and the author addresses those loose ends

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. For a murder mystery there were some very funny and unpredictable parts in the book. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Ernie Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. It kept me guessing. Looking forward to the books in the series. She really does a great job of reverence to God.

[Angel's Mum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad to get to the end of this series; have so enjoyed it. Now I have to be patient and wait for the next one!

[Anner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great.... Ready for the next one.

[Amy Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

can't wait for next one!!!!