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Earth Hunters #1
Crevice
Christian Themes and Edge-Of-Your-Seat Suspense Make Up Book One In The 'Earth Hunters' Series
Desperate to save her family’s gold mine, Elery Hearst gives an order that results in the tragic death of one of her men. But before she can come to terms with the guilt consuming her, her brother disappears. To find him, she must find the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine. And the one person who can help, Lucan Milner, has every reason to want her to fail; he’s the twin brother of the miner who died. He holds the secret to finding Elery’s brother, but sharing it with her not only rips open his grief-stricken heart, it puts both of them in the path of a killer.
For more great WildBlue Press reads, visit our website at wildbluepress.com
An intriguing and modern tale around the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine. This debut novel has adventure, romance, and an insightful spiritual thread that readers will enjoy. — Marissa Shrock, author of THE FIRST PRINCIPLE and THE LIBERATION
"Vivid geological details and a hundred-year-old legacy of heartache tie together two wounded souls on a rescue mission through the treacherous beauty of the Arizona desert. A scavenger hunt of clues leads the unlikely pair on a journey of faith, forgiveness, and love all infinitely more valuable than the fabled gold mine they seek. Refreshingly original, Boekhoff's treasure hunt of legends and intrigue will leave you tantalizingly infected with gold fever! An adventure not to be missed! —Amy Leigh Simpson, author of the Girl Next Door Series
Get ready for an emotional, action-packed adventure through the Arizona desert. Part rescue mission, part treasure hunt, Crevice weaves local legend with modern day greed in this story of forgiveness and redemption. Boekhoff keeps the tension high until the nail-biting ending. A stunning debut! —Jill Kemerer, author of HER SMALL-TOWN ROMANCE and UNEXPECTED FAMILY
Author
Janice Boekhoff is a former Research Geologist who pours her love of science and the outdoors into her suspense novels. She is a three-time finalist in the ACFW Genesis Contest. She writes from Iowa, where she lives with her amazing husband and three feisty kids.
Desperate to save her family’s gold mine, Elery Hearst gives an order that results in the tragic death of one of her men. But before she can come to terms with the guilt consuming her, her brother disappears. To find him, she must find the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine. And the one person who can help, Lucan Milner, has every reason to want her to fail; he’s the twin brother of the miner who died. He holds the secret to finding Elery’s brother, but sharing it with her not only rips open his grief-stricken heart, it puts both of them in the path of a killer.
For more great WildBlue Press reads, visit our website at wildbluepress.com
An intriguing and modern tale around the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine. This debut novel has adventure, romance, and an insightful spiritual thread that readers will enjoy. — Marissa Shrock, author of THE FIRST PRINCIPLE and THE LIBERATION
"Vivid geological details and a hundred-year-old legacy of heartache tie together two wounded souls on a rescue mission through the treacherous beauty of the Arizona desert. A scavenger hunt of clues leads the unlikely pair on a journey of faith, forgiveness, and love all infinitely more valuable than the fabled gold mine they seek. Refreshingly original, Boekhoff's treasure hunt of legends and intrigue will leave you tantalizingly infected with gold fever! An adventure not to be missed! —Amy Leigh Simpson, author of the Girl Next Door Series
Get ready for an emotional, action-packed adventure through the Arizona desert. Part rescue mission, part treasure hunt, Crevice weaves local legend with modern day greed in this story of forgiveness and redemption. Boekhoff keeps the tension high until the nail-biting ending. A stunning debut! —Jill Kemerer, author of HER SMALL-TOWN ROMANCE and UNEXPECTED FAMILY
Author
Janice Boekhoff is a former Research Geologist who pours her love of science and the outdoors into her suspense novels. She is a three-time finalist in the ACFW Genesis Contest. She writes from Iowa, where she lives with her amazing husband and three feisty kids.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 23, 2016
About the author
Janice Boekhoff
13 books56 followersChristy and Carol Award finalist Janice Boekhoff (pronounced Beau-cough) is a former Research Geologist turned Author. Although she’s not nearly as tan anymore, she enjoys spending time in her office dreaming up ways to kill a dinosaur or bend the fabric of time while her Vizsla writing partner snores in his dog bed next to her. A Midwest native, she writes from Iowa where traffic is nonexistent and hogs outnumber people 7 to 1 (good thing they can’t drive).
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 10, 2017
A well written, engaging novel, July 10, 2017
This review is from: Crevice: Earth Hunters Series--Book One (Kindle Edition)
This novel is a fine mix of mystery, adventure, history and Christianity. The Christian message is there but does not overwhelm the story. I liked the afterward, putting the actual history of the Lost Dutchman mine and Jacob Waltz in context. I also liked the descriptions of the mountains and desert.
I do have a couple of quibbles. One is small. In at least two places in the book, shotguns mysteriously become rifles a few lines after their introduction into the action.
The second is more important. Pastor Arroyo, taking it upon himself, not even referring the matter to the church, to expel the Hearsts from Christ's Body Church is an arrogant, smug and apparently self-rightous man preaching a flawed theology. God does not heal everyone who is ill or dying no matter their faith. Otherwise there would be no temporal death for the faithful. In Daniel the faith is not that God WILL deliver them from the furnace but that God CAN deliver them. That no matter what the outcome, God will make things right according to his will. Perhaps Ms Boekhoff intended to portray Arroyo and his theology as flawed but that is not completely clear to me.
The third quibble is Elery feeling compelled to save Ron's life as he attempts to murder her. If only her life were at stake, maybe this would be a fine, self-sacrificing thing to do (though I do not believe that). But the lives of three other people were also at stake. Does she have the moral right to sacrifice them along with herself? Does God really require that she save the life of a man who is actively engaged in attempting to murder her? I do not believe it. I spent years in law enforcement and the National Guard. This issue of taking life is one about which I have prayed and meditated. Fortunately I never had to do it but I have been in a couple of situations where I might have done so had those situations developed differently. I do not believe that I would have felt guilt. Sadness, yes. For one thing, I would have ended the criminal's chances to repent. The commandment actually says you shall not commit murder, not you shall not kill.
This review is from: Crevice: Earth Hunters Series--Book One (Kindle Edition)
This novel is a fine mix of mystery, adventure, history and Christianity. The Christian message is there but does not overwhelm the story. I liked the afterward, putting the actual history of the Lost Dutchman mine and Jacob Waltz in context. I also liked the descriptions of the mountains and desert.
I do have a couple of quibbles. One is small. In at least two places in the book, shotguns mysteriously become rifles a few lines after their introduction into the action.
The second is more important. Pastor Arroyo, taking it upon himself, not even referring the matter to the church, to expel the Hearsts from Christ's Body Church is an arrogant, smug and apparently self-rightous man preaching a flawed theology. God does not heal everyone who is ill or dying no matter their faith. Otherwise there would be no temporal death for the faithful. In Daniel the faith is not that God WILL deliver them from the furnace but that God CAN deliver them. That no matter what the outcome, God will make things right according to his will. Perhaps Ms Boekhoff intended to portray Arroyo and his theology as flawed but that is not completely clear to me.
The third quibble is Elery feeling compelled to save Ron's life as he attempts to murder her. If only her life were at stake, maybe this would be a fine, self-sacrificing thing to do (though I do not believe that). But the lives of three other people were also at stake. Does she have the moral right to sacrifice them along with herself? Does God really require that she save the life of a man who is actively engaged in attempting to murder her? I do not believe it. I spent years in law enforcement and the National Guard. This issue of taking life is one about which I have prayed and meditated. Fortunately I never had to do it but I have been in a couple of situations where I might have done so had those situations developed differently. I do not believe that I would have felt guilt. Sadness, yes. For one thing, I would have ended the criminal's chances to repent. The commandment actually says you shall not commit murder, not you shall not kill.
August 29, 2016
I really loved this book as I have always been fascinated by the legend of the Lost Dutchman Goldmine. I live in Arizona 6 months out of the year and spend a good dealt of time in the desert so I felt as though I was right there with them. I do not usually read books with a Christian theme, but I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more books from Author Boekhoff. The book was full of twists, turns and surprises and it was very hard to put down.
August 30, 2016
Get ready for an emotional, action-packed adventure through the Arizona desert. Part rescue mission, part treasure hunt, Crevice weaves local legend with modern day greed in this story of forgiveness and redemption. Boekhoff keeps the tension high until the nail-biting ending. If you like adventure and romance, this Christian novel is the book for you!
**I received an advance copy with no obligation to review. All opinions are my own.**
**I received an advance copy with no obligation to review. All opinions are my own.**
June 13, 2017
Decent story filled with adventure, spiritual exploration, and a bit of romance. The romance was actually the part that fell a bit flat for me, it progressed a bit too quickly to be believable. The search for the gold mine and Elery's spiritual transformation are both well written and interesting to read about. The fact that the story is based on a true story makes it even better.
August 29, 2021
The story is set in Arizona. Elery Hearst is haunted with guilt. Her mother left when she and her brother, Garrick, were young. Her father is ill with skin cancer. She is in charge of running their mining operations, and the business is on the brink of financial ruin. A tragic mine accident kills a miner. Elery wrestles with her culpability in the accident. If all that isn’t enough, Garrick goes missing while searching for the Lost Dutchman Mine. The sheriff brings in Lucan Milner and his trained dog, for search and rescue. Elery and Lucan are surprised and uneasy to learn they will be working together in the search. Lucan is the twin brother of the miner who died in the mine accident. Lucan has to push aside his grief and anger to search in the vast and treacherous terrain for Garrick. Besides just the rough landscape, foul play is a possibility in Garrick’s disappearance. Illegal miners have been known to work the area and are often ruthless if stumbled upon.
Janice researched Jacob Waltz and the Lost Dutchman mine and used artistic license to weave a little of the mine’s legend through the story to add an intriguing layer. She has an Author’s Note at the end of the book that details the information she discovered in her research and when she utilized her imagination.
The Crevice provides plenty of personal struggles, suspense, and action to make it hard to put down. The story tests the characters with many common obstacles: betrayal, forgiveness, grief, and acceptance. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend the book.
Janice researched Jacob Waltz and the Lost Dutchman mine and used artistic license to weave a little of the mine’s legend through the story to add an intriguing layer. She has an Author’s Note at the end of the book that details the information she discovered in her research and when she utilized her imagination.
The Crevice provides plenty of personal struggles, suspense, and action to make it hard to put down. The story tests the characters with many common obstacles: betrayal, forgiveness, grief, and acceptance. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend the book.
January 27, 2020
I am a huge fan of mysteries; I've read everything by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie at least once. I'm used to picking apart a story to find flaws or inconsistencies, not because I'm fault finding but my brain just works that way! I'm very analytical when it comes to the essence of a story. I love seeing how events and relationships are woven together. If something doesn't work or is unbelievable, I'll just put a book down. "Crevice" by Janice Boekhoff does not disappoint. It is a straightforward story, simple but excellent character development, and made me want to read the next one in the series, "Created". I was fascinated by her knowledge of geology and the creation of tension in relationships. I'm used to reading with a dictionary app handy as I like to read books that challenge my vocabulary. If you're looking for that, this book may not fit that bill. But if you want suspense, a good story line, possibly romance? and some solid spiritual input, this book has it all.
May 20, 2017
This fascinating story set in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona is filled with adventure, flashbacks, and unshakable faith. Elery Hurst is filled with guilt and remorse after one of her employees dies in a mining accident. She is desperate to find gold and her missing brother. “Was breaking the curse of sin and guilt her birthright?” Lucan Milner holds the clues she seeks. Their inexplicable alliance forges a friendship and a romance. Flashback to the legend of Jacob Waltz and the Lost Dutchman. I thoroughly enjoyed the geological details and the rugged beauty of the Arizona mountains. The treasure they find is infinitely more valuable than riches or gold, a treasure of precious faith and unshakable love. “Forgiveness isn’t just about faith. It’s about understand yourself and the nature of God.”
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are uniquely my own.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are uniquely my own.
May 15, 2018
Fun Read
I enjoyed trying to figure out who was the mastermind behind who was trying to locate the Dutchman mine. I had some difficulty with the main character Jayna feeling she was so responsible for what went wrong in the lives of those she loved. I loved the supporting characters who flowed smoothly through the story. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good clean and enjoyable book.
I enjoyed trying to figure out who was the mastermind behind who was trying to locate the Dutchman mine. I had some difficulty with the main character Jayna feeling she was so responsible for what went wrong in the lives of those she loved. I loved the supporting characters who flowed smoothly through the story. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good clean and enjoyable book.
March 19, 2017
Crevice
by Janice Boekhoff
WildBlue Press
Mystery & Thrillers, Christian
Pub Date 23 Aug 2016
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of Crevice through the publisher and Netgalley:
Elery Hearst is desperate to save her family's gold mine and in trying to do so she gives an order to save the mine but the order results in the death of one of her men.
Elery tries to save Chad even sending a doctor in as they try to get him out, but it's to late Chad dies.
Elery soon finds herself loosing her Trust in God, her very faith shaken.
Watching Chad dies ways heavily on Elery.
Was Elery to blame for Chad's death or was something or someone more dark, more sinister to blame?
A missing brother, her Father's cancer.
Soon Elery finds herself facing danger, will she have the wherewithal to save herself and her brother?
If you are looking for action, suspense and adventure look no farther than Crevice.
I give Crevice five out of five stars.
Happy Reading.
May 29, 2017
Fun read! I can clearly see the detailed research that went into the underlying subject matter (the Lost Dutchman Mine). I tend to groove on historical novels, so learning as I read an adventure/romance was a great bonus. I think my next trip to Arizona may need to include a trip to the Superstitions!
March 4, 2018
Great Romantic Suspense
Suspense grabs at you from the first word and pulls you through the story.
I loved the well crafted novel,the engaging characters and the amazing storyline,and demonstration of the Lord's grace and forgiveness.
This book reminds of the years spent in the deserts of Pinal County.
I recommend book that love Christian romantic suspense.
Suspense grabs at you from the first word and pulls you through the story.
I loved the well crafted novel,the engaging characters and the amazing storyline,and demonstration of the Lord's grace and forgiveness.
This book reminds of the years spent in the deserts of Pinal County.
I recommend book that love Christian romantic suspense.
August 8, 2018
Great
I loved this book. Very exciting, kept me reading when I should have been doing other things. The story is about finding the lost Duncan's gold mine and what happens to good people who try to find it. I also liked the Christian under tone which gave it the sense of something special, also no in-your-face sex, which was a nice change as well.
I loved this book. Very exciting, kept me reading when I should have been doing other things. The story is about finding the lost Duncan's gold mine and what happens to good people who try to find it. I also liked the Christian under tone which gave it the sense of something special, also no in-your-face sex, which was a nice change as well.
July 26, 2019
This is a book with lots of detail & quite the mystery. I had no idea who the bad guy was till the end. I look forward to reading the next one in the series. I received a free copy from the author. This is my honest, voluntary review.
November 9, 2020
Fantastic read
History, action, suspense, romance, forgiveness, legend, family, and faith. I wasn't able to put it down and kept turning the pages to find out what happened next. Highly recommend!
History, action, suspense, romance, forgiveness, legend, family, and faith. I wasn't able to put it down and kept turning the pages to find out what happened next. Highly recommend!
September 10, 2018
Good storyline
I enjoyed the story and characters. Love that it has faith and stories from the Bible as part of the story.
I enjoyed the story and characters. Love that it has faith and stories from the Bible as part of the story.
October 20, 2016
What an adventurous (when Elry has to find her brother who has disappeared but the one person she has to help her find him is the brother of the man who she is responsible for his death in her mine), heartwarming (how the love of GOD was able to heal the hearts of the hurt of two people Elry and Lucan), and this will become a beloved book because of its redemptive story, and it not only has that but it is all wrapped up in a mystery and romance - what more could you ask - it is all that and a bag of chips ya'll. What happened to her brother? Will something happen between those two? How does GOD fit with all of this? Will everyone make it to the end?
November 2, 2016
If I had plucked Crevice off the store’s bookshelves, I would have never known this was Janice Boekhoff’s debut novel! Intrigued from the very start, this murder-mystery-man-hunt kept me second-guessing until the last chapter. Crevice is an absolutely riveting adventure story! I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Crevice for yourself – you’re going to love this action packed adventure!
Read more of my review here: http://wp.me/s1j4UP-crevice
I was graciously provided a free copy of this novel from Janice Boekhoff in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.
Read more of my review here: http://wp.me/s1j4UP-crevice
I was graciously provided a free copy of this novel from Janice Boekhoff in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own.
October 17, 2016
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Anything to do with the Arizona Lost Dutchman mine and its treasure is sure to appeal. This is nonstop action, suspenseful, and paints such a true-to-life picture of the Arizona desert and mountains. Best not to say any more, but worth a read. I will look for future books in the series.
Anything to do with the Arizona Lost Dutchman mine and its treasure is sure to appeal. This is nonstop action, suspenseful, and paints such a true-to-life picture of the Arizona desert and mountains. Best not to say any more, but worth a read. I will look for future books in the series.
December 28, 2016
Crevice is a fantastic Christian suspense. It is well written and has a plot that will keep you glued to the book until the end. I really enjoyed the author's style of writing and look forward to reading more of her work.
April 29, 2017
A great mystery that doesn't beat anyone over the head with its spiritual message but rather depicts the Christian characters as normal, every-day people living their lives (while trying to survive the bad guys) according to their faith. Really well-written for a debut novel with a second in the series coming out in July 2018.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews