The Fixin' Place

by Tony Martin

Can death be postponed? Or even reversed? Are supernatural healings possible? If an individual had the ability to heal, would there ever be a time when using that gift would be wrong? Does all healing come from God, or can Satan perform counterfeit signs, wonders, and even healings? Thomas Alexander, a 14-year-old boy growing up in the small south Alabama town of St. Helena in 1968, is faced with a series of incidents that cause him to confront these very questions. A new high school teacher, Silas Shepherd, moves to St. Helena and shows more than casual interest in Thomas’ recently widowed mother. It becomes apparent that the charming and winsome Shepherd is not all that he seems to be – elements of a shrouded past and current fixation on the Alexander family trouble Thomas. Thomas’ rock is his grandmother Lois, who supposedly has the biblical gift of healing – her home is known to townspeople as “the fixin’ place.” So when Shepherd is diagnosed with cancer, Lois Alexander has the opportunity to attempt to cure him. From the story’s first introduction of Silas Shepherd, to the gradual discovery of the truth about him, until the final revelation of Shepherd’s generations-old relationship with the Alexander family and the shocking yet redemptive finale, The Fixin’ Place is a story to both cherish and fear.

REVIEWS FOR TONY MARTIN'S "REIGN OF SILENCE"

Great read that scares you to death and makes you think! While it is supernaturally inclined, it causes you to give pause and rethink what you believe about ghosts, demons, and even our own personal weaknesses. Once you start it you can't put it down. - Calista

Page turner that you won't want to miss! The storyline challenges some superstitions while stimulating a desire to explore the Scriptures more deeply and personally. God is a mystery Who cannot be explained by our human standards. Our lackluster spirituality may just need the shaking up this book provides. This would be a great movie! - Jeannie
I couldn't put this book down. Tony's mastery of the English language is wonderful. He has a talent for creating a visual in the reader's mind that is not easily forgotten. Had I had the time, this would have been read in one sitting...spellbinding. If you want to see how much fiction is really a picture of real life this book is for you. It will open your mind to situations that are not normally talked about but should be. - Englishwoman

Reign of Silence was marvelously disquieting! Once engaged it was hard to put down. The characters reminded me of people who've populated my life so they provided much needed comfort in this tale of the spiritual and the supernatural. The fact that everything occurred in an ordinary place with ordinary people living ordinary lives made the events even more frightening to me. It produced in the back of my mind that niggling thought, 'this could happen to me." Suffice it to say after finishing the book, I slept with a light on for a week! Thanks to author Tony Martin for this wonderful story. Here's hoping there are more to come. - Nina Thompson

Tony Martin has a winner! His first novel is a grab-you-by-the-throat thriller. I was completely creeped out because the storyline is so plausible--the characters are normal folks who fall into something extraordinary. Most interesting is how the various characters come to accept that something supernatural is afoot, and how they deal with it once they believe it's really happening. Excellent beach read--because it's nice and bright at the beach! Just don't go home later to a dark house.... - Barbara

Loved the book! Read it in one sitting. Looking for more from this author in this genre.

388 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2019

About the author

Tony Martin has been writing ever since he was a "little bitty guy." He is currently associate editor of The Baptist Record, the newsjournal of the Mississippi Baptist Convention, with a circulation of 70,000. He has written or co-written curriculum and devotional material for high school and junior high school students. A native Alabamian and self-confessed "son of the South," he first became intrigued by the theology of ghosts and hauntings in a class on the occult at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Reign of Silence draws from that early and latter research and from oral family traditions. He and his wife Teresa live in Brandon, Mississippi, and have two more-or-less grown children, Jeremy and Amy. When not working at his day job, Tony still works with teenagers, and enjoys performing magic, camping, travel, Civil War history, reading and writing, and has this inexplicable passion for any and all things Disney. Reign of Silence is his first novel.

Reviews

[Rocky Henriques · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story

The plot deserves five stars, but I only gave it four for two reasons. First, there was one formatting issue that was very distracting: frequently throughout the book there is a new paragraph, but therefore is no indentation of the first line. A small thing, yes, but when you run across it over and over, it gets to be a little much. Second, the story is told from the perspective of a fourteen-year- old boy, and at times his conversations sound more like someone three times that age. Otherwise this was a great story and I sometimes had difficulty putting it down.

[Benita M. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading as a believer

As I read The Fixin place I kept an open mind and remembered personal Spiritual experiences. I think many will enjoy this book and find it thought provoking! I can say the scriptures used in the writing of that s book where not out of context and should be checked out by all. Good read!

[Nancy Churchill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different Good!

Well-written Christian fiction that is different -- even far removed -- from most psychological thrillers, Christian or otherwise. Not your run-of-the-mill thriller at all, this book will keep you guessing and turning pages. Then just when you think you have it all figured out....

[Carolyn Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing!!!

Wow, this was a real page turner!! Tony can really spin a tale! I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense, the descriptive southern flavor, and I believe relatable to teens and grownups alike. Impressive writing.

[Alan Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

Loved the story! A real page turner, hard to put down. Thomas and Button were my favorite character! Keep writing!!!