Saturday, October 3, 2015

"The Great Thirst Archaeological Mystery Serial" by Mary C. Findley

From Book 1:  Small town science teacher Keith Bradley climbs into a red Tesla with English teacher Talia Ramin for the field trip of a lifetime. At stake is a missing copy of the Scriptures on gold tablets. At risk is the trust of an ancient order sworn to keep the tablets safe. 
Talia's archaeologist aunt and uncle may have lost their last clue to artifact thieves. A government ultimatum might undo every lesson they have taught their students about keeping the Word safe. 
from Chapter Eighteen – “Are You So Selfish?” 
“What?” Keith jumped up. “What are you saying? We’re supposed to take the kids’ Bibles away from them? Their prayer journals? Their memory cards?” 
“There’s no need to be defensive.” Doctor Williams glared up at him. “Please be seated. You will only be borrowing them, to get them scanned. And we want materials from everyone in the community. Parents, grandparents, ministers – Anyone who studies the Bible. Don’t you see? This will become a resource people all over the world can use, for all time. Mr. Bradley, your prayers, your thoughts, your study of the Bible could teach someone in Thailand, Mali, Alaska – someone in a spaceship traveling to Mars – these insights will become eternal.” 
“But it’s voluntary, right?” Talia asked. “People don’t have to give us their Bibles, do they?” 
“This program fails if it doesn’t accomplish the critical goal of gathering all the possible data,” Doctor Williams insisted. 
“What exactly do you mean by ‘this program fails’?” Keith’s dad demanded. 
“It doesn’t fulfill the requirements,” Doctor Williams said. “It doesn’t qualify for the grants.” 
“You mean we lose everything we’ve gotten from implementing the Bible as Literature program?” Principal Bradley choked. 
“Really, there’s nothing scary or unreasonable being asked for here. Are your Bible studies secret? Why does the idea of sharing them with the world disturb you? Are you that selfish?” 
From Book 2: The mystery archaeologists suddenly appear and Keith learns firsthand about the quest for the Golden Testaments.He finds himself with more questions than answers. What do these people want with him?. He doesn't see how he can travel to Greece, Turkey, and who knows where without neglecting his family. The lure of ancient technology and the chance to unravel a mystery like no other can't make up for the deadly peril of an underwater attack and a terrifying phone call. Is he really ready to pay the price for preserving and spreading the Word if it means putting his family in danger?
From Book 3: In Association with The Edge Books. Keith and Talia's Guardian contacts finally unlock secrets of the holographic map but no one imagined the cost of following the clues. The Ax of Britomartis reveals an unexpected power but they can't use it when they are thrown out of the country. Accusations, heartache,. strife, and even romance can bring the quest grinding to a halt. When the black van changes from pursuer to prison, Keith needs help not even Talia can give. Jenny Kaine might just find out what she needs to know to destroy the Word once and for all. 
Keith stepped over to the intercom by the door. “This is Mr. Bradley. Ms Ramin and I need a monitor for our class, room 205, please,” he said, and released the button. “Ms. Ramin, please join me in the hallway while we wait for relief.” 
Talia hefted her duffel bag and followed him out without a word. 
“So, if Naddy and Sophie are okay, or at least going to be okay, what’s wrong?” Keith demanded, grabbing Talia’s bag from her and almost dropping it. “Whoa. This is heavy even for you. What’s going on?” 
“I’m leaving,” she whispered. “I can’t do this anymore.” 
“Can’t do what? Talia – Ms. Ramin – Do you feel bad about paying the ransom? Why? I mean, yeah, it sucks, that you had to do it, to give in to those bastards, but Naddy’ll make it back up in a couple of days at the tables, right? He’s like, the James Bond of Poker, right?” 
“He plays Baccarat.” Talia pushed away the smile that tugged at her lips. “I can’t keep lying to you. I can’t keep any more secrets from you.” 
From Book 4: A shocking event convinces Keith that he has to risk arrest to protect their Bradley Central students. A stranger questions their Britomartis findings and only a trip to Pakistan will solve a new mystery -- that of the daughters-in-law of Noah. Cherub Rider has a mission Keith isn't sure he can go along with -- protect Keith at all costs, even if it means leaving Talia behind. They have to depend on the mysterious ancient amphibian skin for a totally unexpected, possibly lifesaving, mission. Is the Morse Code message tapping ALIVE real? Is a bag of gray dust the end of all their hopes to prevent the Great Thirst?
From Book 5Jenny Kaine resurfaces with a one-time offer that kicks Talia's warrior instincts into high gear. A terrifying betrayal and a violent attack drive Keith and Talia and the whole Mexico Expedition into lockdown. Talia's stunning revelation and crushing mishap may end any hope of unraveling the tangled Web of Araña. A tablet update sparks turmoil and terror as students respond to "activation orders.' One conflicted father may hold the key to understanding more about the enemy -- if he lives to tell his tale.

Author Info:

Findley loves to write and draw, and has been known to do both tucked in the bend of an old pine tree. Cat and dog lover, former master of the universe of summer hikes, mountain stream swimming, and unorthodox campouts, she has traveled internationally and around the lower 48 multiple times. 

Sneak a peek at snippets from her real life in The Great Thirst serial, from the tiny school she attended in the foothills of the Catskills, to the college teacher who asked for student help to find the contact lost in her own eye, to a certain trucker couple who come to the rescue when help is desperately needed. She is the wife of a crazy smart man, mother of three kind of grownups, and currently rides shotgun in the US and Canada in a tractor-trailer. 

Younger readers can grow up with the Benny and the Bank Robber Historical Adventure series. Watch Benny learn to trust God while traveling across the American frontier from Philly to Missouri to the end of the Oregon Trail. 

Adult readers can discover suspense, unlikely romances, and history-making intrigue from the male point of view in The Baron's Ring, and Chasing the Texas Wind, and Send a White Rose. 

The Fifty Shades of Faithful series of short stories combines sensible and sizzling advice about relationships with a playful and purposeful edge ... Bondage, child trafficking, caregiver fraud, adultery, foster care, business partnership, and even sheep rustling. 

Join the search to quench the thirst as the serial archaeological mystery The Great Thirst cranks up the danger. Keith and Talia race to find ancient technology and the missing Golden Testaments before the last copy of the Word of God is gone forever.

Dig into Bible Study for all ages, explore the original Establishment of Religion, and climb aboard for a frantic but faithful ride through History, Science, and Literature from the beginning that will carry you to where truth lives. 

Praise for Benny and the Bank Robber: "Looked like a kids book. It really surprised me with a lot of interesting twists and being deeply spiritual."

Chasing the Texas Wind: "This story has many twists and turns throughout the plot and keeps the reader on their toes and they struggle, along with the characters, to solve the mystery of this intriguing tale."

Antidisestablishmentarianism: "This book will give you all the ammunition you need to get yourself straightened out and those you know and love. I recommend you get it and read it."

Fifty Shades of Faithful: "I liked the way the characters were not one dimensional but complicated, especially the men in the stories."

The Baron's Ring: "What I got was a story unlike any other. A story of love of family, love of community, a love of people...all intertwined with the love of God and sharing that love. I just could not put it down."

Hope and the Knight of the Black Lion: "For those who love medieval history, the Crusader period in England, all things knights and espionage, everyday estate life, and purity of period detail, you will find an absolute GEM in this story." 

The Great Thirst" "Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!"

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: "Fantastic Scriptural commentary. The writing shows a deep and profound understanding of the whole counsel of God."

Our "tough but you need it" blog is elkjerkyforthesoul.wordpress.com 
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My Review: This isn't my normal type of reviews because I am writing one review for five books because these are short stories meant to be a part of a bigger story. So I must warn my review readers that each story does end in a cliff-hanger.  The stories are written in a way that any mature reader of any age would enjoy them, the only reason I said mature was because of the subject matter, it is a clean mystery and love story, there are a few curse words ( two  or three but I can see where they are appropriate in the story, not just thrown in like some authors do). 

The stories really keep me turning the pages, I had to know who was the bad guys and why there were doing the things they were!  Oh, the love story in between the pages are just an added bonus for this reader who loves mystery and romance in the same story.

These stories are interlaced with Biblical verses and Biblical truths also, so I just have to give them all five stars. I really think any reader of Christian Fiction and Mystery Genres would like these books and enjoy them. I found myself thinking some of  the things happening in these books might just became real in real life before long, ( like Religious Freedom might not be so free and we will have to fight for it like our heroes in these stories.

Ok, I have one complaint , there is going to be a sixth book and I have to wait for it, but such is a reader's life. lol.

I was given pdf files for review purposes by the author. These opinions are my own. 


3 comments:

Mike Bradley said...

Thanks Debbie! I stumbled upon your blog searching for new book suggestions. This is great. I really appreciate the suggestion! Your review has swayed me. I’ll have to check out The Great Thirst Archaeological Mystery Serial. This series sounds really interesting.

I wanted to pass along one my pastor recommended to me. It’s the #1 bestseller on religious fiction, so maybe you’ve already heard of it. But I can’t stop thinking about. It’s a fantastic collection of short stories. It’s called Pieces Like Pottery. I really can’t recommend it enough. I would love to see your review of it at some point!

Debbie Curto said...

Thanks Mike, I haven't heard of it, but will definitely check it out!

Mike Bradley said...

Of course Debbie! Thank you for your review. I enjoyed it. I'll definitely be checking back again. And I really would check out that book. I may read a few of the stories again today. They were that good.