The Prayer Chain: The First Links

The Prayer Chain: The First Links gets 5 stars from me. This is the first in a series. In this book Jessica Reagan is dealing with the potentially fatal illness of her 10 year old daughter Lea. One night while in the hospital a nurse gives Jessica a piece of paper with a prayer written on it. This prayer is based on Philippians 4:8. Jessica says this prayer over and over till Lea is released from the hospital with a clean bill of heath. This story is also about a vet who needs the prayer paper and Jessica gives it to her after Max, (Lea's dog ) is hit by a car. These stories are amazing and are short but true to life. I am eagerly awaiting the rest of the series. I can honestly say I have read several of Sarah Price's books and have not been disappointed with any of them.

The Prayer Chain: The Second Links

I give "The Prayer Chain The Second Links" 5 stars. This is the second book in this series.In this book Adele Mast is given the piece of paper with the prayer on after a customer at the airline sees that she has been crying. Adele's father has always been there for her. But then Adele's mother calls and tells her that he has suffered a stroke. When her father cannot talk and is not the same, Adele turns away from him. When Adele receives the prayer paper she knows that her father is still the same man and that she has been wrong to abandon him. Even through this is in a series this book can be read alone and be just as uplifting but I am glad I read the first book first. I cannot wait till the next volume comes out. This book shows that if you don't give up your faith God is there just maybe not the way you want be He is there.

January Justice by Athol Dickson

January Justice gets 4 stars from me. This is the 5th book that I have read by Athol Dickson and I must say this one is different than the other 4 but I liked it. Although this book isn't really Christian, it does refer to the Scripture reference of Philippians 4:8. This story is full of twists and turns. January Justice is the 1st in a series of three. I am eagerly awaiting the other 2 books.
At the start of the book Malcolm Cutter is released from a mental hospital where he was admitted following the murder of his wife. The marriage was a secret one. Malcolm is a chauffeur and bodyguard for Hollywood's rich and famous. He is offered a job to find proof that a kidnapping and murder case was not as it seemed. He decides not to accept as the case has gone cold but then he is attacked and almost killed himself so he decides to accept. The twists and turns in this story keep me turning the pages to find the real reason and the who of the attacks. I recommend this book to Christian and nonbeliever alikeI received a copy of this book from NetGallery for a honest review.

Guest post from Athol Dickson and a chance to get a free book!

I am so excited to be a part of Athol Dickson virtual tour and to be able to offer my followers a chance to win this new book! To be entered in the contest leave a comment after this blog!

Guest Post from Athol Dickson

I think the murder mystery genre is perfect for exploring big ideas like death and justice. Someone asked what makes me think I’m qualified to write that kind of book. It’s a fair question, and I suppose the answer is, “Life.”

By “big ideas,” I mean the things that matter most in life. Of course, when it comes to the really important things, some people think you ought to call in expert meddlers such as psychologists, philosophers, theologians, professors, and so forth. But I’m interested in application, not in theory. When it comes to the human situation, I’ll take the opinion of a cop or cabbie or a bartender over any professional. That’s why I’m glad I got involved in the writing game by a round-about path.

Most mystery fans know Dashiell Hammett was a Pinkerton detective before he started writing murder mysteries, and Erle Stanley Gardner was a lawyer. But did you know Raymond Chandler was an oil company executive, James Ellroy was convicted of petty crimes twelve times and made a living as a golf caddy right up until the publication of his fifth novel, and Mickey Spillane wrote comic books? Faye Kellerman has degrees in math and dentistry. John D. MacDonald had a business degree from Harvard.
None of them had formal training, either as authors, or as students of the human condition.

A couple of the very best mystery authors, Robert B. Parker and Ross MacDonald (Kenneth Millar), had formal collegiate training as writers. (Both got doctorates in English literature.) And when it comes to the expert meddlers, at least one successful mystery novelist, Father Andrew Greeley, is a trained professional. But they are the rare exceptions that prove the rule. Most of our best murder mystery authors brought skills and fundamental wisdom to the keyboard which was gained in other walks of life.

I believe Dashiell Hammett’s life lived in the trenches inspired the powerful sense of moral authority in Sam Spade’s words, “When a man’s partner is killed, he’s supposed to do something about it. It doesn’t make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you’re supposed to do something about it.” An English major with some talent might be able to write passably about that kind of a code, but Hammett had lived by it, and the difference is obvious.

There have been a few ups and downs in my life. I was homeless for a while, and a drug addict. I’ve been through a terrible marriage, which was mostly my fault. I’ve been threatened at knife point, shot at, kidnapped for one night, and robbed. On different occasions I’ve been swindled, extorted, embezzled, and conned, and each time I lost between five and six figures. But I’ve also been married nearly 30 years to a wonderful woman. I’ve been an architect and successful businessman, a teacher, and even—believe it or not—a preacher. I have no formal training as a writer, and I’ve never studied God or man in any university, but based on what I know about my favorite mystery authors, I think life has prepared me pretty well to write The Malcolm Cutter Memoirs.

http://Ez.com/JanuaryJusticeTour

The Silence Of Winter by Wanda Brunstettler

"The Silence Of Winter" by Wanda Brunstettler gets 5 stars. I loved this. It is part 2 of 6 in the A Lancaster County Saga. I don't usually like books like that this, I want the whole book at once but I was given the first book by a friend and was kept turning the pages till the end and now I cannot wait till all six are out before reading them. In the start of the book Meredith learns that she is pregnant and is happy but has regrets that she didn't tell Luke that she might be before he left to go to Indiana. Meanwhile Luke is admitted to the hospital in a coma. But there is an accident and because no one knows who Luke is he is believed to be dead. So the sheriff tells Meredith and Luke parents he is dead This books tells about the memorial service that is held for Luke. Meredith is having pains and must see the doctor immediately. And the ending in this book is also a cliff hanger.
I was coming home from a visit to my mother and sister today and on the way home I started reading this story  aloud because I said oh no! and my husband said what and I started to tell him about the story and then I said see why I like reading it is as good as watching a movie and then I started reading it aloud and I happened to glance over at Carl and tears were running down his face. What a great story! TO BE CONTINUE!
I received a copy of this book from  Barbour Publishing's NetGalley Public Catalog for a honest review.

Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda Brunstetter

"Goodbye To Yesterday" by Wanda Brunstetter gets 5 stars from me. I loved this novella. It is part 1 of 6 in the A Lancaster County Saga. I don't usually like books like that this, I want the whole book at once but I was given this book by a friend and was kept turning the pages till the end. Luke and Meredith are a young married Amish couple and Luke has lost his job. This story tells about their struggles and how like a lot of married couples they don't really share what they are thinking. Luke gets a call from his uncle to go to Indiana and learn a new trade and even through Meredith doesn't want him to go, he does. Meredith thinks she might be pregnant but she doesn't tell Luke because she doesn't want him to worry more about their finances. When Luke goes to the restroom at the bus stop he is beat up and robbed by a drug user.  This book leaves you wanting to read the next part. I love Wanda Brunstetter's books and this one hasn't disappointed me so far except I want to see how the story ends. Does Luke make it to Indiana and is Meredith pregnant ? TO BE CONTINUE.

Echoes by Robin Gunn Jones

"Echoes" by Robin Gunn Jones gets 5 stars from me. This book is number 3 of 8  in The Glenbrooke Series. Even through this is in a series the book was great as a stand alone. I am going to look for the other 7. 

Right before the  breakup Lauren Phillips's fiancee tells her "Things always seem to happen to you". This was said after the sudden decision to change her hair style which is only one of the funny episodes told in the book. After the breakup Lauren starts sending and receiving emails from KC. She also goes back to school to get her teaching degree. Lauren and KC are both fans of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning poems. They send emails back and forth for a year and then they decided to meet face to face. When Lauren spots KC at that place they decide on she gets scared and runs away only to eventually meet him in the place she runs too.

This story is about a online relationship and how two people can fall in love without meeting each other. This story is one that every reader would enjoy rather a Christian or not, even with the mention of Biblical passages ( which I especially liked). Lauren and KC's story is one that made me want to keep turning the pages to see how and when they would meet and if they even liked each other when they did meet. 

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.