"Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

I've said this before: Agatha Christie is the standard by which other murder-mystery authors are measured. She wielded her pen with a devious imagination that was nothing short of genius.

In this classic story, our hero is the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. (Okay, confession time: In my head I still say his name like a weird, British-accent version of "pirate.")
While riding the Orient Express, Poirot is approached by a gentlemen who wishes to hire him as a bodyguard because he is in fear that he will be murdered. Poirot declines the offer (because the man has an evil look about him), and subsequently the man is, in fact, murdered on the train.
The train gets stuck in a snow storm, and it is up to Poirot to determine which of the passengers committed the crime before the killer may strike again.

It is a fantastic nightmare scenario! Without using overly grotesque imagery, or unnecessary gore, Agatha Christie still conveys the terror and suspense.
I absolutely love her pacing. The story is neither too long nor too short. The scene changes come at the perfect times to build suspense. And she does not get bogged down in unnecessary details.

Her characters are always so well-developed and diverse. This is remarkable, given the number of characters and the relatively short length of the book.

On a negative note, the ending began to be a little obvious to me at some point (and I am working under the assumption that I am not extremely clever). But the VERY end flabbergasted me a bit..... I can't spoil it - you'll just have to read it. To be honest, I did not care for the manner in which the case was resolved (which only involved perhaps the last two or three paragraphs). Let's just say it didn't seem "just" to me. But it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book very much.

There is a little bit of antiquated word usage, some of which would probably be considered racially offensive today. Beware of that. Remember the era in which it was written.

Great story, great book, great author. 'Nuff said.

"Blaze of Glory" by Major Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky

*ALERT: SPOILERS BELOW*
In the second fiction offering from the combined talents of Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky, Sgt. Major Eric "Boss" Moyer and his Special Operations team are once again thrown into a desperate situation - this time, it is to prevent a suicide bomber from taking out 20 of the world's leaders. But that is not the only crisis they face... Their mission will take them to Mexico to face a ruthless drug lord.
A new character is introduced to the team to replace a man they lost in their last mission (read the first book). But the new guy, Jerry "Data" Zinsser, suffers from PTSD after his previous team was mostly wiped out - and his flashbacks may compromise this new mission and put his team at risk.

I absolutely loved their first book, "Certain Jeopardy," and the second book is just as good. The writing is well-done, the characters are real and believable, and the pace is perfect. The action scenes will keep your heart racing until the last page.

If I had a criticism (and this is entirely a matter of preference), the humorous lines may have been a tad too numerous - especially in the tense moments. But, at the very least, they helped to break up the drama, and give your nerves a second to ease up. And mostly, they seem to be in-character for the ones who are saying them.

Besides that one minor thing, the book is everything you want in a military fiction - without the swarms of swear words and the unnecessary sexual scenes you find in other works. The characters are so real, you feel sympathetic for them without even realizing it. Your heart pangs for the ones who lose loved ones and friends as they weep. When Zinsser contemplates suicide (multiple times), you want to reach into the pages and shake him back to reality. The authors do a great job of painting a picture of a man tormented by PTSD. This is an issue that is hard to grasp for those of us on the outside looking in. As in the first book, the character J.J. - who is the lone Christian on the team - has to wrestle with his own conscience when he takes the lives of his enemies.

I appreciate the authors for tackling difficult subjects with grace. After reading Struecker's autobiographical book, "The Road to Unafraid", I have a lot of respect for the man. And Alton Gansky has proven himself to be a talented writer who can weave a great story.

Get these books - you won't be disappointed at all.
5 out of 5 stars.

"Wounds" by Alton Gansky

"Wounds" is a very emotional book. The story centers around Dr. Ellis Poe, a professor at a small seminary in southern California. Poe is tormented by a memory that he hasn't been able to escape since the event happened almost 30 years ago: witnessing the murder of a high school classmate. Poe was too scared to go to the police. But the fear was quickly replaced by crushing guilt - guilt that he has worn like an enormous burden for nearly three decades.
Meanwhile, homicide detective Carmen Rainmondi is on the trail of a serial killer. The murders have all been bizarre and brutal, with no obvious connections and no useful evidence. Each victim is ruthlessly tortured before death. What's more, the killer appears to be taunting the homicide team. Can Dr. Poe finally put his conscience to rest, and will Detective Rainmondi catch the killer before his grand finale?

I have the utmost respect for our law enforcement officers and investigators. Sure, there are dirty cops just like there are corrupt politicians and hypocrite pastors. But these men and women behind the badge do a tremendous service for our society. (Can you imagine what our nation would be like without them?) Alton Gansky did a great job of painting the law enforcement community as a tight-knit family (not without internal conflict) with a high regard for justice. He also took me inside the tormented mind of the homicide detective: a person who sees the worst crimes but looks beyond the gruesome to find the killers. These behind-the-scenes heroes are often overlooked and under-appreciated.

The main characters were well-developed and fairly realistic, but at times the book took on an almost "dark sitcom" feel. There may have been a tad bit too many lame jokes between cops. (But then again, I'm not a cop. Perhaps they need to have a macabre sense of dry humor in order to keep their sanity intact while viewing mutilated bodies day in and day out... If I ever meet one, I'll ask them.)

It was a very engrossing novel. I could feel the evil emanating from the pages when I was reading about the murders and the killer. My heart ached for the families that learned of their losses. I wanted to give Dr. Poe a hug and tell him that God had forgiven him. These are the kind of emotions and feelings that only great authors can elicit from us. And I believe Alton Gansky is a great author.

I have no major criticisms of this book. The story was over a little too fast (the good ones always are), and I would have liked a little more resolution and closure. However, without the resolution I am left with "tastes" of the book in my mind long after I am finished reading it - instead of merely closing the book, saying "that was good," and promptly forgetting about it. Perhaps that was one of Gansky's objectives? If so, well done, sir. I am still pondering it even though I finished it two days ago.....

"Black Sea Affair" by Don Brown

Special thanks to my sister for giving me this book! ***SPOILER ALERT!!!!****

This is the first book that I've ever read by Don Brown (not to be confused with Dan Brown...). I must say that the story was very gripping. And the cover is really cool.

The story centers around Russian plutonium that is stolen by Chechen terrorists who use it to create a hydrogen bomb. An American submarine is sent on a highly dangerous mission to intercept the freighter that is carrying the plutonium. As tensions between the Russians and the Americans escalate, things go terribly wrong. The US sub commander is arrested and transported to Moscow to appear before a military tribunal on charges of war crimes.

I really liked the pacing of the story. There was plenty of action, and lots of scenes were filled with political maneuvering, personal drama, and military tech/jargon. It definitely wasn't boring at all. There were several characters and story-lines followed for most of the book, so it stayed very interesting.

My biggest problems with the book are:

1. The dialogue was sometimes cheesy.... It is my opinion that conveying "spoken words" is the hardest part of writing fiction - so I am not usually too hard on authors for this. But the US President in the book just said some corny stuff. And almost ALL of the Russian characters had some "corn". (The Russian characters had this annoying habit of referring to everyone by their FULL name - multiple times in the same conversation. "Why do you say that, Nikolai Petrinkov?", and so forth. Maybe this is a part of Russian culture that I am just unaware of. But it got on my nerves a little bit.)

2. The guy that I thought was the main character, the JAG officer representing the sub commander at the tribunal, didn't even show up in the book at all until about 50 pages from the end. SERIOUSLY?!?! He is the first of only two characters mentioned in the description on the back cover of the book, so you would reasonably assume he was the main character, right? Needless to say, we didn't get to know that character well at all before the book ended. Speaking of that....

3. The ending felt hacked off and rushed. There is a difficult balance an author must strike between writing too much after the climax/resolution and hacking the book ending off. I definitely feel Don Brown did the latter. The bomb is intercepted and diffused, the US and Russia make peace, the sub commander and crew are returned home, and the sub commander is reunited with his kids - all in just a couple of pages.

All in all, it was a good book - and I'd definitely read some of Don Brown's other works. 4 out of 5 stars.
(Thanks again, sis!)

"The Bishop" by Steven James

Just getting around to writing my review of this book - even though I finished it before Christmas! Whew...time flies.
I will say up front that this book was (in my opinion) the most violent and graphic. There are two killers in this book who work in tandem, and they stage elaborate murders which intentionally look as if someone else has committed them. We've met one of the killers before in the series... but, of course, I can't tell you who it is.

In this story, author Steven James re-uses a few plot devices - which ordinarily doesn't bother me. But for some reason it did in "The Bishop." I guess I feel like a talented author such as this should always have new ideas and not have to revisit old tropes. Even so, the book is captivating and earns its place in the series with dignity.
Tessa's "real dad" is back - in fact, he is involved in one of the most intense scenes in the entire series (but I can't tell you how). We learn some more about him - some good, some bad. Also, both of Patrick Bowers' almost-girlfriends are back... and the awkward moments are priceless (actually, he TRIES to choose between the two). Bowers is the intended victim again (meaning the killers are using all the murders as bait to lure him). And, of course, the crime comes to a climactic end with Bowers squaring off against one of the killers. Since the release of "The Queen," I'm sure you know who wins.

Not much more to say, but it was a good book. I just realized that in my review of "The Rook" that I stated I liked "The Rook" better than "The Pawn" - and then in my review of "The Knight" I said that I "still like 'The Pawn' best".......  Oh well.  To be clear, I think "The Pawn" was my favorite.

I would still give it a 5 out of 5 stars.

"Bright Empires Book 1: The Skin Map" by Stephen Lawhead

The writing of Stephen Lawhead has always impressed me. He is a true master of the craft. He has the rare gift of being able to approach familiar subjects (like time travel and parallel dimensions) and to introduce them in new and engaging ways. And, I must say, that this story is very engaging.
The summary of the plot doesn't quite do it justice: two modern-day people are magically transported to a different world, where they must race against the evil men to get the ultimate prize. That is the gist of the story, but there is SO much more to it!
Mister Lawhead is able to lead you along, following several different characters - and only give you enough information to know their stories are crucially connected, but never enough information to have you guess the outcome. That is the mark of a great writer. His version of time travel possibility is one of the more complete (and clearly stated) that I've ever read, which gives the story a certain credibility. And the idea of the map being made of human skin is certainly realistic (as it has been done by real people), but wonderfully creative nonetheless.
There were a few times where the story focused on one person for so long that, when the next chapter re-visited another character, it took me a moment to remember what was going on the last time I read about them - but this is not a criticism of the writing as much as it is a criticism of my memory! Other than that, I can think of no negative comments to make of this book. The characters are believable, the emotions are tangible, and the mystery is tantalizing. In short, I can hardly wait to read the second story in the series!
I received a free copy of this book from the publishers as part of the Booksneeze bloggers' program. I was not required to write a positive review.

"Nick of Time" by Tim Downs

I've read all of Tim Downs' novels, and I must say this one was BY FAR the best! Nick Polchak is a great character, and all of the books are fascinating. Tim Downs has a great skill at mixing the drama of the situation with the realistic emotions of the characters.
In this book, Nick is about to get married to Alena Savard (who is also an amazing character that was introduced in a previous book). He decides to take a short trip to meet an old friend - but instead finds out the friend is missing. Nick smells murder, and the chase is on! In the meantime, Nick is being chased as well - by Alena!
It is probably no secret to long time fans that Tim Downs also has written books on marriage, and he also speaks at FamilyLife events. His experience in this area gives him the opportunity to tackle problems encountered in the marriage relationship - but in a very subtle way. To me, Nick became much more "human" in this book, and I loved it! Tim Downs has done nothing but improve Nick Polchak from the first novel, and he takes a giant leap in this book.
I can think of nothing negative about this book. The plot was complex and the twist at the end is amazing (and hilarious). In addition, the very last page presents an excellent "to-be-continued" ending.
If you are a long time fan of the Bug Man, you will be amazed. And if you are new to Tim Downs and his Bug Man, prepare yourself to buy a half-dozen other books by this great author!
I give it a HUGE 5 out of 5 stars!

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers as part of their BookSneeze bloggers’ review program. I was not required to write a positive review.

"Faces in the Fire" by T. L. Hines

So, I'm taking back some of the bad things I thought about T. L. Hines after reading "The Unseen." If you are going to read his books, don't read "The Unseen" first, because it will bore you compared to this one and "Waking Lazarus."
This book is a masterpiece - a MASTERPIECE - of creative writing. The book is structured around the lives of four people who have (seemingly) no connection to each other. But at some point, their paths cross each other. Each person has an experience with a traumatic fire, and a catfish, and a long number. (I know it sounds weird....and in reality, the book IS pretty weird). The way the author weaves these four tales together is a work of genius, plain and simple.
Back to what I just said: the book is weird. The whole reason I quite reading it the first time I tried is because the first part of the story involves a guy who can hear ghosts talking through dead people's clothes. When I picked the book back up and pressed on, I found a lot more weirdness. The book is not a work of Christian fiction, in my opinion, so I haven't labeled it as such. But there is a LOT of the supernatural in it. Just not the Christian kind. In fact, if you can't handle books that deal frankly with murder, drug abuse, and other such harsh realities, don't read it.
Still, the book was fantastic. It was not tremendously thrilling - in fact it had a fairly leisurely pace. But the characters were so HUMAN. I felt as if they were real people (with made-up experiences, of course). A nice touch in the structure of the book was the fact that each chapter started with a number, but the numbers weren't progressive. They followed the chronology of the story. So when a character is in the present in chapter 25 and then she starts thinking about her past, the "flash-back" chapter will be chapter 18, not chapter 26.
The ending was very somber to me. It was a great ending, and it really brought the whole work together splendidly. But the subject matter just put me in a reflective mode.
If it weren't for the "weirdness," this book would definitely surpass "Waking Lazarus" as my favorite by this author. Still, the book is marvelous, and deserves a solid 5 out of 5 stars.