Acceptable Risk - A Review

Acceptable Risk

by

Lynette Eason

PTSD, suicides, drug trials, and families, provide the ingredients for a tightly wound suspense novel that has roots in the mountains of Afghanistan and ends up in an east coast VA hospital. 

For one family to experience so much pain was unfair and Sarah Denning was determined to find out where it was coming from. It would not be an easy search - she would need to convince her friends and family that she was on the right track. That would not be easy - she had been on serious pain killers that could disrupt her memories and emotions. And there were powerful men and women who did not want her to discover the truth. Could she survive her own demons and those being thrown at her by a corrupt medical community?

Though published by a faith-based publisher, faith has but a small part in this story, leaving this reader a bit disappointed. Also, as I often suggest, when a fiction book deals with issues that real people face daily (in this case PTSD), I would hope that a resource or two (phone number and/or web page) would be suggested to find real help in our broken world.

Though I would see no problem putting this book into a church library, its lack of a serious spiritual focus may allow some to reconsider. It would easily belong on the public library shelf and would be enjoyed by any reader who enjoys suspense or medical thrillers. I give it a 4-½ star review.
______________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Death At High Tide - A Review

Death At High Tide

by

Hannah Dennison

A new author for me that has written the perfect cozy mystery including an old, somewhat deprecated, hotel; an old, mostly abandoned, lighthouse; and a cat who sees far more than many of the key players in the story. 

It has been a rough month for Evie Mead. Her husband had died with a heart attack, he had died bankrupt, and she almost inherited the Tregarrick Rock, a hotel set among the Scilly Isles - at least until someone pointed out that they were known as “The Isles of Scilly--or Scilly, but [were] never called the Scilly Isles”. Situated off the coast of Cornwall in Southern England, they provided a wonderful spring vacation site for tourist. Evie and her sister decide to take a brief respite while they wait for Evie’s husband’s estate to be settled. While there two murders occur - and they are the prime suspects!

The story is well-written though it moves a bit slower than this reader might hope. The first 50% of the book is focused on setting up the characters and setting for the story. The tides play a major role as they move in and out in their daily rhythms. And the cat, wait until you hear what he has to say!

It was a pleasure to read this book and comes highly recommended.

______________

This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Murder at the Flamingo - A Review

Murder at the Flamingo

by

Rachel McMillan

A Review

A cozy mystery, an historic romance, a literary novel. Murder at the Flamingo is all three. Though no specific date is given, the setting is the late 30’s in historic Boston, MA. The roaring 20’s are past and WW II has not yet started – perhaps a tiny blip on some prognosticator's radar.

Both Reggie Van Buren and Hamish “Cicero” DeLuca had left home and arrive in Boston to be mentored by Luca Valari as he opens the newest dance hall in the city of Boston. He too is running from a past that he wants others to forget and to never discover.

The first half of the book is mostly focused on developing the characters and setting that will define the second half of the book. The reader will have reader will have gotten through more than half the book before finding Mary Finn, the cigarette girl, dead at the bottom of the basement stairs. From their Reggie and Hamish will take it upon themselves to put together the puzzle pieces together, much like classic murder mysteries that Reggie so enjoyed in the cinema of the day. Hamish would find similar encouragement in his favorite book, Hugo’s The Hunchback of Norte Dame.

At times the book was a slow read – especially in the first half as characters and settings are being developed. But the conclusion comes to a relatively satisfying conclusion, except for the uncertain relationship between the friendship and romance that Hamish and Reggie are developing. One might hope that McMillan might be persuaded to write a second or third novel based around the new company these two have developed as a result of their work together in discovering those involved in the murder of Mary Finn.

Sadly, for this reader, the role of faith coming from this book Christian Publisher Thomas Nelson is not to be seen other than in the historic views of and from the Old North Church of Paul Revere’s fame. On the other hand, the discussion questions included as an appendix will help the believer in examining his or her faith using the key story points of the book.

The book is recommended as a great cozy mystery, historic romance, or literary novel – not for inclusion in a church library.

_____________

This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Senior Moments With The Bible - A Review

Senior Moments With The Bible

by

Dorman Laird

A Review

A year-long devotional book written for a senior audience. Each month focuses on one or two themes. For example, January has the following daily readings:

January 1 Living One Day at a Time

January 2 The Habit of Trusting God

January 3 The Biblical Path to Happiness

January 4 Establish High Priorities

January 5 The Importance of One Person

January 6 To God Every Person Has Value

January 7 God Hears Our Prayers

January 8 Seeking to Do God’s Will

January 9 Praying in the Name of Jesus

January 10 Living by Faith

January 11 Live for Today

January 12 Created Again in Christ

January 13 Keep on Doing Good

January 14 Good Works Glorify God

January 15 The Little Person in the Eye of God

January 16 The Beatitudes: God’s Value System

January 17 The Beatitudes: God Comforts

January 18 The Beatitudes: Blessed are the Meek

January 19 The Salt of the Earth

January 20 Singing the Lord’s Song

January 21 Following the Shepherd

January 22 Being Light in a Dark World

January 23 Loving Others

January 24 Keeping Our Eyes on Christ

January 25 Trusting in God for Guidance

January 26 Sing a New Song unto the Lord

January 27 Worship the Lord Today

January 28 Consider the Lilies

January 29 Faith Abides

January 30 Hope Abides

January 31 Love is Forever

Each entry consists of a brief quote from the scriptures and a paragraph or two of devotional thoughts.

Though the book is titled “Senior Moments”, I see nothing in the devotions themselves that make them particularly designed for seniors. Re-titling the book “Feminine Moments” could just as easily make the book a welcome addition to a woman’s busy schedule. Titles could re-aim the book toward a masculine audience, or a college student. Having said that, there is nothing in the book that would suggest that it would not be appreciated by seniors or other adults in our churches.

______________

This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Killer Thriller - A Review

Killer Thriller

by

Lee Goldberg

A Review

I was introduced to Lee Goldberg’s writing through his collection of books featuring the mentally ill, but superb, detective, Adrian Monk. This book is not Monk. It is grittier, more explicit, and more action-packed.

Ian Ludlow is a fiction writer whose imagination is clever enough that it parallels reality — parallels so close that governments, in this case, the Chinese, are out to stop the leaks that are revealing their secret plans to take over the United States government.

The action moves from Los Angeles to Hong Kong to France. Ian has no idea that the plot of his latest (and yet unpublished) novel reveal plans that are already in motion to control the American Presidency. Ian, his CIA sidekick, Margo, and the fictional star of Ian’s books, Slacker, to save both the President and the American government.

The book held this reader’s attention from beginning to end – whether in LA, Hong Kong, or Paris. It required numerous dips into Wikipedia to check maps, historical references, and miscellaneous facts — a sign of a fun book for this reader.

My only concern was the extra grittiness and explicit speech and behavior recorded by the author. Because of this added touch, I am awarding the book 4-1/2 stars rather than the five I might expect to give a book of this caliber. The average reader, if not offended by the explicit and gritty text, will enjoy this book. It should be a welcome addition to the local libraries' bookshelf.

______________

This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

NKJV Minister's Bible - A Review

NKJV

Minister's Bible

Imitation Leather

Published By

Thomas Nelson

A Review

Not a study Bible; not a devotional Bible - but a working Bible designed for the new (or experienced) pastor seeking to improve his/her public ministry.

The binding is a quality imitation leather with a nice feel, alas no leather smell. The Bible text is the NKJV (1982) text.  For those preferring the traditional KJV the same Bible is available with that translation. The font is readable and comfortable to use. The text includes the translator’s notes but is devoid of other footnotes or cross-references, though chapters and verse markings are present.

What gives this Bible value is the 180 pages of helps provided in one place for the pastor’s public ministry: weddings, funerals, dedications, the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, worship helps, pastoral care, and a variety of pulpit invitations. Some of this information will be used once, some multiple times, and others will serve as templates for future use. Much of this information can be found in a typical “Pastor’s Manual”, but having additional information present with the Bible is helpful. Also, not having to carry two texts (Bible and manual) into the pulpit is of additional help.

A couple of things I would like to see in the future:

1. Publish the helps with additional translations. Neither the KJV nor the NKJV are my favored translations. I would hope that the Thomas Nelson might work with other publishers to make these tools available with a greater variety of translations.
2. The other improvement would be to make the helps available as an e-book, thus allowing the pastor to manipulate the various service helps to fit their individual needs without retyping the material. As best I can tell, this edition is not available in Kindle, Nook, LOGOS, or WORDSearch - having it available in any of these formats would be helpful.

Most pastors would find either of the two available editions helpful - hopefully other editions will become available in the future.
______________

This review is based on a free copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.