Archive | October 2017

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Oct3

Missing You

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a delightful Christian novel about the power of love and loss. It moves backwards and forwards seventy years from 1943. It is a read that really impacted me and my emotions. The reader ‘sees’ life through the eyes of three generations, at various stages throughout their lives.

The novel shows how a loss has the power to affect a family throughout the years, as the events ripples outwards. The pain that a small girl experiences then dictates how she runs her life and has a knock on effect for the generations to follow.

Alternative ways of parenting are revealed in the novel as each generation is determined to parent better than the one before.

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Least Wanted by Debbi Mack

Oct2

Film Noir In Novel Form

Least Wanted by Debbi Mack is a contemporary crime thriller. Written in the first person from the point of view of a lawyer, the novel is very reminiscent of the old Philip Marlowe films starring Humphrey Bogart. I definitely read with a black and white picture in my head!

On the surface, seemingly unconnected crimes keep popping up. As the body count rises the reader tries to keep track of all the ins and outs in this fast paced crime thriller.

The novel deals with the awful topics of drugs, child porn, girl gangs and violence. Being born in poor neighbourhoods means some do not stand a chance. Poverty and crime seem to go hand in hand.

Not all crime is out on the streets, cyber crime is a modern day phenomena.

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Deadly Proof by Rachel Dylan

Oct1

Truth, Lies And Double Dealings

Deadly Proof by Rachel Dylan is a complex Christian corporate thriller which I really enjoyed.

A lawsuit against a large pharmaceutical firm means much is at stake. The reader sees both sides, only one is concerned with justice. The other is interested in power and money. To be concerned about others is seen as a weakness. “If you want to make it to the top, you need to start thinking about yourself more and less about others.” The reader knows that these two things are not mutually exclusive but will the characters?

The reader is treated to a marvellous plotline of truth and lies, double dealings, mistrust and cover ups, and criminal activity. Your attention is grabbed at the start and held throughout.

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The Pretender: A Blackguard In Disguise by Ta’Mara Hanscom

Oct1

The Perfect Knight

The Pretender: A Blackguard In Disguise by Ta’Mara Hanscom is a marvellous start to the Caselli Family series and I really enjoyed it. It’s a retro series set in the mid 1970’s, with references to shows like Star Trek, it evoked memories from my youth.

The Pretender is an epic family novel with good Christian values. It’s a close knit family with members all looking out for each other. A time when life was seemingly simpler and safer.

The novel is not without its heartache which the reader feels keenly. I spent much of the novel with my heart in my mouth, anticipating the action to come.

It is a story of lives both interacting and near misses – hence the heart in mouth style of reading.

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