Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand

This week's featured CFBA book is

Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand.

Det. Roland March is a homicide cop on his way out.
A missing girl. A corrupt investigation. They thought they could get away with it, but they forgot one thing:

Roland March is BACK ON MURDER...

Houston homicide detective Roland March was once one of the best. Now he's disillusioned, cynical, and on his way out. His superiors farm him out on a variety of punishment details. But when he's the only one at a crime scene to find evidence of a missing female victim, he's given one last chance to prove himself. Before he can crack the case, he's transferred to a new one that has grabbed the spotlight--the disappearance of a famous Houston evangelist's teen daughter.
All he has to do? Find the missing teenage daughter of a Houston evangelist that every cop in town is already looking for. But March has an inside track, a multiple murder nobody else thinks is connected. With the help of a youth pastor with a guilty conscience who navigates the world of church and faith, March is determined to find the missing girls while proving he's still one of Houston's best detectives.

Battling a new partner, an old nemesis, and the demons of his past, getting to the truth could cost March everything. Even his life.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Back On Murder, go HERE.

Tomorrow We Die by Shawn Grady

This week's featured CFBA book is

Tomorrow We Die by Shawn Grady.

Chase the Angel of Death and You Might Catch Him
Jonathan Trestle is a paramedic who's spent the week a few steps behind the angel of death. When he responds to a call about a man sprawled on a downtown sidewalk, Trestle isn't about to lose another victim. CPR revives the man long enough for him to hand Trestle a crumpled piece of paper and say, "Give this to Martin," before being taken to the hospital.

The note is a series of dashes and haphazard scribbles. Trestle tries to follow up with the patient later, but at the ICU he learns the man awoke, pulled out his IVs, and vanished, leaving only a single key behind. With the simple decision to honor a dying man's last wish, Jonathan tracks the key to a nearby motel where he finds the man again--this time not just dead but murdered. Unwilling to just let it drop, Jonathan is plunged into a mystery that soon threatens not only his dreams for the future but maybe even his life. He must race for the truth before the Angel of Death comes calling for him.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Tomorrow We Die, go to HERE.

Broken by Travis Thrasher

This week's featured CFBA book is Broken by Travis Thrasher.

Laila had it all--love, family, wealth, and faith. But when her faith crumbles, her world falls apart and Laila finds herself living an empty, dangerous life as a call girl in Chicago.

When she is threatened, Laila shoots and kills a client in self-defense, sending herself into a spiral of guilt and emptiness. Six months later, she is trying to move on, but she's haunted by the past. She hasn't told anyone about the man she killed, and she's still estranged from her family.

When she is approached by a stranger who says he knows what she did, Laila has no choice but to run. But the stranger stays close behind, and Laila begins having visions of the man she killed. Little does she know she's being hounded by something not of this world, something that knows her deepest, darkest secret.
Scared and wandering, will Laila regain her trust in God to protect her from these demons? Or will her plea for salvation come too late?


If you would like to read the first chapter of Broken, go HERE.

Frenzy by Robert Liparulo

This week's featured CFBA book is Frenzy by Robert Liparulo.

Their destiny is to fix history. Their dream is to get home.

When you live in a house that's really a gateway between past and present, you have to be ready for anything. It's a painful fact the Kings have faced since moving to Pinedale eight days ago. Desperately trying to rescue their mother from an unknown time and place, brothers Xander and David have lunged headlong into the chaos of history's greatest--and most volatile--events. But their goal has continually escaped their grasp.

And worse: Finding Mom is only a small part of what they must do, thanks to the barbaric Taksidian. His ruthless quest to sieze their house and its power from them has put not only the family, but all of mankind, in grave danger.

Somehow, the key to it all hinges on Uncle Jesse's words to the boys: "Fixing time is what our family was made to do." But how can they fix a world that has been turned updisde down--much less ever find their way home?

At long last, the secrets of the house and the King family are revealed in the stunning conclusion to this epic series.

If you would like to read the Prologue and first Chapter of Frenzy, go HERE.

Sign up for the Frenzy Newsletter HERE.

CFBA Featured Book--Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel

This week's featured CFBA book is Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel.

Every family has secrets. Few will go as far as the Baxters to keep them. Bestselling novelist CJ Baxter has made a career out of writing hard-hitting stories ripped from his own life. Still there's one story from his past he's never told. One secret that's remained buried for decades. Now, seventeen years after swearing he'd never return, CJ is headed back to Adelia, NY. His life in Tennessee has fallen to pieces, his grandfather is dying, and CJ can no longer run from the past. With Graham Baxter, CJ's brother, running for Senate, a black sheep digging up old family secrets is the last thing the family and campaign can afford. CJ soon discovers that blood may be thicker than water, but it's no match for power and money. There are wounds even time cannot heal.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Hunter's Moon, go here.

CFBA Feature Book

This week CFBA's featured Book is Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand.

And today--you get a treat. A rare review!

I'm not fond of most Christian fiction on the market (how many times have I said that?) So, there were a couple factors leading to my decision to read and review Beguiled.

First, back in the day when the CFBA was first formed, Deeanne's book A Bride Most Begrudging was featured. Historical romance. Not my type of book. I read it, though, and found Deanne's style of storytelling quite enjoyable. And I liked the book. (Seriously, I was amazed I liked something in a genre completely opposite of what I'd normally read.)

Second, Mark is a friend of mine and I know his writing is nothing short of stellar. Mark was Relief Journal's first fiction editor. He was published in the first Midnight Diner.

Third, Dave Long is their editor. I've sang the praises of books he's edited in the past.

When I heard Deeanne and Mark were collaborating, I honestly looked forward to reading the finished product.

Beguiled is a sassy, flirty, sexy romantic suspense that is not cliché, eye-rolling, or nauseous. It might get off to a bit of a slow start, which isn't a bad thing, but it picks up pace rather nicely. Beguiled is very well balanced. Just enough fluffy-girly stuff (overdo that and I'm putting the book down) and just enough creepy, menacing, dark alley, bad guy smoking a cigar stuff. Well, maybe I could have stood more dark story aspect, but there wasn't a lack of it.

Things I didn't like? Maybe the main character's breath caught one to many times. Maybe there was a red herring that was pretty obvious.

The story was absolutely unique. I loved the setting--Charleston. I loved that as a reader, I felt like I was really in Charleston. The conflict--internal and external--in the story was well done. All in all, it was a very enjoyable read.

One of my favorite scenes:

Without giving the story away...two of the main characters had been separated for a time and not all was peachy-keen. There was a lot of tension built up between them. And I found this little gem:

Her earbuds were in, and she gave no sign of recognition. As they drew closer, he expected her to pass him by. At the last minute, she gave the leash a graceful tug, then circled to a halt in front of him.

"I've got have a mind to sic my dog on you--for old time's sake," she said.

"I've got half a mind to let you."

She jutted out her bottom lip. He was tempted to snare it in his teeth.

Totally. Sexy.

My source tells me one of the authors picked that scene as favorite, also. :)


And here's a cute YouTube video of Mark and Dee where Mark talks about his dress for RWA...

Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo

This week's featured CFBA book is Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Whirlwind, go here.

A Slow Burn by Mary DeMuth

The CFBA featured book this week is A Slow Burn by Mary DeMuth.

This is the second book in the Defiance, Texas trilogy.

This suspenseful novel is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and the pain of telling the truth. Most of all, it is about the power of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer holds us captive.



If you would like to read the first chapter of A Slow Burn, go HERE

CFBA Featured Book

The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance featured book this week is:

Timescape by Robert Liparulo



If you'd like to read the first chapter of Timescape, go here.

CFBA Featured Book

Through the Fire by Shawn Grady

I have been with the CFBA from the first featured book and I haven't read many of them at all because, while I think there's an audience for Christian fiction, frankly, most of the stories sucked and they weren't well done. (I'm hard to please, I've said it before, I'll say it again.) So I've stuck to the pre-written posts and just put books on my blog I thought my readers might enjoy.

However...Through the Fire is very well written. It's not all surface, white-picket-fence stuff. There was an underlying theme--and it was good. The author didn't spell out what it was, he let the story tell it's story which indicates a maturity level that gives credit to his readers.

Two things made me read the book. First, the personal correspondence from Shawn. He made an effort. That is huge. Second was the fact he was named "Most Promising New Writer" at Mt. Hermon. When I got the book, I wanted to know who his editor was. Dave Long. I knew at that point, after the alignment of those ingredients that I'd probably finish the book. I knew for sure I'd finish the book when I couldn't stop reading and I was five chapters in. Usually, I get to the third (if I'm lucky) and that's that. Through the Fire was different, though.

The characters were real--which to me is the first thing a story needs to have. None of them seemed cardboard, stereotypical, or out of place. And I didn't roll my eyes once. Not once!

The story was fantastic. It certainly wasn't contrived. I wasn't ever sure of anything and that's a good thing. I shouldn't be able to guess who the culprit is. The tension was great. The internal tension, external tension to the main character's situation, and physical tension with "the girl."

And there were tequila drinking scenes. Wow!

There were a few scenes that didn't forward the story, but considering the fast pace of this book, a break here and there was not annoying.


The use of scripture--really, I loved it. I loved that it wasn't just stuck in there because it had to be. It was part of the story. It is the story.

I have to admit, I thought I'd read this and not be able to give it a good review. There was very little I didn't like. Good job, Shawn!






If you would like to read the first chapter of Through the Fire, go here.

CFBA Featured Book

Phil is reading Pirate Hunter right now. He's a little less than halfway through so he doesn't really have an opinion yet, but he's still reading...so that says something. Morrisey has delivered in the past, Phil's read everything of his so far. So hopefully this one will measure up.



Pirate Hunter by Tom Morrisey




If you would like to read the first chapter of Pirate Hunter, go here.

CFBA Featured Books

The Firstborn by Conlan Brown

If you would like to read the first chapter excerpt of The Firstborn, go here.


















Scream by Diner Alumni Mike Dellosso

If you would like to read the first chapter of Scream, go here.

CFBA Featured Book

I haven't read this one, however, I did get to read Deanne's first book and can say the girl has a great style. I've got the second waiting for my attention and I do intend to read all of them even though (as you'll notice) they're not my usual genre. Deanne's that good.



A Bride in the Bargain by Deanne Gist




If you would like to read the first chapter of A Bride In The Bargain, go here.

CFBA Featured Book

The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Elisha's Bones by Don Hoesel.


If you would like to read the first chapter go here.