Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy -- Book Review

Premise:

Janeal Mikkado has long felt trapped in her father’s Gypsy culture. One night a powerful man named Salazar Sanso promises her the life she longs for if, she will help recover a vast sum of money tied to her father just to save his life.

When the plan implodes, Sanso and his men attack the gypsy settlement and burn it to the ground. During the blaze, Janeal is faced with staggering choices. The impact of the attack at that moment would change her life forever.


Review: Coming off reading the best seller Kiss by this dynamic duo of Christian fiction writing a few months ago, Dekker and Healy have shown they are a great team again bouncing ideas together & making yet another best seller in Burn.

When I first started reading this book, I was hoping for an even better version of Kiss with all the supernatural powers or borderline God level powers in a human form. When you deal with stealing memories with a kiss in the last one, where can you go? How crazy was I for asking that question? Of course, I knew they were capable of using another of the major senses we deal with everyday all twisted up in a crazed thriller over a 15 year time-line.

This high octane rocket of a story dealing with Janeal Mikkado and her father Jason Mikkado, who runs a gypsy carnival of thrillers troop, was an interesting starting point. Another great starter was showing the villain right out of the box in drug dealer Salazar Sanso who is a man that always gets what he wants. There was no exception by seducing and duping Janeal to believe that her father was in danger and the DEA was going to hurt him too if the money was not found. One million dollars missing is a big deal. How about the idea of that million to be counterfeit? The power struggle to protect one’s self from prison because it is counterfeit can make a man desperate. Mr. Sanso would do just about anything. This includes burning down a whole camp filled with gypsies & killing them all.

As the story unfolds, I found that it was easy to follow and then imagery of the scenes rocketed through my head. I will not spoil the ending so I will end my review this way. I recommend anyone who wants to read a very good action packed adventure to add this one definitely to your reading list. I feel it will be a movie someday. The Dekker fans out there will just enjoy another great story. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Be blessed!

Brad

Illuminating Angels and Demons Movie Documentary

Recently, I watched the movie Angels and Demons directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. After my viewing, I wanted to know more of the behind the scenes and factual content discussed and described in the film. The movie’s title is the same name as the book by Dan Brown. The main character, Robert Langdon, dealt with tracking down historical Biblical clues to stop the killing of Bishops and possibly the Pope in the Vatican and around Rome, Italy.

In this 90 minute documentary taken from the book title of the same name, Illuminating Angels & Demons by Simon Cox, is the examination of the book Angels and Demons which was written by Dan Brown. For those of you who may have recently seen the movie of Dan Brown’s book, Angels and Demons, watching this documentary might have you finding yourself more enlightened or illuminated on the back story to Dan Brown’s research and writing of his best selling book. It focuses on the “Path of Illumination” that is heavily discussed in Mr. Brown’s book.

As you watch the documentary, people might say it and Dan Brown’s book are conspiracy theory and innuendo that can not really be confirmed by any one. With Simon Cox’s gathering of people that are interviewed throughout his investigations, if it is all conspiracy theory then it is very entertaining for this reviewer.

Simon Cox gathers a few of the supposed foremost researchers and writers on the subject matters discussed. He brings in Ruled by Secrecy author Jim Marrs to explain various secret societies from the Knights Templar to the supposed Bilderburg group that is said to exist and run many things around the world. Mr. Marrs should know about conspiracies with his history of researching them according to a Wikipedia article on him.

In addition to Mr. Marrs, Simon Cox calls on fellow authors who have written books on the Vatican and various secret societies. Clive Prince and Lynn Picknett, who have written various religious books on the history of various Christian groups, to Devon Jackson and Jon Rappaport are among these authors. The final interviewee was Paul L. Williams, a former FBI consultant dealing with organized crime.

Illuminating Angels & Demons directed by Dan Hall, is a good layout of information so that the viewer can take the information and believe it or chalk it up as another 90 minutes of entertainment for one night. This is a religious documentary and I’m glad I watched it. I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars.

Be blessed!

Brad

Return Policy Book Review

Premise of the story:

Meet Willy Finneran, a washed-up genre novelist with an espresso maker that just won’t die. Ozena Webb is a customer service representative and single mother of a mentally handicapped twelve-year-old boy. Shaq is the homeless man who believes he’s everyman. This is a brilliant and poignant novel from the author of My Name Is Russell Fink.

Review:

In his second novel Return Policy, novelist Michael Snyder introduces us to three very unusual and relatable characters all dealing with tragedy. Willy Finneran, a washed-up genre novelist, has an espresso maker that just won’t die. When he calls Javatek, the company that makes the espresso maker, he doesn’t realize the needs and wants surrounding it even though he wants it gone. Ozena Webb, single mother and Javatek’s top customer service rep, is the person Willy contacts. The story begins to unfold sucking you in for more in all 4 chapters.

As for Ozena, she spends every evening playing board games with her young son who is mentally disabled from an early unknown childhood accident.

The final character, Shaq, is a small and scraggy homeless man with trauma-induced blank spots on his memory. While assisting Father Joe at the Mercy Mission, he crosses paths with Willy Finneran after an unexpected event caused by Willy while driving.

As the stories of these 3 characters intersect, the narrative deals with hope, naïveté, comic relief & childlike attraction. This unforgettable book reveals that no matter how far one has strayed from hope and faith, there is always a way to return. I believe this story is already a classic even though it has not been out a long time. It reminds me of Forrest Gump meets Fried Green Tomatoes which meets the face of God because I think all three deals with hope, faith and perseverance to be better than we all wanted to be the day before. Forrest Gump did, Idgie Threadgoode did, and God wants to meet us where we are and make us better. Just like Forrest Gump and Fried Green Tomatoes left me wanting for more, Return Policy left me asking for more. The ending was sweet and not too abrupt. I felt like I was finishing reading a good diary or journal of someone, just as the story seemed to begin. I give this book 4 ½ out of 5 stars. Thank you for your humor and southern comfort in the story Mr. Snyder!

Be blessed….

Brad

Book Review of “Double Cross” written by James David Jordan

“Double Cross” is the second novel in a series by James David Jordan. This book, not to be confused with a title of the same name by James Patterson, is a suspense thriller following the former Secret Service agent Taylor Pasbury. Her story this time deals with the fallout after the death of prominent televangelist Simon Mason. This tragedy came at the hands of Muslim extremists in the Middle East while they held his daughter Kasey hostage. His death should have been the end to all injustice that happened around Simon Mason Ministries but now the target is Taylor. Taylor’s viewpoint is expressed throughout the book.

Having not read Mr. Jordan’s first book “Forsaken,” I did not feel that I missed out on anything since he seemed to summarize what happened in it well as this story first began. I appreciate it when author’s do this so that I do not feel lost and can pick up the story from any book. “Double Cross” has a great suspense character in Taylor Pasbury. It is like following Jason Bourne, Jack Ryan or Jack Bauer from their points of view. I hope that Mr. Jordan continues this character so I can follow it as long as James Patterson’s Alex Cross character has continued for him. This is my first reading of a James David Jordan book and I must say that I am impressed. I give it 4 out of 4 stars.

Be blessed!

Brad

Deliver Us From Evil book review

In “Deliver Us From Evil” by Robin Caroll, the plot of U.S. Marshall Roark Holland having to transport a heart to a critical witness of a case dealing with the largest child sex trafficking ring in history is a grabbing premise. The setting, of the Great Smoky Mountains as a backdrop during a blizzard, is filled with high energy throughout and this could also be another attention getter. Robin Caroll’s beautiful descriptions and story telling is magic. She has twists and turns, likable characters, and a little bit of romance for all to enjoy.

Why should men want to read this female author? The tastefully done suspense scenes with exploding elevators and gun violence taking you from Point A to Point B in Knoxville, Tennessee in one piece, hopefully is a first reason why. Another reason is how Roark works with a strong female character Brannon Callahan. She is a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Forestry Service and a real professional. They become attracted to one another and this is played out well. The borderline descriptions of what child sex trafficking looks like and how males and females deal with it, made me as a reader also interested in the storyline.

What makes this a Christian book? God is questioned, shown and called upon through various characters in this story. Brannon Callahan and her partner, Lincoln Vailes, are very good friends who happen to be coworkers. In many scenes with them, glimpses of God are told the best as they quiz each others knowledge of scripture.

I give this book a 3 ½ out of 4 stars and a rating of PG-13 for the content discussed. This book is for those wanting to escape into great storytelling. I hope you pick up a copy and enjoy it as I did.

Be blessed!

Brad

By the way, This book does not come out until February 2010.

“From Peanuts To The Press box” book review

Eli Gold, when you hear that name does anything come to mind? Well, unless you are a sports fan of NASCAR, college football or hockey you probably don’t have a clue. Eli Gold is the voice of University of Alabama football and a voice on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) every Sunday during race weekends. He is also on “NASCAR Live” Tuesday nights talking about NASCAR racing. If you are a die hard sports fan or know someone who is a die hard one then you need to read this book. It is titled “From Peanuts To The Press box: Insider Sports Stories from a life behind a Mic.” The stories told are endearing, funny, informative, sad and entertaining. I really enjoyed the book and will recommend it to all my friends who are fans of the sports mentioned above. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you Mr. Gold for an interesting and entertaining history book for this reader!

Be blessed….

Brad

Healing Promises Book Review

“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” – Job 1:21…. This verse being the only words on one sheet of paper is how this novel began and it truly was fitting and needed before diving into this book. “Healing Promises” is the second book in the “Defenders of Hope Series” by Amy Wallace. This book picks up almost where the first book ended with a new camera lens shift from the main character in “Ransomed Dreams” which was the first book. The view is focused not on Steven Kessler and his son’s teacher Gracie Lang as the first. Instead, it’s on Steven’s partner Clint Rollins, an FBI Agent in the Crimes Against Children Unit, and his wife Sara. For all of you fans of Mrs. Wallace’s books, she did keep Steven and Gracie as sub characters of this book. The focus on Clint, who was shot in a standoff with a serial killer of small children, found him diagnosed with Cancer. His wife did not pick up on the signs during the running of procedural tests for gunshot victims. Why is that important? Sara Rollins is an Oncologist.

“Healing Promises,” dealing with a diagnosis of cancer and how a patient and a doctor deal with it as husband and wife, becomes real and personal on many levels. Sara’s dealing with it as a doctor, showing that lens, was perfectly told by Mrs. Wallace… as was the behavior modifications and desires of Clint as he tries to remain an agent.

I recommend this book to anyone that has dealt with or is dealing with the disease of Cancer. It’s also for those in their late teens and older if you have be blessed to not have encountered this diagnosis. You will be educated by the information presented during the story and the beautiful testimonies that are written by real life Cancer survivors or their families discussing this serious subject at the end. I think Amy Wallace, yet again, impressed this reviewer’s take on how she paints the pictures in words and beautifully shows all emotions in her storytelling. I give this book 4 out of 4 bookmarks.

Be blessed!

Brad

Dangerous Calling Movie Review

When you hear the phrase Christian thriller, what comes to mind? Is it suspense and horror? How can Christian and horror go together? Does that mean Satanic and Devil Worshipping? Ok, so it is not normal. This new movie from the Daws Brothers named Josh and Jeremiah (writers / directors) have made a Christian suspense thriller with a horror twist. “Dangerous Calling” takes place in a fictious small North Georgia mountain town called Willit Springs. The story is about church politics and the perversion some people have on the church’s direction from week to week. It should be safe and secure some believe. No loud rock music and no change allowed. At least that is what one character Miss Pat Hinton believes. The other two main characters, Pastor Evan and Nora Burke, deal with a new church after the mysterious death of its former pastor and how possibly we all should handle the Miss Pat’s in churches today. I felt inspired and relieved that this movie finally dealt with an issue I feel is big in the churches now despite the denomination.

The lessons taught through story progression are noteworthy for “Dangerous Calling”… so is the acting. The Daws brothers have assembled a great cast who all live near Atlanta, Georgia. The brothers not only live and shoot their projects in Georgia; it seems they like to get their talent from there also. I hope that audiences from 15 to 75 see this movie and find hope and faith in it. I really enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the screenwriting and directing and hope they are around the independent film business for a very long time producing great quality products like this movie. Their brand of skewed and mind opening views of the Christian community is refreshing and needed for a better balance of the community in the future. My rating for this project is 3 out of 4 popcorn tubs.

Be blessed!

Brad