Frozen Heat

Follow up to NY Times bestseller "Heat Rises," this book does not disappoint.  "Frozen Heat" continues on the trail of Nikki Heat to solve her mother's murder, now a frozen case, ten years old.  Hence, the title. A new murder has clues which seem to connect it to her mother's case.  I cannot give you a synopsis on this because that would really ruin a good story for you.  Suffice it to say, Nikki is still chasing leads that seem to lead to good places, but turn up empty, or mostly leading to another possible clue which has to be deciphered before she can follow that lead.  She is again teaming up with Jameson Rook to investigate said leads.  Enough of leading--this is well written, which to me means that it flows so smoothly that you forget you are reading, so caught up you are.  Another great characteristic is not being able to figure out "who dun it" a few chapters in.  Frozen Heat kept me guessing until almost the end and then surprised me with who actually had done it.  However, the satisfaction of finding the murderer still leaves plenty of room for other discoveries in future novels. I am a fan of the TV show "Castle" which is the embodiment of these novels, or vice versa; not sure which, there.  If you have any viewing/reading history on this author, then you will know that Richard Castle is really Nathan Fillion, Beckett's (Nikki Heat) sidekick in the TV series.  Confusing, I know.  The big question has been for some time, who really writes these books?   My money is on the screenwriter for the show.  In the end, I really don't care. I am (generally) not one to make a personal connection to my favorite authors.  I pick my reads first by the flyleaf, or word of mouth from friends/relatives, then go back for more if I like what I read.  I mean, the book was good and I enjoyed it.  For me, a good book is a great escape.  It is that simple.  This is my first Castle novel.  I picked this up at a bookstore, and I will be going back for more.  Five stars, in my opinion.  I highly recommend it.
Thanks for reading,
Jeri

Mark's Story - The Gospel According to Peter

This is written as a novel but is still the narrative from the Gospel of Mark.  Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins wrote this as it would have been Mark telling the reader the events in his life that brought him to his belief in Christ and his subsequent missionary journeys.  It is an easy read and flows well from page to page.  It begins with Mark as a young teen, about 14 I think, when the Apostles and Christ met in the Upper Room.  It has been set as a room on the second story, or roof, of Mark's mother's home.  It reads as if Mark is giving you his first-hand account of what took place.  It gives us a view of his listening to the beloved Teacher as He brought the Word to the Apostles and his wonder and sometimes confusion at the deep spiritual truths that are laid out in those gatherings. The book ends with Peter's death in which he was hung upside down on a cross-not feeling himself worthy to be hung in the same manner as Christ.   The Epilogue tells of Mark's death in Alexandria.  It describes his being drug through the streets of that city with a rope around his neck, choking to death.  This is a book that a friend loaned me.  It was written in 2007 as Book Two in the Jesus Chronicles.  The first in this series is John's Story: The Last Eyewitness.  I like that the book includes the Book of Mark in the back, NKJV version.  It makes it nice to turn to the Scripture and find some of the incidents and story that are in the novel.
I would recommend this as a good read of the book of Mark explained as it happened for those present.  It was published in 2007 so you may find it in your local library.  It was a best seller when it came out.  Or, you can probably purchase it at the Christian bookstore or online.

Beyond All Dreams

Simply put, Ms. Camden has done it again!  I know it is cliche' for me to say that, but if the shoe fits...  

Elizabeth Camden has written another story that grabs the reader's attention and also her heart!  Not a bad thing when you add in an expert effort at plot twists and depth of personality in the characters she writes to populate her novel.  Anna O'Brien is shy, quiet, intelligent and passionate for her beliefs. She works for the Library of  Congress as a map librarian.  When she finds an error that is too "off the map" to be innocent, she begins to investigate. The error is personal to her, involving her dead father and a mapping mission he was on to map the bottom of the ocean.   Senator Luke Callahan is stricken with love for her at first site.  He has his own demons to slay that go all the way back to his birth.  With no complications, their liaison would be tempestuous; but with each having their own history to battle, it may be impossible.  The author takes us on a journey that is at once intriguing and exhausting.
I appreciate Ms. Camden's grasp of history. Being a research librarian, she is a stickler for detail and she gets that right, which adds to the depth and meat of this book.  Indeed-all of her books!  This novel is well written in that hard-to-define manner that keeps me turning pages to see what will happen next.  She has a firm grasp on grammar and sentence structure which adds ease to the reading.  This is my second Elizabeth Camden novel and I am becoming a fan.  It's just good and you need to read it.  Period.  It also includes a discussion section that works well for a book club.  This would be an excellent choice for that.

 I give Beyond All Dreams five stars.  Read more about Elizabeth Camden at Elizabeth Camden
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Bethany House, in exchange for my honest review.  These words are my opinion.