Author Review: Creston Mapes

Author Review:
Creston Mapes

     In this edition of the Author Review, I want to introduce you to award-winning and bestselling author Creston Mapes. Fans of Frank Peretti, Terri Blackstock, Ted Dekker, Joel Rosenberg, Lynette Eason, Susan Sleeman, Colleen Coble, and Christy Barritt will love Fear Has a Name from Creston Mapes.

 

About Fear Has A Name
The Crittendon Files #1, as summarized by the author:

A Haunting Name From the Past . . .

Granger Meade was mentally scarred as a boy by his religious zealot parents. He was bullied at school for his quiet, oafish appearance, which naturally made him a loner and outcast.

But one girl treated him differently—Pamela Wagner. Pam talked to Granger, took an interest, listened, made him feel like a human being. She cared when no one else did, and Granger loved her for it; and still does 20 years later.

So Granger goes back to their Ohio town. Back to Pamela. But she is happily married to reporter Jack Crittendon, who’s embroiled in a time-sensitive story about a pastor who’s disappeared and left a suicide note; a case swirling with suspicion and talk of scandal.

 

My thoughts:

Fear Has A Name caught my attention on page one and never let go.

You will see Granger Meade from each person’s perspective. The question of how to forgive after what goes on in the story begs a personal answer from the reader. The book gently, without being in your face, reflects the struggle of faith during complicated and confusing times.

If you like Christian Suspense, you won’t be able to stop reading until you finish the last page.

 

I hope you enjoy Creston’s series as much as I do. These links will get you started.

Fear Has A Name, The Crittendon Files #1

Poison Town, The Crittendon Files #2

Sky Zone, The Crittendon Files #3

 

About Creston Mapes

Creston Mapes grew up in northeast Ohio, where he has fond memories of living with his family of five in the upstairs’ portion of his dad’s early American furniture store – The Weathervane Shop. Creston was not a good student, but the one natural talent he possessed was writing. 

He set type by hand and cranked out his own neighborhood newspaper as a kid, then went on to graduate with a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University. Creston was a newspaper reporter and photographer in Ohio and Florida, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, for a job as a creative copywriter for a printing firm/ad agency.

 

Creston served for a stint as a creative director, but quickly learned he was not cut out for management. He went out on his own as a freelance writer in 1991 and has been doing it ever since—for Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, The Weather Channel, Oracle, ABC-TV, Johnson Controls, TNT Sports, colleges and universities, ad agencies and more. He’s ghost-written more than ten non-fiction books.

 

Along the way, Creston has written nine contemporary thrillers, achieved Amazon Bestseller status, and had one of his novels (Nobody) optioned as a major motion picture. He plans to continue writing fiction into the sunset.

 

Creston married his fourth grade sweetheart, Patty, and they have four amazing kids who range from about 21 to 31 years old.

What people are saying about Creston’s books…

“Captivating from breathless start to throat-clenching finish, Fear Has a Name possesses everything a great thriller should and more. A must-read for fans of Terri Blackstock and Brandilyn Collins.”

— Tamera Alexander, USA Today Best-selling Author

 “A wild roller-coaster ride! I thoroughly enjoyed Poison Town.” – Francine Rivers, Best-selling author

“Every time you think the tension can’t be more intense, Creston Mapes ramps it up a notch. Be prepared to stay up late (and make sure the doors are locked) when you start reading Poison Town.”

— Robert Whitlow, Best-selling Author

Sky Zone not only hits all the marks for a ‘must read’ thriller, but it sets a whole new bar for Christian Suspense.”

— Wanda Dyson, Best-selling Author

Author Review: Rachel Dylan

Author Review:
Rachel Dylan

     “This book is sure to appeal to fans of Dekker and Peretti.” — By the Book

 

About Trial & Tribulations
A Windy Ridge Legal Thriller #1, as summarized by the author:

High-powered attorney Olivia Murray faces the biggest test of her career when she is assigned to represent Astral Tech, a New Age tech company, in a lawsuit filed by its biggest competitor. While Olivia is accustomed to hard fights in the courtroom, she arrives in Windy Ridge and discovers there is much more to this case than the legal claims—forces of darkness are at work.

Windy Ridge quickly turns from a quiet Chicago suburb to a spiritual battleground, and Olivia must rely on her faith to defend against legal and spiritual attacks. Although they are enemies in the courtroom, Olivia finds a friend and unlikely ally in opposing counsel, Grant Baxter. Once a skeptic about faith, he ultimately comes to her aid when she needs it most.

The battle between evil forces heats up in and out of the courtroom, pushing Olivia to the breaking point. Will she be able to help good triumph over evil, or will the town of Windy Ridge be torn apart?

My thoughts:

Rachel is one of my favorite authors. Her plots are straight forward and fast-paced.

I was first introduced to spiritual warfare fiction when I read This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti. I fell in love with the genre. So, I was thrilled when a friend introduced me to Rachel’s Windy Ridge series. I admire the way she keeps a firm grip on the plotline as she weaves in the supernatural warfare entangling the lives of the folks in Windy Ridge.

If you like supernatural suspense with a hint of romance, then you’ll love this series. I’ll add links to the first three books below.

Trial and Tribulation, Windy Ridge Legal Thriller #1

Fatal Accusation, Windy Ridge Legal Thriller #2

Surrounded by Darkness, Windy Ridge Legal Thriller #3

False Prophet, Windy Ridge Legal Thriller #4 (Coming October 26, 2021)

About Rachel

Rachel Dylan is an award-winning and bestselling author of legal thrillers and romantic suspense. Rachel has practiced law for over a decade including being a litigator at one of the nation’s top law firms. The Atlanta Justice Series features strong, female attorneys in Atlanta. Deadly Proof, the first book in the ATLANTA JUSTICE series, is a CBA bestseller, an FHL Reader’s Choice Award winner, a Daphne du Maurier Finalist, and a Holt Medallion Finalist. Lone Witness is the winner of a Holt Medallion, the Maggie Award, and is a Selah Finalist. Rachel lives in Michigan with her husband and five furkids–two dogs and three cats. Rachel loves to connect with readers.

You can find Rachel at www.racheldylan.com.

What people are saying about Rachel’s books…

“Oh my! This was such a great story”

Trial & Tribulations

Riveting.”

Fatal Accusation

“Fast-paced.”

Surrounded by Darkness

Author Review: Irene Hannon

Author Review:

Irene Hannon

     Irene Hannon is a bestselling, award-winning author who took the publishing world by storm at the tender age of ten with a sparkling piece of fiction that received national attention.

Okay…maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But she was one of the honorees in a complete-the-story contest conducted by a national children’s magazine. And she likes to think of that as her “official” fiction-writing debut!

Since then, she has written more than 50 romantic suspense and contemporary romance/women’s fiction novels. She is a seven-time finalist for and three-time winner of the RITA award—the “Oscar” of romance fiction—and a member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. She has also received a Career Achievement award from RT Book Reviews for her entire body of work. In addition, her books have won a Daphne du Maurier award, two Carol awards, three HOLT Medallions, a National Readers’ Choice award, a Retailers Choice award, three Booksellers’ Best awards, and two Reviewers’ Choice awards from RT Book Reviews. She is also a two-time Christy award finalist.

Dangerous Illusions

SUMMARY

Trish Bailey is on overload trying to deal with a demanding job, an ailing mother, and a healing heart. When a series of unsettling memory lapses leads to a tragic death–and puts Trish under police scrutiny–her world is once again thrown into turmoil.

Detective Colin Flynn isn’t certain what to think of the facts he uncovers during his investigation. Did Trish simply make a terrible mistake or is there more to the case than meets the eye? As he searches for answers, disturbing information begins to emerge–and if the forces at work are as evil as he suspects, the situation isn’t just dangerous . . . it’s deadly.

Bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon captures readers with a mind-bending story that will have them doubling back to retrace their steps–and figure out what they missed!

WHAT I LIKED

The first scene captured me. Irene Hannon is a master of twists and turns that keep me reading. I love that about her writing!

She delivered on her title Dangerous Illusions all the way to the very end.

Well worth a second or third reading.

What people are saying about Irene’s books…

“Romantic suspense that pounds your pulse.”

USA Today

“Nail-biting suspense.”

Booklist

“Hannon is a master at character development.”

Library Journal

Author Review: Angela Hunt

Author Review: 
Angela Hunt

     Last week I read The Sentinels, episode three of the Harbingers series, and fell in love with Angela’s writing style. This may sound weird but it’s like she is so gentle as she strings her sentences together that I forget I’m reading and the experience is more like I’m watching a movie. If you haven’t read one of her books I recommend you give her a try. I added a link to her website below the bio I added below.

You can check out The Sentinels here, but you may want to start with episode one. If so, here’s a link to the whole series.

About The Sentinels, episode three of the Harbingers series

Andi, the professor’s brilliant-but-geeky assistant, begins to have troubling dreams of thousands of animals around the world mysteriously dying. When her dreams become a reality, Andi discovers a pattern in the mass deaths. But her theory doesn’t bode well for humankind–and the team could soon face an even greater disaster.

My thoughts

I’m a fan of novellas and short stories so I love that aspect of this series. In book one, Brenda, the tattoo artist, is an interesting character. Here, in book three, we see her heart grow three sizes. Tank, in book one, has a supernatural mystery about him that becomes clearer in The Sentinels. So, the way the characters are growing and changing from one book to the next appeals to me. I’m looking forward to how the team continues to become more than they were in the beginning.

I definitely recommend giving the series a try. 

About Angela

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who have learned to expect the unexpected in novels from this versatile author. With over five million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 150 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to novels.

Now that her two children are grown, Angie and her youth-pastor husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards—one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City. Afterward, the dog gave out paw-tographs at the airport.

When she’s not home writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers’ conferences. And to talk about her dogs, of course.

Readers may visit her website at www.angelahuntbooks.com.

What people are saying about Angela’s books…

“Riveting, had to find out the ending. Love the Biblical truths like gold nuggets throughout the book. Good reading. I commend the author!”

The Deadly Chase

“Loved these books. It is amazing what people can do when they have to and this story is very interesting and enjoyable.”

The Colonial Captives

Another wonderful inspiring story.

For those who like Biblical fiction, this author is an expert in writing.”

Daughter of Cana