EVERY WICKED MAN by Steven James - Just When You Think You've Got It Figured Out . . . You're wrong.

My wife is a writer, and she helped me to understand why my favorite writers are my favorite writers.  That is, what it is about their writing that seems to grab me from page one and keep me turning pages until I fall asleep or finish the book.

It’s called “layered,” or “textured” writing.  One book, two or three separate, distinct plot lines that are woven throughout the book, so that there are three separate rising actions, three “black moments,” and three resolutions.  And yet it is all one story.

And Steven James is a master craftsman.

His latest work, EVERY WICKED MAN, is coming out in September.  I received an uncorrected proof for review.  Funny . . . that didn’t seem to make any difference with regards to the emotional roller coaster that I experienced when I opened the book.

This is a Patrick Bower’s mystery, so fans of this fictional hero will know what to expect.  For the uninitiated, here’s what you can expect:  strong, fully developed characters, impossible situations, complex villains, some romance . . . and tears.  Let’s not forget the tears.  Have a box of tissues readily available.  There is also a strong, authentic, unapologetic faith message woven throughout.

In EVERY WICKED MAN, Agent Bowers is struggling.  He’s struggling to convince his colleagues of the positive aspects of geospatial forensics.  Forget motive.  Why? is not the question that needs answering.  The two questions that Agent Bowers considers are  Where?  and What time?  By focusing on the crime scene, one can more readily apprehend the perpetrator, and eliminate any red herrings.

He’s also struggling with a teenage stepdaughter who is wise beyond her years, and has the sarcasm to prove it. 

And then there’s this little side issue of a drug pusher whose best product delivers the goods and renders the user susceptible to suggestion.  Extremely susceptible.

There.  I’ve given you all the details that I’m going to give you.  Save the date:  September 2018.  EVERY WICKED MAN by Steven James becomes available.  You won’t want to miss this one.

5 stars for a story that will hold you until the very last page.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

EVERY WICKED MAN

Steven James

ISBN 978-1-101-99159-6

Suspense / Thriller

Berkley Press

544 pages

$9.99 paperback

GUARDED PROGNOSIS by Dr. Richard Mabry . . . TROUBLE ALWAYS COMES IN THREES!

Always the teacher.  That's how I would introduce one of my favorite authors, were I given the privileged opportunity to do so.  Dr. Richard Mabry has the ability to identify the issues in our humanity that cause us the most anxiety, the ones that keep us awake nights.  He also possesses the skill, the wisdom, and most importantly - the courage - to face those issues straight on, and cut to the heart of the matter. 

Always the surgeon, Dr. Mabry realizes that just hoping these things will "go away" isn't going to make them do so.  It requires surgical intervention.  And whether Dr. Mabry is wielding the scalpel . . . or the pen . . .  this retired surgeon-turned-author is equally skilled, and more than up to the task.

The world of Dr. Caden Taggart has rapidly become unmanageable.  The two men sitting in his waiting room didn't appear to be patients. That they were not became abundantly clear when they introduced themselves as agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency.  This was just the tip of Dr. Taggart's personal iceberg.

A phone call from his father prompted a visit where his father revealed a serious medical condition . . . and requested his son's assistance in his suicide.  When his mother, the victim of a stroke, suddenly passed, Dr. Taggart was without a doubt on the ropes.  What else could possibly go wrong?

Well . . . that was a rather obtuse question.

While there may be legal battles looming on the horizon and emotional issues closer to home, Dr. Caden Taggart must ultimately conclude that the most immediate concern was his heart condition.  He needed a new heart; a heart of flesh, and not of stone.  And only the Great Physician is capable of that kind of surgery.

Written in Dr. Richard Mabry's award-winning style, GUARDED PROGNOSIS will touch the reader at every level.

5 stars for another page-turning medical suspense by Dr. Richard Mabry

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

GUARDED PROGNOSIS

Dr. Richard Mabry

ISBN: 978-1-9877-6367-6

medical mystery / Christian fiction

CreateSpace / Independently Published

249 pages

$ 6.99  U.S. paperback