Buckle up for intrigue and adventure in scenic Depression-era America. George Hall, a draftsman, buys a 1936 Packard sedan from the estate of spinster Abigale Watling in Oakwood, Illinois. At first, the car brings George, his wife Jean, and their daughter Rose an unexpected boon. But tragedy follows when Rose is kidnapped. The auto then comes into the possession of salesman William Landers, FBI agent Helen Meeker, and serviceman James Coffman’s family. As clues to the kidnapping caper come to light, more than one life is in jeopardy. Will Agent Meeker catch the culprit before it’s too late?

It just seems like two months ago that I was nose-deep into a new Ace Collins book (so maybe it was more than two months, but who’s counting).  Today, excitedly so, I get to tell you about another book that he has published.  There is another one that I saw on the bookshelves just this past weekend called “The Christmas Star”, so we are definitely getting our fulfillment of Ace here at the end of the year!

Cursed, Possessed, Nothing but Trouble!  These are just a few of the terms used to describe this beautiful 1936 Packard.  The fact that it was Canary Yellow didn’t help it go unnoticed either.  George Hall is a proud new papa, so proud that he couldn’t stand to think of taking his new princess home in his dilapidated old car.  At a local auction he sees the Packard and knows that it’s the perfect car for his family.  Undeterred with all of the negative talk surrounding the car with those at the auction, George winds up being the high bidder for the car.  A close collision with the car and a runaway dump truck puts George and his family on the road to the high life, so there can’t be any truth to these rumors of the car.  George is riding high with a promotion, his wife has just bought a floral shop and then the unthinkable happens.  Their daughter is kidnapped!  And so begins a wild ride with this Packard.  FBI Agent Helen Meeker is hot on the trail of the car and the kidnappers.  From the aluminum salesman who bought the car and saw his job prospects increase tenfold, to the airplane pilot with a daughter with an inoperable brain tumor who saves the life of a doctor who just so happens to be able to operate on his daughter.  The car seems to run from good to bad and back again.  What do all of these people have to do with the car?  Will George and his wife ever find their daughter?  What secret is Agent Helen Meeker keeping and will she ever find a resolution?  Good luck getting those answers out of me or Ace, READ THE BOOK!

The thread that Ace has woven through this entire book is astonishing.  For someone as simple as me, it’s sometime difficult to remember what letter comes after “N” if I haven’t sung the whole song first.  Ace, though, can throw these characters together in such a way that you believe in them, you follow their every step because you don’t want anything bad to happen.  As each individual or couple interacts with this car, he brings into play scenarios that not only are realistic, but help with the overall plot of the story.  There seem to be several mini-stories within this whole book and each of them is as exciting as the whole.  I will readily admit that I’m more interested in books in the current era, but this book would not have been the same if it had been written that way.  Having this set in the late 30’s and early 40’s made this story pop!

So is this a "man's book"?  This book has cars, intrigue, police chases, airplane wrecks and more.  This book would be on my list of “must be read” by anybody, not just men!

I got a special chance to ask Ace some questions so that we can get to know him a little better!

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Matthew 25:35-40. It is really what I try to embrace as the theme for my life. If we just live these few verses we have taken our salvation to another level and become more like Christ. Also, if you live these five verses you have a much better chance to truly finding your true calling.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

Well, in truth, the readers must be entertained. If you don’t entertain the reader then you have lost your chance to really make an impact in other ways. Past the entertainment part, my characters struggle with finding callings. They are not strong, they have their doubts and fear, and thus I feel that readers will identify with them in a way that they would identify with a friend. When the reader is finished with the book, I hope they have an urge to look around and find someone who needs to be lifted up. I also hope they realize that the “least of these” are not just in developing nations, but are really all around us.

Besides writing, what are some of your favorite hobbies? 

I restore and drive pre World War II cars. I currently have two Indiana built autos; 1934 Auburn 652Y and 1936 Cord 810 Westchester. I love all kinds of college sports and am even the play-by-play voice of Ouachita Tiger basketball. And I love to run sprints. I try to do a mile of 110 yard uphill sprints five days a week. Finally I am a classic film nut who loves most movies from the major studios in the 1930s.

What advice would you give to a beginning writer?

The best way to get better is to keep writing and work with editors who aren't afraid to be tough on you. That is how you grow.  And get used to rejection while never giving up on what you know is a great idea. My bestselling book was rejected 27 times over a decade before finding an editor willing to take a chance on it. 

Favorite memory from childhood?

Every Christmas at my Grandparents' house on Shell's Hill in Salem, Arkansas. 

Favorite comfort food?

Peanut Butter, it should be at the top of everyone food pyramid.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ace Collins has authored more than sixty titles in the past two and half decades. Zondervan launched Ace's career in fiction, releasing two books in 2009 and another two in 2010. Ace has won numerous awards for his writing including three Golden Quills, an America's Writing Award, and the Angel of Excellence Award. He has written for a wide variety of publishers including St. Martin's Press, Viking-Penguin, Putnam, Harper-Collins, Thomas Nelson, Word, Zondervan, and the Chicago Review Press. In the course of his writing, he has also penned more than 2,000 magazine features for the likes of People, Us, Texas Monthly, Plus Magazine, and Guideposts. He has made scores of television guest appearances including Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, CNN, Fox and Friends, The NBC Nightly News, and Entertainment Tonight. Two of his books have been made into network TV specials.

Ace has always been a car lover, he has owned several Mustangs, including a 65 Fastback that he still drives, as well as cars from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. On the right at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum, Ace is shown with a famous SJ Desenberg. The oldest car he has ever owned and driven is a 1917 Model T Speedster.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Still Life In Shadows by Alice Wisler

It's been fifteen years since Gideon Miller ran away from his Amish community in Carlisle, Pennsylvania as a boy of fifteen.  Gideon arrives in the Smoky Mountains town of Twin Branches and settles in at the local auto mechanic's garage. He meets a host of interesting characters -the most recent acquaintances are Kiki, an autistic teen, and her sister Mari. Known as the "Getaway Savior" he helps other Amish boys and girls relocate to life in modern America.

One day the phone rings. On the other end is his brother Moriah calling from Florida. Of course Gideon welcomes his brother to stay with him and offers him a job. But Moriah is caught in a web which ends in his death and forces Gideon to return to the town of his youth, with his brother's body in the back of a hearse and Mari and Kiki at his side. He must face not only the community he ran away from years ago but also his own web of bitterness. Will he be able to give his anger over to God and forgive his father?

This is the first book that I have read by Alice Wisler.  Alice was nice enough to provide this copy to me to give me a chance to see if her books would be welcomed by men readers.

Gideon has run long and hard away from his past, but he still manages to hang on to a piece of it by helping Amish kids relocate from their Amish world to modern America.  Gideon becomes involved in the life of autistic Kiki due to damage she had done to his gas station.  In the process, he becomes involved in her sister, Mari.  Out of the blue he gets a call from his brother, Moriah, who wants to come live with him.  Gideon learns that Moriah's reasons for moving in weren't clear and honest, as he finds Moriah is into drugs.  As the tension between them grows, we find out the reason Gideon has run away from his family for so long.  When Moriah is found dead, Gideon now must return to the Amish life that he had left behind.  What happens when he confronts his dad over issues from their past?  Is forgiveness in his future?  Take the time to buy this book and find out!

Ms. Wisler has created a very mysterious, yet likable character in Gideon.  He has so much hidden  in his past, but yet he appears to be open to sharing his experiences with Mari.  The story that Ms. Wisler has created is very believable and one that keeps you interested from the start.  There is so much depth to her characters, that you end up rooting for them as the story progresses.  This book is heavy on forgiveness, it was to me, the main theme that ran throughout this book.  The forgiveness that Gideon had for Kiki, for his brother, his father and even himself.  As he notices later in the book, "the Almighty's arms are wide and merciful enough to forgive even the most guilty of creatures".

Is this a "guy's book"?  There isn't alot of "action" in the book, but this is a story that all men need to read.  Between the emotions that Gideon is trying to hide, and the history that we find out between him and his dad, this story reminds us that we need to be more open with our communications.  As I read this book, I reflected on my own relationship with my dad.  I have been blessed to have a very close relationship with him and I know that I am who I am because of my relationship with him.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alice was born in Osaka, Japan in the sixties.  Her parents were Presbyterian career missionaries. As a young child, Alice loved to walk down to the local stationer's store to buy notebooks, pencils and scented erasers.  In her room, she created stories.  The desire to be a published famous author has never left her.  Well, two out of three isn't bad. She's the author of Rain Song, How Sweet It Is, Hatteras Girl and A Wedding Invitation (all published by Bethany House).

Alice went to Eastern Mennonite University after graduating from Canadian Academy, an international high school in Kobe, Japan. She majored in social work and has worked across the U.S. in that field.  She taught ESL (English as a Second Language) in Japan and at a refugee camp in the Philippines.  She also studied Spanish at a language institute in San Jose, Costa Rica.

She has four children--Rachel, Daniel, Benjamin and Elizabeth.  Daniel died on 2/2/97 from cancer treatments at the age of four. Since then, Alice founded Daniel's House Publications in her son's memory.  This organization reaches out to others who have also lost a child to death. In 2000 and 2003, Alice compiled recipes and memories of children across the world to publish two memorial cookbooks, Slices of Sunlight and Down the Cereal Aisle.

The Judge by Randy Singer

When a brilliant billionaire is diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, he realizes that all his considerable wealth cannot prepare him to meet his Maker. But he has an idea that might: he will stage the ultimate reality show. With his true agenda hidden, he auditions followers from all the world’s major religions, inviting them to the trial of their lives on a remote island, where they must defend their beliefs against spiritual challenges. 

Oliver Finney, a feisty old judge with his own secrets, is chosen to defend Christianity. As the program takes a strange twist, he quickly realizes he is trapped in a game of deadly agendas that may cost him his life. With Internet access monitored, Finney sends coded messages to his law clerk, Nikki Moreno. Aided by a teen crypto-geek, Nikki soon discovers the key to understanding Finney’s clues in an apologetics book Finney wrote and must race against time to decipher the mysteries contained in the ancient words of Christ before her boss dies defending them.

What would happen if you took a selection of people from all of the world's religions and put them into a "Survivor" like setting?  You would get the makings of a book by Randy Singer, of course! So this billionaire is getting ready to die and he's found out that being rich doesn't provide him with any additional insight into what happens after we die.  In the search for this information, he comes up with the ideal to bring together people from all different religions to a remote island where they will "battle" it out against each other to see who has the best answers for the afterlife.  For the Christian perspective, we have Judge Oliver Finney.  Judge Finney is a cigar-smoking curmudgeon who never dreamed in a minute he would be picked for the show, but we know that demographic studies can't be wrong!  As the show progresses, Judge Finney starts noticing that things may not be exactly as they seem.  The judge begins passing crypted notes back and forth with his law clerk, thanks to a book on cryptology  that he had written.  As the stakes appear to be getting higher and higher for the contestants, Judge Finney begins to feel a sense darkness and dread.  Will this be the end of Judge Finney?  Does he help the billionaire with his thoughts of the afterlife?  Buy a copy and see how this one ends!

I have been a fan of Randy Singer for a long time.  I even hosted Mr. Singer for a book signing / discussion several years ago.  Anybody that reads John Grisham would love any of Randy Singer's books, and this one is no different.  Randy always shares his knowledge of the judicial system through his books.  This book, though, allows us to not only see the inner workings of a case against Christ, but he rolls in the whole reality tv show craze that the entertainment world is abuzz about.  I always come away from his books feeling like I have a little bit more knowledge of the judicial system, and that isn't always a good thing.

Is this a "guy's book"?  If you're into law and justice and reality TV, then you would enjoy this book.  Do you have to be a "guy" to like it?  Nope, this book would be enjoyed by everyone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Randy graduated from Houghton College in 1978, married Rhonda Pursifull that same year, and began teaching and coaching at Houghton Academy, a local Christian boarding school. After five years of teaching and coaching, he left the front of the classroom to take a seat in the back, pursing his dream of going to law school. Three years later, he graduated second in his class from William and Mary School of Law. 

Following law school, Randy began an active trial practice at Willcox and Savage, a sixty lawyer firm in Norfolk, Virginia, eventually becoming head of the firm's litigation section. After thirteen years with the firm, and several more years working with a mission board and cable television network, Randy decided that a recession was a good time to start a new business. He formed his own firm—the Singer Legal Group—in 2009, specializing in civil litigation and business/ministry consulting.

About ten years ago, Randy began pursuing a passion to write. Tapping into his courtroom and ministry experience, Randy pens legal thrillers designed to entertain his readers while confronting them with biblical truths on controversial issues. His first novel, Directed Verdict, was published by WaterBrook Press in October 2002, and won the prestigious Christy award for the best Christian suspense novel that year. Just last year, Randy was named a finalist, along with John Grisham and Michael Connelly, for the inaugural Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction sponsored by the American Bar Association and the University of Alabama Law School. 

Abducted by Janice Cantore

After solving the mayor’s murder and exposing corruption among the top brass in Las Playas, Carly Edwards is happy to be back on patrol with her partner, Joe, putting bad guys behind bars. For once, everything in life seems to be going right.

But then everything starts to go wrong. Slow to recover from an injury, her ex-husband, Nick, begins pulling away just as they were starting to get close again. Meanwhile, when Joe’s wife lands in the hospital with a mysterious illness, their baby is kidnapped. As Carly chases down every lead in a search to find the baby, her faith is pushed to its limits.






This is the second book in the "Pacific Coast Justice" series by Janice Cantore.  I had already read the first book, "Accused" and hounded Ms. Cantore to let me read "Abducted" and post a review about it.  Since I'm such a great reviewer ( a legend in my own mind), she graciously accepted my request.


Carly is back and still getting the feel for her new christian body that she put on in the last book.  Her relationship with Nick is improving, but there is still some friction between them.  Carly is out patroling with her partner when they get a call to head to the hospital.  They find out that her partner's wife and 4-month old baby have been taken to the hospital and his wife is unconscious.  While they are tending to his wife, his son is taken upstairs for precaution.  Overnight, the unthinkable happens.  His son is kidnapped right out of the hospital.  Thus begins a never ending search to find her partner's son, all the while tending to her relationship with Nick.  Along the way, Carly stumbles upon an FBI surveillance on a person of interest in the baby kidnapping case.    Nick begins pushing her away and reporter Alex is beginning to lend a supportive ear to her friendship.  Her roommate is suspended for her role in the kidnapping, and now she's moving out on Carly.  Do they find the baby?  Will Andrea really move out? What's going on with Nick? What is Alex's angle in this?  How in the world does ICE get involved? Where is the God that she has so recently been placing all of her faith in? WHEW!  If that's not enough to get you interested in this series, you have some serious problems!


Ms. Cantore does a great job with her character of Carly.  For Carly to be such a young Christian, she sure puts her faith in action.  I love that Carly has such intimate discussions with God as she attempts to make sense of the things that are happening around her.  I also enjoyed seeing how she molded the relationship between Carly and Nick throughout this book.  Their relationship was definitely on a roller coaster as he struggled to deal with his injury and what it means for his future.  The police procedures are so realistic, I appreciate it when an author does all of the extra research that gives me a little bit of knowledge and learning, all while I'm enjoying a book.  The dilemmas that the characters get themselves into are all settled in believable ways.  For example, the simple fact that she had the character of Joe shown as struggling between being out there looking for his son and being at the hospital to care for his wife was very believable.  She gave him the solution of staying with his wife and trusting that his friends on the force would find his son.  That's a great character trait that should be followed!


Is this a "guy's book"?  There's no question about it.  This book has police chases, arson, car wrecks, FBI, human trafficking, etc.  If you would ever want adventure and intrigue, this book and series is definitely for you!




ABOUT THE AUTHOR



A retired Long Beach California police officer of 22 years (16 in uniform and 6 as a non-career officer), Janice Cantore worked a variety of assignments, patrol, administration, juvenile investigations and training. During the course of her career in uniform Janice found that faith was indispensable to every aspect of the job and published articles on faith at work, one for a quarterly newspaper called “Cop and Christ”, and another for the monthly magazine “Today’s Christian Woman”.


With retirement Janice began to write longer pieces and several novels were born. She has a two book suspense series in print she calls Brinna’s Heart Series, The Kevlar Heart and A Heart of Justice (Oaktara Publishing). Janice is excited and honored to now be a part of the Tyndale Publishing House family. Accused, the first installment in her new suspense offering, The Pacific Coast Justice Series, is set to be released February 1, 2012 and will kick off a brand new chapter in her writing career. In addition to suspense and action, her books feature strong female leads. Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep you engrossed and leave you inspired.


Janice has bachelor’s degrees in Biology (University of California at Irvine) and Physical Education (California State University at Long Beach).  She also completed graduate coursework in Criminal Justice (University of Southern California) and is currently a member of American Christian Fiction Writer’s and Sisters in Crime.  She attends Crescenta Valley Community Church in La Crescenta California and while a few years ago she retired to a house in the mountains of Southern California, she currently resides in Glendale California in order to help care for her aging parents. Janice is single and has three Labrador Retrievers, Jake, Maggie and Abbie. Janice’s hobbies are reading, cross-stitching, kayaking, hiking, walking the dogs and trying to stay fit.







I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Anasazi Intrigue by Linda Weaver Clarke

Stolen artifacts, a nosy newspaper reporter, and mysterious events begin to unfold in this mystery adventure novel. When a devastating flood takes out several homes in a small town, they are shocked by the news of also a possible poison spill that kills many of the fish and neighbor's pets. The town doesn't know what to think or do, until Julia, the town's newest reporter, jumps into action and begins her investigation. Quickly though, Julia realizes the story and investigation are much bigger and more dangerous than she thought! Julia and her husband find themselves on the run trying to save their lives while finishing the story and helping out their small town! She never realized that being a reporter could be so dangerous. With artifacts, dead fish, a devastating flood, and miscreants, John and Julia have their hands full.

As you may recall, I did a review a little while back of the 4th book in this series.  I enjoyed that book so much, that I asked the author, Linda Weaver Clarke, if I could read the first in the series and do a review of that book as well.  Linda said she would be glad to do it, and I definitely was glad to read it.

This is the introduction to the characters of John and Julia Evans, though for some reason, Julia is referred to as "Julia Roberts" in the beginning of this book.  John is professional knife maker and Julia is a newspaper journalist.  John is working with a man, Paul, who is in the midst of uncovering artifacts of the Anasazi Indians.  It seems that there are individuals who are out to steal the treasure and Paul will do whatever he needs to keep the treasure safe and the heritage of the Anasazi Indians alive.  At the same time, Julia has uncovered a case of cyanide poisoning of fish and some other animals around the river area. This will be the first real break for her writing career if she's right on the cause of the poisoning, but is she right?  What kind of danger has she put herself in as she investigates this story?  Can John and Paul work together to keep the treasure safe?  All great questions, and ones that will be answered when you BUY THE BOOK!

This was another great and easy read by Linda Weaver Clarke.  I believe the last book I compared to "Murder She Wrote", but I think I might have been off base.  She mentions in the start of this book that this is more like the TV Show, "Hart To Hart", and I believe she is spot on with the analogy.  I love the information that she shares with us through the course of the story about the Anasazi Indians.  This to me is the best way to learn about something new, all in the course of doing something that I enjoy, READING!  Her characters are so life-like in their banter with each other, and the descriptions of what they see and do are very vivid.

Is this a "guy's book"?  My answer would be yes.  As in the other book that I reviewed, this book is filled with intrigue and adventure, two things that will keep any guy coming back for more.

I received this book from the author for my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


I was raised on a farm surrounded by the rolling hills of southern Idaho and have made my home in southern Utah among the beautiful red mountains and desert heat. I have been happily married for 36 years and am the mother of six daughters and have four wonderful grandchildren .

After my family began to leave the nest, I decided it was time to finish what I had started long ago. I decided to go back to college and get a degree. It had been 30 years since I had been to college and it was one of the most frightening things I had ever done. I had to learn how to study and take tests all over again. The first day of college, I was a nervous wreck and wondered if I could do this, but with the support of my husband and children I was able to graduate. I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre and Music at Southern Utah University and received the Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Award for the College of Performing Arts in 2002. During the meantime, I cut a CD named "Romantic Love Songs of Sigmund Romberg and Victor Herbert."


I have enjoyed writing short stories and novels for several years but it took a lot of courage to begin submitting them. After "Melinda and the Wild West" was published, I entered it in the Reader Views Literary Contest and my book was chosen as a Semi-Finalist in the "Reviewers Choice Awards 2007." It was one of the top ten out of hundreds of other entries.



Linda is graciously offering an ebook of "Anasazi Intrigue" to a random someone leaving a comment on this review.  So leave a comment and contact information in case you are the winner!

The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall

When Sylvia Fischer turned down her beau's offer of marriage, she expected him to give her the time and space she'd requested, believing they would eventually wed. .Instead he married her sister. When she learns that his betrayal was her father's idea--a proposition made to save the farm--she knows she'll never trust another man.

Despite the secrets hiding in Aaron Blank's youth, he thinks he's ready to face his future. As he sets out to make up for the wrongs he's done to his family, he meets Sylvia, the new farmhand from a nearby district. She doesn't want him around, seems to have his father's heart in the palm of her hand--and what she knows could ruin his future.

I'm trying to do two things with my review of this book:

      1) Broaden my scope of reading material

       2) Do more reviews for actual publishers

I know that I'm becoming successful at my 2nd objective, but I'm not sure that I am with with my first after reading this book.

This is the 3rd book in the "Ada's House Series" by Cindy Woodsmall.  As you can imagine, I have not at this point read the first two books in the series.  I will say, though, that even without reading the first two books, I wasn't as lost as I expected myself to be.  There is enough of a back story, plus almost new characters to lend this book to almost being a stand alone title.

Sylvia Fisher is not an ordinary Amish woman. Being the oldest of all girls with no brothers her father has let her run the herd but not have a lot of say in the farming.  This has caused her to seek out duties such as tending to her family's dairy herd and milking cows to normal duties of tending children and managing a household.  Having scorned a suitable Amish suitor, she is forced by guilt to leave her home and beloved family farm and seek refuge with another couple, the Banks'.  The Banks are a couple that have been devastated by the of their daughter a year ago and a son that is away at rehab for alcohol abuse.

Upon Aaron's return, his plan is to persuade his parents into selling the farm and moving with him into town.  Although Sylvia has become attached to the couple and to their farm, she must join with Aaron and his plan in order to see her own dreams fulfilled.  Will they sell the farm?  Do Sylvia and Aaron give in to their mutual attraction?  BUY THE BOOK!!!

I will say that the book was very well written, just not really my genre of reading.  The characters were well defined, the story was paced appropriately and the plot was believable.

Is this a "Man's Book"?  Not really.  While I can say that the book was well written, I can also say that I can't imagine too many men reading this book.  Doesn't mean that it wasn't a good book, just not really for men.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author who has written six novels, three novellas, and Plain Wisdom, a work of nonfiction coauthored with her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud. She’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life.

She is also a veteran homeschool mom who no longer holds that position. As her children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After working through reservations whether this desire was something she should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her staunchest supporter as she aimed for what seemed impossible.

She’s won Fiction Book of the Year, Reviewer’s Choice Awards, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, as well as one of Crossings’ Best Books of the Year. She’s been a finalist for the prestigious Christy, Rita, and Carol Awards, Christian Book of the Year, and Christian Retailers Choice Awards.

We Have A Winner!

Sorry that it took so long to pull a winner from the list of those that left a comment on the review of "Rare Earth" by Davis Bunn, but here's our winner .........  Patrick Cox!!

Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment, I'll contact Patrick directly so that he can get his copy of "Rare Earth".