Archives

Storm Bodies by Steve Orme

Nov16

Totally Gripping

Storm Bodies by Steve Orme is a totally gripping crime suspense that I just could not put down. It is the second book in the D.I. Miles Davies series and can be read as a stand-alone. However, for maximum enjoyment and character progression, I recommend reading Storm Deaths first, especially as a storyline continues over to this book.

Once more the reader follows the Derbyshire police force as they investigate serious crime. The force is a well-oiled machine, relentless in their pursuit of crime. To lighten the atmosphere, a character spreads dark humor. There is also an extremely well-written episode of light humor which makes the reader chuckle, and counter balances the dark topic of murder.

The author’s passion for basketball once again, comes through as we follow the Derby Storm team. Familiar names from the first book pop up.

All the characters were well drawn. They were an eclectic mix who elicited a variety of emotional responses from me.

Storm Bodies is crime fiction writing out of the top drawer. The reader is drawn in from the start as we cling on, following the story to its’ conclusion.

Continue reading →

Legacy Of Mercy by Lynn Austin

Nov12

Love & Kindness

Legacy Of Mercy by Lynn Austin is a delightful Christian historical novel that I loved. It is the second book in the Waves Of Mercy series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The novel is set in the late nineteenth century America and the chapters alternate between a grandmother and her granddaughter. They are similar but different. The grandmother lives simply in a small country town. The granddaughter lives in a lavish town house with servants, in a sprawling city. Ironically there is far more freedom in the small town where characters can be themselves. There is no show to impress the neighbours.

Both characters love deeply. They have a heart for others and a desire to serve Jesus wherever He leads them. “Other Christians are the only hands and feet Jesus has.” We need to show the world Jesus, by our actions and by the way we live and love.

There are characters who have been hurt and are trying to outrun their past. “God hears you weeping…He longs to comfort you and the only arms He has are mine.” God sees our pain, and He uses others to help to heal us and to show us love.

A character feels useless. “My days feel so meaningless that I can’t help wondering what God’s purpose is for my life.” While we are still breathing, God has a plan for our lives. “God sees the long-range picture.” We see but a small part. God places us where He thinks we will bloom. “God can use even our greatest failures for His glory.” God takes our mess and transforms it into a masterpiece.

Continue reading →

The Lightmaker Of Auschwitz by Nepthali Brezniak

Nov12

Powerful & Harrowing

The Lightmaker Of Auschwitz by Nepthali Brezniak is a powerful true account of the author’s father’s experiences during World War II.

The book has been written “to remember and not to forget” all those who lived and died during the Holocaust.

The author’s father was a Polish Jew. His wartime story is harrowing. We see the best and the worst of humanity. To survive was often a matter of luck.

Nazi-occupied Europe was a terrible place to be. The author’s father was in ghettos, several concentration camps and involved in a death march in 1945 during a terribly cold winter. He needed to have his wits about him, as well as luck, in order to survive. He also had a friend which gave him a reason to survive too. This book tells his story and also that of countless others.

Continue reading →

The Thirteenth Child by Mark deMeza

Nov4

Just One More

The Thirteenth Child by Mark deMeza is a powerful historical novel that I read in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep. It is a fictional account, but very much grounded in fact, of the fate of the Jewish people in Holland during World War II. The main family is fictional but all the others were real people.

This is a heart-breaking account of a truly evil time. The reader witnesses the Nazis marching into Holland in 1940, and then the rapid erosion of the freedoms of the Jewish people.

It is a heart-wrenching read the thoughts of a seven year old Jewish boy, no longer able to play with his best friend who was Aryan. “He felt angry with the Nazis and their yellow star badge… An emptiness weighed him down and had started the moment his best friend had uttered the word goodbye.” Heart-breaking and senseless.

Mark deMeza has created a very powerful and comprehensive tale of when evil walked among the innocent. We see the ruthless but efficient Nazi war machine. The Jewish people complied silently, believing the lies they were told.

As we focus in on one family, they are a microcosm for the macrocosm of the Jewish people – 95% of the Jewish people (German and Dutch) living in Holland, perished under the evil Nazi war machine.

Continue reading →