Book Reviews (catching up)

I've finished a couple of books that I promised a review for. So today is catch-up day.

The first one is Pirate Hunter by Tom Morrisey. The original post for this is here.

The blend of historical and contemporary stories kept my attention all the way through the book. I've read several books that use this technique, but I believe the author of Pirate Hunter has done it seemlessly. So cool the way it all came together in the end. The characters were well-written. I felt like I was saying a reluctant good-bye to old friends at the end of the book. I would have liked to have their stories continue. If you like a good adventure, then Pirate Hunter will be a satifactory read for you. I look forward to reading more of Tom Morissey's books.


The second book is The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan. The original post is here.

This blog tour was scheduled during the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference earlier this month. Which was really excellent timing, since I met Terry at this conference two years ago. He and I were in the same clinic with Angela Hunt and Nancy Rue. In reading each other's submissions to the clinic, I was caught up into Terry's book right away. Great things happened for Terry at that conference, and a year later he not only had an agent, he also had a book contract with Kregel. So I've looked forward to reading the complete book for two years. Terry and I were both on faculty at this year's conference. What a wonderful blessing he and his wife Andrea are to me. I count them among my good friends and always look forward to seeing them at the conference.

The small portion I read as part of the clinic was the prologue of this book—the historical part, the back story to set up the premise of the book. And the story itself didn't disappoint. What a wonderful adventure that started with the discovery in NYC and led to Jerusalem. I loved the characters. And while it is fiction, it felt like it was a documentary of something that really occurred. A good documentary, much more enjoyable to read than the usual reporter's style. Terry's experience as a journalist brought a sense of immediacy to the story, something that could be happening right now. My only disappointment with the book came from my own experience as an editor. Several times I was tripped up by issues that should have been caught in the editing process. But, to be fair, they were issues that I tend to focus on that other editors aren't bothered by. So . . . don't let it keep you from reading this book. I look forward to Terry's next book, and I hope he's planning to use many of the same characters. I'd love to learn more of their stories.