The Heretic's Daughter

         It is not easy to be an historical novelist, I am sure. And when the period of time you are covering in your novel is still very much controversial, it is especially not easy.

            The period Kathleen Kent handles in her novel “The Heretic’s Daughter’ is the period in American History known as the Salem Witch Trails. The issue is not the amount of information available but the  interpretation of what really went on there.

            Kent tells this in the first person viewpoint of one girl caught up in the hysteria. Her family is one of those accused of being witches. As the story begins she is an adult looking back. She is recounting  the days before and during the time period.. When this happened she was a nine year old.

            Since it is from the viewpoint of a child we are spared the gross goings on. But we do view the dungeon and share in the mindset of the prisoners.

            Each chapter is a three to four month period of time.  The writing style is recounted as a diary, journal account. It is somber and moves along.

            Some stood up and spoke out against the mindset of the time, but the hangings still went on.

            The story takes us through the years of the Salem Witch Trials and into the days after.  I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a good story . Nothing new is revealed. It is a work of fiction.

           

The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel

The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey

     This book is suspenseful and an attempt to tell in story form a possible but not probable future event in God's sovereign rule.
      The author Grant R. Jeffrey is reported to be an internaionally respected Bible teacher of prophecy and eschalology. I have not heard of him. He brings his understanding of future events into the story.
      It is told in multi-viewpoints but mostly it follows an archeologist called David Chambers as he searches for the lost temple in Jerusalem and its artifacts. To do so he must put aside his doubts about God and His love., It seems to be a story of seeking for things lost- lost faith, lost love, lost artifacts.
     This book is written more for the Christian reader. I would say that the publisher Waterbrook Press is not a cross over publisher.
     I found this enjoyable and action filled. The opposition is real. The personal interaction between the major characters rings true.
    I would recommend this for people who are looking for a good read.

Look at "Invisible"

   I have found a book on my Kindle that is delightful. It is part of a mystery series. It is called "Invisible; An Ivy Malone Mystery" by Lorena McCourtney.
   It is told in first person. Ivy is a senior citizen who has the habit of getting involved in mysteries. It starts out with someone pulling down grave stones and escalates to a mystery as to who her friend at the senior center was... The story follows the formula of  detective, police official , victim, and murderer In this case the detective is Ivy, a bit more involved than Miss Marple, who was also a senior citizen who some how always managed to get involved in a mystery. . All the deaths are off stage so we don't have blood and gore. It is the type of story that is classified as a cozy.
   Ivy feels invisible. very few people notice the elderly. This helps her to be places and over hear conversations. 
   The Christian community needs well written books in each genre. This one is a good addition to that venture.

Set in Santa Monica

I have found a mystery that is set in Santa Monica. It is called No Dice and it is written by Mar Preston. It is written omnipresent and the viewpoint is shared by two persons. Dave Mason, the Santa Monica detective and Ginger McNair, a resident who is up for nomination as a member of the city board. It is up with the rent control faction and the fair wage law issue of a few years ago and I must admit, a present day issue in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is run by a mayor who is part of the city council. The way it works here in Santa Monica is their mayor is elected from among the council.
  The story starts the day before a big vote on bringing a casino into their city. The council woman who is pro-gambling is found knifed.  She is discover by Ginger who is anti-gambling. This makes her a suspect.
  The casino will be built on prime land now used by Sears and Santa Monica Place. There are suspects a plenty. There is also a romance but it is not allowed to dominate the mystery. There are not bodies every place.
   This does follow the mystery formula of victim, murderer, sleuth. Our amateur detective is Ginger who just can't let the Santa Monica Police Department alone to solve the case.
   It has a satisfactory ending and all is well.
   I would recommend it for the mystery reader out there.

I can't believe it's a Harlequin

Okay. So I have this EReader and I downloaded Hide in Plan Sight by a Marta Perry. I was surprised to see it was a Harlequin suspense. Harlequin has the formula that it is to be category romance and women's fiction. I just downloaded it because I saw suspense and mystery suspense is a genre I enjoy.
  The story is told in multiple viewpoint. Being a romance it is told from a male and a female viewpoint. Being suspense there has to be a mystery to it.
  Andrea returns to her home in Amish country. Her younger sister has been in an accident and is in the hospital. When the story opens Andrea has  an accident also Her car goes off the road.. Enter our male lead, Carl, who is hiding out from something. Andea is coming back to  find that her grandmother is thinking about turning the family house into a B& B. The family fortune is used up and this seems to be the only way to keep the house in the family.
   Someone doesn't want them to open it as a B&B. Accidents are happening. Carl is our male lead. As in all Harlequin books there is the formula repulsion and attraction going on.
  Who is trying to keep them from opening the Inn? Why all the accidents? Who actually is Carl and what is he hiding from?
  This is written with a strong Christian viewpoint. Which opens the question.. should a Christian be doing this type of romance writng? And the answer may be, why not? It is time the Christian writer competed.
  In a later post I want to go into how to choose a book to read. I don't recommend reading just anything. Too much trash out there. Nor do I insist on it being one type. But there are real guidelines, I think, and in  a later post I want to share them with you.