Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Giveaway! The Death and Life of Gabriel Phillips by Stephen Baldwin/Mark Tabb

When Officer Andy Myers met Loraine Phillips, he had no interest in her son. And he certainly never dreamed he'd respond to a call, finding that same boy in a pool of blood. Even more alarming was the father standing watch over his son's body. Myers had never seen a man respond to death-particularly the death of a child-in such a way. When the father is charged with murder and sentenced to death, he chooses not to fight but embrace it as God's will. Myers becomes consumed with curiosity for these strange beliefs. What follows is the story of the bond these two men share as they come to terms with the tragedy and the difficult choices each one must make.

You may buy a copy here.

My Review:
This is an unusual read for several reasons! First, the author is a celebrity. Having seen Stephen Baldwin on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, I was quite excited to have the opportunity to read his first work of fiction. Written in conjunction with Mark Tabb, this murder mystery with a twist is an enjoyable book. Secondly, this purported Christian fiction contains profanity--quite a bit of it--which is why the following disclaimer was sent out:
The statement from FaithWords is:
Normally, it is not the policy of FaithWords to include foul language in our fiction titles. The Death and Life of Gabriel Phillips has dialogue which reflects the heart of the main character. His transformation and ultimate conversion to Christ throughout the book is key to the story and the author’s intention was to make that transformation clear. We apologize if this inclusion offends our readers. We are committed to publishing fiction that depicts the power of Christ’s love in even the darkest life and situation. Harry Helm, Associate Publisher, FaithWords
Thirdly, my observation is that the profanity and adult themes contained in the novel are not attributable to only the main character. Other characters speak with profanity too, and some of the adult themes are spread amongst them throughout the story.

Fourthly, although this is not a book of humor, I laughed out loud when I read the Santa scene. I can't tell more without revealing secrets, but it's funny. I bet you'll laugh too at the Santa part.

The characters are believable. The story is believable. And, (sigh) the dialogue is believable. I must say that it's a good story, and I enjoyed it. If you think you'd like a free copy, I have some good news! I asked Hachette Book Club, and they have agreed to allow me to offer one copy of this book as a giveaway! Here's the drill:

* Winners are restricted to the US and Canada. No PO Box mailing addresses, please.

* I must have a way of contacting you, so be sure to leave your email address in code: you[at]yourmail[dot]com Please do not ask me to look it up!

* I'll close the comments in one week at 6PM EST November 26th and pick the winner. I will contact the winner via email to get their mailing information. The winner will have three days to respond. If I do not hear from him/her within three days, I will select another winner.

* If you're interested, leave a comment with that all-important email address IN CODE.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Count me in! milou2ster(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks for the giveaway.

ChristyJan said...

I'd be interested in reading this book ~ I enjoyed reading your thoughts about it.

hawkes(at)citlink(dot)net

Alyce said...

I would love to win this book! akreese (at) hotmail (dot) com

Musings of A Minister said...

I know--I know--I was just blessed with a book from you. I'm sure you're smiling to see my name here. But come on, maybe I'm on a roll right now. It would be silly for me to not say I would like to read this book--because I really would. Steven came to our church a little over a year ago and spoke and did some skate board "stuff" for kids. He is a very interesting person. He comes from a rough life and a wild worldview. He gives a powerful testimony for Christ. OK, I may be a little greedy--but I want that book. CCDitmore@aol.com
(I know I'm "slow" but I can't figure out what you mean by code)

Lori said...

Count me in please. Sounds like an interesting read.

lannoe(at)yahoo(dot)com.

BTW you have been tagged. Visit loris-pieces-n-bits.blogspot.com.

kalea_kane said...

Oh Sally! I would love, love, love a chance to win this book, please include me in the drawing.
Thanks!
Kelly

kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com

Becca said...

Please enter me! I would be very interested in readng this one. Thanks
rebecca.bradeen(at)verizon(dot)net

Anonymous said...

Sally, I would like to be in the drawing for this book. Your review grabbed me. I do not know what you mean when you ask for my e-mail address IN CODE.
jeav@earthlink.net

Jeanne

Anonymous said...

Sally, I would like to be in the drawing for this book. What do you mean IN CODE?

Jeanne
jeav@earthlink.net

sara said...

I would love to win this book. Mocha with Linda also reviewed it today and I am very intrigued!

Anonymous said...

Count me in!!
Diane
diane.soroko@gmail.com

Shimmy Mom said...

Oh, Sally,
I would love to be entered in this one as well. I love Stephen Baldwin. I fell for him in highschool when he was in a western called The Young Riders. I would love to read his book.
shimmywith4[at]yahoo[dot]com
*hugs*

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

The profanity part bothers me a bit, but I am intrigued! Count me in please!

je2kids(at)yahoo(dot)com

I blogged it too.

Amee said...

Enter me, please!

amee821[at]hotmail[dot]com

Linda said...

Count me in! This sounds like something I would really enjoy.

Linda said...

Oooops!!! I didn't leave me email

atkinsla at verizon dot net

Patty said...

Stephen Baldwin wrote a book?! Who knew?

darbyscloset said...

I find this very interesting....Baldwin authored a book....humm, that alone makes me want to read it and your post is frosting on the cake!
Thanks so much
Darby
darbyscloset at yahoo dot com

darbyscloset said...

Exsuce me, yet after looking at the picture again....just send me the author and you can keep the book!
;-*
Darby
darbyscloset at yahoo dot com

Wrighty said...

I wasn't that interested until I read your review and became more curious. Now I would like to give it a try. Please add me to the drawing. Thanks so much!

5wrights1(at)verizon(dot)net


(Did anyone help the people that were asking about putting our addresses in code? I didn't know either when I first started entering contests. You need to write out the words "at" and "dot" instead of using the symbols. There are examples from everyone's different entries here. Hope that helps if you still need the info.)

Anonymous said...

Saw Stephen on Huckabee last night. Clif mentioned in his comment that he spoke at our church once. He is an interesting fellow. Guess he lived a pretty wild life before he became a Christian. Maybe that is the reason it isn't hard for him to use the bad language in the book. Whatever - I would like to read his book.
Happy Blue Monday.
Charlotte

SmilingSally said...

The winner is:

Cliff