Sky Zone (The Crittendon Files) by Creston Mapes

A rally for a controversial presidential candidate.
A terrorist threat.
A nightmare of cataclysmic proportions.

Jack and Pamela Crittendon have hit the breaking point. After months out of work as a reporter, Jack is playing Mr. Mom and working part-time at Festival Arena with his survivalist friend Brian Shakespeare. Meanwhile, Pamela has gone back to work full-time while eight months pregnant. Having her recently widowed mother on hand isn't making matters any easier.

With financial pressures boiling, Jack reports for duty at a rally for controversial presidential candidate Martin Sterling where he expects a mindless night on the job. But when Homeland Security picks up intel about a potential terrorist threat, Jack and Shakespeare are thrust into a life-or-death battle to save their own lives--and the lives of thousands of innocent people.

This third book in The Crittendon Files reminds us of the power of family, friendships, and faith--and why we are never in as much control as we think.

My Review:
I first met the character, Everett Lester, when I read, Dark Star. It was good to see him again in this book and note his continued growth as a Christ-centered rock star. (He has stayed the course.) Creston Mapes has the talent of writing believable characters. I feel as if I understand them while they wrestle with life's tough decisions. Jack Crittendon, the protagonist in this Christian fiction, feels as if he's fighting a losing battle and wonders when God will show up to help. With no permanent work for almost a year, a wife and two children, and one more on the way, life is tough for Jack. But Jack is a likeable guy, and this reader quickly connects with him. 

Chapters flip-flop between the present time with a crisis occurring and three months earlier. The reader sees pressure mounting. This is a hard book to put down! Mapes is an expert at building tension and stopping just in time for the reader to breathe!

I highly recommend this thriller.

Discussion questions included.

Thank you to Bonnie at Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and David C. Cook for my copy.

If you would like to read the first chapter, click here.

If you would like to buy a copy, click here.

Fear Has a Name: A Novel by Creston Mapes

The Crittendon Files
How Far Would He Go To Keep Them Safe?

It was more than a break-in. More than a stalking. It was personal. When a stalker targets his family, journalist Jack Crittendon must uncover who the person is and what his motives are--if he is to protect the ones he loves. It will lead Crittendon into a world of behind-closed-door secrets and faith gone awry, as does his investigation of a missing pastor, whose apparent suicide is more than it appears.

Each move Crittendon makes weaves him tighter and tighter into a web of lies, greed, hypocrisy, sin, and danger. He believed he'd never give in to fear. But that was before. And holding on to his faith won't be easy. Nor will keeping his family safe, and ending the terror. Because that might require him to step over lines he never dared to cross.

My Review:
What a terrific read! Creston Mapes knows how to create suspense; yet, at the same time, he knows just when to cut the tension. Two intricate story lines are interwoven: the stalking of a newspaper reporter's family and a megachurch's missing pastor.

When trouble comes his way, Jack Crittendon sometimes wonders if God is really in control. How can God allow bad things to happen to one of His people? And, for what reason might trouble come our way? Jack tends to feel as if he alone is responsible for the protection and safety of his wife, Pam, and their children. Jack's faith is sorely tested in this novel, and questions most people wonder are answered. The complex tale has a satisfying conclusion.

The novel tests the reader. I found myself wondering what I'd do if confronted by the same situations. How important is abiding faith? How deep is mine? Could God use someone who is at the end of his/her rope? Does forgiveness and love really make a difference?

Characters are fleshed out; I could relate to all but one. The character of Valerie Belinds McShane intriques me. She would make for an interesting discussion in a book club setting.

Thank you to Bonnie at Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and David C. Cook for my copy.

If you would like to read the first chapter, click here.

If you would like to buy a copy, click here.

Dark Star by Creston Mapes

ENDORA CRYSTAL WAS MY ROCK . . .

As I staggered through the chaos of rock 'n' roll fame - the drugs and alcohol, the selfishness and turmoil - Endora was the gentle voice in my ear telling me I was special. Telling me I was adored. She was my personal psychic. And she said I had a unique purpose, a calling to give my fans happiness.

To be their God.

My band, DeathStroke, dominated the work of rock. Yet strife ruled our inner circle. My family didn't know me. I love no one but myself.

And yet Karen Bayliss was praying for me. That I would come to know her Jesus. She was not a fan. Didn't care for my music. Just my lost soul.

Now Endora is dead and I've been charged with first-degree murder.

This is my story.

My Review:
I stood at the marked-down table, picking up and putting down books. When I picked up the next, nothing about the cover nor the back page appealed much to me. However, I noticed the author's name: Creston Mapes. I had read Nobody and thought it a good read. So, with that thought in mind, I bought this dark looking book. I took it home and put it into the pile of books to be read one day. A few months later, I picked it up again.

From the first sentence, I was hooked. "It was a glorious blaze, the fire we set." Oh, this author can write!

A rock star moves deeper into the darkness as he gains fame and fortune--everything that most people dream would make them happy. But he's not happy; something's missing. The protagonist, Everett Lester, the lead singer from DeathStroke is quite believable. His actions offend me, and then my heart begins to soften. I ache when I read about his childhood. How could anyone survive? Yet he did; people do.

When Everett makes a connection with psychic Endora Crystal, I hold my breath. It's easy to see that she is pure evil. The downward slide is predictable, but the story moves along and never drags.

It's written in first person in a flip-flop style as the young singer finds enormous success, and then flips to the trial where he faces Murder One for the death of his psychic. I find it a gripping read, because I want to discover not only what happens next, but how did it come about?

This is not typical Christian Fiction. It's an edgy, gritty tale of today's rock bands. I heartily recommend it to all ages, whether of not you listen to rock!