Honor Bound by Hallee Bridgeman was my book club’s selection this month. It’s the first book in the Love And Honor series, and I really liked it! Lots more good books to read! If you liked it too and want some more reading recs, besides the other books in the series š , then I have you covered. Check out the following suspense-filled novels that include military tie-ins, rescue missions, an African setting, humanitarian aid, and/or terrorists.
Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason
Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others–but her days of helping military personnel are over. She’s got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she’s not equipped to take on more. Former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James could handle anything that war sent his way–terrorists, bombs, bullets. The only thing that scares him now is sleep. As the shadows close in, the nightmares begin.
Finally convinced that he needs help, Asher makes an appointment with a counselor, and Brooke is pressed by her boss to take him on. When he arrives at her office she isn’t there–but a dead body is. Brooke is devastated when she walks in, and Asher is a conveniently strong shoulder to cry on. But she can’t take him on as a client after sharing such an intimate and unprofessional moment, can she? And he’s not sure he can handle sharing his deepest fears with such a beautiful woman.
When it becomes clear that Brooke was the real target of the attack–and that her secrets go even deeper than his own–Asher vows to protect her no matter what.Ā
Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn
Marc Royce works for the State Department on special assignments, most of them rather routine, until two CIA operatives go missing in Iraq–kidnapped by Taliban forces bent on generating chaos in the region. Two others also drop out of sight–a high-placed Iraqi civilian and an American woman providing humanitarian aid. Are the disappearances linked? Rumors circulate in a whirl of misinformation.
Marc must unravel the truth in a covert operation requiring utmost secrecy–from both the Americans and the insurgents. But even more secret than the undercover operation is the underground dialogue taking place between sworn enemies. Will the ultimate Reconciler between ancient enemies, current foes, and fanatical religious factions be heard?
Point of Origin by Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry
Hijacking oil tankers brings cash to Dabir Omarās family, but it doesnāt buy the medical care needed to stop a deadly sickness attacking his people. When Dabirās son becomes ill,Ā the desperate pirate sets sail for the Liberty, an international humanitarian medial ship ported on the Cameroon coast.
Shortly after Dr. Josiah Allen arrives on the Liberty with his precocious six-year-old daughter, he is sent ashore to investigate a mysterious illness at the shipās post-op clinic. While heās gone, pirates hijack the medical ship where Josiah left his daughter.
When pirate negotiations fail, ex-military Mackenzie Scottās extraction team comes in for the rescue. But when the pirates refuse to surrender, both fathers are forced to go to war to save their children.
The reactions of my book club members to Burden of Proof by Davis Bunn ranged from didnāt like the ending to didnāt like the book at all! LOL! So, one strike so far for our 2021 selections. Not a promising start to a new year of reading. However, the book did spark a lot of great discussion — a win in my book. I especially liked the answers to the question āif you could go back in time to change something, would you?ā.
What did (or didn’t) you like about Burden of Proof?
I liked Burden of Proof, as did my husband. If you are in that seeming minority too, here are some book recommendations for more great reading. All three novels deal with past regrets and making amends (but no time travel š ).
Not in The Heart by Chris Fabry
Truman Wiley used to report news stories from around the world, but now the most troubling headlines are his own. Heās out of work, out of touch with his family, out of his home. But nothing dogs him more than his sonās failing heart.
With mounting hospital bills and Trumanās penchant for gambling his savings, the situation seems hopeless . . . until his estranged wife throws him a lifeline ā the chance to write the story of a death row inmate, a man convicted of murder who wants to donate his heart to Trumanās son.
As the execution clock ticks down, Truman uncovers disturbing evidence that points to a different killer. For his son to live, must an innocent man die? Trumanās investigation draws him down a path that will change his life, his family, and the destinies of two men forever.
The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry
The Summer of 1972 was the most pivotal of Matt Plumleyās childhood. While his beloved Pirates battle for back-to-back World Series titles, Mattās family moves from Pittsburgh to Dogwood, West Virginia, where his father steps into the pulpit of a church under the thumb of town leader Basil Blackwood. A fish out of water, Matt is relieved to forge a fast bond with two unlikely friends: Dickie Darrel Lee Hancock, a mixed-race boy, and Jesse Woods, a tough-as-nails girl with a sister on her hip and no dad in sight.
As the trio traipses the hills and hollers, Matt begins to fall for Jesse, and their promises to each other draw him deeper into her terrifying reality. One night, the wrath of the Blackwoods and the secrets of Jesseās family collide, and Matt joins Jesse in a rescue that saves one life and ends another . . . and severs the bond of their friendship.
Years later, Matt is pulled back to Dogwood and to memories of that momentous summer by news of Jesseās upcoming wedding. He could never shake the feeling that there was more to the story of that fateful night, and heās determined to learn the truth behind the only promise Jesse Woods ever broke.
Water from My Heart by Charles Martin
Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living alone by age 16. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami. Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America, where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter.
Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible — and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?
Happy New Year! I am excited about my book club’s 2021 reading list. Although it is heavy on suspense, it features some wonderful authors that we love, plus a couple of new-to-us writers. We would love for you to join us. Visit our FB Page.
January’s pick is Burden of Proof by Davis Bunn. Although we have read this author before, it was years ago. I can’t wait for everyone to read this thought-provoking novel. All the details are below.
Three weeks after his twenty-third birthday, Ethan missed the chance to save his brother’s life when he was murdered on the steps of the courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida. Ever since that fateful day, Ethan has sensed a deep disconnect between the man he should have been and the one he has become. His days play out a beat too slow, his mind replaying the scene of his failure again and again.
But when his brother’s widow appears, asking for his help in uncovering what was really behind his brother’s death, Ethan is stunned to hear that she and her late husband were involved in a much larger case than he knew–one that threatens the global power structure. As Ethan joins the search for answers, he will enter into his own past–and discover a means of redeeming his future.
Bestselling and award-winning author Davis Bunn invites you into a world of intrigue as a man held captive by his failure learns how to move forward with hope.
Davis Bunn is a four-time Christy Award-winning, best-selling author who serves as writer-in-residence at Regent’s Park College, the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Defined by readers and reviewers as a “wise teacher,” “gentleman adventurer,” “consummate writer,” and “Renaissance man,” his work in business took him to over 40 countries around the world, and his books have sold more than seven million copies in sixteen languages.
Davis Bunn has long been one of my must-read authors. His latest novel, Burden of Proof, seals that distinction. A little different from his previous suspense novels, I believe this is my favorite of all time. Highly recommended!
Three weeks after his twenty-third birthday, Ethan missed the chance to save his brother’s life when he was murdered on the steps of the courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida. Ever since that fateful day, Ethan has sensed a deep disconnect between the man he should have been and the one he has become. His days play out a beat too slow, his mind replaying the scene of his failure again and again.
But when his brother’s widow appears, asking for his help in uncovering what was really behind his brother’s death, Ethan is stunned to hear that she and her late husband were involved in a much larger case than he knew–one that threatens the global power structure. As Ethan joins the search for answers, he will enter into his own past–and discover a means of redeeming his future.
Bestselling and award-winning author Davis Bunn invites you into a world of intrigue as a man held captive by his failure learns how to move forward with hope.
Davis Bunn is a four-time Christy Award-winning, best-selling author who serves as writer-in-residence at Regentās Park College, the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Defined by readers and reviewers as a āwise teacher,ā āgentleman adventurer,ā āconsummate writer,ā and āRenaissance man,ā his work in business took him to over 40 countries around the world, and his books have sold more than seven million copies in sixteen languages.
My Impressions:
As I closed the cover of Burden of Proof, I knew that this book would stay with me for a long while. I have read a lot of Davis Bunn’s novels — all genres — and liked them all, but this one is by the far the best I have read. The complex plotting and characterization, plus the numerous themes and questions arising from it, make it a highly recommended read.
First things first — I wasn’t sure how a book that opens with time travel would go over with my book club. (Burden of Proof is my group’s January 2021 pick.) I needn’t have worried, it has all the things my members love — a gripping story, flawed, yet relatable characters, and enough fodder for a long discussion. Besides the time travel theories and the wisdom of doing such a thing, I anticipate great conversations on the twisting plot, the growth of the characters, and the value of giving and taking second chances. Oh, yes, this book has it all! Even the time and setting are developed to perfectly compliment the narrative. I know I am gushing, but I loved everything about this book.
Burden of Proof solidifies Davis Bunn as one of my must-read authors. I am so glad I get a chance to discuss this book with a group of reader friends. If you choose this book, bring someone along for the journey. You will have to talk about it!
Highly recommended.
Audience: adults.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Happy Friday! I am not getting a lot of reading done this week — my family has been here and I have been busy baking, cooking, and following after my grandbaby! š But when the dust settles, Burden of Proof by Davis Bunn will be the next book up. Are you finding time for good books? I’d love to read your first line.
Ethan paddled his kayak slowly across the inland waterway, heading into the dawn.Ā
Three weeks after his twenty-third birthday, Ethan missed the chance to save his brother’s life when he was murdered on the steps of the courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida. Ever since that fateful day, Ethan has sensed a deep disconnect between the man he should have been and the one he has become. His days play out a beat too slow, his mind replaying the scene of his failure again and again.
But when his brother’s widow appears, asking for his help in uncovering what was really behind his brother’s death, Ethan is stunned to hear that she and her late husband were involved in a much larger case than he knew–one that threatens the global power structure. As Ethan joins the search for answers, he will enter into his own past–and discover a means of redeeming his future.
Bestselling and award-winning author Davis Bunn invites you into a world of intrigue as a man held captive by his failure learns how to move forward with hope.
Davis Bunn is a four-time Christy Award-winning, best-selling author who serves as writer-in-residence at Regent’s Park College, the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Defined by readers and reviewers as a “wise teacher,” “gentleman adventurer,” “consummate writer,” and “Renaissance man,” his work in business took him to over 40 countries around the world, and his books have sold more than seven million copies in sixteen languages.
This week’s Top 10 Tuesday is a Halloween Freebie. If it’s not too early for you, I have a list of books that feature outbreaks and epidemics — real life scary! And because they are all Christian or clean fiction, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are a couple of historical novels that feature the Spanish Flu, some mystery and suspense that explore potential viruses/bacteria and other biological agents that get loose, and a YA dystopian that explores the aftermath of an epidemic. A couple of the authors are even doctors. If the subject isn’t too frightening for you, I hope you find a great book.
It is only a matter of time before there is a flu pandemic with the potential to kill billions. Or so wealthy entrepreneur Lyle Lynstrum believes. That is why he is funding research into transgenics – the mechanism by which viruses can jump the species barrier – at a high security lab on a tidal island off the North Devon coast.
A suspiciously rapid turnover of staff has him worried. He sends in scientist Katie Flanagan as an undercover lab technician. Something is clearly very wrong, but before Katie can get to the bottom of what is going on, a colleague is struck down by a mysterious illness. Has the safety of the facility been compromised, allowing a deadly virus to escape? Katie begins to suspect that the scientists are as deadly as the diseases – and that her cover has been blown.
Then the island is cut off by high seas and a terrifying game of cat-and-mouse begins . . .
Airborne by DiAnn Mills
Heather Lawrenceās long-awaited vacation to Salzburg wasnāt supposed to go like this. Mere hours into the transatlantic flight, the Houston FBI agent is awakened when passengers begin exhibiting horrific symptoms of an unknown infection. As the virus quickly spreads and dozens of passengers fall ill, Heather fears sheās witnessing an epidemic similar to ones her estranged husband studies for a living ā but this airborne contagion may have been deliberately released.
While Heather remains quarantined with other survivors, she works with her FBI colleagues to identify the person behind this attack. The prime suspect? Dr. Chad Lawrence, an expert in his field . . . and Heatherās husband. The Lawrencesā marriage has been on the rocks since Chad announced his career took precedence over his wife and future family and moved out.
As more victims fall prey days after the initial outbreak, timeās running out to hunt down the killer, one who may be closer to the victims than anyone ever expected.
As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town, came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters ā Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa ā a chance at a better life.
But just months after they arrive, the Spanish Flu reaches the shores of America. As the pandemic claims more than twelve thousand victims in their adopted city, they find their lives left with a world that looks nothing like the one they knew. But even as they lose loved ones, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes their single source of hope. Amidst the tragedy and challenges, they learn what they cannot live withoutāand what they are willing to do about it.
As Bright as Heaven is the compelling story of a mother and her daughters who find themselves in a harsh world not of their making, which will either crush their resolve to survive or purify it.
The Gabon Virus by Paul McCusker and Walt Larimore
An ancient disease, a modern pandemic, and the one person who offers hope for a cure has been dead for 350 years
In 1666, a horrible disease took the lives of almost every person in Eyam (pronouncedĀ Eem), England. Helping the sick and the dying was the mysterious and ghostlike Blue Monk, whose strange appearance terrified even those who were comforted by him.
More than three centuries later the disease has returned, more virulent than before. Every day more people are infected; every hour more die.
The lives of millions rest in the hands of a bio-team ā the Time Scene Investigators ā that studies history to find cures for modern diseases. But the newest member of the team, Dr. Mark Carlson, has suffered a heartbreaking loss.
With every tick of the clock the world approaches a global pandemic. A race against time becomes a race across continents ā to find a frightened boy who is carrying and spreading the disease wherever he goes, to thwart the machinations of corporate greed and fanatical sabotage, and to find the connection between a great tragedy of the past and a potential catastrophe of the present.Ā Our present.
The Influenza Bomb by Paul McCusker and Walt Larimore
Masses of people are dying from a mysterious flu. While the TSI team searches for a cure, a notorious eco-terrorist group, Return to Earth, uses an influenza bomb to poison the water. Itās a race against time ā with the outcome impacting the entire world.
By the time the team discovers that the terrorists are using the water supply to infect people, the sickness is spreading worldwide and no one has a cure. When Return to Earth makes off with a mysterious device called the influenza bomb with the intent to destroy all of mankind, Dr. Hutchinson must stop the contamination from being spread before itās too late.
Lethal Remedy by Richard Mabry
An epidemic of a highly resistant bacteria, Staphylococcus luciferus, has ignited, and Dr. Sara Milesā patient is on the threshold of death. Only an experimental antibiotic developed and administered by Saraās ex-husband, Dr. Jack Ingersoll can save the girlās life.
Dr. John Ramsey is seeking to put his life together after the death of his wife by joining the medical school faculty. But his decision could prove to be costly, even fatal. Potentially lethal late effects from the experimental drug send Sara and her colleague, Dr. Rip Pearson, on a hunt for hidden critical data that will let them reverse the changes before itās too late. What is the missing puzzle piece? And who is hiding it?
Outbreak by Davis Bunn
The waters off the West African coast are a menacing red, full of algae thick enough to stand on in places. In nearby villages, mysterious deaths start to occur ā and the panic mounts. But before an alarm can be sounded, the sea currents shift, the algae vanishes, and the deaths stop. Everyone is relieved when things return to normal, and local government officials are happy to sweep the publicity nightmare under a rug.
An American biological researcher, Avery Madison, is dispatched by his employer to piece together exactly what happened, having long feared an ecological disaster just like this could occur. Heās had little evidence to go on before now, and what he finds in West Africa is rapidly disappearing. But Avery knows the danger hasnāt disappeared ā it has just moved on.
Point of Origin by Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry
When virus-infected pirates hijack a humanitarian medical ship from an African port, they trigger the threat of a global pandemic.
How do you keep hope alive in a sea of darkness?
An African fisherman.
Foreign exploitation of Africaās natural resources hasĀ destroyed the fishing business of Dabir Omar.Ā Hijacking oil tankers brings cash to his family in their remote village, but it doesnāt buy the medical care needed to stop theĀ deadlyĀ sickness attacking his people. When Dabirās sonĀ becomes ill, the desperate pirate sets sail for theĀ Liberty,Ā an international humanitarian medical ship ported on the coast.Ā
An American surgeon.
Against his better judgment,Ā Dr. Josiah AllenĀ agrees to work a two-week surgical stint on theĀ Liberty, moored in Douala, Cameroon. Shortly after he arrives with his precocious six-year-old daughter, Josiah is sent ashore to investigate aĀ mysterious illnessĀ at the shipās post-op clinic. While heās gone,Ā Ebola-infected piratesĀ hijack the medical ship where Josiah left his daughter.
The woman compelledĀ to save them all.
When pirate negotiations fail,Ā Mackenzie ScottāsĀ privately-owned extraction unit comes in for the rescue. But when the medical ship where Mac had taken a wounded comrade is hijacked by pirates, the former military pararescue jumper becomesĀ the pirateās key hostage.Ā
Both fathers go to war to save their children. If Mac canāt convince them to work together, the winner of this conflict will be a deadly virusĀ intent on destroying the world.
The Turning Tide by Melody Carlson
As the Great War rages on, Sunset Cove continues to feel its impact. Running the small town newspaper, Anna McDowell canāt escape the grim reports from the other side of the world, but home-front challenges abound as well. Dr. Daniel is serving the wounded on the front lines. And Katy, expecting her first child, with her husband in the trenches, tries to support the war effort with her Red Cross club. Even as the war winds down the costs are highā and Sunset Cove is not spared.
This week’s Top 10 Tuesday challenge is to list books with colors in their titles. There are a lot more than I expected! I limited my list to books I have read or that reside on my TBR shelf (Kindle or actual), but the list is still really long š .
I know a lot of you are itching to go somewhere — anywhere! That’s why this week’s Reading Road Trip features actual road trips! Whether for fun, for pilgrimage, for the Grand Tour, or to find safety, all of these books feature some type of travel. Characters and genre are varied, so there is something for all reading tastes. I hope you find a book that will take you on an exciting journey!
Actual Road Trips!
The Pilgrim by Davis Bunn
In his latest historical epic, worldwide bestselling author Davis Bunn takes readers on a journey through an ancient landscape. Travel with Empress Helena from Caesarea to Judea. Abandoned by her husband, in danger because of her faith, but with an implacable will to do what God calls her to, she takes a perilous pilgrimage. Along the way she meets those who would help her (the wizened and wise bishop Macarius; the rough-edged but kind-hearted sergeant Cratus; the young soldier Anthony, a man who has lost everything, including his faith) and those who would harm her (the menacing and murderous Roman assassin Severus). Miracles seem to follow this humble but determined woman as she wins many over to the faith, and changes lives foreverāincluding her own.
This unforgettable story of the discovery of the True Cross will thrill readers with its adventure, and with its vivid portrait of one of Christian historyās most
Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren
It was the summer of 1913, and Cora Kensingtonās life on the family farm has taken a dark turn. Not only are the crops failing, so is her fatherās health. Cora is carrying on, helping her mother run their Montana farm until a stranger comes to call, and everything changes. Cora then learns a secret that will radically change her future: she is the illegitimate daughter of a copper king who has come to claim her.Cora is invited to take the āGrand Tourā of Europe, a journey intended to finish a personās education, to solidify an understanding of ancient culture and contemporary refinement.Ā As she travels from England to France with half-siblings sheās never known, Cora encounters the blessings of the Kensington family name, as well as the curses. But when an unbidden love begins to form, she realizes the journey is only beginning.
Faced with the challenge of accepting her father, new family, and the identity that comes with it, Cora also struggles to accept that she is also the daughter of the one true King ā a Father who is the only One who can truly heal.
Elvis Takes A Back Seat by Leanna Ellis
Determined to fulfill her husband’s last request, Claudia McIntosh is hauling a three-foot bust of Elvis Presley in the back seat of a vintage Cadillac from Dallas to Memphis, hoping to locate the kitschy sculpture’s rightful owner.
Along for the ride are her eccentric aunt who knew the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and a temperamental teen with a suspicious mind of her own.
When the road trip hits the Heartbreak Hotel, these three women uncover pieces of their past along with the bust’s mysterious history, discoveries that will leave them all shook up and change their lives forever in Elvis Takes a Back Seat.
The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel
Megan Jacobs always wished for a different heart. Her entire childhood was spent in and out of hospitals, sitting on the sidelines while her twin sister Crystal played all the sports, got all the guys, and had all the fun. But even a heart transplant three years ago wasnāt enough to propel Meganās life forward. Sheās still working as a library aide and living with her parents in her small Minnesota hometown, dreaming of the adventure she plans to take āonce sheās well enough.ā Meanwhile, her sister is a successful architect with a handsome husband and the perfect life ā or so Megan thinks.
When her heart donorās parents give Megan their teenage daughterās journal ā complete with an unfulfilled bucket list ā Megan connects with the girl she meets between the pages and is inspired to venture out and check off each item. Caleb ā a friend from her years in and out of the hospital ā reenters her life and pushes her to find the courage to take the leap and begin her journey. Sheās thrown for a loop when Crystal offers to join her for reasons of her own, but she welcomes the company and the opportunity to mend their tenuous relationship.
As Megan and Crystal check items off the bucket list, Megan fights the fears that have been instilled in her after a lifetime of illness. She must choose between safety and adventure and learn to embrace the heart sheās been given so that she can finally share it with the people she loves most.
Harriet Beamer Takes The Bus by Joyce Magnin
Aging and recent widow Harriet Beamer insists sheās getting along fine with her dog Humphrey in Philadelphia ā¦ until she falls for the fourth time, injuring her ankle, and causing her son and daughter-in-law to cry foul. Insisting Harriet move in with them in California, they make a bet that her ankle is broken, and she foolishly promises to move if theyāre right. Four x-rays later, Harrietās ankle ā and her heart ā are broken. She packs up, ships her huge salt and pepper collection to California, and prepares to move away from the only life she knows. The only catch? Sheās doing it her way. Just wait till her daughter-in-law hears Harriet will travel cross country only by public transportation and alternate means. What follows is a hilarious, heartwarming journey by train, metro bus, ferry, and motorcycle. Along the way, Harriet discovers that although her family thinks itās time for her to be put out to pasture ā God has a different plan.
The Long Highway Home by Elizabeth Musser
Sometimes going home means leaving everything you have ever known. When the doctor pronounces āincurable cancerā and gives Bobbie Blake one year to live, she agrees to accompany her niece, Tracie, on a trip back to Austria, back to The Oasis, a ministry center for refugees that Bobbie helped start twenty years earlier. Back to where there are so many memories of love and loss. Bobbie and Tracie are moved by the plight of the refugees and in particular, the story of the Iranian Hamid, whose young daughter was caught with a New Testament in her possession back in Iran, causing Hamid to flee along the refugee Highway and putting the whole family in danger. Can a network of helpers bring the family to safety in time? And at what cost? Filled with action, danger, heartache and romance, The Long Highway Home is a hymn to freedom in lifeās darkest moments.
Miles from Where We Started by Cynthia Ruchti
Weeks away from their one-year wedding anniversary, Mallory and Connor Duncan canāt even agree on how to end their marriage. But when a last-minute crisis lands them on a three-thousand-mile road trip together, Mallory wonders if their story may not be over after all.
The trip begins to unravel before the key is even in the ignition, and an at-risk, trouble-seeking missile of an eleven-year-old is unexpectedly launched into their travel plans. Close quarters get even tighter, and the couple believes this whole experience will spell disaster.
Their first year of marriage hasnāt been the arm-in-arm togetherness they expected. How can they find a new beginning when the road ends?
The Mother Road by Jennifer AlLee
Within the course of a week, marriage expert Natalie Marino is dumped by her husband, receives an urgent call home from her father, and discovers her estranged sister, Lindsay, is pregnant.
A road trip on Route 66 may not help, but it sure couldnāt hurt. Or so Natalie thinks, until Lindsayās boyfriend starts stalking them. Will their trip down the Mother Road bring the two sisters closer, or turn out to be the biggest wrong turn of their lives?
Happy Tuesday! Today That Artsy Reader Girl is challenging bloggers to come up with band names based on book titles. I’m musically challenged — I can’t sing and I never know who sings a song. But I do know books, and titles that intrigue me I believe would make awesome names of bands — country bands, heavy metal, 80s cover bands, etc. So here is my attempt. My list draws from books on my TBR shelves and includes 3 titles that are actual band names! Hope you find one to love!
I have come to the sad realization that I cannot possibly read all the books. š I never dreamed that day would come. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t try! š But still, so many deserve to be read and read NOW. That’s where friends and family come in. I received a surprise copy of Outbreak by Davis Bunn a month or two ago and was so disappointed that I could not dive into it right then and there. But when my DH said give me a book to read, I handed it to him without a moment’s hesitation. You will find a few of his thoughts below the book blurb and author info.
The waters off the West African coast are a menacing red, full of algae thick enough to stand on in places. In nearby villages, mysterious deaths start to occur — and the panic mounts. But before an alarm can be sounded, the sea currents shift, the algae vanishes, and the deaths stop. Everyone is relieved when things return to normal, and local government officials are happy to sweep the publicity nightmare under a rug.
An American biological researcher, Avery Madison, is dispatched by his employer to piece together exactly what happened, having long feared an ecological disaster just like this could occur. He’s had little evidence to go on before now, and what he finds in West Africa is rapidly disappearing. But Avery knows the danger hasn’t disappeared — it has just moved on.
Davis Bunn is a four-time Christy Award-winning, best-selling author who serves as writer-in-residence at Regent’s Park College, the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Defined by readers and reviewers as a “wise teacher,” “gentleman adventurer,” “consummate writer,” and “Renaissance man,” his work in business took him to over 40 countries around the world, and his books have sold more than seven million copies in sixteen languages.
Thoughts on Outbreak from my husband:
A quick and easy read, Outbreak has the right amount of suspense to keep the reader engaged. And there is little romance to get in the way š . Characters are generally likable, but there are plenty of bad guys to keep the story interesting. The subject matter — deadly algae blooms and viruses — was unique and interesting. And the Asheville, North Carolina setting brought back memories of trips to that city. My husband’s verdict — recommended! Although, he did say it wasn’t as good as To Kill A Mockingbird (his favorite book), but definitely better than Moby Dick. LOL!
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