The Riverman by Alex Gray Giveaway

Publisher synopsis:

Fans of atmospheric police procedurals will love watching Glasgow vividly come to life with the shocking twists and turns that have made Alex Gray an international bestseller
When a dead body is fished out of Glasgow’s River Clyde the morning after an office celebration, it looks like a case of accidental death. But an anonymous telephone call and a forensic toxicology test give Detective Chief Inspector William Lorimer reason to think otherwise. Probing deeper into the life and business of the deceased accountant, a seemingly upright member of the community, Lorimer finds only more unanswered questions.
What is the secret his widow seems to be concealing? Was the international accounting firm facing financial difficulties? What has become of the dead man’s protégé who has disappeared in New York? And when another employee is found dead in her riverside flat these questions become much more disturbing. Lorimer must cope not only with deceptions from the firm, but also with suspicions from those far closer to home . . .

My review:

This is a great novel to read during these dark winter evenings. The plot is complex yet engaging. I enjoyed how the facts of the case were uncovered bit by bit. It took dogged determination on Lorimer's part to get to the root of the mayhem. The police work is methodical but kept my interest throughout the novel. I felt the ruminations of the characters were well balanced with periodic action. The point of view jumped around a bit at the beginning but the threads were brought together as the novel progressed.

Relationships are an essential aspect of this novel. They are more important in this novel than those concentrating on action. In two of the marriages, there was some concern about the husband having an affair. I liked how those concerns brought a sense of reality to the characters.

This is the first novel about DCI Lorimer I have read by Gray. I could tell there was some back story I had missed, such as between Lorimer and his wife, but this novel reads very well on its own. I really enjoyed the setting and the focus on the river in Glasgow.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy the European style of mysteries, with methodical plots that uncover the mystery layer by layer.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals
Published by: Witness Impulse
Publication Date: January 10th 2017
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 0062659138 (ISBN13: 9780062659132)
Series: A DCI Lorimer Novel, #4
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

PROLOGUE

April

THE RIVERMAN

The riverman knew all about the Clyde. Its tides and currents were part of his heritage. His father and others before him had launched countless small craft from the banks of the river in response to a cry for help. Nowadays that cry came in the form of a klaxon that could waken him from sleep, the mobile phone ringing with information about where and when. It wouldn’t be the first time that he’d pulled someone from the icy waters with only a hasty oilskin over his pajamas.
This morning, at least, he’d been up and doing when the call came. The body was over by Finnieston, past the weir, so he’d had to drive over the river towing a boat behind him on the trailer. He was always ready. That was what this job was all about: prompt and speedy response in the hope that some poor sod’s life could be saved. And he’d saved hundreds over the years, desperate people who were trying to make up their mind to jump off one of the many bridges that spanned the Clyde or those who had made that leap and been saved before the waters filled their lungs.
George Parsonage had been brought up to respect his river. Once it had been the artery of a great beating heart, traffic thronging its banks, masts thick as brush-wood. The tobacco trade with Virginia had made Glasgow flourish all right, with the preaching of commerce and the praising of a New World that was ripe for plucking. The names of some city streets still recalled those far-off days. Even in his own memory, the Clyde had been a byword for ships. As a wee boy, George had been taken to the launch of some of the finer products of Glasgow’s shipbuilding industry. But even then the river’s grandeur was fading. He’d listened to stories about the grey hulks that grew like monsters from the deep, sliding along the water, destined for battle, and about the cruise liners sporting red funnels that were cheered off their slipways, folk bursting with pride to be part of this city with its great river.
The romance and nostalgia had persisted for decades after the demise of shipbuilding and cross-river ferries. Books written about the Clyde’s heyday still found readers hankering after a time that was long past. The Glasgow Garden Festival in the eighties had prompted some to stage a revival along the river and more recently there had been a flurry of activity as the cranes returned to erect luxury flats and offices on either side of its banks. Still, there was little regular traffic upon its sluggish dark waters: a few oarsmen, a private passenger cruiser and the occasional police launch. Few saw what the river was churning up on a daily basis.
As he pushed the oars against the brown water, the riverman sent up a silent prayer for guidance. He’d seen many victims of despair and violence, and constantly reminded himself that each one was a person like himself with hopes, dreams and duties in different measure. If he could help, he would. That was what the Glasgow Humane Society existed for, after all. The sound of morning traffic roared above him as he made his way downstream. The speed of response was tempered by a need to row slowly and carefully once the body was near. Even the smallest of eddies could tip the body, filling the air pocket with water and sending it down and down to the bottom of the river. So, as George Parsonage approached the spot where the body floated, his oars dipped as lightly as seabirds’ wings, his eyes fixed on the shape that seemed no more than a dirty smudge against the embankment.
The riverman could hear voices above but his eyes never left the half-submerged body as the boat crept nearer and nearer. At last he let the boat drift, oars resting on the rowlocks as he finally drew alongside the river’s latest victim. George stood up slowly and bent over, letting the gunwales of the boat dip towards the water. Resting one foot on the edge, he hauled the body by its shoulders and in one clean movement brought it in. Huge ripples eddied away from the side as the boat rocked upright, its cargo safely aboard.
The victim was a middle-aged man. He’d clearly been in the water for some hours so there was no question of trying to revive him. The riverman turned the head this way and that, but there was no sign of a bullet hole or any wound that might indicate a sudden, violent death. George touched the sodden coat lightly. Its original camel colour was smeared and streaked with the river’s detritus, the velvet collar an oily black. Whoever he had been, his clothes showed signs of wealth. The pale face shone wet against the pearly pink light of morning. For an instant George had the impression that the man would sit up and grasp his hand, expressing his thanks for taking him out of the water, as so many had done before him. But today no words would be spoken.There would be only a silent communion between the two men, one dead and one living, before other hands came to examine the corpse.
George grasped the oars and pulled away from the embankment. Only then did he glance upwards, nodding briefly as he identified the men whose voices had sounded across the water. DCI Lorimer caught his eye and nodded back. Up above the banking a couple of uniformed officers stood looking down. Even as he began rowing away from the shore, the riverman noticed a smaller figure join the others. Dr. Rosie Fergusson had arrived.
‘Meet you at the Finnieston steps, George,’ Lorimer called out.
The riverman nodded briefly, pulling hard on the oars, taking his charge on its final journey down the Clyde.
Excerpt from The Riverman by Alex Gray. Copyright © 2017 by Alex Gray. Reproduced with permission from HarperCollins | WitnessImpulse. All rights reserved.

Author Bio:

Alex Gray was born and educated in Glasgow. After studying English and Philosophy at the University of Strathclyde, she worked as a visiting officer for the Department of Health, a time she looks upon as postgraduate education since it proved a rich source of character studies. She then trained as a secondary school teacher of English.
Alex began writing professionally in 1993 and had immediate success with short stories, articles, and commissions for BBC radio programs. She has been awarded the Scottish Association of Writers' Constable and Pitlochry trophies for her crime writing.
A regular on the Scottish bestseller lists, she is the author of thirteen DCI Lorimer novels. She is the co-founder of the international Scottish crime writing festival, Bloody Scotland, which had its inaugural year in 2012.

Connect with Alex Gray on her Website & on Twitter.

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 I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Eden The Animals' Parable by Keith Korman Giveaway

Korman has crafted a fictional account of some of the gospel events as seen though the eyes of animals, especially a dog. Eden is a faithful follower of Jesus and is near to see and hear what Jesus experienced and taught. Imagined events and conversations have been added, including supposed dialog.

As is often the case when fictionalizing the gospels, there are a few instances of straying from the gospel accounts. Matthew 26:15 says Judas asked for payment to betray Jesus. Korman portrays Judas as a troubled man who, after a conversation with the chief priests, finds the bag of silver outside the doors in a blind alley. Matthew 27:5 says Judas threw the money into the temple before hanging himself. In this novel, the bag of silver is found at the feet of Judas' hanging body. John 19:14b tells us Pilate told the Jews, “Here is your king.” Korman has the son of Herod the Great saying it. Also, after Jesus experienced the temptation in the wilderness, He is described as “beaten.” I would have rather had Jesus described as victorious. Those may not be earth shaking deviations from the gospel accounts but I did find them disconcerting.

Readers who are familiar with the gospel accounts may enjoy this tale. It gives a different slant and interpretation of many of the events. I found it off just enough from the gospel accounts to be distracting. The use of “thee” and “thou” on occasion was odd too. I did appreciate the thought provoking portrayal of the Hollow Man, a shadowing figure sowing evil in the hearts of Judas and the crowd. I would not recommend this book to those unfamiliar with the biblical gospel accounts.

You can find out more about the book and its animals at https://www.edentheanimalsparable.com/.

I am participating in a blog tour of this book. You can find other reviews here.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

Keith Korman is an American literary agent and novelist.

Liberty Island Media, 183 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Litfuse. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Finishing School by Cary Tennis and Danelle Morton

If you are like me, you have various unfinished writing projects in notebooks, tucked away in bottom drawers. You may have even been a part of a writing group, as I was. Yet the works remain unfinished.

Reading Finishing School has inspired me and made me believe there is hope to finish projects I have started. I know I can set aside a realistic number of hours a week and set achievable goals. The next week I can report on what I did or didn't accomplish and set realistic goals for the coming week.

Writers have so many obstacles to finishing. The authors have identified six major ones: doubt, shame, yearning, fear, judgment, and arrogance. They help identify the emotions underlying these blocks. I can recognize them and release them, getting back to work. This book helped me to not believe in those awful things I tell myself. (“I'm a terrible writer.” “I'll never get published.”)

The finishing school idea came out of a class to help writers with unfinished projects. Participants would get together once a week, not to critique their writing, but to focus totally on the commitment to write. The idea was accountability without judgment. The authors, one the teacher and the other a class participant, share here their ideas and experiences revolving around the concept.

We are given practical suggestions for forming our own “Finishing School for Two,” including finding a buddy to help with our accountability. I am encouraged that the concept is that of being committed to writing, not to critiquing the material produced. (The authors do include, however, how to benefit from a critique.)

I really appreciated the section on the six obstacles to finishing. I could identify with several of them and learned how to work through them to get back to writing. I was surprised but encouraged to use whatever is in my head. “This is the great power of being a writer, that anything that comes in our heads, however screwed up or crazy it is, can be used as material.”

I recommend this book to all of those writers out there with unfinished projects. This book gives a realistic framework within which you can make progress. It gives you the resources you need to break through those blocks and set realistic writing goals. You'll also be encouraged by the personal writing experiences the authors share.

You can find out more about the book and the technique at https://finishingschoolbook.com/.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Cary Tennis wrote an advice column for Salon.com for ten years. He created the Finishing School method and helps others through his writing workshops and retreats.

Danelle Morton is a journalist and the coauthor of fifteen books. She has worked for The New York Times and People. She has been a finalist for the PEN/USA Literary Nonfiction Award and the ASME magazine award in the public interest category.

TarcherPerigree, 272 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Taking My God For a Walk by Tony Collins

Why would someone take a month out of a busy and productive life and walk 490 miles on a sometimes treacherous path in all kinds of weather?

Collins decided to make such a pilgrimage, the route of the Camino, the Way of St. James, a path for pilgrims for over a thousand years. He had found his spiritual life suffered from distraction. A suggestion by a friend seized his imagination and his journey was born.

Collins shares his halting steps at changing his thinking, of getting away from a schedule and the compulsion of productivity. He writes about the people he met, the conditions at night, his equipment, the history of the places, the shrines. He highlights the times of solitude and the ones of camaraderie. He reveals his own introspection and what he learned on the journey.

“One of the joys of the Camino, I think, is to meet so many folk who have refused to sit down by the waters and weep – or, having wept, have climbed to their feet once more. I heard some distressing stories along the Way. But I didn't meet any victims.” (202)

We live in a noisy world. Sometimes, Collins writes, we use that noise as a drug. It keeps us from having to think, to consider our place in the world. Going on this pilgrimage taught him much about his life. “I have eschewed peace and contemplation,” he writes. (157) Unlike a vacation, this journey forced him to evaluate his life, to be a solitary individual in a world where solitude is rare.

I recommend this book to those interested in pilgrimage. You'll find out why some have done pilgrimages historically and why people still do them today. You'll traverse the miles with Collins and meet other pilgrims. You'll also learn quite a bit about Collins himself, both the past and present.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Tony Collins has spent more than 40 years publishing books and magazines and has started several imprints, including Monarch Books.

Monarch Books, distributed in the U.S. by Kregel, 256 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kregel. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Restoring Love by Jennifer Slattery

Slattery has crafted a heart tugging novel that invites us into the very real world of Christians struggling to live out their Christian lives.

The main character is Angela, a recent Christian with a dark past. She had been down and out, the result of a number of poor choices. With the help of her godly daughter and son-in-law, Angela managed to finish her degree and was looking forward to a belated career in education.

Angela is a great character study, a new Christian without much knowledge about living in her new Christian environment. Most startling were her clothes. Angela wore her old clothes until she finally figured out they were no longer appropriate for a woman her age nor for her work.

Angela encounters the troubled family across the street. Bianca and her children are trying to make do with less than enough money to live on. I liked how Angela tentatively reached out to the family. There is a lesson there for us all.

Angela also encounters a man, the source of the bit of romance in the novel. While a committed Christian, he also has his problems. Like Angela, Mitch is a well crafted character, a Christian with problems from his past that must be worked out today.

The only aspect of the novel I thought was less than what I expected was the end. Relationships and living conditions were suddenly fixed without going through the messy work necessary for such a resolution.

I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy a character driven novel, concentrating on character growth. You'll be reminded of those who may live across the street from you, desperately needing the gospel wrapped in a helping hand.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Jennifer Slattery is the author of several inspirational contemporary novels and the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries. She writes Christian Living articles for Crosswalk.com and devotions for her blog, https://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com/ and Internet Cafe Devotions. She oversees the social media aspect of Takin' It To The Streets, a ministry to the working poor and homeless of Omaha.

New Hope Publishers, 324 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

7 Days to Change Your Life by Josh Moody

Moody wrote this book for people who are tired or disappointed in their Christian walk. He wants us to rethink our walk and where we want to go. The idea is to use the book as a spiritual tune-up. He explores the seven “follow me” statements Jesus made in Matthew.

This book did not turn out to be what I had expected based on the title. The book is very informative but it did not encourage me to change my life. Moody gave me a great deal of information but did not provide the encouragement to nor the practical means of changing my spiritual life.

Moody does a good job of describing what our Christian life could be if we really followed Jesus. “Work can be done for the Lord,” he writes, “as the Bible teaches: in fact, work should be done for the Lord.” But we are not invited to do so nor are we given suggestions to see that happen. In the section on freedom, he writes, “In Christ, and by his Spirit, we have the freedom to break those habits...” Yet we are never given practical suggestions to have it happen. “One of the reasons why so much of our Christian faith feels so limp is because we are not called upon to be faithful to death.” Moody never asks that of us in this book either.

An issue I have with the subject of the book concerns what it really means to follow Jesus. “Discipleship is fundamentally about following Jesus...,” Moody writes. “Discipleship is responding to Jesus' call, 'Come, follow me,' with a yes and then actually following him.” It means to stop what we were doing and start doing what he is doing. Unless I am mistaken, Jesus is sitting on the right hand of the Father. Moody does mention following Jesus' example of actions while he was on earth, such as eating with sinners. But how can we possibly do what Jesus is doing now?

And what about the rest of the New Testament? What about instructions from Paul and Peter and John and James on living the Christian life? Can we really be disciples without paying attention to the rest of the teaching in the New Testament?

Moody writes, “If only we could find the thrill again of who Jesus is and what he can do with us and through us...” I really thought that was the idea of reading this book.

Moody uses many illustrations from and makes allusions to movies, music, television programs, Narnia, and the military. This book might be better suited to a younger audience familiar with contemporary movies and music than this senior citizen who is not.

This is a book about following Jesus not really a passionate invitation to do so. There is a good description in the book as to what a revitalized Christian life looks like. Readers will just have to find their own motivation to change and practical suggestions as to how to do it.

I recommend this book to readers who would like an intellectual exploration of what a true Christian faith walk might look like.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Josh Moody (Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is the senior pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois.

Abingdon, 256 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Authentic Living by Richard Exley

Exley's goal in creating this devotional was to renew our minds and transform the way we live. He distinguishes the intellectual and practical aspects of the Christian life and tries to address both. Each devotion includes a writing from Exley, a relevant verse, and a prayer. The devotions are short by design so they can be read in under five minutes. Exley covers a variety of topics and generally has a few readings on each topic. Some topics he returns to several times, such as prayer and money.

I would not identify these devotionals as intellectually deep nor particularly challenging. They would be suitable for new Christians or for Christians who have not read many intellectually challenging books on the Christian faith. Exley draws from books he has read, movies he's seen, and from Bible stories, such as Ruth and Joshua.

The devotions vary in quality and originality. The entire devotion for October 7, for example, is a quote from a blog he read. In one devotion, Exley tells the often repeated illustration of the high wire artist crossing Niagara Falls asking for volunteers to ride in his wheelbarrow. Potential readers should also be aware that Exley defends his pre-trib rapture view (June 4) and refers to his own charismatic experiences.

I found some of the entries repetitive, literally. For example, in the devotion for January 12, Exley writes about money, “I think money should come with a printed warning: 'Danger: Handle with Care!' Or better yet, 'Danger: Handle with Prayer!'” Then on August 6, “As I've said before, I think money should come with a printed warning: 'Danger: Handle with Care!' Or better yet, 'Danger: Handle with Prayer!'”

These devotions offer good general encouragement to keep at our Christian walk, especially for new Christians. Seasoned Christians may find the devotionals less challenging than others they have read over the years, as I did.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Richard Exley has been a pastor, conference and retreat speaker, as well as radio broadcaster. He has written more than thirty books. You can ind out more at www.richardexleyministries.org and www.richardexleybooks.com.

Worthy Publishing, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Death in the Shadows by Paul McCusker

This is the second novel in the Father Gilbert series. As with the first in the series, the novel got off to a slow start. A little past halfway through, however, and I was hooked.

Father Gilbert is in Englesea to attend a church conference. The body of a young woman, probably of Chinese descent, had been found in a dumpster. Gilbert recognizes the detective on the case as one he knew when he worked at Scotland Yard. He decides to get in touch and before long is deeply involved in an investigation revolving around murder and human trafficking.

McCuscker has done a good job creating a British mystery. The plot is methodical as Gilbert uncovers layers of deception in between participating in panel discussions at the conference. There is not much suspense but I liked the twists in the plot.

Father Gilbert is an unusual character in that he sees apparitions. Some Christian readers may not like this idea, not believing in “ghosts.” There is much more to these apparitions, however. Gilbert had once given a homily “about how our spiritual sensitivities were like antennae: the Holy Spirit giving us the equipment to lock into God's signal so we could be completely tuned to Him.” (145) But Gilbert had never expected to receive signals from the dead. I liken the apparitions to the event in Genesis where God says Abel's blood cries out from the ground (Gen. 4:10). I looked at the apparitions as murdered people crying out for justice.

The heart wrenching theme that runs through this novel is human trafficking. We learn quite a bit about how young women are taken and forced into the sex trade. Threats about family members or other means are used to keep them there. This was disturbing reading. I want to not believe it exists but the author has added a list of several organizations working to stop such evil practices.

The novel got off to a slow start for me. It wasn't until a little over half way through that the intensity of the plot line grabbed me. I am glad I stuck with it. Besides being a good mystery, this novel gave me much to think about with respect to human trafficking and what is being done about it. I'll be looking for the next in the series, expecting another thought provoking mystery.

You can read my review of the first book in this series, The Body Under the Bridge, here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Paul McCusker is an award winning novelist and dramatist and creative director at Focus on the Family. He has written for Adventures in Odyssey and helped create Focus on the Family Radio Theatre. He lives on Colorado. You can find out more at http://www.paulmccusker.com/.

Lion Fiction (distributed in the U.S. by Kregel), 320 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.