Book Review – Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks

By Ian Acheson - @achesonian

BLURB

Gwen Marcey has done a good job keeping the pain of her past boxed up. But as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details keep surfacing that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas. She doesn’t believe in coincidences. So what’s going on here?

No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nez Perce people of Lapwai. Gwen finds herself an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation even more difficult. The questions keep piling up, but answers are slow in coming—and the clock is ticking for a missing little girl. Meanwhile, Gwen’s ex-husband is threatening to take sole custody of their daughter.

As Gwen’s past and present collide, she’s in a desperate race for the truth. Because only truth will ensure she still has a future.

MY REVIEW

This was a challenging story as there were many different plot points to it. The serial killer, the connection to Gwen’s upbringing, the separate issue of her parents (who were they, why’d they die, what they were investigating, what were their names), the dam incident and the possible romantic link between Gwen and Seth. The story sure kept me on my toes. And then there was the suspense that made sure I was never at ease when reading it.

I find Carrie’s 1st person style engrossing and Gwen Marcey is such a remarkable character that it’s very easy to cheer her on. Gwen is so real and vulnerable, she makes mistakes. I love that. So many authors (myself included) don’t allow our characters to make mistakes. And Beth – she is such a good sidekick. And their friendship is delightful to watch. Seth was very real too.

The pace was good. I always felt I had to be alert and on my toes to keep abreast of all that was going on and with all the plot twists I certainly was never bored and there were one or two plot twists that surprised me including one relating to a key character.

I also particularly appreciated the setting being The Nez Perce Indian Reservation that added a strong flavour to the story.

I didn’t want this story to end and I so hope Gwen, Beth and Winston make another appearance. I believe there’s plenty of legs left in the Gwen Marcey series. This is the second I’ve read after the “A Cry from the Dust” and I’ve loved both. Principally because of Gwen, she is simply such a great character. I’d like to see her on TV. Her vulnerability, her honesty about breast cancer, prosthetic breasts, divorce struggles, mothering struggles, her forensic skills and so on. Just brilliant.

You don't have to have read any of the preceding 3 stories (I've only read one) to be thoroughly captivated by Gwen Marcey and her best mate, Beth. Give one of them a try, you won't be disappointed.

BTW, “Portrait’ recently won the Carol for Best Mystery/Suspense/Thriller to add to its INSPY from earlier in the year.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook pageand Twitter

Introducing the Best Christian Fiction of 2015

Ever wondered what to read during these long, cold winter nights? 

It's award season in Christian fiction publishing right now, so today we're bringing you the winners from five (yes, five) awards for published authors, as judged by authors and publishing professionals (the Christy and RITA awards for inspirational fiction), and by readers and bloggers (the Grace, INSPY, and Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards).

Christy Awards

The Christy Awards are named for Christy, the groundbreaking novel by Catherine Marshall, who wrote over two dozen books which have sold in excess of 25 million copies. The awards were established in 1999 to honour and promote excellence in Christian fiction, and to showcase the diversity of Christian fiction genres.

The 2016 winners are:

Book of the Year and Visionary

The Five Times I Met Myself by James L. Rubart

Contemporary

The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate

Contemporary Romance/Suspense

The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck

Contemporary Series

Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth K. Vogt

First Novel

Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason

Historical

Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke

Historical Romance

Luther and Katharina by Jody Hedlund

Suspense

Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock

Young Adult

The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker

The RITA® Awards

The RITA® Awards are run by Romance Writers of America, and are named after the organisation’s first president, Rita Clay Estrada. The Awards are specifically for romance novels, in a range of sub-genres (including Inspirational) and lengths (including long, short and novella).

Inspirational Romance

A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter

Historical Romance – Long

Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist (Howard Books)

The Grace Awards

The Grace Awards were established in 2010 to “expand the tent pegs of Christian fiction”. They allow traditionally published and self-published novels, and make no distinction between paper or digital formats: anyone can enter, as long as the book is Christian Fiction. The 2106 winners were:

Womens Fiction/General Fiction

Annabelle’s Ruth by Betty Thomason Owens

Romance/Historical Romance

Bridge Of Faith by Catherine West

Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller/Historic Suspense

Trial By Twelve by Heather Day Gilbert

Speculative Fiction

Storming by K. M. Weiland

Action-Adventure/Western/Epic Fiction

Saving Eric by Joan Deneve

Young Adult

To Get To You by Joanne Bischof

The 2016 INSPY Awards

The INSPY Awards were established in 2010, and is described as the Bloggers’ Award for Excellence in Faith-Driven Literature. The INSPY Awards are only open to print books from a publishing house (be it a large traditional house, a small press, or a micropress).

Contemporary Romance / Romantic Suspense

The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer

Debut Fiction

Jaded by Varina Denman

General Fiction

Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke

Historical Romance

Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin

Young Adult

An Uncertain Choice by Jody Hedlund

Mystery/Thriller

The Bones Will Speak by Carrie Stuart Parks

Speculative Fiction

The Shock Of Night by Patrick Carr

2016 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award Winners

The IRCA is run by the Faith, Hope and Love Chapter of Romance Writers of America.

Long Contemporary

Together With You by Victoria Bylin

Long Historical

To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander

Short Contemporary

Second Chance Reunion by Merrillee Whren

Short Historical

Out of the Ashes by Sandi Rog

Romantic Suspense

Gone Without a Trace by Patricia Bradley

Women’s Fiction

Ties That Bind by Cindy Woodsmall

Novella

Daughters of the Wind by DiAnn Mills


Congratulations to all these authors from those of us here at Australasian Christian Writers!

Readers (and writers): there are some great authors on these lists, so check one out and tell us what you think.

Book Review: Thief of Glory by Signmund Brower

By Iola Goulton

Thief of Glory was a finalist for the Historical Romance section of the Christy Awards, and a finalist in the General Fiction section of the INSPY Awards, for which I was one of three blogger judges. As I read Thief of Glory, I could well understand why it had been selected as a finalist (although perhaps not as a romance …). But while the Christy Award judges honoured Thief of Glory with not just the category prize but the coveted Novel of the Year, we awarded the INSPY Award for General Fiction to Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke, another novel centred around a child during World War II.

Why? Were we wrong? Is Thief of Glory actually the better book?

While I can’t speak for my fellow judges, I can certainly share my views—because I have been thinking about it. A lot.

What did the Christy judges see that we missed? That I missed?

I don’t know what criteria the Christy Awards are judged on, so some of this is mere speculation. What I can tell you is that the Christy Awards are judged by the industry—writers, publishers and editors—while the INPSPY Awards are judged by bloggers who read and review Christian fiction.

And that, I think, is the reason for the difference: writers vs. readers.

Thief of Glory opens with this weird prologue. I have to admit I skimmed it, because it didn’t seem to have anything to do with the description of the book, which was set in a Japanese internment camp in the Dutch East Indies during World War II (think Tenko).

It’s written in the first person, and shows the horrors of the camp system through the eyes of an intelligent yet mischievous ten-year-old boy. This viewpoint is one of the book’s huge strengths. The women and children of the camp face many physical, emotional and spiritual trials, many of which are downplayed because the narrator obviously doesn’t understand the implications of the events he witnesses.

I was truly impressed by the voice, the characters, the plot, the voice (yes, that impressed). Halfway through the book I was convinced I’d found the INSPY winner. It was an original plot, an original setting, and while the Christian aspects were understated, I thought they were all the more powerful for that: the women in this camp didn’t talk about Christianity. They lived it, under the most dire circumstances, facing dirt, deprivation and degradation in their daily battle for survival. I felt for these women, and I admired the camp children for their ability to find childlike joy in even simple things.

But …

But. (And I’m sorry, but I can’t explain this without giving a spoiler.)

Three-quarters of the way through the book, the tone changed. All of a sudden we were no longer in 1940’s Dutch East Indies, but in present-day America, in the mind of I didn’t know who. It turned out we were in the mind of the same boy only seventy years later, and he is now in the grip of Alzheimer’s. That’s not an easy place to be—it felt like a whole new story, and it took too long for me to get into the mind of this new-old character who wasn’t quite in his right mind himself. And that’s where Thief of Glory lost me.

I suspect what lost me is what the Christy judges saw as outstanding: a novel with two entirely different points of view, both equally convincing, and both the same character—the same character, separated by the years of life. From a writing craft perspective, it’s brilliant. A brilliant concept, brilliantly conceived and brilliantly executed. I really did feel I was in the mind of a man who was losing his mind. And the author used this old man to tie up all the loose ends of the plot in a manner that was--yes--brilliant.

But that same writing I can admire from a craft perspective simply lost me as a reader. I didn’t understand the change in point of view. I didn’t understand it was the same character (at first). I didn’t understand why we had to leave this fascinating character in an original and realistic setting and watch this old man argue with some woman. From that three-quarter point, I struggled. I’d thought the first three-quarters were outstanding, worthy of winning, but this last bit?

No.

And that’s why I couldn’t support Thief of Glory to win the INSPY: because three-quarters of an outstanding book isn’t enough. Yes, while I can now look back and see the technical brilliance of it, at the time, my reader self felt cheated, and I had to force myself to keep reading. That’s not good.

If you read Thief of Glory, it’s more than likely you won’t have this reaction … because I’ve just told you the spoiler. If you know to expect it, you might appreciate the writing craft in the way the Christy judges obviously did, rather than having the negative reaction I had (and I know I’m not alone in feeling this way—I’ve seen other readers and reviewers make similar comments). I would note that it is worth reading to the end, because the last ten per cent tied up all the loose ends and did leave me with a sense of completion.

But reader me didn’t like it. And that’s why I voted for Saving Amelie. Because while the writing in Thief of Glory may have been stronger, the story didn’t keep me engaged all the way through.

Thanks to the publishers for providing free ebooks for the INSPY judges.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction, and you can find out more about my services at my website, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest  or Tsu.

I love reading, and read and review around 150 Christian books each year on my blog. I'm a Top 25 Reviewer at Christian Book, in the Top 1% of reviewers at Goodreads, and have an Amazon Reviewer Rank that floats around 2500.

What are the INPSY Awards and why are they unique?

 
By Dorothy Adamek

It’s nomination time for the 2015 INSPY Awards, so I thought we should take a closer look at this prize for the very best in Christian literature.

Five years ago, the INSPYs were created to “select and showcase books with the highest literary standards that grapple with the Christian faith and were designed to help readers in their search for the preeminent faith-inspired literature of today. This program is organized and judged by book bloggers who have considerable experience and knowledge of books published for both the CBA and general markets.”

Books may be nominated in these following categories:

•                Debut Novel

•                General Fiction

•                Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense

•                Historical Romance

•                Speculative Fiction

•                Mystery & Thriller

•                Literature for Young Adults

Australia’s Rel Mollet is one of the book bloggers who’s been involved in the awards from the very beginning. Here’s what she had to share about the INPSY Awards in a recent interview.

Dotti ~ You've been involved with the INSPY Awards since their inception. Why did you pioneer this award and how has it met your vision? 

Rel ~ A blogging friend of mine, Amy Riley, championed the idea for an award that recognised books that wrestled with faith issues, not limiting nominated books to those published by the recognised Christian publishers. As described on the INSPYs website we wanted to discover and share “the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith.”

Most of the Christian literature awards for fiction, only allow novels published by recognised Christian publishers. Unfortunately, that excluded many wonderful stories published in the general market, or even by authors who may not profess Christian faith but who have penned stories that highlight the truths of Christianity. This is not an industry award, but one established and supported by the many fabulous book bloggers out there who don’t have a vested interest in anything other than great storytelling.

Thus the INSPYs were born. Have we met our vision? Partially. We would love to see more general market books nominated not to the exclusion of those released by Christian publishers but to show that fabulous faith literature exists in both “worlds” and both have tremendously talented writers releasing great stories.

Dotti ~ Who is allowed to enter as author, and who can apply to enter as judge?  

Rel ~ Taking the easy way to answer this question, here’s our book criteria for the 2015 Awards:

The book must have been published in print in the United States between January 1st, 2014 and December 31st, 2014.

Reissues, self-published books and eBooks are not eligible.

The book must possess exceptional literary qualities including but not limited to: innovative, original writing, and depth of characterization.

The book must respectfully grapple with some element of the Christian faith.

The book must not have excessive profanity or explicit sex scenes.

Simply put, to apply to be a judge, you must be a blogger who reviews books!

You can discover the full criteria here. 

Dotti ~ How are entries nominated?

Rel ~ Anyone can nominate a book for an INSPY Award, except the author themselves. Nominations are made by completing a form on our website. 

As this is a blogger award, we work hard to encourage bloggers and readers to nominate stories that have impacted them in significant ways.

Dotti ~ Would you ever reconsider allowing self-published books into the competition?

Rel ~ Initially we did not allow self-published books to be nominated. Due to multiple requests we allowed self-published books to be nominated a few years ago. Unfortunately, the standard of the significant majority of the self-published books was poor and none made the shortlists. Self-published books have come a long way since then and there are many high quality self-published novels that deserve recognition. That said, the Advisory Board consists of 5 members, all volunteers, who commit to reading all nominated books in a few short months. This year we have around 150 books to read in order to create shortlists of 5 books per category. We simply do not have the time or the resources to cope with the influx of nominated books that would occur should we reopen the INSPYs to self-published books at this time.

Fortunately, the Grace Awards exist for that purpose so we direct all self-published writers to their nomination process.

 
Dotti ~ Thanks, Rel. What a marvelous achievement to showcase and recognize some of the most deserving stories. Thanks for your commitment to quality storytelling. 

Rel Mollet, a founding member of the INSPY Awards, has been blogging since late 2006 at Relz Reviewz, her site dedicated to showcasing Christian Fiction and its writers, by way of reviews, author interviews, character spotlights, and more. Her passion for the written word was established from the moment she could read, now evidenced by overflowing bookcases and a towering TBR pile. A Book Club Coordinator for over a decade, a correspondent for FamilyFiction’s digital magazine and contributing writer for Novel Crossing and TitleTrakk.com, Rel resides in Melbourne, Australia with her movie-loving husband and three book loving daughters.

For our readers... 

What book have you read in the last 12 months which ‘grapples with the Christian faith’ in a way you believe deserves nomination?

What do you think a story needs to stand above the rest and deserve such an award?

*****

 

Dorothy Adamek lives in Melbourne with her Beloved and their three gorgeous kids. 

She's the winner of the 2013 FHL ~ Touched By Love Competition, and the 2104 Inspirational Category Winner of the TARA Writing Contest. 

Enamoured by all things 19th century, she writes The Heartbeat of Yesteryear, Historical Romance - Aussie style. Come say G'day at her blog, Ink Dots.