Another Great Book and Giveaway!

UPDATE - WINNER! Random Integer Generator
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5
Timestamp: 2009-03-31 19:06:40 UTC
Congrats to Patrice, winner of the book! Please email me your address and I'll send it your way!

I have another great book to tell you about, along with an autographed copy fresh from the Christian Book Expo for one of you!

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Real Enemy
David C. Cook (March 2009)
by
Kathy Herman


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.

She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.

Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she's added thirteen more titles to her credit, including another bestseller, All Things Hidden.

Kathy's husband Paul is her best friend and most ardent supporter and manages the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five adorable grandkids, a cat named Samantha—and an ongoing fascination with hummingbirds. They also enjoy world travel, deep sea fishing, stargazing, and bird watching and sometimes incorporate all these hobbies into one big adventure.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Brill Jessup just became the first female police chief in Sophie Trace, Tennessee, and is riding on the credentials of a stellar eighteen-year career on the Memphis police force. She may be a pro at finding clues, but she tends to ignore the obvious in her personal life. And she would rather work than deal with the bitterness she feels about her husband Kurt's infidelity. Kurt, is weighed down by her unrelenting anger as he struggles to let God redeem the stupidest mistake he ever made. He is genuinely contrite and making every effort to show his commitment to Brill. But she hides behind her badge and her bitterness, deciding that moving her family away from Memphis is the only change she needs to make. So why can't Brill get over this anger?

Before she ever has time to unpack her boxes, people start disappearing. Lots of them. Seven people in seven days To complicate matters, a local legend has many residents believing that the cause is unearthly─tied to the “red shadows,” or spirits of the departed Cherokee who once inhabited the land.

While Brill draws on all of her experience and instinct to solve the case, she must confront an enemy that threatens everything she holds dear─one that cannot be stopped with a badge and a gun. She is forced to confront the real enemy.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Real Enemy, go HERE

MY THOUHTS:
It was such a pleasure to meet Kathy Herman at the Expo and take the picture above. I have enjoyed several of her books, and this one was no exception. I anguished for both Kurt and Brill in their marriage difficulties: for Kurt because he was truly heartbroken and repentent over a single lapse in judgment, and for Brill because she had experienced the devastating betrayal of infidelity -- and as a woman I totally get the difficulty she faced in forgiving and trusting Kurt. I appreciated how the book showed both sides of the situation; it was a great reminder that every relational difficulty has two sides, and generally both individuals share the blame and both experience hurt. The story of Brill's professional challenges added a multi-dimensional layer to the book, as she was determined not to fail as the new Chief of Police as she felt she had failed to keep her husband. The only thing I wish had been explored a bit more was Brill's realization of how easily one can land on the slippery slope that seemingly innocent friendship can lead to. I felt that she could have been a little more open and understanding of Kurt's downfall after one particular encounter she had. But that's just a very small part of the overall picture. The book is a great combination of a well-written mystery and a picture of marital restoration, and I highly recommend it.

GIVEAWAY!
And one of you will receive the very book that Kathy Herman is holding in the picture above! To enter, please leave a comment on this post by noon CDT tomorrow (Tuesday, 3/31) and I'll draw a name. Continental US residents only, please.

Happy, grace-filled reading!