The Bishop by Steven James

                                  Book description:

FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers's cutting-edge 21st-century geospatial investigative techniques and impeccable logic have helped him track some of the country's most grisly killers. But those skills are pushed to the limit in this new installment of the highly-acclaimed, award-winning The Bowers Files series. This time it's a congressman's daughter who is found dead even as her killers launch a spree of perfect murders in the Northeast. With nothing to link the crimes to each other, Agent Bowers faces his most difficult case yet--even as his personal life begins to crumble around him. Known for his intricately woven, masterfully plotted novels of high-octane action and spine-tingling suspense, Steven James delivers once again. The Bishop is a gripping, adrenaline-laced story for readers who are tired of timid thrillers. Strap on your seatbelt and get ready for a wild ride. The game is on.

My review:

I'm not a big fan of first person point of view books - never have been. That said, I have enjoyed this series the most of any of that type that I have read. It may help that the author switches back and forth between first and third point of view, or it could be because they are so well-written.

This book, and the 3 that come before it, are not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of action, suspense, mystery, and violence, although as the author states, some of that is left to the reader's imagination. Despite the first person point of view, this series ranks right up there with my favorite suspense/mystery books.

This book, The Bishop, is the fourth book in the Patrick Bowers Thriller Series, or the "Chess Pieces Mysteries", as I like to refer to them since all of the books have the name of a chess piece. The books have only gotten better the further the series has gone, and this book is no different - even better than the last.

I like the characters in these books, especially the hero of the story, Patrick Bowers, and the reader gets to know him better as each book comes out. In this book, he is faced with one of his most puzzling and dangerous cases yet. I read the prologue before lunch - a mistake, for I was drawn back to the book after lunch, and next thing I knew, I was set on finishing it, so yes, this book gets my read in one sitting nod.

I not only enjoy suspense and mystery, but I also enjoy reading about how investgations are done - the way they figure things out, how they examine crime scenes and put things together, and this book - and series - has a lot of that.

I have one complaint with the series - though classified as Christian fiction, there is not much mention of God, and the main character doesn't seem to be a Christian. This book did skirt around the topic of Christianity and God a little, but I do miss that in a Christian book. However, the books are clean, curse-free, and are a very entertaining read. I highly recommend not only The Bishop, but the whole series, which I would recommend reading in order.

About the author:

Critically acclaimed author Steven James has written more than twenty books, including the bestselling thriller series The Bowers Files. One of the nation's most innovative storytellers, Steven developed his skill as a performer at East Tennessee State University (MA in storytelling). He lives in Tennessee with his wife and three daughters.

More on the series and main character here: http://patrickbowers.com/
The Bishop will be available from Revell Publishing on August 1.

Thanks to Revell for the review copy.