**I previously reviewed this book in January of 2013. At that time, it was only available in e-book format. The book has just been released in paperback form, so at the request of Adam; I am re-posting the review with a giveaway of the paperback.
Water turns to blood. Flies and gnats attack the innocent. Marc and Gillian Thayer’s vacation resort becomes a grisly murder scene, with a killer using the ten plagues of Egypt as his playbook for revenge.
When their friend turns up dead, Marc and Gillian put their vacation on hold, enlist the help of a retired homicide detective, and take a closer look at the bizarre plagues as they escalate in intensity. Meanwhile, a stranger is after the Thayers’ newly adopted baby. Will they uncover the truth behind the bitter agenda before the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn son?
My review:
A few years ago, I was shopping with my best friend around the time of my birthday. We were in a Christian bookstore and he told me to pick out a few books and he'd buy them for my birthday. One of those books was Fatal Illusions by Adam Blumer. It was one of the best suspense novels I had ever read, hands down. I have gotten to know the author fairly well through his blog, facebook, etc, and he had asked me to review his new book, and I was happy to do so.
The Tenth Plague has the same main characters as in Fatal Illusions, which I liked, but it is not necessary to read them in order.
Some authors improve with each book, and that is the case here. Fatal Illusions was a really good read, but this book is even better. You can tell when an author has put a lot of thought and research into a book, and it shows in this book. There is a terrific plot that is complicated, yet not so much as to be over the reader's head. There is an evil man who is unleashing the ten plagues from the Old Testament on a Christian retreat center. I had an idea what the book was about before I started reading it, and wondered how Adam was going to do that. Its one thing to come up with a plot like this, but another to portray it in a reasonable way that though fictional, is also possible. He did a fine job of doing so.
The evening I sat down to the read the book, I fully intended to find a stopping place and go to bed. That didn't happen. I was up til 1 am that night finishing the book. This was a truly remarkable book. I love suspense, and it kept me on the edge of my seat and was a thrilling ride. And that thrilling ride was free from bad language and even graphic violence. Adam proves it is possible to write clean suspense that is just as gripping as the best out there on the market, and keep it Christ centered and bad language free. His blog is titled Meaningful Suspense, and that is a great description of his writing. Its great to come across authors like this who are writing to glorify God. And though this is a suspense novel, there is a strong Christian message in the book.
This is only Adam's second book, but it is one to be proud of. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel. It has it all: A great plot, a wonderful cast of characters, and a strong, but not preachy, Christian message.
Adam Blumer is the author of Fatal Illusions and The Tenth Plague. A print journalism major in college, he works as a freelance writer and editor after serving in editorial roles for more than twenty years. He lives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with his wife, Kim, and his daughters, Laura and Julia.
Check out Adam's blog, Meaningful Suspense.
Thanks to Adam for the review copy of The Tenth Plague.
The Tenth Plague is available from Kirkdale Press.
Giveaway:
Courtesy of the author, I have one copy of The Tenth Plague to give away. It is for a paperback copy of the book.
To enter: I am going to give a few ways to enter, and you can do any one of these. Comment and say which one you did:
Follow Adam on Twitter
"Like" Adam on Facebook
Go to his blog, and sign up for emails
Follow him on Goodreads.
Follow him on Amazon.
Comment on this post with something about the book, or go to his blog and read about his other book, Fatal Illusions; and comment that you did.
Using Random.org, I will pick one winner 2 weeks from today, April 22.
13 comments:
Awesome! Thank you.
Thank you!
I enjoyed this review and hope to read the book. Following on Facebook.
Cindy
Hi, Cindy
I hope you are able to win a copy! Thanks for entering the drawing.
I can't wait to read. I will request at my local library in the meantime as well as your first book. Good luck on your future writings.
I loved the first book :-) I already follow on FB, does that count?
Adam is a new-to-me author, but I'm very interested in reading Fatal Illusions and The Tenth Plague. I am putting these on my want-to-read list. Thank you for offering a copy of the latest book. I went ahead and did all 5 of the follows you mentioned. Looking forward to following this author.
Couldn't lay it down. There are a lot of good, clean books out there to read, but I can't say many of them are this well written. I like the way some of the characters were familiar from the first book, yet new ones were introduced as well. Best of all it kept me guessing, which is the mark of a good mystery! Thanks for a second great read! Can't wait for another!
I have followed him on Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and Goodreads. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
Followed him on Goodreads and Amazon and Twitter, and liked him on Facebook. I just finished with his release party on FB, and his book sounds fascinating! I love the notion of history behind it, but it also seems like a fantastically interesting story, and I can wait to read it.
Hey, KimM, I love to connect with new readers. I hope you are able to read my books.
Thanks, Grandma D, you're such a great cheerleader for authors like me!
Thanks, Ashley! I hope you win a copy. I think you'll enjoy it.
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