Notable author: Creston Mapes

  Most of these posts I do are about new authors I discover and whose books I enjoy. Creston Mapes is an author I read several years ago. I read and reviewed all 3 books in his Crittendon Files Series back in 2013-2014.

 I just re-read the series this week, and wow. I forgot how good the series is. No offense to the author or publisher, but the original covers were the kind that brings the quote "don't judge a book by its cover" to mind - especially #1. The other two were pretty decent.  But I really love the new covers. (Old covers below). Another thing cool about these books are the setting: Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio areas. I am a buckeye, so that was cool. :)

I decided to buy the new covers, and ordered #1. Amazon sent me a different cover - not the oldest, but not the one I want. So I may forget that idea.

There are a couple of things about the books that make them a bit different than other books: #1 The couple in the book are already married with a couple of kids. And #2: The series features and revolves around a guy. All too often even books written by male authors still center on a female. It is nice when I read a book that actually centers on a guy. (And nothing against women. The Christian fiction market is just so geared towards female readers.)

After I finished that series, I found myself wondering why I had never read anything else by him. I know he has a newer series that he started in 2019, so I checked it out. Signs of Life is a 6 book series, with the first book having the same name as the series. I read the first book, and I am impressed. This guy can write.

The book starts on the evening of a mass shooting. One of the main characters is a detective a few years from retirement. The other main character is a 40 year old man whose wife was killed in the shooting. The chapters alternate between the two men. The chapters featuring the detective starts the evening of the shooting with he interrogating the shooter and investigating everything to do with him. The chapters with the other guy start several months after the shooting with him trying to deal with losing his wife in such a terrible way.

The author did a great job of portraying the mind and emotions of a man who lost his wife in such a horrific way. 

I just finished the 5th book last night, and it is an amazing series. The author addresses current themes and issues. This series is set in Portland, Oregon, and has the riots and all that going on. Mapes also weaves a lot of the Bible and Christian themes through his books, and his characters struggle with issues like faith, asking why God allows tragedy and killings, etc.

He also has some other books out that I have not yet read, but am planning on reading: 

I Am In Here

"Little Do They Know, I Can See and Hear Everything!"

Eighteen-year-old Hale Frodele is presumed braindead from a tragic church bus accident in which he lost his younger brother, Nate.

Little does anyone know—Hale hears and understands everything with crystal clarity.

Hale remembers when his mom died at age 44 of pancreatic cancer and his dad turned his back on God.

Hale understands that the unbeliever his dad remarried whispers bitterly that Hale is ‘pitiful’ and ‘ruining’ her marriage.

Hale knows his father has borrowed a large sum of money from a deranged loan shark named Sebastian and the payback is due in 48 hours.

Hale believes in his best friend Gilbert, who still visits him weekly, prays for his healing, and is beginning to realize something is very wrong in the Frodele household.

Hale is in here . . . and he has a mind-blowing story to tell.

Celebrity Pastor: 

His Heart Was Right . . . Until It Wasn’t

Pastor Neil Gentry embarked on his ministry with genuine intentions, unwavering passion, and undeniable charisma. He had a gift for drawing people in and teaching profound truths that resonated deeply with the masses. As his influence grew, so did his fame.

Vine & Branches Church became one of the fastest growing in the world, with campuses in Atlanta, LA, Austin, NYC, and a TV ministry spanning the globe. Soon, Pastor Gentry and his wife Becky resembled royalty, enjoying fame and power—and basking in the adoration of their devoted followers.

Beneath the glitz and glamor, however, whispers of misconduct began to surface.

Accusations ranging from coverup and manipulation to corruption and sexual harassment cast a shadow over the once-glowing reputation of Vine & Branches. Was Pastor Gentry leading his flock above reproach, or was he using them to fuel his own ambitions? Could the rumors of emotional manipulation and abuse of power within the church’s inner circle possibly be true?

As the allure of popularity and power consume the Gentrys, they find themselves plummeting into the abyss of moral compromise. With the weight of their actions threatening to shatter everything they’ve built, one dire question remains: can anything or anyone break the spell before the unthinkable happens? Find out in the latest tension-filled thriller from acclaimed suspense novelist Creston Mapes.

Nobody

Murdered Vegas Homeless Man a Millionaire in Disguise?

Reporter Hudson Ambrose hears an early morning call on his police scanner about an injured person at a bus stop on Las Vegas Boulevard and rushes to the scene. His world is blown off its axis when he discovers a murdered homeless man with a bankbook in his pocket showing a balance of almost one million dollars.

Should Hudson wait for the police, knowing the case will get lost in reams of red tape, or swipe the bankbook and take the investigation—and perhaps a chunk of the money—into his own hands?

With sirens bearing down on the scene, Hudson makes an impulse decision that whisks him on a frantic search for answers.

Uncovering bizarre links between a plane crash, a Las Vegas pit boss, a dirty cop, and a widowed Atlanta business mogul, Hudson is forced to find out: who was Chester Holte, what was he doing on the streets, and why are his homeless friends convinced he was an angel in disguise?

And the Rock Star Series. These are older and I never read them because the original covers never appealed to me, nor books about a rock star. However, the main character in those books was in the last book of The Crittendon Files, Sky Zone. I am now intrigued, so I will be reading those also.

Mapes is an author I definitely recommend. Faith filled suspenseful thrillers that I feel are geared more for men, but women will also enjoy.

About the author:

Creston Mapes grew up in northeast Ohio, where he has fond memories of living with his family of five in the upstairs portion of his dad's early American furniture store - The Weathervane Shop. Creston was not a good student, but the one natural talent he possessed was writing.

 

He set type by hand and cranked out his own neighborhood newspaper as a kid, then went on to graduate with a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University. Creston was a newspaper reporter and photographer in Ohio and Florida, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, for a job as a creative copywriter.

 

Creston served for a stint as a creative director, but quickly learned he was not cut out for management. He went out on his own as a freelance writer in 1991 and, over the next 30 years, did work for Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, The Weather Channel, Oracle, ABC-TV, TNT Sports, colleges and universities, ad agencies, and more. He's ghost-written more than ten non-fiction books.

 

Along the way, Creston has written many contemporary thrillers, achieved Amazon Bestseller status multiple times, and had one of his novels (Nobody) optioned as a major motion picture. 

 

Creston married his fourth-grade sweetheart, Patty, and they have four amazing adult children. Creston loves his part-time job as an usher at local venues where he gets to see all the latest-greatest concerts and sporting events. He enjoys reading, fishing, thrifting, bocci, painting, pickleball, time with his family, and dates with his wife.

Check out his website: CrestonMapes.com