*blows vuvuzela*

*runs away from people throwing things*

Okay, okay… I’ll put the horn away for now. But just for now. Why? Because it’s that time again… it’s…

Blog Tour Tiiiime!

Two books this month. Each very different from each other, but I think you (my dear readers) might enjoy them. So, book one — here we go.

Back on Murder – J. Mark Bertrand

Publisher’s Synopsis:

A missing girl.
A corrupt investigation.
They thought they could get away with it, but they forgot one thing:

Roland March is BACK ON MURDER

Houston homicide detective Roland March was once one of the best. Now he’s disillusioned, cynical, and on his way out. His superiors farm him out on a variety of punishment details•until an unexpected break gives March one last chance to save his career. And his humanity.

All he has to do? Find the missing teenage daughter of a Houston evangelist that every cop in town is already looking for. But March has an inside track, a multiple murder nobody else thinks is connected. Battling a new partner, an old nemesis, and the demons of his past, getting to the truth could cost March everything. Even his life.

My Thoughts:

You may be looking at this and thinking “aren’t all these blog tour books Christian?” Well, yes and no, and as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Bethany House seems to be transitioning into publishing books with a Christian worldview (ie. that’s the author’s belief system) but that aren’t trying to blatantly present the Gospel to the reader.

This is one of those books! This isn’t a ‘Christian’ suspense novel, this is a suspense novel for the general market. There’s murder, violence, and the main character (also not a Christian) thinks about his wife in a rather physically overt way (the word ‘foreplay’ was used in the book, which was when I realized… oh, this is definitely general market… well done, Bethany House!).

But what about the story? Well, I’ll be honest — it didn’t grip me the way I wanted it to, and I suspect that may be because I had some difficulty relating to the main character. Our MC is a male, middle-aged, in the waning years of his career, and having marriage troubles. Hmm. Interesting, yes, but as a young female at the beginning of her career with a fabulous marriage, it was a bit hard to connect. But that’s all right!

The writing itself was good, and the story held together decently enough. Though I’m not a big reader of crime fiction (so I don’t have much to compare this to) Bertrand certainly came out swinging for his debut (though this wasn’t technically his very first novel — he co-authored Beguiled, a romantic suspense novel, with Deeanne Gist; released earlier this year), and I think he has a promising career ahead.

I’ll be honest — I’m not convinced I’ll read other books in the Roland March series. However, I will recommend them to readers who enjoy crime fiction, as I’m sure that Bertrand’s writing and storytelling will only improve from here. And on that note — this is also a book you could hand to the man in your life, or buy him for a gift. There’s a lot of testosterone in this one.

Want to give it a shot before buying? Try this EXCERPT.

Want to know why Bertrand decided to make his main character a ‘suicide cop’? Or why Bertrand chose to craft the story this way? Read this Q&A with the author!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc. Available now at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.