The words “inspirational thriller” may seem to be an oxymoron, but the contemporary crop of Christian suspense writers knows how to weave a positive message into a fast-paced, heart-pounding novel. And what better way to spend a cold, dark night than curled up with a riveting read? So light the logs in the hearth, heat up a mug of cocoa, and settle into your favorite chair for a gripping – and yes, uplifting – vicarious adventure.
Should Inspiration Be This Thrilling?
• Countdown in Cairo by Noel Hynd. This sequel to Conspiracy in Kiev and Midnight in Madrid pits CIA agent Alexandra LaDuca against a host of scoundrels after she arrives in Egypt to find her one-time mentor, who was believed to be dead. This one has it all: a smart, beautiful woman who can wield a weapon with the best of them and maneuver her way through a double-crossing minefield. Final installment in Hynd’s “Russian Trilogy.”
• Swope’s Ridge by Ace Collins. Another suspense novel that works its way around the globe. In this sequel to Farraday Road, attorney Lije Evans continues to search for his wife’s killer in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas – and for the evidence that will clear a convict of the murder charge that landed him on death row. Evans’s two-pronged investigation takes him to Germany, Kansas, and a battered cargo ship in the Gulf of Mexico.
• The Pravda Messenger by Robert Cornuke with Alton Gansky. Yet another globe-spanning tale of suspense, involving a Civil War-era Bible, a mysterious gold snuff box, an Arizona woman whose plane crashes in Colorado en route to England, and a Russian woman who had to leave her wounded father behind as she fled the KGB seven years earlier. Whew! But those artifacts and lives intersect in an intriguing way that leads to spiritual revelation. Pravda, by the way, which most people of a “certain age” associate with a Russian Communist newspaper, means both “truth” and “justice” and also refers to the ability to tell when people are lying.
• Eye of the God by Ariel Allison. Smithsonian curator Abby Mitchell becomes drawn into a world dominated by art thieves as she seeks to protect some of the most famous and valuable pieces of art on three continents – including the legendary Hope Diamond, housed at the Smithsonian. Allison’s complex story of suspense and romance offers an effective distraction from the icy winds howling outside, with its captivating historical tales, duplicitous characters, and unpredictable ending.
• Lost Mission: A Novel by Athol Dickson. Set in Mexico and the desert Southwest, this novel intertwines the stories of a Franciscan mission destroyed in the 1700s and four modern-day characters who, with one exception, aren’t quite what they appear to be. The intrigue surrounds the site of the former mission and the evil that is unleashed when the site is disturbed. Save this one for several long nights; it’s a complex story that can’t be rushed.
– Written by Marcia Ford, writer for FaithfulReader.com
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