Saturday, October 25, 2008

Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival: Thrill Me!

Whether or not you celebrate Halloween, there's something about the shorter days and chilly air that makes one want to curl up with a scary book. The horror market for Christian fiction is growing in creativity and testing all sorts of boundaries. The suspense market is also very rich with many talented authors. So my question(s) for you is...what's the best Christian fiction horror or suspense novel that you've read? What book would you recommend to someone who wanted to try out these genres? What's a book in these genres you want to read but haven't yet?






Ohhh, Amy! This is a tough set of questions for me! I LOVE suspense novels! Can I list several books? Well, I think I must! First of all, Robert Liparulo is a HUGE favorite! His first novel, DeadFall turned out to be a real lesson in not making quick judgements. His work doesn't have an overt message behind it, but it's just a good, exciting, clean read. His teen books, Dreamhouse King series have been a huge hit with my teen sons, and it's nice to be able to hand them a book and not worry about inappropriate content.


I've also been a longtime fan of James Scott Bell. His latest series featuring Ty Buchanon has been fabulous! (Try Darkness, Try Dying) And I have just recently been introduced to Tim Downs' work, and again am just blown away by the great writing! His work is what I plan to search out and read, because I've only read the latest novel in his suspense series, and there are several others I've yet to enjoy.




Brandilynn Collins is another big favorite of mine, and I think she has a new stand alone novel coming out in December, and you can bet I'll be reading that one! Robert Liparulo also has new books scheduled for release in December and January, so I'll be looking for those too! There are so MANY to choose from! If I recommend suspense to others, I ususally start with Robert Liparulo or James Scott Bell for men and Brandilynn Collins for women.




Now, I've got a suspense novel I've just started, Forsaken, that I really must get back too!



Have a great Saturday everyone!! Be sure to stop over at My Friend Amy's site for more fun!

Pam's comment deserves a P.S. in my post! If you want to read an amazing suspense series....PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE read John Aubry Anderson's Black or White series! You can read my reviews here, here and here and my interview with John here. AMAZING!!!




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11 comments:

  1. LindseyOctober 25, 2008 at 11:16 AM

    I haven't read any of those! Oh wait, I have read some of Brandilyn Collins. But I'll definitely have to check out Liparulo!

    Here's my post: http://kindredthought.blogspot.com/2008/10/saturday-christian-fiction-carnival_24.html

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  2. Nise' October 25, 2008 at 12:09 PM

    I have not read Robert Liparulo yet, but I plan to!

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  3. WendiOctober 25, 2008 at 12:15 PM

    Wow - you listed some interesting sounding books/authors! I've got the Dark Pursuits ARC by Brandilynn Collins on my tbr pile, but haven't really jumped into mysteries and thrillers - it is great to be learning about some good authors today!

    Here's a link to my post:
    http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com/2008/10/saturday-christian-fiction-carnival.html

    Take care ~ Wendi

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  4. WynOctober 25, 2008 at 2:06 PM

    The books that have come up on the Saturday Carnival have made my list very large. And, they have certainly proven that I am way out of touch with today's trends. Oh my, there's going to be no time for webgraphics!

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  5. SunnyOctober 25, 2008 at 2:07 PM

    I really liked Bell's Buchanan series too! I havent read Liparulo or Collins yet. Thanks for the recommendations!

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  6. AmyOctober 25, 2008 at 4:46 PM

    I really really want to read Liparulo! :)

    I love James Scott Bell as well. ;)

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  7. AnonymousOctober 25, 2008 at 6:30 PM

    Great sounding list!

    If you like suspense thrillers but don’t like the gore of a Stephen King novel, try Travis Thatcher’s “Isolation.” My choice in answer to Amy’s Christian carnival question today. Thatcher writes with all the power, suspense and grip of a King novel, but uses Christian themes, worldviews and spiritual messages. Isolation is a GREAT book by a very talented promising up and coming Christian author.

    Marvin blogs at Free Spirit: http://inspiritandtruths.blogspot.com/
    Eye Twitter 2 – http://twitter.com/Paize_Fiddler

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  8. M. C. PearsonOctober 25, 2008 at 9:21 PM

    Yes, Robert is awesome. And a really nice guy as well!

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  9. Pamela JOctober 27, 2008 at 3:47 PM

    I know I have a couple suspense novels that I haven't read yet. I have not read any you mentioned either. But one that has stuck with me, and my husband and I read them together, was the Black or White series by John Augrey Anderson. WOW!
    Pam Williams

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  10. NicoleOctober 27, 2008 at 11:31 PM

    Robert Liparulo's first novel is Comes A Horseman, his second Germ, and his third Deadfall. All are tremendous thrillers, each unique and exciting, and he has a great voice. Plus, he's a great guy as M. C. noted. I believe a sequel to Deadfall is due out in early 2009.

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  11. AnonymousOctober 28, 2008 at 11:11 AM

    I would love to mention Ted Dekker's and Frank Peretti's books too as well as Henderson's. I really enjoyed reading them. Haven't read any of the books by Collin's though but some of her titles are already in my TBR, just stumbled upon her blog through this "Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival", seems interesting that's she's into forensics.

    And BTW, to the Dekker fans out there, House will be in theaters on November 7!

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