I have long been a Charles Martin book lover. I remember the exact moment I first heard about him. We had lived in Lawler, Iowa for several years and I got to know the librarian, Jane.  She was the perfect librarian and our whole family loved her.
We ended up moving to the neighboring town and she retired so I didn’t see her anymore. Our whole family missed Jane. She knew exactly what books we might like and she always guided us toward them. She was friendly and always interested in our life. She really acted more like an aunt to our kids. As I said, she was the perfect small-town librarian.
A few years passed and I was in the grocery store. I saw Jane and was so happy to see her. We stopped and chatted a bit. One of the things she immediately told me was to read books by Charles Martin. She said they were so good. I told her I was worried that I wouldn’t remember his name as I started fumbling through my purse for a paper and pen to write the name down. She said, “You’ll remember his name is two men’s first names, Charles and Martin.”
I went home, found my first book by him, and have been reading ever since.
This time the book is The Letter Keeper. I want to warn you that this is part of a trilogy. There are three books and this is book #2. If you want to start at the beginning, read The Water Keeper first. You can find it HERE.
I liked the book. But…In the world of Charles Martin books, this series is not in my top ten. I would read the single books first. I love them all. Most of them are very good and read a lot like Nicholas Sparks books.
This book for me is a little too far-fetched. The whole series is actually. The series is deep into sex trafficking and a man named Murphy who rescues people from sex traffickers. I want to completely love the books but the man is superhuman. He can get shot and stabbed and still carry someone to the plane just in time before the building blows up. He will then be hospitalized and have to rehabilitate himself all to do it all over again. I don’t care who you are or how wonderfully well you heal, it’s a little too much for me…yet, I read the books…I love Charles Martin that much.
Here’s what Amazon had to say…
“Murphy Shepherd has made a career of finding those no one else could – survivors of human trafficking. His life’s mission is helping others find freedom…but then the nightmare strikes too close to home.
When his new wife, her daughter, and two other teenage girls are stolen, Murphy is left questioning all he has thought to be true. With more dead ends than leads, he has no idea how to find his loved ones. After everything is stripped away, love is what remains.
Hope feels lost, but Murphy is willing to expend his last breath trying to bring them home.”
Amazon readers give the book 4.7 stars. I’m not doing that. I would love to believe that there really are superhuman people out there doing everything Murphy is doing but the truth is there aren’t. The book is just a little too over the top for me to believe so I can’t give it that high of a rating. I’m a 4.1 girl. I enjoyed reading it but would enjoy it so much more if the adventure was a little more toned down and believable.
If you’re interested in the book, you can find it HERE.
If you want to take Jane, my old librarian’s, advice and read a Charles Martin book, I highly recommend reading any of them that aren’t from the Murphy series and are stand-alone books. They are all excellent. You can find them HERE.
Many thanks to Jane…she never lead me wrong on a book.
I never heard of this writer. But I love Nicolas Sparks. I used to read Wanda Brunsetter books. It’s all about Amish life and of course they’ll talk quilts. But I really love true history books. Civil war and WW1/WW2. As my father and mother came from Bretagne and Alsace Lorraine. My fathers cousin died in Auschwitz. Some books do after awhile seem far fetched. And you lose the connection.
I always love your book reviews, and now it’s time for me to promote one I think you would enjoy, written by my daughter, no less! It’s about a young woman and her father leaving Philadelphia in the late 1890’s to homestead in Western Canada, in what is now Alberta and British Columbia. (I live in Alberta, as does Kate, the author) . She writes with a dedication to describing the land and its strengths, and how the main character, Dahlia (Dolly) develops her own strengths and learns who she is and what she wants in life. Her historical references and descriptions make you feel like you are in that time and era. The love of place is evident throughout the book, and the story develops with respect and love of the land and its peoples. She was especially respectful of the Haida Gawaii on Vancouver Island, checking her details with the local tribal historian. It is an easy read, everyone in my book club (retired Librarians and Language ARts teachers) gave it rave reviews. It is available on Amazon, or as an e-book.
The book is: And So I Roam, by Kate Bothner. I could send you a copy if you don’t want to order it.
Thanks! Jill in Calgary/Phoenix
I am reading The Room on Rue Amelia that you recommended. I am enjoying it.
I’m a HUGE Charles Martin fan – and I agree about this series. I found it very hard to read – the subject matter is pretty intense. My favourite books are “The Mountain Between Us” (just don’t watch the movie – they really ruined it); my other fave is “Water From My Heart”.