Creston Mapes

Incredibly tense, very satisfying. Vintage Creston Mapes.

I'm in mourning. I hurried through the book to reach the end, find out who the bad guys were, who survives, how life turns out for so many people, and now I'm done. I need more. Creston Mapes has created an addict.

Jack Crittendon and his wife are desperate for Jack to find a full-time job, but all Jack has for now is a part-time job with security at a Columbus, Ohio concert venue. Pam, eight months pregnant, is working, wishing she show more could be a stay-at-home mother for their other two daughters. More pressure builds with the presence of Pam's mom in the home, who doesn't understand Jack and Pam's need for privacy and is also descending into dementia.Can Jack and Pam's marriage survive these hurdles?

Jack's friend, Shakespeare, has turned his home into a mini-compound, sure the world will come hurtling to an end. When that happens, he and his family will be ready. Question is, will he still have a family to protect when that time comes? His survivalist extremism is driving his wife further and further away with every plan he makes.

Both Jack and Shakespeare are called to work security for the appearance of the senator from Ohio who is running for President. Martin Sterling is a staunch hardliner against terrorists and pledges that much money will be spent on beefing up Homeland Security and rooting out terrorism, should he be elected. Then, the unthinkable happens: terrorists take over the concert arena and Jack and Shakespeare must help figure out how to keep thousands of people safe, avert disaster, and save the lives of the Senator and the famous Christian singer. Jack's nightmare turns epic when his wife surprises him and not only is caught up in the horrors of the standoff but complications ensue.

Who will survive this deadly game of cat and mouse? Faith is put to the test as individuals stare mortality and life (not as they would like it) in the face and decide how they will deal with it. Mapes has done a masterful job in Sky Zone, and the final blow is stunning as the reader discovers who is behind the whole scenario in the arena!

I received this book from bookfun.org in exchange for an honest review. show less

If you are looking for a psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages while holding your breath, then pick up a copy of Creston Mapes’ novel, Fear Has A Name, book one in The Crittendon Files series. I listened to the audio version and had a hard time turning it off. In fact I found lots of excuses to extend my listening time. Tightly written, this book will appeal to those who like Steven James.

The action starts from the very beginning. The Crittendon family is subjected to show more a home invasion. And that’s just the start of the nightmare that includes stalking and kidnapping. A seemingly unrelated story line of a missing pastor is the focus of Jack Crittendon’s newspaper investigation. But the two stories come together in an unusual way that demonstrates God’s plan and sovereignty.

Fear Has A Name is an action packed novel, with some very well-developed characters. They struggle with real life problems — depression, doubt and insecurity. When faced with extreme stress, they react in credible ways. The bad guy, Grainger Meade, is especially compelling. The product of twisted religion and abuse, he is at once despicable and sympathetic. The plot is multi-layered, and I wondered just where the author was going with the story lines. But Mapes brings all things together to show just how God works behind the scenes, though we can trace His hand if we look close enough. The audiobook reader did a good job of providing the many voices of the characters with their turmoil and torment.

I highly recommend Fear Has A Name for anyone looking for a taut thriller, and I am looking forward to reading more from this talented author.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults. show less

This is the third book in the Crittendon Files series. It’s a good series with each book getting better and better. You don’t have to read the first two as Creston Mapes fills in the gaps a little, but if you plan on reading the first two, do so before this book or you will know how things end in Fear Has a Name and Poison Town.

This is a great story full of suspense and action. A terrorist threat becomes too personal for Jack, and his family. He is now working as security detail for a show more stadium, while looking for a full-time job in journalism to replace his previous one. (Poison Town, book 2 in this series, explains this in more detail.) With a threat on the political event taking place in the stadium, Jack thinks that evil lurks up in the sky zone.

So now we see Jack and Pamela, his wife, having real life husband and wife troubles, and throw in this entire terrorist thing, and her mother’s Alzheimer’s, oh–and Pamela’s like 12 month’s pregnant… this family just can’t catch a break. I hope they get to take a good vacation soon. They need it.

I loved this book! Loved it. Could not put it down. Creston’s best in my opinion. Characters are well developed and not over-the-top-great-Christians but very real. They just happen to have extraordinary situations pop up that, hopefully, most of us don’t have. Instead these are ordinary people who have ordinary trouble in their walk of faith. Jack learns a lesson, grows, then backslides a little. Two steps forward, one step back type of thing. Nice to see that I’m not the only one who takes a while to get my act together.

Suspense lovers are sure to enjoy this novel. I highly recommend it. Not only is it a great story, but it has a lot of great things to think about. And yes, it does come with book discussion questions at the end. Nice because this is a perfect book to discuss. So much to talk about while and after reading it.

Note: I checked this book out from the Library and promise this is an honest review. The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. Other reviews can be read at http://TMWoodsBooks.com/blog . Also follow me on Twitter @TMWoodsBooks, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/TMWoodsBooks . show less

Poison Town is second in the Crittenden Files series by Creston Mapes. It stands alone as an intriguing story, and the author cleverly doesn’t overwhelm readers with backstory. But issues of unforgiveness hang over the story from book one, distracting from a central tale of big business and small-town pollution, making this a series probably best read in the right order.

“Fit as a fiddle” seventy-eight-year-old Galen might be dying, and it might be a result of pollution from the nearly show more Demler-Vargus factory. But bitterness poisons people and relationships just as surely as pollutants do. And sometimes it takes more than human skill and dedication to change the world.

“God’s big enough... to protect us,” says one of the characters, and God does indeed prove big enough in this multiple-viewpoint, multi-threaded tale. Characters pray naturally, argue and fight over their faith, and investigate with all the tools of serious newspaper reporters. Betrayals come from unexpected places, and hope from others, as Jack, inclined to trust the gun more than the Lord, learns what being a “Christian role model” might really mean.

While faith and past events might weigh heavy on this tale, it’s an action adventure with mounting tension, in the style of Erin Brockovich, and the final scenes will keep readers glued to the page.

Disclosure: I won a free ecopy and I’m offering my honest review show less