Friday, December 11, 2009

Called to Love – Kaye Miller

© 2009 New Hope Publishers, Birmingham


When I signed on to work with New Hope Publishers as a “review blogger” I expected to receive one book in the first four that they sent and was disappointed that it was not there. Instead I received a copy of Kaye Miller’s Called to Love. What a nice surprise it turned out to be—just the kind of inspiring reading any pastor needs to pick up.


Miller, the 21st president of the national Women’s Missionary Union® (WMU®), really understands living love. She grew up on the mission field of Thailand as a missionary kid (MK) and learned the love of Christ from her medical missionary parents.


This book claims to be “Stories of Compassion, Faith & God’s Amazing Grace” right on the front cover. The stories related (both from Miller’s life and as told to her or read by her) are more than just stories, though. They are the illustrative fabric with which the author weaves the reminder to Christ followers that it is ours to live love every day.


Divided into three parts, part 1 reminding us of the great call to love we have been given; part 2 offering reflective material to help readers internalize this call; while part 3 challenges readers to do more than just acknowledge this love and this call, but to actually live it.


The reflection questions at the end of each chapter and group study suggestions at the back of the book are almost unnecessary for the reader who takes seriously the message contained in this book. At times inspiring, at times encouraging, and at times challenging—complete with extended Bible study material woven in—this book is highly recommended, with 5 out of 5 reading glasses.


Benjamin Potter, December 11, 2009


“Become a New Hope Book Review Blogger. Visit www.newhopepublishers.com for more information.”

Monday, December 7, 2009

Living Rich for Less – Ellie Kay

©2008 WaterBrook Press, Colorado Springs


Ellie Kay is a nationally known author, speaker, and finance guru. She has a mountain of good advice for Americans trying to do more than just make ends meet in these trying economic times.


The advice she gives in Living Rich for Less is sound as far as it goes. She suggests that people should apply the 10/10/80 rule with their assets—Give 10%, Save 10 %, then Spend the other 80% wisely. Not bad advice that matches up with a number of the financial doctors trying to fix Americans’ fascination with debt.


There are several points which bother me about this book, though—

Ø The cover promises that the reader can learn to “save $30,000 this year”. This assumes that you have an income of over 90,000 to spend.

Ø Built into the fabric of the book are pauses the author refers to as the “cha-ching” factor. My biggest problem with this is the focus on being rich.

Ø The assumption that all Americans want to be rich and live like they’re rich is a struggle for me as well. I’d like to think that there are those out there who are wanting to get a handle on financial issues in order to do more good with the resources available to them.


I agree that Americans have a drastic need to change the habits that dig the hole of debt deeper each year. I agree that the principles in Kay’s book should work if practiced properly, I am bothered by the idea that the reason that you get out of debt is to get rich.


If your goal is to become rich—get and read this book. If your goal is to learn to use wisely the resources you have at your disposal, find another guru. I give this book 3 reading glasses.


Benjamin Potter, December 7, 2009

The Mudhogs – Dalton James

©2009 Outskirts Press, Denver


Some of you will recall this spring when I reviewed two books, then interviewed this children’s author who comes from the ranks of his readers. Dalton is eight years old and illustrates his stories as well as writing them.


The Mudhogs is the story of three pigs who have come together as a club with the purpose of enjoying the mud. One problem: there’s been no rain for a long time. Finally, Piggy, Piggles, and Piglet decide to go on an adventure to find mud somewhere in the world. The story is narrated by a tick that lives on Piggy’s knee, and is a fun reminder that sometimes what we really want is right at home.


In a note accompanying my review copy of this book, James’ father suggested that this third book is the author/illustrator’s best yet. I heartily concur. The Mudhogs will entertain and inspire children and readers of all ages. Pick up a copy for the holidays and enjoy this four-reading glass selection.


Benjamin Potter December 7, 2009

Friday, November 20, 2009

A Christmas Carol, Special Edition – Charles Dickens

©2009, Standard Publishing, Cincinnati

[Special edition includes notes and discussion material by Stephen Skelton.]

It was about time for me to read Dickens’ classic again, so I started sifting through my stacks of Christmas books to find a copy. Then I received an email offering a review copy of this new paperback edition with new notes and discussion points reached my computer.

The text of the Dickens story is the original publication which includes material excised from many of the read-aloud copies (including the one as part of the volume of Christmas Stories to read aloud with your family that I picked up at the local Walmart for next to nothing). The story is rich with descriptive passages and imagery that lets readers join the old miser as he travels the fanciful journey led by Ghosts of Christmases past, present and yet to come.

The classic story is so well-known and so over-imitated that it bears little re-telling here. But this is a pretty good volume to add to your Christmas collection. Some of the positive aspects of the new edition include: the complete text of this Seasonal favorite, the marginal notes—defining some more archaic terms, explaining some of the biblical imagery that may be lost in the reading, and reporting some of the various changes the author made before publication as well as after publication for his public readings—and graded discussion questions that guide study of the story by younger and older readers alike.

There are some drawbacks to this lovely volume, though. The Christian flavor of the new material may limit the audience. For Christian readers though, this will help allow opportunities for discussions of the faith that are deeply imbedded in the text. Also, the notes—while helpful in some respects—can be distracting while reading some of the more intricate passages.

If you’re looking for a beautiful rendering of the classic this edition would be a nice addition to your library. The paperback format makes it an excellent option for group or classroom study as well. I give this new edition four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, November 20, 2009

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

City Signals – Brad Smith

© 2008 New Hope Publishers, Birmingham

Brad Smith is an old hat in—some might include him as a pioneer in and leader of—the area of urban ministry. He serves as president of Bakke Graduate University, and his heart for ministry in the urban setting is readily evident.

His book is a study in spiritual formation. Stating up front that the material is designed for those who are struggling with all the ins and outs, ups and downs, starts and stops, of urban ministry, Smith offers some helpful hints that may or may not be readily available to all readers. With nine chapters addressing spiritual formation principles like pain encountered and presence in relationship, and a tenth chapter throne in as a re-cap, the book shows good organization, and even includes group leader helps and formation aids as appendices. Each chapter concludes with personalization questions and challenges useful for individual or group study.

From there the book gets lost from its conceptualization. Certainly some of the principles about building relationship and understanding the different styles of growth experienced by a variety of leaders are helpful, but Smith couches his message in a way that will be ultimately narrowing of his audience. While one would assume unintentional, Smith sends the message that ministry outside any urban setting is not really ministry at all, and this would lose to him some of those he would like to welcome as partners in urban ministry (namely those who live and serve outside major population areas). In Chapter 10 he seems to cast a Bandaid® towards this unfortunate conclusion, but it comes as too little, too late.

The other, more screaming drawback to the book is the disjointed approach to the author’s definition of spiritual formation. While there is not a problem in approaching spiritual formation from a nontraditional angle, the fleshing out of ideas reaches a disconnect in which the reader must scratch his head asking where the writer is going and where he’s come from? Some who are actively engaged in urban ministry will find this book a helpful study, others will have to dig deep between the pages to find principles that do truly cross ministry boundaries—principles about relationship and calling, and still others will do well by avoiding this book at all.

City Signals gets only 2 reading glasses from this reviewer.

—Benjamin Potter, November 4, 2009

“Become a New Hope Book Review Blogger. Visit www.newhopepublishers.com for more information.”

Monday, October 26, 2009

Cop Hater – Ed McBain

© 1956, New American Library, New York (1st Signet printing October 1973)

I knew that I’d found a copy of Ed McBain’s first 87th Precinct novel at this year’s book fair. Somehow it was misplaced for a couple of months, but I found it, and it is a superb introduction to the boys of the 87th Precinct.

In this early installment by the master of police procedural writing detective Steve Carella and company find themselves investigating the senseless murder of their colleague Mike Reardon. The early murder of this cop is followed quickly by the death of his partner David Foster, and culminating in the murder of Carella’s own partner Hank Bush. Who is the cop hater that’s killing off the 87th? Is it members of the gang known as The Grovers? Is it an old con, just released from prison after having been put away by one or more of the dead cops? Is it a recently released headcase? Or just a lunatic who has it out for cops?

This gem, besides introducing us to Carella and Lt. Byrnes, also provides some of the back story for Carella’s relationship with his wife, Teddy—a character who provides some relief from the mundane daily grind of police detection for both Carella and the reader. Again I highly recommend this installment from the 87th. Five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, October 26, 2009

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Golden Girl – Henry Melton

©2009 Wire Rim Books, Hutto, Texas

Henry does it again! Golden Girl is excellent Young Adult Science Fiction. This episode of “Small Towns, Big Ideas” is inspired by Oquawka, Illinois (and being a transplanted Illinoisan, this is exciting to me). Plus, tucked away in the pages is a nod to my old home for three years--Louisiana, MO!

Debra Barr loves her small town, and she’s trying to convince her possible boyfriend, Cliff, that it can be just exciting as his native Chicago. Trouble starts when she wakes up and finds herself in the dreary, dark future and is told it is up to her to save the world.

Golden Girl offers a wide assortment of genres for the avid reader: time travel, end of the world space fiction, with a little romance on the side. Get ready for a twist or two that you didn’t see coming before the story is over.

As with all of Melton’s books so far, you can’t go wrong when you pick this one up.

Four out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, October 8, 2009

Note: Some of you will notice the new disclaimer in the sidebar. Thanks to Henry for his research that keeps us honest.

Beyond Me: Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World – Kathi Macias

© 2008 New Hope Publishers, Birmingham

Kathi Macias’s biography lists mainly devotional and mystery novels in her list of works. Now she is spreading her wings, digging deeper, and challenging her readers.


Beyond Me takes a hard look at how Christ followers live in the self-centered society that permeates the world today. Each chapter tackles another facet of the selfish lifestyle that the world – and most Christians practice in the modern world. She includes a variety of meaningful illustrations straight from her own life, from her conversion experience, to opportunities she encountered in areas of ministry that she found herself as she grew in her faith. In addition she uses Scriptural bases to form her ideas about what believers should be about.


One of the helpful inclusions in the book are the end-of-chapter, think-deeper questions. These are designed to help the reader to evaluate their own place in the Christian walk, internalize the previous few pages’ material, and challenge the reader to apply the truths to their life.


Especially enjoyable was the treatment of familiar biblical passages such as the stories of the Prodigal Son, and the Good Samaritan. I would highly recommend this challenging read for anyone who is tired of living a mediocre Christianity. Others will want to avoid this book until they are ready to be convicted of their selfishness.


Four and one-half out of five reading glasses


Benjamin Potter, October 8, 2009


“Become a New Hope Book Review Blogger. Visit www.newhopepublishers.com for more information.”

Bread – Ed McBain

© 1974, Avon Books, New York (1st Avon printing July 1987)

At least part of the boys from the 87th Precinct are at it again. Bread is set in August just after Steve Carella has returned from vacation, and it seems that almost everyone else has left for theirs. In the heat of late summer, Roger Grimm has stopped by to see what progress has been made on the arson investigation that started before the lead detective went on vacation. Carella agrees to look into it (even though it’s not his case) and inherits the case when the crime becomes the murder of the “inside” man.

McBain has another police procedural winner on his hand with Bread. This one includes two fires, two murders, a beating, and a look at racism from the policeman’s side of the equation.

Bread
is a good summer diversion—or any other time for that matter. Four reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, September 30, 2009

Friday, September 25, 2009

The Turkey’s Treat – Marie Sanderlin Metroke, Victor Guiza (Illus.)

©2009 Outskirts Press, Parker, CO


Marie Sanderlin Metroke has been writing children’s stories for three decades. And this short fun number shows why she keeps on doing it.


Bespectacled Jeffrey Watson can’t wait for Christmas. It means Christmas trees and turkey dinners. But a sudden onslaught of snow threatens his traditions. Even so, Mom and Dad and sister, Tammy, together with Jeff, jump into the car to get first a tree and then stop at the supermarket for some last minute groceries. That is when the chaos begins with Jeffrey and a prize turkey right in the middle of it.


The artwork and the Christmas sentiment are both magnificent in this little treasure. There are a few hiccups along the way if you are expecting to reach the suggested 9-12 year old target audience (such as using names like four-eyes to describe the hero of the story). Otherwise, this is a great story to get you in the mood for Christmas fun and Christmas dinner.


Four reading glasses.


Benjamin Potter September 25, 2009

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Called and Accountable – Henry and Norman Blackaby

© 2007 New Hope Publishers, Birmingham

Henry Blackaby has been a favorite of mine since I studied
Experiencing God the first time some 20 years ago. Now he has teamed up with his son Norman to compile and expand the material in his study Called and Accountable: Discovering Your Place in God’s Eternal Purpose. In six short chapters, the Blackabies wrestle with the major questions of a Christ-follower’s calling:
  • Why does God call us?
  • What is a call?
  • Who are the called?
  • How am I called?
  • When am I called?
  • How do I live out the call?

Most believers struggle with just these questions, and we are all at some point on the spectrum in dealing with them.
One drawback to the book comes in most of the elder Blackaby’s writings—namely, that parts of the text draw heavily on the principles introduced in Experiencing God, and thus from time to time the reader feels he is simply reading an advertisement for or testimonial to Experiencing God. Otherwise this is an excellent primer on finding and living out one’s call to God’s kingdom purpose.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 reading glasses.


Benjamin Potter, September 9, 2009

“Become a
New Hope Book Review Blogger. Visit www.newhopepublishers.com for more information.”

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Blood Moon – Frank Castle

© 1960, Fawcett Gold Medal Books, Greenwich, CN


When I review a book by an author that is new to me, I like to find out a little about them to share with my readers. When I picked up a copy of Blood Moon at the book fair earlier this summer, I didn’t expect to worry over the author too much; it just looked like a good western read.


Concerning the book, it was a good western read—not the best I’ve read, but a nice diversion in its own right. Dain Burnett (or Burnet depending on which page/paragraph you’re reading) is hot on the trail of the man and woman who suckered, robbed and killed his brother Hal. When he catches up to the wagon train they joined to escape the law deep in the Indian country of the llano, he finds burned out wagons, dead bodies, and a frightened woman. Through the rough Comanche country, Dain guards her for the sole purpose of turning her over to authorities at Ft. Sill so that justice can be served.


The action is simple and straightforward. It reminds me of typical western novels of its era. The tension of whether to become judge, jury and executioner to the woman, whether to stick to the original plan of turning her over for justice at the end of the trail provided they get there, or to give into the growing feelings he has toward her.


The book provides a good summer read with one exceptional image of battle between the red and the white man. Tucked toward the end of the story is this paragraph:

It was like a sudden thunder-clap from a cloudless sky. Before Burnett’s eyes unfolded what he had thought he would never see again—a cavalry charge.


So, who is this Frank Castle? Google revealed at first glance that he is The Punisher. I also found reference to a writer of books related to mathematics as well as a handful of western novels such as Blood Moon all written in the late 50s/early 60s. If you can shed some light, feel free to comment. And enjoy a copy of Blood Moon if you can find one. At three out of five reading glasses, any fan of western fiction will be satisfied.


Benjamin Potter, August 26, 2009

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Laugh and Live Longer – Paul W. Powell

©2008 Paul W. Powell, Tyler, TX


Just for fun, here’s a short review of a short book. Paul Powell was 17 years pastor of Tyler’s Green Acres Baptist Church. He then moved on to be president of the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention for 13 years. After retiring he joined the administrative faculty of George Truett Seminary at Baylor. His years of faithful service in the pastorate have been the impetus of most (if not all) of his 45 books. It was with some enthusiasm last week after hearing him speak that I contributed $5 to a worthy cause and received an autographed copy of this little jewel.


This, rather than his typical collection of sermons on a topic, is a collection of what I endearingly call “preacher stories.” They are those amusing tales of dubious background and limited humor that preachers like to throw into their sermons to see if anyone was listening. At any rate they are funny and they are clean. They won’t be paying the bills of any up-and-coming standup comedian anytime soon, but they will keep you entertained for a few hours’ reading.


I suspect, like me, you will find many to be old stand-bys that are well-worn. Also, you will find that the version you remember is slightly different, but still will bring a chuckle to your belly and a smile to your face.


Don’t worry over the veracity of the stories, just sit back and enjoy. Four happy reading glasses.


Benjamin Potter, July 11, 2009

Finding Grace – Donna VanLiere

© 2009, St. Martin’s Press, New York

You may remember the name Donna VanLiere. She brought to life the group NewSong’s The Christmas Shoes (book published by St. Martin’s Press, 2001), the syrupy song about a boy who wanted to buy his mother beautiful shoes for her last Christmas. She also penned sequels as well as The Angels of Morgan Hill.

In Finding Grace VanLiere ta
kes us on an autobiographical journey. Taking us through the tragedy of childhood abuse, and hidden guilt we struggle with Donna and her husband as they learn they are unable to have children and their subsequent blessing in adoption.

The double meaning of the title is not lost on the reader as we discover the VanLieres’ journey to their first daughter Grace (adopted from China) and Donna’s own struggle to find God’s grace in her life.

VanLiere shows her acumen for the written word in stories that make you laugh with joy and cry with sympathy. This book is a must read for those who face inability to have children and consider adoption as “plan B” or for those who are in the process of adopting children.

Four and one-half reading glasses out of five.

Benjamin Potter, July 11, 2009

Friday, June 26, 2009

The Execution of Justice – Michael Phelps

© 2008, Blue Line Publishing House, New York

First of all, before you get all up in arms, it’s not that guy. No, this Michael Phelps is a former Chief Investigator for a law firm in Coral Gables. He’s also the co-author (with Ellie Janssen) of David Janssen-My Fugitive.


Sometimes when you find a book you really want it to be a great one. You like the author’s bio, his communication with you as a reader/reviewer. You like the plot and the story as a whole. You like the characters—especially the protagonist. But sometimes, as much as you want to like the book, you just can’t.


Phelps tells the story of a young Indianapolis police officer (Mike Walsh) who rises early in his career to the position of Detective where he is partnered with his original field training officer, Jack Lowell. The story opens as Officer Walsh and his partner respond to a Christmas-time domestic disturbance call that nearly claims his partner’s life. Six weeks later, he is called to the Robbery-Homicide division to find his promotion waiting for him. He discovers that he is a natural in the area of detection, and helps Jack solve a number of both robberies and homicides. There is just one case that keeps nagging at them. They have suspects, but no evidence to pin the crimes on them.


The story itself is good, and the manuscript reads fairly well. The central characters are pretty lifelike. So, what keeps me from glowing and gushing over this new writer that has graced my reading space? As many would like to say, “The Devil is in the details.” And Phelps has an abundance of them. While minutiae is admirable in an affidavit or a field investigation report, it makes for lackluster reading in fiction. Another quirk of the book is the attempt at dialect. Having struggled with this in my own writing, I know that it can be a bear to overcome—getting the right amount of speak/spell without overdoing it. Consequently, the dialectical conversations become more of a distraction than a portrait of the local color.


Finally, some of the plot movements make no sense. Walsh’s promotion, for instance, and the hot-again, cold-again relationship he has with his wife. Phelps makes a stab at explaining these unexplainables, but they are relatively, well, unexplained.


That said, I would like to take a gander at Phelps’ follow-up novel, Justice Delayed, if and when it finds its way to the streets, because he showed so much promise with this first fictional effort and I love to see writers grow in their craft. So I give The Execution of Justice three out of five reading glasses.


Benjamin Potter, June 26, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

So, This Is Church Now at Amazon **Updated**

I just received word from Lulu.com that my sermon collection, So, This Is Church, has been selected for listing in their new Amazon Marketplace program. What this means is that I'll get a little more exposure for that particular title, and perhaps more sales.

For the uninformed, So, This Is Church is a collection of sermons dealing with foundational issues of the local church and her practices. Chapters deal with the Foundation of the Church itself (Christ and His gospel), worship, evangelism, fellowship, and the like. Interested? Hop on over to Amazon.com and take a gander. 

Issues with the program include a price hike to accommodate Amazon's cut and still ensure Lulu gets theirs and they can still produce the book with a tad leftover for me (the author/publisher). If  you want the best price on the book, purchase it at my Lulu.com store. And have a great day.

**Update (6/5/09)** Lulu has worked out a deal to sell this title at Amazon.com without the 30% mark-up--that means it sells for cover price of $7.50 at both Amazon and Lulu (plus either site's shipping charge, of course). Don't have any idea how long this will last, so buy those copies today!

Monday, May 25, 2009

The Barnabas Factors – J.D. Payne


©2008 Missional Press, Smyrna, DE


J.D. Payne is a mission worker, church planter, and seminary professor. He is the founder of church planting resource site Northamericanmissions.org. Payne has an extended history of working in both mission work and church planting. Granted, Payne (and others—myself included) would argue that the two are synonymous, but that’s an argument for another venue. Our focus today is on Payne’s recent book The Barnabas Factors: Eight Essential Practices of Church Planting Team Members.


The author uses Joseph of Cyprus, better known to us by the name given him by the apostles—Barnabas, as a role model for all church planting team members. In the scriptural references to Barnabas, Payne finds the following eight essentials:

Ø Walks with the Lord

Ø Maintains an Outstanding Character

Ø Serves the Local Church

Ø Remains Faithful to the Call

Ø Shares the Gospel Regularly

Ø Raises Up Leaders

Ø Encourages with Speech and Actions

Ø Responds Appropriately to Conflict.

One would be hard-pressed to argue with the importance of these practices in the life of church planting team leaders, but often we discover teams that have been recruited on the fly where members are lacking in any number of these qualities. Payne suggests that to do so would endanger the effectiveness or even the longevity of the team.


At times the book reads like another leadership book, and that is one of the drawbacks. Another is its brevity. Some might think that a short book on recruiting the right team members is a gift to church planters everywhere, but at times the brevity of the book underscores the rush with which it was put together (a struggle which Payne admits up front).


Other than those small drawbacks, let’s spend a more important moment discussing why you need to buy and read this book and keep it as a constant reference on your shelf. To begin with in a footnote early in the introduction Payne lists a gold mine of resources for the church planter and church planting team that go into much greater detail about the process of team building. Some readers will find encouragement in the periodic pauses to get testimony from real live church planters about how important each of the factors is to the team (entitled throughout the book as “Factors from the Field”). But probably the most useful part of the book, at least to me, is the “Points to Ponder” section at the end of each chapter.


One of the popular things for authors, editors, and book publishers to do today is to include some form of discussion questions at the end of their chapters in order to review and help the reader to fully internalize the material from the chapter. I must admit that this particular section is usually a waste of time on the part of the publishing community as far as I am concerned. I normally find such questions trite and inappropriate, an attempt at making an otherwise good resource into a “teaching tool” by emphasizing what the reader either should have picked up anyway, or didn’t find that important to the information. In The Barnabas Factors I had just the opposite reaction. Some of the most practical material in the book can be found in the thought-provoking and purposeful questions at the end of each chapter. They are more practical application than “did you really read the chapter?” type questions. I, for one, would like to see more of this in the course of ministerial reading.


Finally, Payne includes several tools for church planters to use as they are trying to build their team: a process evaluation that lets you assess potential team members against the Barnabas Factors, and a guideline (read that suggested starting point) for developing a team covenant between team members and team leaders.


I highly recommend this resource with four and one-half reading glasses.


Benjamin Potter, May 25, 2009

Friday, May 22, 2009

Less than Dead – Tim Downs

© 2008, Thomas Nelson, Nashville

It is no secret that I am a Tim Downs fan. I’ve read all of the novels that he has produced since introducing the Bug Man, Nick Polchak, in
Shoo Fly Pie in 2003. I find his writing to be witty, thoughtful, suspenseful, and engaging . . . all good qualities for a mystery writer.


The Bug Man series follows forensic entomologist Nick Polchak as he hires out to a variety of national organizations as a consultant when he’s not working as a professor at NC State. The tedium of learning all about blow-flies in their variety and in their desire to seek out fresh dead bodies has been one of the drawbacks to the series. There are only so many ways to tell how insects seek out and destroy dead bodies before it gets boring.


In Less than Dead Downs has found a way to circumvent that tedium by introducing something new, the cadaver dog! Nick is working with the FBI on a case of uncovered graveyard during construction excavation. Why is the FBI on this case? Two of the uncovered graves have bodies buried above the original inhabitant of the old graves – with the probability of more. The construction project is for a new mall and tourism center near the town of
Endor, Virginia. The search dog that the FBI has engaged seems to be having a difficult time finding any graves besides the four unearthed by the excavation crew. So Nick decides to find the Witch of Endor. Alena Savard turns out to be no witch at all, just a very talented dog trainer with an even more talented cadaver dog.

Between them they discover other bodies, most of the “upper berth” occupants of the graves are between 20 and 50 years old, one is 200 years old, and they all share the same DNA ancestry.


This is by far the best of the Bug Man novels with all the intrigue of FBI, presidential politics and small town superstition wrapped up together. The characters are well-rounded and the plot moves quickly from page to page. Just try to put this one down. 5 out of 5 reading glasses.


Benjamin Potter, May 22, 2009

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