I received the following book for free from Kregal Publications in exchange for an honest review.
Without further to do, here’s my honest review of the faith-informed thriller Cross Shadow!
Jumping in On Book Two
I knew this was a sequel, but I jumped in anyway. Mostly, this did not affect the reading experience. I was caught up on the essential details, and except for a few references, I got up to speed quickly. The only downside is that I know the major plot twist of the first book, A Cross to Kill. Oh well. That won’t stop me from going back to read it!
A Thrilling Read
If you like to read action-packed thriller books, yet like them cleaner, then you’ll like Cross Shadow. It includes Christian characters without losing sight of a compelling plot.
Cross Shadow is a thriller that follows reporter Christine and her former-CIA-agent-turned-Pastor boyfriend John Cross. Okay, when I heard it was about a CIA agent who became a pastor and who stops major catastrophes, I rolled my eyes. It just kind of seems like a silly set-up. However, it surprisingly works.
This book follows Christine and John when Christine’s step-brother is arrested for murder. They soon get wrapped up in a large conspiracy. And then a larger conspiracy. And just when you think that’s conspirator enough, it gets larger. Without spoiling the plot, I can tell you many surprising twists occurred.
Most of the book takes place in Dallas, Texas which is not exactly an exotic and exciting place, but they make it work. The author, Andrew Huff, is from that part of the world so it’s neat to get the insider perspective. There are certain unbelievable aspects of the plot, like how the CIA just gives Cross expensive gadgets for an unsanctioned mission or that they happen to get wrapped up in such a large conspiracy! But for a thriller book, that’s what you expect. You can expect fast-paced action, twists, great fight scenes and cool technology.
In short: if you like action-adventure or thrillers or want realistic Christian characters who are also cool, read this book.
Christian Content
Though this book is published by a Christian publisher, this book doesn’t force faith. And I appreciate that. We need more of that! The plot is driven by an enemy not motivated by faith, there are no forced conversations, and nothing in the theme really has a faith feel (like most thrillers, there isn’t really a discernable message). I would categorize it as a Type 1–“Faith in Morality”–according to the Five Types theory of categorization which describes the ways faith interacts with fiction.
What I really appreciate is Cross’ struggle when who he was and who he is. He’s a man with an impressive set of skills, but now he’s a Christian and doesn’t want to kill anyone. He struggles between pastoral responsibilities and saving his girlfriend / saving the world. He’s a provocative and interesting character–an example to many Christian creatives who need to learn about multi-dimensional characters!
You get the most Christian content from the characters. There are Christian characters and characters without explicit faith. Non-Christian characters are treated with sympathy, but their behavior (cussing, more willingness to kill bad guys) is juxtaposed in several instances to the Christian characters. Yet the Christians are not perfect. A few times they swear when they are angry (we aren’t given the word, just a note that they did). The two main Christian characters struggle with thoughts and actions like anybody!
Win a Free Copy of the Book!
Well, if you are intrigued you can head over to wherever good books are sold, like Amazon or Kregel’s site.
For a free copy, enter below for a chance to win! You have until June 23rd to enter the giveaway to receive one free copy of Cross Shadow.
a Rafflecopter giveawayLearn more about Andrew Huff and the Shepherd Suspense novels at www.andrewhuffbooks.com. He can also be found on Facebook (@huffwrites), Twitter (@andrewjohnhuff) and Instagram (@andyhuff).
