Nothing to Hide

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Nothing to Hide Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012)
by J. Mark Bertrand

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years,
earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after
one hurricane too many he left for South Dakota. Mark has been arrested
for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served
on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an
 honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.



ABOUT THE BOOK

A grisly homicide. An international threat.
The stakes have never been higher for
Detective Roland March.

The victim's head is missing, but what intrigues Detective Roland March
is the hand. The pointing finger must be a clue--but to what? According
to the FBI, the dead man was an undercover asset tracking the flow of
 illegal arms to the Mexican cartels. To protect the operation, they want
March to play along with the cover story. With a little digging, though, he
discovers the Feds are lying. And they're not the only ones.

In an upside-down world of paranoia and conspiracy, March finds himself
dogged by injury and haunted by a tragic failure. Forced to take justice into
 his own hands, his twisting investigation leads him into the very heart of
 darkness, leaving March with nothing to lose--and nothing to hide.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Nothing to Hide, go HERE.

Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Bertrand is the third book in the outstanding Roland March murder mystery series. When Roland is called to investigate the murder of a man who was decapitated and de-gloved as a way of keeping his identity secret, at first he considers the involvement of the Mexican cartels. With Houston's proximity to the border, his guess wouldn't be too big of a stretch, but what he uncovers instead is a shocking mix of political machinations, secret agents and double agents, and a connection to his past Roland thought was long buried. Bertrand's writing is hard-edged police procedural mixed with the inner workings of a man tortured by his desire to right wrongs, even at great personal cost. The story is complicated, fast-paced, action-packed, and always, always intelligent. By the time Roland begins to uncover the truth, the reader can barely keep track of who is betraying who and just who the real bad guy is, and when the murderer is revealed, I was just as shocked as Roland. Bertrand excels at keeping me guessing (and as a frequent murder mystery reader, it's hard to surprise me). Some police procedural series go on far past their expiration date, but with Bertrand writing, I will always keep coming back to see what he's put March up against next.

Pattern of Wounds

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Pattern of Wounds Bethany House (July 1, 2011) by J. Mark Bertrand



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years, earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after one hurricane too many he relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.







ABOUT THE BOOK

It's Christmas in Houston, and homicide detective Roland March is on the hunt for a killer. A young woman's brutal stabbing in an affluent neighborhood bears all the hallmarks of a serial murder. The only problem is that March sent the murderer to prison ten years ago. Is it a copycat -- or did March convict the wrong man?



Alienated from his colleagues and with a growing rift in his marriage, March receives messages from the killer. The bodies pile up, the pressure builds, and the violence reaches too close to home. Up against an unfathomable evil, March struggles against the clock to understand the hidden message in the pattern of wounds.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Pattern of Wounds, go HERE.

Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand is the second book in the Roland March series about a disaffected Houston police detective. March has recovered some since the events of the previous book, Back on Murder. His marriage is back on track, although he's a bit worried about wife, Charlotte's newfound faith, and he's working murder cases again. This time it's a young woman found stabbed to death in a swimming pool that opens up March's old wounds. When this new murder appears to be connected to a decade old murder that March become nationally famous for closing, his life as he knows it is about to end. Bertrand is such an intelligent writer; his are the type of books I recommend to people who insist that they hate Christian fiction and that it's all cliched or badly written. Bertrand's March is angry and hurting at the world because of his scarred childhood as well as the darkness he sees daily through his job. He can't believe that there could be a loving God who could see all of this pain and refuse to act. His refusal to believe is so sympathetic, readers will find themselves empathizing with him, even when he is so very, very wrong. March is a poignant and intelligent hero and anchor to the series. Bertrand uses him to expose culture's obsession with serial killers and the frustrations of being a police officer and seeing only the worst in humanity. The story is complex and unpredictable, but it's March who really pulls readers into the story, making it feel very real and personal. Bertrand smartly reveals more of March's personal history and demons in this book, as well as shaking up what readers thought they knew about him. This is the rare series that will get better with each book.

Back on Murder

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Back On Murder Bethany House (July 1, 2010)


by J. Mark Betrand





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.



Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of a hung jury in Houston, and after relocating served on the jury that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead. Besides his personal website, visit his Crime Genre website at http://www.crimegenre.com/.



The next book in this series, Pattern Of Wounds will come out in the summer of 2011.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Det. Roland March is a homicide cop on his way out.

A missing girl. A corrupt investigation. They thought they could get away with it, but they forgot one thing:



Roland March is BACK ON MURDER...



Houston homicide detective Roland March was once one of the best. Now he's disillusioned, cynical, and on his way out. His superiors farm him out on a variety of punishment details. But when he's the only one at a crime scene to find evidence of a missing female victim, he's given one last chance to prove himself. Before he can crack the case, he's transferred to a new one that has grabbed the spotlight--the disappearance of a famous Houston evangelist's teen daughter.

All he has to do? Find the missing teenage daughter of a Houston evangelist that every cop in town is already looking for. But March has an inside track, a multiple murder nobody else thinks is connected. With the help of a youth pastor with a guilty conscience who navigates the world of church and faith, March is determined to find the missing girls while proving he's still one of Houston's best detectives.



Battling a new partner, an old nemesis, and the demons of his past, getting to the truth could cost March everything. Even his life.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Back On Murder, go HERE.

Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand is the first book in the Roland March series. March, a Houston police officer has fallen from grace within the department. After being featured as a hero in a true crime book, he lost his focus and desire for the job and was bumped down from Homicide to being farmed out to other units, a position of deep humiliation for him. Even his marriage to beautiful lawyer Charlotte is suffering. When he stumbles upon a piece of evidence at a violent gang slaying, he's given probationary status on the investigation, but when he sees a link between his case the high-profile disappearance of a teenage girl, his superiors think he's seeking more time in the public eye. It seems that no matter what March does, he makes someone mad. Bertrand has written a near-perfect police procedural. March is disaffected and angry at his loss of status with a long history of creating enemies. He has a rich back history, perfect for sequels, and he's fighting to prove himself to the world, his wife, and himself. There's plenty of detail about procedures and interdepartmental spitting contests, along with dirty cops, and red herrings. March is a terrific protagonist that will keep readers begging for more for years to come.

Beguiled

This week, the



Christian Fiction Blog Alliance



is introducing



Beguiled



(Bethany House March 1, 2007)



by



Deeanne Gist



andJ. Mark Bertrand





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called "I Did It!® Productions" and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.

J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her... Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston's wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.



Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything. As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?



If you'd like to read the first chapter of , go HERE





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Beguiled by Deeanne Gist & J. Mark Bertrand is a thrilling romantic suspense novel full of twists and turns. Rylee Monroe loves her job as a dogwalker, even if it doesn't pay as much as she'd like and had in the past before her father absconded with the family fortune and disappeared and her mother committed suicide in the wake of his betrayal. Her job is soon threatened when several of her wealthy customers are robbed by the Robin Hood burglar who has an unusual M.O.: he steals one item of sentimental but not great monetary value and then donates it to a charity. The police quickly focus on Rylee as a suspect, by Logan Woods, the reporter working on the story, is felled by Rylee's charms and just as certain that she is innocent. The authors make the city of Charleston come to life with lots of local interest, but the sparks between Rylee and Logan make the novel zip with plenty of chemistry. Readers will appreciate the honesty between the hero and heroine in a genre that thrives on miscommunications and half-truths. That type of plot driven story can become tiresome, but Rylee and Logan seem like real people who react in ways that readers can easily relate to. Don't start this book unless you have time to sit down and finish it all the way through, because once you start, it's impossible to put down!

I'm starting a new book contest today to give away a copy of Dr. David Jeremiah's Angels. It's a fantastic study of angels focusing on their true identity as given in the Bible. If you would like to win, send me an email or leave a comment here before 10 pm on Thursday, Feb. 4th. I'll announce the winner here on Friday. Good luck!