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Short Cuts
Short Cuts
Sigmund Brouwer | 2005 | Children
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Learning Lessons with Ricky Kidd
This book collects eleven short stories starring Ricky Kidd and the rest of the Accidental Detectives. While they don’t all feature mysteries to solve, they do include plenty of action and fun. Ricky has a bully or two to deal with. He and Mike take a dangerous canoe ride. And a new classmate’s sculpted replica of a hand leads to a crisis of faith.

Adding to the book, after each story author Sigmund Brouwer shares some thoughts on the theme of the story and the inspiration behind it. These are just as fun as the stories themselves and could almost work as a devotional if they included scriptures. The stories themselves are quick adventures with the characters we love, and fans will be very happy with them.
  
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David McK (3816 KP) rated Wake Up Dead Man (2025) in Movies

Dec 21, 2025 (Updated Dec 21, 2025)  
Wake Up Dead Man (2025)
Wake Up Dead Man (2025)
2025 |
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Third entry in the so-called Knives Out series of murder mysteries, this time relocating to a quiet country church and following Benoit Blanc - who doesn't appear until a good 30 minutes or so into the movie - and priest Reverend Jud Duplenticy, who most of the hard-core followers of the flock of fire and brimstone preacher Monsignor Jefferson Wick believe to be responsible for said Monsignor's death, in another locked room mystery.

The film really belongs to Josh O'Connor as the ex-boxer and now priest Duplenticy, ably supported by Daniel Craig's southerner (and atheist) Benoit Blanc. The denouement is maybe dragged out a bit too long, and it does take a while to get going, but at least this shows that faith and logic can coexist.
  
    Catholic Short Prayers

    Catholic Short Prayers

    Utilities and Reference

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    Helping you to pray at all times with these short prayers ready at hand. "Pray without ceasing. In...

The Lightkeeper's Daughters
The Lightkeeper's Daughters
Colleen Coble | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Romance
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the first book I received from Thomas Nelson for reviewing, and because of shipping problems, by the time I recieved it I had forgotten why I originally picked it. I started reading the book out of obligation, and at first, had a hard time actually enjoying what I was reading. It felt a bit like a school assignment for the first 80 pages, which is generally how far I will go in a book before I decide whether or not I want to finish it. Luckily, at that point the book actually started to get interesting as Addie became snoopy around the house and began unearthing clues about her mother. I am not much for the mystery genre, but I found the detective-like aspects of this novel much more entertaining than the chaste romance between Addie Sullivan and Lieutenant North, which led up to a climax that was so exciting I chose finishing the novel to sleeping when I was sick with a cold.

Regarding the more religious aspects of the novel, I thought that the depiction of Addie's faith in God to be somewhat watered down and simplified with possibly not enough attention given to its place in her life. Often I find ithis is the case with literature in the genre of Christian fiction. The single time that scripture from the Bible is quoted, it's merely a few lines out of Psalms, and each time that we see Addie praying, she only spends a few moments in prayer before something else requires her attention. This is not to say that all Christian fiction - categorized works do this, as I have read some truly excellent portrayals of faith in Jesus, but this book certainly did.

Overall, I would recommend the book more for its plot elements of mystery and intrigue, not for its religious aspects.
  
The Centurion's Wife (Acts of Faith, #1)
The Centurion's Wife (Acts of Faith, #1)
Davis Bunn | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was a wonderful surprise in both its accuracy in utilizing the Biblical account, as well as its mastery in enlivening the recorded events pulled from the Bible by weaving in the fictional story of Leah. I have read these parts of the Bible more times than I can count, but this novel made the events fresh and exciting, as if I were living in the time period and watching them first hand. It made me realize as I read it how much I take for granted in having the completed Bible, which those first believers did not have. I could relate quite easily to some of the characters, especially the portrayal of Mary Magdalene. I also especially loved how the authors described the scene at Pentacost, as well as the allusions to the wedding in Revelation using Leah's wedding plans.
This book is the first book in the series Acts of Faith, which I like because not only are all the loose threads not accounted for, but also because I would love to see other Biblical characters portrayed by these authors, such as Paul. I look forward to continuing the series with the next book, The Hidden Flame.
This is how Christian fiction should be written, in my humble opinion. The beliefs and doubts of the characters are real and believable - even to the point of looking messy and contradictory. Their faith hasn't been softened and molded by political correctness, too afraid to quote more than a few fee-good verses from Psalms or even use the name of Jesus. A Christian is not a one-dimensional type-cast description, and neither should the characters in a Christian fiction novel be.