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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

My Favorite Suspense Books Keep Me Up at Night & My Fingernails Trimmed

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

In this episode, I chat with Christian author, Tom Threadgill about his Amara series (especially Network of Deceit) and about his Jeremy Winters series. via @chautonahavig

Last month, I had the privilege of chatting with Christian author, Tom Threadgill about his Amara series (Collision of Lies and Network of Deceit) and about his Jeremy Winters series (for just a bit). Mostly, I gushed about the awesome characters he’s created and the unique situation he gets himself and them into, and he graciously put up with it!

See, here’s the thing.  Tom’s books hold most of my favorite elements!

Tom Threadgill

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My Favorite Suspense Books Keep Me Up at Night & My Fingernails Trimmed

Hold onto your seats, folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride to justice!  Want proof?  I actually typed “seets.”  Yeah. That.  *rolls eyes at self.*

As I state in the episode, I first learned of  Tom Threadgill when I found his first Amara Alvarez book in a Christian bookstore in Indiana–Amish central. Just sayin’.  As I’m doing videos about the great store and the books I found, and chat with #1daughter, this poor Amish woman kept glancing my way, probably wondering why I’m so enamored with the title, Collision of Lies.

But seriously, an entire busload of kids are presumed dead… but then not?  WHAT?

Tom and I chatted (for far too long… I only recorded about half of it), and boy do we agree on a lot of things about books, writing, and what makes both fun and great.

Call it “discovery” writing, “organic” writing, or the old tried and true, “pantsing,” we both tend to start out on a book journey with some kind of idea where WE think we want the story to go and then get to find out if the characters agree or if they have minds of their own.  Neither of us are much into gore.  Both really hate preaching in books.

As a Christian author, Tom Threadgill hints that his faith might show in his work, but his goal is to provide clean fiction for readers.

He says, and I agree, that good fiction doesn’t need profanity and smut, and he wants to provide that for any reader.

Like I often say, keeping a Christian worldview out of a Christian’s book is (and probably should be) almost impossible, but his intention isn’t to provide spiritual depth but an alternative to the glut of content that readers might be embarrassed to be caught reading.

So what is the Amara Alvarez series about?

Take a property crimes officer, put her in a situation out of her element, let her flounder around figuring out how to do this thing, and bam!  You have San Antonio’s next homicide detective.  Tom Threadgill’s newest release, Network of Deceit, shows her at her first case as a detective, and whoa… is she thrown to the wolves.  The medical examiner is confident the death they’ve ruled an accident is, in fact, murder.  It’s her job to prove it.  She’s not happy, and her boss is giving her very little time to figure out what is going on.

Plus hackers.  And life problems.

And seriously, one of my newest and most favorite characters.  Starskey.  Oh, my.  Love this dude.  He’s such a perfect blend of confidence in his own skin without being obnoxiously arrogant.  WOOHOO!  Okay, so I really like that medical examiner a lot, too, and we got a hint there might be a lot more of him in the next book.  Squee!

Network of Deceit Tom ThreadgillSo what is Network of Deceit about?

After her rescue of nearly fifty kidnapped children made international headlines, Amara Alvarez gets what she’s worked for: a transfer to San Antonio’s Homicide Division. Reality sets in quickly, though, as her first case, the suspicious death of a teenager at a crowded local water park, brings chaos to her personal life.

As the investigation moves forward and she increases the pressure on the suspects, Amara finds herself under attack by cybercriminals. Her every move is being potentially watched online, and she’s forced to resort to unconventional methods to find the killer. With few leads, she fights to keep her first murder investigation from ending up in the cold case files.

Tom Threadgill is back with another riveting page-turner featuring the detective who is willing to put everything on the line to see that justice is served and lives are protected.

Tom Threadgill also has another series–Jeremy Winters

While a bit “grittier” than the Amara Alvarez series, Tom assures us that it isn’t gory or over-the-top. He doesn’t enjoy that himself.  I suspect I’ll handle it all just fine. In fact, while trying to compare it to other authors, he pointed out that it was a lot tamer than say Ted Dekker.  I thought that was helpful.

ALSO!  Both of Tom’s series are available on audiobook (and Audible folks?  You can get the Jeremy Winters as part of your subscription!)

If you love great suspense like we talked about in Episode 58, then I suspect you’ll love Tom’s

You can find out more about Tom Threadgill on his website, and as he pointed out, he loves reviews!

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 472: A Chat with Shelley Shepard Gray
byChautona Havig

 It may seem weird, but my favorite way to read Amish fiction is with mystery or suspense added. I think I like the juxtaposition of the “simple, quiet” life and the upheaval. Listen in to my chat with Shelley Shepard Gray about her newest book, Unshaken.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

There are so many questions about the Amish, their ways of life, and their differences from us and from each other. We talked about the differences between people, sure, but we also looked at how the Amish look for the ways people are similar to them etc.

Of course, we also talked about the Rumors in Ross County series and how her newest book connects.

 Unshaken  by Shelley Shepard Gray

He helps her hide until danger has passed. She hopes her cover lasts long enough. When Stephanie Miller planned her visit to a dollar store in southern Ohio, she was expecting to pick up a few items she couldn’t find in her Amish community. She was not expecting to find herself an innocent bystander as a drug deal went horribly wrong. The sole witness to a murder, now Stephanie is targeted by the gunman. Hardy Anderson is always ready to help his social worker sister, Bev–which now includes hiding an Amish woman until a killer can be brought to justice. Surely if they dress her in English clothing, Hardy can hide her at the sprawling ranch where he works. But the killer is desperate–and there’s no telling what lengths he will go.

You can learn more about Shelley on her WEBSITE.  Don’t forget to follow her on BookBub and GoodReads.

AND!!!  Don’t miss her Buggy Bunch group on Facebook, too! 

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 472: A Chat with Shelley Shepard Gray
Episode 472: A Chat with Shelley Shepard Gray
September 29, 2025
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Episode 471: A Chat with Heather Wood
September 27, 2025
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Episode 470: A Chat with JPC Allen
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Episode 465: A Chat with DiAnn Mills
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