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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

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

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 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
byChautona Havig

I had a chat with actor and author Henry O. Arnold a while back, and boy did we have a lot of fun. His Song of Prophets and Kings series features the advent of Israel’s kings from Samuel’s birth through David hiding from Saul (so far) and onward. Listen in as we chat about his most recent release, The Singer of Israel.

 

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

What Made David Such a Man after God’s Heart?

I think this series will show us. I love that Henry O. Arnold started back at Samuel’s story to prepare us for the story of arguably the most influential king of Israel. Yes, Solomon was the wisest and richest, but David offered something that Solomon didn’t have. He was an average guy—a shepherd, no less—chosen by God to lead his country.

In a sense, it’s kind of the ancient Jewish version of a poor, everyday guy growing up to become President of the United States. If you know what I mean.

This five-book series is available as an eBook, in print, and as an audiobook, too! Henry read a snippet of it to us, and boy you get a feel for his love of Scripture and God’s people as he reads.

And if that wasn’t enough, he even gave us a hint of his upcoming Christian suspense/thriller “series. He says he has two books planned for sure, so… at least a duology, but maybe we can talk him into a trilogy at least? Get those odd numbers and everything?

The Singer of Israel by Henry O. Arnold

A singer’s voice inspires a troubled nation…A shepherd’s courage vanquishes a giant

The last official act of the prophet of Yahweh was to secretly anoint a replacement for the king of Israel who has been brought low by an unbalanced mind. The great prophet of Israel lives in fear of the wrath of the king. Then out of the hills of Bethlehem emerges the last-born son of a family of shepherds to become the unforeseen hero of Israel.

When David sings of the glory of Yahweh, this shepherd wins the hearts of the royal family and restores King Saul’s troubled mind. But when the singer/shepherd defeats the champion of the Philistines in single combat, David becomes forever known as “the giant slayer.” Saul quickly sees that David is now a threat to his kingdom and secretly plots to have him killed.

David may be the champion of the people of Israel, but he must live under the constant threat of Saul’s wrath until he is finally forced to flee for his life.

The Singer of Israel is a tale of triumph and tribulation, deepest love, and burning rivalries; the new epoch is given a voice…and it is The Song of Prophets and Kings.

You can learn more about Henry on this WEBSITE.

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Episode 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
Episode 215: A Chat with Henry O. Arnold
March 24, 2023
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Episode 213: A Chat about Daughter of Eden with Jill Eileen Smith
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Episode 212: A Chat about Code Name Edelweiss with Stephanie Landsem
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Episode 211: A Chat with Lynn H. Blackburn about Under Fire
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Episode 210: A Chat with Jennifer Deibel about The Maid of Ballymacool
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Episode 209: A Chat with Tracie Peterson about Remember Me
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Episode 207: A Chat with Daniella Rushton about Portal Fantasy
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Episode 206: A Chat with Lisa Phillips about Her New Spin-off Series
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