Hanging by a Thread by Donald B. Anderson

Hanging by a Thread

By Donald B. Anderson

Reviewed by Heather Moore

Although this book is plainly a “first book”, I appreciated the passion of the subject matter which clearly comes through the weft and warp of the story.

Hanging by a Thread is a fast-paced action thriller set in modern-day Salt Lake City, Utah. Colton, a young employee at the Utah State Capitol building, inadvertently discovers a top secret document which outlines a major conspiracy that has been operating for more than ten years. The goal of this group: To take over and control the United States. Their name: The Thread.

Colton shows the strange document to his friend who works in security, and it doesn’t take long before they realize that the information is incredibly important—they just don’t know how important yet. As they join forces with a BYU professor and Colton’s uncle, light is shed on the cryptic information. Through a massive infiltration of media and communications systems, Colton and his group are falsely accused of being terrorists. They go on the run, literally for their lives.

The decisions that Colton makes will not only affect lives, but possibly determine whether or not the United States maintains the freedoms it was built upon.

What ensues is a high-action adventure with many twists and turns, brought to life by careful attention to detail of the inner workings of government agencies, the police force, and the massive coordination it takes to prevent catastrophes. The intriguing plot will keep you turning pages quickly and guessing until the last pages, with an ending that has a compelling impact.

Hanging by a Thread can by purchased on Amazon.

Visit the author's website HERE

Imprints by Rachel Ann Nunes

Review by Heather Moore

Autumn Rain is far from normal. She has a dangerous gift, at least one that can bring danger to her. Touching an object that is important to a missing, or even dead, person brings flashes of memories. But sometimes they are too disturbing for even Autumn to handle.

When a woman goes missing, her parents are desperate for help. Autumn gets caught up in the events, even when it means bringing danger to herself and those she loves. Although Autumn has the power to read imprints, she doesn't always rely on those who are the most honest.

Author Rachel Nunes paints an intriguing character in Imprints. A story that deviates from Nunes' usual array, I thoroughly enjoyed the characterization and ambiance of this novel. The plot is far from predictable and takes several surprising turns. Suspense, romance, and a touch of paranormal rolls into one enjoyable read.

Kudos to the publisher, Deseret Book/Shadow Mountain, for printing a paranormal story that it clean and uplifting.

Imprints is available HERE.

Devil's Food Cake by Josi S. Kilpack

Review by Heather Moore

Sadie Hoffmiller is at it again! But of course it's not her fault she just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Bestselling author, and former resident of Sadie's hometown, Thom Mortenson arrives to give a presentation for the library fundraiser. When Thom's manager is mysteriously shot while getting the microphone ready on the stage, Sadie is right there to uncover all of the clues.

No, she didn't actually see the shot blast because she was savoring--eyes closed--a delicious bite of her very own Devil's Food Cake. But that fact would never deter Sadie's spry involvement.

As the whirlwind night unfolds, Sadie is drawn into a complex web of information, each turn more surprising than the next. But the only caveat is that she must follow the trail of clues without the police, which takes a bit of navigation on Sadie's part.

Sadie Hoffmiller is a delightful character, quirky, funny, and never fails to disappoint. Devil's Food Cake is another Kilpack classic, and like the other books in this culinary mystery series, the "whodunit" comes at a surprise.

If you haven't read any of Kilpack's Sadie Hoffmiller series, you need to catch up! Previous volumes are Lemon Tart, and English Trifle, with Key Lime Pie coming Fall 2010. They are fun to read in order but not entirely necessary!

Visit the author's website HERE.

The Cross Gardener by Jason F. Wright

The Cross Gardener

By Jason F. Wright
Berkley Books, March 2010

Reviewed by Heather Moore

The Cross Gardener is wonderful book to add to your collection, especially if you’re a Jason F. Wright fan. Wright is the New York Times bestselling author of Christmas Jars, The Wednesday Letters, and Recovering Charles.

Wright skillfully paints John Bevan as a character with incredible depth. John’s life starts out tragically. Right from birth, death is an ever-present part of his life when his mother dies in a car accident that instigates her labor. At the age of four, John is adopted by a single man who runs an orchard. Only then does he learn what unconditional love is.

John’s journey in life applies to all of us as he faces the death of his wife. As a young widower, with a six-year-old daughter, John doesn’t know how to heal the gaping hole in his heart. His orchard business suffers, he isolates himself from his in-laws and friends, and no matter how much time passes he can’t seem to exist beyond the moment of his wife’s death.

John becomes obsessive about visiting his wife’s gravesite and the location where she was killed. During one of his daily visits, he encounters a strange man who calls himself the cross gardener. A friendship slowly forms between the two men until John learns to open up to the stranger. The cross gardener teaches John how to listen, how to lighten the burdens of his past, how to savor the world again, and how to add meaning back into his relationships.

The Cross Gardener is a book teeming with emotion, truth, and insightfulness into the human heart. A story of hope and healing that brightens the dark corners of despair, simultaneously offering the reader a gratifying journey.

To order The Cross Gardener visit HERE.

Dangerous Connections by Julie Coulter Bellon

Dangerous Connections
By Julie Coulter Bellon
Covenant Communications, March 2010

Reviewed by Heather Moore

It isn’t often I read a book that reminds me of why I’m a bookworm. Dangerous Connections is exactly that type of book. To be transported into another place and to meet characters who are involved in a life that you can only guess out, is the perfect remedy for an average person like me (about the most daring thing I’ve done is drive from California to Utah with a nursing baby).

Bellon has a way of writing an international thriller that is straight-forward, yet exciting at the same time. Dr. Tyler Winthrop, war veteran from Iraq, goes to Paris on vacation to meet his father. From the moment he arrives, he’s thrown into a web of danger. His father is missing and in his place is a strange note telling him to return immediately to America. Tyler takes a gamble and remains in Paris, trying to contact anyone his father might have known. When he finally tracks down an acquaintance, Tyler discovers that his father’s disappearance is linked to an intricate terrorist plot that threatens to kill thousands of innocent soldiers who are fighting the war on terror.

About half-way through the book, I flipped to the acknowledgments and discovered that Bellon had spent time in France researching the novel. I was impressed with the accuracy of descriptions and the subtle blend of French culture into the characters.

Dangerous Connections is a great escape and will have you guessing the outcome until the final chapters. The characters are well-defined with excellent depth, from the main characters of Tyler and Isabella to even the most minor character. Trés bon Madame Bellon!

Visit the author's website here.

I Need Thee Every Hour by David P. Vandagriff

I Need Thee Every Hour: Applying the Atonement in Everyday Life
By David P. Vandagriff
Covenant Communications, 2010

Review by Heather Moore

I Need Thee Every Hour, by David P. Vandagriff, is the type of book that you’ll need a pencil handy as you read. There were many many places I marked that contained profound insights.

Vandagriff introduces the topic of the Atonement by saying “The Atonement of Jesus Christ is not only for your last breath and the last day of your life, but it is also for every day of your life, every breath of your life” (p 1). Yes, this is something we might inherently know, but I love the way Vandagriff lays it out in a simple-to-comprehend style. As a former bishop on two separate occasions, Vandagriff has been the witness to the continuing effect of the Atonement in many people’s lives, including his own.

The Atonement is individual. To illustrate, Vandagriff gives a poignant example of a BYU student who shares her artistic talent with a group of elderly women in nursing home. The Atonement is service, as demonstrated in the way that Christ teaches the Apostle Paul. The Atonement is both vertical and horizontal. Vertical from ourselves to the Lord, as we reach up, the Savior reaches down to us; and horizontally: from ourselves to others.

Through touching examples from Vandagriff’s years of service in the Church, he brings to life the amazing application of the Atonement. He offers many examples, including one where his ward was able to help children who struggled with school in his area. On a more personal level, Vandagriff also shares his own personal trials. Trials that he didn’t plan for or expect, but trials that taught him the infinite nature of the Atonement and how, through grace, he could keep his vision steady as his dependence on the Savior became complete and utter.

Despite personal trials, Vandagriff was called into positions of leadership, which continued to teach and refine his natural man. He was put in positions of trust to counsel with those who had broken commandments and subsequently came into his office to start the process of repentance. In his book, Vandagriff outlines the significant steps of sincere prayer, scripture study, and drawing closer to the Savior, in order to complete the process of true repentance.

Vandagriff also explains why bad things happen to good people, how the Savior truly knows each of our trials, and how He experiences our individual pain and sorrows. But most importantly Vandagriff outlines how we can endure trials that come, whether attributed to sin or to circumstance. Vandagriff offers an explanation in the way of King Benjamin, who taught his people to serve each other. “Serving others because we love Christ will help us maintain and develop the vital characteristics of patience, humility, and charity” (p 128).

Even though Vandagriff has served in Church positions where he was blessed with frequent communication and inspiration from the Spirit, he still struggled with receiving answers of a personal nature, including a monumental question in his professional life. And until he learned to humble himself and take worldly desires out of the equation, did he finally receive the answer the Lord was all the while waiting to give him.

Finally, Vandagriff explains the purpose of the Atonement for every man, woman and child. Just as Vandagriff believed he could fly as a young child, tried and failed, we cannot truly fly without the Atonement. No matter how intelligent or talented or righteous we strive to be, we cannot reach our divine potential without the Atonement’s finishing touches.

As insightful as the title conveys, Vandagriff outlines ways to apply the Atonement to our day-to-day lives, as he combines uplifting personal experiences and insights by Church leaders and prophets. Vandagriff has not led the perfect life, and he willing shares his trials and the steps to growth as he continues on life’s path. Well-written and compelling, I Need Thee Every Hour, is a useful and encouraging guide for our days of light and our days in which we feel we are wading through the mists of darkness.

For more information about the author and his other publications, visit his website here.

Too Precious for Earth by Amy C. Maddocks

Too Precious for Earth
By Amy C. Maddocks

Review by Heather Moore

Amy Maddocks’ heart broke on the day that she held her infant son in her arms as he struggled with his final breaths. Her son, Connor, had been a miracle. Amy wasn’t supposed to be able to have any more children, but then she miraculously became pregnant. After all the precautions were taken and all the risks made, she and her husband eagerly prepared to welcome a new child into their home.

In Too Precious for Earth, Amy provides a rich and detailed telling of her journey into becoming a mother for the second time. Although an unexpected journey, she rearranges her life so that she can be healthy physically and financially provide for her son.

Just as Amy is finally allowing herself to believe that even the most impossible dreams can come true, she develops a serious pregnancy complication. Her son, Connor, is born twelve weeks premature. As Amy struggles with her own slow and painful recovery after a cesarean birth, little Connor begins to fail.

A beautiful but heartbreaking tale of a mother and family who overcome the depths of grief and despair and learn to embrace life again. Amy forges through her trials, learns the meaning of true friendship, embraces the miracles that she has been witness to, and triumphs as she uses the miracle of Connor to change and bless hundreds of lives.

Too Precious to Earth will take you on a raw and poignant spiritual journey you’ll never forget.

Visit Amy's Website for more information, or to order her book.