Book Review - Fear Has a Name by Creston Mapes

It has been nice having a weekend or two to finally concentrate on reading.  Last weekend I was immersed in two books one via my Kindle "Fire in the Night" by Linda Byler and the above "Fear Has a Name" by Creston Mapes. Both were provided by publishers.  Though the reads were provided by the publishers, this has not impacted my review.


Title:  Fear Has a Name (The Crittendon Files)
Author:  Creston Mapes
Publisher:  David C. Cook

About the Book (via Goodreads):
How Far Would He Go To Keep Them Safe?

It was more than a break-in. More than a stalking. It was personal. When a stalker targets his family, journalist Jack Crittendon must uncover who the person is and what his motives are—if he is to protect the ones he loves. It will lead Crittendon into a world of behind-closed-door secrets and faith gone awry, as does his investigation of a missing pastor, whose apparent suicide is more than it appears. Each move Crittendon makes weaves him tighter and tighter into a web of lies, greed, hypocrisy, sin, and danger. He believed he’d never give in to fear. But that was before. And holding on to his faith won’t be easy. Nor will keeping his family safe, and ending the terror. Because that might require him to step over lines he never dared to cross.

My Review:  
As a fan of thrillers and suspense novels, I was really looking forward to reading "Fear Has a Name."  I am constantly looking for a thriller that I can enjoy that includes a Christian message.  This is not an easy combination to achieve, and the attempts often result in any faith message being lost in the story or the story being lost in the message.  "Fear Has a Name" did not disappoint.  The story begins with a big enough bang to to capture my interest and engage my curiosity.  As I read, the action ebbed and flowed in a perfect mix of needed detail and moments of nail-biting tension.  I felt engaged throughout the story, and truly if I didn't have such a rigid bedtime, I would have read into the night.   "Fear Has a Name" keeps you thinking about not just what will happen next in the story but in actual life by bringing to light real issues like bullying, abuse, scandal and the importance of caring about others as we do ourselves.  You are also reminded that not everything is as it appears.

The characters are well thought out and caused me to want to know more about them and what will happen next.  The characters made me feel emotions of fear, sadness, disgust, and also hope.  Occasionally I simply wanted to shake a few.  

If I were to give one word to describe "Fear Has a Name" I would  use the word "gripping."  It was that and so much more.  I am thrilled that "Fear Has a Name" is just the first in a series.  I eagerly look forward to the next book "Poison Town."

As far as rating this book...FIVE stars all the way.

OOOH Big PS here.  Creston's publisher is giving away another copy of Fear Has a Name.  You can learn more at his website.