Through the Fire by Shawn Grady

Growing up I never really wanted to be a fireman, I was more of the policeman type.  As I have gotten older (and hopefully wiser) I have come to realize more and more that I think I would like to be a firefighter.  Not in a big city like NewYork or Chicago, or even Reno (where this book is based), but in a small community.

Aiden O'Neill (or A-O) is a third generation firefighter and is beginning to have some trouble "hearing" the fire when he goes in.  He has an inate talent to "hear" the fire and know what it is going to do next ... so did his dad.  The problem is, his dad died in a fire five years ago ... in a circumstance where he shouldn't have been in harm's way.

This is what is making Aiden think about life ... well that and him almost getting his new partner killed in an accident where he wasn't following orders.  Aiden is "every-man" ... working hard to make something of himself, often putting it before everything else.  His life is in shambles and he is places on two week leave.  He visits his uncle in Mexico and comes back to face his fears once again.  He speaks candidly to his father's friend Ben, and Ben tells him that he can still hear the fire ... he just needs to listen.  Kinda like we can always hear God talking, but are we really listening.

Decent read ... it was worth the time.

Rating: 3/5

Pentecost: A Thriller by Joanna Penn

Fatherhood (for the second time) is pretty stinking cool.  Seeing Emma smile up at me just melts my heart.  Hearing Sydney say, "Daddy, I made this for you." turns me into a mess of emotions.  I have been a little lax lately in posting.  I finished this book a couple of weeks ago.

I've always liked the name Morgan for a girl.  And that just so happens to be the main character's name in Pentecost.  Morgan was born and raised in Israel, and has a twin sister that she never really knew since Morgan had lived with her father and her sister lived with her mother.  They were (and still are) drastically different people.  Morgan is a psychologist at Oxford University in England, where she specializes in the connection between religion and the mental acuity of some  of the problems that it may cause for an individual.  Her sister is married to a pastor and has a beautiful daughter whom Morgan adores.

The story revolves around the Apostles Stones, and the power that they may (or may not) have.  Stories tell of the time of the Resurrection of Jesus and the power that it took for that to happen.  The Apostles took small parts of the stone and kept them as a memento and reminder of that day and the power that they have been given.  Through time the stones were scattered across northern Africa, southern Europe and of course through the Middle East.

Morgan and her sister each have one of the stones ... you can see where this is going.  There is also and evil politician (really ... a politician that is evil ... never) who has a twin brother who has a sever medical condition.  He also thinks that if he is able to get all twelve stones together he will be able to heal his brother.  He does everything he can to get the stones ... kidnapping, murder, deceit, hatred ... you name it, he's done it.

Morgan teams up with Jake Timber from the ARKANE Corporation, to try to get the stones and deliver them to the political madman.  ARKANE specializes in "protecting" religious artifacts, no matter the cost.  Jake is directed to get the stones and get them to the ARKANE headquarters.  Morgan thinks that he is there to help get her sister and niece back ... oh yeah, they were kidnapped by the evil politician.

I'll stop there ... you can probably guess where it goes from there.

It was a decent read overall ... supposedly is is going to be a series.  I'm looking forward to the next installment to see if it can make the story more realistic.

Rating: 3/5