Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Devil's Garden, Brady Christianson (3 stars)


About The Devil's Garden

A Marine’s past is never far behind him, but sometimes it’s a lot closer than he thinks . . .

After years of enjoying the soft, quiet, civilian, family life, former Recon Marine Brandon Colson still has a large price on his head…only his family doesn’t know it. That is, until a heavily armed squad of terrorists breaks into his house and tries to kill him and his family.

After swiftly dispatching the would-be assassins, Colson realizes the ghosts from his past have somehow managed to come back to haunt him. His worst nightmare has come true. His identity—a secret until now—has been mysteriously compromised. Something he did years ago, while on a recon mission during his tour of service, has kept anger burning in the hearts of powerful Arab adversaries. And the men who attacked his house are simply an omen of what is to come.

With his family in hiding, Colson and local detective Sam Collier set out to locate and neutralize the remainder of the terrorist cell. It’s a race against time, and the plot they uncover along the way defies all expectation.

Their fates in the balance until the last second, the two men must fight for their lives as they navigate a trail littered with bloodshed and revenge that leads straight to hell on earth: The Devil’s Garden.
 
Price: $14.95
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
ISBN: 9781938690167
Pages: 391
Release: November 11, 2012
 
Review
 
Detective Sam Collier doesn't know what he's getting into when he prepares to interrogate Brandon Colson. What starts out as an investigation into Colson defending his family from intruders ends up with Sam's life on the line against terrorists. 

It's hard for Sam to believe Brandon's stories at first--especially when Brandon's kids are talking about magical blades and Brandon himself is quoting bible verses. As details slowly start to come in, Sam goes from doubter to believer. The two men set out on a mission through Florida swamps and forests, quite an unexpected eerie setting as described by the author, to take out the men who have been sent to kill Brandon.

This book has moments of fast-paced intrigue mixed with oddly-placed backstory and slow moments. When the action was in full force, the book was hard to put down. But, there were sections I was skimming because they were a bit long-winded. Often, Brandon's background was revealed through flashbacks that slowed the story a bit too much for me, although they were necessary to understanding his predicament.

In addition to Sam and Brandon, there are several other interesting and well-developed characters. The author has a way with dialogue and manages to describe the Florida setting in a way that made me feel like the characters were in a war zone.

Readers who appreciate action and intrigue will enjoy this story. Just be patient and enjoy the ride.
 
Rating: 3 stars
 
About the Author
 
Brady Christianson is a former United States Marine Corps Recon Marine whose military service and Christian faith has shaped his writing.

For more information on the book and author, please visit the author's website. 

Buy The Devil's Garden
 
This is a blog tour, please visit The Devil's Garden blog tour site for more stops.
 
Note: I received a complimentary copy from Tribute Books for review purposes. No other compensation was received. A positive review was not guaranteed or requested; the views expressed are my own.

For more information on Tribute Books, please visit their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

2 comments:

Tribute Books said...

Tia, thanks for always composing such a well-written review. We appreciate it!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Tia Bach said...

Nicole, It's my pleasure, as always. Thanks for bringing so many wonderful books into my life in 2012!