Customer Reviews

Rolling Thunder (The Truth Chasers Series #1)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a great first novel! For those who love Law & Order or CSI, Rolling Thunder will be a sure-fire favorite.

Balancing an interesting and appealing story about an estranged son/father and the thrill and intrigue of a detective story, Rolling Thunder will appeal to both men and women.

Can't wait for the next one!

ROLLING THUNDER is the first book in a series of 3 (so far) by Christian author Mark Mynheir. John Russell is a top detective in the statewide Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He and his partner have been assigned a case that is getting statewide attention and demanding action by the governor. A 10-year old boy named Dylan Jacobs went into the custody of the state when he was four and hasn't been heard from since. There are no records tracking him through the system. The governor is outraged that something like this could happen. Also, Frank Moore is an old man and dying. He is also a convicted murder and being released from prison. He has just on thing left to do before he dies, and that is to see John Russell.

Of the two story lines, the search for Dylan Jacobs is definitely more interesting. John and Tim follow a few clues and interview criminals. They seem to have an idea on who might be behind Dylan's disappearance, but can't come up with the evidence. In the second story line, Frank Moore shows up at John Russell's house, and John almost kills him. It seems Frank is his real father and John watched him murder his mother when he was seven. John has never forgiven Frank and never wants to.

For a suspense novel, this book had little suspense. I blame that on Mynheir revealing John's horrible childhood so early in the novel. There is never a question of what happened. Every time the novel switches to Frank's request to get John's forgiveness, the story comes to a halt. The novel felt too preachy and covered too much of the character's spiritual and prayer lives. This might not seem like a fair criticism for a Christian suspense novel, so let phrase it another way. The story line with Frank Moore had no supense to it, and it needed to in a suspense novel.

I haven't read the other two books in the series, but I hope Mynheir focuses a little more on the twists and turns of police work. He obiously knows a lot about the subject. His bio tells you that. He's also seen first hand the suffering and abuse that kids face everyday. I know he wanted to convey that in this novel. I also hope Mynheir changes his writing style in future novels. In scene after scene, the point of view shifted from character to character, making it hard to follow the action.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time and for some odd reason I hadn't picked it up. I was very surprised that a real-life police officer could write such a good book (not that cops are dopes or anything. I was arrested by some real smart ones in my younger days). It's very refreshing to have a Christian Fiction book actually contain Christian characters that live their lives after Christ. I'm getting a bit tired of secular books being sold under the disguise of biblical novels.
The storyline and writing get a 3 star rating but the message gets 5 stars (which I rarely give). The power of forgiveness and the importance of following Christ are very strong and even though I found some of the characters to be a bit weaker then I thought they should be they came out with great maturity in the end. Jesus was glorified. To actually say what the book is about is tough because there isn't really a main plot but two intersecting stories going on at once. Neither are subplots.
Although there's no bad language and Christ is lifted up the story does contain some uncomfortable scenes that if this book was made into a movie you would not want to see. For me (and the main character, John) crimes against children are the worst. You may want to know that before reading this book. But don't let it stop you, this book is what Christian fiction is all about. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

1 Star = I've been robbed!
2 Stars = Why'd I finish it?
3 Stars = Good
4 Stars = Excellent
5 Stars = Life changing

FDLE agent John Russell is assigned the case of a 10 year old boy missing from state care. All the while a murderer is on the agent's trail, Russell's own father. Can they face off without killing each other? Can John come to terms with a broken childhood that haunts him in adulthood every time thunder clouds cover the sky?

I had the opportunity to exchange emails with author Mark Mynheir last year as the members of a blog alliance I'm part of toured his book, The Void. What I found was a genuine, caring guy who loves to write. It was hard to believe he's also an officer of the law. Something tells me though, if he says, 'Assume the position', you'll find the nearest wall and do so. One way or another. :-)

Mynheir writes an intriguing story that kept me turning pages late until the end. His prose is tight and gripping, left only to the bare essentials of the story. I cared about the fractured soul named John Russell. One of the things that has never left me is Russell's vulnerability. Here's this tough, rugged cop who does what it takes to get the bad guys and yet he coaches his son's sports team and has a fear of thunderstorms that he can't shake, not since childhood. This last thing was such a unique character trait to me. We authors are always looking for that little something that will make our characters and stories unforgettable. Mark, you did it here, buddy.

I can't wait to read more from this badge wearing novelist. I pray there are many more stories where this one came from.

It's been awhile since I've read a book that hooked me as much as this one did. I honestly couldn't put it down. All the more amazing is the realization that it's a debut novel! Well done, Mr. Mynheir! Such a heart-felt story on so many different levels, this compelling story grabs the reader for a fast-paced ride that ultimately hits a homerun. I can't wait for the next book in the series. And now I hear there's a movie deal in the works?! That's makes it a homerun on Mynheir's first time at bat! Impressive!

It was in mid-March this year, 2005, that my co-workers were going absolutely bonkers over Dean Koontz's first "Frankenstein" book. After reading it, I was positive there was nothing that could possibly match it. Matter of fact, this old boy was convinced! A few days ago, I picked up Mark Mynheir's debut, "Rolling Thunder", and "Frankenstein" got shot down to my 2nd favorite read this year. Not an easy thing to say, but THE ONLY THING TO SAY after finishing this.

It isn't always easy to determine whether a first time author has it in him to back up the title, and then make the read as exciting as the back of the book proclaims. In this case, it was all understated. This is for people with real emotions, real hurts, and especially for people who believe in a real God who can heal, even through the most raging storms in life. If the likes of author W. Dale Cramer touched you, give Mark Mynheir a chance, and you won't be able to put this down!

We join Agent John Russell who picks up a case. This is a 6 year dilemma of a boy who's been missing from state care. The governor says this comes before anything, and John Russell is the man for the job! In the midst of all this we have baseball season. We also have the biggest storm of John's life. A long buried memory from his past comes back for a visit. It is a storm that John must endure. Will God calm this storm?

We learn that John is haunted by thunder storms. He can't stand them. He has an awesome wife, and 2 boys that love him to death. There is even one part of the story that lets us why we need our church family. It's a small tidbit in this, but it had an impact on me. This is God at His best! This is about forgiveness when you don't want to forgive. When it seems like even God doesn't understand what you've been through. It is so powerful! Mark was just instructed to compose the story, and he exceeded my expectations! This is an author to look for in the future!

As a Christian who is always looking for entertaining, engrossing, challenging fiction, I hate to speak poorly of anyone trying to offer just that. I have never written a poor review... ever.

I cannot sufficiently speak to my shock at this book's contents. It is truly horrible. Without completly ruining the plot, the main charactor is a faithful, loving, devoted husband and father whose horrific childhood suddenly confronts him. The book spans less than two weeks of time and through this turmoil, this Godly man loses his temper twice, both times reining himself in and instantly taking responsibility and calming the situation. Yet his wife is the stereotypical "Christian Witness" (of course, she bears no resemblance to anyone I know... just that if you were going to ignorantly hate all Christians because you thought they must be pushy, self-rightious, egomaniacal, truly insane individuals... she would be it. She hounds him relentlessly, tells him she can't live with his silence, kicks him out of the house... all while he is struggling to simply breathe under the weight of this confrontation, struggling to find a voice for his pain, struggling to find a way to understand so that he can offer the same to her.

I have adopted 10 children out of foster care. I asked the oldest their opinions and they were so angry they couldn't form complete sentances. I have never found a character more loathsome and damaging.

forgiveness is a wonderful thing... sometimes the journey to get there is a long hard road, sometimes the jouney is painful and ugly, sometimes we have to stand by someone for more than a couple of difficult days to see them through. The wife is weak and petulant and sarcastic and impatient and demanding and lacks compassion for her husband and is consumed with her own needs... all while being upheld as a role model for Christian healing.

I have never detested a book with more passion.

I must say I enjoyed ROLLING THUNDER. I liked the inside look into police work and into the mind of a detective. Mark Mynheir is the perfect author to do this since he has worked in law enforcement many years. In Rolling Thunder, detective John Russell and his partner are assigned to the case of 10-year old Dylan Jacobs, who went missing from the state's custody over a number of years ago. The investigation and interviews as they chase (sometimes literally) leads to find Dylan keep the story moving forward. It's solution does come as a surprise.

A second storyline involves John's dad, a dying man just out of prison. Forgiveness plays a major part in this book; and Mynheir goes all the way, setting up a situation that makes the reader wonder if there really could be forgiveness here. I loved this aspect of the book. In Christian fiction it's something you want to see. I have to agree with another reviewer of the book in one instance, though. Suspense would have climbed if we knew less about John's dad and who he was until later in the story.

I liked the husband and wife aspect of the story, also. Mynheir did a few things with that relationship that made me smile, thinking "Oh, yeah, been there. Done that." As a woman, I could have used a little more interplay and tenderness between the two up front. I wanted to see what the relationship was like before John's dad came into the picture.

I enjoyed this book and have already read a second. I will be downloading a third onto my Kindle. By the way, I liked John's partner, Tim, although he's definitely rough. Of the two, I wonder which one is more real?

I just finished "Rolling Thunder". This book kept me reading and reading trying to figure ou what was going on. I loved, absolutely loved the ending. Good christian stuff mixed in with Police work. I'm getting ready to read all his books....

This was the first book I read by this author but I would differently read any of his books in the future. I love how he put bible verses through out the book. I am now on the third book of this series and it is just as good as the first two.