Customer Reviews

Tested by Fire (The Baxter Series #1)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first reading by a Christian author and loved it! I have been so tired of trying to find a good book without a lot of garbage in it and this is exactly what I was looking for! Very interesting, suspenseful, and a good message through it all! Highly recommend it!

This book is a real page-turner! Kathy Herman is a first-class writer. She gets you to care about the characters, and the story moves along quickly. Most series continue the stories of the same characters. In the Baxter Series, however, all 4 books (as of September 2003) are set in the same small town and seem to have the same background characters, but the major plot-line involves different characters for each book.

I loved the first book, but I was up late last night getting into the middle of the second one "Day of Reckoning" and I like that one even better! The third one is a "medical fiction" book, which I love. (See my other reviews of Hannah Alexander's and Harry Lee Kraus MD for other recommendations.)

This is series I can highly recommend! I'm glad that I started reading it when 4 books are out - I hate waiting months or a year to read the next book in a series! I'm excited about the 5th book in the series, which will be coming out in a few months!

Check out my other reviews!

I read Christian novels as fast as I can get them into my hands so I know good writing. I have some very favorite authors. Kathy is a new author to me and this debut novel was so thrilling, so wonderful that I would like her to know it. I can't wait until April for the 2nd. She is definitely a wonderful writer and it is hard to put the book down. I pray she can write many more.

Tested by Fire is the best suspense I've read in a very long time! The plot opens with a dramatic houseboat explosion and the action continues non-stop from that point on. I laughed, I cried, I symphatized...in other words, I joined with the characters during each aspect of the story. I enjoyed the tension of suspense, the drama of a best friends search for truth, the inspirational message, and especially the wonderful descriptions of place and town. I feel like I can walk down Baxter's main street and right into Monty's diner as if I do it every day. I can't wait for book two in the Baxter series!

If you like action, suspense and not being able to "figure out the ending" ahead of time, you will enjoy this book. I can't wait for the next one in the series to come out! The characters really pull you into the plot and keep you guessing. I look forward to reading this author for many years to come!

I judge books by their cover, thus, I didn't read this book for a while. My roomate and my sister loved the series and keept raving about it. As I am an avid reader I finally picked this book up and Wow! I read the whole series (4 books so far) in two days! They are all excelent books about God and His faithfulness to his children. Take my advice, read the series, don't look at the cover, and you will be blessed.
Hint: don't start them if you have to get some sleep, you won't sleep.

"Tested by Fire" may be her first novel, but she writes like a veteran. This book is the first of five in the "Baxter Series" of Christian based myseries. It holds your interest from the very beginning. The story is about a houseboat explosion which is believed to have wiped out a complete family, but quickly escalates to a homicide investigation and a manhunt for the father of the family. This book will appeal to Christians, but will also keep the mystery book fan interested. Tastefully written, I'm impatiently awaiting her second book of the series.

I agree with the Publishers Weekly reviewer re: Kathy Herman's first Novel in the Baxter Series,TESTED BY FIRE---great first effort! She demonstrated insightful principles and profound spiritual wisdom in this top-flight, well written, compelling story. Everyday characters struggling without forgiveness and hope made me at times laugh and cry---some found that God intended grace to be their solution. This novel left me wanting more of Monty's Diner and the "cast" in Baxter,USA.

I highly recommend this novel. There is suspense and mystery, there is mercy and forgiveness skillfully meshed into the storyline. This book introduces the reader to many important people living in the small town of Baxter. As stated on the back cover of the book, "A bizarre houseboat explosion rocks the close-knit community of Baxter to its core." A terrible event that takes the lives of the family who are assumed asleep on the houseboat at the time of the explosion. At first it appears to be an accident, but suddenly evidence is brought to light pointing to the possibility of murder. One of the first characters we are introduced to is Jed, the best friend of the father/husband of the family killed in the explosion. He takes it upon himself to learn the truth.

This is a close-knit community as stated and everyone wants to know what happened. They want to see justice done to the extent that there is a lot of judging and assuming going on. Because of this we see the importance of knowing all the facts, the importance of letting God be in charge of the vengeance, or lack thereof. We see God's mercy and the power of His forgiveness, not just toward the main characters, but to others in the town with their own personal experiences. Each one has their own problems. I found myself growing to really like the characters in this book, even the ones who at first seemed to have no redeeming qualities; they have become real to me and I feel that is a mark of a good story.

I can't wait to read the remaining books in the series set in the town of Baxter.

TESTED BY FIRE is the first in the Baxter Series released in 2001. Yes, I know this is older but that's what happens when you have over 200 books in your library that you've yet to have time to read. In the next few weeks, I will be reviewing the entire Baxter Series.

After a devastating explosion takes the life of a local family and rocks the small town of Baxter, the police hunt down their only suspect, Mike McConnell, husband and father to the victims. Jed Wilson, Mike's best friend refuses to believe his friend could've done something so heinous. He sets out in search of his friend who is evading the police. Along the way, Jed finds some answers to his own emptiness.

TESTED BY FIRE is an intriguing story. As a reader, you find yourself feeling compassion for Mike McConnell even though he might be a calculated murderer. Kathy does a good job of creating characters you want to pull for, and slap up the side of the head when their stubbornness gets the better of them. But as the characters grow, you feel an attachment to them.

I won't give away the ending, other to say it was both satisfying and bittersweet