The Solid Rock Joy by Faith Blum (5 star review)

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Joshua woke with a quiet groan. As his senses woke up one at a time, he cracked his eyelids open. Sure enough, there was a silhouetted form standing at the foot of the bed. From the smell, the person was either from the brothel down the street or had recently left one. He forced himself to breathe evenly and reached for the knife in his thigh holster. With as tough and evil a voice as he could imitate, he spoke, "State your intentions."

Pinkerton detective, Joshua Brookings, is sent on a job that seems simple on the surface. His fellow detective has been kidnapped and his boss, William Pinkerton senses foul play. Joshua is sent to investigate Edward's case in hopes of finding the kidnapped detective and helping solve the case that has taken over ten years to investigate.

Arriving in Cheyenne, Joshua finds much more than a simple kidnapping. Yet again, he must go undercover, something he made his boss promise never to make him do again. The only Christian in the outlaw group, Joshua falters and almost loses faith in God’s providence. Will he stand on the solid Rock or drown in the sinking sand?

You can also preorder a paperback copy here for $14.00 plus shipping.

The Solid Rock
Hymns of the West series

written by Faith Blum

418 pages // published in 2016 // Christian fiction

My Review...

It reads like a genuine western novel! The Solid Rock is a thrilling adventure, complete with outlaws, galloping horses, telegraphs (dreamy sigh!) and the saving grace of God.

Joshua Brookings is a devout Christian in the Wild West. He prays all the time (and they are not simple prayers either); this man really pours out his heart to God. Here's the next bit I liked: he's a Pinkerton detective (this really got me hooked!). As he undergoes an undercover mission, his faith is of the utmost importance to Joshua, because he's surrounded by crooks and outlaws. Without his Bible handy, his only company is foul language and crude men. Joshua desires to get out of the business, but he can't do it until the mission is done.

Coincidentally, this is the fifth and final installment in the Hymns of the West series, yet it is the first of them I've read. I was greatly surprised by the author's way with words -- she does well! A lot of times when you take a chance with independent authors, the writing is nowhere near the caliber of author who get published through a company (mostly because they have a team of editors behind them). However, I didn't feel like The Solid Rock was inferior -- I like how it turned out for me, and look forward to reading more by Faith Blum.

There's a lot of character backstories and entangling plot-lines that all meet up with each other. As for me, not having read the previous books, I may not have always known what the characters were referring to -- but that just makes me excited to start from the beginning and find out the whole story, which I look forward to. This was still an enjoyable read though, not to discredit that this can be perceived as a standalone novel!

The Solid Rock touches on some mature topics. There is much romance hinted at throughout, and the plot leans heavily towards a woman from a saloon.

Overall? This is a great inspirational adventure story. Recommended for older teens and adults.

Thanks to the author for the free review copy & for the opportunity to express my honest opinions.

P.S. Like and vote for this review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Excerpt

Joshua pushed the door open and breathed deeply. “There’s nothing like the distinct odor of men slaving away in a confined place mixed with rotting coffee grounds and ink.”

“You always make it sound so pleasant,” Paul Greene said, an amused smile on his face. “Mr. Pinkerton will be with you in a moment.”

A tall man stepped out of the door behind the secretary. “Actually, he’ll be with him right now. Come with me, Joshua.”

Joshua nodded to the secretary and followed William Pinkerton into his office.

“I have a case for you. I believe it will fit with your moral objections as well as your skill set.”

Joshua raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“We have an agent in Cheyenne, Wyoming, who has been investigating some strange events for more than ten years now. He is close to the end and has been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped by whom?”

“That’s one of the things you need to find out.”

Joshua leaned forward. “How long ago?”

“He was kidnapped yesterday. His daughter sent us a telegram.”

“Why me?”

William smiled. This was one reason he loved working with Joshua. “You know the area better than most agents, and you have been quite successful tracking down criminals on fairly cold trails. You read fast and think well on your feet. I can also trust you not to flirt with Mr. Harris’s daughter. I hear she’s young, unmarried, and quite lovely.”

Joshua’s head jerked up from his examination of the Oriental rug. “Harris? Would the daughter’s name be Elizabeth?”

William shuffled a few papers on his desk and skimmed one. “Yes, it is. How did you know?”

“We met about three years ago when I was the sheriff in Castle City, although then it was known as Cartersville. Is there anything else?”

William skimmed the papers in front of him. “That’s all I know. Knowing Edward Harris, he’ll have kept notes of his investigation and hidden them well.”

Joshua nodded with a smile. “I can see him doing that.”

William stood up and Joshua followed suit. They shook hands. “Good luck to you and Godspeed.”

“Thank you,” Joshua replied.

— Faith Blum, The Solid Rock

Giveaway

Faith is giving away a full set of paperback books! Fill out this form to earn entries to the giveaway. Each entry gives you one point, plus there are opportunities for bonus entries.

If you haven't read any of my books and would like to try one for free, I am working on getting A Mighty Fortress available for free on all formats. It is currently free on Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and Kobo.

If you also wouldn't mind helping me get it free on Amazon, I would appreciate that. To help, all you have to do is grab 1, 2, or 3 of the links where it is free and go to AMF's Amazon page, click on "tell us about a lower price" and submit a link or three. Thank you!

Facebook Party

To celebrate her release, Faith is holding a Facebook party on March 31st from 2-4 Central time. You can join her and 3 other authors here. There will be fun, games, giveaways, excerpts, and more. Some of the giveaways will stay open through Friday evening, April 1st. Fun fact: the other three authors are all homeschool moms.

About the Author

Faith Blum started writing at an early age. She started even before she could read! She even thought she could write better than Dr. Seuss. Now that she's grown up a little more, she knows she will probably never reach the success of Dr. Seuss, but that doesn't stop her from trying.

When she isn't writing, Faith enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, writing, playing piano, and playing games with her family. One of her dreams is to visit Castle City, Montana someday to see the ghost town she chose for her characters to live in. She currently lives on a hobby farm with her family in Wisconsin.

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