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?
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.
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.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HymnsoftheWest
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Faith_Blum
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/FaithBlumAuthor
Website: http://www.FaithBlum.com
Blog: http://www.FaithBlum.wordpress.com
Tour Schedule
March 26
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections-Tour Introduction
Writing Dreams-Excerpt and Spotlight
God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae-Spotlight
Frances Hoelsma-Excerpt, Spotlight, Interview
Tee Garner-Excerpt, Spotlight, Interview
March 28
George's Shorts-Spotlight, Review, Interview
Karan Eleni-Excerpt, Spotlight, Review
Blonde RJ-Excerpt
Rebekah Lyn Books-Excerpt
Zerina Blossom's Books-Excerpt, Spotlight
Life is a Four-Letter Word-Spotlight
March 29
In the Bookcase-Excerpt, Review
Ruth's Real Life-Excerpt
Kelsey's Notebook-Review, Interview
Shire Reviews-Review
With a Joyful Noise-Excerpt, Spotlight
Melanie D. Snitker, Author-Excerpt, Spotlight
Wildflower Acres-Spotlight
March 30
Clean Indie Reads-Spotlight
Jaye L. Knight-Excerpt, Spotlight
Stories by Firefly-Excerpt, Spotlight, Interview
Chess Desalls-Excerpt
Kendra’s Thoughts-Excerpt, Interview
March 31
Prairie Dust Trail-Review
David Todd-Interview
The Overactive Imagination-Excerpt
Reading in June-Excerpt, Spotlight
Rachel Rossano’s Words-Excerpt, Spotlight
Trust and Obey-Guest Post, Spotlight
April 1
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections-Tour Wrap-up, giveaway announcement
The Solid Rock is available on Amazon in paperback format!
*Any Amazon.com purchase made through the links in this post support this humble blogger with a small commission. Thank you!
About the Author
