By: Charles Martin
Series: A Murphy Shepherd Novel #2
ISBN: 9780785230953
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 06/08/21
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars ++
Combining heart-wrenching emotion with edge-of-your-seat tension, Charles Martin explores the true power of sacrificial love.
He shows up when all hope is lost.
Murphy Shepherd has made a career of finding those no one else could—survivors of human trafficking. His life’s mission is helping others find freedom.
But then the nightmare strikes too close to home.
When his new wife, her daughter, and two other teenage girls are stolen, Murphy is left questioning all he has thought to be true. With more dead ends than leads, he has no idea how to find those he loves.
After everything is stripped away, love is what remains.
Hope feels lost, but Murphy is willing to expend his last breath trying to bring them home.
"Martin follows up The Water Keeper with this heartrending, action-packed chapter in the saga of Murphy Shepherd . . . those familiar with the series will appreciate the emotional punch this rip-roaring adventure packs." — Publishers Weekly
Q & A with Charles Martin
In your own words, can you give us some background on this series?
When Jesus talks about “The Parable of the Lost Sheep,” he describes this picture where the sheep gets lost and the shepherd who is comfortable with the flock leaves the comfort of the 99 to find the one, because, for some reason, the needs of the one outweighed those of the 99. At great personal risk, he goes off to find the lost sheep. When he returns, he has a party to celebrate the recovery of one that was lost.
Like the shepherd of the parable, Murphy Shepherd is really good at finding people who are lost, and he has this innate ability to care little about himself and a lot about people he’s never met.
Was it difficult to strike a balance between covering an issue as serious as human trafficking while also working to provide readers with the themes of hope that you’re so well known for?
It was hard because I know a lot more than I could write. If I wrote everything I know, you wouldn’t read it—I had to make it G-rated. I really had to walk that fine line where there was enough detail to let readers know this is the world we live in, but that the story didn’t linger on those traumatic details.
What do you hope readers take away from this series, and this book in particular?
That you are worth rescue. So many people I meet don’t believe they are worth rescue and that their sins disqualify them from being loved or rescued and they carry this false identity of shame and that’s contrary to the gospel. Everyone is worth rescue.
Q&A Elevator Ride with Charles Martin
The Water Keeper
Series: A Murphy Shepherd Novel #1
By: Charles Martin ISBN: 0785230912 Pub Date: 05/05/2020 Publisher: Thomas Nelson Format: Hardcover My Rating: 5 Stars +
A riveting new story of heroism, heartache, and the power of love to heal all wounds. Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds for a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes. When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery. With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past—and the ghosts who tried to bury them. With Martin's trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keeper is at once a tender love story a heartrending search for freedom, and a reminder that the needs of the one outweigh those of the ninety-nine. Buy the Book
About the Author
