Today I want to tell you about two books I’ve read recently that are out of the ordinary for me. One is a vampire book without a vampire 🙂 and the other is a legal suspense/thriller by a relatively new author. I enjoyed both books but for very different reasons…

Dean Man’s Rule, Rick Acker’s debut novel, is a fast-paced, page-turning tale filled with legal twists and international intrigue. I enjoyed the authentic legal angles, but loved that the book went beyond the courtroom. There was so much going on in the book it was hard to put it down. And the characters moved beyond the expected. One character in particular kept me guessing, and I loved the twist with him. So if you’re looking for a legal suspense that has thriller overtones, this book is perfect!Dean Man’s Rule

I’m not a vampire book reader — and kept hearing Shade described as the vampire book without the vampire. I’d heard people couldn’t sleep with the lights off after reading it…I didn’t find it that scary…instead I found this book slowly pulled me in and left me flipping pages because I couldn’t get ahead of the author and anticipate where he planned to take the plot. Instead, down to the last page I was surprised by how John wrapped up the story.

The book has strong supernatural threads with glimpses of the goth underworld and a fleeting flash of a Narnia-type setting. The writing is strong with characters that left me wondering who I could root for. I think the name comes from the swirls of gray that fill the pages.

If you’re looking for a book that is unique in Christian fiction with strong suspense and supernatural notes, then this book is for you.

And John has assured me there’s more to come in this series. I can’t wait to read the next one!