Tag: Steven James

Book Review | Broker of Lies (Travis Brock #1) by Steven James

Travis Brock is a redactor for the US Department of Defence, which means he works in the depths of the Pentagon, reading endless documents in response to official information requests, and deciding what information can safely be released to the public without endangering the security of the USA and her citizens … and what can’t.

Brock has an unusual gift (which could also be seen as a curse).

He has an eidetic memory—better known as a photographic memory—which means he never forgets anything he sees or reads. That comes in handy in his job as a redactor, because he can link odd facts from different documents he’s read. It’s less good when it comes to forgetting his dead wife, or the pain of the injuries he sustained trying to save her.

Brock gets a new request for information that is dated 18 months earlier—the date of the first that killed his wife. What looks at first to be a fairly routine request has some unusual aspects …

And we’re neck-deep in action.

Brock is a fascinating character both because of his gift and his job. He’s an odd character—as one would expect—and his scenes are written in first person point of view, which enables us to really get inside his mind. The other characters are written in more traditional third person, and add to the suspense as the reader is made aware of information Brock and his colleagues don’t yet know.

Broker of Lies is a fast-paced thriller that reminds me of the TV show “24” in terms of the cleverly woven plot where every detail is potentially critical, the seemingly unrelated characters, and where the suspense starts on page one and doesn’t let up until the end.

But Broker of Lies is more than just a fast-paced well-plotted thriller.

It asks some serious questions about the nature of justice in our broken world, and how far is too far to go in search of justice. It also challenges readers to think about the concept of justice, and our role in creating a just world (spoiler: we have a God-given role).

You couldn’t objectively read the Bible and not come away with the idea that God hates injustice and the oppression of the weak by the strong.

Broker of Lies is only the second Steven James novel I’ve read, with the first being Synapse, his first and only venture into science fiction. Both novels are definitely Christian fiction, but with a twist: instead of merely showing us Christian characters, James challenges readers to examine some of the tough questions of faith ourselves.

Overall, Broker of Lies is an excellent thriller that introduces a fascinating character and asks big questions, questions without easy answers.

Thanks to Tyndale Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Steven James

Steven JamesSteven James is the critically acclaimed, national bestselling author of sixteen novels.

His work has been optioned by ABC Studios and praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the New York Journal of Books, and many others. His pulse-pounding, award-winning thrillers are known for their intricate storylines and insightful explorations of good and evil.

When he’s not working on his next book, he’s either teaching master classes on writing throughout the country, trail running, or sneaking off to catch a matinee.

Find Steven James online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Broker of Lies

The man who knows all our secrets has a secret of his own.

Broker of Lies by Steven JamesWhen Travis Brock, a high-level Pentagon redactor with an eidetic memory, finds a clue to solving the tragic arson that took his wife from him, he risks everything to find the truth—and chances losing himself in the process.

With a terror attack looming on the horizon and a pair of assassins on his tail, Brock drops off the grid and joins forces with a disavowed Homeland Security operative. Together they race to stop the attack before Brock is neutralized by the people he trusts the most.

Find Broker of Lies online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

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Technological advances seem to move in greater and greater leaps the smaller you go, but when it comes to infrastructure, well, that takes time.

Throwback Thursday | Synapse by Steven James

Synapse is a difficult novel to review. Parts were excellent. Parts were not excellent. And parts were downright weird.

Let’s start with what I thought was excellent. Synapse is set in the future—2037. Humanoid robots are commonplace, as are the Purists, terrorists who seek to destroy the Artificials before Artificials destroy humanity (a valid concern for anyone who has seen a Terminator movie).

Synapse by Steven James is a difficult novel to review. Parts were excellent. Parts were not excellent. And parts were downright weird. #ChristianThriller #ScienceFiction Share on X

The main character, Kestrel, is a Methodist minister, and that gives lots of room to muse in the nature of humanity, whether a sentient robot has a soul or can believe in God or needs forgiveness for their sins.

There are some big questions around artificial life forms at this level, and Synapse addresses them all in a natural way.

But that’s not the plot. The basic plot is more mundane—there’s a bombing, our heroine is one of the first on the scene, and that naturally brings her to the attention of the investigating officers. Predictably, one is single (well, divorced) and interested in her (but has to get past his own issues first), and the other is a dirty cop. Yawn. Sorry, but that’s one plot line I’m kind of over.

So the underlying novel is the search for the truth about the bombing, and will the good cop find out the truth before the bad cop destroys all the evidence and implicates Kestrel. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I found the bad cop a little cliché, and the writing in those scenes somewhat bland.

Then there’s Kestrel.

She’s in mourning, as she’s just lost her baby in childbirth. And that’s where the book gets weird. It starts in second person as Kestrel gives birth and realises her baby is not okay. Honestly, I almost stopped reading there—using “you” (meaning me, the reader) would have been weird in any context, but in the context of a mother losing her baby? Beyond weird.

The other weird thing was around Jordan, Kestrel’s Artificial (aka sentient humanoid robot). Jordan’s scenes were written in first person present tense, and that was somewhat jarring next to the rest of the novel. But it was interesting to see Jordan’s point of view, limited as it was.

Overall, Synapse is a futuristic whodunit that uses enough common tropes to make it familiar despite the futuristic setting. While I didn’t wholeheartedly enjoy Synapse, it was a fascinating concept that asked some serious questions about the nature of God, humanity, and salvation.

Recommended for science fiction fans.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Steven James

Steven JamesSteven James is the critically acclaimed, national bestselling author of sixteen novels.

His work has been optioned by ABC Studios and praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the New York Journal of Books, and many others. His pulse-pounding, award-winning thrillers are known for their intricate storylines and insightful explorations of good and evil.

When he’s not working on his next book, he’s either teaching master classes on writing throughout the country, trail running, or sneaking off to catch a matinee.

Find Steven James online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Synapse

Thirty years in the future, when AI is so advanced that humans live side by side with cognizant robots called Artificials, Kestrel Hathaway must come to terms not just with what machines know, but with what they believe.

Soon after experiencing a personal tragedy, Kestrel witnesses a terrorist attack and is drawn into a world of conspiracies and lies that she and Jordan, her Artificial, have to untangle. With a second, more brutal attack looming on the horizon, their best chance of stopping it is teaming up with federal counterterrorism agent Nick Vernon. But the clock is ticking—and all the while, Jordan is asking questions Artificials were never meant to ask.

Deftly weaving suspense and intrigue into a rich, resonant tale that explores faith and what it really means to be human, Steven James offers us a glimpse into the future—and into our own hearts.

Synapse is an unforgettable, gripping story of dreams shattered, truth revealed, and hope reborn.

Find Synapse online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction to Synapse below:

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Who is your favourite Christian thriller author?

Bookish Question #130 | Who is you favourite Christian thriller author, and why?

Who is your favourite Christian thriller author? What do you like most about his/her books?

Tough question!

I’ve read a lot of Christian thrillers and romantic suspense novels over the years (and part of me prefers romantic suspense, because I like the romance element).

In terms of Christian thrillers I’ve read this year, three names spring to mind: Terri Blackstock, Steven James, and Siri Mitchell.

However, Synapse is the first Steven James novel I’ve read, and one book hardly makes a favourite. I’ve read five or six Siri Mitchell novels, and State of Lies definitely my favourite … but it’s also her first thriller. (She also writes historical fiction as Iris Anthony, and historical and contemporary romance as Siri Mitchell). Again, one book hardly makes a favourite.

So that leaves me with Terri Blackstock. I’ve read several of her series, including the brilliant If I Run series (If I Run, If I Hide, If I Live). As well as being great thrillers, the series is an object lesson in how to write Christian fiction that will appeal to general market readers.

I also loved Blackstock’s Emerald Windows, which was more contemporary romance. I didn’t like her Last Light series. Well, I read the first in the series and couldn’t stand the woman who turned out to be the main character. So I didn’t read the rest of the series.

Her latest is Smoke Screen, is possibly even better than If I Run, and I definitely hope it’s part of a series.

What do I like most about Terri Blackstock’s books?

All the things. The writing is excellent, and her plots and characters are consistently original and full of twists and surprises. I’ve read other suspense or thriller authors and got bored when they start recycling their plots or characters. Yes, there are times when recycling is a bad idea.

She’s also not afraid to go into the deep places in her plots. Smoke Screen centres around a pastor’s daughter who has turned to alcohol since her divorce, and her adulterous husband is now challenging her for custody of their two children. It’s perhaps more subtle suspense than If I Run, but it’s real.

I also love the way Terri Blackstock consistently weaves Christianity into her plots. It’s not the icing on the cake—something that’s added to the top to sweeten the Christian reader. It’s something that’s marbled throughout the story. It’s often subtle at first, then gets more obvious as the story progresses.

So that’s why I love Terri Blackstock’s books. What about you? Who is you favourite Christian thriller author, and why?