Charles Martin never disappoints and the Letter Keeper is a favorite of mine. This story hits all the feels and pulls at the heartstrings. Make sure you keep the tissue box nearby because you will surely need it. I highly recommended this book.

The Letter Keeper, a Christy Award Nominee for General Fiction, follows Murphy Shepherd, an Anglican priest and secret operative devoted to rescuing victims of sex trafficking.

In this installment of the trilogy, Murphy Shepherd is facing his greatest challenge yet. While taking a much-needed break in Florida, someone blows up Murphy's boat, and he awakens in Freetown, the Colorado recovery center for sex trafficking victims he runs with his mentor. The traffickers target Freetown and kidnap Murphy’s wife, her daughter, and two other teenage girls.

Murphy’s journey to rescue them takes him across the country and into the heart of danger. A diverse group of allies aids him, each bringing unique skills. As Murphy confronts the dark forces at play, he is haunted by his own demons.

The pacing starts with a bang, slows in the middle when it leans too heavily into philosophizing, but ends with plenty of action, so hang in there. The point of view can be confusing, but the story’s strength shines through. It’s important to read the series in order, starting with The Water Keeper.

The Letter Keeper tackles the crucial issue of human trafficking, especially relevant as movies like The Sound of Freedom draw attention to it. A powerful story, it explores redemption, sacrifice, and the lengths one man will go to protect those he loves. The cast of characters wrestle with faith under trying circumstances, making this an inspiring read for fans of Christian fiction. 4 stars.

** Many thanks to the publisher for a comp of this title. The opinions are solely my own.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Charles Martin for the ARC of this book.

I am a big fan of Charles Martin's books, and this particular one in my opinion was his best writing ever! Wow! The story is gripping, the characters are so well developed, the wisdom he shares through the protagonist is such a gift as well, and the plot is so well thought-out. There are SO MANY quotable places in this story. It's a tough setting as the story unfolds through a backdrop of human-trafficking, but the themes such as the power of love, sacrifice, commitment, doing the right thing, helping "just one more", etc., shine through. I sort of see this as a male protagonist version of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This is the middle book in a trilogy, so read The Water Keeper first!

2.5 stars

The Letter Keeper was an entertaining read, even if it wasn't one I found to be believable. The fight scenes were crazy and some of the things that happened just seemed unrealistic.

The beginning of the book had a lot of backstory, which I would have expected more in the first book. I found that part a little boring, even though it did fill in some things.

Some of the content was a little uncomfortable for me to read and there is a character who says things that I just don't like.

I really like the most of the characters and want to know what happens next, so I still plan on starting the next book soon.

All in all, this was an okay read.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

I finished this story in one half-day but not without some mixed feelings.
Content warnings galore - the author does not shy away from the despicable inhumane ugly side of humanity, but he's not graphic in terms of actual acts that have occurred.

The first half of the book I felt like I had walked into a conversation midway through. It was reflective and introspective and I was vaguely in tune, but wondered what I had missed. Turns out this is a sequel. Reading it as part of a series would add to the overall enjoyment and would probably have bumped up my internal rating.

Despite hope and freedom as definite themes, it's very heavy and it is going to be uncomfortable for many readers. Murph and his team are the good guys, and yet my soul feels angry. I didn't necessarily agree with all of Murph's opinions on "things" but I'm not an expert and still feel in the end he was love in action, going after the one because "Love shows up."

I am happy that the author didn't shy away from a very serious and prevalent exploitation in our society. I "liked" the book, but it hit hard and fierce and stung a little too. It's not feel good entertaining fiction, but definitely worth the read if it won't be triggering for you.

When I requested this ARC I did not realize that this was book #2 in the Murphy Shepherd series.

Although you do not need to read the first book to enjoy this book, I felt like we jumped in to a story and I didn't know what had happened to get us to that point. With that being said, this book by itself was still immensely enjoyable and I have already added The Water Keeper (book #1) and The Record Keeper (book #3) to my ever growing TBR. I love the premise of this book, Murphy and Bones traveling all over the world saving people that have been kidnapped or coerced into the human trafficking trade and bringing them back to their sanctuary to heal.

Highly recommend this novel.

Five hundred stars. I could read and reread and reread this. I absolutely loved this book so much. THe themes, the characters, the overarching plot, all of it. So many twists and turns. And Martin's writing style is just stunningly beautiful. I can't even give this a proper review because I loved it so much. I have never read anything like it and I'm not sure I ever will. Martin's style and stories are so unique! Give me book three right now please!

This is the second book of a series written by Charles Martin, and I feel that may have been a disadvantage to my appreciation of the book. The subject and synopsis of the book drew me in as it is a very timely topic. The book was somewhat slow to start but worth the wait. The author's development of the characters and descriptive writing style was well-done in the telling of this story. I will plan to read the first book of the series, The Water Keeper, and then continue with it. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #TheLetterKeeper #NetGalley.

Die Geschichte beginnt drei Monate nach den Ereignissen im letzten Buch. Murphy Shepherd geht wieder der Suche von vermissten jungen Frauen nach und hat gerade die seit 27 Tagen vermisste, junge, unter Drogeneinfluss stehende Chris gefunden. Auch sie ist auf die üblichen Methoden der Menschenhändler reingefallen. Wie immer endet sein Einsatz damit nicht, sondern er kümmert sich auch darum, dass sie wieder auf die Beine kommen wird. Aber schon schickt ihm Bones die Informationen zum nächsten Fall, das Zeitfenster ist klein, er wird eingeflogen, ein Priester ist in dem Fall involviert, eine große Party findet gerade statt, aber die Verstecke wurden schon geräumt. Er kann den gesuchten Jungen dort nicht finden, Videos von Überwachungskameras zeigen zu seinem Schreck, dass seine Tochter gerade beobachtet wird, er alarmiert umgehend Bones. Trotz Gegenwehr, Schussverletzung und selbst inszenierten Explosionen, findet er schlussendlich doch den Jungen und mehrere weitere Teenager. Auch dieses Buch beginnt gleich wieder mit hohem Tempo. Murphy agiert in bekannter Manier schnell, ohne Skrupel und ohne Blick auf die eigene Sicherheit. Doch der Kopf der Operation kann ihm entkommen. Eine Zeit später besucht er Summers Auftritt in New York, dabei muss er immerzu noch an Marie denken und warum ihm Bones all die Jahre nichts über sie gesagt hat. Es hat sein Vertrauen in ihn schwer beschädigt, es stellt alles in Frage. Zurückgekehrt auf seiner Insel bringt ihn eine Explosion seines Bootes fast um. Zur Erholung begibt er sich in ihr hochsicheres Camp Freetown, wo auch all die gefunden Mädchen untergebracht sind.
Man muss unbedingt das erst Buch gelesen haben, dann ist es die gelungene Fortsetzung, auf die man vielleicht gehofft hat, sie macht die Geschichte rund. Spannung, fesselnd erzählt, Lachen, Weinen, der Autor zieht alle Register. Der Roman konnte mich sehr gut unterhalten!

This is the second book in the Murphy Shepherd series and I would strongly recommend reading the the Water Keeper before this one. Both books cover the difficult and dark topic of human trafficking, but Martin has a way of writing that leaves you with hope. While the book started slow with Murphy telling his daughter the story of his life, the last quarter of the book was worth the wait, full of suspense and lots of action.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

"The Letter Keeper" is the second in the "Murphy Shepherd" series by Charles Martin. I have not read the first book in the series, and that put me at a bit of a disadvantage when reading this book. The protagonist, Murphy Shepherd, has made his career a dangerous one of saving those who have been victimized by human trafficking. Reading about his exploits is very interesting, and his passion to rescue victims is inspiring. Readers also get to see a bit of his motivation, and read about how it affects his own romantic relationship.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I wrote quite a convoluted review for the first in the series. On rereading it, before starting this review, I was surprised at the depth to which I appreciated the content.
The second is different but in some ways better than the previous one. The plotline is not linear, with flashbacks giving us the background on how the operation began and what it comprises of. Our leading man Murph is the one-man army who goes out to rescue women/girls (mostly, although there are a few male victims as well). An almost literal army helps them recoup and learn to stand on their feet again after their rescue. When this installment begins, we have more of the same, and the more is quite heightened in terms of the physical danger.
The previous work had a lot of chases and planning - here, we have more ambushes and a lot less planning. Things happen out of turn, and time is of the essence. The foundation is strengthened in explaining to the reader the motivation behind any of the heroic deeds and introduces a whole new level of evil in otherwise ordinary men. This is not a book for the faint of heart. Although the fighting descriptions felt less graphic, the life stories of the children rescued is not easily digestible. I would not recommend it to anyone who finds such information triggering. The focus does not linger on the atrocities but the hope a new beginning can provide and how hard it might be to cling to that hope and actually meet a brighter future. All the people, therefore, seem very realistic. Their flaws and traits seem very believable, which is what carries this book. It is hard not to be emotionally invested in the outcome of an otherwise action-packed story.
I would not recommend reading this without any knowledge of the events in the previous, even if there is information provided about some of it. It would not make sense, emotionally.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and the previous book.

One of my goals in reading is to become a Charles Martin completist. I don't know if I will manage this or not because he has written quite a few books, but each book I have read of his I have fully and completely enjoyed.

"I don't really understand it, but somehow, in some impossible way, love reached down inside me, took out all the old and dirty, the scars and the stains that no soap anywhere would ever wash out. And love didn't just clean me but made me new. And maybe the craziest part of that is how I see me." And how she saw herself was whole and clean.

This is the second book in the Shepherd Murphy series. Murph is heavily involved in rescuing girls from human trafficking. He is very successful, but it comes at a price. Someone is out to get him. This book is fiction, and I don't know how much of it would even be realistic in real life, but I really like the idea that the way Murph will do whatever it takes to rescue these girls is the same way that Jesus has come to rescue us. He leaves the 99 to come and look for me.

"Either shine a light on yesterday and expose it or forfeit the joy of now and the hope of tomorrow.....left untreated, experiential pain becomes a fortress in our gut that houses a lie spoken by fear. And behind that fear is an idol of our own making. One we carve by hand when we, as self-made people, worship our own creator - us. As if we can do anything to protect ourselves."

That is what Freetown was for - to help the girls heal. It took time, but eventually most of the girls were able to go on to live a healthy life.

This book had an ending that I totally did not see coming. It made me wish that the next book was out already so I could just pick it up and keep reading. It left me wondering what I should read next that would even come close to comparing. And yet, the book was heavy so I wouldn't want a steady diet of this kind of reading either.

Warning- there are triggers in this book with human trafficking being the biggest one.

I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting the release of the next one this summer. I received this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A splendid novel and one for the ages. It caught and held my attention from the very first page. It is rare to find works of literature that draw you into the story and leave you with a sense of hope and delight. This is my first novel by Mr. Martin but it definitely will not be my last.

I will read anything that Charles Martin writes and Murphy Shephard is a character who makes me thrilled to read more about. I loved the story and the characters. What a great read and I can't wait to see where Martin takes this character next.

The Letter Keeper is a sequel to The Water Keeper. Both books tackle the tough and painful subject of human trafficking, where the main character, Murphy Shephard and his coworkers make a living of saving the un-savable. They find them, no matter how hard it is, no matter how dangerous it is, no matter the costs and they bring them back to life, heal them, protect them, help make them whole again. Just as Jesus goes after his one sheep who is lost, they leave the 99 to go after the one. Charles Martin does a perfect job of putting into words, into a beautiful story, a way to show Jesus' love for us. The story is an emotional page turner that I highly recommend, but read The Water Keeper firs).

I love Charles Martin’s books and this series. This book had the right amount of reflection and action. I look forward to book 3.

Charles Martin is the master of beautiful descriptions and storytelling. This one is the 2nd book after The Water Keeper. It got a little slow towards the middle for me, but picked back up at the end and left off with a twist and cliffhanger I never saw coming! 😮

The Letter Keeper, the second installment from Charles Martin's Murphy Shepherd's series, is what I would expect from this author. Five stars.

DNF - 43%

I tried... I really did! After enjoying Charles Martin's writing in The Mountain Between Us, I was excited to read his new series, Murphy Shepherd; however, I couldn't get through it. While the synopsis of The Water Keeper (book one of this series) and The Letter Keeper sounds riveting, it takes almost half the book to get to the action! The stories drag on, giving readers background we didn't ask for in an attempt to connect the characters and put a face to the words, but Martin failed to pull on my heartstrings. I gave both books a chance, but there is only so much sludge I can wade through. If the books started in the middle, maybe I would've felt differently, but this series is just not for me. I'm sorry, but these are my honest thoughts.