Once again. Charles Martin has written a another suspenseful yet thought provoking novel which manages to weave a story around the dark world of human trafficking alongside philosophical questions about finding meaning, purpose, joy and beauty amidst the realities of this broken world. The main character, Murphy Shepherd, is a complex man with a unique calling in his life work. That life work was born out of his own pain and brokenness. Charles Martin is a gifted and prolific writer, but I believe this series (of which the Letter Keeper is book 2) is some of his best work. He is a skilled story teller that draws you in with complex characters. He is skilled in bringing the reader greater awareness of one of the burning issues of our day - human slavery/sex trafficking, all the while likewise telling the story of individuals who are searching for meaning and connection in their own personal life. Full of suspense, a share of relational issues and just a gripping read - I highly recommend this book. But also urge you begin with book one - The Water Keeper.

If the first book in the series didn’t draw you in, this one is a sure bet!

Murphy Shepherd always leaves the ninety-nine behind to search for the one. The one that no one else could find that’s being trafficked. And he’s made a lot of enemies along the way that would love nothing more than to silence the man who has destroyed their profits once and for all. Unfortunately, someone has found the ability to do just that and not only have they destroyed his beloved island, they have captured his new wife and teenage daughters. Murphy must race against time with the tables turned on him to find his family before they meet a fate worse than death.

So, if you loved the rough, tough persona of Murphy Shepherd created during in The Water Keeper then you are in for a treat in this new book. There is not as much action as the first book, but readers get to see the man behind the persona and really begin to understand who he is. From childhood to university to how he become involved in this line of work. In addition to all of this, readers get to know some of the supporting characters better including Bones and his daughter Ellie. One of the most surprising elements of the book was developing the story of Casey, who was found at the end of the first book. She develops into such a beautiful, yet fierce, character with some unexpected twist and turns along the way.

If you thought the first book mirror the move Taken, this was makes you think it will be like Taken 2, but it is much more than that. Grab a copy as soon as you can!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Charles Martin’s unique, powerful writing style is on full display in The Letter Keeper - it gets to the point, keeps the story moving, and packs an emotional punch. In this book, we pick up where The Water Keeper left off, with Summer, Angel, and Ellie starting a new life in Freetown. Meanwhile, Murphy continues making enemies as he rescues more children from traffickers. This book also dives into more of his backstory, from his childhood to how he met Bones and found his calling. Now he faces his most dangerous mission yet, with the highest stakes - rescuing the women he loves. The fierce, sacrificial love Murphy shows in his fight against evil is a beautiful picture of the lengths Christ has gone to rescue us. Suspense, drama, action, and a powerfully emotional story are all wrapped up in this one book - I highly recommend it and can't wait for the next book to round out the trilogy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the second in the Murphy Shepherd trilogy. Human trafficking is a hard subject to read about. Murphy had made it his goal to rescue a many victims as possible. He has quite the team helping him. A little too much reflection. I would recommend reading The Water Keeper first to fully comprehend the story.

Charles Martin has quickly become one my absolute favorite authors!! This book continues the story line of the first in this series and it truly keeps you glued to the edge of your seat! The author does such a great job balancing the sweet moments with the intense moments. Trust me when I say you will not regret reading this book!

Charles Martin has a gift with words—they flow like the water that is central to his stories. In The Letter Keeper, he once again pulls readers into the shadowy world of Murphy Shepherd, tackling difficult, even nightmarish subjects with sensitivity and offering us a story of hope and the power of redemption. One caveat: this is not a standalone book; read The Water Keeper first. You won’t be disappointed.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Letter Keeper by Charles Martin is book two in the A Murphey Shepherd Novel. When I requested this book, I was not aware this was a book in a series and had no problem following the story. The author does a wonderful job of filling in background information to keep the story moving along and easy to follow. This is a fast-paced, action filled suspenseful story. This story focuses on the topic of human trafficking and the struggles those who are rescued have to work through.

With this story we catch up with Murphy as he is finishing high school and follow him through making a career choice that saves so many young people but costs him so much. This story is full of emotional and physical hurt that is not always easy to read but it is also a story that is hard to put down. I was totally surprised with the ending of the story and hope the author has another story to follow.

I received a complimentary copy of this story from Thomas Nelson Publishers through NetGalley, this is my honest review.

Another great book from Charles Martin! I'm such a fan of this author, I will read anything he writes without hesitation. His storytelling is beyond compare and his soul comes through his words. This one starts out with edge of your seat suspense, then mellows a bit allowing you to catch your breath before it builds again. True to his style, it is filled with faith, spirituality, resilience, hope, forgiveness and love and includes the forever faithful furry companion. What more could you ask for?

As I finished reading chapter twenty-one, I questioned whether or not I could finish reading this book. Not because I was disappointed, I wasn't. Not because I wasn't fully immersed in the story, I was. But simply because I did not know if my heart could hold any more. The Letter Keeper picks up where The Water Keeper left off, and this book is just as raw and vivid. It is filled with thoughts that one must sit with for a bit before reading on. It is one of those rare pieces of fiction that has the potential of being life-changing if only the reader is willing and not rushed or overwhelmed by life circling around them as they read.

I did go on to complete this book, and my heart does runneth over. I am very grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Letter Keeper from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

This book had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I was holding my breath as Murphy Shepherd continued to "leave the 99 to find the 1". The searches in this second installment of the series became extremely personal which made for an emotional read. It was also helpful to learn more of the back stories for the memorable characters Charles Martin has created. The subject of human trafficking is tough to tackle, but I believe this author handles it in a sensitive manner. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advance copy to read and review.

Wow, just wow.

When you think Charles Martin's writing can't resonate with you more than it already does, he tops that by adding deep character dives, raw-panged emotion, and tense scenes.

Murphy Shepherd is a man to be reckoned with if you're on the wrong side of the law, and as heroic as the Duke for those needing to be saved. This novel can be read as a stand-alone, but read The Water Keeper too. But, have tissues nearby for both, you're going to need them.

I want 2022 to hurry up and get here, I've got a "book date" with Murphy Shepherd, and I don't want to be late.

It's one amazing read.

I received this book from the publisher but was under no obligation to post nor write a review.

“The wounds of the past carry a lot of weight when it comes to walking into one’s future, and if anything can rob you of now, it’s yesterday.”

The Letter Keeper is the follow-up to The Water Keeper. You definitely need to read these in order. While The Water Keeper brought the action, The Letter Keeper focusses in on the repercussions of the life Murphy Shepherd has chosen. He’s given up his life to rescue people from human trafficking, but the toll is high. He doesn’t know how to handle new relationships, and an injury forces him to let others take care of him for a while. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of action in the story as Murphy faces many life and death situations, because he always leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one. Nothing can keep that man down.

The name of Freetown says it all: what is freedom worth? The story dives into the dark spots of humanity but Charles Martin weaves a message of hope through every page. The rescued women struggle with love and understanding that everyone is worth being rescued, but Murphy shares a similar struggle. He needs to let go of the past and so he can find hope and love in the future. Such great themes in this story make the characters come alive on the pages.

This story captured my heart on such an emotional and insightful level, and it will be one of those novels that I think about long after I put the book down. I am excited that there’s a third in the series – this does end on a bit of a cliff hanger, so I’m ready for book three!

Overall Rating:
5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)

Suspense Rating:
5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Murphy Shepherd has prepared for years for his job of saving the victims of human trafficking, and does it incredibly well, despite the cost. But his success has made him powerful enemies, and when his family is kidnapped, it's a race against time, fighting against fiendishly powerful and skilled enemies, to save them - and may be his last mission. Will he succeed once again, or die trying?

I didn't realise when I started reading that this was book 2 of a trilogy, but it soon became clear that I was missing some background. I'd like to go back and read the first book to fill in those gaps, but I felt like I had enough of the story to make sense. The ending, however, is not particularly satisfactory, relying on book 3 to finish things off. So, this is a series best read as a full series rather than considered as standalone stories with shared characters. All of that aside, this is a book with lots of action, lots of emotion, and periods of introspection that can get almost lecture-y (occasionally feeling a little over the top to me). It deals with some horrible topics, though always sensitively and in a clean way - but it's definitely not a light read.

Summary: it's a well written, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking book, best read as part of a series and well worth a read, but includes non-graphic violence and some clean discussion of human trafficking and its horrors, so I'd be a little careful who I recommended it to. I look forward to reading book 3!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is the second in the Murphy Shepherd series that started with The Water Keeper. I really enjoyed The Water Keeper and this book picks up where that one left off.

As with all of Charles Martin’s books this one is full of amazing imagery, suspenseful action and the kind of emotional turmoil amongst characters that keeps your heart thumping and your face scrunched in empathy as you turn the pages.

Like the book before it this one focuses on human trafficking and is a battle of good vs. evil. Murphy also begins to open up more and a love story emerges. I don’t want to give too much away here. I’ll just say that when I thought the book was starting to get kind of sappy Charles Martin would switch gears and the action would jerk me back into suspense.

I didn’t quite enjoy this one as much as The Water Keeper but it is still a great book and I’ll definitely be reading the third! (And anything else CM ever writes, to be honest)

3.8/5 ⭐️ - I like it slightly less than the first book(I gave that one 4 ⭐️) but this is an amazing second! 👏🏼

The Letter Keeper by Charles Martin is his follow-up novel to the Water Keeper. The reader gets to continue following the life and adventures of Murphy Shepherd. Murphy is a very likeable character that is part preacher, part Rambo. The novel flows very well and keeps the characters from the previous novel. Readers will have to read The Water Keeper first to follow the story. (but that's an added bonus!). While The Letter Keeper is not a fun, laugh-out-loud beach read, it is very heartfelt, and endearing with a touch of adventure thrown in. Fans of Martin are going to love this one! The fact that he leaves the ending open for another novel in this series is a great way to finish it off.

When I picked up this book I wasn't aware it was the second of a series. The author makes a good job of keeping us informed about what happened before, so you could read this one as a stand alone even though it would be better to read both in the right order.
I struggled with this book, it is very well written, but the theme is very dark and violent, though there's also hope and a sense of good winning against evil.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a powerful, moving book! Murphy and Bones have dedicated their lives to finding and freeing survivors of sex trafficking. It was incredible seeing how they tried to help with the spiritual and emotional healing as well as the physical healing that needed to take place. Their sacrificial efforts were beautiful beyond words. I don't know if there are people out there doing this in real life but I hope there are.

This book was helpful in that it showed how devious sex traffickers are...the lengths they will go to to befriend someone. It also showed how hard can be the recovery for someone who is rescued from it. It was heartbreaking. Yet I felt this book showed that there is hope.

I loved getting to know the characters in this book. I haven't read book one yet but am going to go back and do so now. There was a lot of action, poignant moments, danger, and suspense. It was a great read that dealt with a very hard topic in a sensitive, illuminating, helpful manner.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I'd highly recommend it. All opinions are my own.

The Water Keeper was one of my top reads from 2020. The sequel starts off in spectacular fashion with bigger than life Murphy Shepherd rescuing those in need amidst a lot of action. The novel then transitions into reflecting back on Murphy's life at a young age and gives readers what led him to his current career choice. The reflective parts of the novel kept my interest as it shed light on what made Murphy into the hero we love.

The current day thread following the initial action scenes is where my interest waned a bit. Some of it seemed difficult to believe and the flow of the novel was disjointed.

Star of the novel...canine Gunner. What a fabulous inclusion in the series.

The cover is lovely and complements the initial novel's cover. Overall, it was a good novel.

Thank you to @netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Last month I read The Water Keeper, the first book in this series. This second book, gave us a lot more background of the characters. It was a lot slower, with more character growth than full time action like the first one. However, there is still some great action and DEFINITELY left open for another book!
This series is focused around modern day slavery and the horrors still inflicted on people and often children! However, it is a book about hope and love, family (those we choose and those that are chosen for us), friendships, commitment, and so many more positive things. The horrors are alluded to, but not described in details, but I would give a trigger warning for anyone who has been in an abusive, controlling relationship.
You will need to read The Water Keeper before The Letter Keeper to understand what's happening, but you definitely should read them both!
The Letter Keeper will be published on 8 Jun!
#NetGalley #TheLetterKeeper

The first half of the book gives a lot of background and is a little slow and hard to get into, but still an easy read. Once I hit the middle though, I could not put it down.

It is at times heart wrenching, suspenseful, full of pain and also full of hope. As the sequel, you will definitely want to know the storyline from The Water Keeper. I am also hoping that there is a 3rd one coming, because the cliffhanger at the end was crazy.

Reading this book will make you angry, because it is hard to read about the evil in the world. It will also encourage you, because darkness cannot stand the light and there are so many fighting for good in this world.

I am a big Charles Martin fan, and I can’t wait to follow Bones, Murph, and Summer and where the story takes them next to see if they can once and for all defeat evil!

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for giving me the chance for an early review!