This is a well written book that hooks you on the first page and doesn't let go. It's a roller coaster ride of emotions and is full of action, suspense and drama. Loved it and can't wait for the next book in this series. Thank you Thomas Nelson--FICTION via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Okay. Once upon a time, I would've said that Charles Martin is one of my favorite authors - beautiful prose, engaging plot. Blunt - just like me. *halo* Thing is...I wouldn't quite say so anymore. *Deep breath* So. Let's dive in, shall we?

Mmkay, so, let me say what I didn't like (and try not to turn this into a rant), and get that part over with.

For one...the prose. The first couple of books I read by Martin (When Crickets Cry and The Dead Don't Dance) were absolutely amazing. But then I read books that he published in recent years (Send Down the Rain and The Water Keeper)...and they've only disappointed me. I couldn't put my finger on why, though...so I picked up The Water Keeper from the library and requested The Letter Keeper from Netgalley.

I've figured it out. The 'prose,' to me, isn't really prose anymore. The meaty parts of the story, the parts where the plot really began to pick up and get going, were either short bits between the slow parts, or were broken up by rabbit trails of deep thinking.

Don't get me wrong; y'all know I love books that make me think deeply. But in the middle of a suspenseful sequence is not, in my opinion, a good time to insert "There are times in a man's life when..." *deep thinking that takes up an entire page and interrupts the plot* It seemed like there wasn't enough plot to go around, so hey, let's throw in an insane amount of internal dialogue that you have to force yourself not to skim over, but make the rest of the book interesting enough that you want to keep reading and find out how it ends!

Okay. I think my rant is over. Sorry. *cough*

What else didn't I like? Some of the scenes between Murph and Summer made me downright uncomfortable. Like, it wasn't too bad, it was just...lots of different places. Until that one scene right after the wedding (not gonna say whose wedding, to avoid potential spoilers). I understand that this is supposed to be authentic and real but like...y'all. I've got a vivid imagination. Whenever I read something in a book, I picture it in my mind. And this...this is not something I wanted to picture in my mind. (I suppose I should've learned my lesson from the first Shepherd book. But I didn't, unfortunately.)

The unfortunate thing is, even though the book ended on a cliffhanger, I'm not even sure that I want to read the next one. Which sadly brings the book down from "It was pretty good!" to "It...was good...I think?"

But. What did I like?

The plot was fantastic. Granted, the first half of the book was slow and I was trying to find out exactly where the back cover blurb fit into the whole picture. But then the second half hit and bang, we finally caught some of the action that Murphy Shepherd is known for! (did I just end a sentence with a preposition? Yes. Yes, I did. *bows* forgive me.) Like, that one scene full of InJUrY and pAIn and DEaTh!

"You came after us!"
"I said I would, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but...you actually did." (Might not be exact wording, but super close, anyway)
These words, uttered from a heart so broken that she dared not believe they were true until she saw it put into action in the most sacrificial way possible, sum up my favorite part in the entire book. Someone who didn't see herself as worthy of love...found herself being treated as a most precious treasure (find a parallel in here somewhere?). And I adored it.

I also really loved Casey's character arc. It wasn't the straight-road-to-recovery-with-a-couple-setbacks. No, it was more like we-thought-we-were-recovering-but-then-everything-was-almost-completely-lost-but-it'll-all-turn-out-okay-in-the-end. (I guess I have a thing for hyphens. *shrug*) Like...I really, really loved the entire Casey aspect (including that last scene with her?? IT WAS SOOO GOOD.)

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher from Netgalley for promotional purposes. All thoughts are my own.

Wow. I just finished Charles Martin’s The Letter Keeper and I have to say this author just gets better and better with every single book. David Bishop/Murphy Shepherd is a priest who also rescues kids from human traffickers. This is book#2. I loved this one as much as I loved book#1 The Water Keeper. We get a lot more of his background in this story. I love that the author gives us a lot of action and then he gives us a moment to catch our breaths by giving us some background story before we are off again to more action packed scenes. I love the main characters in this series. I was not prepared for the ending at all. I cannot wait for his next book! I highly recommend reading The Water Keeper first. Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Murphy Shepherd’s life mission is to save children from human traffickers. He’s been shot at, burned by exploding bombs and put in other extremely critical situations. He is also clearly a haunted, broken man.

With an arsenal of weapons and the coolest, most faithful dog ever by his side, he kicks butt along with his mentor, Bones who plucked him out of college to lead covert operations. These two characters are amazingly portrayed and I felt fully absorbed in their lives. Martin has a gift for writing, expert at creating atmosphere, strong characters and powerful emotional moments.

Trigger warning: human trafficking, including the dark web sex trade.
A dark topic but very well written: A man on a mission to rescue the damaged and abused--children and young women kidnapped and trafficked via any means to a highly organized underground sex trade. Despite being well written fiction, this book takes guts to read and to stick with until the end. I know this awful 'trade' is real and ancient as it is despicable so wouldn't it be great if this book was actually based on real rescue groups? If possible, read the previous book in this series (featuring this character) before reading this one so you have all the backstory; it'not critical but it is helpful. Although I really appreciated this newest book by a favorite author, I definitely need a gentle read or two for my next book.

I’ve read several of this author’s book and really enjoyed them all. This one doesn’t have quite as much action as the first one in this series. Seems like it’s more in Murphy’s head. Murphy is like MacGyver with nine lives and he’s half way through those.
I enjoyed the story and look forward to seeing where this series goes next
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early

I enjoyed The Water Keeper very much, so I was excited to receive an advance copy of The Letter Keeper. First of all, it is important to read The Water Keeper first or much of this story will not make sense. I am having a difficult time determining how I feel about the book now that I’ve finished it. I enjoyed the sections where we learn more about Murphy’s life and the development of his friendship with Bones, but I felt all of the action scenes were rushed and disjointed. I’ve learned that I enjoy Charles Martin’s ability to describe people and relationships far more than his action sequences. While I did want to read the whole book and I will definitely pick up the next book (because the ending implies another book is coming,) this was not one of my favorites from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an inspirational read for me. CM took a realistic and sensitive topic and rendered a wonderful story from it. The characters were very well developed and interesting.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is the follow up to The Water Keeper by Charles Martin. Charles has long been one of my favorite authors and his new books are no exception. The Letter Keeper picks up with Murph where the Water Keeper left off. We get to find out more about what makes him tick and where he came from. I am deeply invested in this character and devoured this book from the start. This is an emotional fiction work that deep dives into to human trafficking travesty that currently exists. The only complaint I have about this book is that it ended with a definite cliffhanger and now I am mad I have to wait for Charles to write the next one. Highly recommend this read to anyone but definitely recommend taking the time to read the Water Keeper first.

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was the sequel to The Water Keeper, a book I loved. This continues the story of Murphy Shepherd and gives more back story about who him. I found it interesting but not quite as page turning as The Water Keeper, until the second half of the book. Then I couldn't read fast enough! The writing is beautiful while Charles Martin continues to tackle human trafficking issues. The ending was stunning and certainly leaves the reader hoping there will be another book in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

I am rarely speechless. But this book made me speechless. I couldn't stop reading. It held me captivate and at the end of the day all I could think about was love always wins, love always shows up.

My heart was beating in resonance with the characters. Murphy's heart was boundless. The dephts he went, the sacrifices... In more words than I can say the author pictured Jesus' love for us. How he goes after us relentlessly, recklessly until he brings us home. No matter how far we've gone, no matter where we are, his love shows up. No matter how may times we need rescuing.

Murphy pulled out all the stops going after 1 person after another. So much how Christ leaves the 99 and goes after the 1.

Undiluted, unconditionally love oozed out of the pages of this book and into the deepest parts of my heart. I felt so loved by God and grateful to Him after reading this book.

Hibhly, highly recommended it.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

Charles Martin a master at story telling. I have to confess I didnt realize this was a second book in the series. I will be going back to read the first.
The main character intrigues me. Great book.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

4 stars
Holy buckets! Charles Martin did it again. A profound book that you will not soon forget. I just don't know how he does it, but I am sure glad he does!

The Letter Keeper is another awesome book by Charles Martin. An edge of your seat page turner that captured my attention and held it from beginning to the end. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Another great story of Forgiveness and redemption by this author. No matter the title I know I will always enjoy his writing. The characters are always very developed and I love the faith aspects of his books.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Charles Martin's books are always inspiring to me. They are filled with hope, sacrifice, and love. The Letter Keeper is the second book in the Murphy Shepherd series and I hope there will be many more to come. The characters are vivid and arresting. The plot is action-packed, yet filled with truths and philosophical and religious themes. Murphy Shepherd is an amazing man who puts everyone else's needs above his own. He rescues girls from human trafficking situations and brings them to Freetown where they can heal. Even though the subject of human trafficking is horrible and violent, Charles Martin handles the subject with sensitivity and doesn't dwell on the dark side.

You could read this book without having read the first in the series; however, I would recommend that you start with the first book just to provide background. Also, it is well worth the time as The Water Keeper is an awesome book as well. I highly recommend reading anything Charles Martin writes and, yes, he is one of my very favorite authors!

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson--FICTION through Netgalley for an advance copy of this wonderful book.

I love Charles Martin's books. This sequel to The Water Keeper was so good! I love the character Murphy and love hearing more about his story and his family. I encourage all of my patrons to read these books. They are so inspirational and deal with current issues.

Classic Charles Martin. Another masterpiece full of forgiveness and redemption. Beautifully written and thought provoking. A sequel to THE WATER KEEPER. Five stars.

NOTE: I was looking for this book in my kindle. I couldn't find it. Then I went to my kindle account and I didn't see it there either. Because it was in my dashboard I assumed it downloaded. Just now I tried to download it again and it didn't work. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. If you could help me that would be wonderful!

The Letter Keeper is the second book in the Murphy Shepherd series by Charles Martin. I don’t think I have ever given any of his books a rating lower than four, but with The Letter Keeper, I am.

This doesn’t mean in any way that the writing wasn’t up to par, the characters were well drawn out because they all were. It was all me. The Water Keeper was full of action and The Letter Keeper just didn’t keep me engaged enough. I didn’t connect to the characters as I had in the first book like I was hoping to.

The Letter Keeper was too introspective at the beginning for me. Yes, it was good to learn about Murphy Shepherd/David Bishop’s background but I would’ve (in my opinion) appreciated it more in the first book. I wanted to run and catch the bad guys with Murphy and it took a while before I could do that(of course, safely reading at home about his adventures). However the ending made up for a lot of it, it’s good!

My gratitude to Thomas Nelson and Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine alone.