After reading and loving the first two books in Charles Martin's "Murphy Shepherd" series I could hardly wait to get my hands on The Record Keeper. I was not disappointed! Like the others, The Record Keeper is a perfect page turner!
Once again we are in the world of Murphy Shepherd who has devoted his life to finding survivors of human trafficking.
Freetown, a town high in the mountains of Colorado is where he brings the young people he has rescued so that they can heal physically, mentally and hopefully emotionally. However the story becomes personal for Murphy as his world is shattered when Bones, his beloved mentor and friend, is taken. With no leads Murphy must leave Freetown to do battle with evil like no other in order to try to find Bones.
Multiple surprises, many plot twists, edge of your seat suspense and wonderfully endearing and unique characters make this novel unputdownable.
I am totally captivated with Charles Martin's story-telling!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

DNF - There is a very dedicated & specific audience for this book (subsequently the series as a whole) but, I did not find that I was the target audience. Some of the approaches to storytelling felt like an overdramatized exploration of adventure seemingly tethered in the real world. This is not a bad thing but simply, not something that I enjoy.

Sex trafficking and hope!

The subject matter, child and young persons trafficking is dark and heartbreaking. The first two titles in the series drew me in as wickedness and depravity ran riot. The insertion of Murphy Shepherd as broken healer and rescuer of these unsuspecting victims is brilliantly portrayed. I must admit I kept thinking of Liam Neeson in Taken, and of how much the film pales in comparison against Martin’s Murphy Shepherd series. This title opens up the backstory about Murph’s mentor, who guided him in these endeavors, Ezekiel Walker, always known as Bones.
The establishment of Freetown as a place for healing and redemption for the damaged, the idea of Murph carrying those he rescues as a list, a litany, tattooed on his back adds depth. As one victim explains, “the man with the tattooed back told me, ‘Wherever I go, I carry you with me.’ And at the sound of this, I almost smiled. I liked the thought of that. I said, ‘F-f-forever?’ The man nodded.”
Just an amazing thought that communicates the depth of Murph’s belief and commitment to finding the lost sheep—one at a time. The poignancy of that moment just so grabbed me.
A solid story that confronts the reader, carries them along, and gives hope in a desperate world.

A Thomas Nelson ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

The Record Keeper by Charles Martin is truly remarkable! I’ve always been a fan of the beautiful storytelling and writing style Charles has. This is a very powerful series that needs to also be heard and yet in a beautiful way. Once again I’m stunned!
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Charles Martin delivers yet another poetic and profound book to us. Definitely a must read author of mine and this book was yet another must read. Highly recommend. You won't be disappointed.

Charles Martin continues to be a must read author for me and this series just gets better and better! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow.

What an epic conclusion to the series that made me fall in love with Martin's books.

Murphy Shepherd is the ultimate hero. The names tattooed on his back are a daily reminder of his mission in life: leaving the ninety-nine to find the one. Murphy's last mission nearly cost him his life and he'd love nothing more than a good rest and time with the ones he loves in the secluded place they call Freetown. But there will never be rest if he can't find--and stop--Bones' brother, Frank. When Bones is taken, Murphy will stop at nothing to find his friend and bring him home.

I think this just may be my favourite book in the Murphy Shepherd trilogy. We finally learn the backstory behind Bones' traumatic childhood, as well as the agony he's endured seeing his brother become the monster he is. The story pulled me in and had me up way past my bedtime, glued to Murphy and Bones' struggles. The twists and turns just kept coming, and the ending threw me for a loop. Bones' love for his brother despite everything he had done was beautiful to see, and made me wish for a different outcome. The pages are rich with reminders that darkness cannot live in the prescience of light, evil cannot win, and our Saviour will always go back for the one. This novel is deep and at times difficult to read, but it is one that will always stick with me and this trilogy will remain one of my top-ten all-time favourites.

The Record Keeper gets 5/5 stars, hands down.

*I received a complimentary copy of The Record Keeper through the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My positive review is not required.

This book moved me. Bones is the most wonderful, amazing hero I've ever read about. His love changes people. It makes me want to be a better, more empathetic person. He's taught Murph and many others to do the same. It's weird that a book that deals with the mind-blowing horror of sex trafficking can also be one of the most beautiful, poignant books I've ever read. I wept. I hope there are people out there rescuing the one and that there are places of healing like Freetown.

The characters are amazing. They're so real and raw. I wish there had been more written about the team. I hope this was just an introduction to them and that they'll be highlighted in their own series. I would highly recommend this book and series.

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

“𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍. 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐. 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚. 𝑻𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒚, 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕."

Charles Martin has done it again! He has quickly become one of my favorite authors and definitely an auto-buy author for me.

The Record Keeper is the third (and I think) final book in The Water Keeper series. If you were a big fan of The Water Keeper, then you will definitely love this one. This one might be my favorite of the series. Charles has such a gift for storytelling and you feel so drawn and connected to his characters.

This is one fantastic series about light in the midst of so much darkness. This series is full of action, heartbreak, and hope. It’s about leaving the ninety-nine to rescue the one. My husband also loves this series and is excited to read this new one.

⚠️Content warning: this book is about the dark world of human trafficking, with an emphasis on children. There is nothing explicit in my opinion, though, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh man such a great story. I have loved this trio of books. Very powerful. The characters of these book are so strong. Also he ending had all he feels.

Murph was almost killed on a rescue mission, and he'd love a break - but as soon as his body is ready for it, Bones inspires him back into the saddle. Now he knows who's behind everything that's gone wrong, but it doesn't help much. Nevertheless, he and the team go more directly on the attack - except that they're always a few steps behind Frank. And when Bones disappears, the stakes are higher than ever before. Can they get to him in time? Will they ever manage to stop Frank? And to what lengths should one be willing to go to save 'the one' for whom they've left the ninety-nine?

I'd be a little careful who I recommended this to, because while it does carefully avoid graphic detail, it speaks of many horrific things in the characters' pasts and more vile things that they're trying to stop in the present. If your mind will try to picture what's going on as you read, you would probably be best to avoid this book. However, if you can look past that side of things, the inspiring message makes this well worth a read, even ignoring the adventure/suspense storyline, which is also good. At the halfway mark, it was a good story; but the last quarter or so was closer to sublime. I don't want to give away spoilers, but things took a twist I didn't see coming, but that made all the difference to everything for me. All in all, it's definitely a book I can see myself reading again, and it's a book I'd happily recommend as inspiring and thought-provoking, albeit with the provisos mentioned.

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

After the shocking revelation at the end of The Letter Keeper, I was eagerly waiting to read the final book of the Murphy Shepherd trilogy. In this third book, Murphy finally learns about the horrors his mentor Bones had endured as a child. As Murphy continues to rescue the victims of human trafficking, his biggest challenge comes when Bones is kidnapped and needs to be rescued. From that point on, I felt like I was holding my breath all the way up to the final page. The Record Keeper was definitely the most action-packed of all the books I've read from Charles Martin. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an advance copy to read and review.

I want to believe there are Murphy Shepherds in this world, men who risk everything to rescue the vulnerable and who can come back from bullets, explosions, and fires. I want to believe there is a Freetown somewhere in the Rockies. No, not just one in the Rockies. More of them in many hidden places. I want to see the Light win over darkness again and again and again.

This series isn’t for the faint of heart because the topic is about sex trafficking, and that is an ugly, ugly, ugly reality. But people should read this book if for nothing else than Casey’s speech to the press (Casey is one of the rescued and a survivor, but survivors still live with scars). It lays bare the evil lurking in places most would never think to look.

The story comes full circle in this final installment of the Murphy Shepherd trilogy by Charles Martin. This book focuses less on Shepherd and more on the life story of Bones, his mentor and best friend. I enjoyed this book the most out of the three, but it is worth investing the time in the first two books in the series to appreciate the full story. I stand by my earlier review that Martin’s skill as a writer is in creating realistic characters who are flawed but easy to love, and that skill is particularly emphasized in the way he crafts Bones’s story. I highly recommend this entire trilogy, especially to be able to end with this beautiful book.

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

The Record Keeper is the third book in Charles Martin's Murphy Shepherd series. The books are best read in sequence in order to aid comprehension and to increase the reading's impact and pleasure. The series addresses the themes of leaving the ninety-nine to find the one, human trafficking, and restoration. This book also addresses the theme of being a light in the darkness. Each book in the series is filled with heroic rescues complete with gun battles and hand-to-hand combat, but also with deep love and compassion. It is a series that I enjoy recommending to both men and women. It was my introduction to Charles Martin's work; his books are now among those I won't pass up.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Record Keeper from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Murphy Shepherd struggles to recover from the injuries which almost cost him his life. But when he hears of a new mission, he leaves his wife and daughters and joins his mentor, Bones, to save kidnapped children from a life of slavery.

As he works to rebuild Free Town and provide security and healing for those who escaped slavery, Shepherd finds himself experiencing writer’s block for the first time. But the success of his novels funds his mission in life: to rescue the vulnerable and imbue them with truth—they are loved and worthy of love.

When Bones vanishes without a trace, Shepherd knows who to hold responsible—Bone’s own brother. How will Shepherd find and extricate Bones from his evil genius brother?

What I Loved About This Book

I had no idea I had jumped into reading the final book of a trilogy, and at times I struggled to keep the characters straight. I would advise readers to read the books in order. Martin unveils a side of evil most Christians know nothing about. Like the Pharisees of old, we tend to push up our noses at the sinful prostitutes instead of asking ourselves how we can help.

Women don’t choose a life of prostitution. Girls and young women and even boys are trafficked (sometimes targeted and trafficked to meet the supply demands of wealthy clients). Murphy Shepherd and those who believe in his cause have developed a formula for helping trafficked people recover and reenter society.

Readers can’t help but wonder how the world would change if we all acted more like Murphy Shepherd and Bones and loved sacrificially. What would happen if we never gave up on the lost?

This thought-provoking and action-packed novel will keep readers on the edge of their seats and pondering possibilities long after closing the covers of the book.

Charles Martin's books are truly remarkable and leaves the reader inspired and wanting more at the end. He is a true storyteller! I always look forward to his new books!!! As always, thank you for the advanced copy.

Charles Martin pens literary bliss. The words sing on every page.

Murphy Shepherd is a series and character who's not to be missed. He has the smarts and bravado of Lee Child's Jack Reacher, and the humanity of a deep rooted person of faith.

Human trafficking appears heavily in this novel, as it does in this series. I found myself wiping tears away as the plight of the characters weighed on me.

He never fails to amaze me with his gut wrenching prose and storylines.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher and was under no obligation to write nor post a review.

GOOD VERSUS EVIL

Bestselling author Charles Martin continues his popular Murphy Shepherd series following The Letter Keeper (#2) and The Water Keeper (#1) with THE RECORD KEEPER #3, the final book with an emotional closure of two brothers of evil versus good.

Bones, mentor of Murphy Shepherd, has worked for years to take down evil pedophiles and victims of sex trafficking. They both have worked tirelessly fighting the evils of the world.

Shepherd is also a novelist writing under a pseudonym and wants to keep it a secret. Frank wants to tell the world.

This novel focuses on Bones, his background, and his evil twin brother, Frank. He does not want to do good and is the opposite of his brother. He wants to take down his brother and Murphy.

This story is dark and intense; however, Martin blends powerful themes of hope, forgiveness, healing, and salvation. From sexual abuse within the church, plus other evils, the action and the tension heat up in the race against time to find Bones before it is too late.

Both heart-wrenching and action-packed. The shepherd leaves his flock to go and find the one lost sheep. I recommend reading the first two books in the series prior to reading this one. THE WATER KEEPER was my favorite. I also recommend reading Charles's earlier books.

Even though I am a huge long-time fan of Charles Martin and have read all his books, this was my least favorite in the series. The usual stunning lyrical prose and emotional letter writing that Charles is known for are missing here. It seemed too commercialized and reads more like an action INTENSE thriller versus literary fiction.

I hope that after this series, Charles will return to his earlier writing style with the books we all loved and cherished with lyrical prose and emotional stories, and less action. He will continue to be a favorite author and look forward to his next book.

A special thank you to #NetGalley and #ThomasNelson for an ARC to read, enjoy, and review..

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Pub Date: July 5, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars

A great conclusion to the Murphy Shepherd series. A great representation of the Gospel and Christ's love for us. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and wondering what would happen to the characters. Charles Martin's writing has elements of redemption and light overcoming darkness all throughout the book. Highly recommend, especially for lovers of suspense.

"When light walks into a room, the darkness rolls back like a scroll. It has to. Darkness can't stand light. And while we live it in real time, it happens too fast so we watch it in memory. To know the joy, we shut our eyes and remember having seen it."

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.