To be honest, I thought this series ended in 2022 with The Record Keeper. I was pleasantly surprised to learn there was a new installment, and even more surprised by some of the plot twists in this story that set up likely future books in this series.

For anyone who hasn't read the first three books in the Murphy Shepherd series, I recommend starting at the beginning with The Water Keeper, and continuing from there. While the fourth book recaps the essentials to get a new reader up to speed, I think you’ll get more out of the series reading it in order. And there's a lot of substance to this series. Well worth the time to read it.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an Advance Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley.

I continue to say—I'm a huge fan of Charles Martin’s books, and The Keeper is yet another incredible addition to the Murphy Shepherd series. This fourth book has been the hardest for me to read emotionally, as it centers around Murphy dealing with the death of Bones, a character I’ve grown to love deeply throughout the last three books.

Watching Murphy walk through his grief, trying to figure out how to keep doing the work without the steady presence of his friend and mentor, absolutely pulls at your heartstrings. But as we’ve seen throughout this series, the mission doesn’t stop. There’s still a war to be fought, and someone to rescue—because, as Martin so powerfully reminds us, the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the ninety-nine.

In The Keeper, almost before Bones’s funeral is even over, Murphy is called back into action. Three daughters of a presidential hopeful have been taken, and there are no leads. It’s high stakes, fast-paced, and emotionally charged—but the true heart of the story lies in Murphy’s struggle to figure out who he is without Bones by his side.

If you're an audiobook fan, don’t miss Jonathan K. Riggs’s narration—he continues to do an excellent job bringing this series to life.

If you’ve been walking this road with Murphy from the beginning, prepare yourself: this one hits differently. But it’s a beautiful, powerful continuation of a story I’m not ready to let go of yet.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of both the book and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The book continues the story of Murphy and Bones. Bones' funeral is barely over and Murphy gets an important call. Murphy soon finds himself trying to rescue the vice president's daughters. The plot continues to help the reader learn background information from the other 3 books in the series. The daughters are rescued and Murphy learns of the mysterious intent as to why they were kidnapped in the first place. Martin does an excellent job continuing the story line and helping the reader to learn more from the past in the plot.

Charles Martin delivers another gripping, emotional, and thought-provoking novel in The Keeper, the fourth installment in the Murphy Shepherd series. With faith, family, and honor woven throughout, this book is as much a spiritual journey as it is a high-stakes thriller.

Murphy is reeling from the loss of his mentor, Bones, when he’s thrust into another mission: rescuing the kidnapped daughters of a presidential candidate. The race against time is intense, but the deeper battle—Murphy’s struggle to find his footing without Bones—is just as interesting. As always, Martin masterfully balances action with heartfelt reflection, though the novel leans a bit too introspective.

While the themes of faith and redemption shine, the book relies heavily on flashbacks. Readers new to the series might appreciate them, but for those who have followed Murphy’s journey, they can feel excessive. Martin’s tendency to repeat certain phrases is noticeable and annoying. That said, his deeply reflective writing and the way he infuses faith into even the darkest moments make this a powerful read.

I previewed both the book and the audiobook—Jonathan K. Riggs’ narration was strong. This is not a standalone novel—I highly recommend reading the first three books for the full experience. Though a bit long, it’s another strong, moving entry in the series. 4 stars.

** Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and HarperCollins for review copies of this novel. The opinions are my own.

Bones--Murphy Shepherd's teacher, mentor, priest, and friend--is gone. Devastated by the loss and unsure how to continue the rescue work they started, Murph has no choice but to jump back in when his longtime friend and current United States vice president, Aaron Ashley, who has been a silent partner in the fight against trafficking. has his three daughters taken bound and blindfolded from their home by an extraction team that left no clues and no trace--just an empty house, a bereft mother, and nine dead Secret Service agents. Only Murph and his team have a hope of finding them. Bones taught Murph that the needs of the one, the lost one, outweigh those of the ninety-nine. In his first rescue without Bones beside him, Murph's fight against human trafficking takes him across the globe and through the halls of government to destroy the network and save the lives and souls of those taken.

The Murphy Shepherd series is a tender love story, a heartrending search for freedom, an exploration of the terrible cost of human trafficking, and an anthem to the power of love to create change. The Keeper raises the stakes even further, so be ready--you won't want to put it down until you reach the very last page. I was introduced to this series in Book Club and have immediately read every one of the Murph Shepherd series. I love his characters and this book introduces new characters to help in the Murphy's fight against human trafficking. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for offering me the latest installment in this wonderful series.

Another wonderful book by this author, a great ending to the series. I was drawn right back in and couldn't stop reading. it's a long book which was wonderful because then you get to really delve into the story and the characters. Just the way I like it. Can't wait to read another book from this author again very soon!

I received a complimentary copy from netgalley but was not required to read it. All opinions are my own.

The Water Keeper series by Charles Martin is my most favorite series of books that I have ever read so I can't explain my excitement when I learned that there was a fourth book added into the series. This series centers around the heavy topic of sex trafficking yet Martin handles it in a way that is informative of the horrors sounding it and also hopeful for those who are rescued out of it. Martin's line "the needs one the one outweigh the ones of the ninety nine" will stick with me for a long time.

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

Charles Martin is an amazing writer and his writing and use of words is so poetical and beautiful that I look forward to reading anything he writes. The Keeper is both heart wrenching and inspirational as it centers around human trafficking. I loved all the characters and it takes you on a roller coaster of a ride in emotions. This book is spectacular and I will hold my breath for the next one

The Keeper is book four in the Murphy Shepherd series. I have read the first three and was excited about this book. The story was good overall, but there were a lot of flashbacks and technical information regarding weapons, IT, etc. Some of the scenes dragged to me. The turning point in the story was around half-way through when I felt that usual emotional tug and shed a few tears. Do I recommend this book? Yes, but it might be beneficial to read the first three to get the full backstory on Murphy's relationship with Bones to feel the impact of the loss of Bones had on Murphy..

I really wanted to love The Keeper. The cover is amazing, the premise sounded as something I would like, and I’d heard great things about Charles Martin’s Murphy Shepherd series. But unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me.

First off, this is the fourth book in the series, and wow—did I feel it. From the very beginning, I felt like I’d walked into the middle of a conversation where everyone else already knew what was going on. After checking out some other reviews, it turns out a lot of readers strongly recommend reading the first three books before diving into this one. I definitely understand why now.

The story jumps around a lot with flashbacks, and it felt more like a long recap of past events—especially focused on Murphy grieving the death of Bones—than a new adventure. The pacing was super slow, which made it hard for me to stay engaged. I kept putting the book down and picking up something else instead, which is never a great sign.

Also, there were too many characters, referred to by both real names and military code names, which made it tough to keep track of who was who. That added to my feeling of being lost most of the time.

In the end, I actually had to DNF this one. I just couldn’t bring myself to keep reading. I wish I’d connected more with it, but The Keeper just wasn’t an enjoyable read for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the many settings of this book by Charles Martin. It is the story of a man who hunts human traffickers and the man who trained and recruited him. The main character is also a romance/thriller novelist. It is a story worth telling but is full of philosophy and detail that made the story distracting. While I recommend the book, it took me longer than usual to get thru it because of all of that but the plot and main characters are so interesting I kept plodding thru the very long pages of it. This is my first book from the author and I think this one may be one in "Keeper" series. Main character Murphy Shepherd. is held together in this book by his mentor, his wife, his children, and the many he has rescued. Thanks to #NetGalley#CharlesMartin#TheKeeper for the opportunity to be introduced to this series.

After reading and loving the first 3 books in Charles Martin's "Murphy Shepherd" series I could hardly wait to get my hands on book 4 The Keeper. I was not disappointed! Like the others, The Keeper is a perfect page turner.
Once again we are in the world of Murphy Shepherd who has devoted his life to finding survivors who have been taken. This time Murph receives a call from presidential hopeful Aaron Ashley, his three daughters have been taken and there are no leads.
Murphy must battle evil in this unputdownable novel with multiple surprises, many plot twists, edge of your seat suspense and wonderfully endearing and unique characters.
I am totally captivated with Charles Martin's story-telling!

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

Charles Martin always tells such a good story and this one is no different. The Keeper is well written, the characters help you feel connected to the story and leaves you thinking about the story long after you've finished it.

A reason why you should try the first book in a series before you request all of them.
I just can't get on with these. The narrator is great, but plot wise the subjects are so similar, and the Christian angle is too much for me at the moment.

I discovered Charles Martin and I haven't looked back since. When he writes, it's almost like you're reading poetry or prose. This is the first in the series I'm reading and I will definitely be going back to read the previous 3 books.

I'm not going to give anything away but you truly can feel emotions coming off the page as you read and it all points back to Christ on the cross.

As our protagonist deals with losing his mentor, the vice president's children get kidnapped and off he goes on the hunt, while dealing with his loss. It's always about that one lost sheep, not the 99 left!!!!!

Keep em coming and I'll keep on reading!

Solid 5 stars!!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this ARC, BEYOND GRATEFUL AND HUMBLED 🙏🏾🙏🏾
THE KEEPER OUT NOW!!!!!

Please do not read this book until you have read the other books in the series.

This was my first book I read from the series and although I enjoyed the book, I was felt lost sometimes. I must say I am in love with the cover of the book as it is very beautiful. The book had a balance of action-filled moments and emotional moments.

I enjoyed the narration as it fitted the main character and really brought the story to life.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Charles Martin for the ARC.

In this 4th book in the Murphy Shepherd series, Bones has lost his life and without him Murphy does not know a way forward. All his life he has rescued the Lost ones and now he must forge his way alone. Even now he's not allowed to grieve in peace. The Vice President's three daaughters have ben taken by the traffickers, proving no one is safe. With a dedicated team and a lot of fervent prayers, Murphy will rescue these young women and find himself facing a new adversary.
There is no indication of another book, but no indication this is the ending. Charles Martin keeps giving inspiration to everyone fighting human trafficking.

I was thrilled when I saw there was going to be another book in this series. I loved this continuation of the story. There were tears of joy and tears of sorrow. I rarely re-read books but, after reading The Keeper, I will be going back to re-read the rest of the series. I cannot recommend them enough.

I can hardly put into words how incredible this series is or the range of emotions this book took me through. I put off reading it for so long because I didn’t want it to end before it even began — and when I finally picked it up, it completely wrecked me (in the best possible way). Reading it during Holy Week made the experience even more profound. The allegory between Bones and Jesus is chef’s kiss — absolutely stunning — and it broke my heart in all the right ways. This series has forever secured its spot as my #1, whether I’m reading it or listening to it. The audiobook is just as beautiful as the written word, with Jonathan's narration being absolutely perfect for any role — but especially this one. This story will stay with me forever.

This is an intense story that both rips your heart out, then inspires and provides hope.

This story is about very dedicated, loving, good guys and amazingly horrible bad guys. The people that are rescued heal over time and become people that help others. So the group helping others just keeps growing. There is also an amazing dog in the story that is by the side of one of the main characters.

This is my second book by Charles Martin. I have not read the first three books of this series. The author gave enough information that this book can stand alone, but others said it would be better if you read the whole series. This is not an easy book to read. The lows are really tough to read. The highs are just amazing and you want to celebrate!