I received a free copy of, The Keeper, by Charles Martin, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book 4 of in the Murphy Shepherd Series. Murphy Shepard is lost and grieving his best friend, mentor, Bones is missing. This book has a lot going on. It was an interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! The Keeper by Charles Martin is an intense novel about a secret government agency who’s sole purpose is to find and take down human traffickers. But when one of their own’s children go missing, they will stop at nothing to get them back even if it means making a deal with a criminal. As Bones, one of the leaders of the secret agency, loved to say « the needs of the one outweigh those of the ninety-nine. The story was anything but predictable and I was surprised every time the story took a turn. It definitely kept me guessing. Overall, a great story!

The plot reminded me a little of the film White House Down, in which the underground forces attempt to assassinate the President and his men. The President is unsure who to trust. Then the A team arrives to protect him, and they are unable to determine who all the bad guys are; their tentacles go deep, just like in this novel. The vice president would have preferred taking a bullet for his daughters, then have them abducted by evil forces.

This was a fast-paced action-adventure story I couldn't put down. The subject matter is serious, and important. The author does a great job of explaining how sex trafficking works, and why it exists. it’s something I've never understood. Charles Martin shows how it takes a collaborative effort to keep up and stop traffickers, which explains why they’re hard to catch, and how they get away with so much.

I also liked the way the author talked about spiritual challenges in a natural way, with themes of grief, healing, love, and recovery, just to name a few. This novel is heart-breaking, yet a hopeful must-read.

This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading book one in the series first. You’ll have a richer experience. This novel makes for a wonderful book club pick. There is so much to talk about.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book by the publisher and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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.”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!

It is my fault that I jumped into this series with this book. It meant that for the first 10-15 % everything seemed unclear and jumped from point to point. But as soon as I got an idea what might have happened, things got clearer and quite suspenseful.
You want real heroes? Here they are, at an incredible measure. Bones is more than just a man. He's a model.
Human trafficking is a terrible problem and I wish there were such heroes, but I doubt it.
If you want to dive into this interesting series, start with the first volume.

Charles Martin

Murph hasn’t even had time to grieve Bone’s death before he is asked, well maybe not asked but it is assumed he will find presidential hopeful, Aaron Ashley’s daughters who have been kidnapped.

In flashbacks of his relationship with Bones, Murphy and his team tangle with Bones' brother Frank’s former associates.

I’ll admit I didn’t read the third book in this series, but I did the first two. As with the first two, there is a lot of information dumped on you. In some ways, it’s a good thing, and some not so good. I like solid characterization, and you can always expect this from anything Charles Martin writes. Even if it isn’t a faster-paced story like some of his more character-driven stories, he is detail-oriented.

This was a disappointment to me. It was too long, like 100-150 pages too long, and I ended up slogging through a lot of it. There were parts I did like but to be honest I didn’t learn anything new, and there was one part that I didn’t care for and thought was confusing. Yes, the good guy wins in the end, but a tighter plot and fewer pages would’ve kept this reader happier.

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

Thank you, thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of The Keeper! I am a huge Charles Martin fan and couldn't wait to continue reading about Murphy Shepherd. I love Mr. Martin's style of writing and how he can take such a dark subject and make it eye opening and informative.I believe this book will appeal to the mainstream market as well as evangelicals. Personally, I loved the occasional reference to scripture but not overly preachy. I have already told many they have to continue reading this series. I sure do hope this is not the end of Murphy and we will hear from him again. Thank you Charles Martin for being the gifted writer you are!

How I wanted to like this book. I have read everything by Charles Martin and have really liked most of them. Not all are my favorites, but I do enjoy his writing style. The problem I have with this one is it felt like Martin had a sermon he wanted to give, and this is it. There was way more "talking" instead of storytelling. To not give anything away I will use this example, At one point Murph goes to get ready for a mission and instead of packing and going, Martin has him touch almost every gun and go over the story of when and how it was used. Most of those stories we readers have already read in the other of the Shepherd stories.
I felt like I was just re-reading lots of the other 3 books throughout this one. So I am sad to say that I can't give this a glowing review like most of Martin's other books.

The Keeper is an introspective look at friendship, loss and overcoming the many facets of grief. In the fourth book of the Murphy Shepherd series, Murph must work without his beloved Bones to track down child traffickers who are very skilled at their jobs.

Charles Martin can weave one heck of a story. His writing is uniquely thoughtful and compelling. It’s near impossible to set the book down once you’ve started it. I highly recommend this 5-star book, which can also be read as a stand-alone.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the eARC.

Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the ARC. The Keeper is number four in the Murphy Shepherd series. I do love this series but I didn’t find this book to be quite as catching at the beginning. I do love that we are continuing on with characters that have already been established and basically picking up where the last book ended. This book ended with the premise that there is going to be another in my opinion. This book was very enjoyable and I look forward to the next installment if there is one.

This book will stay with you. It will stay on your forever shelf and on your heart. A great book in the series or even as a stand alone. Murph and Bones share so much words of wisdom and inspiration overcoming the darkness within the world we live in. Tough subject that needs light to be shined on. Highly recommend this series. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was my first time reading Charles Martin’s work, and I understand now why this author is so popular. Although this is the latest book in a series, I wasn’t lost in the plot, and I didn’t feel like I was missing important information, so I believe this is fine if read as a stand-alone book. The characters are all intriguing, and the storyline kept me hooked from beginning to end. I would highly recommend it, and I look forward to reading more of Martin’s work.

The Keeper is a moving story of love and redemption. Through the eyes of a soldier willing to pay any price by putting his life on the line to save young girls being sold into trafficking, you catch a glimpse of the emotional cost.
Plenty of action and suspense as the team follows leads to rescue the girls. No spoilers….but emotions run high and laid bare when adjustments must be made within the team. A must read!

Murphy Shepherd is back! I was so excited to see Charles Martin wrote another book in this series. It’s one of the best series I have ever read and this was another great addition! In The Keeper Murphy has to work through tremendous grief while also finding a way to do his job and save the lost. As always Martin’s writing gets straight to the heart.


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

I love Charles Martin! He is one of the best storytellers I've ever read! I love this series! I feel it's so important to bring light to this topic even though it makes me terrified for my 9 year old granddaughter! This book picks up where the last book ended with the death of Bones. But the Vice Presidents daughters are missing and Murphy Shepherd must find them while also navigating the grief of losing his mentor and best friend.

“These are the Keepers of us.”

“Find my girls. Please find my girls.”

“People in darkness don’t know they’re in darkness because it’s all they’ve ever known. It’s their world. They navigate by bumping off things that are stronger. Immovable. We, those of us who walk up here, have a tendency to look down our noses at them, but the truth is this: they don’t know darkness is darkness until someone turns on a light . . .”

The Water Keeper series by Charles Martin is one of my favorite series of all time. Honestly, after Book 3, I thought it was finished and wrapped up and that there would be no more books. While I was very excited to see we were getting a 4th book, I wish that it had ended with Book 3. Because this book was a slog to get through. It didn’t have the pacing or emotion or excitement I usually get with a Charles Martin book. And while the premise and plot could have been amazing, Charles Martin both overwrites this one and has too many flashback scenes as well as overly long scenes that do not add to the story. It seems others enjoyed this one but I felt like it was an unnecessary addition to a near perfect series.

* I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and Thomas Nelson. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

4.5⭐️ I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, and completely missed the third which makes more sense why I was confused at points. I will be going back to read that.

The themes of the Lord’s pursuit of us no matter what & how He is our shepherd are beautiful in this book. There are hard descriptions of abuse & trafficking for those who need to avoid that.

I would recommend this series!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

We return to the series after the devastating loss of Bones, who perished alongside his brother, leaving two burning questions: who can take his place, and more urgently, who will step in for Frank?

This book delves into lesser-known figures from Murph’s past as he embarks on a rescue mission, grappling with deep grief over Bones’ death and its impact on Frank's malevolent empire. Who are the seven generals, and is it time for them to emerge?

As an avid fan of the first three books, I was thrilled to have the chance to review this installment. It serves as a pivotal bridge for the series, setting the stage for it to continue at full throttle, despite many of us believing the story would conclude with book three. However, the heavy reliance on repeated scenes from previous books was a drawback for me. While these recaps may benefit readers who are picking this up as a standalone, they detracted from the overall pacing and reading experience. Thus, I give this a 3.5, rounding up to 4 stars.

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

Murphy Shepherd’s story continues with one of the most revealing and compelling installments yet! I love Charles Martin’s writing style and his latest book does not disappoint. So many loose ends tied up and explained, so many markers towards Jesus and what he has done for each of us. Great read, and hoping this means more to come for Murph and all the characters of Freetown.

Just when I thought Charles Martin’s books could not get any better, he proves me wrong. Such an engaging storyline involving human trafficking and hard to believe such evil exists. You will need to make sure to read the books in order so it is easier to follow along.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher. All words are my own.

So Charles Martin has come up with another book in the Murphy Shepherd series, after we all thought The Record Keeper was the final one. If you haven’t read The Water Keeper, The Letter Keeper, and the Record Keeper recently, you do not need to go back and re-read them. In this new book, Martin gives a lot of background to remind you what has happened in those 3 books. If you have NOT read them, you definitely want to read the series in order, because there’s a lot he doesn’t include in the flashbacks.

Once again, it is hard to read about the depths of evil involved in human trafficking and the awful, dark world of those who buy and sell the bodies of young boys and girls just to indulge in their perverse pleasures. After Bones’ death in The Record Keeper, his brother’s seven “generals” are ready to take over and continue expanding their power and reach. As Murphy grieves the loss of his mentor and friend, he keeps fighting, and the light shines through the darkness again and again, but at the cost of a love that gives sacrificially and completely.

The plot twists kept me gasping, and I had to take breaks now and then from the tension of the plot. New characters get introduced, more hope takes root, and I couldn’t believe how the book ends. I know you will love it like I did!

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