Murphy Shepherd is a broken man holding a lot of pain and secrets. He has dedicated his life to finding and rescuing those in peril. On his way to lay to rest his mentor and friend, he comes upon a ménage of equally broken friends and a faithful Labrador now all on a mission to save a lost girl that has been taken by human traffickers.

Forgetting what this book was about, I went into it completely blind and was hooked by the first action packed first scene! This Christian based thriller is set along the east coast of Florida. I loved reading Martin’s description of areas I’ve been many times, but can see that that might be a little slow. However the book picks up quickly with twists and turned that I didn’t see coming. I do feel like I had to suspend belief at times to forgive the coincidences or superhuman powers the main character had. But for the most part that did not turn me away from the story. This is my second Charles Martin book I’ve read and won’t be my last.

This is one of those books that will stick with me for a long time. I have been a Charles Martin fan for a while, so I'm not surprised how much this book touched me. The Water Keeper centers around human trafficking. The story shines a light on some of the horror that is happening around the world. The plot focuses on a man who goes by "Murph" as he takes his boat on a journey to process some past grief. As he journeys south along the coast, he picks up a rag-tag bunch of strays including a mom trying to find her daughter, a dog named Gunner, an ex-con named Clay and later a young girl with unknown ties to his past.
The novel highlights (in the words of Charles Martin) a journey "from broken to not, from slave to free." Each character has different steps to take to find their freedom, just like we all do. I found myself praying for the women and grils who get trapped in situations similar to the ones depicted in this book, praying for the sick and twisted individuals who look at humans as "flesh" and just want to make money, praying for those dealing with past truamas and grief, and praying for home like the hope found in Colorado in the book (I hope there is a place like that in real life and I pray that it is making the difference I believe it could!).
As you can tell, I was hooked and couldn't read fast enough. The plot is suspenseful and emotional, The charcters are engaging, and the writing is beautiful. I loved this book, and I can't wait to read the next one of the series.

This book is a little more intense than I was expecting which made it a bit of an anxious read for me. I'm not a huge fan of the style of the writing, but I do think that it is well done for the style. I could see this working well for folks who are fans of the Reacher series, although I've never read those books so I can only compare it to the story style and vibes of the television series. All in all, I think that this will be an excellent read for its intended audience.

Loved this story of redemption. At the time I requested this book, I hadn't made the connection that this was the same author as that of The Mountain between us. I was, however, extremely haply to discover that it was so, once I started listening to the book. Although this is very much a book unto its own, rest assured, if you're looking for something similar to The Mountain, this book will fit the bill.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The Water Keeper by Charles Martin is a captivating and emotional journey that blends heroism, heartache, and the transformative power of love.
This book took on a heart-wrenching search for freedom, shedding light on the dark realities of human trafficking.

The Water Keeper is my first Charles Martin novel and I am blown away. This book took a few chapters to fully grip me, but I was intrigued by the explosive beginning. Then as the story slowly began to unfold, the fascination built.

From about halfway, I picked the story up at every possible moment. Even if I only had 90 seconds. So firm was my need to know what happened. I think Murph might be one of my favorite ever characters. Deeply wounded, impossibly courageous, fully skilled and all with the soul of an artist. Wow.

I won’t give away any plot details except that the byproduct of Murph’s wound is his ability to find missing people. The story centers on finding a missing teen, swept away by sex traffickers. He’s accompanied by the teen’s mom, an ex-con, his dog and a lost teenager.

Then a couple of twists put this already gripping read into a whole other level of brilliant. The Water Keeper is the first book in the series and I could not be more grateful for that. Murph and I have many happy hours ahead.

If you like gripping characters, unimaginable circumstances, high octane action and immeasurable softness all in one story, this is a book you must read. I received a copy of The Water Keeper from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are all my own.

“The Water Keeper” by Charles Martin and narrated by Jonathan K. Riggs is the tale of Murphy Shepard, a man with a secret life. On the surface, he seems like a caretaker for a catholic chapel, a religious man. But he is also a best-selling novelist and an undercover agent who specializes in releasing women from human trafficking. As he sets out to release the ashes of his mentor who dies in the very beginning to the book, he takes on a dog and makes friends with a woman who is searching for her missing daughter. Murphy, of course, knows exactly what kind of danger the girl is in. She is at risk of disappearing forever, sold to the highest bidder.

This is not the book I normally read, but it was beautifully written and the narrator drew me right into the story. There is a degree of violence, and of course the topic of human trafficking is not a light one at all. But I still enjoyed the book for the most part. I do think the last quarter of the book went on quite a bit more than necessary. I think a lot of it, especially the final chapters, should have been cut, or at least, severely cut down. At that point, I found it a bit tedious.

Many thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for an audiobook version of “The Water Keeper.” My opinions are my own.

Very much liked this book. I read the 2nd book in the series first not knowing it was a series of 4. But it still made sense. This book did fill in some gaps from the 2nd book. Just started the 3rd book now.

Murphy Shepherd is a man of many talents, one of which includes rescuing people. Starting with the rescue of a dog swimming after his owner's boat, Murphy rescues many people along the road and collects new friends.

This is book 1 in the Murphy Shepherd series, I've never read anything by Charles Martin before and I'm really glad I found this series. This book is wildly entertaining and the tone of Murphy's character is so pure. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book, its thrilling, heartbreaking and has a good message. I like the way the author describes everything, it really makes the characters come to life and makes you feel like you're right there in the story with them.

I highly recommend this book and I can't wait for the next installment.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review.
The only bad. It was the audiobook and occasionally you heard the narrator swallow or some air sounds. Otherwise an excellent job.
This book does deal pretty heavily with human sex trafficking and slavery, drug use, and alcohol abuse along with physical abuse the cover looks like a Nicholas Sparks book. But the description did not. So I did not know what to expect but it sounded intriguing from the description which is why I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed. It starts out kind of strange and the story unfolds throughout the book. And you learn about our main character's past and he tends to collect troubled beings around him. All this while performing rescues of enslaved young women. This is really the story we wish that operation underground would have been. There is a lot that happens in this & kind of a twist or maybe a few of them towards the end. One does have to wonder why this guy, who does work for the government in some kind of an organization, does not call local law enforcement or any other law enforcement agency to help when he carries around a satellite phone that he could certainly get a hold of people and get the back up that would be needed so that he doesn't have to try and do this alone when he's tracked them down like he has.
The thing I probably liked most was this was a clean Thriller in the sense of language or sex. If anything was going to happen it was behind closed doors. And the language by and large was either a clean replacement or it was left to you to fill in the blanks. There was no question why this book is rated as high as it is because it really is a good book.

The Water keeper is the first book in the Murphy Shepherd series. This is a story of heroism, heartache, and the power of love to heal your wounds. .

Murphy Shepherd is a private man. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds of a church with no congregation. Rather, he has dedicated his life to rescuing those in danger. He has recently lost his best friend and mentor, Bones.

Murph himself feels empty and lost.

Things begin to change after he pulls a beautiful young woman named Summer out of Florida's Intracoastal Waterway. Suddenly he has a new purpose in life and that is to help Summer, who is desperate to find her missing daughter, Angel. Murphy and Sumner enter into a world of peril as Murph digs deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

The journey will involve some unexpected new friends, including a Labrador he also pulled from the ocean and Clay, who has been recently released from prison. Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before she is sold never to be found in the web of darkness.

Readers will find the drama wonderfully satisfying with a plot driven by desperation and love. You will be pondering the well developed characters long after closing the book.

The wonderful news is…

It’s not over. There are three more books in this series.

I read this one in audio format and found the narrator to be excellent.

Charles Martin did visit my store and after meeting him and his wife and hearing him speak of his passion for his profession, his writing is even more intriguing and endearing as I feel I know him.

This is my first time reading a Charles Martin book, this was an audio read for me.

I didn’t know what to expect and honestly I didn't even read the blurb. Charles Martin is an author I have been debating about reading and I jumped at the chance to grab this audio from NetGalley . It is book 1 with book 4 coming out April 1, and yes, I have the series loaded and waiting for me.

Beginning with a scene that grabbed my attention. I was captivated with this audio. It is the story of Murphy Shepherd, a man of many secrets. His life is dedicated to rescuing those that are taken no matter how dangerous the situation is.

The Water Keeper is a fitting start as people are introduced, a bit of their past is shown, and the author has made me like all of them, not just Murph, but Clay, Ellie, Summer, and of course, to round everything up there is a dog named Gunner. Having cruised on the intercoastal waterways in Florida it wasn’t hard to feel the setting, envision things and get a real sense of what was taking place.

The Water Keeper is a heartbreaking story, it was emotional given that what takes place is so relevant these days. It is a story of love, danger and new beginnings. There is a cliffhanger ending which had me opening up book 2, The Letter Keeper right away.

If you haven’t started the series, I highly recommend the audio, Jonathan K Riggs was the narrator who brought the story to life.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the audiobook in exchange for a honest review.

This was the first book that I have read/listened to by Charles Martin. I liked the book but at times my head was swimming. There are so many twists and turns that I was lost at times. It is scary to think that there are people out there that deal in flesh. That they can be so manipulative that you put your trust completely in them and then they own you.

I liked the characters, banter, fast pace and the dog. I look forward to reading more from this author

The Water Keeper by Charles Martin is a heartfelt and adventurous novel that explores themes of redemption, faith, and the power of human connection. It follows the journey of Murphy Shepherd, a man with a mysterious past who embarks on a mission to rescue a young woman, Grace, from dangerous circumstances. As he faces the challenges of this quest, he uncovers not only truths about his own life but also deep reflections on the nature of love, forgiveness, and faith.

While the novel has a lot to offer, there were a few aspects that slowed me down during my reading experience. The pacing can be a bit slow at times, especially in the sections where the emotional and romantic tension takes center stage. Some of the "mushy" romantic elements felt a bit overdone and distracted from the more gripping aspects of the story. I found myself wishing for more of the thrilling action and less of the overly sentimental dialogue.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the more action-packed moments when the plot picked up speed. The suspense and danger surrounding Murphy’s mission kept me turning the pages, eager to find out what happened next. The author does a great job weaving in moments of high tension and excitement.

Another standout aspect of The Water Keeper was its exploration of religious themes. I appreciated how the book approached faith in a way that felt meaningful without being heavy-handed. The spiritual reflections tied into the larger themes of the novel, and it made the book more enriching overall. It felt like a perfect balance of personal growth and divine intervention, providing a depth that resonated with me.

The connections between various plot points were intricately designed, and I admired how everything came together in the end. Martin’s ability to weave together different storylines, characters, and moments of reflection kept me engaged and impressed with his storytelling.

And, of course, I can’t forget the dog! Murphy’s canine companion, a loyal and endearing dog, became one of my favorite parts of the novel. Their bond was touching and added an extra layer of warmth and heart to the story.

Overall, The Water Keeper is an enjoyable read, especially for fans of action-driven stories with a strong emotional and spiritual component. While it may have been a bit too slow and sentimental for my taste at times, the thrilling moments, meaningful themes, and lovable characters made it a book worth recommending.

4.5 stars rounded up

I really enjoyed the first installment of Charles Martin's Murphy Shepherd series, and I can't wait to listen to the next book, which I have already downloaded on my phone.
This story has a great cast of characters who the reader gets to know well. The author writes in a very detailed way, which I love as it pulls me in, and he paints a vivid picture of settings and events. It's action-packed, and I could picture this as a Jack Reacher series (or similar), and it reminded me of the movie Taken as far as the topic of trafficking goes. It also has very 'deep' messages and I often thought, wow, that was powerful. The religious element isn't overdone and adds to the story. I don't usually read Christian fiction, but I found this very easy to take on board. This is my second book by this author, and he's now on my favourites list. I'm drawn in from the very first page and my heart gets broken, is stitched back up, only to be ripped apart again. Through these stories I also learn about subjects that I haven't paid much attention to, and I come away wanting to know even more.
The narration by Jonathan K. Riggs is well done, pleasant to listen to, and easy to follow along different timelines. He breathes life into each character, and I was very relieved that he didn’t try to put on a woman's voice for the narration of female characters. I highly recommend you give this book a try!

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, and the author for an ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

I read the book back in 2020 and just finished up listening to it again today. My sentiments towards this book are similar to when I read it the first time- IT IS SO GOOD. The characters, the setting (Florida girl, born and raised), the story of leaving the 99 to rescue the one....Charles Martin has such. way with words and weaves the most beautifully layered stories.

I knew this book was going to be good but it ended up being so much more than that. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did such a fantastic job that I seemed to feel every hurt, every laugh, every heart ache, and every joy that was portrayed. The characters are so wonderfully written and performed that I came to love each one in their own way. This book is one that will stay with me for a long time to come and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

This story had me captivated from page one. It is a beautiful story within a story, written with perfection and touching the heart along the way. Emotional. Heart wrenching. With twists you won’t expect.

I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into with this series. I do love Charles Martin books (although I have most of them, I haven’t read all of them). I must say, this series is going to be different but I am fully invested after book 1. Sure, some may say it is too contrived but I believe that God puts together people and places through His providence, so Murph and the people that come into his life isn’t surprising. Having worked over 30 years in law enforcement, the methods, firearms and incidents were spot on for me. At one point, I wondered how he survived but one incident was primarily slicing knife wounds and in another, he wore a vest that took six shots so, there’s that…

Charles Martin can get a little wordy but I love to learn something, too. This particular book flashed through info on boating particulars, routes and maneuvers. I thought it fascinating, some readers will not. I say skip those parts and read the rest and it will still be an intriguing story. So, on to book 2!

A bit about the audiobook-
Jonathan Riggs is a male narrator that I can listen to without cringing because he doesn’t try to sound like a girl. I know. It’s a thing with me. The emotion he put into the narration of this novel added to the story, his inflections were helpful in the telling and the distinctive voices added to the first person POVs.

This book is suitable for mature teens and older with no inappropriate intimate scenes. There is a drunk girl that partially says several words early on in the story and “b—-d” is used once. The rest of the novel is free from bad language. I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.

The Water Keeper by Charles Martin, the book is about Murphy Shepherd, Murph to his friends who grew up on the water in his recently lost his mentor Fingers. despite his unfortunate name he taught Murph everything he needed to know and more. Murph lived his life helping out the downtrodden and in this book that is exactly what he does with Summer. her daughter Angel has gotten caught up with the wrong people and have bad things in store for her. Unless Murph and summer can find them first. This isn’t Murph‘s first time looking for someone lost in his tattoo on his back is a testament to that he runs across interesting people and even finds a labrador swimming in the ditch. Although a lot of things happen coincidentally I am one of those people who love books like that and absolutely loved this one. I have the Kindle version and the audio version narrated by Jonathan T Riggs and he is so authentically Floridian it almost sounds like a nonfiction book. I would recommend either one because both or action packed entertaining and leaves you with such a great feeling. I can’t wait to read the next book in this fabulous new series. #NetGalley, #HonestReview, #TheBlindreviewer, #CharlesMartin, #TheWaterKeeper,#ThomasNelsonAndZandoPress,

As the first installment of The Murphy Shepherd series, The Water Keeper does a fantastic job of introducing us to Murphy Shepherd and the strangers that eventually come together to become family. A story of love won and lost. Of redemption. True evil. And also a love that never quits. While the subject of this book hurts my heart, it's also a book that draws me back to the story again and again. The storytelling is top notch, and I love the way the narrator brings the story to life!