Christian Retailing

Thriller writer scores two top tens Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Thursday, 23 December 2010 10:48 AM America/New_York

Thriller writer Steven James features in two best-of-the-year book lists with titles from his “Patrick Bowers” series published by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The Knight makes the list for the 2010 INSPY Awards, given by a bloggers group for “excellence in faith-driven literature,” while The Bishop was named No. 1 in The Lime Awards for best fiction of the year from Christian review Web site thechristianmanifesto.com.

The INSPY judges said that James's skill “creates a story that steals the reader’s sleep while also stealing their breath. Creating an unforgettable set of characters who face an unimaginable and escalating series of terrifying crimes, James captures both the imagination and heart of the reader as he spins his tale."

James' inclusion in the Lime list was for “an excellent blend of themes, story. Characters, dialogue and suspense.” James is "a brilliant storyteller” who “once again set an impossibly high standard.”

The other INSPY winners were: General & Literary Fiction: Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes (Tyndale House Publishers); Creative Nonfiction: Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans (Zondervan); Historical Fiction: She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); Speculative Fiction: Green by Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson); Amish Fiction: Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson); Romance/Romantic Suspense: Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren (Summerside Press); Young Adult Fiction: Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr (Little, Brown).

The rest of the Lime fiction winners were: 2. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Margaret K. McElderry); 3. Broken by Travis Thrasher (FaithWords); 4. Frenzy by Robert Liparulo (Thomas Nelson); 5. Nightmare by Robin Parrish (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 6. They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti (Abingdon Press); 7. The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello (Thomas Nelson); 8. Fatal Convictions by Randy Singer (Tyndale House Publishers); 9. König’s Fire by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord Press); 10. Nightshade by Ronie Kendig (Barbour Publishing).