Top Pick - Fiction
 Kiss
Ted Dekker and Erin Healy
Thomas Nelson
hardcover, 336 pages, $24.99
978-1-595-54470-4
In the new thriller by best-selling author Dekker and co-writer Healy, a kiss is indeed a powerful thing. In the case of Shauna McAllister, recovering from a horrific auto accident that wipes out six months of her memory, the lip-lock carries supernatural properties, allowing her to steal memories and gather clues to a mystery, possibly involving her estranged father—presidential candidate Landon McAllister—and his pharmaceutical company. Were her father or his associates behind the accident that almost killed Shauna and left her brother in a brain-damaged state?
The authors balance the book’s fast pace and unfolding mystery, introducing a distinct cast of supporting characters while keeping readers on board with Shauna’s perspective. She slowly discovers who can and cannot be trusted, including a boyfriend she cannot remember and a stepmother with whom she’s never gotten along. A new friend, her housekeeper Khai, dispenses Scripture verses and godly wisdom about how Shauna’s past might factor into her present and future. To the authors’ credit, although Shauna questions whether or not she really wants to uncover the whole truth, readers surely will, soaking up page after page until all mystery is finally revealed.
DeWayne Hamby Christian Living  Death By Church
Mike Erre
Harvest House Publishers
softcover, 250 pages, $13.99
978-0-736-92496-2
Author and pastor Erre turns a critical eye toward the contemporary church in Death by Church: Rescuing Jesus From His Followers, Recapturing God’s Hope for His People. Erre’s premise is that Christian society has undergone something of a spiritual death by giving the church no higher goal than increased attendance. Churchgoers, meanwhile, often expect the institution to fix their lives. Erre may offend some readers with his interpretation of popular theology. For example, The Four Spiritual Laws presents a narrow interpretation of the gospel, focused on individual salvation. Church, he argues, is not so much for getting into heaven as it is for bringing heaven to earth. The true message of hope in the cross, he asserts, is that the kingdom of heaven is now “at hand.” For believers willing to have their presumptions challenged, Erre offers a look at what he believes is Christ’s original intent.
John D. Leatherman
 Touching Godliness Through
Submission
K.P. Yohannan
Gospel for Asia
(STL Distribution North America)
softcover, 224 pages, $11.95
978-1-595-89055-9 In his latest work, Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia, leads Christians to think more deeply about their convictions and passions, and to wrestle with the truth that submission is “wholesome and liberating.” With gentleness, he begins with the core concept of submission, the spirit of submission and its benefits, and its essence, revealed through personal examples. He asserts that submission, born of humility, is transforming and is evidenced in obedience. In a time when social morés encourage individualism, Yohannan leads firmly but charitably to the cross. He sees submission as more than obeying authority, but as “participating in the very life of Jesus.” Touching Godliness Through Submission, an easy, engaging read, began as a teaching series Yohannan delivered during a leaders’ gathering in India. He credits such authors as John Chrysostom, Andrew Murray and A.W. Tozer for his understanding of the subject.
Deborah Finnamore Family  Losing Control & Liking It
Tim Sanford
Focus on the Family (Tyndale House Publishers)
softcover, 192 pages, $13.99
978-1-589-97481-4
Losing Control & Liking It: How to Set Your Teen (and Yourself) Free holds an indispensable key to parenting teens: Parents need to give up inappropriate control if they want a healthy relationship with their teenagers. The author, who is a counselor and a parent, elaborates on the difference between influence and control. Sanford clearly outlines what parents actually do and do not have control of and the negative consequences of trying to control instead of influence. Encouraging teens to take responsibility for their lives means letting them take control of their own lives, and, yes, reap the consequences of their choices—good or bad. Giving up control, however, doesn’t mean a parent’s job has ended. As blunt as Sanford can be at times, he is actually quite gentle and compassionate, identifying with all of the emotions of a parent. With his straightforward and concise style, he gets right down to the issue at hand. Losing Control & Liking It is vital reading for parents and others who work with young adults.
Deborah L. Delk
Fiction  Blood Lines
Mel Odom
Tyndale House Publishers
softcover, 432 pages, $13.99
978-1-414-31635-2
In Blood Lines, the final installment of Odom’s “Naval Criminal Investigation Service” (NCIS) series, NCIS agent Shel McHenry, in the course of a carjacking investigation, kills Bobby-Lee Gant, son of a notorious criminal, in self-defense. This stirs up a hornet’s nest of trouble for the NCIS team and drags up decades-old history involving Shel’s father, Tyrel. Finding out what happened in Vietnam 40 years ago answers questions from Tyrel’s past and clears up the entire investigation. Odom’s descriptions of weapons and military tactics will be appealing to his target audience, but may be lost on the casual reader. In the end, his action- filled plot, though layered and twisting, leaves no unanswered questions. The author quite naturally ties together characters from previous books in this installment, but a reader with no prior knowledge of this military series will still enjoy the story as a stand-alone read.
Allison Hyer Relationships  From Anger to Intimacy
Gary Smalley and Ted Cunningham
Regal Books
hardcover, 256 pages, $22.99
978-0-830-74676-7
Working out anger issues in marriage is the theme of From Anger to Intimacy: How Forgiveness Can Transform Your Marriage by relationship author Smalley with Cunningham, a pastor he has mentored through the years. The book is conversational and user-friendly, giving many relatable, sometimes humorous experiences to illustrate the right and wrong ways to deal with conflict. Interactive elements such as personal inventories and quizzes help to pinpoint issues of the heart. The pair presents a balanced, biblical perspective, encouraging spouses to consider each other’s feelings and helping them recognize their own hot buttons. From Anger to Intimacy will be a help to those struggling to navigate the challenges of marriage, but should also be required reading for couples who feel like they’re doing just fine. It’s also a good resource for spouses to refer back to throughout their marriage.
Hamby Women  That Makes Two of Us
Connie Witt and Cathi Workman
Group Publishing
softcover, 128 pages, $14.99
978-0-764-43828-8
When it comes to mentoring, many women feel inexperienced and intimidated. But in That Makes Two of Us: Lifestyle Mentoring for Women, authors Witt and Workman use examples from their own relationship to show that mentoring does not have to be an overbearing, overscheduled application of a program, but something that can happen quite naturally. The authors present the need for Christian women to reach out to the next generation, show the importance of understanding what mentoring really is and offer biblical instruction. That Makes Two of Us helps Christian women fine-tune what they already do on a daily basis and learn to think of themselves as mentors.
Jevon Bolden
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