Rob Bell’s Love Wins (HarperOne) continues to enliven the online world.

David Platt—author of Radical and Radical Together—responded with a video from India. He not only challenges intellectual universalism—“thinking that in the end everyone is going to be OK”—but also what he believes is worse, functional universalism, “living like in the end everyone is going to be OK.”

Rob Stennett’s Homemade Haunting examines the paranormal using allegory and humor, as high school English teacher Charlie Walker takes a six-month sabbatical to write a horror novel.

When Charlie moves his family into an older house that they can afford, he has a poltergeist experience. He realizes then that as a method writer, he needs to actually feel the horror himself to fix the novel he’s been writing—one that’s not scary at all.

An interesting take on the Mayan end-of-the-world prediction, Hoesel’s The Alarmists is an action-packed, fast-paced novel that will keep the pages turning.

In the story, Arthur Van Camp decides to invest in the stock market based on events happening around the world, events that he, in fact, created. Meanwhile, aiming to stop the doomsday events, sociology professor Brent Michaels along with a team of military investigators must move to decide if there is a correlation with a chain of consequences, and where the next disaster will strike.

Faith is mentioned only briefly through the characters' convictions, and there seems to be no representation of how God might be moving in this end-of-the-world drama. Still, this work of suspense is well-written and will keep readers involved in seeing how the end of the world is portrayed. The book will attract readers of suspense as well as those interested in the 2012 prediction.

—Jennifer Toth

FICTION:

The Alarmists

Don Hoesel

Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 320 pages, $14.99

978-0-764-20562-0

April 2011

Lis Wiehl continues her “Triple Threat” series with the third, starring a trio of best friends crime reporter Cassidy Shaw, FBI agent Nicole Hedges and federal prosecutor Allison Pierce. One murder after another seem to be linked, but the three can’t figure out how until Cassidy breaks the case with a surprising discovery. But can they outmaneuver a killer who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals?

Suspense fans will enjoy the taut action and pure evil of the antagonist; series fans will enjoy probing deeper in the lives of the best friends as each struggles with difficult situations.

Readers looking for a strong Christian element won’t find it here—though Christian themes are present, as are the occasional curse and graphic scene—but those looking for a good escape tale brimming with excitement will find much to enjoy. 

—Ann E. Byle

FICTION:

Heart of Ice

Lis Wiehl with April Henry

Thomas Nelson

hardcover, 336 pages, $25.99

978-1-595-54707-1

April 2011

When Life’s Not Working: 7 Simple Choices for A Better Tomorrow offers direction for those seeking help for life’s failures and disappointments. Merritt, senior pastor at Eagle Brook Church in White Bear Lake, Minn., is a champion of the ordinary man and presents steps the reader can take toward achieving the extraordinary in a complex world.

Merritt uses his enthusiasm for sports, including hunting and fishing, to introduce concepts grounded in Scripture and proven in his own life. His seven choices—don’t quit, do a few things well, be prepared, be consistent, be disciplined, stretch yourself and practice self control—are so simple that they are often missed or ignored, yet can lead to fulfillment for those struggling with an overloaded life.

Merritt is a thoughtful voice writing with old wisdom for a new world. His seven choices encourage and challenge all who think they just aren’t gifted enough to succeed in life.

—Eilene Ishler

When Life’s Not Working

Bob Merritt

Baker Books (Baker Publishing Group)

hardcover, 256 pages, $17.99

978-0-801-01378-2

Christian Living

April 2011

In Kathryn Cushman’s Another Dawn, single mother Grace Graham finds herself coming full circle after choosing to run from life’s difficulties since her mother’s passing more than four years ago.

At the request of her sister and in hopes of reconciling with her father—whom Grace blames for her mother’s death—Grace heads for her hometown of Shoal Creek, Tenn., to help her father recover from surgery. While there, Grace’s 4-year-old son, Dylan, comes down with the measles. Knowing that her California employer’s son became autistic after being vaccinated worries Grace, so she decides against having Dylan vaccinated. But when the disease spreads and the town is quarantined, Grace is hit with a backlash of hate and blame, including from her sister whose baby daughter is fighting for her life.

In spite of the turmoil, Grace chooses to stay, and with the help of an old friend who comes to her aid, she finds herself praying for her niece to be healed and that God will help her reconcile her relationships. 

Through her characters, Cushman—a former pharmacist—demonstrates both sides of the immunization argument. The well-written Another Dawn shows that choices have consequences, good or bad, that affect others.

—Nicole Anderson

Another Dawn

Kathryn Cushman

Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 320 pages, $14.99

978-0-764-20825-6

February 2011

Barbour Publishing author Wanda E. Brunstetter--who recently hit the 5 million copies-sold mark--visited the offices of Christian Retailing with her husband, Richard, Jan. 12. Wanda has been meeting her fans at book signings at stores across Florida, including LifeWay and Family Christian Stores in the Orlando area. Look for the first installment of her "Kentucky Brothers" series, The Journey, in April.