Pastor Stephen Grant?

Stephen Grant is the pastor at St. Mary’s Lutheran Church on eastern Long Island. Grant is one of the more unique second-career clergy around, as he once worked for the CIA. Besides theology, his interests include archery, golf, writing, classic films, the beach, poker, baseball, and history. Grant also knows his wines, champagnes and brews. Oh yes, he generally dislikes politicians, and happens to be an expert marksman with a handgun and a rifle, while being pretty handy with a combat knife as well.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Keating Writing Page-Turners

From a new 5-star Amazon review of WARRIOR MONK: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating:

"I first read Ray Keating material after seeing a couple of reviews of 'Murderer's Row'. With 'Warrior Monk', I went to the beginning of the Stephen Grant series and I find Keating's writing 'page-turners'."

Friday, March 25, 2016



"Action fans will find plenty to love here..."

Reviewer on MURDERER'S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating...

"The author packs a lot into this frantically paced novel... a raft of action sequences and baseball games are thrown into the mix. The multiple villains and twists raise the stakes...  Stephen remains an engaging and multifaceted character: he may still use, when necessary, the violence associated with his former professions, but he at least acknowledges his shortcomings--and prays about it. Action fans will find plenty to love here, from gunfights and murder sprees to moral dilemmas."    - Kirkus Reviews

Get the book at
http://www.amazon.com/Murderers-Row-Pastor-Stephen-Grant/dp/1514137615/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1KC2PX415ZC31NH525TM



Thursday, March 24, 2016


Signed Copies of the Pastor Stephen Grant Thrillers!

Signed copies of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels by Ray Keating. Order now! www.raykeatingonline.com


"A Fun Adventure Romp"

Reviewer on WARRIOR MONK: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRNAT NOVEL by Ray Keating ...

"Here is a fun adventure romp, a first novel by former Newsday columnist Ray Keating. Stephen Grant is an ex-CIA agent with notches on his pistol who, with a little bit of angst, turns his back on his secret life and becomes, get this, a pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod."  - FirstThings.com

Get the book at
http://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Monk-Pastor-Stephen-Grant/dp/1453801030/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1THR8TG1K10T043N91PA



Wednesday, March 23, 2016

"Extraordinarily Good Read"

Best-selling novelist comments on ROOT OF ALL EVIL? A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating...

"Root of All Evil? is an extraordinarily good read.  Only Ray Keating could come up with a character like Pastor Stephen Grant... As trouble mounts in this page-turner, Grant will need both skills  - martial and theological - to punish evil and save the good.  Even though the Bible says that it's the love of money which is the root of all evil, Grant will find that even a casual appreciation of the U.S. dollar is enough to corrupt church men, government officials, and foreign agents."  - Paul L. Maier, author of A Skeleton in God's Closet, More Than A Skeleton, and The Constantine Codex


Get the book at
http://www.amazon.com/Root-All-Evil-Pastor-Stephen/dp/1479112194/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0GBX9NP7F6TX1P7H00BS



Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Baseball Season Calls for Reading Murderer's Row

In a Touchstone magazine review of MURDERER'S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL: Keating "obviously knows his way around the bases and dugout, too, as does his hero, who becomes a baseball chaplain.”




Signed Copies of Pastor Stephen Gran Novels!

Yes, you can get copies of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels signed by Ray Keating. Order now! www.raykeatingonline.com


Religious Liberty: "Pulled from Tomorrow's Headlines"

Review on AN ADVENT FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating...

"This series is a more edifying and Christian-oriented spy/adventure series with a similar pace (and sometimes the vocabulary of the bad guys) as books by C. J. Box, Craig Johnson ... and the work of Tom Clancy... Ray Keating has a knack for writing on topics that could be pulled from tomorrow's headlines.  An atheist mayor-elect of NYC? I could envision that. Pastor Grant taking out a terrorist? I could see that."  - Lutheran Book Review


Get the book at
http://www.amazon.com/An-Advent-Religious-Liberty-Stephen/dp/1480174491/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0WPFPGRBHBM0T554CB8T



Monday, March 21, 2016


The River: "Simply Could Not Put It Down"

Reviewer on THE RIVER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating ...

"Mr. Keating's storytelling is so lifelike that I almost thought I had worked with him when I was at Langley. Like the fictitious pastor, I actually spent 20 years working for the U.S. intelligence community, and once I started reading 'The River,'... I simply could not put it down. What Ian Fleming's 007 series has probably done for ex-MI-6 agents and Tom Clancy has done for retired CIA officers, Mr. Keating has done for the minority of former CIA agents who have served their country by working in the intelligence community, but now wish to serve God."  - The Washington Times


Get the book at
http://www.amazon.com/The-River-Pastor-Stephen-Grant/dp/1499514174/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1B88QPGV6XEE8WXNAV60


Sunday, March 20, 2016

Keeps the Reader Hooked

Reviewer on MURDERER'S ROW by Ray Keating...

"The listeners have to understand that they're going to get some good theology, they're going to get some good mysteries, some very well done thriller writing... Murderer's Row keeps the reader hooked."  - Rod Zwonitzer, host of "BookTalk" on KFUO radio

Get the book at
http://www.amazon.com/Murderers-Row-Pastor-Stephen-Grant/dp/1514137615/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458414397&sr=8-1&keywords=murderer%27s+row+by+keating

Friday, March 18, 2016


Serious Reading Interview with Ray Keating

Check out the Serious Reading interview with Ray Keating, the award-winning author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels.

Here's one question:

Do your novels carry a message?
Every writer has a message, whether penning a news story, a commentary piece, a history text, or a novel. A writer simply should be honest about it. I’m a Christian and a conservative. That comes through in my novels. At the same time, however, I don’t want to hit people over the head with some kind of polemic. I don’t like that in the novels I read, nor in the movies I see. The most important goals for me as a novelist are to tell a good story, offer compelling characters with depth, make the dialogue work naturally, present interesting conflict, and work in humor, action, love, adventure, and friendship, for example. Along the way, yes, I touch on issues in areas like faith, politics, war, and good and evil, but hopefully in a natural, non-preachy way.

Read the entire interview at

http://seriousreading.com/author-interviews/1583-interview-with-ray-keating-author-of-murderers-row.html

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Realistic Christian Fiction

New 5-star Amazon review of WARRIOR MONK: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating:

"It's always refreshing to read Christian fiction that is more realistic to life. So many times characters don't seem real because they handle their issues too perfectly. Ray Keating shows simul justus et peccator (simultaneously saint and sinner) with the characters in "Warrior Monk." Pastor Stephen Grant seems like he could be a real person. He reacts to things in a realistic way, he knows he has struggles, but because of his faith he can remind himself of the right thing to do. The storyline also seemed realistic. In reality, we cannot always stop evil from happening, and evil does take place in "Warrior Monk." Also, this isn't an action-packed novel, which makes Grant seem more like a real person. Action and stressful situations happen, but not on every page, which is more similar to the rhythm of daily life."

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Touchstone Thumbs Up for Murderer's Row

A very nice review of MURDERER’S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL written by Raymond Brown ran in the March/April issue of TOUCHSTONE magazine. A few highlights:

“The protagonist is a Lutheran pastor who had formerly been a Navy SEAL and CIA operative, whose past seems to return to his present life with surprising frequency.”

 “This is a fun read, though the embedded theology is real and salutary. There is death and life, adultery and commitment, friendship and betrayal, violence and victory over violence.”

 “Keating, an economist and experienced business writer, does extremely well in portraying the politicos and their machinations at all levels of government, as well as the machinations of the news media, of which he is a longtime member. He obviously knows his way around the bases and dugout, too, as does his hero, who becomes a baseball chaplain.”

 “One of the charming and welcome aspects of the Pastor Grant series is the mere Christianity that runs throughout. Grant’s best friends are a Roman Catholic priest and the rector of an Anglican Church in North America parish. The three meet regularly for prayer and Scripture, golf, mutual chastisement, and socializing (sometimes a few beers). And their families are friends and more...”

 “Perhaps the best part of the book for the reviewer is that the clergy are good at helping people bring Christ into their vocations.”