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.

Thursday, December 22, 2016


Wine Into Water is "full of action, suspense..."

Big thumbs up for WINE INTO WATER from Self-Publishing Review:

          Wine Into Water by Ray Keating finds Pastor Stephen Grant navigating the treacherous world of counterfeit winemaking. A student of wine himself back in his CIA days, Grant is tasked with uncovering a counterfeit ring, which also involves dead restaurateurs, as well as members of his investigative team. Part thriller and part mystery, Wine into Water is full of action, suspense and an electric cast of characters – both villainous and heroic – that will satisfy fans of crime thrillers.
          Though Wine into Water and the Stephen Grant series could most certainly be classified as Christian fiction, the book can also be enjoyed by those looking for a pure crime thriller...

Read the rest of this review at
http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2016/12/wine-into-water-a-pastor-stephen-grant-novel-by-ray-keating/


Monday, December 19, 2016

Thanks, and Merry Christmas!

Thanks for your support (not just Facebook friends, but everyone!), and have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!



Saturday, December 17, 2016

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Aleteia Thumbs Up for Wine Into Water

NEW THUMBS UP FOR LATEST PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL!

From a December 13 Aleteia.org article offering recommended reads for a snowy day, the reviewer, Russ Saltzman, wrote the following about WINE INTO WATER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating:

"The first time we meet the intrepid Lutheran Pastor Stephan Grant, a former CIA agent with notches on his gun, he has saved Pope Augustine from a knife-wielding monk. The pastor of St. Mary’s Lutheran Church on Long Island (yes, there are Lutheran congregations named for St. Mary), Grant seems to be one of those pastors who ends up everywhere at once, and St. Mary’s seems to be one of those parishes that takes pastoral absences calmly. In this adventure, sixth in the series, wine counterfeiters (no, I haven’t heard of that either) infest the vineyards. When Grant’s around, nobody messes with the communion wine."

Read the complete article here.

Get WINE INTO WATER at Amazon.

Or, order signed copies at www.raykeatingonline.com

Monday, December 5, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Gives Thumbs Up for WINE INTO WATER

Kirkus Reviews gives a big thumbs up for Ray Keating's WINE INTO WATER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL:

It was declared in the review:

"The recurring protagonist shares the spotlight with many characters who appeared in preceding novels. This narrative approach, however, proves beneficial. To begin with, the story, though boasting the series' now-prerequisite action sequences, shifts most of its attention to the mystery. Keating establishes genuine suspects: seems all winemakers, from the respected to the dubious, are under attack, so those culpable aren't easily detectable. Grant undoubtedly shines in confrontations with baddies as well as lighter subplots: scenes behind the pulpit and his visible awkwardness whenever Caldwell and his wife, Jennifer, are together. But it's the search for killers that makes the biggest impact, and the pastor can't take full credit; it's a team effort, with characters (i.e., Grant's old CIA pals) that are just as essential.
     "A first-rate mystery makes this a series standout, even if the titular protagonist splits his hero status with others."              - Kirkus Reviews

Read the entire review here.


Thursday, December 1, 2016

Warrior Monk: Gen. Mattis v. Stephen Grant?

President-elect Trump has selected retired Marine Gen. James Mattis for secretary of defense. Gen. Mattis has been called a "warrior monk."

That's interesting, and raises the question: Who is the real warrior monk - Mattis or Stephen Grant?

Time to check out WARRIOR MONK: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL.

Get the book at
https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Monk-Pastor-Stephen-Grant/dp/1453801030/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480646706&sr=8-1&keywords=warrior+monk+by+keating