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.

Kirkus Reviews on Pastor Stephen Grant Novels

Ray Keating's MURDERER'S ROW and THE RIVER have gotten big thumbs up from Kirkus Reviews reviewers...

• On MURDERER’S ROW, Kirkus Reviews says, “Action fans will find plenty to love here, from gunfights and murder sprees to moral dilemmas.”

• Kirkus Reviews also gives a big thumbs up to THE RIVER: “A gritty, action-stuffed, well-considered thriller with a gun-toting clergyman.”

10 Big Reasons to Dive Into the Pastor Stephen Grant Novels

10 Big Reasons to Dive Into Ray Keating’s Pastor Stephen Grant Novels…

1. On MURDERER’S ROW, Kirkus Reviews says, “Action fans will find plenty to love here, from gunfights and murder sprees to moral dilemmas.”

2. Kirkus Reviews also gives a big thumbs up to THE RIVER: “A gritty, action-stuffed, well-considered thriller with a gun-toting clergyman.”

3. MURDERER’S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating was nominated for “Book of the Year 2015” by “BookTalk” on KFUO radio.

4. THE RIVER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL was a “Book of the Year” finalist in 2014.

5. From a Washington Times review of THE RIVER written by a pastor and former CIA officer: “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.”
6. The host of KFUO radio’s “BookTalk,” calls Ray Keating “a great novelist.”

7. Marvin Olasky, editor-in-chief of WORLD magazine, lists Ray Keating among his top 10 Christian novelists.

8. Lutheran Book Review says: “I miss Tom Clancy. Keating fills that void for me.”

9. Best-selling novelist Paul A. Maier declares, “ROOT OF ALL EVIL? is an extraordinarily good read.”

10. WARRIOR MONK was ranked as a Top 10 book on a WORLD magazine June 2013 list.

Kirkus on The River: "A gritty, action-stuffed, well-considered thriller with a gun-toting clergyman"

Hot off the presses: Big thumbs up from Kirkus Reviews on The River: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel by Ray Keating:

“The protagonist is the quintessential antihero: he’s a good man respected by his peers … but is infuriated by the evil of others. Grant may or may not kill before the story’s finished, but he’s unquestionably wrought with guilt over his murderous impulses. Action scenes flood the novel, particularly once Grant gets help from old CIA cohort Paige Caldwell, who comes complete with skills, weapons, and other men… A gritty, action-stuffed, well-considered thriller with a gun-toting clergyman.”

Kirkus Review of Murderer's Row:"Action fans will find plenty to love..."

A review from Kirkus Review on Murderer's Row: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel by Ray Keating declares:

“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.”