Lutheran Pastor, Former CIA, Onetime Navy SEAL, and More...

A Lutheran pastor, former CIA, and onetime Navy SEAL stands at the heart of Ray Keating’s exciting and thoughtful Pastor Stephen Grant novels.

Not only does the host of KFUO radio’s BookTalk call Keating “a great novelist,” but Keating’s latest thriller, MURDERER’S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL, was named KFUO’s “Book of the Year 2015.” And Kirkus Reviews says, “Action fans will find plenty to love here, from gunfights and murder sprees to moral dilemmas.”

For good measure, THE RIVER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL was a “Book of the Year” finalist in 2014. Regarding THE RIVER, Kirkus Reviews declares, “A gritty, action-stuffed, well-considered thriller with a gun-toting clergyman.”

There’s much more, including…

• 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.”

• A Touchstone magazine review of MURDERER’S ROW says: “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… Perhaps the best part of the book for the reviewer is that the clergy are good at helping people bring Christ into their vocations.”

• Marvin Olasky, editor-in-chief of WORLD magazine, lists Ray Keating among his top 10 Christian novelists. WARRIOR MONK also ranked as a Top 10 book on a WORLD magazine June 2013 list.

• On WARRIOR MONK, an Amazon reviewer observed, “Most Christian fiction leaves a lot to be desired. This book will appeal to non-Christians as well. Warrior Monk is about real people with real desires, emotions and feelings. I am anxious to read the other books in the series. Readers won't be disappointed.”

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

Get all five of Keating’s thrillers – MURDERER’S ROW, THE RIVER, AN ADVENT FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, ROOT OF ALL EVIL? and WARRIOR MONK – at Amazon in paperback or for the Kindle.

Get Murderer's Row at

http://www.amazon.com/Murderers-Row-Pastor-Stephen-Grant/dp/1514137615/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1451917243&sr=1-1

Catch Murderer's Row!

Perfect Read for the New Baseball Season

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'."

Happy Easter

"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

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

"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

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

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

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

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

Miss Tom Clancy? Discover Ray Keating's Thrillers

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."

Baseball Season = Reading Season

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.”

Exciting, Thoughtful Christian Fiction

Tired of sappy, wooden, far too earnest, and shallow Christian fiction? Then check out some very different books: Ray Keating's MURDERER'S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL, named Book of the Year 2015 by KFUO Christian radio's "BookTalk," and the rest of the PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT thrillers.

These thoughtful, exciting novels feature a former CIA operative and current Lutheran pastor.
On MURDERER’S ROW, Kirkus Reviews says, “Action fans will find plenty to love here, from gunfights and murder sprees to moral dilemmas.”

And a review in Touchstone magazine on MURDERER'S ROW said, "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... Perhaps the best part of the book for the reviewer is that the clergy are good at helping people bring Christ into their vocations."

By the way, this is the second year in a row that Keating has had a book nominated, as THE RIVER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL was a “Book of the Year” finalist in 2014. Regarding THE RIVER, Kirkus Reviews declares, “A gritty, action-stuffed, well-considered thriller with a gun-toting clergyman.”

A reviewer for FirstThings.com called WARRIOR MONK "a fun adventure romp," while a LutheranForum.org review said: “This is a good read, both as pure thriller entertainment and for pondering the Christian mind and milieu in the early twenty first century.”

Get all five of Keating’s thrillers – MURDERER’S ROW, THE RIVER, AN ADVENT FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, ROOT OF ALL EVIL? and WARRIOR MONK – at Amazon in paperback or for the Kindle.

Pitchers, Catchers and a Good Book

Pitchers and catchers report today!

It's a good time to enjoy Murderer's Row: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel by Ray Keating, which not only serves up baseball, but also faith, excitement, humor, murder, government gone awry, and more.

A Valentine's Day Moment from THE RIVER

And here's a little Valentine's Day moment from THE RIVER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL:

     Stephen strolled along the sidewalk, with trees on his left running close to Las Vegas Boulevard South and the Fountains of Bellagio on his right.
     The music started, and the fountains came to life.
     He spotted Jennifer leaning on a column. The lights and water engulfed her attention.
     Stephen quietly approached, catching a glimpse of the water and lights reflected in her brown eyes. He slipped his arms around her waist. “Hello, Dr. Grant.”
     She clasped her hands behind his neck. “Good evening. Pastor Grant, isn’t it? Imagine meeting you here.”
     They kissed, a little more deeply and longer than they would have on the sidewalk of almost any other road in the country.
     Jennifer turned back to the fountains, resting the back of her head on Stephen just below his chin. His hands moved around and met at her stomach.
     She sighed. “When you think about a casino in the middle of the desert with a manmade lake and a regular fountain show, it seems silly. But when you’re standing here, it really is mesmerizing.”
     “I agree.”
     They listened to Frank Sinatra belt out “Fly Me to the Moon” over the many speakers surrounding the waters.
     Stephen added, “Apparently there’s no getting away from Sinatra on this trip.”
     Jennifer shrugged. “Hey, it’s Las Vegas. This still is Frank’s town, right?”
     “I think it was Dean Martin who said that it’s Frank’s world, we just get to live in it.”
     As Sinatra was concluding, “I love ... you,” the fountain waters shot high in the air, and then fell back as the music and lights came to an end.

Ray Keating’s “Murderer’s Row” Named “Book of the Year 2015”

Fifth Book in Pastor Stephen Grant Series Wins KFUO “BookTalk” Award

Long Island, NY – MURDERER’S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL by Ray Keating won “Book of the Year 2015” as awarded by “BookTalk” on KFUO radio.

Ten books were nominated for the KFUO “Book of the Year,” and listeners were able to vote. While making the announcement, Rod Zwonitzer, host of “BookTalk,” said this year saw a record number of votes, and it was an extremely tight race between the four top vote getters.

Ray Keating said, “I am stunned and blessed. Thank you to Rod Zwonitzer and KFUO; to all of my friends and readers who voted for MURDERER'S ROW; to my family for their support, love and most assuredly, patience; and to God for everything, including the joy of writing. This is particularly humbling given KFUO’s Christian mission.”

MURDERER’S ROW is a gripping, thoughtful thriller that ties together rescuing a Christian family from the clutches of Islamic terrorists, minor league baseball in New York, a string of grisly murders, sordid politics, and a pastor who formerly was a Navy SEAL and CIA operative.

About MURDERER’S ROW, Kirkus Reviews says, “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.”

SeriousReading.com proclaims, “This novel is a fascinating read with a murder mystery, unique and exceptional characters, and wit... With multiple layers and a complex plot, the novel moves forward with a smooth and even pace.”

And the Lutheran Book Review observes, “I miss Tom Clancy. Keating fills that void for me.”

This is the second year in a row that Keating has had a book nominated, as THE RIVER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL was a KFUO “Book of the Year” finalist in 2014.

MURDERER’S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL is available in trade paperback and for the Kindle from Amazon.com

Ray Keating’s previous books include THE RIVER: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL, AN ADVENT FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL, ROOT OF ALL EVIL? A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL and WARRIOR MONK: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL.

Review copies, interviews for the media, and author appearances are available upon request.

Contact: Ray Keating

Phone: 631-909-1122

E-mail: raykeating@keatingreports.com

PastorStephenGrant.com

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Ray Keating's Author Interview with SeriousReading.com

Check out Ray Keating's author interview with SeriousReading.com.

The interview can be read here.

Murderer's Row Gets Big Thumbs Up From SeriousReading.com

MURDERER'S ROW: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT NOVEL received big thumbs up in a SeriousReading.com review.

From that review:

“This novel is a fascinating read with a murder mystery, unique and exceptional characters, and wit… With multiple layers and a complex plot, the novel moves forward with a smooth and even pace.”

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.