The Missionary - Review

The Missionary - Review

The Missionary is a novel of suspense and adventure by William Carmichael and David Lambert.

Summary from the back:

"David Eller and his wife, Christie, work to help rescue impoverished children in Caracas, Venezuela. But for David, that isn't enough. The supply of homeless children is endless because of massive poverty and the oppressive policies of the Venezuelan government.

When he is given an opportunity to do something more - to heal the disease rather than working on the symptoms - David decides to go for it. But little by little, he falls into an unimaginable nightmare of espionage, ending in a desperate, life-or-death gamble to flee the country with his wife and son."

If you're a fan of suspense and action novels, this will be right up your alley. Personally, I really liked The Missionary because it was a good mix of action and intelligence, with enough back story and emotion to keep me interested. I also like that there's a little lesson in it that any decision a man makes that he has to keep a secret from his wife is a bad idea.

This is definitely the kind of book that will keep you up late at night, and your husband will want to read when you're done. It's fast-paced and suspenseful, and a great rainy day read.

The Missionary is available from Deep River Books, and you can find more information at theMissionary Novel website.




Disclosure: This is a MamaBuzz review. The product was provided by Bring It On! Communications to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are mine.

The Missionary - Review

Technically, we are all “supposed” to be missionaries.  You don’t have to travel to a foreign country to tell someone how Christ has rocked your world and changed your life.
But I actually have played the part of a real life missionary.
My time living in India with The Engineer (official name change) radically influenced my life and has had lasting ramifications.  I’m a missionary at heart . . . I love being surrounded by real life missionaries.  I desire to immerse my children in culture to give them a broader world view – so that they may know there is more than Indiana in the world.
Perhaps . . . just perhaps God will lay a nation or a people on their hearts to go and share how God has impacted their family’s life (I really need to share our story with you sometime).
It should be no surprise to learn then, that when I was offered to review the book, The Missionary, by William Carmichael and David Lambert, I forked over my reading passport for the stamp to Venezuela, where the book largely takes place.

The book took a plane ride that I wasn’t expecting.  Main character, David Eller, whose character is applauded initially turns out to make some very foolish decisions (but don’t we all?).  Decisions that nearly crush and destroy his wife (who is the love of his life – I slightly doubted), his son, and several friends.

Quite honestly, I had trouble lining up his present actions that take place during the novel with the ones that happened before the book opened up  – this man who rescued impoverished children.
But the reality is that David provides a great example for what can happen to ANY follower of Christ.  If you don’t spend daily time reading your Bible, connecting with your Savior, chatting with your Lord . . . you will find that sometimes your decisions become foolish . . . rash . . . selfish . . . harmful.
So, I suppose I like this book.  I just don’t appreciate how David Eller treated his wife.
Get hooked on the book by watching this trailer . . . and in a copy of it over at MamaBuzz.  You may also purchase it on Amazon for approximately $5.00.


This is a MamaBuzz review. The product was provided by Bring It On Communications in conjunction with Deep River Books for this review.

the missionary review

the missionary review

occasionally, as i am scoping the library shelves for something new to read, i will give an espionage/suspense/thriller novel a try. i have pretty high standards when it comes to what i like to read, so i am more likely to read a novel of this sort when someone else has recommended it to me.

in the case of the missionary, by william carmichael and david lambert, i noticed that it had received very good reviews from some people that i generally respect so i decided it was worth a try.

the missionary is about a man who has dedicated his life to helping out orphans in the barrios of caracas, venezuela.  david and his wife, christie, run a clinic/orphanage/school along with another older couple who founded the ministry.  every day he does his part to rescue sick, impoverished and malnourished kids from the street, but the fact that he has to leave so many suffering children behind each and every day is discouraging and disheartening.

one day, a stranger shows up, anxious to learn more about his work with the children.  when he leaves, he gives david a sizable donation and a mysterious offer for more money in exchange for a "small favor."  the relatively small decisions that david makes in relation to this stranger have very large consequences for the orphans, the country of venezuela, and (supposedly) the world.

overall, i would have to give this novel a "b."  i thought that the plot had the right amount of twists and surprises (although i was able to foresee a number of them).  i don't like a plot that is so complex and complicated that you feel like you have to take notes while you are reading.  this definitely meets that criteria.  i thought that the storyline was intriguing and engaging, with maybe only a minor lag here and there.

my criticism mainly was that at times it was really hard to like the main character, david.  as he struggles to make a decision, he is influenced by his desire to please his father and live up to heroic status of his older brother.  but it is hard to believe that david could really find a way to justify the decision he made.  when his father and brother discover his choice and have to help him resolve the problems that result, they are so condescending of david and his "foolish" choices that it is hard to feel sympathy for david at all.  he really was foolish and continues to act foolishly.  i would have appreciated a little more opportunity to feel connected to and sympathetic to david and his decisions.  even though david manages to regain the trust of his wife (more through her recognition of her own weaknesses than because of his ability to earn her trust), he doesn't regain my trust or that of his family by the end of the book.

if you like a fairly straightforward and relatively simple espionage/thriller story, without a lot of blood and gore, this might just be the book for you. you can find this book at amazon and christianbooks, but if you purchase it through the book's website, you can help a child in need at the same time.



this is a mamabuzz review. i received a free copy of this book from bring it on! communications for the purpose of this review. regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

The Missionary - Book Review

Yesterday, David Eller was an American Missionary in Caracas, Venezuela. Today, he's an international fugitive.

David and his wife Christie rescue impoverished children in the slums of Venezuela. But for David, that's not enough. The supply of homeless children is endless because of the corrupt policies of the Venezuelan government.

In a rare moment of anger, David lashes out publicly against the government, unaware of the chain reaction that will soon follow.

When the CIA offers David a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play a key role in a "bloodless" coup, he decides to go for it. But little by little, he falls into an unimaginable web of deceit that ends in a desperate, life-or-death gamble to flee the country with his wife and son, with all the resources of a corrupt dictatorship at their heels.

My Opinion

The Missionary by Carmichael and Lambert had my attention from the first chapter! It drew me into the story from the first paragraph!

I loved learning about new cultures and environments in Venezuela and this book was definitely a thriller and action packed!

I recommend The Missionary for all adventure book lovers and for all people that love reading about Christian fiction, other cultures, and other countries! This book will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!

Buy It: You can purchase The Missionary for $11.89 on Amazon.com

The Missionary, a review

The Missionary, a review

David wants to do more.
He witnesses the suffering.  Every day.
He watches children on the streets of Caracas, Venezuela succumb to disease, hunger, and despair.  Every day.
He wants to save them all.  But he can’t.
He wants to bring back each of these precious little ones to the mission he and his wife run, Hope Village.  He wants to give them all hope.
He wants to save them all, but there’s simply not enough money, not enough resources, not enough…

…and then a unique opportunity presents itself.  Is it an answer to a prayer?  Can he really help bring down an oppressive government with a bit of quiet espionage and change the future for the better?
David will risk it all, his wife and 4-year-old son, his mission, his own life…he’s about to find out what happens when we put our own plans, our own wants, our own pride before the plans God has for us.

William Carmichael (founder of Deep River Books) and David Lambert have penned a nice little suspense-filled thriller.  While I found the characters in The Missionary to be a bit shallow (always a danger when there are exciting, out-of-the-ordinary things happening), I did enjoy every minute of it.  I found some of David’s choices and actions stretched the willing suspension of disbelief a bit far, but this is one of the better Christian fiction books I’ve read lately.  Worth a read.

Check out the trailer:

The Missionary is available from local and online booksellers.

Disclosure:  This is a MamaBuzz review. The product was provided by: Bring It On Communications for this review.

The Missionary Review & Giveaway

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a book that kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me turning page after page, waiting to see what happens next. The Missionary, by William Carmichael and David Lambert, is a thrilling, suspense-filled story.

While the title had me thinking something totally different, as I started to read this book, it became apparent that this was much more than the story of a missionary, which would be exciting in and of itself. However, this story turned into much more….it became not only the exciting story of one missionary’s work in Venezuela, amongst the poor children living in the streets….it became a story of one missionary’s quest to help put a stop to Head of State Guzman’s cruel and unjust regime. When David Eller accepted the proposition to help those who were igniting a coup, he had no idea the effects this would have on the people around him, the people he loved most. He and his wife, Christie, work in what is called Hope Village, a home for the poor children of Venezuela, children that he rescues himself. Christie is head nurse at the rescue mission’s clinic, also mother to their son, Davy. For far too long, they’ve seen the effects of a cruel and unjust dictator who simply makes those who disagree….to vanish, a dictator who also himself lives in lavish wealth and luxury, while innocent children are dying, being exploited, roaming the streets, even searching for one crumb to satisfy their hunger. This book is an exciting story, and it ignites to the point that David and his family must try to escape Venezuela.

The Missionary is very well written, and I could honestly imagine it being made into a movie. The reader flits between scenes at Hope Village in the beginning to scenes with the drug cartel, commandos, to riots in the streets. From the very beginning to the end of the book, details are set in place and put into motion, so that the reader doesn’t miss one piece of the action. It’s definitely not a light read, and some parts do contain violence, but it is an excellent read, in my opinion. You can purchase The Missionary from Deep River Books; you can also purchase it here.

(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book, free of charge, from Bring It On! Communications, for the purposes of this review. All views/opinions are solely my own.)

BOOK REVIEW!
A Word to the End Time Church, by Georgie Newman, is an amazing book about Christianity and how and why Christians come to believe in the Lord.  I loved reading this book because it was a much easier read than many books about Christianity or books written by Christian authors, and I felt like I could easily relate to what Ms. Newman was saying.

I also found that it was full of useful information that helped me understand why many people are so hesitant to believe in God, what possible reasoning these people have for being so hesitant,  and why it is important that we as Christians do our duty to the Lord and tell non-believers about the Gospel and what it has to offer.

I was very touched by Ms. Newman's story of how she came to believe {I'll admit, I even teared up by it!}, and it amazes me that many more Christians have stories just like hers to tell.  This book truly is a testament to how good the Lord is, and I think that most Christians will find it an enjoyable book. 

A Word to the End Time Church is also probably a very good book for someone who is still searching for the truth to read, because it's written in such an easy and flowing way.  The story and facts are easily understandable and I definitely think it's a wonderful introduction to Christianity!

If you're interested in reading A Word to the End Time Church, you can find it online for only $11.69.