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Book Review – The Last Con by Zachary Bartels

The Last ConNot too long ago, I read a new author for the first time, Zachary Bartels. And while the story was very good, I wasn’t completely impressed with his first novel, Playing Saint.

However, I am glad I decided to read his next work. The Last Con reads like it is by a completely different author. This is one of the best suspense fiction novels I have read in a long time, and now I am excited to see what else Bartels can do.

The Last Con is about a man, Fletcher Doyle, was was a con artist and a thief. After being arrested and imprisoned for several years, he has finally been released and has returned home to his family and new-found faith.

When he and his family have the opportunity to participate on a mission trip to his old stomping grounds, he runs into trouble and is blackmailed back into a life of crime. But this time, his wife and daughter are involved.

Can Fletcher Doyle get out of this with his life? Can he protect his family? The Last Con is a page-turner from the very beginning until the end, and it is a difficult book to put down.

Full of suspense, The Last Con also plays on various secret societies and the mystery associated with them throughout history. In a lot of ways, this book reminds me of the movie, National Treasure, but on a grander scale, and with an element of faith involved.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Con. And my daughter is reading it now as well, and is enjoying it too. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy and read it. I’m certain you’ll like it, just like we did.

Question: Do you enjoy suspense fiction? If so, have you read either of Zachary Bartels’ books? If so, what did you think? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

If you are interested in reading The Last Con, by Zachary Bartels, you can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle. You can also purchase Bartels’ first book, Playing Saint.

I received this book free from Harper Collins Christian Publishing as part of their BookLook Bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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Coffee Break – 08.10.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

Today is a pretty interesting day for me personally, since I am from Missouri: In 1821, my state became the 24th state to join the Union. In 1869, the motion picture projector was patented by O.B. Brown. And in 1927, Mount Rushmore was formally dedicated. The individual faces of the presidents were dedicated later.

Coffee Break

Coffee Ice Cream – August is hot. And so is coffee. Unless you make some coffee ice cream. This sounds like a great recipe to try.

LEGO Super Star Destroyer – I love Star Wars. And if I were into LEGOS as much as my kids are, I would buy up all the Star Wars sets I could find. But I’m not sure I could do this to them.

12 Things You Might Not Know About The Screwtape Letters – As a huge C. S. Lewis fan, this caught my eye. I have read most of these before, and some of them were included in the recent biography of C. S. Lewis that I read a few months ago. But this list is interesting nonetheless.

How Batteries Work – At first glance, I imagined this was about the simple batteries, such as Duracell or Energizer. But this video goes beyond that to cell phone and laptop batteries as well. Very interesting.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11

In this week’s passage, Paul finishes what is likely a very early hymn or stanza about the majesty of Christ. In the first few verses, this hymn speaks of his humility and his sacrifice. In these final verses, we see his exaltation to majesty.

You can see this for yourself in Philippians 2:9-11:

Philippians 2:9-11

To this point, the focus has been on the humility Christ displayed in leaving behind his status and position at the right hand of God to become one of us, and being sacrificed for us. But now Paul shifts to the glory that God gives to Jesus because of this.

The opening word of verse 9 is “Therefore.” This means, based on what came before, now we see what the results are. This word ties the coming information directly back to the passage preceding it.

Another change is seen in who the focus is on. In the first verses, Jesus is the focus. But now, Paul shifts the focus to God himself, who transforms the humiliation of Jesus into glory.

A third difference in these verses is the number of Old Testament allusions compared with the first part of this hymn. These last verses contain more than the first ones do, displaying just how grounded this passage is in Old Testament theology.

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The Enmity Will Come To An End

I have been spending a lot of time recently in the book of Isaiah. Most people seem to be intimidated by this book of prophecy, simply because it is prophecy, and it can be hard to comprehend. But taking the time to understand it is worth it.

Snake

As you get to know this book, you frequently come across little nuggets of Bible knowledge that stun you in their connectedness to the rest of the Bible.

That happened to me this morning.

My favorite passages of Scripture are found in the early chapters of Genesis. I love creation science, and studying the earliest parts of biblical history is one of my favorite things to do.

As you know, the Curse found in Genesis three is where sin entered into the world, and mankind fell. As a result, God pronounces the Curse on Adam and all mankind, on woman and childbirth, and on the serpent. You can see a part of this in Genesis 3:14-15:

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Top Posts For July 2015

August is here! Summer vacation is winding down, school is about to begin, and hopefully some cooler temperatures are in the near future.

Top Posts: July 2015

July was a very busy month for me. From my diagnosis with sleep apnea and the details surrounding that and getting adjusted to a new reality to a mission trip to an Apache reservation in Arizona, July was packed with stuff.

With so much going on, and with traveling taking up a good chunk of the month, I set my writing aside for a few weeks, only covering what I consider to be the bare minimums for JeffRandleman.com and DeliberateDads.com.

However, with the summer ending, and things falling back into a normal routine, I expect to ramp it up a bit more as we enter into the fall.

In looking over my stats for the month however, I realized something significant, to me at least. I usually only pay attention to the top seven posts for the past 30 days. And they are consistently the same ones. It hit me this time, that I rarely look at the next ones on the list. And what I found stunned me.

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Coffee Break – 08.03.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

August 3 is a day with a lot of history: In 1492, Christopher Columbus left Palos, Spain with three ships. The voyage led him to what is now known as the Americas. He reached the Bahamas on October 12. In 1880, the American Canoe Association was formed at Lake George, NY, and in 1900, Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. was founded. Finally, in 1933, the Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced for the price of $2.75.

Coffee Break

The History Of Instant Coffee – There is one thing that is the bane of all serious coffee enthusiasts: instant coffee. Even typing it makes me shudder, and sip some of my Jamaican Blue Mountain brewed in my Chemex in protest. But in case you want to know, this is its history.

Jewish Pirates Who Ruled The Caribbean – I have to admit, that is a title I never imagined I would type. But this article is very interesting, and sheds light on a bit of oceanic history that few even know of.

The American Civil War: Then And Now – As a history buff, I find this fascinating. Many of these are places I would love to visit, but haven’t been able to for one reason or another. Until then, this glimpse into the past and present gives a great perspective.

Risen! – Billed as a follow up to The Passion of the Christ, this movie looks pretty interesting. Hopefully, it stays true to the biblical accounts as much as possible.