The Water Keeper (Murphy Shepherd Book 1) by Charles Martin is this week’s Reader Friday. Here’s the opening: “Three miles distant, the trail of smoke spiraled upward. Thick and black it poured from the twin supercharged diesels housed in the engine room. Orange and red flames licked the smoke against a fading blue skyline, telling me the fire was hot and growing. When the heat hit the fuel tanks, it would blow the entire multimillion-dollar yacht to a zillion pieces, sending fragments to the ocean floor.”
But first the photo and verse. I took the photo as we drove from Cleveland, Tennessee to Ooltewah (an old Native American name) just as the sun was about to go over Lookout Mountain. I love that drive. And I thought the verse went with the way my camera caught the sun’s light. Isaiah 9:2 has been a favorite verse for a very long time.
The Water Keeper (Murphy Shepherd Book 1) by Charles Martin. Here’s the cover and back copy.
USA TODAY Bestseller | ECPA Bestseller
A riveting story of heroism, heartache, and the power of love to heal all wounds by New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin that combines the intrigue of John Grisham with the heart-wrenching emotion of Nicholas Sparks.
Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds of a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.
When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.
He has help from some unexpected new friends. They include a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay. Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past–and the ghosts who tried to bury them.
With Charles Martin’s trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keeper is at once a tender love story, a heartrending search for freedom, an exploration of the terrible cost of human trafficking, and an anthem to the power of love to create change when it shows up regardless of the cost.
The Water Keeper (Murphy Shepherd Book 1) by Charles Martin is this week's Reader Friday. Leave a comment on the blog to be entered in a drawing for a $60 pen! Share on XMy Take:
I hadn’t read a Charles Martin book in a while. Since The Water Keeper (Murphy Shepherd Book 1) was my church bookclub pick this month, I listened to it while I drove to Chattanooga. I did not want to stop listening when I arrived at my destination. This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. It checks all the boxes for me. A mysterious hero, a suspenseful story with lives at stake. Characters the reader roots for, even the dog! Twists and turns I never expected.
And Murph is totally swoon-worthy! I loved the way he interacted with the teenage girls in the story–it was very telling of his character. This is a book that will stay with you long after you finish it. And, since it’s the first in the series, and the 2nd and third books are already out, I have book 2–The Letter Keeper already downloaded.
You can read it for free if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription or buy it here.
Okay Readers what are you reading this week? Leave the first line in the comments or just comment, and I’ll enter you in a May drawing for a beautiful pen handcrafted by Dr. Steve Hooley, a $60 value. You can see more of his work at his website.
I thought this song went well with the photo and verse, and once you listen to the song, check out my interview with Abundant TV! I had a blast doing the interview. My part starts around the 10-minute mark, but the whole show is very entertaining!
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Comments 39
It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
Author
I think you would enjoy it, Diana!
I’ve read The Water Keeper. It’s great! I love the verse, and the picture is so pretty. I am reading Weeping Boughs Don’t Break by Staci Troilo. It’s a Christian fiction women’s lit story. The first line: “Claudia had nothing more to give.” I’m about 40 percent into the story. Poor Claudia, Troilo really puts her through the wringer!
Author
Thank you, Priscilla. Weeping Boughs Don’t Break sounds so good! And it terrible what we put our heroines through as readers…but necessary. 😉
This sounds intriguing and intense and a book I’d love to read. Your review was so good and made me want to read it all the more. Thank you for sharing it.
Author
It is a great book, Jeanne. I plan to read the next one this weekend.
Loved the interview!! Loved the song!
Author
Thanks, Charlotte! The interview was fun to do. I thought the song went really well with the photo. 🙂
I have yet to read a Charles Martin book. But they look interesting. Love the picture and verse.
I am reading From the Valley We Rise by Elizabeth Musser about the French resistance in WWII. “Isabelle shivered despite almost debilitating heat of the late July night in Bass-es-Alps of Sisteron.”
Author
Oh, my goodness, Paula–I think you would love his writing! The book you’re reading sounds really good.
The book sounds good. This book will be the next I read. Liked the verse and picture as well as the video.
Author
I think you’ll enjoy it. Charles Martin is a great writer!
Pat, I love the way your photo compliments the Scripture verse.
“The Water Keeper” sounds very interesting. I will definitely look for it.
I’m currently reading a non-fiction book just out by Doron Spielman. “When the Stones Speak” begins with “Just south of the Old City of Jerusalem is an even older city, the original Jerusalem, known then—and again today—as the City of David. The stones of the City of David tell a story even older than the stones of the Old City.” If you like biblical archeology, this book will grab your attention and hold it. Spielman writes really well, and is directly involved in this archeological work today. The story of the modern discovery of the City of David starts in the late 1860s and is still unfolding today.
Author
Someone else recommended When the Stones Speak as well, Tim and it’s on my radar. I think you would enjoy The Water Keeper.
After I posted about Doron Spielman’s book, I found this short YouTube video he did some years ago. It features a couple of the main discoveries that relate directly back to the Bible and prove the Jewish presence in Jerusalem in biblical times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGGqmh-ERnk
Author
Thanks, Tim. That was a very informative video!
I read The Water Keeper and The Letter Keeper a few years ago and I still remember how much I enjoyed them. Your post just reminded me that I need to finish this series!
Death is a Lonely Business — the first line of What we Hide by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker is what I’m reading now.
Author
Lindda, I highly recommend listening to the books as well–the guy reading it is awesome! And What We Hide was so good!
Oooh great clouds, Pat. That big lion’s paw caught me right away. Ha! This is a terrific photo, and the Scripture. . .spot on! ( clap clap )
That was a good review of The Water Keeper. It did pique my interest.
“Private Mary Wishram clenched the dreaded telegram in her hand and dropped into a chair in her small duplex apartment.” This is the first line of Beneath a Peaceful Moon by Debby Lee. It is part of the series of Heroines of WWll.
Tim, I think my husband would enjoy the book you recommended. Ha! He is. I just read him what you wrote. His response, “I’m interested in it!!!!!
Author
Thanks, Barbara! That first line makes me want to read more…and I love it when y’all suggest good books! The book Tim is reading is one I want to read, too.
I’m not surprised, Barbara. I think he will really enjoy this book. Often, non-fiction books can be dry, especially ones of this nature. Not so with Mr. Spielman. He writes very well. I found his web site here: https://www.doronspielman.com/
I see in his biography he is a graduate of the U. of Michigan. Go Blue.
I’m currently reading Echoes of Darkness by Darlene L. Turner.
“Suicide Slayer Dead. Constable Oaklynn Brock’s coffee mug slipped from her fingers and smashed to the floor as she read the newspaper article on her cell phone.”
Author
Great opening for Darlene’s book, Gail!
sounds interesting
Author
Thanks, BN!
I’ll definitely check the book out.
I’m reading: I Call Her Brave by Linda White (arc book). Loving it thus far.
Elizabeth
Author
Elizabeth, I think you’d really enjoy it. 🙂
It has been a while since I read a Charles Martin book but I keep hearing about them. I need to check this one out. I am reading Courtney Walsh’s book coming out soon. It is really good.
Prologue
Well, shoot. This isn’t how my life is supposed to go.
Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh
Author
Love that opening line, Gloria!
I just noticed that The Water Keeper is free with Prime Membership so that’s fun.
Author
That’s a bonus!
The photo is gorgeous! The books sounds intriguing! I love listening to Josh Turner, especially his religious songs!! Thanks for sharing it.
Author
Thanks, Carolyn! I think you’d enjoy The Water Keeper!
I’m reading Secrets of the Revolution by Megan Soja. It’s a very good historical romance set during the Revolutionary War.
Author
I saw that cover this week, Megan. It looked really interesting!
Great picture, Pat! The verse is well chosen. I enjoyed your review of The Water Keeper. It sounds interesting. I don’t think I have read any of Charles Martin’s books.
I just finished reading Undiscovered Treasures by Carole Brown. The title makes it sound like a companion to the book Tim is reading, but it is a fiction story with an antique shop, Undiscovered Treasures, as the focal point. First line: Andy whistled as he poured coffee in his favorite cup, grabbed a Greek yogurt and headed to his studio.
Author
Edward, I think you would really like Charles Martin’s books, especially this series. It’d been a few years since I’d read his book and this one was a good one to start over with. 🙂
I’m sorry, I know I’m way late responding but to those showing an interest in reading The Water Keeper I would encourage you to do so; you will not be disappointed. Great review Pat! I have read all three books in the Murphy Shepherd series and loved them.
I just finished reading Finding Courage by Anne Perreault, a new to me author. Good book.
Love the photo, the verse and the song! Thanks Pat!
Author
Thanks, Mary G. I have the second book downloaded, but circumstances have kept me from getting started on it…tonight maybe!