Summer has unofficially started with the Memorial Day weekend behind us and warmer weather upon us. It's time to start thinking about what you are going to read this year at the beach, lake, river or in your back yard.

May I suggest a great read to get you started - "The Night Watchman" by Mark Mynheir. If you like crime dramas then you don't want to miss this well written novel by a former detective. The characters are well established and the story has plenty of twists and turns to keep you anxiously turning the pages until the very end.

Ray Quinn is a protagonist worth following and I look forward to more stories with him in them. (This is the first book in a series featuring Quinn.) He is flawed and dejected but also intelligent and feisty. It's what made him a great cop and a fighter to the end.

I have one copy available to giveaway. Please let me know if you are interested and I will randomly draw a name on June 1 from the comments left.

Here is the official book summary:

Ray Quinn is a tough, quick-witted homicide detective in love with his partner, Trisha Willis. She gives Ray something to live for—something to hope in. Until a barrage of bullets leaves Trisha murdered and Ray crippled.

Struggling with his new physical disability and severe depression, Quinn turns to whiskey, scorn, and a job as a night watchman to numb the pain. But when a pastor and dancer are found dead in an apparent murder-suicide, the pastor’s sister approaches Quinn for help.

Reluctantly, Quinn takes the case and is plunged into the perilous Orlando. Soon he discovers that, not only was the pastor murdered, but the case may be linked to his and Trisha’s ambush. Torn between seeking revenge or responsibility, Quinn is thrust into the case of his life.

Author Mark Mynheir gives readers his most profound police thriller to date with The Night Watchman (first book in The Night Watchman Private Detective Agency Series). Readers of all ages will devour this gripping murder mystery that bristles with tension and intrigue. In a taut cop-style all his own, Mynheir delivers an inside look at the thoughts, feelings, fears, and challenges police officers experience while investigating violent crimes and the lost souls who commit them.



And a little about Mark Mynheir:
A detective with the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Palm Bay Police Department, Mark Mynheir investigates violent crimes and writes riveting Christian fiction. A U.S. Marine with a passion for martial arts and firearms training, Mark has worked on narcotics units, SWAT teams, and myriad high-risk situations. His four novels offer a realistic glimpse into the gritty world of law enforcement and the rarely seen raw emotions behind the badge. Mark lives in Florida with his wife and three children.

You can purchase this book directly from Random House.

I've got several blogs going now, all for different purposes and am working to organize and prioritize the purposes of each one.

Starting in the next few weeks this blog will become a place to get information about good reads. I was recently asked by Multnomah Publishers (now WaterBrook Press) to be a book reviewer and have started receiving books from Random House.

If you like books but don't know what to buy or get from the library or just want to find some good summer reads be sure to check out this blog for my recommendations.

Coming next week is a review of a great crime drama / murder mystery. Come back to see what I think of the latest book by Mark Mynheir entitles "The Night Watchman."

You may win a copy of your own!