The Letter Keeper
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- Create Date：2021-06-10 02:19:05
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Charles Martin
- ISBN：B08QZ2K5VT
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Summary
9 hours， 49 minutes
He shows up when all hope is lost。
Murphy Shepherd has made an incredible career of finding those no one else could—the ones abducted into the horrific world of human trafficking。 His life’s mission is helping others find freedom。
But then the nightmare strikes too close to home。
When his new wife and three teenage girls are stolen， Murphy is left questioning all he has thought to be true。 With more dead-ends than leads， he has no idea how to find those he loves。
He knows one thing: Love shows up。 Hope is almost gone， But Murphy is willing to expend his last breath trying to bring them home。
Combining the heart-wrenching emotion of Nicholas Sparks with the tension of John Grisham， Charles Martin explores the true power of sacrificial love。
He shows up when all hope is lost。
Murphy Shepherd has made an incredible career of finding those no one else could—the ones abducted into the horrific world of human trafficking。 His life’s mission is helping others find freedom。
But then the nightmare strikes too close to home。
When his new wife and three teenage girls are stolen， Murphy is left questioning all he has thought to be true。 With more dead-ends than leads， he has no idea how to find those he loves。
He knows one thing: Love shows up。 Hope is almost gone， But Murphy is willing to expend his last breath trying to bring them home。
Combining the heart-wrenching emotion of Nicholas Sparks with the tension of John Grisham， Charles Martin explores the true power of sacrificial love。
Reviews
Ruth
，
Great story but contains situations that may be triggers for some。 I've always hoped there were people 'out there' to help the helpless like these two characters。 Great story but contains situations that may be triggers for some。 I've always hoped there were people 'out there' to help the helpless like these two characters。 。。。more
Cathy Morgan
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Murphy Shepherd has prepared for years for his job of saving the victims of human trafficking， and does it incredibly well， despite the cost。 But his success has made him powerful enemies， and when his family is kidnapped， it's a race against time， fighting against fiendishly powerful and skilled enemies， to save them - and may be his last mission。 Will he succeed once again， or die trying？I didn't realise when I started reading that this was book 2 of a trilogy， but it soon became clear that I Murphy Shepherd has prepared for years for his job of saving the victims of human trafficking， and does it incredibly well， despite the cost。 But his success has made him powerful enemies， and when his family is kidnapped， it's a race against time， fighting against fiendishly powerful and skilled enemies， to save them - and may be his last mission。 Will he succeed once again， or die trying？I didn't realise when I started reading that this was book 2 of a trilogy， but it soon became clear that I was missing some background。 I'd like to go back and read the first book to fill in those gaps， but I felt like I had enough of the story to make sense。 The ending， however， is not particularly satisfactory， relying on book 3 to finish things off。 So， this is a series best read as a full series rather than considered as standalone stories with shared characters。 All of that aside， this is a book with lots of action， lots of emotion， and periods of introspection that can get almost lecture-y （occasionally feeling a little over the top to me）。 It deals with some horrible topics， though always sensitively and in a clean way - but it's definitely not a light read。Summary: it's a well written， heart-wrenching and thought-provoking book， best read as part of a series and well worth a read， but includes non-graphic violence and some clean discussion of human trafficking and its horrors， so I'd be a little careful who I recommended it to。 I look forward to reading book 3！I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Melissa （LifeFullyBooked）
，
The latest offering from Martin takes quite a while to get going， but when it does it packs a serious punch and solidifies for me what a talented writer he is。 Honestly， I waffled with my rating， I went back and forth between a three and a four， but I'm going to settle with 3。5 stars， rounded up。 The Letter Keeper is the second book in the Murphy Shepherd series。 Definitely need to read The Water Keeper first because you will seriously be lost as the narrative picks up right after the previous b The latest offering from Martin takes quite a while to get going， but when it does it packs a serious punch and solidifies for me what a talented writer he is。 Honestly， I waffled with my rating， I went back and forth between a three and a four， but I'm going to settle with 3。5 stars， rounded up。 The Letter Keeper is the second book in the Murphy Shepherd series。 Definitely need to read The Water Keeper first because you will seriously be lost as the narrative picks up right after the previous book ends。 Like I said above， this book takes a while to gain momentum。 There's a lot of telling as Murph relates the story of his life to his daughter， and the action does not start until about 75% into the book。 Since it takes so long to get going， some of what happens really comes across as rushed and the resolution seems too convenient。 The last quarter is what I expected after reading the first book--it's full of action， suspense， and the powerful love of family， friends and God。 I do wish that that pacing would have been a bit more even because it would have made the book so much more impactful。The theming is very dark。 Although there's no explicit detail given， these are people rescued from trafficking and slavery and the descriptions， although vague， can possibly bring up trauma for readers。 Martin has a gift for bringing the reader into the characters' pain， and although it is gritty and realistic， it is also heavy to bear at times。 Yet。。。I kept coming back to the burdens that God carries for us， the depths from which we are rescued time and again， and that makes this book so meaningful and multi-layered。A very interesting tidbit of information provided at the end to show where this series is heading with the next installment。 I am anxiously awaiting that book and forever will remain a fan of Martin's incredible writing。I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
DeAnna
，
This book is the second in the Murphy Shepherd series that started with The Water Keeper。 I really enjoyed The Water Keeper and this book picks up where that one left off。 As with all of Charles Martin’s books this one is full of amazing imagery， suspenseful action and the kind of emotional turmoil amongst characters that keeps your heart thumping and your face scrunched in empathy as you turn the pages。 Like the book before it this one focuses on human trafficking and is a battle of good vs。 ev This book is the second in the Murphy Shepherd series that started with The Water Keeper。 I really enjoyed The Water Keeper and this book picks up where that one left off。 As with all of Charles Martin’s books this one is full of amazing imagery， suspenseful action and the kind of emotional turmoil amongst characters that keeps your heart thumping and your face scrunched in empathy as you turn the pages。 Like the book before it this one focuses on human trafficking and is a battle of good vs。 evil。 Murphy also begins to open up more and a love story emerges。 I don’t want to give too much away here。 I’ll just say that when I thought the book was starting to get kind of sappy Charles Martin would switch gears and the action would jerk me back into suspense。 I didn’t quite enjoy this one as much as The Water Keeper but it is still a great book and I’ll definitely be reading the third！ （And anything else CM ever writes， to be honest） 3。8/5 ⭐️ - I like it slightly less than the first book（I gave that one 4 ⭐️） but this is an amazing second！ 👏🏼Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Leigh
，
The Letter Keeper by Charles Martin is his follow-up novel to the Water Keeper。 The reader gets to continue following the life and adventures of Murphy Shepherd。 Murphy is a very likeable character that is part preacher， part Rambo。 The novel flows very well and keeps the characters from the previous novel。 Readers will have to read The Water Keeper first to follow the story。 （but that's an added bonus！）。 While The Letter Keeper is not a fun， laugh-out-loud beach read， it is very heartfelt， and The Letter Keeper by Charles Martin is his follow-up novel to the Water Keeper。 The reader gets to continue following the life and adventures of Murphy Shepherd。 Murphy is a very likeable character that is part preacher， part Rambo。 The novel flows very well and keeps the characters from the previous novel。 Readers will have to read The Water Keeper first to follow the story。 （but that's an added bonus！）。 While The Letter Keeper is not a fun， laugh-out-loud beach read， it is very heartfelt， and endearing with a touch of adventure thrown in。 Fans of Martin are going to love this one！ The fact that he leaves the ending open for another novel in this series is a great way to finish it off。 。。。more
Federica
，
When I picked up this book I wasn't aware it was the second of a series。 The author makes a good job of keeping us informed about what happened before， so you could read this one as a stand alone even though it would be better to read both in the right order。I struggled with this book， it is very well written， but the theme is very dark and violent， though there's also hope and a sense of good winning against evil。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange When I picked up this book I wasn't aware it was the second of a series。 The author makes a good job of keeping us informed about what happened before， so you could read this one as a stand alone even though it would be better to read both in the right order。I struggled with this book， it is very well written， but the theme is very dark and violent， though there's also hope and a sense of good winning against evil。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Doreen
，
What a powerful， moving book！ Murphy and Bones have dedicated their lives to finding and freeing survivors of sex trafficking。 It was incredible seeing how they tried to help with the spiritual and emotional healing as well as the physical healing that needed to take place。 Their sacrificial efforts were beautiful beyond words。 I don't know if there are people out there doing this in real life but I hope there are。 This book was helpful in that it showed how devious sex traffickers are。。。the len What a powerful， moving book！ Murphy and Bones have dedicated their lives to finding and freeing survivors of sex trafficking。 It was incredible seeing how they tried to help with the spiritual and emotional healing as well as the physical healing that needed to take place。 Their sacrificial efforts were beautiful beyond words。 I don't know if there are people out there doing this in real life but I hope there are。 This book was helpful in that it showed how devious sex traffickers are。。。the lengths they will go to to befriend someone。 It also showed how hard can be the recovery for someone who is rescued from it。 It was heartbreaking。 Yet I felt this book showed that there is hope。 I loved getting to know the characters in this book。 I haven't read book one yet but am going to go back and do so now。 There was a lot of action， poignant moments， danger， and suspense。 It was a great read that dealt with a very hard topic in a sensitive， illuminating， helpful manner。 Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book。 I'd highly recommend it。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Staci
，
The Water Keeper was one of my top reads from 2020。 The sequel starts off in spectacular fashion with bigger than life Murphy Shepherd rescuing those in need amidst a lot of action。 The novel then transitions into reflecting back on Murphy's life at a young age and gives readers what led him to his current career choice。 The reflective parts of the novel kept my interest as it shed light on what made Murphy into the hero we love。The current day thread following the initial action scenes is where The Water Keeper was one of my top reads from 2020。 The sequel starts off in spectacular fashion with bigger than life Murphy Shepherd rescuing those in need amidst a lot of action。 The novel then transitions into reflecting back on Murphy's life at a young age and gives readers what led him to his current career choice。 The reflective parts of the novel kept my interest as it shed light on what made Murphy into the hero we love。The current day thread following the initial action scenes is where my interest waned a bit。 Some of it seemed difficult to believe and the flow of the novel was disjointed。Star of the novel。。。canine Gunner。 What a fabulous inclusion in the series。The cover is lovely and complements the initial book's cover。 Overall， it was a good novel。My gratitude to publisher Thomas Nelson for a complimentary NetGalley copy of The Letter Keeper。 I was not required to post a review and all opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Stephanie Eastman
，
The first half of the book gives a lot of background and is a little slow and hard to get into， but still an easy read。 Once I hit the middle though， I could not put it down。 It is at times heart wrenching， suspenseful， full of pain and also full of hope。 As the sequel， you will definitely want to know the storyline from The Water Keeper。 I am also hoping that there is a 3rd one coming， because the cliffhanger at the end was crazy。 Reading this book will make you angry， because it is hard to rea The first half of the book gives a lot of background and is a little slow and hard to get into， but still an easy read。 Once I hit the middle though， I could not put it down。 It is at times heart wrenching， suspenseful， full of pain and also full of hope。 As the sequel， you will definitely want to know the storyline from The Water Keeper。 I am also hoping that there is a 3rd one coming， because the cliffhanger at the end was crazy。 Reading this book will make you angry， because it is hard to read about the evil in the world。 It will also encourage you， because darkness cannot stand the light and there are so many fighting for good in this world。 I am a big Charles Martin fan， and I can’t wait to follow Bones， Murph， and Summer and where the story takes them next to see if they can once and for all defeat evil！ Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for giving me the chance for an early review！ 。。。more
Jessica
，
Thank you to @netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 Last month I read The Water Keeper， the first book in this series。 This second book， gave us a lot more background of the characters。 It was a lot slower， with more character growth than full time action like the first one。 However， there is still some great action and DEFINITELY left open for another book！ This series is focused around modern day slavery and the horrors still inflicted on people and often chi Thank you to @netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 Last month I read The Water Keeper， the first book in this series。 This second book， gave us a lot more background of the characters。 It was a lot slower， with more character growth than full time action like the first one。 However， there is still some great action and DEFINITELY left open for another book！ This series is focused around modern day slavery and the horrors still inflicted on people and often children！ However， it is a book about hope and love， family （those we choose and those that are chosen for us）， friendships， commitment， and so many more positive things。 The horrors are alluded to， but not described in details， but I would give a trigger warning for anyone who has been in an abusive， controlling relationship。You will need to read The Water Keeper before The Letter Keeper to understand what's happening， but you definitely should read them both！ The Letter Keeper will be published on 8 Jun！ #NetGalley #TheLetterKeeper 。。。more
Maureen Timerman
，
First， I have not read the first book in this series， but I wasn't lost， the author did a wonderful job of keeping me informed。This is a tough subject， but what a need， which has becomes more evident in the past few years with the news reports and headlines， sick individuals and a fallen world。Murphy Shepherd is awesome， what a heart， and I loved he would leave the 99 to find the 1， yes！There is some sweet romance here， but mostly your heart goes out to those who had been trafficked， the healing First， I have not read the first book in this series， but I wasn't lost， the author did a wonderful job of keeping me informed。This is a tough subject， but what a need， which has becomes more evident in the past few years with the news reports and headlines， sick individuals and a fallen world。Murphy Shepherd is awesome， what a heart， and I loved he would leave the 99 to find the 1， yes！There is some sweet romance here， but mostly your heart goes out to those who had been trafficked， the healing if possible， I can't even imagine。 Maybe this should be a required reading book？There is another book to come， and we hope for a good out come， there is a bombshell dropped at the end of this read！I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson， and was not required to give a positive review。 。。。more
Darla
，
For me， this was the perfect recipe for the second book of a trilogy。 The first one was firing on all cylinders。 There was。 So。 Much。 Action。 In this second book， Murphy returns to Freetown with the four women he rescued in 'The Water Keeper。' This is not 'happy ever after，' but there is hope。 Unfortunately an evil force lurks in the shadows zeroing in on its target with no regard for collateral damage。 As a part of this second installment we get more back story and some gaps are filled， especia For me， this was the perfect recipe for the second book of a trilogy。 The first one was firing on all cylinders。 There was。 So。 Much。 Action。 In this second book， Murphy returns to Freetown with the four women he rescued in 'The Water Keeper。' This is not 'happy ever after，' but there is hope。 Unfortunately an evil force lurks in the shadows zeroing in on its target with no regard for collateral damage。 As a part of this second installment we get more back story and some gaps are filled， especially regarding the early days with Bones and Marie。 I thought it was perfectly balanced and am so looking forward to the third and final piece。 Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Lindsey Gandhi
，
It has taken me a couple of days to figure out how to word my review。 When I finished the book I was totally and utterly speechless， crying like a crazy woman and couldn't possibly write a worthy review of this book。 I still don't feel like I can adequately put into words a review that will give glory to this book and to the amazing author that Charles Martin is。 The Letter Keeper is a sequel to The Water Keeper。 Both books tackle the tough and painful subject of human trafficking， but with the It has taken me a couple of days to figure out how to word my review。 When I finished the book I was totally and utterly speechless， crying like a crazy woman and couldn't possibly write a worthy review of this book。 I still don't feel like I can adequately put into words a review that will give glory to this book and to the amazing author that Charles Martin is。 The Letter Keeper is a sequel to The Water Keeper。 Both books tackle the tough and painful subject of human trafficking， but with the most delicate of hands。 The main character， Murphy Shephard and his coworkers have made a living of saving the un-savable。 They find them， no matter how hard it is， no matter how dangerous it is， no matter the costs and they bring them back to life， heal them， protect them， help make them whole again。 Remind you of anyone？ They leave the 99 to go after the one。 Just as Jesus goes after his one sheep who is lost， who needs Him， so do they。 Charles Martin does a perfect job of putting into words， into a beautiful story a way to show Jesus' love for us。 It doesn't matter how many times we need rescuing， how far we've gone， His love shows up。 Always。 And in that same fierce and relentless way， Murphy goes after all of the kids who are taken and lost。 This story really moved me emotionally。 So many times in this book I felt like God was reaching back for me again。 He was leaving the 99 to come for me。 And that's what is so awesome about Charles Martin and his writing。 He took the gift God gave him and has amplified it to God's glory。 It's beautiful， it's heart wrenching， it gives you hope， it's a reminder that there are people fighting evil everyday and will show up。 I honestly cannot recommend Charles Martin's books enough to the world。 I will read anything and everything he writes， every book has inspired and touched me in a different way。 He is hands down my favorite author。 I encourage you to read one of his books， I promise you will get hooked。 And 2022 cannot come fast enough for me。 Book 3 on Murphy！！！ I'm dying to know what happens next！！！！My thanks to Charles Martin， Thomas Nelson Publishing and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Review Coming Soon
Barbara
，
This book deals with a very uncomfortable topic of human trafficking。 I thought I could get through it， but it has too much detail。 I know this is a problem of our world， and we all need to be made aware of it。 But I read for entertainment and not to be saddened。While this book is well written， it was not for me。 A lot of the story is told from the main character telling it instead of the reader witnessing the action。 For me， it seemed to be a very slow read。Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for This book deals with a very uncomfortable topic of human trafficking。 I thought I could get through it， but it has too much detail。 I know this is a problem of our world， and we all need to be made aware of it。 But I read for entertainment and not to be saddened。While this book is well written， it was not for me。 A lot of the story is told from the main character telling it instead of the reader witnessing the action。 For me， it seemed to be a very slow read。Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest opinion。 。。。more
Sandra
，
This was my first book by Charles Martin。 I don't know where to begin。 I love this authors voice， he inspires me。 What an incredible storytelling。 After the first few lines， I was hooked。 My only disappointment， the book was to long and I could not read it in one setting。Human trafficking is not a subject I usually choose to read about， so I was at first a little hesitant。 Mr。 Martin painted an adequate picture to show us the nightmare that the victims are going through but he didn't leave us th This was my first book by Charles Martin。 I don't know where to begin。 I love this authors voice， he inspires me。 What an incredible storytelling。 After the first few lines， I was hooked。 My only disappointment， the book was to long and I could not read it in one setting。Human trafficking is not a subject I usually choose to read about， so I was at first a little hesitant。 Mr。 Martin painted an adequate picture to show us the nightmare that the victims are going through but he didn't leave us there。 He has a special way of drawing hope out of the darkness。This book has it all， self-less love， drama， hope， laughter and lots of tears and so much more that I can't put into words。Here is just one quote from David Bishop/Murphy Shepherd， there are many more I find myself ruminating over。 “We are really good at taking the pain of our past and projecting it into our future because it's what we know， and yet our past has almost nothing to do with our future other than being connected by seconds。 That's it。 So we face a choice。 Either shine a light on yesterday and expose it， or forfeit the joy of now and the hope of tomorrow。 …。。。。。。fear is a liar。 Always has been。”This was a story that kept me guessing until the end。 And left me wanting more。I thank Thomas Nelson through NetGalley for allowing me to read this book。 The opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Jennie Webb
，
Again， a good story， but a tough subject to read！ Still love the characters。 However， the reasons for only 4 stars are these: some of the first book is repeated in this one， and parts of it are a bit unbelievable--one man can only get hurt so much！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy of this book。 All opinions are entirely my own。
Ghada
，
Thanks NetGalley， Thomas Nelson and Charles Martin for an ARC to review。 The second book in a series which I haven't recognised when I first picked the book， you would easily though follow since lots of explanation of the first book is narrated。The writing style is excellent and despite the dark theme the book discusses _ human trafficking _ ， it's full of uplifting stories of hope and New beginnings。I absolutely loved it。 Thanks NetGalley， Thomas Nelson and Charles Martin for an ARC to review。 The second book in a series which I haven't recognised when I first picked the book， you would easily though follow since lots of explanation of the first book is narrated。The writing style is excellent and despite the dark theme the book discusses _ human trafficking _ ， it's full of uplifting stories of hope and New beginnings。I absolutely loved it。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
，
Murphy has made a life of saving others， especially women， from human traffickers。 He's finally found happiness with a wife， her daughter， and two girls he rescued in the first book （it does help to have read it） but now， someone's taken them。 This sets off a chase with lots of drama。 It also opens Murphy's back story。 That's not his birth name and his exploits， well， no spoilers from me。 This thriller has a strong faith message， good characters， and。 page turning plot。 Thanks to netgalley for t Murphy has made a life of saving others， especially women， from human traffickers。 He's finally found happiness with a wife， her daughter， and two girls he rescued in the first book （it does help to have read it） but now， someone's taken them。 This sets off a chase with lots of drama。 It also opens Murphy's back story。 That's not his birth name and his exploits， well， no spoilers from me。 This thriller has a strong faith message， good characters， and。 page turning plot。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 Martin's fans with be pleased with this。 。。。more
Heather
，
After reading The Water Keeper， I knew I wanted to read this one。 Whew， what a ride！ We get a glimpse into the backstory of Murphy Shepherd in a tale woven with love， hope， and redemption。 Mr。 Martin develops characters so well， when I close the covers of the book， I feel like people are missing from my actual life。 Anticipating what he might write next。 I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。
Karen R
，
Murphy Shepherd’s life mission is to save children from human traffickers。 He’s been shot at， burned by exploding bombs and put in other extremely critical situations。 He is also clearly a haunted， broken man。 With an arsenal of weapons and the coolest， most faithful dog ever by his side， he kicks butt along with his mentor， Bones， who plucked him out of college to lead covert operations。 These two characters are amazingly portrayed and I felt fully invested in their lives。 Martin has a gift for Murphy Shepherd’s life mission is to save children from human traffickers。 He’s been shot at， burned by exploding bombs and put in other extremely critical situations。 He is also clearly a haunted， broken man。 With an arsenal of weapons and the coolest， most faithful dog ever by his side， he kicks butt along with his mentor， Bones， who plucked him out of college to lead covert operations。 These two characters are amazingly portrayed and I felt fully invested in their lives。 Martin has a gift for writing， expert at creating atmosphere， strong characters and powerful emotional moments。 I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Best In Suspense - Kelly Underwood
，
“The wounds of the past carry a lot of weight when it comes to walking into one’s future， and if anything can rob you of now， it’s yesterday。” The Letter Keeper is the follow-up to The Water Keeper。 You definitely need to read these in order。 While The Water Keeper brought the action， The Letter Keeper focusses in on the repercussions of the life Murphy Shepherd has chosen。 He’s given up his life to rescue people from human trafficking， but the toll is high。 He doesn’t know how to handle new rel “The wounds of the past carry a lot of weight when it comes to walking into one’s future， and if anything can rob you of now， it’s yesterday。” The Letter Keeper is the follow-up to The Water Keeper。 You definitely need to read these in order。 While The Water Keeper brought the action， The Letter Keeper focusses in on the repercussions of the life Murphy Shepherd has chosen。 He’s given up his life to rescue people from human trafficking， but the toll is high。 He doesn’t know how to handle new relationships， and an injury forces him to let others take care of him for a while。 But don’t worry， there’s plenty of action in the story as Murphy faces many life and death situations， because he always leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one。 Nothing can keep that man down。 The name of Freetown says it all: what is freedom worth？ The story dives into the dark spots of humanity but Charles Martin weaves a message of hope through every page。 The rescued women struggle with love and understanding that everyone is worth being rescued， but Murphy shares a similar struggle。 He needs to let go of the past and so he can find hope and love in the future。 Such great themes in this story make the characters come alive on the pages。 This story captured my heart on such an emotional and insightful level， and it will be one of those novels that I think about long after I put the book down。 I am excited that there’s a third in the series – this does end on a bit of a cliff hanger， so I’m ready for book three！ Overall Rating: 5 stars （I loved it， couldn’t put it down）Suspense Rating: 5 stars （Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish）I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
John
，
If there is one thing that I could force every person in the world to do， it would be to read a Charles Martin novel （this one， or Long Way Gone， or Life Interrupted， or Water from my Heart）。 I read this last year when it came out， and Mr。 Martin is coming out with a sequel in June， so I read it again to refresh my memory。 This book is nominally about sex trafficking of women and the brutal nature of it （fortunately， Mr。 Martin doesn't go into grisly detail）， but in reality it's about love and b If there is one thing that I could force every person in the world to do， it would be to read a Charles Martin novel （this one， or Long Way Gone， or Life Interrupted， or Water from my Heart）。 I read this last year when it came out， and Mr。 Martin is coming out with a sequel in June， so I read it again to refresh my memory。 This book is nominally about sex trafficking of women and the brutal nature of it （fortunately， Mr。 Martin doesn't go into grisly detail）， but in reality it's about love and betrayal and loss and redemption， themes that Mr。 Martin often handles in his books， but always manages to deal with in new and fresh ways。The protagonist: Murphy Shepherd is perhaps a little beyond the realm of actual possibility—he gets wounded so many times fighting bad guys that surely he would have been done in just by the sheer number of the wounds—but who cares about how close it comes to real life。 It's fiction， for pete's sake。 I once heard Mr。 Martin say that he grew up reading Louis L'Amour's books and loving them， and this book does reflect Mr。 L'Amour's influence with our hero wading through bad guys right and left and saving girls sold into modern slavery。 What Mr。 Martin does that Mr。 L'Amour never did do， is delve deeply into his themes: unconditional love， betrayal， grace， forgiveness， etc。 These are themes that， like it or not， everyone of us will deal with， one way or another， every day of our lives。 。。。more
Anne
，
When I received this book as an ARC， I didn’t realize it was the second book in a series。 I quickly ordered a copy of the first book， The Water Keeper and read it in less than 24 hours， it was that good。 The Letter Keeper can be read alone， but I highly recommend starting from the beginning to really know the characters and setting。 The Letter Keeper dove deeper into who David Bishop， aka Murphy Shepard is， but didn't lack in the intense scenes， and emotional roller coaster that I was used to in When I received this book as an ARC， I didn’t realize it was the second book in a series。 I quickly ordered a copy of the first book， The Water Keeper and read it in less than 24 hours， it was that good。 The Letter Keeper can be read alone， but I highly recommend starting from the beginning to really know the characters and setting。 The Letter Keeper dove deeper into who David Bishop， aka Murphy Shepard is， but didn't lack in the intense scenes， and emotional roller coaster that I was used to in The Water Keeper。Murphy has made a career out of helping young girls and boys find freedom from sex trafficking。 However， when his world turns upside down with the disappearance of his wife， her daughter and two others， Murphy reflects back on his own life。 He spends his life saving those in trouble， will he be able to save the ones who he truly loves and cares about？Charles Martin is truly a gifted writer！ He is a master story teller！ And quickly becoming one of my favorite authors。 Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for providing me with this e-ARC。 。。。more
Judy
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Wow。 I just finished Charles Martin’s The Letter Keeper and I have to say this author just gets better and better with every single book。 David Bishop/Murphy Shepherd is a priest who also rescues kids from human traffickers。 This is book#2。 I loved this one as much as I loved book#1 The Water Keeper。 We get a lot more of his background in this story。 I love that the author gives us a lot of action and then he gives us a moment to catch our breaths by giving us some background story before we are Wow。 I just finished Charles Martin’s The Letter Keeper and I have to say this author just gets better and better with every single book。 David Bishop/Murphy Shepherd is a priest who also rescues kids from human traffickers。 This is book#2。 I loved this one as much as I loved book#1 The Water Keeper。 We get a lot more of his background in this story。 I love that the author gives us a lot of action and then he gives us a moment to catch our breaths by giving us some background story before we are off again to more action packed scenes。 I love the main characters in this series。 I was not prepared for the ending at all。 I cannot wait for his next book！ I highly recommend reading The Water Keeper first。 Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC。 All opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Kaitlyn Krispense
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Okay。 Once upon a time， I would've said that Charles Martin is one of my favorite authors - beautiful prose， engaging plot。 Blunt - just like me。 *halo* Thing is。。。I wouldn't quite say so anymore。 *Deep breath* So。 Let's dive in， shall we？Mmkay， so， let me say what I didn't like （and try not to turn this into a rant）， and get that part over with。For one。。。the prose。 The first couple of books I read by Martin （When Crickets Cry and The Dead Don't Dance） were absolutely amazing。 But then I read bo Okay。 Once upon a time， I would've said that Charles Martin is one of my favorite authors - beautiful prose， engaging plot。 Blunt - just like me。 *halo* Thing is。。。I wouldn't quite say so anymore。 *Deep breath* So。 Let's dive in， shall we？Mmkay， so， let me say what I didn't like （and try not to turn this into a rant）， and get that part over with。For one。。。the prose。 The first couple of books I read by Martin （When Crickets Cry and The Dead Don't Dance） were absolutely amazing。 But then I read books that he published in recent years （Send Down the Rain and The Water Keeper）。。。and they've only disappointed me。 I couldn't put my finger on why， though。。。so I picked up The Water Keeper from the library and requested The Letter Keeper from Netgalley。I've figured it out。 The 'prose，' to me， isn't really prose anymore。 The meaty parts of the story， the parts where the plot really began to pick up and get going， were either short bits between the slow parts， or were broken up by rabbit trails of deep thinking。Don't get me wrong; y'all know I love books that make me think deeply。 But in the middle of a suspenseful sequence is not， in my opinion， a good time to insert "There are times in a man's life when。。。" *deep thinking that takes up an entire page and interrupts the plot* It seemed like there wasn't enough plot to go around， so hey， let's throw in an insane amount of internal dialogue that you have to force yourself not to skim over， but make the rest of the book interesting enough that you want to keep reading and find out how it ends！Okay。 I think my rant is over。 Sorry。 *cough*What else didn't I like？ Some of the scenes between Murph and Summer made me downright uncomfortable。 Like， it wasn't too bad， it was just。。。lots of different places。 Until that one scene right after the wedding （not gonna say whose wedding， to avoid potential spoilers）。 I understand that this is supposed to be authentic and real but like。。。y'all。 I've got a vivid imagination。 Whenever I read something in a book， I picture it in my mind。 And this。。。this is not something I wanted to picture in my mind。 （I suppose I should've learned my lesson from the first Shepherd book。 But I didn't， unfortunately。）The unfortunate thing is， even though the book ended on a cliffhanger， I'm not even sure that I want to read the next one。 Which sadly brings the book down from "It was pretty good！" to "It。。。was good。。。I think？"But。 What did I like？The plot was fantastic。 Granted， the first half of the book was slow and I was trying to find out exactly where the back cover blurb fit into the whole picture。 But then the second half hit and bang， we finally caught some of the action that Murphy Shepherd is known for！ （did I just end a sentence with a preposition？ Yes。 Yes， I did。 *bows* forgive me。） Like， that one scene full of InJUrY and pAIn and DEaTh！"You came after us！" "I said I would， didn't I？""Yeah， but。。。you actually did。" （Might not be exact wording， but super close， anyway）These words， uttered from a heart so broken that she dared not believe they were true until she saw it put into action in the most sacrificial way possible， sum up my favorite part in the entire book。 Someone who didn't see herself as worthy of love。。。found herself being treated as a most precious treasure （find a parallel in here somewhere？）。 And I adored it。I also really loved Casey's character arc。 It wasn't the straight-road-to-recovery-with-a-couple-setbacks。 No， it was more like we-thought-we-were-recovering-but-then-everything-was-almost-completely-lost-but-it'll-all-turn-out-okay-in-the-end。 （I guess I have a thing for hyphens。 *shrug*） Like。。。I really， really loved the entire Casey aspect （including that last scene with her？？ IT WAS SOOO GOOD。）*I received a copy of this book from the publisher from Netgalley for promotional purposes。 All thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Annette
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I’ve read several of this author’s book and really enjoyed them all。 This one doesn’t have quite as much action as the first one in this series。 Seems like it’s more in Murphy’s head。 Murphy is like MacGyver with nine lives and he’s half way through those。 I enjoyed the story and look forward to seeing where this series goes nextThanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early
Renea
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I enjoyed The Water Keeper very much， so I was excited to receive an advance copy of The Letter Keeper。 First of all， it is important to read The Water Keeper first or much of this story will not make sense。 I am having a difficult time determining how I feel about the book now that I’ve finished it。 I enjoyed the sections where we learn more about Murphy’s life and the development of his friendship with Bones， but I felt all of the action scenes were rushed and disjointed。 I’ve learned that I e I enjoyed The Water Keeper very much， so I was excited to receive an advance copy of The Letter Keeper。 First of all， it is important to read The Water Keeper first or much of this story will not make sense。 I am having a difficult time determining how I feel about the book now that I’ve finished it。 I enjoyed the sections where we learn more about Murphy’s life and the development of his friendship with Bones， but I felt all of the action scenes were rushed and disjointed。 I’ve learned that I enjoy Charles Martin’s ability to describe people and relationships far more than his action sequences。 While I did want to read the whole book and I will definitely pick up the next book （because the ending implies another book is coming，） this was not one of my favorites from this author。Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Melissa
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This book is the follow up to The Water Keeper by Charles Martin。 Charles has long been one of my favorite authors and his new books are no exception。 The Letter Keeper picks up with Murph where the Water Keeper left off。 We get to find out more about what makes him tick and where he came from。 I am deeply invested in this character and devoured this book from the start。 This is an emotional fiction work that deep dives into to human trafficking travesty that currently exists。 The only complaint This book is the follow up to The Water Keeper by Charles Martin。 Charles has long been one of my favorite authors and his new books are no exception。 The Letter Keeper picks up with Murph where the Water Keeper left off。 We get to find out more about what makes him tick and where he came from。 I am deeply invested in this character and devoured this book from the start。 This is an emotional fiction work that deep dives into to human trafficking travesty that currently exists。 The only complaint I have about this book is that it ended with a definite cliffhanger and now I am mad I have to wait for Charles to write the next one。 Highly recommend this read to anyone but definitely recommend taking the time to read the Water Keeper first。 Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Cindy
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This was the sequel to The Water Keeper， a book I loved。 This continues the story of Murphy Shepherd and gives more back story about who him。 I found it interesting but not quite as page turning as The Water Keeper， until the second half of the book。 Then I couldn't read fast enough！ The writing is beautiful while Charles Martin continues to tackle human trafficking issues。 The ending was stunning and certainly leaves the reader hoping there will be another book in the series。 Thank you to NetGa This was the sequel to The Water Keeper， a book I loved。 This continues the story of Murphy Shepherd and gives more back story about who him。 I found it interesting but not quite as page turning as The Water Keeper， until the second half of the book。 Then I couldn't read fast enough！ The writing is beautiful while Charles Martin continues to tackle human trafficking issues。 The ending was stunning and certainly leaves the reader hoping there will be another book in the series。 Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my ARC of this book， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Letter Keeper
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Letter Keeper&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Letter Keeper&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0