Crown of Thorns: A Nick Barrett Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Mystery within mystery
Review: A missing painting turns up in unexpected hands and Nick Barrett is sent on a mission by antique shop owner friends to uncover the mystery behind it. Little does he realise whats in store as the past unravels to reveal its ugly secrets
I love this series, each story as strong as the last and just as gripping, the main character is becoming a good friend. Prepare to be shocked by truths revealed about Charlestons wealthy as their past sins come back to haunt them. Excellent stuff

Rating:
Summary: Few are Doing it Better
Review: Check out some of the hotter male mystery writers and you'll run across the names of James Lee Burke (Jolie Blon's Bounce) and Harlan Coben (Gone for Good). These guys are NY Times bestsellers. After reading Brouwer's Nick Barrett mysteries, I believe he has reached the same level of writing. He deserves a wide audience for this masterful tale.

The story quickly introduces us to two damsels in distress--except neither woman is weak or cowardly. In fact, Angel and Retha are two memorable and likeable characters. Both are trying to protect children in their care; both are threatened by violent, outside forces.

Enter Nick Barrett. Barrett is a three-dimensional man, born of questionable parentage and raised in an atmosphere of subtle bigotry and pride. He is trying to stay afloat emotionally. As he finds himself involved in the lives of Angel and Retha, he must face his fears, his doubts, and his faith.

Voodoo doctors, cult members, and bitter high society players all join in the action as the mysteries unfold. The city of Charleston is a character in the tale. As the climax nears, the plot twists turn tighter, the surprises mount, and--for this reader--the emotional impact swelled.

Like the two aforementioned bestselling writers, Brouwer mixes his gritty story with heart and warmth. Not even the half-dozen punctuation and spelling errors could keep me from sinking myself into Brouwer's fictional world. When I turned the final page, I closed my eyes and said aloud, "That is one darrrrn good book!" And I meant it.

Rating:
Summary: Few are Doing it Better
Review: Check out some of the hotter male mystery writers and you'll run across the names of James Lee Burke (Jolie Blon's Bounce) and Harlan Coben (Gone for Good). These guys are NY Times bestsellers. After reading Brouwer's Nick Barrett mysteries, I believe he has reached the same level of writing. He deserves a wide audience for this masterful tale.

The story quickly introduces us to two damsels in distress--except neither woman is weak or cowardly. In fact, Angel and Retha are two memorable and likeable characters. Both are trying to protect children in their care; both are threatened by violent, outside forces.

Enter Nick Barrett. Barrett is a three-dimensional man, born of questionable parentage and raised in an atmosphere of subtle bigotry and pride. He is trying to stay afloat emotionally. As he finds himself involved in the lives of Angel and Retha, he must face his fears, his doubts, and his faith.

Voodoo doctors, cult members, and bitter high society players all join in the action as the mysteries unfold. The city of Charleston is a character in the tale. As the climax nears, the plot twists turn tighter, the surprises mount, and--for this reader--the emotional impact swelled.

Like the two aforementioned bestselling writers, Brouwer mixes his gritty story with heart and warmth. Not even the half-dozen punctuation and spelling errors could keep me from sinking myself into Brouwer's fictional world. When I turned the final page, I closed my eyes and said aloud, "That is one darrrrn good book!" And I meant it.

Rating:
Summary: Race and religion play out in the south
Review: Nick Barrett is doing a favor for some friends tracking down an old painting brought to Charleston, South Carolina, by early settlers. Instead of a friendly antiques deal, he finds himself involved with a religious cult, a group of racists who haveto revised a terrible punishment from the days of slavery, and hints of ancient voodoo--and a mystery that the police thought solved decades before.

Author Sigmund Brouwer writes convincingly of a south still caught up in the evils of its past--and evil men who use the Bible for their own goals, subverting its most fundamental rules. Like the south, Barrett is conflicted--in Barrett's case between hatred for his brother and the charity he shares with Angel and Retha. Brouwer's arguments about religion sometimes pull the reader out of the story. It's okay for Barrett to have faith, but he really doesn't have to share the reasons why he's abandoned the scepticism of his youth--twice--since it doesn't advance the story.

CROWN OF THORNS's strength is fast-moving action as Barrett and the young women who seem to infiltrate his life are plunged from one danger into another. Author Sigmund Brouwer delivers an engaging and page turning style that draws the reader in and delivers.

Rating:
Summary: Not my favorite, but not crossed off the list either.
Review: Nick Barrett returns to investigate a cult! Imagine investigating a cult, all the while hearing stories about a voodoo lady named Grammie Zora. HMM! Now, while this was a top notch mystery, some of the details involved weren't exactly my cup of tea. I enjoyed it, for the most part, but some places I sat there saying, "Oh good grief!" Now, although this stuff may happen, I guess that doesn't mean I have to like reading about it. So, Sigmund Brouwer is still on my list of authors to read, but this one just didn't sit with me like others would. There were just parts of it that ruined part of the book. BUT, in saying that, I do indeed want to read "The Lies of Saints", so Brouwer is still in my good graces. We'll see if he redeems himself.

Rating:
Summary: Not my favorite, but not crossed off the list either.
Review: Nick Barrett returns to investigate a cult! Imagine investigating a cult, all the while hearing stories about a voodoo lady named Grammie Zora. HMM! Now, while this was a top notch mystery, some of the details involved weren't exactly my cup of tea. I enjoyed it, for the most part, but some places I sat there saying, "Oh good grief!" Now, although this stuff may happen, I guess that doesn't mean I have to like reading about it. So, Sigmund Brouwer is still on my list of authors to read, but this one just didn't sit with me like others would. There were just parts of it that ruined part of the book. BUT, in saying that, I do indeed want to read "The Lies of Saints", so Brouwer is still in my good graces. We'll see if he redeems himself.

Rating:
Summary: Woah! Amazing
Review: This story (the second in the Nick Barrett Mysteries) is WOW! It may be a bit confusing when you start reading it, expecting that you know what its going to be about, but WOAH! Hold on, don't get to far ahead of yourself.

Nick is still in Charleston, but this story is not totally about his mysterious past. I am not going to say much more, because I read it without knowing the story and I followed it rather well. I recommend this book highly.

It's very well-written.