Tag: Siri Mitchell

What's a novel that made you think?

Bookish Question #327 | What’s a novel that made you think?

Most of the time I read to be entertained, not to think. But some novels manage to do both at the same time, which is great.

Kaleidoscpe Eyes by Karen Ball introduced me to synesthesia, which colours (literally) the way some people see. I wonder if this is where the New Age ideas around auras came from.

This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti introduced me (and millions of other Christians) to the concept of spiritual warfare.

Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite by Lianne Simon challenged the way I understood gender and challenges of birth.

Everywhere to Hide by Siri Mitchell introduced me to face blindness (which made for a great plot point for a suspense novel).

What about you? What’s a novel that made you think?

"I thought grandmothers were supposed to be nice." "She was Italian."

Book Review | Everywhere to Hide by Siri Mitchell

Siri Mitchell is an incredibly versatile writer. She’s written contemporary rom-com (e.g. Kissing Adrien). She’s written historical fiction (e.g. She Walks in Beauty, and her general market novels written as Iris Anthony) and historical romance (e.g. Love Comes Calling). And now she’s writing suspense.

Mitchell’s first suspense novel was State of Lies, which I thought was excellent. Everywhere to Hide is even better.

The main character (and first-person narrator) is Whitney Garrison, who works two jobs while studying for the bar exam in Arlington, Virginia. She’s recently moved to escape an abusive boyfriend, and worries he might find her. But that becomes the least of her worries when she discovers a dead body behind the coffee shop where she works, and sees the likely murderer fleeing the scene.

Whitney suffers from face blindness. She literally can’t remember faces … which is bad for Whitney, but good for the murderer. As such, Whitney’s condition is a major plot point, and brings an extra layer of meaning to the title. Because the murderer literally does have everywhere to hide: Whitney will never be able to pick him out of a lineup.

Things get worse when someone breaks into her new apartment …

Yes, this is a story that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. It’s full of twists and turns, and is anything but predictable. That’s what I like in a suspense novel. It also has touches of humour (as you can see from the quote above), and some romance. What it doesn’t have (which is perhaps a surprise, given the publisher) is overt Christian content. However, it doesn’t have any graphic language, violence, or sex either.

Mitchell says in her author’s note that it was difficult to write a character who couldn’t pick up emotions from facial expressions they way most people—and characters—can. It’s a testament to the strength of her writing that I didn’t even notice this as I was reading. Yes, I noticed that Whitney was odd even before she revealed her face blindness. But I never felt the story was lacking in any way. Instead, it serves to give Whitney a strong and unique character voice.

Overall, Everywhere to Hide is an excellent suspense novel, and Whitney’s condition provides a unique source of conflict. Recommended.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Siri Mitchell

Siri MitchellSiri Mitchell is the author of 14 novels. She has also written 2 novels under the pseudonym of Iris Anthony. She graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and has worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she lived all over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri is a big fan of the semi-colon but thinks the Oxford comma is irritatingly redundant.

Find Siri Mitchell online at:

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About Everywhere to Hide

How can she protect herself from an enemy she can’t see?

Law school graduate Whitney Garrison is a survivor. She admirably deals with an abusive boyfriend, her mother’s death, mounting student debt, dwindling job opportunities, and a rare neurological condition that prevents her from recognizing human faces.

But witnessing a murder might be the crisis she can’t overcome.

The killer has every advantage. Though Whitney saw him, she has no idea what he looks like. He knows where she lives and works. He anticipates her every move. Worst of all, he’s hiding in plain sight and believes she has information he needs. Information worth killing for. Again.

As the hunter drives his prey into a net of terror and international intrigue, Whitney’s only ally, Detective Leo Baroni, is taken off the case. Stripped of all semblance of safety, Whitney must suspect everyone and trust no one—and hope to come out alive.

Find Everything to Hide online at:

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Who is your favourite Christian thriller author?

Bookish Question #130 | Who is you favourite Christian thriller author, and why?

Who is your favourite Christian thriller author? What do you like most about his/her books?

Tough question!

I’ve read a lot of Christian thrillers and romantic suspense novels over the years (and part of me prefers romantic suspense, because I like the romance element).

In terms of Christian thrillers I’ve read this year, three names spring to mind: Terri Blackstock, Steven James, and Siri Mitchell.

However, Synapse is the first Steven James novel I’ve read, and one book hardly makes a favourite. I’ve read five or six Siri Mitchell novels, and State of Lies definitely my favourite … but it’s also her first thriller. (She also writes historical fiction as Iris Anthony, and historical and contemporary romance as Siri Mitchell). Again, one book hardly makes a favourite.

So that leaves me with Terri Blackstock. I’ve read several of her series, including the brilliant If I Run series (If I Run, If I Hide, If I Live). As well as being great thrillers, the series is an object lesson in how to write Christian fiction that will appeal to general market readers.

I also loved Blackstock’s Emerald Windows, which was more contemporary romance. I didn’t like her Last Light series. Well, I read the first in the series and couldn’t stand the woman who turned out to be the main character. So I didn’t read the rest of the series.

Her latest is Smoke Screen, is possibly even better than If I Run, and I definitely hope it’s part of a series.

What do I like most about Terri Blackstock’s books?

All the things. The writing is excellent, and her plots and characters are consistently original and full of twists and surprises. I’ve read other suspense or thriller authors and got bored when they start recycling their plots or characters. Yes, there are times when recycling is a bad idea.

She’s also not afraid to go into the deep places in her plots. Smoke Screen centres around a pastor’s daughter who has turned to alcohol since her divorce, and her adulterous husband is now challenging her for custody of their two children. It’s perhaps more subtle suspense than If I Run, but it’s real.

I also love the way Terri Blackstock consistently weaves Christianity into her plots. It’s not the icing on the cake—something that’s added to the top to sweeten the Christian reader. It’s something that’s marbled throughout the story. It’s often subtle at first, then gets more obvious as the story progresses.

So that’s why I love Terri Blackstock’s books. What about you? Who is you favourite Christian thriller author, and why?

Quote from State of Lies: Not too many employers were looking for quantum physicists. People tended to look at you strangely when you spoke of things like time travel, parallel dimensions, and wormholes as matters of fact.

Book Review | State of Lies by Siri Mitchell

It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel by Siri Mitchell. Her first novels were contemporary Christian romance, and I enjoyed the writing and the humour. She then moved into Christian historical romance. I read a couple and enjoyed Flirtation Walk, but didn’t enjoy the other—I didn’t like the characters, and found the language bloated when compared with her contemporary reads. However, after reading the other reviews, I see mine was a minority opinion.

I then read and enjoyed The Miracle Thief, the first of two general market historical novels released under the pen name of Iris Anthony. I thought it was a wonderful story, and was pleasantly surprised to find it actually had more Christian content than many of the Christian novels I read (and I’m not sure what it says about the publishing industry that the Christian publishers weren’t prepared to publish a novel featuring miracles, but a general market publisher was).

And now Siri Michell is back, and writing in a fourth genre: romantic suspense.

State of Lies is published by Thomas Nelson, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, and is like many current Thomas Nelson books: well-written with a great plot and characters, but no overt Christian content. Despite that, it’s a great read.

Georgia Brennan is a physicist in Washington, DC. She’s married to Sean, a historian, is the mother of six-year-old Sam, and the daughter of a US Army general who might just be the next secretary of defence. Life is great.

Sean is killed in a car accident on his way to pick up a part he needed to fix the kitchen sink.

Months later, when Georgie goes to fix the sink, she realises Sean was lying. That starts Georgie following a trail of lies and leaves her questioning everything she knows to be true.

The novel is Georgie’s story, written in first person point of view. She is an intelligent woman, which is something I always like to see in fiction. She is a strong character with a strong voice, a voice which drives the narration forward without slowing the pace.

State of Lies is a brilliant thriller, with political and military links as befits the Washington DC setting. It’s well-written, with excellent characterisation, and just the right balance between red herrings and genuine clues … along with plenty of surprises. I like to be able to figure some things out when I read a thriller or suspense novel, but I also like to be wrong occasionally.

I hope this is the first of many suspense novels from Siri Mitchell. Recommended for fans of the Criss Cross series by CC Warrens, and the If I Run trilogy by Terri Blackstock.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Siri Mitchell

Siri MitchellSiri Mitchell is the author of 14 novels. She has also written 2 novels under the pseudonym of Iris Anthony. She graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and has worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she lived all over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri is a big fan of the semi-colon but thinks the Oxford comma is irritatingly redundant.

Find Siri Mitchell online at:

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About State of Lies

The secrets of those closet to us can be the most dangerous of all.

Months after her husband, Sean, is killed by a hit-and-run driver, physicist Georgie Brennan discovers he lied to her about where he had been going that day. A cryptic notebook, a missing computer, and strange noises under her house soon have her questioning everything she thought she knew.

With her job hanging by a thread, her son struggling to cope with his father’s death, and her four-star general father up for confirmation as the next Secretary of Defense, Georgie quickly finds herself tangled in a political intrigue that has no clear agenda and dozens of likely villains. Only one thing is clear: someone wants her dead too.

The more she digs for the truth, the fewer people she can trust.

Not her friends.

Not her parents.

Maybe not even herself.

Find State of Lies online at:

Amazon US | Amazon AU | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Kobo icon | Koorong

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Cover image of The Miracle Thief by Iris Anthony aka Siri Mitchell

#ThrowbackThursday | The Miracle Thief by Iris Anthony

It’s been a few years since Siri Mitchell released a new book. But she’s back, and moving into yet another new genre—thriller State of Lies releases on 13 August. So today I’m sharing my review of one of her two general market historical novels released under the pen name of Iris Anthony.
The Miracle Thief is a historical novel following three women as they seek God’s will in France in  the early 900’s. No, that’s not a typo. The Miracle Thief really is set over a thousand years ago.

About The Miracle Thief

Sister Juliana escaped to Rochemont Abbey many years ago, seeking to atone for her biggest sin. She serves in the shrine of St Catherine, helping the many pilgrims who come to pray for healing by the saint’s relics.

Anne is the newly-orphaned daughter of an impoverished noblewoman. With no home, she has little option but to obey her mother’s dying request and undertake a pilgrimage to St Catherine’s shrine to seek healing.

Giselle is the illegitimate daughter of a king, raised as a princess and about to be forced into a political marriage against her will. She asks to take a pilgrimage to the shrine of St Catherine to seek God’s will.

My Review

The Miracle Thief was an unexpected gem. The characters are real (really. It’s historical fiction based on real people and real events), and were brought to life with all their flaws and foibles. The plot moved steadily, and although (as with real life), the ending wasn’t necessarily what I’d have chosen, it was historically accurate, and it was from a time and place in history that hasn’t been done to death by other authors (*ahem* Tudor England).

Anthony has done an excellent job of melding historical fact with the creativity of fiction.

I never felt I was being ‘dumped’ with historical facts or that the story was being manipulated to stay true to history, yet the note at the end shows the degree to which the story has been researched and is true to the historical record (which, admittedly, has a lot of holes).

Although The Miracle Thief is a general market book, there was still a strong underpinning of Christian faith (albeit featuring some very un-Christlike “Christians”), and it meets CBA standards in that there is no inappropriate language. It left me feeling grateful to live in a time and place where I have freedoms and choices women like Juliana, Anne and Giselle never had.

Recommended for historical fiction fans looking for something a little different.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Most people are waiting for someone to give them hope. If you can do that, then they’re more than happy to give you their money in exchange.

Book Review | Flirtation Walk by Siri Mitchell

I’ve just found out Siri Mitchell has a new book coming … so I’m resharing my review of one of her historical romances, Flirtation Walk.

About Flirtation Walk

West Point History Comes Alive in this Warmhearted Romance

Trying to escape the shambles her con-man father has made of their reputation, Lucinda Curtis arrives in West Point, New York, determined to land a husband from the military academy. Campbell Conklin is first in his class and preparing to embark upon a storied career in the U.S. Army. Lucinda thinks Campbell will make the perfect husband . . . as long as he does not find out about her father.

Seth Westcott also has taken a liking to Lucinda. He’s kind, smart . . . and working extremely hard to graduate last. Tradition states that the worst cadets are assigned to the cavalry out west. And west is where Seth must head to track the swindler who stole all of Seth’s mother’s money. Seth is smart enough to vie for the top spot, but life isn’t fair and this is his chance to catch the man who ruined his family. It’s too bad Campbell is all shine and no substance, but Lucinda will surely see through all of that, won’t she?

My Review

Seth Westcott is the top cadet in his year at West Point Military Academy, a rank which sees him destined for a coveted position in the Corps of Engineers. When he finds his sister has been swindled of the money from the sale of their family farm, he decides a cavalry posting out West would be a better idea . . . somewhere he can protect his sister, and hunt down the swindler. To do that, he’s going to have to become an Immortal—ranked at the bottom of the class.

When Miss Lucinda Pennyworth’s father dies, she goes to stay with family in Buttermilk Falls, near the military academy where her uncle lectures. Here she learns that some of what her father told her over the years wasn’t true, and she begins to question the values he raised her with, and his views on the military . . . and on God.

Lucinda finds herself having to learn a new set of rules.

Rules in which she considers others and doesn’t do everything to best meet her own needs, but considers the needs of others and the lessons mistakes can sometimes teach us. It’s not an easy journey, especially as many of her father’s philosophies and sayings are as real in 2016 as they were for Lucinda in 1855. Lucinda also learns she doesn’t have to look and be perfect all the time:

“I would think that would be tiring, trying to make sure you were perfect all the time.”

Perhaps. But even today many people fall into the trap of believing that it’s enough to look perfect and behave properly, that our underlying motivations and beliefs are less important than the image we project. (Social media doesn’t help this perception, when people curate their lives to only show the nice bits). While this isn’t necessarily a Christian message, it’s still a strong message, one worth thinking about, and Flirtation Walk did it well. I’ve found some of Siri Mitchell’s novels push a theme at the expense of the story, but this didn’t.

I liked the way Flirtation Walk emphasised that God is a god of love, not rules.

But I would have liked to have seen the characters show some faith in God, rather than merely attending church (which seemed to be more of doing the right thing). But I did like the overall theme about the balance between obeying the rules and doing the right thing.

Thanks to Baker Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Read the introduction to Flirtation Walk below:

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