Mystery growing as a Christian genre

A new genre of stories by Christian writers is seeping into the market – Christian detective stories. The following are examples of some of the well-written and captivating novels.

Linda Hall, a Canadian writer, has begun a series entitled Teri Blake-Addison Mystery Series. Both Steal Away and Chat Room were published by Multnomah in 2003. The series follows the exploits of a newly married private eye, Teri Blake-Addison, as she uncovers the mystery behind the disappearance of some people and tackles current subjects such as televangelists, illicit love affairs, Internet chat rooms and religious cults. Although the books are definitely Christian, the gospel is woven into the story rather than being the main feature of each book.

Randy Singer is a relative newcomer to the Christian fiction market. A lawyer, he writes stories that incorporate legal situations. His first book, Directed Verdict, is about the persecution of missionaries in Saudi Arabia and the eventual death of one of the missionaries. The story revolves around the widow’s attempt to obtain the life insurance benefits owed her and contains scenes of betrayal and intrigue. His second novel, Irreparable Harm, also stars a lawyer, somewhat in the vein of John Grisham’s characters. Both stories weave the gospel naturally into the fabric of the story. His books are published by Waterbrook Press.

Another Christian writer of mystery stories is T. Davis Bunn. The first Bunn book I read was The Quilt. I remember that as a soft, tender story so I could not imagine him now writing such a fast-paced murder mystery as Winner Take All. Bunn is a business and finance man by profession, but the novel features a lawyer, who, together with his fiancé uncovers an international child smuggling scandal and solves other intriguing mysteries. Doubleday/Waterbrook is the publisher.

Although these books are perhaps not the caliber of those by P.D. James and the like, they are good reads, keep a good pace and have a Christian focus.