The Occupied

Craig Parshall

Defense attorney Trevor Black has the unnerving ability to see demons inhabiting human beings. He tries to lessen these ghastly encounters by moving from New York City to remote Ocracoke Island, N.C. But after the murder of an old friend, Black returns to his Wisconsin hometown to solve the crime. As he gets closer to the killer, hellish beings repeatedly attack him. Only his faith in Christ allows him to overcome the dark forces that threaten. A gripping tale that exemplifies Ephesians 6:12: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

What Matters Most

Kellie Coates Gilbert

Leta Breckenridge works two jobs to afford her mother’s expensive dementia care in an assisted living facility, so she’s elated when she lands a high-paying job in a public relations firm. Her happiness is short-lived when she realizes the firm is actually a political opposition research group working against her new romantic interest, a Texas state senator who’s campaigning to unseat the incumbent governor. Should she quit her lucrative job, or should she forget about the man of her dreams, a politician much too idealistic to be believable?

The Soul of the Matter

Bruce Buff

Through his research on DNA, geneticist Stephen Bishop thinks he’s on the verge of discovering the mysteries of the universe, including evidence of a Creator. He enlists his friend Dan Lawson, a cyber-intelligence expert, to help hide his findings from a nefarious international group called “The Commission.” When Bishop dies, Lawson, ambivalent about his own spiritual beliefs, searches desperately for the passwords to unlock the research, all while being pursued by his longtime Russian nemesis. The cat-and-mouse plot would be enjoyable but for the exhausting slog through mounds of scientific jargon.

This Road We Traveled

Jane Kirkpatrick

Inspired by the real lives of Tabitha Moffat Brown and family, this novel follows their perilous wagon train journey from Missouri to Oregon in 1846. Three generations survive extreme weather, near-starvation, illness, injury, Indians, and despair as they move cross-country. Brown’s assurance of God’s providence fuels her intrepid spirit and encourages her family to stay positive in the face of adversity. Recognized as “The Mother of Oregon,” Brown was instrumental in founding what is now Pacific University. The sacrifices this family and many others made to settle the West sharply contrast with our cushy lives 170 years later.

Afterword

In Melody Carlson’s The Christmas Angel Project (Revell, 2016), Abby dies unexpectedly the day after Thanksgiving, and her fellow book club members assume they’ll disband. But Abby leaves them handmade Christmas ornaments, which inspire the women to re-evaluate their lives. They embark on the Angel Project, finding true joy as they use their talents to benefit others in the community. Carlson’s sweet story illustrates how, even when tragedy strikes, God works things for our good, especially when we aren’t so focused on ourselves.

In Still Life (Thomas Nelson, 2015), Christa Parrish deals with spiritual authoritarianism, guilt, and grace. Ada grows up under the thumb of her controlling father, the prophet of a Christian cult. She escapes and marries a believer who dies before she learns much about her identity in Christ. Katherine prolongs an illicit weekend away from her family, but it costs her dearly. Their lives connect unexpectedly in this ambitious novel.—S.B. and Susan Olasky