Adam BlumerRecensioni

Title: The Tenth Plague
Author: Adam Blumer
Pages: 448
Year: 2016
Publisher: Kirkdale Press
My rating is 5 stars.
After completing adoption papers and legal matters, Marc and Gillian decide to take up a friend’s invitation to a free weekend at a resort. However, as Marc and Gillian pull into the resort parking lot it looks like a circus with cameras, TV news and a man using a bullhorn to speak to the crowd. A group of translators are also at the lodge working on a new translation of the Bible that might be the cause of chaos, but why would that cause such uproar?
Along with that action, a person or persons seems bent on tormenting the resort guests with recreating the ten plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament. At least that is what is thought until a couple of people show up dead and the mystery thickens!
The author uses fictional places and events, weaving into the story some of America’s history. Plus Marc is a pastor who longs to reunite with his father, but is shut out for reasons you will discover as you read the story. I thought the suspense would not let up and it didn’t! It seemed as though the writer kept increasing the climax and tension while occasionally adding a twist of the plot to keep me glued to the book for hours!
This is a great thriller that readers can sink their teeth into and not be disappointed! The ending was packed with a very meaningful and truthful message about God, forgiveness and new beginnings. I hope you will take time to read the book and perhaps share it with family, friends and even get your local library to get a copy so many more can enjoy this rich tale!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Title: Fatal Illusions
Author: Adam Blumer
Website: http://www.adamblumerbooks.com/
Pages: 398
Year: 2015
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
My rating is 5+ stars out of 5
Fatal Illusions is a fitting title for the story within because there is more than one illusion that occurs throughout the book. Before reading Fatal Illusions, I was unfamiliar with the work Adam Blumer shares with his audience. When searching an online bookstore, I discovered he had written a book a couple of years prior titled, The Ten Plagues. I am blessed beyond words to be able to discover this author’s books and share with you a part of the discovery.
At first, it seemed as if two different and unrelated stories were being told, but that sure was a deceiving aspect of the tale. There are many characters that reflect our need for God, forgiving others, walking daily with grief until God brings us through it and perhaps what might happen when a heart refuses to forgive, acknowledge God or grief.
There is a young man who definitely is the antagonist. I don’t want to reveal his name because that is part of the joy in discovery. On the other side of the coin are the protagonists that include a family, a local fellowship of believers and law enforcement. I was riveted to the book as the suspense kept building along with how the author was showing the readers the reality of how hard it is to recover when hearts and spirits are broken, especially through tragedy. Some might think that Christians are immune to pain, but we aren’t. One character in the book sees that something is different about the family I mentioned above when they go through a time of testing.
There are threads that begin to come slowly woven together to reveal what a masterpiece work Adam Blumer has written. It touches the heart of readers, engages the mind not just because of a mystery aspect in the book but in seeing how much knowing God’s Word can speak to us when we least expect. Adam Blumer writes a compelling work of fiction that slowly pulls back the curtain of the heart or mind that can fool itself into believing what isn’t truth and therefore creating an illusion.
Yes, this novel is exceptional and it would be a shame if you don’t obtain a copy, enjoy it and perhaps talk about it with friends or family. Maybe even consider this a novel for a book club! All I can say is this is one out of the park story that will stay in my mind for a while!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/. Also follow me on Twitter @lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457

Disclaimer: I read through the first 5 or 6 chapters, but I could do no more. So this review is not complete, but it's all I could produce.

I was not a fan of this book. I'm not a big reader of Christian Lit, and this book was very Christian, but so too were the Left Behind series, and I rather enjoyed those. Religion aside, there were other shortcomings with this novel. The action escalates far too quickly without much description or build-up. The chapters are short (not necessarily good or bad), but they left much to be desired. Prehaps if I had read on I would have learned more about the characters. But the book did not hook me. The author did not do a good job of catching my interested and sustaining me through their story. I would not recommend this read.½

Interesting story line that kept my attentions till the end. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys a Christian mystery. This is the first one I have read and I will be inclined to read more.

Little did Marc and Gillian know when they were invited to an exclusive retreat for the weekend that they would be in the middle of a serious of mysterious events in which people would die. Marc and Gillian, working with close friends, must find out who is behind the attacks disguised as plagues from the Bible before another person is killed.

This was a good book that definitely kept my interest, had good characters and a good story line.

A murder mystery with Christian characters. They have pasts that they regret, they doubt each other, they have disfunctional family relationships. You name it. It was refreshing to have the characters be real, troubled, normal humans,who happen to be Christians . The mystery part was top notch as well, skillfully crafted with background story, intertwined characters and gradual revelations about each of the main characters. I enjoyed this work, and look forward to more by Adam. Thanks for the early readers copy!

I tried, I really did...several times. I'd read a chapter and not really be motivated to go to the next one. I'd come back & read another and wonder how it related to what I'd read before. The only thing I could figure out was that something bad was going to happen that would connect the dots.
I wondered what about the initial description led me to request this book to review. Nothing in those first few chapters grabbed my interest. Maybe this book is interesting to others, but it just didn't keep my interest enough to go beyond the first couple of chapters. Sorry, but just not my thing.½

This is billed as a Christian fiction/mystery. I've read other Christian fiction and enjoyed it. This book was far from enjoyable. The key to getting a point across is not to repeatedly slap the reader in the face with it. Let the characters show strong moral compass and include some references to prayer or Christianity. Blumer seemed to have written a decent story, then went back and tried to insert something, anything Christian related into EVERY paragraph. It just takes away from the flow and enjoyment of what might have been an otherwise OK story. I received a free copy of this book from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review.

The Tenth Plague was a great change of pace for me. I really enjoyed the book with the different twists and turns and made the characters intriguing. Although this murder mystery combined Biblical events, I thought the author did well in using the different tactics of murder outside the traditional knife and gun approach. If I started reading the story with a strong sense of Christianity I might have been disappointed with some of the references. However, keeping an open mind and knowing it is a fictional story really made for what I thought a good novel.

In the beginning I was a bit confused on how the prologue fit in the story and the fact there were so many characters to keep track of, I still found I couldn’t put the book down. Adam Blumer fit realistic events throughout the novel which brought the story to life as though these events could happen in the real world. Frightening, but true. I would love to read his next novel “The Lotus Keeper.”

I guess I've been putting off the inevitable and resisting doing this review. I didn't realize when I requested this book that it was a Christian mystery. If I didn't know before, I sure did, by . . . maybe as late as page three. There was SO much religion shoved down your throat, on almost every single page, that there was hardly room for the story. The story line was okay, but the characters didn't seem to have much character. I got about 3/4 of the way through the book and finally gave up. I don't recommend it unless you're very, very Christian.

I am a Christian, and this was my first novel by this author. I was excited to read a murder mystery with a focus on Christianity. Although the story was intriguing, the book just didn't hold my interest. I found myself re-reading portions of the book due to the numerous diversions. The characters were interesting, and the ending was predictable. I will read other novels by this author, but this book is just so-so.

Like some of my fellow reviewers, I am a Christian; but found the story was detracted from almost to the point of not being able to be read by the constant, trite religiosity found in the story. Really it was disappointing as the plot twists and character development are quite good, the constant departure from the story to delve into the person's belief in Christ was almost enough to cause me to give up on the tale completely. Over-the-top, rather like going to church and praying aloud in a large voice so your fellow worshipers will see how devout you are. If you can ignore the ever present religiosity, not a bad book at all; but not being able to I found it a chore to finish and, in retrospect, did not really enjoy it as a result.

This book is a Christian murder mystery book. The story was original and very interesting. The characters were interested and well developed, however, I thought they should have had more strength and courage.

I am a Christian and I've never read a Christian murder mystery. The Christian elements in the story made it even more suspenseful. I liked how Adam was able to turn biblical plagues into a modern day setting.

There were many twists and turns in the book that kept me in suspense. I had a hard time putting the book down. I was completed absorbed in the story and I couldn't wait to figure out who was committing the murders. I highly recommend this book.

Perhaps it just wasn't to my taste, but I found this book laborious to read and in the end I didn't finish it. I also felt like the christian slant was out of place and hindered the story rather than helping it. I wouldn't say that this is a bad book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

The Tenth Plague is a good story and has references to the Bible. I found the story interesting and did not want to put the book down. The story line was well thought out but somewhat predictable. I will read other books from Adam Blumer.

The Tenth Plague is a murder mystery with an attempted Christian slant to it. I found the story itself intriguing, but the characters were a little too "wishy washy and wimpy" for my tastes. The story uses some modern events as a background and it actually works. It makes the reader feel as if some of this scenario could happen in todays world. Overall the character development is good and like most stories, your main characters are well built and gorgeous. However for me, the Christian slant, in my opinion just took from the story itself.
When I read the story, to me, it was as if the author had written the story, developed the ideas, worked out the kinks and then went back to add things to make the characters more Godly to the mainstream. In the process of adding the numerous crying scenes (too wishy washy and wimpy for me), etc. it merely detracted from the story itself and did not work in the end.

I really liked it. The plot is original and brilliantly written, the characters are strong but not imposing and the development of the story is cleverly done.
The idea of bringing something biblical to a novel is very good and, in my opinion, give us since the start a sense of doom.
It was a really good mystery and I recommend it.

Well, now I have the book, Adam! I just have to find time to read it!! the reviews on this page are great, so I need to move this book up the list...

This book is magnificent! Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I'm definitely a new member of the Adam Blumer fan club. The book had a lot of action that never quite let up. Even at almost 400 pages I read this in a day and a half. The book never seems to slow down, so it's a quick read. One of the great things about this book was that it was a Christian murder mystery. Typically in this genre

you get a certain amount of cussing or sex scenes. You get none of that here, just non stop action. This book also through some twists at me that I wasn't expecting, and believe me I'm not easily surprised by plot twists anymore. I'd put Fatal Illusions up against a James Patterson novel any day...it's that good! I'm definitely recommending this to anyone who likes a fast paced thrill ride of a book.

rom the first page to the last, I loved this Christian suspense novel. I had a doctor's appointment and took the book with me, knowing that I'd have time to read. Picture this: in a waiting room full of patients, with the inevitable television in the background, I gasp aloud! It's that good.

The plot weaves two stories into one fascinating tapestry thriller. One of a pastor in a megachurch, counseling an obsessive woman, who misunderstands Christian love and won't back off from pursuing him. The second story is of an amateur magician who stalks and kills young, blonde, blue-eyed girls who wear wire-rimmed glasses. The talent of the author has the divergent stories neatly converge.

Characters are well rounded and quite believable. At various times, I wanted to shake one and hug another. There is a theme of trust and forgiveness that point the characters (and the reader) toward God.

This is one fabulous book that I highly recommend. Reader's Group Guide included.