abigailkayharris's review against another edition
3.0
Review of A Cross To Kill by Andrew Huff: I may or may not have stayed up way past bedtime, like 2 in the morning reading this, oops? NOT!!! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there was romance, secrets, danger, a beating which wasn't great (who wants to see their pastor beaten up?), there were attacks, and more secrets, not a surprise, right? But there was a uniqueness to the story that completely set this apart from most suspense in a good way. I was somewhat surprised that the book mentioned so many different denominations of churches. The writing style could be slightly boring and too descriptive at points, in all it was all right.I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
michellef's review
5.0
A Cross To Kill is a clean Christian suspense novel by author Andrew Huff.
Reporter Christine Lewis’ destiny was to perish at the hands of the terrorists. John Cross came to her rescue against all odds.
John Cross was a CIA agent but quit his combative job to become a non-combative preacher. After he rescued Christine Lewis he found he really cared for her, more so than any other rescue. Yet, he wanted to keep his identity secret.
Did this novel meet my expectations? Yes, I wasn’t sure if I would like this novel or not. But I was deeply engrossed from the first page. If the reader is looking for a Christian suspense novel, with no harsh words, this just might be the next great read. This is book one of the series and the action continues with book two, coming soon.
Book Two: Cross Shadow (coming soon)
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
Reporter Christine Lewis’ destiny was to perish at the hands of the terrorists. John Cross came to her rescue against all odds.
John Cross was a CIA agent but quit his combative job to become a non-combative preacher. After he rescued Christine Lewis he found he really cared for her, more so than any other rescue. Yet, he wanted to keep his identity secret.
Did this novel meet my expectations? Yes, I wasn’t sure if I would like this novel or not. But I was deeply engrossed from the first page. If the reader is looking for a Christian suspense novel, with no harsh words, this just might be the next great read. This is book one of the series and the action continues with book two, coming soon.
Book Two: Cross Shadow (coming soon)
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
momsplans's review against another edition
4.0
This book is fast-paced and exciting. The large majority of it features John Cross' exploits as a CIA operative (even though he retired last year). However, last year, Cross found God and now no longer has the heart for killing. He is now a preacher, yet, he continues to be called into service on a voluntary basis to rescue people kidnapped by terrorists, but as you can imagine, it's hard to do this job when he no longer wants to kill. This is the first in a series; the back of the book contains a preview of the next book in the series.
christygsp's review against another edition
3.0
A former CIA assassin turns Baptist pastor. When his past comes back to haunt him, can he keep his new vow of peace while saving himself and those he cares about?
The story was really interesting - a great idea!
Unfortunately for me, the execution wasn't as amazing. Some of that may come down to my PERSONAL PREFERENCE in writing style, but here are my thoughts on A Cross To Kill:
(There could be some off the cuff spoilers in this review, but they aren't outright story spoilers. Just be aware - I tried to keep as vague as possible)
For me, the story didn't have enough breathing room.
The action was SO quick that I found it hard to keep up without those small breaks. Even a stray thought or observation outside the action would have assisted with this. The first chapter was great, but after that, all the action just became too confusing. I had to either read several sections multiple times to keep up, or just skip over it and pick up from another section where we were. I LOVE action, don't get me wrong - but that little bit of break for my brain would have been helpful. Perhaps lengthening all the action scenes and fleshing it out a bit would have also helped.
I found the character of John Cross to be a little contradictory. I think his religious mindset was more catholic than baptist. The whole idea of Jesus IS forgiveness, so for John to punish himself is contradictory to that overall message. Catholics have more of a 'pay penance' mindset, but the baptist denomination doesn't carry that (save for a few i'm sure) so even a shift to another denomination would have helped with this.
It frustrated me whenever that side to him came up - he preached that forgiveness, but forgot it when it came to his own life (yes, that does happen in reality, but the story didn't end in a satisfying way regarding that part of the character/story for me).
John accepting the pastor position, with all he had to deal with in his own mind and heart, also seemed unusual. There wasn't a clear enough lead up to how he became a pastor. Churches don't hire any old bloke off the street - it's usually a bit more complex than that when you decide who leads your church.
Sometimes the sentences felt unnecessarily complex and long. That was just a minor frustration.
I loved relationship between John and Christine. It was great. I also liked Christine's character.
Overall, the story was really great. Interesting, action packed and overall, I loved the premise and character interactions.
The story was really interesting - a great idea!
Unfortunately for me, the execution wasn't as amazing. Some of that may come down to my PERSONAL PREFERENCE in writing style, but here are my thoughts on A Cross To Kill:
(There could be some off the cuff spoilers in this review, but they aren't outright story spoilers. Just be aware - I tried to keep as vague as possible)
For me, the story didn't have enough breathing room.
The action was SO quick that I found it hard to keep up without those small breaks. Even a stray thought or observation outside the action would have assisted with this. The first chapter was great, but after that, all the action just became too confusing. I had to either read several sections multiple times to keep up, or just skip over it and pick up from another section where we were. I LOVE action, don't get me wrong - but that little bit of break for my brain would have been helpful. Perhaps lengthening all the action scenes and fleshing it out a bit would have also helped.
I found the character of John Cross to be a little contradictory. I think his religious mindset was more catholic than baptist. The whole idea of Jesus IS forgiveness, so for John to punish himself is contradictory to that overall message. Catholics have more of a 'pay penance' mindset, but the baptist denomination doesn't carry that (save for a few i'm sure) so even a shift to another denomination would have helped with this.
It frustrated me whenever that side to him came up - he preached that forgiveness, but forgot it when it came to his own life (yes, that does happen in reality, but the story didn't end in a satisfying way regarding that part of the character/story for me).
John accepting the pastor position, with all he had to deal with in his own mind and heart, also seemed unusual. There wasn't a clear enough lead up to how he became a pastor. Churches don't hire any old bloke off the street - it's usually a bit more complex than that when you decide who leads your church.
Sometimes the sentences felt unnecessarily complex and long. That was just a minor frustration.
I loved relationship between John and Christine. It was great. I also liked Christine's character.
Overall, the story was really great. Interesting, action packed and overall, I loved the premise and character interactions.
cctblog's review against another edition
4.0
John Cross is a former CIA assassin who, after finding the Lord, realizes he can no longer kill. He becomes the pastor of a very small church, but his former bosses at the CIA keep pulling him into rescue ops. When a rescue goes awry and John realizes terrorists may still be after the reporter he rescued, he discovers a plot that goes deeper than he dreamed.
A Cross to Kill begins at rapid-fire pace, and that pace doesn't let up throughout the whole novel. There are, however, moments of normalcy and levity (even as the reader knows John's next trial is just around the corner), and these help keep the novel from becoming too intense. I especially loved Lori Johnson and Mrs. Templeton, two of John's elderly parishioners who brought out a different side of him.
John's Christianity is at the forefront of the novel—his relationship with Christ is the reason he left the CIA. I felt like the faith thread was seamlessly woven into the novel, and one of my favorite scenes featured Lori clearly explaining the gospel in a conversation that felt organic, not forced.
While I didn't find myself completely immersed in the novel, I did enjoy it, and I would certainly like to find out what comes next for John Cross.
Disclosure of material connection: I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.
A Cross to Kill begins at rapid-fire pace, and that pace doesn't let up throughout the whole novel. There are, however, moments of normalcy and levity (even as the reader knows John's next trial is just around the corner), and these help keep the novel from becoming too intense. I especially loved Lori Johnson and Mrs. Templeton, two of John's elderly parishioners who brought out a different side of him.
John's Christianity is at the forefront of the novel—his relationship with Christ is the reason he left the CIA. I felt like the faith thread was seamlessly woven into the novel, and one of my favorite scenes featured Lori clearly explaining the gospel in a conversation that felt organic, not forced.
While I didn't find myself completely immersed in the novel, I did enjoy it, and I would certainly like to find out what comes next for John Cross.
Disclosure of material connection: I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.
jasoncjoyner's review
4.0
A very entertaining debut suspense. John Cross is a former CIA agent trying to move on as a pastor for a small Virginia church. When journalist Christine Lewis comes back into his life, he is drawn into a crisis he wanted to avoid.
Like the best thrillers/suspense novels, A Cross to Kill keeps the pages turning. I ordered the sequel, Cross Shadow, as soon as I finished book 1.
Like the best thrillers/suspense novels, A Cross to Kill keeps the pages turning. I ordered the sequel, Cross Shadow, as soon as I finished book 1.
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