In each of his fourteen fiction books, Charles Martin offers a unique setting and plot, beautiful imagery, and complex characters. (photo courtesy of ellie thompson)
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charles martin is a new york times bestselling author with 16 books, from the dead don’t dance in 2004 to the guardian of the water in 2020.
martin lives in jacksonville, florida with his wife and three children. You can find him on instagram @storiedcareer and on twitter with the same name. Although he is not a well-known author, he has won multiple Christy Awards on various books. in addition, his novel, the mountains between us , released as a film in 2017.
each one has a happy ending and some kind of romantic aspect; if that’s not for you, feel free to move on to another book list. But if you’re intrigued by the idea of a romantic book, full of vivid descriptions and shocking evidence, that winds up neatly at the end, then this might be the book list for you.
Although I’m still halfway through reading all of his books, these are some of my favorites.
5. long road traveled
A prodigal son story: Cooper O’Connor took everything from his father and ran to Nashville with only his guitar and the talent he thought he had. But he loses everything. Five years later, still in Nashville, he meets Daley Cross and falls in love. But sudden tragedy means he finally must return home to Colorado, asking hard questions about his father along the way. With flashbacks from the present to his childhood, the reader sees how Cooper got where he is now.
long way gone follows the plot of kurt vonnegut’s man in a hole. Cooper finds himself in trouble, but slowly gets out and feels better, mirroring the story of the prodigal son.
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Martin’s expert prose is on full display here, as he vividly describes songs and scenes so that “the words go straight to your heart,” said Jackie Cooper. however, as the title of his review suggests, it is a good book, not a great one. flashbacks often come with a feeling of whiplash, making the story hard to follow at points.
Still, the way Martin builds the character and plot, strategically filling in the details of the past in flashbacks, makes the story a good read, even if it’s at the bottom of my list.
4. send the rain
“A new spellbinding story of buried secrets, lost love, and the promise of second chances” (Back cover of book) The Vietnam War tore Joseph away from his family and from his sweetheart. He returns home broken in spirit, a changed man. While living alone in the mountains, he abandons his solitude to save the lives of a mother and her two children. But when he drives them home to Florida, he goes back to his hometown and reunites with his childhood love, Allie. He and his new friends help her rebuild her restaurant, but could an old secret ruin their relationship?
following the story of cinderella, joseph slowly climbs until an important event causes him to fall. but still, there is a happy ending.
Exploring the pain of war trauma, forgiveness and grace, “[t]his romance saga brings action, danger and secrets. a man returns from danger only to revive it at home,” urban book reviews said. this story contains vivid characters with a unique plot and many important surprises.
3. water from my heart
Charlie Finn has done some hard things to survive. Abandoned by age sixteen, he lives in a highly privileged world but stands apart from it. He caters to high-dollar clients, often in illegal ways, off the coast of Miami. He has few friends, and those friends he does have, he keeps separate from his work. When someone he loves might get hurt because of his mistakes, he travels to Central America where he’ll come face to face with the people he hurt, learning to love along the way.
Water From My Heart follows the man-in-a-hole storyline, as Finn must climb out of the well his past life dug for him.
“once you’ve started charlie finn’s adventure, you’ll want to continue it to the end without delay. once you get to the end, the impact of what you’ve read and learned is a bit overwhelming. it stuns you with the power of it,” huffpost said. this novel is just as powerful, if not more so, than the previous ones: it creates beautiful settings and characters, creating a story you won’t be able to stop reading.
2. the dead don’t dance
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Dylan and Maggie Styles have everything they ever wanted: each other, love, a beautiful house, and a baby boy on the way. But everything changes when Maggie hemorrhages and slips into a coma after their son is stillborn. Dylan somehow must continue living as he waits for a miracle. Along the way, he meets friends and wrestles with his faith, “but it will take a second tragedy-and an anxious period of wrestling with God-to truly awaken him from his stupor and open him up to a new life.” (Charles Martin)
In the story of another man in a hole, Dylan faces unspeakable tragedies, but in the end he will find hope again.
martin once again brings the reader to the edge of their seat in this bittersweet love story, complete with plot twists, riveting character development and clever word choice. “[a] the story of one man’s spiritual journey through the darkness of despair and into the light of hope,” said goodreads.
The Dead Don’t Dance is getting a sequel, titled Maggie, which continues Dylan’s story.
1. the guardian of the water
Martin’s latest fiction release details the story of Murphy Shepherd. He lives alone, tending to an abandoned church on a tropical island. Mourning the loss of his mentor, “Murph” saves a woman named Summer — from there the drama unfolds. A mystery man has caught Summer’s daughter, intending to sell her into the slavery of human trafficing. Racing the clock to save her, he runs into a few companions while desperately attempting to outrun the secrets of his past.
A mix of Cinderella and Man in a Hole plotlines, Murph continues to find himself inches from success, only to fall again and again before he finally saves the day.
by far my favorite martin story. Only the most compelling authors can create a story rich in seemingly insignificant details, then reveal major secrets and twists. Martin does just that. “One of the surprising twists in this novel is so well disguised that some readers may be confused, at least at first. the layers of secrets may well trap the reader in bewilderment before all is revealed. but stay with the story. any misunderstandings will disappear as the twists unfold,” said the southern literary magazine.
if you choose to read any of these, read this one; will leave you eagerly awaiting the sequel, soon to be released in June 2021.
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