On Monday evening, the 2013 Christy Award winners will be announced. The list of 2013 nominees is impressive (you can find it here). I’ve read many of them, but am in the mood for suspense, so wanted to tell you about two of my favorite books from last year (the authors are men I am honored to know, too).

Randy Singer is at the top of this genre with The Last Plea Bargain (and don’t forget to buy his latest Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales…Eric and I loved it!) The Last Plea Bargain is a page-turning legal thriller that spins in so many directions I couldn’t walk away from the story. I loved that he brought back Jamie Brock, a character from another book. Jamie is facing the death of her father and the execution of the man who murdered her mother. The problem is that his appellate attorney is willing to do anything to get his execution stayed. The man is fully convinced that his client is innocent. Then the attorney who defended her mother’s killer is accused of murdering his wife, and Jamie’s put on the case. From there Singer weaves an intricate web that spins between the appellate and trial cases. The trial scenes are gripping, yet the non-legal scenes are filled with tension and underlying emotions. Singer is an absolute master — he’s crafted another compelling win with The Last Plea Bargain. I hope to see more books with Jamie…My only complaint is that he can’t write faster!

Jim Rubart is an author who comes up with mind-twisting plots and what-ifs. Soul’s Gate was no exception. The characters were interesting, but what grabbed me and is staying with me after closing the book is the idea that I want God to use me in a way like He did the characters. Imagine four people who fulfill an old prophecy. They are to come together to bring freedom to those who are in bondage. They have to start with themselves…and that means jumping in to other people’s souls — with permission — to do warfare for them. Jim admits in an author note, that may not be possible. But so many other things in the book come straight from the Bible. Bottom line, I closed the book with a cry in my heart and hunger to be used by God in fresh, new, mighty ways to bring His freedom to this world. Definitely a book that can impact readers as much as Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness.