Thicker Than Blood by C.J. Darlington

TitleTrakk.com Blog Tours Presents:

Thicker than Blood
by C.J. Darlington
Published by Tyndale House

Winner of the
2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel Contest!

Christy Williams finally has her life on track. She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build a career as an antiquarian book buyer. But things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. With no one to turn to, she yearns for her estranged younger sister, May, whom she abandoned after their parents’ untimely deaths. Soon, Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could May’s Triple Cross Ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for? Will the sisters realize that each possesses what the other desperately needs before it’s too late?

Here is my review of this entertaining and suspenseful read:

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to C.J. Darlington and her publisher for sending me a copy of "Thicker Than Blood" to review for them. I have always been grateful for this generosity, and I am trying to improve at being consistent in taking the time to thank these wonderfully giving individuals in a public forum. I really appreciate your time, effort and expense in making a reviewer copy available to me.

I have only just begun reading the novel “Thicker Than Blood” by C.J. Darlington, and it has captured my attention and interest in just a few pages. The restoration of the relationship between two very different sisters lies at the heart of this novel. Perhaps it touches my heartstrings as it does because my own sister and I have never been close. There is also a mystery woven throughout concerning a rare copy of a Hemingway novel. This incorporates two additional facets that I love into the story: suspense and books. As I haven’t yet finished the book, I don’t want to accidentally reveal something that is integral to the plot, so let me simply say that this is a well plotted and beautifully written book that will keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat.

I am supremely impressed with the author’s research – or perhaps this is life experience – that enables her to draw the reader into one sister’s nightmare of a sobriety check and arrest and then flip them onto a farm while a calf is being born to the other sister. WOW! What an eclectic mix of subject matter! Sorry if I’ve given away too many details, but these events happen in the first few pages, so I don’t think it will spoil too much. Also, it sets the tone for where these two women are coming from which is another part of the appeal of this entertaining novel.

With careful attention to detail, emotion, and scene-setting, C.J. Darlington scores with her debut effort. Here is a special writer you won’t want to miss.
--Jerry B. Jenkins, New York Times best selling author

If you love a good read filled with adventure and ultimately redemption, I encourage you to brew the tea, settle into your favorite chair and pick up the page turner that is C.J. Darlington’s imaginative new novel of a modern day sisterhood that triumphs over separation and the raw challenges of life to find the real endurance of both family ties and God’s amazing grace.
--Rebecca St. James, Grammy award winning Christian singer and bestselling author

With Thicker than Blood, C.J. Darlington proves she's a novelist for the long-haul, a strong new voice in Christian fiction. This book speaks to the heart, from the heart, about the heart. Readers will not soon forget it.
--Sibella Giorello, Christy award-winning author of The Rivers Run Dry & The Clouds Roll Away

Watch the book trailer:

About the Author:
C. J. began writing the story that would become Thicker than Blood (her first novel) when she was a fifteen-year-old homeschool student. She has been in the antiquarian bookselling business for over a decade, scouting for stores similar to the one described in the novel before cofounding her own online bookstore. Thicker than Blood was the winner of the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel.

C. J. co-founded the Christian entertainment Web site TitleTrakk.com with her sister, Tracy, and has been actively promoting Christian fiction through book reviews and author interviews. She makes her home in Pennsylvania with her family and their menagerie of dogs and cats. Visit her website www.cjdarlington.com for more info.

QUICK LINKS:

• The 1st chapter of Thicker than Blood
• The "Story Behind the Story" of Thicker than Blood
• More endorsements from Jenny B. Jones, James Scott Bell, Susan Meissner, and more!
• Our interview with C.J. at TitleTrakk.com
  
• Buy Thicker than Blood at Christianbook.com
• Buy Thicker than Blood at Amazon.com
• List of the other 85+ Thicker than Blood blog tour participants!