Tired of the profanity and gore found in many of today’s mystery novels? Then Christian mysteries might be your cup of tea. Author Betty Johansen’s guide will give you her top picks in this subgenre.
Christian mystery novels can offer you the brain candy you crave from a good, suspenseful whodunit - and at the same time help you undertake the deeper work of developing your faith. Immersing yourself in a faith-based cozy mystery could be the perfect way to spend a rainy day by the fireplace, for both entertainment and spiritual growth. Christian mystery writer Betty Johansen has a guide of top picks in the subgenre that can help you choose your next story.
Read it here: https://bettyjohansen.com/2023/08/02/christian-mysteries-why-i-love-them/
In this guide, Johansen explains why she enjoys Christian mystery novels and the benefits they can offer fellow whodunit aficionados like you who are seeking clean, wholesome stories free of gore, explicit sensuality, and foul language.
As Johansen details, Christian mysteries are enjoyable and give you a sense of satisfaction through poetic justice. Like all mysteries, their intriguing plots offer you the familiar pleasure of secrets revealed; however, Christian mysteries also acknowledge and respect the divine order inherent in human life and the natural world. They present answers to the question of "Whodunit?" and to the bigger questions about humanity's place in the universe and its relationship to God.
Another reason Johansen appreciates Christian mysteries is their ability to nourish readers’ emotional and spiritual well-being while providing intellectual stimulation. You can enjoy the cognitive exercise of puzzling over the narrative’s secrets, and at the same time, you can share in the characters’ spiritual journeys as they embrace their faith to overcome challenges.
Johansen illustrates this point with reference to two of her own novels, the recently published Lilli's Song and Hawaiian Wildflower. Lilli's Song describes the spiritual experiences of members of a Texas town who are secretly in contact with demons disguised as space aliens. Hawaiian Wildflower tells of the spiritual struggles of a Texan woman who believes she is happily married until a beautiful, young Hawaiian woman comes seeking her husband.
The guide also offers you a selection of Christian mystery novels that Johansen has reviewed, along with links to the reviews and downloadable character lists for each novel. These lists are intended to help you remember the parts characters play in the plot as you read.
Johansen returned to her life-long interest in writing after a career as a middle-school science teacher. The writing bug bit again when her Sunday school classmates took an interest in her novels, inspiring her to pursue fiction writing. Besides Lilli's Song and Hawaiian Wildflower, Johansen has published two other Christian mysteries - Darkness Under His Feet and Out of Darkness.
“Christian mysteries are fun. They’re entertaining. And enigmatic. But they’re not fluff,” Johansen writes. “A Christian mystery writer doesn’t have to preach in order to show how the characters lean into their God in order to deepen their faith and work through their difficulties. As the readers live through the process with the fictional characters, they have the opportunity to learn and grow too.”
On Johansen's blog, Eagerly Waiting, you'll find detailed summaries of her novels with front and back flap images, free excerpts from each, and links to make purchases. The site offers fans of cozy mysteries like you a cozy place to sample and seek out faith-based whodunit stories that will nourish your heart, mind, and soul.
Read Betty Johansen's guide to her top Christian mystery picks here: https://bettyjohansen.com/2023/08/02/christian-mysteries-why-i-love-them/
