Happy Friday, friends! Can you believe it’s May 1st already? The days and weeks all seem to blend together lately… but today is a great day, because it’s time for another First Line Friday! Once again I’m linking up with Hoarding Books, and today I’m featuring Charles Martin’s upcoming release, The Water Keeper.

“Three miles distant, the trail of smoke spiraled upward.”

The Water Keeper by Charles Martin

The Basics

Title: The Water Keeper

Author: Charles Martin

Publication Date: May 5, 2020

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

From the Back Cover: A riveting new story of heroism, heartache, and the power of love to heal all wounds.

Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds for a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.

When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.

With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past—and the ghosts who tried to bury them.

With Martin’s trademark lyricism and poignant prose, The Water Keeper is at once a tender love story a heartrending search for freedom, and a reminder that the needs of the one outweigh those of the ninety-nine.

My Thoughts

This is the first of Charles Martin’s books I’ve read, although I’ve heard a lot of great things about him. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I opened this book, I encountered a beautiful, emotional, intense, engaging story!

The story was a little hard to follow at the beginning, as it seemed almost like we were starting at the end of something. It all began to make sense though, as the book went on and more details about Murph’s life were revealed. Both the action-packed plot and the multifaceted, compelling characters made the book hard to put down. With Charles Martin’s unique writing style, I almost felt like I was reading Murph’s journal and riding down the IC with him. The incredible details, intricate plot, and rich characters make this a book not to be missed!

Note: This book does deal with heavy topics, like suicide, drug use, and human trafficking. I would recommend it for older teenagers and up, depending on maturity level.

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below, and don’t forget to head to Hoarding Books to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.