Twelve years ago Matthew "the Rocket" Rising had it all. Married to his high school sweetheart and one of the winningest quarterbacks in the history of college football, he was the number one NFL draft pick. But on the night of the draft, he plummeted from the pinnacle of esteem. Falsely accused of a heinous crime with irrefutable evidence, it seemed in an instant all was lost--his reputation, his career, his freedom, and most devastatingly, the love of his life.
Having served his sentence and never played a down of professional football, Matthew leaves prison with one goal--to find his wife, Audrey, whom no one has seen since the trial. He returns to an unwelcoming reception from his Gardi, Georgia, hometown to learn that Audrey has taken shelter from the media with the nuns at a Catholic school. There she has discovered a young man with the talent to achieve the football career Matthew should have had. All he needs is the right coach. Although helping the boy means Matthew violates the conditions of his release and--if discovered--reincarceration for life, he'll take the chance with hope of winning back Audrey's love.
“Never settle for less than the truth,” she told him. But when you don’t even know your real name, the truth gets a little complicated. It can nestle so close to home it’s hard to see. It can even flourish inside a lie. And as Chase Walker discovered, learning the truth about who you are can be as elusive—and as magical—as chasing fireflies on a summer night. A haunting audio about fishing, baseball, home cooking, and other matters of life and death.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mountain Between Us comes a powerful story about fishing, baseball, home cooking, and other matters of life and death . . .
"Martin understands the power of story and he uses it to alter the souls and lives of both his characters and his readers . . ." -Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author
They have one summer to find what was lost long ago.
"Never settle for less than the truth," she told him.
On a stifling summer day, an old Chevy Impala ignored the warning signals and was annihilated by the oncoming train. What no one realized until much later was that the driver had paused just before entering the tracks and kicked a small boy out of the car. A small boy with broken glasses who is clutching a notebook with all his might . . . but who never speaks.
Chase Walker was one of the lucky ones. He was in foster care as a child, but he finally ended up with a family who loved him and cared for him. Now, as a journalist for the local paper, he's moved on and put the past behind him.
But when he's assigned the story of this young boy, painful, haunting questions about his own childhood begin to rise to the surface.
And as Chase Walker discovers, learning the truth about who you are can be as elusive-and as magical-as chasing fireflies on a summer night.
"[C]olorful, memorable characters; Southern regional flavor that's drop-dead accurate; and lyrical, intelligent writing make Chasing Fireflies an exceptionally good read." -Aspiring Retail
"If I could use only one word to describe Chasing Fireflies it would have to be 'WOW!' From the very beginning of the book I was drawn into the story and could not put it down." -epinions.com
Now Charles Martin's Awakening series, The Dead Don't Dance and Maggie, are available as a 2-in-1 audiobook!
The Dead Don't Dance
In a sleepy rural town in South Carolina, Dylan and Maggie Styles are a young couple in love, preparing eagerly for the birth of their first son. But events take a tragic turn in the delivery room, and their child is delivered stillborn. When Maggie hemorrhages and slips into a coma, Dylan slips into what can only be described as a walking coma, holding vigil at his beloved wife's bedside. Through friends and grace-filled moments of insight, Dylan slowly begins to heal, 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.
Maggie
After slipping into a four-months-long coma following the tragic loss of their son in childbirth, Dylan's wife, Maggie, finally awakens-but can the young couple pick up the broken pieces of their lives and move forward? In this poignant love story that is redolent with Southern atmosphere, Dylan and Maggie must come to terms with their past before they can embrace their future.
- Two novels from New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin, including his debut novel, The Dead Don't Dance
- Full-length emotive Southern fiction novels
- Also by Charles Martin: The Mountain Between Us, Chasing Fireflies, When Crickets Cry, and The Water Keeper
Across forty days of vivid storytelling, It Is Finished offers you a unique and vital roadmap to trace the power and necessity of the cross throughout the Bible, from the book of Genesis all the way to your present-day reality.
Through forty slices of the story of Calvary, master storyteller and vivid Bible teacher Charles Martin, will walk you back to the cross to look up at it from a different angle each day and ask the Father to reveal to you:
- What exactly did he mean when the dying Jesus said, 'It is finished'-what was finished at the cross?
- When did what Jesus finish at the cross even begin?
- What does this man's death 2,000 years ago have to do with me today?
- What is God offering at the cross that I so easily forget and take for granted?
- What do I not realize about myself that the Father God has never forgotten?
Whether it is your first, tenth, or ten thousandth time looking up at the cross of Christ, you can trust New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin, to wrap an arm around your shoulder, come alongside and walk with you as a fellow pilgrim headed in the same direction and answering the same question: 'What will I do with this man, Jesus?'
Because before we can celebrate the resurrection, we need to backtrack to where Jesus has been, how He got there, and what His presence there accomplished. And while Satan can't change what happened on that Friday, he has been working ever since to hide what happened there. To obscure the work of the Cross. To avert our eyes. But on this 40-day pilgrimage your eyes will open wide and your heart will race as you discover the answer to the question that can change your life, Lord, why me? Why would you endure the cross and despise the shame, for me?
When Maggie opened her eyes that New Year's Day some seventeen months ago, I felt like I could see again. The fog lifted off my soul, and for the first time since our son had died and she had gone to sleep---some four months, sixteen days, eighteen hours, and nineteen minutes earlier---I took a breath deep enough to fill both my lungs.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mountain Between Us comes a new, spellbinding story of buried secrets, lost love, and the promise of second chances.
Experience the Bible come to life before your eyes as New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin uses his storyteller's imagination to present the life of Jesus in a way that will engage your faith in new ways. This collection of more than twenty short stories, compiled from Martin's books What If It's True? and They Turned the World Upside Down, draws you into a deeper understanding and love for the Savior.
Son of Man presents key moments from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and explores the lives of His followers in descriptive, novelistic words. This unique collection:
- Fosters a stronger appreciation, love, and respect for Jesus
- Covers themes including rejection, service, unconditional love, and forgiveness
- Uses the lives of the disciples as inspiration to be the light in a dark world
- Shows how the disciples' same world-changing faith is still around today
Son of Man is perfect for someone who loves Christian fiction. Known for his beloved lyrical style, Martin illuminates key moments from Scripture with stories such as 'Where the Father's Love Found Him,' 'Betrayed,' and 'The Borrowed Tomb.' Martin's writing offers a way to see how Jesus' life and the lives of His disciples revealed an unwavering confidence in the power and presence of God.
Experience Charles Martin's debut novel, a story of loss and undying love written in his signature emotive and heartrending style.
A sleepy rural town in South Carolina. The end of summer and a baby about to be born. But in the midst of hope and celebration comes unexpected tragedy, and Dylan Styles must come to terms with how much he's lost. Will the music of his heart be stilled forever-or will he choose to dance with life once more, in spite of sorrow and heartbreak?
The Dead Don't Dance is a bittersweet yet triumphant love story-a tale of one man's journey through the darkness of despair and into the light of hope.
- Full-length, emotive Southern fiction
- Sequel: Maggie
Christy finalist Charles Martin writes faith-based novels that engage believers and non-believers alike with their realistic and touching stories of Southern living. In a quiet rural town in South Carolina, the end of summer is bittersweet for Dylan Styles. Faced with a terrible tragedy, he must struggle to understand the dramatic change that has come over him. Life will never be the same for Dylan, but will his soul be darkened by heartbreak or galvanized through hope?
Includes an audiobook-exclusive interview with author Charles Martin!
"Here's the catch-even if I make it out of here alive, I need a reason to breathe again."
When MacThomas Pockets finished his last tour as part of the Scottish Special Forces, he was hired to consult for a film director to finesse some scenes that weren't working. In a twist he never saw coming, he ended up moving to L.A. to work as the bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue.
It didn't take long for Pockets to realize there were two Joe Sues: The Joe Sue the public saw with her perfect life and her Hollywood husband. And the private Joe Sue: the one with the traumatic youth that no amount of pills could cover up, who desperately wanted a child of her own.
Even after their paths diverged, he continued to track Joe Sue's life. Only a few would notice when the bottom fell out. But he did. And that's when he stepped in.
One man seeks to answer the question: How far would you go-really- to save someone you love? And in the masterful hands of New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin, finding the answer will take readers on an intense and heart-wrenching journey to the very end.
- Suspenseful, emotion-filled contemporary fiction
- Stand-alone novel
- Also by Charles Martin: The Water Keeper, The Mountains Between Us, and Chasing Fireflies
Combining heart-wrenching emotion with edge-of-your-seat tension, New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin explores the true power of sacrificial love.
Murphy Shepherd has made a career of finding those no one else could-survivors of human trafficking. His life's mission is helping others find freedom . . . but then the nightmare strikes too close to home.
When his new wife, her daughter, and two other teenage girls are stolen, Murphy is left questioning all he has thought to be true. With more dead ends than leads, he has no idea how to find his loved ones. After everything is stripped away, love is what remains.
Hope feels lost, but Murphy is willing to expend his last breath trying to bring them home.
Praise for The Letter Keeper:
"A man broken by events beyond his control accepts the challenge to walk dark ways in order to bring the lost and helpless home, but he comes close to losing himself in the process. Despite the hardship and heartache, Martin's story shines with the light of eternal hope." -Davis Bunn, writing for Christianity Today
"It is unequivocally, hands down, a remarkable read. It's everything you want (and a whole lot more) from a sequel . . . Y'all better get ready. Like I said last time, clear your schedule. Then read this book . . . front to back. There will be more sweaty palms, fist pumps, tears, and laughter than the first one. I promise." -Charlie Martin, Charles Martin's son
- Full-length novel
- One of the Murphy Shepherd novels:
- Book One: The Water Keeper
- Book Two: The Letter Keeper
- Book Three: Coming June 2022!
- Also by Charles Martin: The Mountain Between Us, Send Down the Rain, Long Way Gone, When Crickets Cry
