Anyone a fan of any Christian fiction authors that appeal to men?  Oh, I'm full aware of people like Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker.  I love a good suspence novel, some sci-fi, legal thrillers, etc.  Any suggestions of great books I might be missing?

I have a few books posted now and will be adding more in the days to come.  Most will be Christian fiction.

If you like hist romance, try Redeeming Love by Francine RIvers. It is really good.

That sounds like something that my wife would get into.  But, it doesn't sound like something a man would really like.

Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Well, to state the obvious, have you read the Left Behind series?

I have a book on my shelf by Sue Duffy that is called Mortal Wounds http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9781586603076-Mortal+Wounds, which is a Christian mystery/thriller type, but I haven't read it so I can't say how good/bad it is.

oh sorry! I saw Chris and there are a couple of other female Chris's and just assumed. Sorry. The Left Behind books are very good too. Each one gets a little more intense and they are very addictive. And, now you don't have to wait for the next one to come out like I did.

I'm not sure I want to read the Left Behind series.  I've watched the movies, and the stories are a bit weak.  Plus, I don't subscribe to the Pre-Trib Rapture theory that is held by most evangelicals these days.  So, rather than get bogged down in fiction that tries to become prophecy interpretation for the American church, I just haven't checked them out.

I've got a couple of Randy Alcorn books on my Want list.  I think that's more the direction I want to go in.

Have you looked at your recommendations in your account under "my lists?"  That might help!  Good luck.

I'd highly recommed books by Robert Whitlow.   They are courtroom dramas.  Might be a bit of a love story through the story but it's NOT the main story.   Kinda like a Christian Grisham type book.   There are two on my shelf that go together (second book follows the story of the first book).  IF you think you are interested, PM me and I'll give you a deal on them.   I also like the Zion Chornicles by Bodie Thoene.  There is a whole series of these starting with Vienna Prelude.   They begin in pre WW2 days.  Again, there may be a love story running through them but it's not the MAIN story.  It's about the struggle Jews and Christian Jews have when Hitler is invading.   I've read the first two and they held my interest.   Bodie has several other series but this is the only one I've started.    

Hands down if you have not read this trilogy by Francine Rivers-  It's call the Mark of the Lion Series- deep, rich characters paired with a glimpse of the unbelievable  times after the death of Christ-  Page turning and life changing... Do yourself a favor... find them and read them.

I just finished JOSHUA     by Joseph F. Girzone.   It's a quick read that  has "universal appeal".... both men and women would enjoy it and  many of the messages expressed are shared with other faiths.    It's a story about a young carpenter that moves into a small community, and  changes the lives of the people he meets.

"SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS.  AFTER TWO THOUSAND YEARS, THE HUMAN RACE MAY BE GIVEN ANOTHER CHANCE....." 

  Wishing you all the best, and happy reading!

I have three sci fi books on my shelf by Richard Cowper (a.k.a. John Middleton Murry Jr.) that are about a Christian-descended group in a post-apocalyptic world: the first one is The Road to Corlay, and the others are A Dream of Kinship and Time Out of Mind. I liked them, though I didn't love them; they're sci fi with a bit of a fantasy feel. Another Christian SF series that you may already know about  is C.S. Lewis' Perelandra trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength).

I just finished reading Pillars of the Earth.  I'm not sure if it qualifies as "Christian" reading but it is certainly historical as far as cathedral and church construction in Medieval England. I found the politics surrounding the community to be fascinating.  Excellent read and pretty hefty.

Soooo many have recommended PILLARS OF THE EARTH,  so I finally picked it up.  Its an enormous novel  in so many ways.........973 pages to be exact.   I was drawn it by the second page!   I heard that the author,  Ken Follet has written a sequel,  does anyone know anything about it?

Ditto on The Zion Chronicles by Thoene and Double Ditto on The Mark Of The Lion series by Francine Rivers...My all time favorite series.  I think a man would enjoy either.

You might like Deception by Randy Alcorn--murder mystery in the FBI. It is part of a trilogy but they can stand alone.

The Left Behind books are much better than the movies.  You shouldn't avoid them just because of that.  I also don't believe there is any basis for the Rapture theory, but these books are fiction and if you read them like you would any other fiction, you may find you enjoy them.  I read many of the books in one day each because I couldn't put them down.

I love the historical fiction of Jack Cavanaugh. He has several series of books - my favorites have been the Book of Books series, which are accounts of the times of the various Bible translations (Wycliffe, Tyndale). He also has a very large series, 8 or 9 books I think, that follows one family through the generations of American history, from the Pilgrims to WW2. The link between the books is that it follows one family and a family Bible that is passed down though the generations. After reading all the books, I really felt like I "knew" the entire family. Check them out!!

Chris, I did some looking using "NoveList" I hope these suggestions help...  Dekker was mentioned as a Peretti read-a-like as well.

Terri Blackstock used to write secular books under pseudonyms, but everything written under her own name is solidly Christian, with no strong language or sex. Though she does not write Horror, Blackstock's Suspense novels are similar to Peretti's in many ways: they are fast-paced, nail-biting stories with a strong Christian message. Her characters are complex, and many of them start as doubters or non-believers before they ultimately discover the Christian faith. Try beginning with the first title of Blackstock's Cape Refuge series, Cape Refuge, a murder Mystery set in a small coastal town.

The Christy Award-winning lawyer Robert Whitlow does for Legal Thrillers what Peretti does for Horror. CBA Frontline, the magazine of the Christian Bookseller Association, said that Whitlow was "somewhere between the styles of Frank Peretti and John Grisham." Whitlow's suspenseful, intricate plots feature fascinating characters with different levels of Christian faith in small Southern towns. Although Whitlow's books lack Peretti's supernatural elements, prayer and church are major influences in the characters' lives, and no sex or strong language is present. A good place to start is with The Trial, about a lawyer struggling to defend a death-row murder while making sense of his own waning faith.

Readers who are uncomfortable with strong language and vivid sex should avoid Stephen King at all costs. But Peretti fans willing to venture into more mainstream books may find themselves pleasantly surprised to see why Peretti has been called the "Stephen King of Christian fiction." Many of King's novels focus on the battle between good and evil, often within a Christian context. Though King's books are not specifically evangelical, many of Peretti's readers will enjoy King's quick pace, cinematic imagery, and vivid storytelling. Try starting with The Stand, an apocalyptic novel that pits the forces of good — including some devout Christians — against the forces of evil, personified by a modern-day anti-Christ.

Have you read anything by Ray Blackston?  I've read two, Flabbergasted and A Delirious Summer, which are both about the same group of characters.  There is a third, Lost in Rooville, but I've yet to read it.  They're both fictitious stories about being single and dating and mission work and how life makes it all work together.  I found it to be very funny.  There are parts of the sequel that still make me laugh now.  I guess all I'm trying to say is that I really liked both books and they're worth reading.

i know this is an old thread, but if you're still looking i'd suggest

Brandt Dodson- mystery, detective, gritty suspense

James Scott Bell - lawyer type mystery , Grisham-like

Robert Liparulo- 24ish type suspense

Robin Parrish

TL Hines

George Bryan Polivka

Try A Skeleton in God's Closet and More Than a Skeleton by Paul L. Maier. His books were recommended in my Adult Sunday Bible class as an alternative to The DaVinci Code. I've finished the first one and thought it was an interesting read; not the greatest, but I definitely liked it better than DaVinci.

I really like Randy Alcorn - wish I could get my husband to read him. I just finished Deadline about two weeks ago. One I would highly recommend is Safely Home about the persecution of the church in China. Alcorn's book really make you think.

Mary P., those were gonna be my suggestions!  I LOVED both his (Paul L. Maier) books because they make you think about what your faith is actually based on.  For example, does it matter if they were to find the remains of Jesus's body?  Would that change how you feel about Jesus, God and being a Christian?  I LOVE books like that.

On a totally different, and massive, note is Margaret George's Mary, Called Magdalene.  However, it is indeed massive (630 pgs), and while I read only the first third, I think she takes a lot of liberties with the history, though I am no Bible scholar by any means.  She says she did a lot of research before she wrote, so maybe I'm wrong.  It was good, I just stopped reading because I was very very pregnant and kept falling asleep while reading, and the book was on my tummy and my husband thought it was going to smother the baby, lol.

I found the "Left Behind"s weak, too.  The characters were unbelievable to me, and the plot threads just too obvious.  I was disappointed that more talented fiction writers did not get hold of this concept.  It could have been truly powerful.  As it is, I'd say "mediocre" would descibe it.  B movie material.