The Water Keeper (A Murphy Shepherd Novel Book 1) Kindle Edition

I would recommend this book to everyone. I came upon this book by chance. Every once in a while you are surprised by the contents. This is the way this book is too me. I fell hard for the characters and were rooting for them all the way. This story will make you laugh and break your heart. But that's the way of a good story. Beautifully written, not any typos. (Typos throw me off bad when I'm into a good story). The story will get your heart pumping and will bring a smile. Books are my great escape, littteraly. I will not talk about what happens in this book as I want you to be as surprised and emotional as I was. Before I had read the entire book, I stopped and ordered the 2nd. I want this story to continue and never end. That's the only drawback to this book. It has to end at some point. I hope you read this and are just as moved as I was.

Amazing book. Kept me up past my bedtime! I love the twists and the heart how it continues to flow.

Author Charles Martin hooked me with his first book and I've been a fan ever since. His novels contain deep wisdom and turns of thought that make me pause, mouth open. I've often said I would read a grocery list if he wrote it.I put off reading his newest release. I'd heard it dealt with human sex trafficking and, honestly, I thought I'd read enough books on that topic. But he is a master storyteller and his approach was different than anything I'd read before. As Murph, the main character, goes in search of a young girl he met briefly, he picks up a collection of strays--the girl's mother, a dog that could be an Olympic swimmer, and an old man who appears to be on his last breath and turns out the be the dog's owner--who join his hunt for the girl named Angel. Each of them contribute to achieving the goal.Martin weaves in Biblical ideas and truths in ways that are intrinsic to the story without being pushy. He has so many story threads going, I'm amazed he can keep them all straight. And this leads me to my first disappointment with the story.At times, it's just too much. Too many stories going on. Too many details. The story takes place in Florida and those who live in or are familiar with Florida will probably enjoy all the local names of cities and waterways and where there are no-wake zones and the local lore. Personally, I found it confusing and rather boring. I suspect he included all that to add realism, but the names meant nothing to me and I skimmed over a lot of those parts.The fight scenes probably thrill male readers, but I had a hard time believing a man (or a dog) could be so injured and still accomplish all the things Murph and Gunner did. Even though I cheered them on, the author lost credibility with me there which kicked me out of the story and I put the book down when I could no longer believe what was happening.The same is true when one character dies. I neglected to count how many times her eyes rolled back in her head, yet she still had enough strength and consciousness to place her hand against the guy's chest and pull his head down for a last kiss. I'm not the romantic I once was. I kept thinking, "Just die, woman!"However, despite my objections and disappointments with The Water Keeper, I can still say the story is riveting, frightening, and well worth the read. It is classic Charles Martin with a strong male lead who loves his woman beyond measure and fights to rescue the damsel(s) in distress. If you like love stories without a lot of romance, you'll like Charles Martin.

The story was riveting. Every new person in Murphs life had an intricate part of building this story. The words, so well written, made the visual story so east to see.

I could not stop reading! I lived in Florida and was familiar with the places he wrote about, made the book even more interesting!

I liked the flow, the continual story line and intriguing descriptions of actions, his use of what is used for his succecc.

My mom had me order this for her for her bookclub. She had no complaints and thought it was a good read. Recommend.

Although there were many parts of this novel that were truly thought-provoking and inspiring, I found many of the scenes (and characters) to be highly unbelievable. I appreciate where the author is coming from on the general themes of the book and I caught several of the good, wholesome messages I believe he was trying to portray to his readers, but several of the scenes (especially towards the end of the book) were way over-the-top and, for me, put the integrity (and believability) of the story as a whole in jeopardy. The first part of the book is extremely slow-paced, melancholy and fairly ordinary, but then about halfway through the pace picks up dramatically and the book takes on the tone of a way-out-there Hollywood thriller/action sequence that has almost no footing on reality. Several of the back-to-back scenes (repeated faked suicides, people/dogs shot and severely wounded just bouncing back immediately, the main character's very twisted relationship with his wife who's perpetually running from him, a very emotionally disturbed 'nun' who seemed to have no relationship with God or grip on reality, etc.) had me laughing out loud sarcastically and wondering why the author had pushed the plot so far. It is my opinion that the book would have been far better off and had much more credibility if some of the events had been toned down or removed altogether. This was the first Charles Martin book I've read, and I'm not sure I will read another of his titles.

From start to finish this was an action packed, incredible story. I couldn’t put it down! I highly recommend reading this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Actually ,I've enjoyed all of Charles Martin's books, but this was one of the best. Can't wait until the next one is released, but not too long now!

This book kept my interest from first page to last and I normally do not read this genre. That is saying a lot. This author has a very distinct writing voice and style. A very gifted writer who deals tastefully with a good dose of hope on a very difficult subject. Warning this book may be a emotional trigger for any person who has experienced sexual assault.

Will probably read next book

This author writes like no one else I have ever read. Speaks from the heart and soul. The story line is second to how he writes it Can’t wait to read more from this author.