Rogan Sneed . . . Portland’s Worst NightmareHigh school teacher Tyson Cooper is just dismissing his class when a student flashes his phone. “Another shooting, Mr. C.”And this one is too close to home. Tyson races to Pioneer Square . . . but he’s too late. The light of his life has been snuffed out–and so has his faith.Veteran Portland PD Investigator Wayne Deetz, two years shy of retirement, is … Wayne Deetz, two years shy of retirement, is charged with leading the interrogations. When he meets 19-year-old shooter Rogan Sneed face-to-face, his life is changed eternally.
Will Tyson settle for anything less than the death penalty in the case against Rogan Sneed? He’s bent on justice and will do anything to make Rogan pay for the pain he inflicted on himself and the city of Portland that rainy, haunting May day.
With tension on every page, Amazon #1 Best-Selling author Creston Mapes demonstrates why he is a “Top Pick” among mystery, fiction and thriller lovers.
Fans of Terri Blackstock, Lynette Eason, Dani Pettrey, Diane Moody, and Christy Barritt, will love this thriller from award-winning and bestselling author Creston Mapes.
Praise for FEAR HAS A NAME
“Signs of Life by Creston Mapes plunges the reader into the middle of an all-too-familiar mass shooting scenario. What makes this novel different is the protagonist’s very real issue of a right or wrong response. The multi-layered characters and all too real situations made this a novel I couldn’t put down!” — Colleen Coble, USAToday bestselling author
“Another tightly penned thrill-ride from a master storyteller!” — Award-winning Author Carrie Stuart Parks
“What a page-turner! Think Jodi Picoult with redemption. Mapes creatively deconstructs a tragic tale—one we’re all too familiar with—in a personal and relevant way, with a good dose of hope.” — Melody Carlson, author of Perfect Alibi and No One to Trust
“You better pack a lunch. Once you enter Mapes’ world, you ain’t going anywhere…With his thumb placed firmly on the pulse of today’s culture, Mapes’ fictional story could have been ripped straight from recent headlines — another crazed, video game-addicted teenage nutcase goes on a shooting rampage…A master storyteller, Mapes remains true to his celebrated brand — weaving a heartfelt message of faith into a heart-stopping tale. Popping off rapid-fire “gotchas” from start to finish, Mapes possesses precision marksmanship — paralyzing readers with each page of Signs of Life.” — Author Christopher Long, Ink19.com
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The premise of Creston Mapes’ new book – a senseless mass shooting – is one that’s happening in real life much too often these days. But the heart of this book is the after-story. Told from two different perspectives – that of Wayne Deetz, the lead detective, and Tyson Cooper, whose wife was killed that day – we are plunged into the depths of human response to such tragedies and how to find justice. I’ve often wondered how I would respond in the face of inexplicable evil and personal loss. Would my faith stay strong? I suppose that’s why the story resonated so deeply with me. Through Tyson’s transparency, we examine those feelings of utter despair and life-truths that have shaken his soul to the core. How on earth do you move beyond something like that? Once again, Mapes masterfully places the reader into the story, walking alongside these complex characters in the most gut-wrenching circumstances. And once again, he delivers a story that lingers long after the last page is read. Well done, Creston Mapes. I look forward to reading the rest of this series!
I like reading clean books with no profanity, so this one was a good one. Especially the Christian theme – it started out only being mentioned slightly, but then got more involved later on in the book. The theme was a nice action-packed one, altho’ the prose was a bit on the dry side as is usual with male authors. Good book!
currently reading…excuse me now, gonna go finish it…good book
As always this author keeps you reading and wanting it to never end!
This novel dealt very realistically and honestly with the emotions and actions of a young man whose wife was brutally murdered by a mass murderer. I haven’t previously read anything so clearly describing how a person in those circumstances would feel. The story was gripping, honest, and inspiring. A great read.
It was a good read. One of the main characters makes you very sympathetic toward victims of random violence and some of the extremely hard things they deal with.
Very good and realistic story
Creston Mapes is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Had to read the rest of the series…
I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. Compelling story. Terrific character development. Tension. Action. What isn’t to like??
Title: Signs of Life (Signs of Life #1)
Author: Creston Mapes
Pages: 226
Year: 2019
Publisher: Independently published
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Investigator Wayne Deetz has worked for the Portland Police Department for 33 years and is just two years away from retirement when every policeman’s nightmare happens…a mass shooting. He is assigned to the case as the lead detective. His first interview is with the young, 19-year-old shooter, Rogan Sneed. Deetz gets little information from this initial interview but knows he will be spending many long hours on this case. His wife is worried about his health, and he experiences episodes of dizziness, nausea and sweating. His family is precious to him and he worries for their safety amidst this case. He promises his wife he will see a doctor when he has time, but will he wait too long to do that?
Tyson Cooper works the night shift at a manual labor job after having quit his teaching job after the mass shooting that took the love of his life from him. Now, he just exists. He goes nowhere other than work. He has no friends. He quit going to church. He quit living. The one-year anniversary of the shooting is fast approaching, and Tyler is still deeply depressed. He is seeing a psychiatrist but can’t see that it is doing any good. A female co-worker begins to show an interest in friendship with him. He clings to her bright disposition and notices her strong faith in God. However, he longs for revenge and justice for those 21 people killed, including his wife, to be taken out on Rogan Sneed, the shooter. Rogan’s formal sentencing date is to be on the anniversary of the shooting. Will justice be done by the legal system or will Tyson take justice into his own hands?
This first story in the Signs of Life series was a good read but didn’t have the edge-of-your-seat, constant adrenaline rush that this author’s previous novels induce in me. The first half of the book was slow going for me, but readers keep reading as the rest of the book is worth it. The faith message woven into the story was very well done. I really liked the character of Deetz and his sensitive heart, his love for his family and his dedication to his job. The grief, sorrow and anguish felt by Tyson after the tragedy touched my heart. I’ve already ordered the second book in the series and can’t wait for it to arrive!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
A master storyteller, Creston Mapes remains true to his celebrated brand — weaving a heartfelt message of faith into his heart-stopping tale. Popping off rapid-fire “gotchas” from start to finish, Mapes possesses precision marksmanship — paralyzing readers with each page.