Find a comfortable place to read Sky Zone because it will keep you there until the finish. I cheered for Jack and Pam Crittendon, Brian Shakespeare, and their allies through the terrorist attack and it’s aftermath. I do not regret the lost sleep it took to finish this book! ( )

Quick Summary: This is the third in the series. You do not need to read the others, but the background on the characters will make it even more enjoyable. In this book, Jack is employed part-time at an arena, Pamela is pregnant, and Pamela’s mother is living with them. When Pamela gets tickets to attend the speech of a controversial presidential candidate, she takes the whole family. Terrorists attempt to take down the arena while Jack and a friend try to save his family.

What I liked: I loved getting to ‘see’ Jack and Pamela again since I enjoyed them in previous books. This book jumped right into the story since Jack and Pamela are dealing with the emotional fall out from the last story. Mapes’ characters are so realistic that you feel that they are friends. The story moves quickly to believable action. This is definitely one you will not want to put down.

What I did not like: The only thing I did not like was Jack’s depressed attitude at the beginning of the story, but it is an essential part of the story.

The bottom line: Each story in this series gets better than the last. I enjoyed the others, but I loved this one.

Rating >
Overall - 5
Creativity - 5
Characters - 5
Engrossing - 5
Writing - 5
Appropriate length to tell the story - 5

Content>
Language - none
Sexuality - a few kisses
Violence - fighting, killing, and narrow escapes
Drugs/alcohol - none ( )

This is the third book in the Crittendon Files series. It’s a good series with each book getting better and better. You don’t have to read the first two as Creston Mapes fills in the gaps a little, but if you plan on reading the first two, do so before this book or you will know how things end in Fear Has a Name and Poison Town.

This is a great story full of suspense and action. A terrorist threat becomes too personal for Jack, and his family. He is now working as security detail for a stadium, while looking for a full-time job in journalism to replace his previous one. (Poison Town, book 2 in this series, explains this in more detail.) With a threat on the political event taking place in the stadium, Jack thinks that evil lurks up in the sky zone.

So now we see Jack and Pamela, his wife, having real life husband and wife troubles, and throw in this entire terrorist thing, and her mother’s Alzheimer’s, oh–and Pamela’s like 12 month’s pregnant… this family just can’t catch a break. I hope they get to take a good vacation soon. They need it.

I loved this book! Loved it. Could not put it down. Creston’s best in my opinion. Characters are well developed and not over-the-top-great-Christians but very real. They just happen to have extraordinary situations pop up that, hopefully, most of us don’t have. Instead these are ordinary people who have ordinary trouble in their walk of faith. Jack learns a lesson, grows, then backslides a little. Two steps forward, one step back type of thing. Nice to see that I’m not the only one who takes a while to get my act together.

Suspense lovers are sure to enjoy this novel. I highly recommend it. Not only is it a great story, but it has a lot of great things to think about. And yes, it does come with book discussion questions at the end. Nice because this is a perfect book to discuss. So much to talk about while and after reading it.

Note: I checked this book out from the Library and promise this is an honest review. The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. Other reviews can be read at http://TMWoodsBooks.com/blog . Also follow me on Twitter @TMWoodsBooks, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/TMWoodsBooks . ( )

Incredibly tense, very satisfying. Vintage Creston Mapes.

I'm in mourning. I hurried through the book to reach the end, find out who the bad guys were, who survives, how life turns out for so many people, and now I'm done. I need more. Creston Mapes has created an addict.

Jack Crittendon and his wife are desperate for Jack to find a full-time job, but all Jack has for now is a part-time job with security at a Columbus, Ohio concert venue. Pam, eight months pregnant, is working, wishing she could be a stay-at-home mother for their other two daughters. More pressure builds with the presence of Pam's mom in the home, who doesn't understand Jack and Pam's need for privacy and is also descending into dementia.Can Jack and Pam's marriage survive these hurdles?

Jack's friend, Shakespeare, has turned his home into a mini-compound, sure the world will come hurtling to an end. When that happens, he and his family will be ready. Question is, will he still have a family to protect when that time comes? His survivalist extremism is driving his wife further and further away with every plan he makes.

Both Jack and Shakespeare are called to work security for the appearance of the senator from Ohio who is running for President. Martin Sterling is a staunch hardliner against terrorists and pledges that much money will be spent on beefing up Homeland Security and rooting out terrorism, should he be elected. Then, the unthinkable happens: terrorists take over the concert arena and Jack and Shakespeare must help figure out how to keep thousands of people safe, avert disaster, and save the lives of the Senator and the famous Christian singer. Jack's nightmare turns epic when his wife surprises him and not only is caught up in the horrors of the standoff but complications ensue.

Who will survive this deadly game of cat and mouse? Faith is put to the test as individuals stare mortality and life (not as they would like it) in the face and decide how they will deal with it. Mapes has done a masterful job in Sky Zone, and the final blow is stunning as the reader discovers who is behind the whole scenario in the arena!

I received this book from bookfun.org in exchange for an honest review. ( )