The Queen

Whoo-hooo! 4.5 stars. The Queen! Is a wonderful read. My favorite of the series so far. A Tale of many stories On one hand there is this killer serial killer story. Patrick Bowers serves at the head of the manhunt for the infamous Mr. Basque. One layer below that, there is a tale of international espionage that gets more and more tangled. Throw in a winter storm and rural Wisconsin and it only gets more tangled. The standard suspense thriller is just as fun any other book. It’s both complicate [...]

I found The Pawn and The Rook at my local thrift store on the cheap, and bought them because they were Christian fiction, which is my favorite genre of books. Upon starting the series, I was blown away by the action and intensity, and got my hands on the subsequent volumes as soon as possible. Each volume ratcheted it up: the villains became more evil and cunning, the plots got increasingly convoluted, the stories were more engrossing, the threats were insanely more dire, etc up until The Queen, [...]

This past summer I attended a writer’s conference in Tennessee. Steven James was one of the main speakers, so I picked up The Bishop to read before I went. After all, I wanted to be familiar with the authors who would be leading the conference.After reading the first few chapters I had to ask myself – “How in the world did I miss this guy?” The writing was tight, the plot complex, the pacing accelerating like a hopped-up Ferrari. However, the story was not for the faint of heart. Graphic [...]

This is my third attempt at writing this review. I listened to the audiobook, and that format suited this read. This is an intriguing combination of geopolitical thriller and serial killer procedural, and for the most part, it was successful.Patrick Bowers works for the FBI and catches serial killers. He's not a profiler. Instead he uses computers to track a serial killer's movements. On top of that, he's also a stepfather and a widower who is about to ask his girlfriend to marry him. And he's a [...]

Steven James' books are not for the faint of heart. If you have trouble sleeping at night I might not reccomend them but for anyone who loves to get your pulse pounding and reading books is all about sitting on the edge of your seat - then the Patrick Bowers books are made for you! To call what Patrick Bowers goes through a thriller is an understatement. There are so many layers to this story that it is impossible to even try and give you a heads up. It wouldn't be fair to the reader in you to t [...]

I guessed the big shocking thing. Er what was supposed to be the big shocking thing. Towards the beginning of the book. I'm not sure whether to feel satisfied or disappointed. Still, a five star read. Complex, thrilling, and altogether BRILLIANT. As always. I'm glad I have The King waiting for me on my shelf! :)

With THE QUEEN, Stephen James has again demonstrated that he was one of the best suspense writers in America today. In this fifth book of the series, James delivers a novel full of great characters, nail-biting suspense, and great plot twists. This novel easily gets five starts from me. James easily stands out as one of the best thriller writers in the market, HOWEVER, this may just be the worst book in the series. And I'll get to that in a moment.The novel opens with Patrick Bowers investigatin [...]

Steven James is a master storyteller. Each novel gets a little bit better. I’ve read each book in the Patrick Bowers series and this one raises the bar. The Queen is fast paced and holds the reader’s interest until the end.CharactersThe Bowers series has a great list of characters that are well developed and intriguing. Bowers loses his tough guy image around his teenage stepdaughter. It’s the one area of life where he can’t quite be the one in control. One moment he’s being heroic and [...]

I read The Bishop a while back and really enjoyed it. I’m pretty picky when it comes to books like this because it is not my favorite genre, but there are a few authors that I feel excel at writing suspense, and Steven James is one of those authors. One of my absolute requirements when it comes to suspense novels is they have to grab me right away. If there is no immediate excitement, there is very little chance that I will like the book. I remember how quickly The Bishop grabbed me, so decidi [...]

You must be kidding me.Not only was I fan from the The Pawn, but I have actively recommended these books to patrons who were looking for fast-paced, smart thrillers. Sometimes it was for someone looking for new and exciting Christian reads, but sometimes it wasn't. This series had appeal for a broad range of people, and I was proudly one of its cheerleaders. These were books I eagerly anticipated and even moved to the top of the to-read stack as soon as they arrived. Butally, Steven James? Reall [...]

Again, the author kept me turning page after page, while ignoring the needs of the day. It was wonderful!

REVIEWED BY FRED STLAURENTThe Book Club Network Latest in the Patrick Bowers series by Steven James is the best yet!I am lucky enough to be married to a woman who reads voraciously and happens to know many authors. A couple of years ago Nora happened to hand me a copy of The Pawn by Steven James. She knows me well and understands that I cannot resist a good detective novel. I am captured by thrillers, mysteries and lawyers fighting in the court room stories. From the very first chapter of Steven [...]

Imagine my surprise after reading all the Patrick Bower series by Steven James and in wanting to write a review of the books, to discover that this series is labeled as being published by a Christian publisher, as well as authored by a Christiango, the Patrick Bowers series is labeled Christian Fiction. I'll tell you this, as an atheist, I didn't have a clue (not even a suspicion) of this throughout my reading of these novels.Now, now, I am not implying that good Christian fiction doesn't exist! [...]

First posted on my blog, Legacy of a Writer.It’s hard to believe I’m such a big suspense-fan, and I’ve never picked up one of Steven James’ books before. I admit, it’s my loss I’ve kept this talented master of suspense off my bookshelf for so long—but now I’ve remedied that! James’ newest release, The Queen, takes readers on one wild thrill of adventure alongside FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers. One of the first things that struck me with Steven’s writing style is the depth [...]

Patrick Bowers is investigating a murder of a woman and her young daughter. Set up to look like a murder/suicide the local police are ready to wrap up the case. But Patrick has a more suspicious mind when it comes to dead people so he soon finds that things aren't always what they seem. Patrick and his brother have a strained relationship because of something that happened when they were teens. It doesn't help that Patrick and his brother's wife Amber formed an emotional attachment while she and [...]

My quest to read all of Steven James’ Patrick Bowers Thriller novels started on August 18th, twenty-six days ago . . . and I enjoyed every minute of it! This series has taken me for quite a ride. Mind-bending, thought provoking, amazing characters, complex relationships, are just some of the words I would use to describe this series.FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers is once again embroiled in a case that starts off as a double homicide but soon snowballs into what could be the onset of World Wa [...]

This is book 5 in Steven James’ Patrick Bowers series, The Queen. Steven is a great storyteller and I thought I knew who the main criminal, Valkyrie was, but was I wrong. The Queen is a really long book it has 516 pages and 104 chapters. I thought it would take a long time to read, but got it done in a couple of days, because it is so good. This is a very exciting psychological suspense book and it’s not for the squeamish. Steven James does not hesitate to explore evil and tries to honestly [...]

The Queen by Steven James if the fifth book in the Patrick Bowers series about an FBI agent who uses geospatial techniques to track serial killers. Pat is working on finding his nemesis Basque's partner when he is called away to a case in Northern Wisconsin is a supposed murder-suicide of a retired Navy officer. He suspects immediately that there is more going on than he is being told, why would the FBI be called in a case easily handled by the local police, but as he investigates he quickly unc [...]

FBI Special Agent Patrick Bower receives a phone call to investigate a murder. A woman and her four year old daughter were found shot and killed in the home. The husband, Donnie Pickron has gone missing. You might wonder why the FBI would be called to investigate a murder. Murders happen all the time. What makes this one interesting is that the husband is ex-military…Navy. Pat is joined by Jake, a profiler. As Pat and Jake investigate, they uncover information about weaponry dating back to the [...]

The most recent in the series and a little change to Mr. James format. While this falls under Christian fiction, I haven't noticed anything that would mandate it fall into that category, starting with Pawn (book 1). The format changes here in that Mr. James does start weaving stronger elements of faith in the story. It still doesn't change the thrilling action, but perhaps enhances it as people do tend to "get religious" when they are on the verge of death! Killer ending to this one. Looking for [...]

"Queen" by Steven James is the 5th book in the Patrick Bower Files. Patrick Bowers is a FBI geospatial investigator. James is a first-rate thriller author (Christian or non) and really ratchets up the suspense throughout his novels. Major characters continue to be well-defined. The faith themes are present and honest but not the least bit preachy. That said, this is my least favourite of the Patrick Bowers series so far (but the others are pretty much perfection). The novel just takes too long t [...]

I don't know why everyone has rated this as. 5 star book . It took me around 100 pages to actually get interested in this book d after reading 100 pages , I just wanted to finish reading because I like to finish what I start. The story line is good but at times while reading I felt I am going through an article or a manual regarding internet protocols and more complex kind . The whole conversations with the echo tech group felt very lame I just skipped reading them . I couldn't even relate with [...]

I've really enjoyed this series; just wish I didn't have to wait a year for the next installment!I love how the characters, good and bad, have been woven through each book. I've especially enjoyed how Pat Bowers and his stepdaughters relationship has developed through each book. The exploration of good and evil that exists in each of us, and of guilt, forgiveness and faith runs is especially thought provoking throughout the thriller/mystery plots.

Another rip-roaring read by Steven James. I have almost forgiven him for sequencing The Rook ahead of The Knight (which doesn't follow the value of the pieces). Could there be only one more in the series? Maybe he'll switch to Monopoly or Risk for his book titles.

Not as good as the previous books in the series, but I still enjoyed it.

Getting closer to the end. Always waiting for the next book. Excited to see what happens next.

I love all his books. He keeps you riveted to the page and you never know what's going to happen next!

Awesome!

It wasn't my favorite book in the series, but it wasn't awful either. I wasn't able to guess who Valkyrie was & I actually think that was the best twist of the book. I was a little disappointed that a couple new characters were added, one being a sibling, and yet there has never been any mention of this prior to this book (that I can remember anyways). I have always thought Patrick was an only child. However, those parts of the story did seem to add another level of complexity to the always [...]

If you have been reading the series and expect this to follow suit, than you are sadly mistaken. This jumps completely away from hunting serial killers and has Patrick looking into the deaths a mother and daughter and the missing dad. Most people think that he is dead but Patrick and his team, well some of them anyway feel that he could still be alive and behind a much larger plot. A good story with a first time look into his relationship with his brother. There is also a twist near the end whic [...]