Clara Raven by Murray Pura

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1920 – Idaho

Merck McIntyre had survived the Great War and dodged the Spanish Flu. Now he was back in the United States and had signed on with the U.S. Marshal. His plans were for a good career in law enforcement in his home state of Massachusetts.

It was The Roaring Twenties. America was recovering from a world war and wanted to party. But 1920 was the start of Prohibition. It became the law of the land. The men slated to enforce it were the U.S. Marshals, something Merck hadn’t counted on. Overnight, he was on a train headed for the far-flung state of Idaho. It would be his job to stop the illegal sale of liquor in what, so far as he was concerned, was still the wild west.

Merck, like President Woodrow Wilson, didn’t think it was a good law, and he didn’t think it would work, no matter what law enforcement did. But he set out to do his best to maintain peace and order in northern Idaho. It even looked like he might achieve it.

Until the bootleggers showed up with their guns and their greed. They moved in fast to take over stills and make a fortune shipping booze to whoever could pay top dollar. When rival gangs appeared, they shot them down. The bullets flew and soon Merck had a regular war on his hands.

There were a handful of sheriffs and sheriff’s deputies he could call on. But too many were dirty and he didn’t trust them. Then there were the special deputies – a Basque-American named Nayara Zubiri, and another woman from Boise who went by Samantha McCain. Maybe they’d help, maybe they’d hinder, maybe they’d make all the difference. Only time and courage would tell.

Uzura Seki: Black Sand by Murray Pura

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1945 – Japan

The year was 1945. The war against Japan was over. Three men, best friends who had survived the horrors of combat, returned home and began to live another life, a better life. What had happened on the green islands of the South Pacific was forgotten or pushed away so far it could never come back to haunt them.

Except the war wouldn’t go away. It couldn’t be forgotten. It could never be pushed far enough away. The men awoke each morning to fight their battles over and over again. Now we call it PTSD. In the past, it was shell shock or combat fatigue. The three friends could not shake the darkness. It would take the women who loved them to bring the healing that would make the men whole again and bring them into the beautiful light of day.

Hawk by Murray Pura

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517 – England

I am the man Morah. I have a story to tell.

It is a story of history, a story of faith, a story of love.

Five hundred years after the birth of Christ, a fledgling faith is on the verge of extinction. Visigoths, Vikings and Picts have destroyed a way of life brought to these northern lands by the Romans.

Except…on a small island off the British coast, faith in a God who walked the earth still thrives. Here, a young man named Hawk takes up a quest to find the deeper truths of God and bring them home. He is prepared to stand against the forces of darkness unyielding and overcome them.

This quest could cost Hawk everything – his life, his love, his faith.

My Heart Belongs in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Clarissa’s Conflict by Murray Pura

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1863 – Pennsylvania

Clarissa Avery Ross lives a full life. By day she is the daughter of a respectable shoemaker being courted by seminary student Kyle Forrester. But by night she is a conductor on the Underground Railroad, working with a mysterious man called Liberty. She would like to share her work with Kyle, but he refuses to enlist when the war breaks out. How can she remain true to a man being labeled a coward? When the war comes to her back door in an epic battle, the greatest challenges to her faith and love are yet to come.

London Dawn by Murray Pura

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London Dawnlondondawn

1834 – England

In this stunning conclusion to the saga, we find Lord Preston and his family are gathered in London in the late 1930s for what turns out to be a homecoming. The family is finally all together again, gathering in a way they haven’t been able to do for years. But looming ahead is the summer and fall of 1940 when both the Battle of Britain and the Blitz will occur. Though the family is blissfully unaware of this soon-to-be reality, Lord Preston, privy to top secret info in his position in the government, has grave concerns; the gravest he’s ever had, that England will be invaded. The Danforth family patriarch does his best to hide his fears with a cheerful exterior, but is he successful?

Beneath the Dover Sky by Murray Pura

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Beneath the Dover Sky (The Danforths of Lancashire)beneaththedoversky

1924 – England

For fans of the hugely popular Downton Abbey television series and lovers of British historical sagas, award-winning author Murray Pura continues the enthralling story of the Danforths of Lancashire. The second book in the series (following Ashton Park) transports the reader back in time to 1924 as Sir William—recently named Lord Preston—celebrates his sixtieth birthday at the Danforth summer home in Dover. Although the ravages of World War I are in the past, new threats loom as a man named Adoph Hitler publishes a book called Mein Kampf. Is he a danger to Europe? And what of Lord Preston’s growing friendship with an up and coming political leader named Winston Churchill? On the home front, one of the Danforth daughters, the recently widowed Catherine, sells her home in Belfast to spend more time at Dover—where she finds herself annoyed at the impertinent German theologian her father has befriended. The entire Danforth family faces many changes as illness and tragedy strike. Young Edward finally makes his move into the political arena while Michael and Libby welcome a new family member. Readers will be captivated by the upstairs/downstairs interplay as they once again savor this compelling saga of the well-loved Danforth family overcoming obstacles by placing their trust in the God who has always been faithful.

Whispers of a New Dawn by Murray Pura

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whispersofanewdawnWhispers of a New Dawn (Snapshots in History)

1941 – Hawaii

The year is 1941 and Jude and Lyyndy, with their adult daughter, Rebecca, are summoned to far-off, exotic Honolulu where Rebecca, a flyer like her father, meets a likeable young pilot. The two enjoy a friendship that seems to be turning into something more serious…..until Sunday, December 7, 1941 dawns on the Hawaiian Islands.

Ashton Park by Murray Pura

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ashtonparkAshton Park (The Danforths of Lancashire)

1916 – England

For fans of the hugely popular Downton Abbey series, comes this equally enthralling story of the Danforth family of Ashton Park.
Among the green hills and trees of Lancashire, only a few miles from the sea, lies the beautiful and ancient estate of Ashton Park.
The year is 1916.  The First World War has engulfed Europe and Sir William’s and Lady Elizabeth’s three sons are all in uniform–and their four daughters are involved in various pursuits of the heart and soul.

As the head of a strong Church of England family for generations, Sir William insists the Danforth estate hold morning devotions that include both family and staff. However, he is also an MP and away at Westminster in London whenever Parliament is sitting. During his long absences, Lady Elizabeth discreetly spends time in the company of the head cook of the manor, Mrs. Longstaff, who is her best friend and confidante. This friendship includes visits to a small Baptist church in Liverpool that exposes Lady Elizabeth to a less formal approach to Christian worship and preaching than she is used to and which she comes to enjoy.

The Face of Heaven by Murray Pura

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thefaceofheavenThe Face of Heaven (Snapshots in History)

1861 – Pennsylvania

 In April 1861, Lyndel Keim discovers two runaway slaves in her family’s barn. When the men are captured and returned to their plantation, Lyndel and her young Amish beau, Nathaniel King, find themselves at odds with their pacifist Amish colony.

 Nathaniel enlists in what will become the famous Iron Brigade of the Union Army. Lyndel enters the fray as a Brigade nurse on the battlefield, sticking close to Nathaniel as they both witness the horrors of war–including the battles at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Antietam. Despite the pair’s heroic sacrifices, the Amish only see that Lyndel and Nathaniel have become part of the war effort, and both are banished.

And a severe battle wound at Gettysburg threatens Nathaniel’s life. Lyndel must call upon her faith in God to endure the savage conflict and to face its painful aftermath, not knowing if Nathaniel is alive or dead. Will the momentous battle change her life forever, just as it will change the course of the war and the history of her country?

The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura

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thewingsofmorningThe Wings of Morning (Snapshots in History)

1917 -Pennsylvania

Jude Whetstone and Lyyndaya Kurtz, whose families are converts to the Amish faith, are slowly falling in love. Jude has also fallen in love with flying that new-fangled invention, the aeroplane.

The Amish communities have rejected the telephone and have forbidden motorcar ownership but not yet electricity or aeroplanes.

Though exempt from military service on religious grounds, Jude is manipulated by unscrupulous army officers into enlisting in order to protect several Amish men. No one in the community understands Jude’s sudden enlistment and so he is shunned. Lyyndaya’s despair deepens at the reports that Jude has been shot down in France. In her grief, she turns to nursing Spanish flu victims in Philadelphia. After many months of caring for stricken soldiers, Lyyndaya is stunned when an emaciated Jude turns up in her ward.

Lyyndaya’s joy at receiving Jude back from the dead is quickly diminished when the Amish leadership insist the shunning remain in force. How then can they marry without the blessing of their families? Will happiness elude them forever?

A Bride’s Flight from Virginia City, Montana by Murray Pura

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abridesflightfromvirginiacitymontanaA Bride’s Flight from Virginia City, Montana

1875 – Several States

Join the chase as an unlikely foursome, threatened by a ruthless gang of ne’er-do-wells, strives to reach safety. Montana ranchers Zephaniah Parker and Charlotte Spence are determined to get two Amish children, who witnessed their family’s massacre, back home to relatives in Pennsylvania. Will they succumb to the plans of blood-thirsty outlaws or reach Bird-in-Hand alive? Along the treacherous trek, Charlotte and Zephaniah’s friendship blossoms into love. Will wedding bells soon chime, or will Charlotte’s startling admission forever silence potential peals? How will God redeem outlaws and law-abiding citizens in this epic Old West adventure?