When the Devil Doesnt Show: A Mystery

The watercolors of the sky were simply dazzling! Feb 22, Evgeny rated it really liked it Shelves: I need to mention I received this book from Goodreads giveaways. A house in Santa Fe was burned down. Inside there were two bodies of its owners tied to the chairs and unidentified badly burned body hanging from the ceiling in another room. The police investigation is hampered by the fact that one of the owners worked in Los Alamos National Laboratory. This laboratory, being number 1 or number 2 for the US Department of Defense is as secret and closed as they come.

Before Gi First things first: Before Gil and Joe, the police investigators, get any facts from people working in it - including the trivial ones like the deceased man's relationship with his colleagues, more dead bodies start showing up. The book is a good fast-paced mystery.

The plot is fine and interesting, the major characters Gil, Joe, and Lucy are nicely written and they feel like real life people. I even like the plot twist at the end. There is a lot of information about quite a number of subjects, including Santa Fe itself, Los Alamos National Laboratory, even original Spanish settlers; the way this information is presented is interesting I learned some new facts and is never out of place; it is not a simple space filler.

My only problem with the book is that is has one POV which was completely unnecessary and did not add anything to the story. All in all, a good solid 4 stars. Jun 28, Mary rated it it was ok. This was OK, but doesn't hold a candle to Hillerman or Doss. The cultural information was interesting enough to get me through the book. Dec 03, Elizabeth McIlhaney rated it it was amazing. The northern New Mexico cultural tour continues in this book, third in the series.

Yes, quite a combo for fun and celebration along with murder and mayhem. The title doesn't make sense until the last sentence in the book. Even so, for me, the ending disappointed, not just the last sentence, but the too-quickly-wrapped-up ending, unusual given the standards set with the author's The northern New Mexico cultural tour continues in this book, third in the series. Even so, for me, the ending disappointed, not just the last sentence, but the too-quickly-wrapped-up ending, unusual given the standards set with the author's first two books, where detailed story-telling was meticulous to the very end.

Few authors create thrilling page-turners, John Grisham being one of the best, and my favorite in that respect.

Mysterious 'devil coins' discovered in church

The pages turn themselves so that I have to schedule my life when I pick up one of his books, knowing it will be hard to put down until the end. Barber's books are like this, the first woman writer I have read as an adult who has this gift. This, her third book, was even more thrilling page by page than her previous two! I hope it isn't her last, it was published more than four years ago! This series is so unique to Northern New Mexico in ways no other series to my knowledge has captured, and the crime-writing style so thrilling, this writer needs to continue sharing her gift with many, many more in this series.

Jul 09, Michelle Trujillo rated it liked it. Good story with a lot of references to New Mexico culture, landscape, food, and traditions that I really enjoyed. I grew up in Espanola and Albuquerque. I am very interested in reading the rest of Christine Barber's books.

This one ended on a cliff hanger. Dec 17, C. Hoang rated it really liked it.

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Well written, clever dialogue. But the scenes and characters lots of them! That makes it hard for me to follow the story line. Apr 13, Sharon Mensing rated it really liked it Shelves: Lucy Newroe, a volunteer EMT and firefighter who struggles with the potential conflict of interest between her volunteer work and her profession as a newspaperwoman, is busy at the fire. As it turns out, the dead homeowners were murder victims resulting from an earlier home invasion, not victims of the fire.

Potential hate crimes, the New Mexico filming industry, Los Alamos, and crypto-Judaism all come into play as Gil and his team try frantically to figure out who is responsible for a series of deadly home invasions. Barber uses the intensity of some moments and the calmness of others to provide the depth of character that makes each of her detectives and Lucy feel like old friends.

We come to know all of these crime fighters well. As Gil and his partner, Joe, make a final chase of the murder into the mountains surrounding Santa Fe, we feel, right along with them, the cold, the perilousness of the ground beneath the snow, and the futility of trying to find a man fleeing through blizzard conditions.

When the Devil Doesn't Show by Christine Barber

The suspense that Barber provides, along with allowing us to see the more tender side of the characters, pulls us into the story. When dealing with the home invaders, however, Barber is less able to guide the reader to an understanding. This lack of a sense of why the killings are taking place sucks some of the life out of the plot. And, I loved the ending. Sep 07, Brittany rated it really liked it Shelves: I won this book for free from the Goodread's First Reads giveaway.

This is the first book I have read by the author. My actual rating would be a 3. The first few chapters of the book start with a house fire with three corpses inside who were brutally tortured. The main characters, police officers, Gil and Joe are in charge of the case. The rest of the book is basically based on finding those responsible for the murders. This book seems to be number 3 of the series; it can be a stand alone bo I won this book for free from the Goodread's First Reads giveaway.

This book seems to be number 3 of the series; it can be a stand alone book but I would of preferred reading the previous ones to learn a little bit more about the characters. I did enjoy Gil and Joe and found them to be likeable but the rest of the characters were kind of just there. I never felt like I got to learn a whole lot about them.

I found the first half of the book a little hard to get into. I think that was based on the numerous characters that were added that didn't seem to have a necessary place in the story. The second half went much smoother and I did not want to put the book down! I found the references to the history of New Mexico to be a little much at times.

I enjoyed learning about the prison riot I never knew that before and looked into it further afterwards , but a lot of the other history dragged on a bit. I also didn't mind the ending I read that other people felt it was incomplete. I liked that it didn't end in the typical norm like most crime stories. I would buy books from the author and look forward to reading some of her other work. Feb 20, PacaLipstick Gramma rated it did not like it Shelves: I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. I just didn't think this book was very good. The plot was ok, but at times just seemed to drag.

The author included a lot of information about the culture of New Mexico and the beliefs of the Pueblos. At times it was interesting, but the segue into the culture was not pertinent to the story and I thought at times the author was trying to impress the readers with her knowledge of that culture. There were only two characters in the book that were even I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.

There were only two characters in the book that were even mildly developed. The rest of the characters were just thrown in. Just when you thought you might actually learn something about them, off we go in another direction. Instead of going off on a tangent explaining about the how and why of body language, how to conduct an interrogation, how to get a witness to say something, JUST DO IT.

Sometimes explaining every little nuance is insignificant and detracts from the main storyline. Not that life is all neat and tidy, but an epilogue would have been nice. Whatever happened to the characters in the book? I certainly don't need everything spelled out for me, but there was no closure on anything. If the ending of the book was meant to be a cliff hanger, it sorely lacked. I will not bother to read it, because frankly, I just don't care! Mar 12, Grace rated it liked it.

I love reading books set in New Mexico, where I lived for a few years, and this excellent mystery is more than just a police procedural. Christine Barber , a former newspaper reporter who also served as an volunteer emergency responder, seems to get all the details right.

Also, she sneaks into the narrative small but important lessons. There is a subtext about one of her protagonist's changing role in the age of the shrinking newsroom. She also makes clear, in relating info on Hispanic names, on I love reading books set in New Mexico, where I lived for a few years, and this excellent mystery is more than just a police procedural.

She also makes clear, in relating info on Hispanic names, on usage of the Spanish language, and on why "The City Different" Santa Fe is so different. The state of NM as a whole, too. When you read her opening description of EMTs crawling into a house on fire to see if anyone is alive is so vivid you can smell the smoke. She published two titles with the same lead characters in them that preceded this one; I read "The Replacement Child" and in some ways it was even better in terms of plotting. But the ending of this book is a shocker; I don't think I've ever read a mystery with an ending like this one has.

Any of her books would make great company on your next trip to New Mexico. Sep 21, Catherine Woodman rated it liked it. This seeries, writen by someone who has won the Tony Hillerman award, is set in Santa Fe and deals with issues realted to culture, Native Americans, and New Mexico very well--there is a nice blend of the murder mystery and the personal in the book as well, which I personally like very much.

The police detectives are Gil Montoya and Joe--they are working a series of deadly home invasions, trying to find out who is responsible for some escalating violence related to them. The book also includes Lu This seeries, writen by someone who has won the Tony Hillerman award, is set in Santa Fe and deals with issues realted to culture, Native Americans, and New Mexico very well--there is a nice blend of the murder mystery and the personal in the book as well, which I personally like very much. The book also includes Lucy, a volunteer fire fighter who is battling a serious alcohol problem, who also notes some things that are of interest in terms of who might be responsible.

Enjoyable, especially if you love the setting of the southwest. Mar 11, Cerenity rated it it was amazing Shelves: I got this book free through a First Read Giveaway.

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This the the first book i have ever read by Christine Barber and I hope their is more to come in this series. I have not read any of the other Gil Montoya mysteries but after reading this i am definitely going to be adding them to my reading shelf. I loved all the characters and wanted to find out more about them.

I loved her description of the beau I got this book free through a First Read Giveaway. I loved her description of the beautiful landscape of New Mexico, holiday traditions, and superstitions. And with all that it was still a really good mystery novel. This is a very well written story that i would recommend to anyone that loves a good mystery. Oct 30, Janet Newport rated it really liked it Shelves: I enjoyed the Santa Fe setting and local lore. I didn't think it caused the book to "drag" whole book is less than pages , but found it to be part of the book and necessary to the story While it wasn't the fastest paced book I have ever read, it was by no means a "slow" book.

While some of the minor characters weren't fully "developed", they were fleshed out enough to be credible. I especially enjoyed Ms. Barber's sense of humor.

It just came out of left field and ambushed me Sep 07, John Kues rated it liked it. This is the first Christine Barber book I've read, and I will read the others. I didn't care for the ending particularly, and the character developement was pretty good, but left me feeling like it could have been more. As far as the culture being part of the story, I liked it but I find myself missing Tony Hillerman all the more. I don't consider myself much of a review writer, but I like Goodreads for tracking my readings and when using the stat feature I found out if you didn't fill in the dat This is the first Christine Barber book I've read, and I will read the others.

I don't consider myself much of a review writer, but I like Goodreads for tracking my readings and when using the stat feature I found out if you didn't fill in the date you finished the book it doesn't show up in the stats. So I write reviews now, even if they aren't very thorough. Feb 21, Susan rated it it was ok Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.

To view it, click here. But the first answer implies that God isn't truly all-powerful. And the second answer makes God the ultimate tempter, and the ultimate cause of much of the pain and suffering that people experience. The Devil is often identified with the serpent that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Later in the Old Testament he appears in the Book of Job, where he is an angel called Satan living at the Court of Heaven, but slyly stirring up trouble. By the period of the New Testament he has been thrown out of heaven, and is showing himself to be the true Evil One. His evil nature is depicted very clearly in the gospels, especially in the famous temptation of Jesus.

As described in Matthew 4: As he meditated, Satan approached him and challenged him to prove his powers by turning stones into bread and by leaping from the roof of the Temple in Jerusalem. Of course Jesus didn't need to prove anything, and he refused both challenges. Then, for the ultimate temptation Matthew 4: When Jesus began his ministry, he attracted a lot of attention through his ability to expel demons. At that time the behavior of mentally-ill people was often attributed to evil spirits who had taken over their bodies under the direction of the devil.

Such people were said to be possessed by demons. The only way to cure the condition was to expel the demons from the person's body. In one such cure, described in Luke 8: This man, who called himself Legion, wore no clothes and lived in tombs. Local citizens had bound him in chains and fetters, but he had broken free and escaped. When Jesus ordered the demons to leave his body, they tried to save themselves by entering the bodies of some nearby pigs.

But the pigs immediately ran into a lake and drowned. As Christianity spread to new areas, belief in the Devil went with it. During the Middle Ages, European artists often depicted him as a half-man half-beast, but in popular stories he could disguise himself as a black cat or a toad. Some stories even described personal encounters with him. For example, Saint Dunstan, a tenth-century bishop of Canterbury, reported that he was in his workshop making a metal chalice when Satan suddenly appeared in front of him. To defend himself, he seized the intruder's nose with a pair of red-hot tongs.

The great Protestant reformer Martin Luther reported dozens of encounters with Satan. On one occasion he threw an ink pot at the loathsome fiend. Fear of the Devil was especially widespread during the witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. During this period thousands of people were accused of being his helpers, and many of them were tortured and killed. A witch hunt would often start when something bad happened in a community, and people looked for someone to blame. It was thought that witches and warlocks, using powers given to them by Satan, could cast magic spells which would bring misfortune to others.

Suspicion would usually focus on an unpopular or reclusive individual, or someone who exhibited odd behavior. Accusations against such a person were often checked by examining the suspect's body for a suspicious-looking blemish, mole, or scar called a Devil's Mark. Such a mark could nearly always be found, but if additional proof was desired, a confession could usually be obtained by torture. The usual punishment was to burn the victim to death. During this period numerous stories about witches and warlocks circulated through the population.

The stories could involve secret midnight meetings, worship at the feet of the Devil, sexual orgies and perversions, sacrificed babies, and blood drinking. Sometimes there were rumors that a particular woman had become Satan's lover. Some people are attracted to the dark side of life that the Devil represents.

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Secret devil worship has long existed in some communities, and there has been a resurgence in modern times. Satan is sometimes associated with occurrences of stigmata. These are mysterious markings or wounds which resemble the wounds suffered by Jesus.

When the Devil Doesn't Show

In most cases they appear on very pious individuals and are regarded as a divine sign of mystical contact with God. But occasionally stigmata appear on people who aren't considered to be pious, and these false occurrences are often attributed to Satan. Many modern Christians doubt that Satan really exists. They say that biblical stories such as the temptation of Jesus are allegories, and that Jesus didn't actually expel real demons.

But some people believe that everything in the Bible is literally true, including the reality of the Devil. Many of these people think that they can see his influence in modern society, and take this as further proof of his existence. The pictures of the devil on this page are public domain images taken from the WikiMedia Commons Website.