Murphy Shepherd

From New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charles Martin comes a tender and compelling new story about the memories that haunt us all. Murphy Shepherd is a retired priest, living alone on an island, and tending the grounds for a church with no parishioners. But when his best friend dies and asks that Murph scatter his ashes at the end of the world, Murph lashes the ashes to the front of his boat and heads south down the Intracoastal waterway. Along the way, his path intersects with a dance instructor named Summer who is searching for her daughter. It doesn't take Murph long to realize that Summer's search is even more dire than they knew, and that her daughter has been abducted into the world of trafficking. As they search for Angel, they also discover a stowaway. And it's no coincidence the stowaway chose his boat. There's more to Murph than it first seems, but agonizing memories have long compelled him to keep the truth hidden. At once a tender love story and a heartrending search for freedom, The Water Keeper reminds us of the healing power of forgiveness.

Combining heart-wrenching emotion with edge-of-your-seat tension, Charles Martin explores the true power of sacrificial love. He shows up when all hope is lost. Murphy Shepherd has made a career of finding those no one else could-survivors of human trafficking. His life's mission is helping others find freedom. But then, the nightmare strikes too close to home. When his new wife, her daughter, and two other teenage girls are stolen, Murphy is left questioning all he has thought to be true. With more dead ends than leads, he has no idea how to find those he loves. After everything is stripped away, love is what remains. Hope feels lost, but Murphy is willing to expend his last breath trying to bring them home.

Murphy Shepherd finds the lost, ensuring they never become the forgotten. But when the identity of the shadow from whom Murphy has rescued more innocents than anyone else becomes clear, it couldn't be more of a shock. It is none other than the brother of Murph's mentor, Bones: two boys with the same childhood, yet defined by completely opposite choices. Murph is determined to put a stop to the terror and heartbreak this man perpetuates once and for all-but nothing is ever that easy or that clear. Hope and sacrificial love have gotten Murphy this far. But saving the one who is lost always requires sacrifice... and the price may finally be too high.

Combine James Patterson and Colleen Hoover and you'll start to understand why readers are riveted by the Murphy Shepherd series: gripping action, heart-wrenching emotion, and deep questions that deserve to be considered. In this book in the Murphy Shepherd series, Murphy knows Bones didn't hesitate to give his life to stop the evil perpetuated by his brother, but there's still work to be done. Though Frank is gone, his organization is not, and almost even before Bones's funeral in Arlington is complete, Murph receives a call that the three daughters of presidential hopeful Aaron Ashley have been taken and there are no leads. The girls' lives on the line and time is of the essence. But Murphy has never done this without Bones. How can he grieve his friend and mentor, figure out who he is without Bones, and navigate a new role for himself with team... all while putting total focus into finding these daughters? When his daughters are finally rescued, Ashley steps back from the presidential race. But Murph knows something about the timing is a little too convenient for the senator who steps in to take his place. The far-reaching tendrils of Frank's organization are entangled even here, and Murph and his team will stop at nothing to root them out.