Storm Gathering

by Rene Gutteridge

Book Overview

In this exciting prequel to "The Splitting Storm, " we meet Mick Kline at a time when his life is spiraling out of control. Mick finds himself accused of the kidnapping of a woman he hardly knows, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 084238765X
• ISBN13: 9780842387651
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Window to the soul!

Ok, there are 3 books in this series by Rene Gutteridge. The question is, which to read first. I chose the prequel, figured that was a good place to start. I guess no matter where I've started, I have yet to read something by Rene that I didn't love. This was no exception! What makes Rene Gutteridge great is to the effect of this; In one book she can be hilarious, like in the "BOO" books. Those had me rolling in my seat, and literally laughing out loud! And then this was dead serious for the most part, and made quite the mystery, very thrilling throughout the whole thing. A young lady disappears, and Mick Kline is the prime suspect. But his brother, Aaron, who happens to be on the police force, believes his story. What to do? right? WELL, hey this just really gets interesting. Keep in mind that there may be a few corrupt forces lurking about. This also has a few good chase scenes in it. But it also gives the big picture of who is in charge. You don't see a whole lot of reference to God in this, but to get the message across, it isn't necessary. Another small clue, but not a give away: You don't have to read "The Count of Monte Cristo" to know there will be an unexpected twist or two in this. This was original in it's own way, yet it reminded me a lot of Ted Dekker's debut, "Heaven's Wager". Mick Kline vaguely reminded me of Kent Anthony, so the ending was a little palpable. But that's ok. Rene Gutteridge offers a window to the soul. She's a witness for Christ, and a vessel that He can use. That's what keeps me coming back!

A fun book with a twist ending

Storm Gathering is the second in a series that began with Splitting Storm. This book however is a prequel and you know a few things from reading the first novel, mainly that Mick Kline is an FBI agent. However, in this novel, set 10 years earlier, Mick is a royal failure. He has quit his accounting job and is a part time coach at the local high school. He spends the rest of his time being bitter about life and drinking in bars. After another of many fights with his brother Aaron, Mick goes to a bar and meets a woman named Taylor. He goes home with her, then wakes up the next day unable to remember anything. Awake, he sees that Taylor is gone and soon he is suspected in her disappearance. Mick is overcome with guilt thinking he may have led to or been able to prevent Taylor's disappearance, so he sets out to find out what happened. While on the run, Aaron, a cop, also looks into what could have happened to Taylor. Was Sammy Earle, the lawyer and ex-boyfriend, involved? Aaron comes up on several leads and is aided by Detective Shep Crawford, a man who also believes in Mick's innocence. Will the truth be discovered before Mick is charged with murder. This is a fun book to read with strong relationships at its core. The ending through me for a loop with its unexpected darkness and sets up the final book in the series perfectly.

A Rene Gutteridge Masterpiece

I never know what to expect when I open a Rene Gutteridge book. Her versatility spans from romantic comedy to nail-biting suspense. It's a good job I kicked my nail-biting habit years ago, or my fingers would be bleeding right now. STORM GATHERING is the prequel to Gutteridge's THE SPLITTING STORM, and takes us back in time to learn about FBI special agent Mick Kline's turbulent past. Mike's life has hit rock bottom. He's been fired from his accounting job, barely hanging onto his part-time job as a football coach at the local high school, and now he learns his brother, Aaron, has proposed to the girl of Mick's dreams ... and she said yes. For Mick, it seems life couldn't get any worse. But it does. Mick wakes to find himself in an empty apartment. He remembers the woman he met at the bar the previous night and going home with her. But now she is missing. Everything points to foul play, and fingers soon turn in Mick's direction. When the noose around Mick tightens, he runs. With the police in pursuit of Mick, Aaron is left to prove his brother innocent. Once more Gutteridge proves she is a master at suspense and creating interesting characters that will keep the reader hooked. In STORM GATHERING we met Shep Crawford, a man obsessed with neatness, sharp pencils, and who is rumoured to mark everything he owns with blood. We also learn the reason behind Mick's fanatical approach in THE SPLITTING STORM to perishable food. STORM GATHERING fills in many blanks for those that read THE SPLITTING STORM, but it also creates more questions that beg to be answered in STORM SURGE, the final instalment to this intriguing series.

Suspenseful and intriguing

When airline ticket counter attendant Taylor Franks considered the mayhem that would momentarily ensue once the "delayed" sign above her head was activated, she felt sick inside. Anticipating the mad rush of the crowd, the angry responses, the irritated passengers, and the subsequent reassignment nightmare to follow, it was no wonder Taylor hesitated to make the announcement. It wasn't long before her inner misgivings were proven correct. An angry displaced passenger began berating Taylor for his delayed flight; as the altercation rose, airport police arrived to handcuff the man but not before Taylor faces him off. On this dismal note, Taylor is asked to leave her post --- but what no one knew was that this single standoff would catapult a series of events that would forever change Taylor and those who lay within her path. Enter perpetually dueling brothers Aaron and Mick Kline. The former is a police officer, a Christian, and the good boy of the pair; the latter is the handsome black sheep and rebellious brother. After a physical battle of both the will and the body, the brothers retreat per usual and go their separate ways, each licking his own particular wounds. What neither realizes is that a single choice will force both of them to face up to their past, their present, and their future as brothers and as men. Of course, this duo must be battling over something significant --- and that something has a name: Jenny, the now fiancée of Aaron and former girlfriend of Mick. Despite their ongoing terse and tense interactions, both Aaron and Mick understand that it isn't only Jenny who's been the dividing wall between them. It's God --- Aaron's God --- and Mick's resistance to anything pertaining to matters of faith. With this foundation of exploited emotions and scarred psyches in place, author Rene Gutteridge sets the scene for a tale of suspense and intrigue. She skillfully employs both realistic dialogue and believably sympathetic characters to assist her as she weaves a story about loss of hope --- in God and in people --- and a revisiting of this faith amidst horrific and terrifying circumstances. Within a carefully constructed framework, Mick and Taylor meet and find some tenuous common bond of suffering between them. After an evening together, Mike awakens in Taylor's apartment only to find Taylor missing. It doesn't take long before the absent Taylor brings about some suspicions and Mick is the obvious suspect. Though this plot isn't necessarily fresh, Gutteridge does a nice job keeping the action moving with interesting twists between the characters. She has readers guessing as to who is responsible for Taylor's disappearance and does a particularly fine job of not giving away too much information...just enough to have readers contemplating what may have occurred. By bringing in some oddball characters in the guise of an eccentric police officer, a lawyer who has his obvious life issues, and other assorted dysfunctional supporting ro

Storm Gathering

When Mick Kline wakes up in a stranger's apartment, he finds himself dealing with more than just an overhang from the night before's drinking binge. With the apartment's owner, Taylor Franks, missing, Mick is the perfect suspect with no alibi and obvious opportunity. To prove his innocence, Mick will flee from the police in his own attempt to discover the truth. Mick and his brother Aaron have had their share of differences, mainly being Aaron getting engaged with Mick's former girlfriend and Mick's lack of faith in God. However, when his brother is in trouble, Aaron will to his best to help him out. As a prequel to 'The Splitting Storm' by Rene Gutteridge, 'Storm Gathering' takes us back in Mick's past to before he became a special agent for the FBI. While the prequel was not up to the same level of intensity as Splitting Storm was, it still was an exciting read that is sure to be enjoyed.