Showing results by author "Barry Clay" in All Categories

Jason Fairfax, a very junior reporter for the Honolulu Gazette, is sent by his editor on an assignment that requires him to travel on the luxury liner, the Oahu Paradise, in the company of a disreputable detective who promises him the scoop of his reporting lifetime—maybe. While on board, he meets a cross-section of people from movie stars to ensigns, but none more intriguing than the world-famous Honolulu inspector, Charlie Chan, and his very large family, who are vacationing on board. But all is not what it seems. Was a murder committed on board two years ago, or was it an accident? Is ...

One of the theological mysteries that every Christian who wrestles with doctrine faces is the tension between predestination and free will. Christians have been arguing over this since the 4th century, with some churches stressing the sovereign work of God and others stressing the free will of man. In this chapter taken from the book "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay explores part of this conflict and attempts to resolve it from a look at what the Bible says on both sides of the issue. Mr. Clay explains that he believes both sides have part of the truth and need to see the entire truth partially ...

Six years ago, Gregory and Georgette Hampton’s adopted daughter, Emily, fell to her death from the staircase of their home. The aftermath of the tragic accident nearly destroyed their marriage and threatened to derail their surviving son’s bright future, but with the help of a parish rector, they recovered from the senseless death. But now Gregory Hampton appears at 221b Baker street. His wife has become convinced that a medium has spoken to their daughter’s spirit from beyond the grave. His wife is becoming increasingly unstable, and he has come to ask Holmes to expose the medium for...

Deciphered from a recently acquired manuscript, this previously unpublished novel of Sherlock Holmes by his chronicler, John H. Watson, M.D., is sure to delight fans of the first "consulting detective." The curate of Wenlock Edge and his wife are embarrassed to ask for help from Sherlock Holmes. They are aware that their problem appears trival, but ask they do. Fortunately for them, there is an unusual item in their story that piques Holmes's interest, and he accepts their case. Anticipating that the solution shouldn't be too difficult, dangerous, or unusually time consuming, Holmes ...

This chilling anthology recounts what happens to ordinary people when they are suddenly faced with things they can't explain rationally. While some are what you might expect from decades of horror stories, others take "the road less traveled." Melissa Nelson is faced with "The Scarecrow of Bachmieir Farm", and she begins to doubt her sanity as she becomes certain it is moving when no one is looking. Teenagers discover "She Is Not Dead, But Sleepeth" when they dabble with something they think is only a party game. Baron Rokosky has always known "The Blood Is the Life", but he uncovers new ...

From the author of The Darkened Village and The Medium of Death comes four mysteries featuring London’s first consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful biographer, Dr. John H. Watson. While investigating the wrongful incarceration of a young man for murder, Holmes uncovers a tangled web of deception—and makes one misstep with tragic consequences. Long the chronicler and companion of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John H. Watson has frequently helped his friend investigate mysterious circumstances on behalf of those people beset by them, but now he must apply to Sherlock Holmes ...

The author who discovered manuscripts in an old box and edited from them The Darkened Village and The Leveson-Gower Theft for the reading public now presents Sherlock Holmes and his faithful biographer Dr. Watson again, this time in two novelettes and two novellas. Sherlock Holmes is summoned by Scotland Yard to a sunny golf course that has been the scene of two gruesome murders. But all is, perhaps, not quite what it seems. Can even Sherlock Holmes unravel the tangle of so many conflicting clues? Two elderly ladies visit Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes at 222b Baker Street with an unusual ...

From the author of The Darkened Village and The Medium of Death comes two new novellas detailing the exploits of the world’s first consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his faithful chronicler, Dr, John H. Watson. In “The Extraordinary Disappearance of the Carstairs Special,” Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard hires Sherlock Holmes to find a train commissioned by a rich man that disappears—along with its passengers and crew—between two railway stations, vanishing without a trace. Someone proposes an unlikely solution to the mystery: Martians. Sherlock Holmes is not amused. ...

What is God like? In reality, we don't have to guess. Over the centuries, God has gone to great lengths to explain in the Bible who He is, what He is like, and what pleases Him. Entire books (some of them very boring) have been written to explore this topic. This title, an excerpt from the book "Solid Ground", does it quickly -- but no less thoroughly -- than a much larger tome. What is God like? Find out in this title.

It is six years after the events of "With Whom I Had Been Speaking." Susan Bachman has changed her name, her employment, and her city. While she has not escaped the memory of the life she led six years ago, she has left the better part of the pain in her past. Even though her life is solitary, she is content. But when a reporter appears unannounced and unwelcome on her doorstep, her new life is threatened. Aware of the danger, she little knows that this reporter has unwittingly begun a chain of events that will one more time change her life forever -- assuming she survives. This novella is ...

In our day and age, the concept of "sin" is considered gauche and repugnant, but to the Christian, our tendency to sin is a sorrow. In this excerpt from his book, "Solid Ground," Mr. Clay discusses our propensity to sin and the provision God has made for us to help us to walk in a manner pleasing to him. And he wrestles with a topic most Christians assume they know they answer to: do we have to sin?

When Mycroft Holmes visits his brother, Sherlock, at 221b Baker Street, it is certain to both Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson, M.D. that something monumental is at hand. They are astonished -- not to say skeptical -- to learn that Mycroft merely wants his brother to investigate the theft of a necklace. Lord Benedict Leveson-Gower, soon to be called as ambassador to the Kingdom of Romania, is accused by his wife, the lady Allegra, of replacing her very expensive, prize necklace with a paste imitation. If possible, Mycroft wants his brother to exonerate Lord Benedict Leveson-Gower of the ...

Have you ever encountered a Christian whose representation of God struck you as – cruel? In all likelihood, that Christian was Reformed. Christian thought is varied, but among those Christians who take their Bibles seriously, there are two main threads of Christian thought. One is the Calvinist (also called Reformed) camp. It is named after John Calvin, a 16th century French theologian. The other camp is the Arminian camp, named after Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived shortly after Calvin. Christians have been arguing over these two competing views for centuries. Often, non-...

The Psalmist asked "What is Man that You are mindful of him?" This excerpt from the book, "Solid Ground" explores that topic thoroughly but briefly. Drawing from the statements in the Bible, Mr. Clay reveals how man was created and how man has changed since the day of his creation.

Both believers and unbelievers have found the end of the world as we know it to be a fascinating topic. The Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012, and many Christian authors have confidently predicted the future based on their interpretation of the scriptures only to be overtaken by actual events. "How It All Ends" is a collection of chapters from the book "Solid Ground" that explores what we can and can't know from the Bible about the end of the world. Mr. Clay explores the topic of the end of the world with humility where the Bible isn't clear and with confidence in those areas ...

One of Job's friends tells him, "Man is born for trouble as sparks fly upwards." The media talks about wars, famines, tsunamis, mud slides, rapes, murders, and untimely deaths from disease. Atheists point to these tragedies and claim that this proves God doesn't exist, or if He exists, He isn't good. Or, if He's good, He isn't powerful enough to do anything about it. In this excerpt from his book, "Solid Ground", Mr. Clay explains that the answer to this question isn't difficult for the Christian because this topic is explored deeply and with great wisdom in the Bible. God is both good and ...

Committed free thinker and member of the American Society of Atheists, Colton Bremmerton III is suddenly faced with the unthinkable: could his only daughter truly be demon possessed? Desperate to find someone who can help and prevent his daughter from being institutionalized, he finds "Paranormal Solutions, Inc." in the yellow pages. But can they help? And what will it cost him if they can? This novelette is also included in the anthology "Brushes with the Supernatural."

Many a person has wondered if we are alone in the universe. These two chapters excerpted from the book "Solid Ground" answer this question decisively: we are not alone and never have been. God has created other beings who are very different from us: angels. Billy Graham wrote an entire book just on angels, but Mr. Clay covers the basics of angels and fallen angels, demons, with a detour about the devil along the way. This title is short, but it is also to the point.

From the author of "The Darkened Village: a Sherlock Holmes adventure" comes a new, different novel that blends fact and fiction into a compelling story that speaks to us today about faith, humanity, and compassion ... and about the clash of cultures and religions that can result in implacable sorrow. Shortly before the turn of the 20th century, the Tehuchian family lived in Turkish controlled Armenia. Their father, a barber, served the residents of the town of Marishka and the soldiers of the nearby Turkish garrison, walking a fine line between the Muslim oppressors and the Christian ...

Jesus famously said "You cannot serve God and Mammon." But how do we serve God and not serve Mammon? Don't we work for money and purchase the necessities of life with it? What exactly did Jesus mean? What do we do with our money? This chapter from the book "Solid Ground" explores this topic in a way that is sure to astonish many a Christian. Mr. Clay challenges each believer to return to the Bible and discover what it really says about God and Gold. The answer may surprise you.