Riveting Stories of the Spiritual Battle for Our Hearts

The Hidden Saboteur by Charles Besondy
The Chase by Charles Besondy
The Snare by Charles Besondy
All for Clay by Charles Besondy
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The Lighthouse Series of Christian Fiction

Besondy’s Latest
Christian Psychological Thriller

When Charley Austin Marches to the Beat of the Wrong Drum, Life Gets Ugly.

Against a backdrop of societal upheaval, Road to Nineveh continues the story of Charley Austin (introduced in Book 3, The Snare) as he, like a modern-day Jonah, faces the harsh consequences of turning away from God’s purpose for his life and succumbs to pride and lust.

Book 4 in The Lighthouse series.

 

An Award-Winning Christian
Psychological Thriller

The Deceiver’s Plan is Working. Is it Too Late for Charley Austin and the World?

Charley Austin has no way of knowing that his life will be hell for the next 9 months because his view of the world and faith will be turned upside down. Can three strangers turn him around in time?

Book #3 in The Lighthouse series.

4-Time Award-Winning Christian Psychological Thriller

An ordinary girl becomes an extraordinary woman just one step from ruin, the Sheryl Landing story.
Book #2 in The Lighthouse series.

3-Time Award Winner for Christian Fiction

Will Clay Austin reach for the loving light of God in time to be saved from the Deceiver’s steely grip?
Book #1 in The Lighthouse series.

Christian Fiction Novella

When a mother’s best intentions go wrong, will she be forgiven?
A prequel to “The Hidden Saboteur” in The Lighthouse series

Christian Fiction Short Story

Was the artist’s mysterious painting revealing the future for its new owner?
A side-story to “The Hidden Saboteur,” in The Lighthouse series.

Reviews

Grabs you from the get go and keeps you on the edge of your seat!

The Chase is the second book by Charles Besondy in The Lighthouse series. If you read The Hidden Saboteur, you will enjoy learning more about him and Sheryl Landing. If you have not, you’ll want to read it. Besondy knows his writing craft very well. His detailed topographical descriptions place you in the map where Clay and Sheryl live and move. He is also a master in developing his characters.

 

Details

We feel their joy and pain. We struggle with them and even want to help them conquer the battle that evil is so shrewdly warring against them.

A new individual with a unique and mysterious personality is introduced in the novel. He adds to the thrill and suspense. He keeps you guessing and engaging your imagination.

Though fiction, you recognize that Sheryl’s struggles, emerging from her past, are very real. The Chase will have you asking questions about life and life’s purpose. About God and God’s purpose. About evil and his quest to foil God’s purpose. And like me, you’ll be left wanting more and waiting for Charles Besondy’s next book. I highly recommend reading The Chase.

Patricia Goitia lebo

Besondy is a fantastic writer and has created characters I love

The Chase is the second book by this author that I read. He has created great characters and stories that blend in your beliefs in a thrilling story. You will definitely like these if you are into thrilling reads.

Anon

 

 Profound novel, thrilling plot, great pacing. A joy to read.

Few novels have spoken to me as profoundly to me as The Hidden Saboteur has. There are so many great themes Besondy has woven into the stories of Clay, Sheryl, Thomas and the other characters he introduces along the way. The characters are so believable because all have stories of pain in their past or present, and all have the influence of others who love them and a God who loves them.

 

Details

The key themes I saw:
That God has a purpose and a reason for the people we have enter our lives.
That those negative voices we hear don’t come from God, nor are they true. They are from Satan, who wants us to fail and be overwhelmed.
That God has a plan for each and every one of us, if we only tune into that plan and seek His guidance.
That scars from the past can be healed, no matter how deep.
That we can get to a place of forgiveness.

I’ve read a number of Charles Martin’s works– this is every bit as thrilling, well-paced and similarly incorporates the interweaving of multiple plots that come together in the end.

TL Garrett

 A Godly tale

Besondy can really set a scene–his descriptions of people and places are wonderful in The Chase. The story is tense and carried me along. The sense of menace seems to always lurk nearby, good writing shows. A bit heavy on God–God this and God that. For me that deflected from the story, but that’s an atheist talking.

Ejkj

 

 An engaging and suspenseful narrative that leaves you wanting more

The Chase: A Christian Psychological Thriller is a work of Christian fiction in the thriller genre and is part of the Clay Austin series. It is aimed at adult readers owing to some mature subject matter and dark references and was penned by author Charles Besondy. The story follows the journey of a woman named Sheryl, who has escaped a life of depression and hardship through her faith and the family she and her husband are starting. But when evil seeps its way into her heart once more, Sheryl must find a way to open her heart to God for protection against the wicked presence threatening her very soul.

Details

Author Charles Besondy deals with intense and serious issues in a compassionate manner and, despite the darker undertones of the novel, there is an essence of hope that shines through. Sheryl is a damaged and flawed character, with close narrative details that give her depth and make her feel real and relatable to the audience. Watching her learn and develop was both gripping and rewarding. The author is a magnificent story crafter, delivering an engaging and suspenseful narrative that leaves you wanting more, but also concludes each small part of the story in a satisfying way. The attention to detail is second to none, giving us a clear and vivid description of the world in which the novel is set. This story is an emotional ride for both the characters and the reader in the best way possible, and I would not hesitate to recommend The Chase to fans of thriller novels and multifaceted characters..

K. C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite

A great story line that keeps you reading for more

The Chase is the second novel by Besondy that I’ve read. Can’t wait for the next one.
The story follows the tumultuous life of Sheryl Landing, whom Besondy introduced in his first novel. In this book I felt daggers in my heart every time she reached a high point in her life only to be struck back by poor decisions or circumstances, which weren’t circumstances at all. There was a plan against her all the way.

Details

Behind the plan to destroy her was a fascinating character Besondy calls The Figure in Gray. This gritty guy has physical characteristics but unearthly powers. Besondy doesn’t make it clear if the dude is a man or a dark angel. I like that he lets the reader decide.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and thoroughly enjoyed the vivid descriptions that Besondy paints for the reader.
I am not religious, yet I find Besondy’s brand of Christian fiction, to be eminently readable and enjoyable. The uplifting and transformative Christian message is there to ponder, but it’s never overbearing.
The Chase is a story that just works on so many levels.

Tim Burton

A question of inner value

I loved Charles Besondy’s theme of the lighthouse in his novel, The Hidden Saboteur. Ultimately, his main character, Clay, and his secondary protagonist, Thomas, had to confront inner demons of unworthiness that threatened to shipwreck and sabotage their lives.

Details

It is amazing how devilish these hidden icebergs of the subconscious can be! The book was a reminder of how many of us carry these cancerous burdens laid on us at an early age. The novel was a fascinating read, and it held my attention from start to finish. Admittedly, I normally would not gravitate to a Christian novel for a suspense thriller, but this book made me long for more by this author! It flows very evenly and I found it difficult to put down. The Gospel of Christ is proclaimed in these pages, though in a way that is so loving and relational that this novel will no doubt make unbelievers thirsty for spiritual realities. The feel good ending left me with the conviction that there is hope for all us who struggle with believing that we have value and something to offer others.

Timothy Rushing

A powerful book about battling against hidden iniquity and negativity

The Hidden Saboteur is a work of fiction in the Christian psychological thriller sub-genre and was penned by author Charles Besondy. In the first novel in the Clay Austin series, we meet our protagonist Clay when he is at the pinnacle of his career as a founding partner in a marketing agency.

Details

Despite his numerous successes and great prospects for the future, Clay is besieged by doubts, fears, and demonic nightmares that are determined to see him crumble. His loyal assistant Sheryl hears the voice of God, asking her to protect Clay and deliver him, and so begins an incredible journey to claim Clay’s soul: either for the light side of Heaven or the darkness of Hell itself.

Author Charles Besondy has crafted a truly compelling read which takes the psychological side of matters of the soul very seriously. Although there is an outright and suitably epic battle between God and the Devil, the story is very much about one man and his internal struggles with darkness and light, which makes the thriller element of the plot all the more realistic and genuinely terrifying in places.

One of the things which I particularly admired about the novel is the work that went into character development, not just of Clay but of those around him. I had a special fondness for Sheryl and her (at times) fruitless struggles to help Clay see everything that he’s got going for him. Overall, The Hidden Saboteur is a powerful book about battling against hidden iniquity and negativity and is a highly recommended read for Christian thriller fans everywhere.

K.C. Finn

I hated for the book to end

What a ride! I was swept along by the story all the way to the emotional ending of The Hidden Saboteur. I loved the characters and hated to say goodbye when I reached the last page. So much of this genre, Christian fiction, is written from the perspective of a female protagonist.

Details

It was refreshing for me to read a modern-day story about a man in a modern-day spiritual battle. I could certainly relate. Though two of the three main characters are men, I must say the author did a masterful job crafting the main female character, Sheryl. The interaction between Clay and Sheryl brought both an ache in my heart and a smile to my face. I enjoyed the unexpected twists and turns of the story as much as the wonderfully descriptive settings – Seattle, Dallas, and the fictitious town of Reef Bay. Above all, the story made me look hard at myself and consider where I’m letting the deceptive voice inside me limit who I was created to be. For that gift, I thank the author.

Pape G.

A great read

This is wonderful story of struggle leading to redemption. The main character, Clay comes to know what he doesn’t know about himself. He is guided and wooed into a bigger story than he ever planned. This is a book that will keep you surprised until the end with all the different twists and turns and help you know a little more about your own story when you finish.

Kelley W.

A suspenseful story with a comfortable ending

This novel is a beautiful, slow developing story of how a man was lead to understand his relationship with the Lord through association with friends and eventual love. Difficult to put down as the plot twists and turns and keeps the reader in suspense.

Details

It is an unusual love story with a connection to the lead character’s corporate challenges, troubled past, and overcoming psychological adversity. A great read and hard to put down. Cannot wait for the next novel from this author.

Bob C.

A wild ride and a great happy ending. Pulls you in.

I am entirely new to this genre, but I soon got the idea.The challenges Clay faces are real and agonizing. But a ray of hope always runs through the story. The characters are multifaceted and interesting and you quickly want them to succeed.

Details

There so many hints of things working out that when the author changes the pace and throws a new problem at his characters, you feel as frustrated as they do! The descriptions of the locations and people are graphic and fun. I am from the NW so I know all these places. BUT the ending is absolutely wonderful. A roller coaster ride to happiness! The lady sitting next to me in the park was wondering why an old man was reading his Kindle and crying.

Jon O.

Biography

In The Beginning

It all began as I sat uneasily in a high-back chair while 14 men in a semi-circle studied me intensely through dim candlelight rippled by rising smoke from white sage incense.

I was attending my first Christian men’s retreat. It was May 2015 a few days before my 65th birthday, and it was my turn to be in The Chair.

After long moments of silent prayer, each man, in turn, told me what the Holy Spirt was telling them to say as they studied me. I was not to respond – just listen and be present to their words.

Today, I can’t recall most of what was said to me in that room. What I do remember, because it struck such a powerful chord in me that night, was three of the men had said, “I see you as a tall shining beacon.”

I can assure you, up to that moment I didn’t see myself as anything close to a tall shining beacon – quite the contrary – but from that moment on I gradually began to see me as God intended. Something else happened that night in the cabin on the San Saba River in central Texas. Without me knowing it, the Holy Spirit had planted a seed that three years later would become my first novel, “The Hidden Saboteur.”

The seed began to sprout a single leaf the following year. At this time in my life, through the patient coaching of my wife and Bible study, I recognized how I was allowing my past to control who I was being. I had been believing a self-perceived lie that I wasn’t good enough for love, happiness, and success. I certainly wasn’t created that way by God – not good enough – so why was I believing it?

Once I realized the deception of that perception, it opened my eyes to how nearly everyone’s life is limited by similar lies – the “not good enough,” the “not worthy,” the “never can do it right.” I wondered what can I do to free people of the chains and limitations of the deception? That was the first leaf of the budding seed.

The second leaf sprung suddenly into my head one day while working in the yard. Three words, “the hidden saboteur,” summarized for me how Satan works inside each of us planting deceptive thoughts and beliefs that limit who we were created to be. Weeks later, another leaf of the seed appeared. This time in the shape of a vision. I saw a tall lighthouse with its lantern shining brightly out to sea.

Awareness of self-limiting deception, three words out the blue, and an image of a lighthouse – three ways the Holy Spirit grabbed my attention. And then I understood – I had to write a book.

Eighteen months later, “The Hidden Saboteur,” was released to encouraging reviews, and better yet, more story ideas were coming into my head.

By January 2021 I had written four books in what had become the award-winning The Lighthouse series of Christian fiction.

Readers comment that my books draw them close to the complex characters, thrill them with unexpected twists, and take them into vivid scenes. Many reviewers have noted their appreciation that Christian themes are apparent, uplifting, but not over-bearing.

Familiar Themes

Several themes occur in my works. These are themes I’ve experienced first-hand in my life.

1

The Enemy constantly lurks around us whispering lies and seeking every opportunity to separate us from God.

2

The scars we bear from the wounds of the past are the handiwork of the Enemy and can be erased by choosing God’s love.

3

There are pivotal moments when we must choose a path. Without faith the wrong choice will be made.

4

Even if we choose the wrong path, God doesn’t give up on us.

5

When we stop trying to control our lives, when we “let go and let God,” life becomes a wondrous, flowing adventure.

6

We never know if the people and places that we experience today will play critical roles in our lives later.

God’s Country

No doubt, God brought me to the sunshine of Texas so I would discover His light and cross paths with the woman meant to be my wife, Sofia. Princess Sofia and I live in Lakeway, Texas.

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Lastest Blogs

Road to Nineveh Launch

Road to Nineveh Launch

On January 4 at 5pm Central US time I live-streamed the official launch of Road to Nineveh, A Christian Psychological Thriller. I had a lot of fun giving the background to the book, reading one of the chapters, and answering a few questions from the viewers. Check it...

read more
Road to Nineveh Launches on Facebook Live

Road to Nineveh Launches on Facebook Live

On January 4 at 5pm CT on Facebook Live I’ll be reading from my newest thriller, Road to Nineveh. You are welcome to join me as I officially launch the novel, which is book #4 in The Lighthouse series of Christian thrillers. Here’s the event invitation page. You don’t...

read more
Clothing and Writer’s Block

Clothing and Writer’s Block

It has been said that Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misrables, wrote in the nude to overcome writer’s block. According to legend, he asked his servants to remove all clothing from the room so that he couldn’t leave before concluding his...

read more

Last Blogs

Road to Nineveh Launch

Road to Nineveh Launch

On January 4 at 5pm Central US time I live-streamed the official launch of Road to Nineveh, A Christian Psychological Thriller. I had a lot of fun giving the background to the book, reading one of the chapters, and answering a few questions from the viewers. Check it...

read more
Road to Nineveh Launches on Facebook Live

Road to Nineveh Launches on Facebook Live

On January 4 at 5pm CT on Facebook Live I’ll be reading from my newest thriller, Road to Nineveh. You are welcome to join me as I officially launch the novel, which is book #4 in The Lighthouse series of Christian thrillers. Here’s the event invitation page. You don’t...

read more