Action/Adventure(897)
Allegory(377)
Amish(5,085)
Biblical(1,033)
Children(851)
Classic Fiction(377)
Contemporary(9,613)
General Contemporary(5,902)
Women's Fiction(3,101)
Drama(1,318)
Fantasy/Science Fiction(2,050)
Historical(3,288)
Poetry(15)
Prophecy & End Times(1,173)
Romance(15,585)
Short Stories(234)
Suspense & Intrigue(10,283)
Teens(833)
Westerns(826)
Shop Now At Christianbook.com
Shop General Contemporary or
Choose a Category
- Academic
- Accompaniment Tracks
- Advent
- Adventures in Odyssey ™
- Audiobooks
- Bible Accessories
- Bible Covers
- Bible Studies & Curriculum
- Bibles
- Blooming Bargains
- Books
- Catholic
- Children
- Christian Living
- Christmas
- Church & Pastoral
- Church Supplies
- Closeouts
- Clothing & Accessories
- Crafts & Recreation
- DVDs
- Download
- Easter
- Education
- Fall
- Family
- Father's Day
- Fiction
- Focus Magazines
- Focus Resource
- Focus Reviewed
- Focus on the Family
- Gift & Home
- Graduation
- Homeschool
- MP3 Music Downloads
- Mother's Day
- Music
- New Release
- Patriotic
- Pre-Order
- Radio Theatre
- Slightly Imperfect
- Software
- Spanish
- Spring
- Subscriptions
- Sunday School
- Teens
- Thanksgiving
- VBS
- Videos
- Winter
- eBooks
Most Popular Products
Sweet Mercy
(11)
Unwritten
(3)
Top-Rated Products
Customer Reviews for Thomas Nelson The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Thomas Nelson The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Raleigh's exemplary service in Seattle opened the door for her disciplinary transfer to be lifted, allowing her to return to her home FBI field office in Richmond, VA. A civil rights case turns out to be much more complex than anyone thought when Raleigh is forced to go undercover in a drug traffiking case...and things aren't any simpler at home.
Average Customer Rating:
(17 Reviews) 17
Rating Snapshot (17 reviews)
5 stars
3
4 stars
8
3 stars
4
2 stars
2
1 star
0
4 out of 580%customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Review 1 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Raleigh Harmon rocks!
Date:February 23, 2011
Karen Mcdaniel
Location:Virginia
Age:55-65
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I really enjoy reading the Raleigh Harmon series books. The author uses language so effectively, at times poetically, that the characters live on long after you have finished the book. Looking forward to reading more of Sibella Girorella's writing.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 2 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
I wanted to enjoy this much more than I did.
Date:December 29, 2010
Quality:
3
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
1
out of
5
For me this was more like 3.5 stars but closer to three than four, so that's why I gave it three. Interestingly enough, I read through chapter 7 of The Stones Cry Out and never had the desire to pick it up again, so I didn't. But then I'd read some positive things about this author's work and saw some nominations for awards and thought maybe I missed something. So I agreed to do a blog tour for this book.
I did finish The Clouds Roll Away because I agreed to post a review for the tour, or I probably wouldn't have finished this book. The writing style seemed kind of choppy to me and sometimes spiritual reflection seemed to come out of the sky. It was nice that I read it around Christmas since that was the time period for the majority of the story, but at the same time the continual references to phrases in well-known Christmas songs and hymns annoyed me. Why not just say mom was listening to Silent Night? Or O Holy Night? Most people know the lyrics anyway, so quoting partial phrases didn't make sense to me. Even non-Christians know those songs.
Anyway, I did find some aspects of the FBI theme compelling and it was kinda cool how various seemingly unrelated elements pulled together toward the end. At the same time, I found some of the details a bit gruesome (like people's faces being blown off and then described further than that) and so I got some unpleasant visuals of bloated dead bodies and such. I was scared for her when she kept dealing with the crack house. But other than that, I would have to say if I never read another book by Sibella I wouldn't be sad about it. She just doesn't write the type of stories I enjoy reading. If she had gotten a little deeper into her relationship with her mother or with Demott, then I would have enjoyed the story more. It just seemed too superficial to me and other than worrying about Raleigh on occasion, I didn't connect much with the characters in the story.
On the positive end, I did feel like I knew Raleigh better by book's end, so that was good, but if I hadn't been doing the tour I probably would've stopped reading it about halfway through when the part about finding the dead guys in the water came up, because it grossed me out so much. At that point I still felt like I barely knew Raleigh. It could be one of those situations where reading prior novels in the series would have given me an entirely different perspective.
I did find it interesting that a white author had written so many negative things into this storyline that were racial stereotypes for both white and black folks, and the author hasn't been criticized. Then again, this story was set in the old south, so racial tension has pretty much been a deep thread in Virginia history for centuries, so it fit the storyline. Did this book inspire me? Not really. But it might inspire someone else. The author definitely knows how to weave a compelling, if not a bit gruesome and complex suspense/crime mystery. That was well done.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 3 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
What's behind the clouds?
Date:December 15, 2010
bikerbabs
Location:Minnesota
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
4
out of
5
The Clouds Roll Away is the third book in Sibella Giorello's Raleigh Harmon series. FBI Special agent Raleigh is back in Richmond after a disciplinary transfer to Seattle for a year. She is happy to be home again, but before she can really settle in and get back to normal, a cross burning in front of the plantation house that a well-known black rapper has recently moved into, starts racial tensions soaring and brings unwelcome media attention to bear on how the case is handled. Her supervisor wants it solved and solved quickly, but Raleigh's resolve to get to the truth rather than just tie things up in a neat bow could mean the death of her career.
Raleigh Harmon is still dealing with the unsolved murder of her father, a mother who is teetering on the brink of an emotional breakdown, and feelings for an old high school boyfriend whom she can't quite get over. In the midst of that are dead bodies with KKK tattoos, crack houses, and gangbangers.
The Clouds Roll Away is not just a novel about race issues, but about heart issues. Without God's redemption we are all lost in our depravity. Raleigh witnesses the sickness of sin in the rich as well as the poor, black and white, male and female. During the hap-happiest time of the year--Christmas--Richmond is seething with violence and hatred. I was profoundly moved by a scene in a crack house where two young children and their addict mother sit watching A Charlie Brown Christmas while a man is beaten and crack is being cooked on the stove in the next room. The children listen to Linus reciting the story of the Lord's birth while their father plans murders and makes drug deals.
As an FBI agent, Raleigh witnesses horrors no one should have to see, while trying to maintain a calm, professional exterior. Her faith in God, and hope that someday she will solve her father's murder seem to be what keeps her going. Raleigh doesn't believe in luck. She knows who's in control. And every once in a while the clouds roll away...
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 4 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Intriguing
Date:December 14, 2010
Sibella Girgello is a new author to me. I will be reading more of her work.
I understand that this is the third Raleigh Harmon book. I can assure you this is a stand alone book because I did not feel handicapped at all not having read the other two. But the more I did read this one and got involved with Raleigh I realized I will have to find the other two and read them, just to get a little more contact with her.
I enjoy novels with multilayered plot lines and The Clouds Roll Away does not disappoint on this feature either.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 5 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Interesting Twist on FBI Novels
Date:December 12, 2010
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I love a book with a FBI agent as the lead character. After spending the fall in the FBI Citizen's Academy here in Indiana, I feel better able to judge whether the author has done their research and crafted a character who has the authentic feel of an agent. With Raleigh Harmon, Sibella Giorello has done just that. Raleigh is in a fight to stay in the FBI -- for reasons unknown to me because I have not read the first book yet. But she is a committed agent, doing all she can and more to solve cases. This book focuses on two cases: one involving a hate crime and the other a drug operation. What seems simple becomes highly complicated, and the pages flew as I tried to stay ahead of Raleigh. Unlike some books I've read lately, I didn't figure this one out until near the end - a welcome relief. And the writing was great. Highly recommend for those who like twisting plots with a spattering of bodies.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 6 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:May 24, 2010
This book had a good story line, but was hard to get into. Also, the ending was totally unexpected. Personally, I didn't really like it.Raleigh has made some mistakes in the past, but this case is giving her a new beginning. A popular rap artist is having trouble with trespassers, and things are getting messy. Raleigh has just a short time to solve the case before somebody else gets hurts...
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 7 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:May 8, 2010
The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giroello is the third book in the Raleigh Harmon series about a Virginia FBI agent with a specialty in mineralogy. Raleigh has returned home from her exile in Washington and is assigned a hate crimes case against a high-profile rap star known for his philanthropy. Her boss hates her and regularly throws her scut jobs, including working the phones on a gang task force which leads to more troubles with authority as well as an up close and personal view of the gang members. I fell in love with Raleigh in the first book in this series, The Stones Cry Out, which is definitely a must read to understand the complicated relationships in this volume. Raleigh keeps everyone at arm's length after the murder of her father, which is still unsolved, including God despite her best intentions. The mystery at the heart of the novel is almost overly complex, but some readers will suss out the bad guy early on. But just like TV viewers don't turn in to Bones on a regular basis for the cases, readers will come back again and again for Raleigh's complicated emotions and the strong characters who surround her. Giorello's writing is restrained and occasionally haunting making this more than just your average mystery. It's compelling, enjoyable, and will keep readers coming back for more.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 8 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:April 8, 2010
Hollie
The Clouds Roll Away is a mystery novel by Sibella Giorello based in Richmond, Virginia. The novel is about forensic geologist, Raleigh Harmon, who must work to solve burgeoning racial crimes focused on African American rap artist. While trying to solve the mystery of who is committing the hate crimes, Raleigh must also deal with her temperamental mother, catty boss, rich and ever-present ex-boyfriend, and new tenant in her childhood home. I found The Clouds Roll Away to be a slightly difficult read at first because there seemed to be a great deal of missing information, until I realized about halfway through the book that it was the third book in a series, so I was missing some important background information. In order to truly appreciate the book, it seems necessary that one invest in the first two books of the series to get the background information to make sense of the third book. This was a slight disappointment for me since I have not read the first two books. Lack of knowledge aside, I did not find the novel to my liking as far as mystery novels go because it seemed like a novel where the first 300 hundred pages are mediocrity leading up to the short climax and conclusion in the last 20 pages. A climax toward the end of a novel is acceptable of course, but only as long as the rest of the story is interesting enough to be captivating. Instead I felt like I was trudging through the story just so I could finish it instead of leaving a book half-read.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 9 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:April 6, 2010
Andrea
I have finally completed "The Clouds Roll Away" by Sibella Giorello. Raleigh Harmon is an FBI agent who has recently returned home to Richmond, VA. One of her first assignments is to investigate a cross burning at a celebrity's mansion. As Raleigh digs into the case, she realizes that things are not as simple as they seem. And she begins to wonder who the real victims are.Raleigh also has to deal with a former boyfriend that seems to pop up unexpectantly, a mother with mental health issues, a distant sister, and a boss who doesn't trust her.The storyline has many layers, sub-plots, twists and turns to keep the reader interested. The chapters are short and manageable. Except, I had a difficult time getting through this book. The descriptions are thick with words that I didn't understand and imagery that didn't make sense. A few times I found myself having to read a section over because I realized I had missed what was really going on.I picked this book because I enjoy a good adventure/mystery novel. It is my favourite genre. And, for the most part, I enjoyed this book. I think that if the author were to simplify some of the language, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book. But, because of the language, I only give this book a 3 out of 5.I have signed up to be a guest book reviewer for Thomas Nelson Publishers, through their BookSneeze program (http://www.booksneeze.com/). I request books that interest me and they send them to me for free. In return, I review the book. The opinions I express are my own.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 10 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:March 17, 2010
LaTanya
The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello is the second book in her Raleigh Harmon Series. I have not read the other books in this series, but the author did a good job of including some background information so a new reader would not be lost.This book is about an FBI Agent, Raleigh Harmon, who is transferred back to her hometown to investigate a hate crime. Raleigh is like everyone of us. She is struggling with some real life issues. She has a difficult boss, a fickle boyfriend, and a complicated relationship with her mother. As she is investigating the crime, she discovers much more about the victims and a lot about herself. This book is full of suspense and is a real page turner once you get into the story.It was a little difficult at first to get into the book and the plot. At times I felt that I was missing information, but it was due to not having read the previous book. The author did do a good job of filling in these gaps and once I got into the middle of the plot, I really enjoyed the book.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 11 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:March 13, 2010
Christianna
I read the first book in this series and loved it! Then I read this book. It did not hold my interest and I seemed to just want it to be over. (Not my idea of a great read.) The authors "political correctness" and lack of previous characters was just annoying.
Share this review:
-1point
0of 1voted this as helpful.
Review 12 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:March 12, 2010
Vicky
I received this book from the Thomas Nelson program for bloggers.I was really excited to get a fiction book since I really love fiction and this was a suspense which I love also.Raleigh Harmon is a forensic geologist that goes back to her hometown and ends up investigating a hate crime, problems with her boss at the FBI and strange problems with her mother(that are never indulged) along with a former boyfriend that pops up here and there in the book. Her father was murdered a few years earlier and it was mentioned a few times but I kept wondering if and when this would make more of an impact in the story-it never did which I think was a mistake not to go further into that story or not mention it so much otherwise.I can't say I hated the book but I can't say I loved the book either. I found it did not hold my interest as there were so many back and forths throughout the book. Each chapter she went different ways and they didn't seem to tie together. Suspense should excite you to keep reading and keep trying to figure out "who did it" and how it will end. This book ended and I never felt a climax to the ending just an ending. I actually have her first book, which I have never read, and I think I will try it to see if it is any better than this one.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 13 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:March 6, 2010
"The Clouds Roll Away" is a novel that is kind of hard to describe. Written in the first person, it reminds me of the classic pulp fiction detective storiesSam Spade, Mike Hammer. But the cynical detective is quite different from those characters. She's a fairly young woman, who happens to be a Christianand a former debutante.Raleigh Harmon has just returned to Richmond, VA after being assigned to work in Washington state due to a controversial case. Her boss is still unhappy with her, so she's walking on egg shells, trying to avoid trouble. Yet her current cases include a high-profile hate crime and participation in a drug task force. To complicate matters, she lives with her borderline mentally unstable mother, has trouble getting along with her atheist sister, and is being pursued by the high society ex-boyfriend whom she kind of wonders why she let get away.Sibella Giorello has an incredible gift for telling a great story supported by thorough research. (Her acknowledgments reveal at least some of the extent of this.) She also does an amazing job of setting the sceneweaving sounds, smells, tastes, and other sensations right into the story line. I especially loved the way she had Raleigh briefly notice words to songs as she heard them in different places, wherever she went.The book is a bit dark. Raleigh is cynical. She has been hurtmany times. And her job as an FBI agent has led her to see the most hardened kinds of lives. Yet she remembers her faith, reminds herself often of her God, and waits for the clouds to roll away.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 14 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:March 4, 2010
Troy
Sibella Giorello is talented, to say the least. She lays out the story in such a way that drew me right in to the story. Each character was well developed and had their own surprising secrets that played right into the story - and some of them I hadn't suspected at all until near the end of the story. Though this story did include elements of forensic science, it wasn't so technical that it made you feel like you were reading a text book rather than a novel - at the same time explaining how it relates to the case in a seamless entertaining manner.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 15 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:March 2, 2010
Laura
In The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello, forensic geologist Raleigh Harmon returns to her hometown of Richmond, Virginia and is soon investigating a cross burning at a celebrity's mansion. It appears to be a hate crime but as she continues to investigate, things become more puzzling and complicated. Raleigh is also helping with a gang related case. When the two cases start to intertwine, she starts wondering who the bad guys and the victims really are. Raleigh also has a hard time with her supervisor who is not certain she learned anything from being sent to Seattle. Her mother is also behaving in an unusual manner and Raleigh has to keep her job in the FBI a secret from her. Raleighs former boyfriend, DeMott Fielding, is also trying to win her heart.The Clouds Roll Away is the third book about Raleigh Harmon. The book was well written and researched and I enjoyed reading it, but it was predictable. I would recommend reading the first two books, The Stones Cry Out and The Rivers Run Dry first if you want the background on Raleigh and what happened to get her transferred to Seattle. But this book could also be read as a stand alone novel.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 16 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:February 26, 2010
Emme
This is the second Raleigh Harmon book by the same author, and it is a beautifully composed mystery novel that is perfect for all hours of the day. The story takes us to Virginia, where a forensic geologist, after returning to her hometown, is immediately dragged into a case investigating a cross burning at a celebritys mansion. To add more stress to her life, Raleighs personal life is almost as murky as her case, with her mother, boyfriend, and boss complicating all aspects of her life. As the book progresses, Raleigh uncovers more and more secrets and details about her case, and left me captivated and amazed at the quality of writing. I loved Giorellos usage of language and imagery to turn this mystery novel into a suspenseful thriller that I could not stop reading. The characters are all well developed and all have their own secrets and depth, which just made it all the more interesting to read. Unlike some other forensic books, the technology and details involved with the case were not too fantasy or sci-fi like, which made the entire story more believable and easy to relate to. One slight annoyance that I have is the incorporation of God into the story. I am a devout Christian, but sometimes, I just want to read a nice story without having to be overwhelmed by religious references and elements. Other than that, I would say this book is honestly a great read, and I definitely will be keeping an eye out for Giorellos other creations in the future.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Review 17 for The Clouds Roll Away, Raleigh Harmon Series #2
Overall Rating:
Date:February 26, 2010
Lehrerin
Raleigh Harmon is a forensic geologist with a secret life as an FBI agent. Following her father's death and her return to her Richmond hometown, she works a civil rights case with a famous victim and a drug-running task force when her files begin to intersect. With a suspicious boss, the return of a love interest and an emotionally frail mother, how will Raleigh solve the case without anyone else getting hurt - including herself?Giorello writes beautiful, descriptive text that draws the reader in. Although seemingly distant at times, throughout the book Raleigh takes on a life of her own. The history of the Richmond area is included in a realistic way, not only bringing the area to life but helping to round out the edges of Raleigh's case. The plot keeps the reader in suspense while not being too over the top. While faith was definitely a part of Raleigh's make-up, it seemed to be a distant part. A deeper exploration of her return to faith would have made her character's transformation more complete.My biggest concern with this book lies with its history. This is the second Raleigh Harmon book, and apparently much happens in the first book that is relevant to her Richmond roots - only it isn't fully explained here. I felt as if I would have been better able to understand Raleigh had Giorello taken a bit more time to explore her background here and catch new readers up to speed. This will not deter me from reading these books but these are definitely not stand alone books. I will recommend these to my friends - starting with the first one.I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guidelines Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.