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Customer Reviews for Thomas Nelson The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Thomas Nelson The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Things are never simple for FBI forensic geologist Raleigh Harmon---on or off the job! When she goes undercover to investigate the deaths of thoroughbred horses, her life is turned upside down. The lies she's told---professionally and personally---weigh heavy. Will she find enough truth to both solve the case and restore her family?
Average Customer Rating:
(12 Reviews) 12
Rating Snapshot (12 reviews)
5 stars
10
4 stars
1
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
0
12 out of 12100%customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Review 1 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
Raleigh is back in all her conflicted glory
Date:November 24, 2012
Raleigh Harmon is a conflicted character that I love. In The Stars Shine Bright she's wrestling with an assignment as an undercover agent and what it means to leave an honest, truthful life. The mystery is multi-layered and complex. But it's her character that keeps me coming back. Add in wonderful writing and it's can't put down, return to it often reading. Can't wait for the next book!
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Review 2 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
I <3 Raleigh Harmon!
Date:October 19, 2012
Quality:
4
out of
5
Value:
4
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Ah, Raleigh Harmon, I’ve missed shouting at you. I love this character. I love her stubborn unwillingness to defer to authority when she’s convinced she’s right and they’re wrong, I love her compulsive avoidance of emotional entanglements and I love that these traits constantly land her in trouble! I love the geology woven throughout the plots. And I love Jack. I love this series and so will you! The Stars Shine Bright is preceded by The Stones Cry Out, The Rivers Run Dry, The Clouds Roll Away, and The Mountains Bow Down.
P.S. I also love these titles.
P.S. I also love these titles.
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Review 3 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
Loved it!
Date:August 21, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Special Agent Raleigh Harmon always seems to find herself right smack in the middle of TROUBLE! That is just one of the many things I have come to love about her! She is back from the Alaskan Cruise and is treading on thin ice in regards to her job. She is given an undercover assignment at a race track and hopes to regain her good standing! As if living a double life and trying to solve this crime wasn't enough, her mother is in an asylum and isn't speaking to her.
The Suspense, the quirkiness, and wondering what will happen between her and Jack, kept me turning page after page... I just could NOT put this one down!
This is book 5 in this "Raleigh Harmon" series, but can easily be read alone. I definitely give "The Stars Shine Bright" 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s I am sooo happy to know there are more books to come!
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Review 4 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
A Mystery Thriller At A Racetrack
Date:August 17, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I had the privilege of interviewing Sibella Giorello, on our radio show “Kingdom Highlights”, for her new book, “The Stars Shine Bright” Book Five in the Raleigh Harmon series published by Thomas Nelson which takes Raleigh Harmon undercover at the race track.
From the back cover: After the FBI suspends her for bending its rules, Special Agent Raleigh Harmon is looking for a chance to redeem her career and re-start her life.
Sent undercover to a thoroughbred horse track, Raleigh takes on a double life to find out who’s fixing the races. But when horses start dying and then her own life is threatened, Raleigh realizes something bigger—and more sinister—is ruining Emerald Meadows.
She’s never felt more alone.
Her one contact with the FBI is Special Agent Jack Stephanson, a guy who seems to jump from antagonistic to genuine friend depending on the time of day. And she can’t turn to her family for support. They’re off-limits while she’s undercover, and her mother isn’t speaking to her anyway, having been confined to a mental hospital following a psychotic breakdown. Adding insult to her isolation, Raleigh’s fiancé wants them to begin their life together—now—precisely when she’s been ordered not to be herself.
With just days left before the season ends, Raleigh races to stop the killing and find out who’s behind the track’s trouble, all the while trying to determine if Jack is friend or foe, and whether marrying her fiancé will make things better—or worse.
Raleigh is walking through the darkest night she’s faced, searching for a place where the stars shine bright.
Lately I have been missing the classic mysteries that I used to read when I was younger where the investigator is trying to solve an almost impossible mystery but manages to do it one clue at a time. The reader was given all those clues and, most times, we were unable to figure out what was going on until the investigator explained it. Those days seem to be over. Well let me tell you Sibella Giorello writes mysteries similar to those old classic writers. I did not want to put down “The Stars Shine Bright”. This time Raleigh Harmon is at a race track completely out of her element and there is quite a lot going on. Ms. Harmon starts to provide the clues almost on page five but she doesn’t start to link them together until about page 260. This book will have you flipping pages as fast as you can read. Everyone needs a champion and Raleigh Harmon is a good one. Ms. Giorello has created a winner with this series. If you like a good mystery with twists and turns and some heart racing action then this is the book for you. I recommend this book highly and am looking forward to the next book in the series.
Win a Kindle Fire from @SibellaGiorello in “The Stars Shine Bright” Giveaway!
Enter Today – 8/4-8/25!
Novelist Sibella Giorello is celebrating the release of the latest book in her praiseworthy Raleigh Harmon series by giving away a Kindle Fire!
One grand prize winner will receive:
A brand new Kindle Fire
The entire 5-book Raleigh Harmon series.
The entire 5-book Raleigh Harmon series.
Hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/25/12. The winner will be announced on 8/27/12 on Sibella’s blog!
Just click one of the icons below to enter. Tell your friends about Sibella’s giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and increase your chances of winning.
Enter via E-mail Enter via FacebookEnter via Twitter
Enter via E-mail Enter via FacebookEnter via Twitter
If you missed the interview for “The Stars Shine Bright” or “The Mountains Bow Down”, book four in this series and would like to listen to it and/or other interviews as well please go to Kingdom Highlights where it is available On Demand.
To listen to 24 hours non-stop, commercial free Christian music please visit our internet radio station Kingdom Airwaves
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. 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: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Review 5 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
Date:August 6, 2012
hannahetrotter
Gender:female
Working undercover to solve an increasingly complicated mystery is never an easy task, but when you’re also up against the complex personalities found at the horse track stables, all bets are off (pardon the pun).
Special Agent Raleigh Harmon has found her passion while working for the FBI, but when crazy circumstances leave her temporarily suspended, she jumps at one last chance to prove herself. But there are a lot of people in her way – her case agent that is awaiting her demise, the suspicious horse owners at Emerald Meadows, her mother who has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and her fiancé who is begging her to quit her job. Meanwhile, horses are dying, jockeys are being injured, and Raleigh suspects the security personnel at the tracks may be covering something up.
On top of all this, Raleigh herself is suddenly pinned as the top suspect, but unable to drop her undercover alias, she’s scrounging around for ways to prove that she is innocent. It all comes down on a dark night when death plots, mobsters and ruthless stalkers all converge.
I highly recommend The Stars Shine Bright by Sibella Giorello. I was a little wary when starting out because I am not a fan of horses or race tracks, but this novel really drew me in and I could barely put it down. My only complaint is that I wished she would have given her fiancé more of a chance, I thought he seemed like a great guy.
If you enjoy a good mystery, I can guarantee this is one you won’t be able to solve.
If you enjoy a good mystery, I can guarantee this is one you won’t be able to solve.
The Rivers Run Dry and The Clouds Roll Away precede this novel in the Raleigh Harmon series.
Disclosure: I was given a complimentary copy of this book from a publicity agency. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own.
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Review 6 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
The Review is In :: The Stars Shine Bright
Date:August 6, 2012
MichelleatTexasHomemaking
Location:Texas
Age:25-34
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
I recently read my first Christian suspense novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Stars Shine Bright by Sibella Giorello is a novel about an FBI agent named Raleigh Harmon. This story is one of many about the agent's life, career, and cases.
In The Stars Shine Bright Agent Harmon finds herself trying to recover from a failing career while on an undercover operation at the Emerald Dunes horse track. First believed to be the scene of race fixing by the mob, Raleigh soon learns there is a much sinister plot unfolding involving home grown terrorism. Raleigh is also battling personal conflicts: her mother's recent committal to an asylum once she learned of Raleigh's secret career; Raleigh's wealthy Virginian fiancee DeMott's nagging rush to marriage; and her precocious, yet handsome, boss' affection.
Caught up in her love for work, she finds herself beginning to question marriage and this sacred promise to DeMott. Among other hot button issues, abortion is discussed when Raleigh discovers Ashley, a horse groom, is pregnant by a man unwilling to keep the child. Lying to loved ones becomes another prevalent theme throughout the novel.
My favorite excerpt from the book is when Raleigh finds herself at her lowest and recalls a conversation between her and her deceased father:
"At some point, life will seem difficult to you. Really difficult. That's life - Raleigh, look at me."
"I'm looking."
"When those hard times come, I want you to remember how Galileo found the truth."
"With a telescope."
He laughed. "Yes, that was part of it." But he pointed to the sky. Black velvet. White lights. "Those stars are there, every day, waiting in the blue sky. We just can't see them. This is what I want you to remember. The stars shine bright when it gets dark enough. The invisible becomes visible."
I don't want to spoil the story line for anyone, so I won't give out too many details. However, I did want to point out how nice it was to read a suspense novel without any off-putting language or content; more often than not, writers rely upon these devices to get the point across. I think Sibella did a marvelous job of conveying her thoughts without including these items.
I enjoyed how the author also worked Raleigh's scientific background of forensic geology into the story. Excerpt:
"There's a pervasive theory in geology called uniformitarianism. It's a long word for the basic idea: the landscape seen today were formed by continuous forces exerted over millions of years...But Bretz, who had a PhD in geology, wrote, it could only result from a massive flooding. In fact, one flood."
This gave more credence to Raleigh's character, as well as Sibella's writing. I loved how science and Christianity melded together to reveal such a dynamic character as Raleigh Harmon.
Sibella Giorello has previously written The Rivers Run Dry, The Clouds Roll Away, The Mountains Bow Down, and Stones Dry Out. She has received two nominations for a Pulitzer prize for previous works. Giorello is also inspired by the Bible in her writings, but notes, "Whenever I say that, some people groan, but those 66 books are sheer poetry, and they cover the most crucial questions. Who is God? What's life all about? Why are we here and what's the plan - for individuals and for humanity?"
{I was provided a copy of The Stars Shine Bright by the publisher}
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Review 7 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
Tofu never screams but it makes a squishy purse
Date:August 5, 2012
bikerbabs
Location:Minnesota
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
In The Stars Shine Bright, FBI agent Raleigh Harmon is dealing with fallout from her last assignment. While waiting to hear what form of discipline she will suffer for improperly acquiring evidence during that case, she is assigned to go undercover and find out who is fixing races and making horses sick at the racetrack. Problem is, she only has two weeks to solve the case and hopefully gain some brownie points in her favor to counteract her past screw-ups.
Not only does Raleigh have job-related issues, but her mother is in a mental hospital and refuses to see her, her fiancé is pressuring her to quit her job and come home to Virginia for good, she has to meet weekly with a bureau approved shrink, and fellow FBI agent Jack Stephanson is keeping tabs on her like she’s in kindergarten.
Struggling to keep up with the lies she tells in her undercover assignment, as well as the lies she tells the people she loves in a vain attempt to shield them and herself from the truth, Agent Harmon’s life spirals down to sheer desperation. Instead of reining her in, the threat of discipline actually puts her further out on the edge. She is willing to do most anything to catch the culprits and solve the case, even to the point of putting her own life in jeopardy.
I love this series and naturally want to hurry up and read them straight through, but I tend to slow down and savor certain passages. Sibella Giorello has a way with words and description that put you right there in the scene – a fly on the wall of the horse barn, so to speak. She also has a great sense of humor and manages to lighten the dark stuff once in a while with something so off the wall that I find myself laughing out loud – like the bumper sticker Raleigh finds in the room of a crazy animal rights extremist – tofu never screams.
A section where she gorges on salt to throw off a lie detector test is so filled with self-recrimination, desperation, justification, paranoia, and wry humor to be a masterpiece of the human condition. Or maybe I’m reading more into it than is there, but whatever the case, I wholeheartedly recommend The Stars Shine Bright, and the entire series for that matter.
If there is anything negative I could say about this book, it’s that I’m totally confused about which love interest Raleigh should pursue. Jack or DeMott? I think she needs them both.
* I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. (and I did not eat a large quantity of salt before writing it)
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Review 8 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
good novel of suspense and personal struggle
Date:July 17, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
In this latest in the series, FBI Agent Raleigh Harmon is back in the Seattle office. She is still under review from her Alaska cruise ship experience but is given an under cover assignment. She poses as the niece of a wealthy race horse owner and has the task of investigating why horses that have been winning suddenly begin to lose.
In addition to dealing with arrogant trainers and betting mobsters, she also has Jack as her immediate contact with the FBI. Jack, with his irritating sense of humor and apparent infatuation with Raleigh. And then her fiancé, DeMott, insists on flying out from Richmond with the dog dying for Raleigh's affection.
Raleigh's life is in danger as someone is out to harm the horses and get rid of her. And she puts her own career in danger (again) as she goes outside the bounds of accepted FBI protocol to track down the criminals. While she uncovers the animal loving terrorists who have been causing damage in the Pacific Northwest for years, she may be also ruining her career.
In addition to dealing with arrogant trainers and betting mobsters, she also has Jack as her immediate contact with the FBI. Jack, with his irritating sense of humor and apparent infatuation with Raleigh. And then her fiancé, DeMott, insists on flying out from Richmond with the dog dying for Raleigh's affection.
Raleigh's life is in danger as someone is out to harm the horses and get rid of her. And she puts her own career in danger (again) as she goes outside the bounds of accepted FBI protocol to track down the criminals. While she uncovers the animal loving terrorists who have been causing damage in the Pacific Northwest for years, she may be also ruining her career.
I really like this series. Giorello is a gifted author. There is snappy dialog, quirky characters, and faith lived out in the day to day activities of Raleigh. Add to that the informative descriptions of the varied landscape of Washington State, from the scablands of eastern Washington to fault ridden Puget Sound. Geological background information is deftly woven into the story line. Living the Pacific Northwest, it is a treat to read about familiar places in a novel. And Giorello gets extra points for having Jack mention Deception Pass, a nearby favorite of mine.
This is a well written novel. Although it is the fourth book in a continuing series, Giorello weaves in enough background information from previous books that you won't be lost if this is the first you read.
“The stars shine bright when it gets dark enough. The invisible becomes visible.” (269)
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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Review 9 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
I couldn't put it down.
Date:July 13, 2012
ChristmasJoy
Location:LA, Ca
Age:18-24
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
WOW! Mrs. Sibella Giorello does it again this time at a racetrack!!
My advise before reading this book: eat a meal, have snacks and bottles of water near by, sit in a comfy chair, have night vision goggles near by, and nothing left but to learn why the Stars Shine Bright.
I recommend this book because Sibella has a way with words that make you feel like, you are inside Secret Agent Raleigh's head, and heart. Plus it is full of Great lessons, and you learn them with Raleigh. I devoured this book in less than three days because I had to know what happened with Raleigh? With her FBI job? With her mother? With DeMott? With Jack? and I'm very happy to have had most of my questions answered, with others lingering to the next installment in the series. ;) Write On, Mrs. Giorello.
My advise before reading this book: eat a meal, have snacks and bottles of water near by, sit in a comfy chair, have night vision goggles near by, and nothing left but to learn why the Stars Shine Bright.
I recommend this book because Sibella has a way with words that make you feel like, you are inside Secret Agent Raleigh's head, and heart. Plus it is full of Great lessons, and you learn them with Raleigh. I devoured this book in less than three days because I had to know what happened with Raleigh? With her FBI job? With her mother? With DeMott? With Jack? and I'm very happy to have had most of my questions answered, with others lingering to the next installment in the series. ;) Write On, Mrs. Giorello.
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Review 10 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
3 stars
Date:July 8, 2012
The Stars Shine Bright is the fifth book in the Raleigh Harmon series. After reading The Mountains Bow Down last year, I was excited to read more of Raleigh's story. Sibella Giorello writes incredibly complex and intricate mysteries, and this was no exception. The writing was tight, the story was detailed, and the characters were likeable. While I enjoyed the book, I found that I wasn't entirely invested in the mystery (centered on horse racing) or the personal drama between Raleigh and her fiance. However, because of Giorello's writing and my interest in what I *think* might be happening in Raleigh's personal life next, I'll be sure to check out the next book in the series. [3 stars]
I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for my fair and honest review.
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Review 11 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
The Story Continues with a New Mystery
Date:July 3, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
If you’ve been following the story of Special Agent Raleigh Harmon through her novels, written by Sibella Giorello, you’ll be glad to hear a new story is out! If you haven’t been following the story, each novel contains its own mystery for Harmon to solve. You can choose to start with the newest, "The Stars Shine Bright," or start at the beginning and work your way through. I started somewhere in the middle, and still plan to go back and read the first few.
"The Stars Shine Bright" is set in Seattle, Washington. Harmon is in trouble for a desperate decision made during her last case. On temporary suspension and being investigated by the FBI’s version of Internal Affairs, Harmon accepts an undercover assignment knowing that if she does well, she’ll be able to keep her job. If not, it will be the end of her career.
Complicating matters are her mother’s involuntary commitment to a mental asylum and her fiancé’s insistence that she just give up the job, move home to Virginia, and let him take care of her. The choice may be taken out of Harmon’s hands; if not, it’s one she’ll have to make.
I really enjoyed reading this book. Giorello has a gift for creating amazing, if not eccentric, characters and putting them in interesting settings. I also got a kick out of Harmon’s mini-soapbox sermons, rants that randomly roamed through her mind as she dealt with difficult people and opposing viewpoints. Also woven throughout the story are Harmon’s deep thoughts about living honestly (something that’s hard to do when you’re working undercover) and receiving and responding to familial love.
Readers who enjoy great mysteries will love this book. I thank Thomas Nelson Publishers for sending a complimentary copy for this honest review.
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Review 12 for The Stars Shine Bright: Raleigh Harmon Series #4
Overall Rating:
A most excellent book!
Date:July 2, 2012
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
Special Agent Raleigh Harmon returns in this fifth installment of the "Raleigh Harmon" series, seeking to overcome the tarnish on her name for bending the rules of the FBI in her prior case. When she is given the chance to go undercover at a thoroughbred horse track, Emerald Downs, Raleigh jumps at the chance to prove her worth as an agent of excellence. Soon into the case of attempting to find out who is fixing the horse races, Raleigh learns that more is going on than initially suspected, and experiences an attempt on her life. While trying to uncover the truth, she also must sift through the debris of her personal life, reaching out to her mom in the mental hospital, fighting her attraction to Special Agent Jack Stephanson (who is her FBI contact while she's undercover), and sorting out her feelings for her fiance. Broken and exhausted, Raleigh lays it all on the line, "searching for a place where the stars shine bright".
I have loved each and every novel by Sibella Giorello, and the trend continues with The Stars Shine Bright. Giorello's writing is smooth and a joy to read, and each novel just gets better! Raleigh Harmon is a character that I've grown to absolutely appreciate over the course of the series, for her humour, her courage, and her heart of gold. I love that she always seems to find herself smack in the middle of trouble, with non-stop entertainment and unexpected discoveries to follow! She is a character who is painted with strokes of realism, complete with flaws but also with much to inspire. The setting of the race track provides for numerous potentially sinister characters, resulting in twists and turns in the story line that led me to an unexpected but most excellent conclusion. I continue to appreciate the mix of FBI fieldwork and geological discoveries, making for interesting plots. My only question upon turning the last page of the book is whether there will be more books to come starring my favorite FBI agent....I sure hope so!
I highly recommend this marvelous read, and grant it 5 out of 5 stars. Readers who have enjoyed the prior books starring Raleigh will love this one as well. And, if you haven't yet picked up one of Giorello's books, what are you waiting for? Now's your chance - you won't regret it.
An advanced reader's copy has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for the purposes of this unbiased review.
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