Be Careful Who You Trust.
Novelist Jeff S. Bray and WordCrafts Press are pleased to announce the release of The Five Barred Gate II, the second volume in Bray’s intriguing Five Barred Gate Christian suspense-thriller series. The new novel picks up the action a couple of decades after the events of the original novel, and focuses on the life of Michael Andrews, who was just a toddler when his father, Jacob Andrews, was arrested and imprisoned for violating the Federal Speech Act. As a result of those traumatic childhood events, religion is now the last thing Michael wants. But it becomes the only thing that matters when his wife is arrested and is facing a twenty-year prison sentence. Her crime? Inviting a stranger to church.
To free his wife, Michael must seek help from the one man he has turned his back on… his father.
“When I wrote The Five Barred Gate, I expected it to be a standalone, a one-and-done,” author Jeff S. Bray muses. “But as my novelists friends know, the characters you create often take on a life of their own, and you can’t help but wonder how their lives turned out after the initial story ends. In the dystopian world of The Five Barred Gate, it was possible that our heroes lived happily ever after; but it was just as likely that things went from bad to worse. That led me to wonder about the next generation and what repercussions they might face as a result of the events from Book 1. All storytelling is built on conflict—get your hero up a tree and throw rocks at him—so of course things could only get worse.”
From the Novel
“This case was brought against Mrs. Andrews by the party she was harassing,” declared The Honorable Judge Charlene Ellison. “The charges will stand, and she will face her accuser. As for the law and its ambiguities, that is a matter for trial. You can argue your case, and the jury can make that decision.”
“A jury trial, Your Honor?” responded Johnathan Clarke – Attorney at Law. “For two counts of solicitation?”
“You are forgetting the count regarding the Anti-Dehumanization Act of 2015. Dr. Houston’s rights were violated when Mrs. Andrews approached her and verbally berated her. It is within her rights to request a trial by jury. And so she has requested.” The judge turned her attention toward Rachel. “Mrs. Andrews. Did you or did you not ask Dr. Houston if she was a Christian?”
Johnathan placed his hand on Rachel’s shoulder and instructed his client, “Don’t answer that, Rachel. It’s a trap.”
“It is heartbreaking to watch a dystopian theme evolve into reality,” Bray says of his Five Barred Gate series, “but you can almost see it unfolding in the news day after day. My hope is that this story might strengthen readers and give them the hope and encouragement to stand under pressure when they are faced with challenging, perhaps even life-threathening situations.”
“The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger,” Bray adds with a wink and a nod. “I’ve still got a few rocks to throw at our heroes, so be on the lookout for The Five Barred Gate III.”
About the Author
Jeff S. Bray lives with his wife, Carolyn, and the last of their five children who has yet to fly from the nest, in a small town in South Central Texas.
His professional writing adventure began in 2008 with the launch of his personal blog “Moments for the Heart,” which led to paid writing assignments, including an article about fatherhood for The Lookout magazine in 2017. That opened the door to larger writing gigs and then to regular freelance work. In 2018, he began writing a series of children’s books titled Elissa the Curious Snail.
Jeff has since expanded into writing adult novels in a variety of genres, but always with a strong faith element.
Connect with Jeff online at: jeffsbrayauthor.com
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