Charles Martin is a masterful story teller in the contemporary Christian fiction genre, always with unique story plots and unforgettable characters. His recent series delved into the world of sex trafficking, but like all his books, there were themes of forgiveness and new starts. While I had liked his previous books, that series was just too dark for me despite my knowledge that he was writing truth about our corrupt world. So I was a bit reluctant to read his latest book THE LAST EXCHANGE, but I gave the novel a chance and am glad that I did. Mrs. Joe Sue is an award-winning actress, who like so many successful famous people, falls into alcohol and drug abuse as she faces unbearable work schedules, a fractured marriage, and painful miscarriages. As the book opens, her once friend and now pregnancy surrogate is blackmailing her for millions of dollars. No longer being protected by her faithful bodyguard Pockets, Joe Sue is kidnapped and held prisoner at her own Montana ranch. The disguised kidnapper says she has been taken to force detox and to save her life. The book alternates between flashback chapters revealing the back story and chapters which detail what is happening with the surrogate mother and the blackmail plan and Joe Sue's detox. One character stands out as being superbly crafted, but I will leave that to readers to discover on their own. I received a copy of this from NetGalley. All opinions are mine.

Charles Martin became a favorite of mine when I read his Murphy Shepherd series. I had a bit of a hard time getting into The Last Exchange because I just really wanted Murphy back. But when I sat down to read and listen to this I fell in love with Joe and Pockets...for the depth of love Pockets had for Joe and how far he would go to protect the woman he loved.

Beautiful love story! And I'm looking forward to more books by Charles Martin!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and listen to this audio book.
Publication date: 3 October 2023

I've heard a lot about Charles Martin and the "amazing author" that he is--which I'm confident is true! So I was excited to request this from NetGalley, and hoped it'd be a great entrance into his many books.

Alas, it wasn't the book for me, and I'll be curious to peruse the others and figure out which I should try again with. (I'm not opposed to trying it again later, either--just for now, it's a DNF; I'm a bit bored and confused.)

Frankly, I kept thinking "Maybe Joe" was a guy--so it was really (and repeatedly) jarring/confusing to realize she was a girl! And I struggled to even stay interested in the book, especially as it seemed to (try and) combine a few genres at once, which apparently (thankfully) is not Martin's norm. I felt validated by some of the other two-star reviews and may reach out to some of those reviewers for recommendations on which ones they enjoyed more.

II received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Last Exchange by Charles Martin is a fascinating read with depth. Charles is a phenomenal writer and consistently delivers. This is not a light hearted read or a quick read. You will be captured by the suspense and may need a Kleenex before it is over.

WOW! This story is un-put-downable! From beginning to end it will have you either racing to turn the pages, or forcing yourself not to. These are realistic, raw characters that exhibit everything you could want in a book. There are twists and turns I didn't see coming and a love story that is so much more than just romance. This is an example of true, self sacrificial love. The kind we all crave and pray we have the fortune of experiencing. This story just may leave you dumb struck and looking up every Charles Martin novel ever written!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Solid 4 1/2 stars. Read on to see why it’s not a 5. I love all of Charles Martin’s books. This one did not disappoint. When Maybe Joe Sue hires Pockets to be her bodyguard, things change for her. It isn’t long before you can tell he deeply cares for her. She’s never had any man in her life that truly cared for her and was dependable. The action is nonstop and pulls you deep into the storyline. A tearjerker and kind of mystery rolled into a great book.
I have such mixed feelings on this book. One of my favorite authors, I did kind of guess the “kidnapper” but not the final ending. That was a real surprise. I love the fact her novels are extremely clean, no cursing or sexual content, although some is implied. But most between married people. But I am a bit disappointed at the lack of Christian content. Without going back and reading it all again, I didn’t see anything, maybe a mention of sometime going to church as a child?
I was happy to find it available on a NetGalley ARC. This did not affect my review, which is my honest opinion of the book

I tried to figure out how to approach new-to-me author Charles Martin’s latest novel, “The Last Exchange” in a way that avoids giving away the plot. I decided to talk about the characters and skim the surface, so the reader can enjoy the process of discovery. Main character Maybe Joe Sue was named by a mother who apparently couldn’t decide what to name her and the administrator wrote down the name without question. She lived in foster care, eventually aging out. One moment she is working at a diner with a handful of credits to her name, mostly from acting in commercials. The next moment Joe is an A-list Hollywood actress, a household name. People see her as “one of us.” They just love her. As the wife of actor Syd Painter, Joe joins the ranks of other Hollywood power couples. But Syd has gigs all over kingdom come. He often jets away to various locations for work. Joe thinks a baby will keep him closer to home, but the guy only shows up to help with the process of conceiving and then leaves again. Joe suffers many miscarriages, and during that time her only support is her bodyguard, Kelly MacThomas Pockets.

Joe and Syd eventually divorce, but she still wants to have a child and has one viable egg. Enter Amber Paxton, her makeup artist and seeming BFF, who agrees to carry the child. All is well until jealousy and greed take over. Amber and her hipster-wannabe-thug boyfriend Frank Carter, aka “Busta Line,” see Joe as their personal ATM. They hold Joe’s unborn baby hostage, asking for millions more than previously agreed on all because Amber knows how desperate her former boss had been to become a parent.
Joe’s life imploded around her and she is a hot mess. Addicted to pain pills, she keeps them in a pill fob around her neck. She is downing one after the other like the fob is a PEZ dispenser at the beginning of the novel. She has taken the pills for so long that even the large doses barely registers with her system. She is on her way to the Oscars when she again receives information on her unborn child. Somehow despite the stress and drug use, Joe stumbles up to accept a third Oscar while wearing her lucky dress. But she doesn’t remember much after. She comes to and finds herself in a sterile, stifling room, wearing an electrifying halo around her neck. Is she in rehab for the 8th or 9th time? Is she a victim of kidnapping? Is this is her “last exchange,” a rescue attempt?

Kelly MacThomas Pockets, Joe’s true supporter and former bodyguard, is in prison for some reason at the beginning of the novel. That mystery had me turning pages that much faster. Pockets was educated at St. Andrews and joined the Royal Guard, with much of his career in the military falling under “classified.” He returned from Israel and the Middle East on a flight and had been bumped up to first class. Pockets meets a Hollywood producer who asks him to consult on a movie. Pockets had lived the part actor Syd Painter played in the movie project filmed in Morrocco alongside wife Maybe Joe Sue. He agrees to work as a consultant and ends up also doing stunt work. After filming, Pockets flies back to Scotland, but then Joe calls him back to Hollywood. She needs a bodyguard. Her husband Syd bounces around the globe for filming projects, leaving her alone to handle the rabid fans.

Pockets agrees and takes his role as seriously as he did when he protected the Queen of England. He would protect Joe from “them.” He would stand 3 feet away from Joe, wearing a suit and tie, his hair cut high and tight, ever the professional. Pockets came to her rescue in public and in private. He became a silent witness to her painful procedures and attempts to become pregnant. He also saw the heartbreak and pain of each miscarriage. He saw those around generous Joe as users and takers, riding on her coattails for fame. When things went pear-shaped, Joe trusted Pockets when she felt like she was a danger to herself.

A letter would one day explain a rescue plan no one saw coming, least of all Joe. And let me tell you, when I read this novel and understood more about Pocket’s planning and strategizing – let’s just say, the plan has many moving parts. I did wonder if Charles Martin is a “pantser” – flies by the seat of his pants when he writes – or a plotter – one who outlines with a plot. I’m guessing he had to do both, or a plantser: have a plan, but then see where the creative process took him. The plan is crazy good, but in real life, people are unpredictable. They also are in this fictional world, which is why the plot seems plausible. I would expect to see “The Last Exchange” in theaters.

I read reviewer responses to Charles Martin’s earlier works since this is my first experience with his writing. Reviewers said he builds plots around realistic storylines and his forte is creating characters who live in the margins of society. They also said he likes to explore themes of grace, love, mercy, forgiveness, and redemption within a compelling story. Agreed. As far as his writing, one of the techniques he uses well is the tricky flashback. He uses headers for each chapter that signal “After” and “Before.” That way he can take the reader from present to past without having those constants triggers. (He would need too many.) He also switches to 1st person narration successfully after writing in 3rd person for the most part. Most writers don’t want to have too much “head-jumping” among characters. At first, I could not positively ID the person speaking in 1st person, but that just added to the mystery of who really had control. I had to answer this uncomfortable, looming question: Who really is behind the scenes trying to help Joe get her life back on track?

Finally, reviewers compared Martin’s earlier novels to John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks. The only difference is that Sparks in particular sticks to a tried-and-true, sometimes predictable plot structure. I don’t read Sparks’ books because in the majority of them someone always dies. The two I read left me feeling betrayed. In fact, I remember throwing “Message in a Bottle” across my dorm room out of anger the second time that structure presented itself. But my grandma really loved his novels, so no shade. That plot structure works for Sparks time and again. Martin’s plot structure is unpredictable and absorbing. A true page-turning adventure.

Martin delivers a thought provoking and moving story with true to life characters. This is a hard, yet beautiful story and at times I didn’t much like the characters but that is what kept me interested to a satisfactory ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charles Martin does it again with another heartfelt page turner. The Last Exchange is about sacrificial love and loyalty. Both main characters have multi layered backgrounds that are revealed as the story goes on. I couldn’t wait to finish this book and see how it all turned out.

This is my first Charles Martin story but certainly won't be my last. I was captivated within the first few pages as my love for Joe and Pockets grew with every new page. I can understand why some readers would have read this in one sitting; I had to read the last 30% because Martin's writing was so compelling in how the couple's love for each other unfolded. The court scene is simply breathtaking and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Unconditional love! It's rare that a fiction author is able to write it so beautifully. Pockets is quite the man. Not just because of his physical attributes and courage but because of his sacrificial nature, his willingness to die so another can be protected and live a life of love. I can understand his penchant for serving out his own form of justice and even though I didn't agree with it, I can absolutely get why he felt compelled to do it. But, this is what makes him so likeable, because he's human. He's not Jesus and he makes mistakes.

Joe is a beautiful character. Moved from foster home to foster home until she was 18, Joe was able to appreciate the preciousness of life, that no one really deserves anything, as everything including one's life is a gift. And so she has this extravagant generosity of heart. I suspect it's one of the factors that makes her such a brilliant actress. Becoming a mom is so important to her so she can share all of her heart with a child of her own. But she too is a flawed character, as she isn't good with men because of her 'father issues' from her childhood.

I enjoyed the POV style, the 'Before' and 'After' story telling. This is quite a common style these days as evidenced by Taylor Jenkins Reid's success.

I so hope we get to see this as a movie one day. It would be fabulous.

This certainly won't be my last Martin book and I'm very excited to get to my next one on my iPad. I feel particularly blessed to have received an early ebook copy from the publisher via Net Galley. I read it using the Net Galley app which is always an enjoyable experience. This had no influence over my review.

This is the first Charles Martin book I have read. I was really impressed by his writing style, the character development, and the plot of this book. It is unique. An attractive young woman recruited from poverty, raised in foster homes, and with no known family becomes America's favored star. She finds the role a bit daunting and dangerous at times and needs protection. She recruits a young man she barely knows, a Scotsman, and they begin a relationship that is not just protector but friend and confidant. Years pass and the young actress wins many accolades and continues to be America's sweetheart. She marries, her life changes, and relationships change but her one constant is the protection she receives from her personal bodyguard. The book contains no sexual scenes, no inappropriate content but it is titillating on its own and is jam-packed full of emotion. A true love story. It is one of the best I have read. Thanks to #NetGalley#TheLastExchane for the opportunity to read and review this exciting book.

Another fantastic book by Charles Martin!
A story I was instantly drawn into and I could turn the pages fast enough. While I really liked the story there was so much about fertility and child loss it was pretty hard to read. The ending I both loved and hated.

I was provided a free advanced copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I will start by saying I am a big Charles Martin fan. This is my 9th book of his and only second three stars, the others were four or five.
After serving in the Scottish Special Forces, Pockets is hired to be a consultant on a film set. This leads to a bodyguard position of the lead actress, Maybe Joe Sue. But the Joe Sue the world sees, is not the same Joe Sue Pockets comes to know. Behind the smiles and glamourous lifestyle is a woman with a lot of hurt, trying to escape it. Pockets tries to ensure he protects her from all threats, including herself.
This one lost some stars for me for its unrealistic scenarios. I can't say much without giving things away, but although I understood the reasoning, I thought it was too unrealistic. The ending seemed a bit too far fetched (although I'm glad he didn't try to wrap it up neatly, because that would have been worse!).
This had a lot of Matin's typical great characters and powerfully deep relationships, as well as some tough topics. I would put a trigger warning on this one for miscarriage, fertility issues, drug use, and infidelity.
This was published earlier this month, and currently has over 4.5 stars on Goodreads, so I may be in the minority on this one. If you are a fan of Charles Martin, definitely give it a read. If you haven't read any of his, I would definitely recommend the Murphy Shepard series starting with The Water Keeper.
#NetGalley #TheLastExchange

Charles Martin is an extraordinary storyteller. The Last Exchange has characters that you can’t forget involved in an absolutely intriguing story of sacrifice and how far real love will go. Maybe Joe Sue is delightful and Pockets is one of the best characters I have ever read. Charles Martin’s writing is beautiful, descriptive, captivating and moving. I have not read a better book this year.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishers for the opportunity to read for my honest opinion.

The Last Exchange-me for you.

Charles Martin is master of displaying the gospel without saying Christianese words. Words like God or using scripture. However, in telling the story he does show what sacrifice, love, brokenness, saving means in light of the gospel. It is book for those that are turned off by those words however, maybe they can see themselves in need. Maybe you don't know what love is. Or what commitment means and looks like.

MacThomas Pockets is the noble Scottish body guard for actress Maybe Joe Sue. Joe for short - her past is broken and her present is a mess of drugs, a broken marriage that she wont give up on, and to many miscarriages. Pockets comes into life and slowly gives reveals himself as one that truly cares for her. The relationship is different. There is a tension of attraction however, it is not gratified but glorified by a fine line. Pockets main job is to keep Joe safe - from others, and those that claim to love her, and herself.

The narration is done in two time zones- the before and after. You start to piece that the before and after is a total breakdown of Joe and Pockets in prison. The before and after show two broken people and redemption.

Some of the isms I love about their story

The one thing on planet Earth that sets us free from the stuff that enslaves us and holds our heads under the water. The stuff trying to kill us. We can lie to one another to soften the blow, but lies only strengthen the chains.

She tried to hold it together but what she failed to see is that most everything else was falling apart.

The band-aid does not cause the cancer. Meaning? Correcting the behavior does little to make the bad man stop.

A special thank you to Thomas Nelson and netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I don’t know anyone who can craft a better hero than Charles Martin. If you loved Murph and Bones, you’ll love Pockets too. He’s mysterious, faithful, unorthodox, and self-sacrificing. Maybe Joe Sue was a little harder to relate to. I liked her wit. I liked that she never lost her down to earth nature. Some of her decisions were frustrating and it felt a bit inconsistent with what she said she wanted.

The climax of this story is EPIC. I loved it. I read it and then went and listened to it on Audible (Great Scottish accent). There were some unforeseen twists. I did think Maybe Joe should have figured one of them out. All in all it was a great read. It deals with hard issues of addiction and infertility with a lot of grace.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I’d highly recommend it. All opinions are my own.

The Last Exchange is heart-warming. It is what I've come to expect from Charles Martin. For me the beginning was a bit chaotic, the switching between before and after was a bit overwhelming. I thought I might get whiplash! However, I stayed the course and eventually found the rhythm. In doing so I realized the back and forth becomes the tool to unlocking the intricacies of these powerful characters. Mrs. Joe, an actress, didn't have the best start in life being a foster kid, but she had chutzpah, which propelled her to stardom. What she wanted the most though (a baby) seemed unattainable. This triggered a downward spiral into addiction and self-loathing. Pockets, a highly trained and retired Scottish soldier, quite by chance, gets employed as her bodyguard. He is expected to keep her safe from all external threats; but what he really ends up doing also is protecting her from herself. His love for her is palpable, however, Pockets doesn't cross the line with Mrs. Joe. He moves mountains, which cost him his freedom, to make sure she not only does get the thing she wants most, but that she is strong enough to be the woman he sees inside her. Readers will be blessed with what I can only describe as Charles "Martinism", (e.g. "a life laid down is better than a life picked up") which imparts so many pearls of wisdom. We become richer just from reading them. I highly recommend this book to anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Joe is a recognizable movie star and lives like one. She is constantly in the lime light and her husband, Syd, loves to ride on her fame and fortune. They fill their lives with events, movies, and parties. Joe quickly realizes that she needs a bodyguard and enlists Pockets for the job. He has pledged to take care of her and protect her at all costs. He quickly realizes that sometimes what we need the most is protection from ourselves.

Syd and Joe try to get pregnant but encounter several obstacles throughout the journey. They end up paying a surrogate to carry their child. As it draws closer to time, more trouble unravels for the couple. Pockets finds himself in a dilemma; protecting Joe or protecting himself.

Charles Martin has written another great novel that will leave the reader learning that sometimes having hope is the only thing that is left. This book is about protection, hope, and love that some people can only experience once in a lifetime.

It is easy to see why Charles Martin is one of my favourite authors. His storytelling totally captivates me and "The Last Exchange" is a perfect page turner.
An unlikely pair, a Scottish bodyguard and a former waitress/movie star team up as their paths diverge. The author creates characters that the reader instantly care about with "Pockets" being a character that will stay with me for a very long time.
A well-plotted tale of love and friendship that is emotionally charged and at times suspenseful.
Highly Recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This novel got off to a rough start for me. I found the “before” and “after” chapters made the flow disjointed and confusing until I found out what event was the pivotal one. By the end, I was glad I had read the book. It is very touching and is an adequate allegory of one giving his life for the welfare of another.

I felt there were many problems with the plot, however. Where in the world did the kidnapper get the money to do everything, rent cars, buy food, buy tracking devices, buy aviation fuel? Did he use her credit cards? That would have been tracked. That aspect of the plot seemed unreasonable.

I had trouble finding the characters engaging. Pockets might be considered a hero. His violence did not seem at all in line with his controlled character elsewhere. Joe Sue seemed likable and understandable until her loyalty to Syd over against Pockets. That she wouldn't even let him explain his actions after being so loyal to her was strange.

And the courtroom scene was totally unbelievable. I cannot even imagine a judge would allow that kind of action and dialogue to happen. That scene made this novel seem like a fairy tale rather than one supposing to be believable in contemporary society.

The best part of this novel was the revealing twist near the end that cleared up so much puzzling action and emotions. That was clever and explained much.

This is a novel for readers who like one in the style of a modern day fairy tale.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.