The Murphy Shepherd Starter Set: Books 1-2

The Water Keeper and The Letter Keeper

By: Charles Martin

Narrated by: Jonathan K. Riggs

Now packaged together in an exclusive audio bundle, discover the first two books in the riveting Murphy Shepherd series from New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin. Combining the heart-wrenching emotion of Nicholas Sparks with the edge-of-your-seat tension of John Grisham, The Water Keeper and The Letter Keeper explore the true power of sacrificial love to heal all wounds.

The Water Keeper

Murphy Shepherd is a man with many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds of a church with no parishioners, and he's dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, Murph himself may be more lost than he realizes.

When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida's Intracoastal Waterway, Murph's mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.

With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past--and the ghosts who tried to bury them.

The Letter Keeper

Murphy Shepherd has made a career of finding those no one else could--survivors of human trafficking. His life's mission is helping others find freedom . . . but then the nightmare strikes too close to home.

When his new wife, her daughter, and two other teenage girls are stolen, Murphy is left questioning all he has thought to be true. With more dead ends than leads, he has no idea how to find his loved ones. After everything is stripped away, love is what remains.

Hope feels lost, but Murphy is willing to expend his last breath trying to bring them home.

With Charles Martin's trademark lyricism and poignant prose, the Murphy Shepherd series is at once a tender love story, a heartrending search for freedom, an exploration of the terrible cost of human trafficking, and an anthem to the power of love to create change when it shows up regardless of the cost.

Want more of Murph's story? Check out the rest of The Murphy Shepherd series: Book 3: The Record Keeper, Book 4: The Keeper (coming April 2025!)

"Martin excels at writing characters who exist in the margins of life . . . Readers who enjoy flawed yet likable characters created by authors such as John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks will want to start reading Martin's fiction." --Library Journal, starred review for The Water Keeper

AH-MAAAYYYYYYZING READ

The stories had me hooked from start to finish!!!! I cried - I moaned - I laughed - held my breath!!!!

What a story times two - now for more in to the next book

BOTH GREAT STORIES — THE BEGINNING OF MURPHY SHEPARD…

Both books are attention grabbers. Each character is focused on and well-developed.

I found the rescue about 3/4 of the way thru the second book to be a little far fetched (NOBODY would survive all that!), but still, excellent!

I love the way Murphy is such a deep thinker and feels deeper yet, but he’s so awkward at actually saying the words; but, he more than makes up for it in his actions and all he does for his loved ones. I especially love Murphy’s faithful 4-legged companion Gunnar. Best dog ever! CHOCTAH!

One can’t help but fall in love with the three girls, Casey, Ellie and Angel. They have been so abused, but each possess an inner strength that keeps them fighting to come back, to find some sense of safety, security and NORMALCY. Family.

And Summer — the ultimate devoted wife…💕. One also has to love Clay — a former prisoner and a heart of gold. He’s so devoted to Murphy after Murphy essentially saved him too — from a different past. Because of Murphy, Clay HAS a future. He is loyal to Murphy down to his marrow.

“Bones,” is a priest with a heart bigger than all of Colorado itself and untold resources to back up his actions. While both Bones and Murphy take their “priesting” seriously (very seriously), neither is afraid to get down and dirty when it becomes necessary to do so in order to help others.

A huge shout out to the narrator, Jonathan K. Riggs. He IS and forever will be the voice of David Bishop Murphy.💕

I can’t wait to dive into Book 3 of this series!

WHERE DO I START?!?

Every character is unique, every chapter a page turner. You WILL become not only Murphy Shepard’s, but also Charles Martin’s biggest fan.

AMAZING IN EVERY WAY

Mr. Riggs IS Murphy Shepard. His derp southern accent, performance nuances and voices are amazing. This series is incredible. Love the character who are well developed over the course of the series. I bought all 4 books cause I didn’t want it to end. Human trafficking is a hard subject but Martin handled it with care. I’m not great at reviews so I’ll just say I loved everything about this series. I wish I could give it 100 stars. Give it a listen and pay attention. Reception is a deep theme along with friendship, loyalty, servant hood, love, and faithfulness at all costs.

Excellent

What a great book! Was hard to stop listening to it had to make myself. Listened to the whole book in about a day. Listening to the second one now and so far it's just as good! Would highly recommend it.