The Keeper Quotes

“How do you measure a life?” A long pause. “I measure mine by his scars.” Then he tapped the coffin”
― Charles Martin, The Keeper

“Praise for Charles Martin “The Last Exchange is somehow equal parts page-turner, heart-breaker, and hope-dealer. Another brilliantly written novel by Charles Martin.” —Annie F. Downs, New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds Fun “The adrenaline-pumping third entry in Martin’s Murphy Shepherd series (after The Letter Keeper) explores human depravity and the healing power of love. Series fans will snap this up.” —Publishers Weekly for The Record Keeper “Very few contemporary novelists have found acclaim within mainstream and evangelical markets, but Charles Martin is among them. [The Letter Keeper] hinges on the Scriptural message of forsaking the found in order to seek the lost, a theme Martin brings to poetic and brilliant life.” —Davis Bunn, writing for Christianity Today “Martin follows up The Water Keeper with this heartrending, action-packed chapter in the saga of Murphy Shepherd . . . Those familiar with the series will appreciate the emotional punch this rip-roaring adventure packs.” —Publishers Weekly for The Letter Keeper “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 “The Water Keeper is a wonderfully satisfying book with a plot driven by both action and love, and characters who will stay in readers’ heads long after the last page.” —Southern Literary Review “The Water Keeper is a multilayered story woven together with grace and redemption, and packed tight with tension and achingly real characters. This one will keep you turning pages to see what else—and who else—Murph will encounter as he travels down the coastline of Florida.” —Lauren”
― Charles Martin, The Keeper

“There is a truth in this universe: Evil is real and it’s playing for keeps. It wants to kill us. Rip off our heads and post them on stakes outside the city walls. Because it can’t be appeased, can’t be negotiated with, and there’s no such thing as land for peace. That’s a crock. Always has been.”
― Charles Martin, The Keeper

“Pain is a thief and fear a liar.”
― Charles Martin, The Keeper

“Identity precedes purpose. You can’t know who you are until you know whose you are. Belongingness matters.”
― Charles Martin, The Keeper

“People in darkness don't know they are in darkness because it's all they've ever known. It's their world. They navigate by bumping off things that are stronger. Immovable. We, those of us who walk up here, have a tendency to look down our noses at them, but the truth is this: they don't know darkness is darkness until someone turns on a light....”
― Charles Martin, The Keeper

“...to love is to be vulnerable. To risk. When in pain, we adopt the lie that to protect our hearts, we must put them away. Lock them in a vault. Suck the air out. The problem we encounter is that when we open that chamber and try to use this once-fleshy thing we call a heart, we find it hard. Impenetrable. Icy. Unbreakable. Unfeeling.

[Murphy Shepherd]”
― Charles Martin, The Keeper