When Crickets Cry: A Novel of the Heart

Precious! Well worth reading. You won’t be sorry.

What a lovely, yet at times heartbreaking, story this was. I've enjoyed the Charles Martin books I've read - to me, they have a Christian underpinning without beating you over the head with the religious stick on every page. This one is the same - I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the details about the ins and outs of heart disease and cardiology. It definitely isn't a book for everyone, and as a mood reader, there are times when I enjoy a heart-warming, inspirational type book. (More often, I want something grittier. Or spicier.) Happily, I was in the mood for this one when I listened to it. Adam Verner's narration was excellent and no doubt added to my enjoyment.
My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing/Thomas Nelson Fiction for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

Loved it from start to finish! Beautiful writing and sensitivity!

This is one of those books that when you finish it, you just sit back, say “Wow.“ and Quietly sit to process it all. I loved the book – my first buy that author. I look forward to reading more by him… He has a way with words that unique- descriptive yet seems somewhat poetic! The narration was excellent. It was a very touching, heart wrenching at times but beautiful story. I loved it!

When Crickets Cry is a beautifully written, meaningful story that lingers long after the last page. Charles Martin brings together Reese, a man running from a painful past, and Annie, a brave little girl with a lemonade stand and a failing heart. What unfolds is a tender, heartwrenching story of grief, grace, and the redemptive power of love.

This book just kept getting better as I read. The spiritual themes are subtle but deeply moving—never heavy-handed, just gently stitched into the characters’ lives. It's Christian fiction at its best: full of heart and truth, yet accessible to a wide audience.

Yes, there's an overload of medical content—it sometimes feels like Martin wants us to earn a cardiology degree alongside Reese—but even that adds weight to the emotional stakes. Once you settle into the rhythm, the technical detail serves the story’s depth.

I couldn’t stop reading. The prose is lyrical without being flowery, and the emotional arc is honest and hard-won. It’s a lovely book about acceptance, unconditional love, heartache, and learning to live beyond the pain. Poignant, faith-filled, and unforgettable—this one’s a five-star keeper.

5 Stars

What I loved about this book was Everything it is a must read!!!! I loved this book definitely a great great book!!!! They don’t get better than this!

Very intriguing story and suspenseful carried throughout the story line! Great listen

Absolutely riveting! A true heart-warming page Turner. A must read.

Fantastic, I am recommending to many friends. Enjoy this terrific read.

Riveting…clean…hearty Christian based beautiful story. Write more…keep going…almost there! Bravo

This is just an amazing book! I highly recommend it!

A very touching book that made me cry a time or two. The power of prayer is amazing.

Very well written. I enjoyed this book. Unique look at love and the human heart,both as an organ and the soul of a heart

Loved this book very much. And I appreciated the Christian undertone.

Not my favorite Charles Martin novel. It’s beautifully written, as they always are, but I couldn’t get past the sappy sentimentalism and the unrealistic portrayal of how the healthcare system works. I gave up on it about 1/3 way through, and I almost never do that no matter how bad the book is.

Beautifully written. I enjoyed it very much. Such a sweet story.

An Excellent Writer who knows which words to use effectively

Wonderful read. This is my first novel to read by Charles Martin. I wish I had come across him sooner. I don’t know how I didn’t know about this writer. So enjoyed this book. Heartwarming and full of love.

Beautiful story! Very heartwarming with a couple surprises. Loved it

Beautifully written and great story telling. I'm adding it to my list of favorite books.

The realization that Annie was still alive and Reese was getting back into medicine

I usually avoid books with a medical based storyline, but this is Charles Martin! How could I pass this book by? I am so glad that I didn't. The beautiful language in this book is a key reason for not missing out on When Crickets Cry. The intriguing storyline is another reason. It moves between the main character's earlier years and his present day circumstances, allowing readers to understand the decisions that led him to live the life he is currently living, a life that has seemingly lost purpose and meaning. The story explores the theme of hope, its perseverance in lives where one might see little reason for its continued presence, and its resurgence when it would appear all hope is lost. The heart in this story is viewed not only as an organ that gives the body life, but also as a spiritual organ that impacts how one lives the life they've been given. There are many lessons here for one whose heart is inclined to listen.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of When Crickets Cry from Thomas Nelson without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

A heart transplant surgeon goes off the grid for 5 years when his wife dies. Good story. Learned a little if the transplant procedure.

I was disappointed that an otherwise wonderful story was ruined for me by the romance novel aspects of it.

A book which delights in parts, but overall a book which greatly disappoints.

PROS

+ Incredible writing skills of the author.

+ Perfect narrative.

+ Captivating story.

+ Superb narrator (Adam Verner).

CONS

- Quote 1: "... with every wail I paid penance for the guilt of my soul" (Catholic doctrine, he is speaking of guilt from 5+ years ago).

- Quote 2: "It was there that I realized there were some sins I would never quit paying" (a Christian would never say this).

- The story is declared as Christian, but there is no general theme which THEOS could have made. This story can only serve to create doubts in a Christian, as it paints THEOS as utterly capricious and unjust, stringing together an endless line of suffering:

- His wife died.

- He went into a medical profession and quit it, while not being able to save both lives of the women in this story.

- Years of depression and suppression without any sign of healing from THEOS, or him asking THEOS for help.

- His brother in-law became blind.

- A girl who lost both parents (missionaries), had a heart disease and endured poverty, prayed for years for her healer, only to die in his arms after a hurricane struck his house. A few months earlier, her aunt lost her house, she who had sacrificed herself during 8 years for Amy.

Can anyone paint a worse picture of THEOS than this? Hardly. I cannot remember having read such a story, loaded with so many negative elements. I do not need any happy end, and understand well the concept of suffering, but this is not a story of the Christian THEOS. It is misrepresenting THEOS (at best), and reflects an author who has probably a highly problematic relationship with Him.

- The end of the book is very confusing. First the dead Emma appears to him in the hospital. It is described as real appearance; without any indication of a vision. Then the dead Amy also appears to him. There is no account in the Bible suggesting that we can speak with our dead relatives, neither face-to-face nor in a vision.

- The author endorses Augustine as 'Saint', him being the creator of most Catholic doctrines and the patriarch of Calvinism. To quote him is to essentially quote the devil.

- He heavily endorses the highly problematic teachers John Milton (Paradise Lost) and Mozart (Freemason).

- He endorses Hellen Keller who advocates the teaching that the Second Coming of IESOUS CHRISTOS had already taken place. Quote of her: "His Providence must be universal ... He has provided religion of some kind everywhere, and it does not matter to what race or creed anyone belongs if he is faithful to his ideals of right living."

Amazingly written. I fell in love with the characters.

This is my first Charles Martin book but it definitely won't be my last! I have already purchased several of his other books and look forward to reading them as well. There's a 7 year old little girl with a lemonade stand doing a very brisk business. She has a large scar on her chest that her sundress can't hide. There's a stranger who recognizes the scar but turns away. When a run away bread truck comes careening around the corner, both of their lives change completely. An incredible story!

I really like this author.
Outstanding character development and good storytelling.
Like the others I have read by this author the ending is usually predictable but because the writing is so good, it doesn’t matter. How the characters get to the end is where the power of the writing really shines.

Absolutely beautiful writing, beautiful story.
Reese (Dr. Jonathon Mitchell) is hiding away in GA, when he rescues a 7 year old girl, Annie, who has been hit by a truck. He discovers that she is awaiting a heart transplant, and lives with her guardian, Aunt Cindy, since her parents were killed. Annie has the same heart disease that Reese's wife, Emma, had. Emma and Reese were childhood best friends who grew up and were married. Emma's condition made Reese want to be a heart surgeon, but when he couldn't save Emma, he abandoned his calling. Emma's brother, Charlie, begs Reese to return to his work, read Emma's letters that she wrote to be opened after her death, and to open his heart again.
The story is full of love and heart. I highly recommend it.

I like this book of love, life, mistakes and a big dose of God. I didn't realize it was Christian fiction until I got to the library and found it under "I" for inspirational. It was not down-your-throat, but the theme of Christianity was unmistakable. While the plot was predictable, the characters were well-developed and the writing drew me in. By the end, there were tears in my eyes, and an honest surprise at the end.