Bunn, T. Davis 1952–

(Thomas Locke)

PERSONAL: Born 1952, in NC; married, wife's name Isabella (an academic administrator and author). Education: Wake Forest University, B.A., 1974.

ADDRESSES: Home—Oxfordshire, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Bethany House Publishers, 11400 Hampshire Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55438.

CAREER: Writer. American College of Switzerland, teacher; marketing director of a pharmaceutical and hospital equipment company, Switzerland; State of North Carolina, managing director of trade office, Dusseldorf, Germany, 1979–91; Regent's Park College, Oxford, England, novelist-in-residence.

AWARDS, HONORS: Christy Award for North American historical (with Janette Oke), 2000, for The Meeting Place.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

The Presence, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1990.

Promises to Keep, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1991.

The Maestro, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1991.

The Quilt, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1993.

Riders of the Pale Horse, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1994, reprinted2002.

The Gift, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1994.

Light and Shadow, Chariot Family Publishing (Elgin, IL), 1995.

The Messenger, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1995.

The Music Box, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

To the Ends of the Earth, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1996.

(With Janette Oke) Return to Harmony: A Novel, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1997.

One False Move, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1997.

(With Oke) Another Homecoming, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1997.

(With Oke) Tomorrow's Dream (sequel to Another Homecoming), Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), c. 1998.

One Shenandoah Winter: A Novel, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1998.

Princess Bella and the Red Velvet Hat (juvenile), Bethany Backyard (Minneapolis, MN), 1998.

The Dream Voyagers, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1999.

(With Larry Burkett) Kingdom Come: A Novel, Double-day (New York, NY), 2000.

The Great Divide, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2000.

The Book of Hours, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 2000.

Drummer in the Dark, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2001.

Winner Take All: A Novel (sequel to The Great Divide), Doubleday (New York, NY), 2003.

Elixir, WestBow Press (Nashville, TN), 2004.

Imposter, WestBow Press (Nashville, TN), 2004.

(As Thomas Locke) The Delta Factor, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

The Lazarus Trap, WestBow Press (Nashville, TN), 2005.

"JEFFREY SINCLAIR" SERIES

The Amber Room, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1992.

Florian's Gate: A Novel, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1992.

Winter Palace, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1993.

"SONG OF ACADIA" SERIES; WITH JANETTE OKE

The Meeting Place, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1999.

The Sacred Shore, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2000.

The Birthright, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2001.

The Distant Beacon, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2002.

The Beloved Land, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2002.

"RENDEZVOUS WITH DESTINY" SERIES

Rhineland Inheritance, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1993.

Sahara Crosswind, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1994.

Gibraltar Passage, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1994.

Istanbul Express, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1995.

Berlin Encounter, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1995.

In the Shadows of Victory (includes Rhineland Inheritance, Gibraltar Passage, and Sahara Crosswind), Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 1998.

Passage through Darkness (includes Berlin Encounter and Istanbul Express), Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2000.

"RELUCTANT PROCPHET" SERIES

The Warning, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1998.

The Ultimatum: A Novel, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 1999.

The Reluctant Prophet: Two Bestsellers in One Volume (contains The Warning and The Ultimatum), Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nashville, TN), 2001.

"HEIRS OF ACADIA" SERIES; WITH ISABELLA BUNN

The Solitary Envoy, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

The Innocent Libertine, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

The Noble Fugitive, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

The Night Angel, Bethany House Publishers (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

ADAPTATIONS: Books adapted for audiocassette include Gibraltar Passage, Books in Motion, 1999, and The Great Divide (nine cassettes; unabridged), Brilliance Audio, 2000.

SIDELIGHTS: T. Davis Bunn is a prolific author of Christian fiction, including romance, suspense, and mainstream thrillers. His many years of working in Europe provide him with the background that appears in his Cold War espionage novels. In Florian's Gate: A Novel, London antique dealers search for treasures plundered by the Nazis during World War II and then hoarded in East Germany and Poland by the Soviet communists. Paulette Kozick wrote in Rapport that "it is this carefully researched, slice-of-life insider's view … that elevates Florian's Gate to a level of fascination that is unmatched by any other piece of contemporary fiction." Another novel set in Eastern Europe, Berlin Encounter, features Jake Burnes, a special intelligence agent for NATO, who is charged with the rescue of two scientists who are being held by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Central to the story is how Jake's faith helps him to overcome the obstacles along the way.

The "Song of Acadia" series is a collaboration between Bunn and Janette Oke. It begins with the award-winning The Meeting Place, set in 1753, with the British and French settlers of Acadia (Nova Scotia) at odds, and the members of families on either side finding their relationships tested by the struggle. The series follows the families as time progresses, to the eve of the American Revolution and beyond. The action goes forward in The Sacred Shore, in which, a generation later, members of these families flee to America to seek religious freedom. In Birthright, the third book in the series, it is the eve of the American Revolution, and one of the members of the original families from Acadia, Nicole Harrow, backtracks to England, there to spend time with an uncle and to see if she is ready to become his heir. Melanie C. Duncan, reviewing the title in the Library Journal, called it a "light historical."

Bunn and Oke have also collaborated on non-series books, such as Another Homecoming and Tomorrow's Dream. The former title is a story of "wartime romance and its tragic consequences," according to Melissa Hudak, writing in the Library Journal. When a husband is missing in action in North Africa during the Second World War, his young, pregnant wife panics and gives their baby up for adoption. But her husband is not dead, and upon his return, he cannot forgive his wife. Booklist contributor John Mort complained of the "cliches" in the book, further noting that "both Oke and Bunn do better work on their own." However, Hudak had a more positive assessment, praising the "beautiful writing" in this "unique and touching" book.

Bunn has also had successful collaborations with Larry Burkett and with his own wife, Isabella Bunn. Teaming up with Burkett, he produced Kingdom Come: A Novel, a thriller about a North Carolina cult infiltrated by the FBI. Melanie C. Duncan, writing in the Library Journal, thought it was an "intense, thought-provoking thriller." Working with his wife, Bunn wrote the "Heirs of Aca-dia" series, set in the early years of nineteenth-century America. Reviewing the first title in the series, The Solitary Envoy, Melissa Parcel wrote in BookLoons that the novel was full of "history, romance, adventure, and even some humor." In an interview for FaithfulReader.com, Bunn explained this collaborative effort: "Isabella has been my partner in the writing venture since the very beginning. She acts as my agent, and more importantly she has been the source of many great ideas. She helps with the research and every stage of the editing process. It is wonderful to finally see her receive the credit she has long deserved."

The character of Buddy Korda appears in two Bunn novels, The Warning and The Ultimatum: A Novel. In the former, Buddy receives a message from God that an economic disaster is imminent. Soon after, a second Great Depression envelops the world. In the latter, he follows a heavenly directive to work for a Constitutional amendment that would protect religious freedom.

Bunn's mainstream novels, published by Doubleday, include The Great Divide, about Gloria Hall, a Georgetown student who disappears in China while investigating slave labor practices in a plant owned by a multinational sports equipment manufacturer. Gloria's parents retain Marcus Glenwood, a former attorney who is suffering from depression following the death of his children in an automobile accident, and he investigates New Horizon, whose corporate headquarters are in North Carolina. His quest is made more difficult by the fact that several nasty attorneys from his old firm now represent the corporation. Booklist's John Mort noted that "there's a dash of romance as well and a nice slice of the tobacco-growing backcountry."

Drummer in the Dark is about a congressman who is warned not to vote for an amendment that would relieve Third World countries of their debt to the United States. The book is a thriller that finds a group of wealthy financiers trading in hedge funds and attempting to destroy the U.S. dollar so that they can reap the benefits of the panic that will follow. A Kirkus Reviews contributor wrote that "while he's at it, the author makes a few thoughtful points about the darkly immoral consequences of today's deregulated international banking bazaars."

Marcus Glenwood returns in Winner Take All: A Novel. He is sought out by CEO Dale Steadman, whose former wife, opera star Erin Brandt, has kidnapped their baby and taken her to Germany. Part of the mystery is why: she was never particularly motherly before, spending all her time on furthering her career. Marcus sends his assistant and girlfriend, Kirsten, to Germany with a subpoena, but the German government is unwilling to cooperate. A subplot involves the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center. Mort wrote that Bunn "convincingly portrays the world of opera from the Met to Dusseldorf, and though he is not a lawyer, he has a gift for courtroom dialogue." Mort called the story "thoughtful, moral."

In his 2004 title, Elixir, Bunn provides a "competent suspense novel with faith themes," according to a reviewer for Publishers Weekly. A midlevel executive at a drug company, Taylor Knox is sent on a mission to find a long lost lover, by the woman's sister, a drug company executive. Traveling from the United States to Scotland and then to the Basque country, Knox blends his search for the missing woman with his own spiritual reawakening. Writing in Booklist, Mort noted that Bunn has "comfortably made the transition from evangelical to mainstream readers." Bunn presents another contemporary thriller in his 2005 title, Imposter. Enigmatic Matt Kelly, an up and coming investigator in a secretive government intelligence agency, finds himself investigating the death of his own mother. A Kirkus Reviews critic concluded that the story was "a good, clean read."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1996, John Mort, review of To the Ends of the Earth, p. 1122; March 15, 1996, John Mort, review of The Music Box, p. 571; September 1, 1996, John Mort, review of Return to Harmony: A Novel, p. 65; June 1, 1997, John Mort, review of Another Homecoming, p. 1662; May 1, 1998, John Mort, review of Tomorrow's Dream, p. 1478; March 1, 2000, John Mort, review of The Sacred Shore, p. 1196; April 15, 2000, John Mort, review of The Great Divide, p. 1500; July, 2001, John Mort, review of Drummer in the Dark, p. 1948; December 15, 2002, John Mort, review of Winner Take All: A Novel, p. 707; March 1, 2004, John Mort, review of Elixir p. 1100.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2001, review of Drummer in the Dark, p. 817; December 15, 2005, review of Imposter, p. 1288.

Library Journal, February 1, 1997, Melissa Hudak, review of One False Move, p. 66; July 1, 1997, Melissa Hudak, review of Another Homecoming, p. 88; November 1, 1997, Melissa Hudak, review of Tidings of Comfort and Joy, p. 64; June 1, 1998, Melissa Hudak, review of Tomorrow's Dream, p. 96; September 1, 1998, Melissa Hudak, review of One Shenandoah Winter: A Novel, p. 162; April 1, 1999, Melissa Hudak, review of The Meeting Place, p. 80; June 1, 1999, Melissa Hudak, review of The Ultimatum: A Novel, p. 94; March 21, 2000, review of The Great Divide, p. S7; June 1, 2000, Jetta Carol Culpepper, review of The Great Divide, p. 194; June 15, 2000, Nancy R. Ives, review of Gibraltar Passage, p. 136; November 1, 2000, Melanie C. Duncan, review of Kingdom Come: A Novel, p. 60; February 1, 2001, Melanie C. Duncan, review of The Birthright, p. 79; November 1, 2002, Shawna Saavedra Thorup, review of Riders of the Pale Horse, p. 74.

Publishers Weekly, April 24, 2000, review of The Great Divide, p. 56; November 13, 2000, review of Kingdom Come, p. 87; July 2, 2001, review of Drummer in the Dark, p. 50; December 23, 2002, review of Winner Take All, p. 46; March 1, 2004, review of Elixir, p. 50.

Rapport, 1993, Paulette Kozick, review of Florian's Gate: A Novel, p. 24.

Today's Christian Woman, November, 2000, "The Christy Awars," p. 23.

ONLINE

BookLoons, http://www.bookloons.com/ (April 20, 2006), Melissa Parcel, review of The Quilt and The Solitary Envoy.

Christian Fiction Review, http://www.christianfictionreview.com/ (April 20, 2006), reviews of The Great Divide, Riders of the Pale Horse, Winner Take All, Elixir, Tidings of Comfort and Joy, and The Lazarus Trap.

FaithfulReader.com, http://www.faithfulreader.com/ (April 20, 2006), "Interview: T. Davis Bunn."

T. Davis Bunn Home Page, http://www.davisbunn.com (April 20, 2006).