Groot, Tracy 1964-

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Groot, Tracy 1964-

PERSONAL:

Born 1964; married; husband's name Jack; children: Evan, Grayson, Riley. Hobbies and other interests: "Reading, writing, backpacking, family time, Thai food, scandalous amounts of coffee and equally scandalous amounts of sweets, and Great Britain."

ADDRESSES:

Office—JP's Coffee and Espresso Bar, 57 E. 8th St., Holland, MI 49423.

CAREER:

Writer. JP's Coffee and Espresso Bar, coowner, 1993—.

WRITINGS:

The Mystery of the Forgotten Fortune, Crossway (Wheaton, IL), 1996.

The Mystery of the Stolen Statue, Crossway (Wheaton, IL), 1996.

The Brother's Keeper, Moody Publishers (Chicago, IL), 2003.

Stones of My Accusers, Moody Publishers (Chicago, IL), 2004.

Madman, Moody Publishers (Chicago, IL), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Tracy Groot is, according to Library Journal contributor Tamara Butler, "one of the best historical writers of faith-based fiction." After penning two Christian-themed mysteries, Groot turned to historical fiction. In her 2003 offering, The Brother's Keeper, she tells the story of James, brother of Jesus, who suffers at the hands of those offended by the revolutionary teachings of Jesus. In Stones of My Accusers, she tells the story of Orion, a go-between for Pilate with the Jews, and how he puts his life at risk in order to protect the Jews. Writing in Booklist, John Mort praised the novel's "subtlety and warmth." With Madman, Groot creates a mystery involving Tallis, the servant of an Athenian philosopher. Sent to the town of Hippos to discover why the academy which the philosopher had funded is no longer functioning, Tallis discovers that one of the academy's scholars has been murdered, another is an apparent suicide, and yet a third has gone insane—all with a connection to the ministry of Jesus. Butler found this a "gripping tale," and a reviewer for Publishers Weekly thought it was a "well-paced, beautifully written historical novel," as well as "entertaining and compelling."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2003, John Mort, review of The Brother's Keeper, p. 284; January 1, 2004, John Mort, review of Stones of My Accusers, p. 819; October 1, 2004, John Mort, review of Stones of My Accusers, p. 303.

Library Journal, April 1, 2006, Tamara Butler, review of Madman, p. 74.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI), April 12, 2006, review of Madman.

Publishers Weekly, February 20, 2006, review of Madman, p. 135.