 |
Boneman's Daughter Click title to read excerpt or buy from CBD.com By Ted Dekker/ Center Street 
Reviewed by Gail WellbornThis spine-chiller is classic Dekker and never disappoints. It's one you won't easily forget.From the spine-chilling opening to the unexpected twist ending, BoneMan is a fitting name for this serial killer from Texas in search of the perfect teenage daughter. Whenever he finds a fitting candidate, he watches her, learns her habits, and then snaps pictures to post on his wall until she can join him like a good daughter should. Like any hunter, he gathers his supplies and waits for the right moment. The thrill of the chase makes his blood run hot, until his disappointment makes the girls blood run cold. He had such hopes for each victim. He expected each one to accept and love him for the father he deserved to be. Six victims had disappointed him and he had administered their fitting punishment-broken every bone in their bodies-one-by-one-without once breaking their skin-then left them to die. Bethany Evan would be his seventh. Would she be his daughter or his victim? A recent tour of duty in the Middle East left Bethany's military intelligence father, Ryan Evan, a changed man. He could no longer accept the long military absences that estranged him from his wife and their adopted daughter, Bethany. His values had changed. His fierce love for Bethany had equipped him to withstand his recent abduction and torture in Fallujah. The unique torture had targeted his mind instead of his body and changed his world view. The shocking interrogation techniques had given him a choice: hand over his wife and daughter, or watch a succession of Iraqi children die by having their bones slowly broken in front of him. Evans had lived with the unspeakable choice only long enough to break free and escape. On Evan's return stateside he wanted to reconcile with his family. Instead, he learned of his wife's involvement with District Attorney Burt Welsh. That hurt, but wasn't unexpected. But, Bethany's rejection really hurt. She wouldn't talk to him, but would only lash out in anger and resentment-until BoneMan abducted her. When Evan talks to the FBI he learns he's their number one suspect. BoneMan uses the same torture technique that was used on him. After BoneMan calls Evan with instructions of what to do and where to meet if he wants to see Bethany alive again, the clock starts ticking. Evan determines to launch his own investigation to find and save his daughter and the macabre chase begins. This suspenseful, well-crafted, intriguing thriller, full of gruesome twists and turns, is surprisingly not overly graphic. Engaging characters are exceptionally well-drawn, with a plot that unwinds like a tightly wound spring. From Evan's personal struggles, his failure as a husband and father, to his wife's adulterous escapades, and his daughter's angry rejection, their actions and motivations are ones readers can empathize with. Even Dekker's glimpses into BoneMan's twisted imaginings are fascinating. Dekker captures the reader from the first word, and keeps the pages turning at a relentless pace with skilled writing. This spine-chiller is classic Dekker and never disappoints. It's one you won't easily forget. |
 |
About Gail Welborn Visit Gail's website. |
|
|
Boneman's Daughter Click title to read excerpt or buy from CBD.com By Ted Dekker/ Center Street Reviewed by Karri ComptonThis is Dekker's best yet, both thrilling and touching--highly recommended.The BoneMan. A serial killer who abducts young woman after young woman, hoping one of them will become his daughter. When they disappoint him, he breaks their bones until they die. So far six have been sacrificed. The murderer, now behind bars, is being released because of compromised evidence. Is he innocent or guilty? Ryan Evans, intelligence officer par excellence, is being forced to think like God. In a war-torn world that relies on violence in order to acquire and maintain freedom, Evans has been playing God unawares with the rest of America. But when he is captured by Muslims in dust-ravaged Iraq, his mind and emotions will be shaken to the core. His family is threatened, which makes him realize how much he loves them, perhaps for the first time. Now the BoneMan holds Ryan's own daughter--the unthinkable for a father. He himself is a wanted man--some think he and the BoneMan are one and the same. How will he find her before he is caught himself? Before BoneMan tortures and kills his only child? Is there anything he won't do to save her? Dekker continues to up the ante in his writing, amplifying the suspense almost to the breaking point, until the reader is left breathless for resolution. Using the classic "FBI hunts bad guy" plot mixed with "father of victim makes it his personal mission to stop the bad guy," Dekker goes a step further and stirs both emotion and spirit. He shows us the Enemy's deceitful lure, his longing to be beautiful and to have us follow in his steps, his desire to steal us from our true Father. However, the true Father's love trumps any promise the Enemy can make and in his infinite love pursues us, does whatever it takes to rescue us. What could be a greater message? I found this novel to be partially a throwback to Dekker's classic When Heaven Weeps with elements of Adam and lots of new material to sink my teeth into. Everyone can get something out of this book, but it's not for those who like everything neat and rosy. It is, however, in a way, a great love story. Prepare for evil to be unveiled, love to be revealed, and sacrifice to be made. Your heart will join Ryan's and be driven by love to protect that which is precious to you. You will be reminded of God's heart for you. Watch light dispel darkness and truth triumph over evil as it should. This is Dekker's best yet, both thrilling and touching--highly recommended. |
 |
About Karri Compton View this review and more at: www.kcreviews.blogspot.com |
Susan Sleeman
is passionate about Christian Suspense as both a reader and a writer. She is the author of High-Stakes Inheritance, a romantic suspense novel to be released in September by Love Inspired Suspense an imprint of Steeple Hill Publishers and Nipped in the Bud, a romantic cozy mystery in October from Barbour Publishing.
Read more about Susan's. . .
Christian Suspense
To Die For
©2006-10
Susan Sleeman
Susan Sleeman
