Illusion – Frank Peretti

© 2012 Howard Books, New York


I’m not always a fan of Frank Peretti. Some of his early, highly-praised work moved a little slow for me. But I do get excited when acclaimed authors who stand on their faith treat us to another story. And so I was excited when I got an invitation to review his latest work of fiction. The short version of the saga toward this review is that my review copy never showed up before the early March deadline. Consequently, I got an e-copy in mid-April and finally got a chance to read it.

The story follows the life of Dane Collins following the tragic auto accident that took his beloved Mandy’s life. After forty years of marriage, the two well-respected magicians were preparing to open a new chapter off-stage, and move into semi-retirement in Mandy’s beloved Idaho. Suddenly Mandy is whisked back to the fairgrounds where she first met Dane before they met and the whirlwind begins.

Any more of the story line would be filled with spoilers, so I’ll stop there and give you the review. The book starts slow, with some jumps and starts. But as with Peretti’s TheOath, you are soon so involved in the lives of the characters that you want to keep reading until page 500 rolls around. This is a well-crafted story that requires more than a modicum of suspended belief. That’s okay though, because of the genre.

Genre issues bring up some other questions though—what kind of book do we have? Which audience will love this tale best? The author himself has the same questions in a short afterword. Of course, most bookstores will place this in the Christian or Inspirational Fiction sections simply because of the author. I would have no trouble shelving it with the romance novels (because it’s a love story), in the suspense section (because it’s filled with mystery), or even with the Sci-Fi/Fantasy works (because of the need to suspend belief to get into the story). Does the author achieve his goal of painting a picture of the love that Creator-God has for His church? I think so, although one would not necessarily read that into the story unless they had a tendency to do it.

If you’re a Peretti fan, you’ve probably already read this book—and if not you’ll want to. It isn’t classic Peretti, but it does expand his horizons without departing from his original foundation. The book addresses Christianity without being preach-y (which I really like). If you haven’t read one of this author’s books, Illusionis a great introduction to him and his writing. Readers of romance, mystery/suspense, or fantasy books will all be happy with this book. I give him five reading glasses for this new novel.

—Benjamin Potter, July 12, 2012

[This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review. No compensation has been given for this review. The opinions expressed are those of the reviewer. This is a review of the electronic version of the book.]

Nick of Time – Tim Downs

© 2011, Thomas Nelson, Nashville

Writer, speaker, and cartoonist, Tim Downs’ Bug Man is back.

This time Nick Polchak is getting married . . . if he doesn’t get cold feet. Nick is getting married . . . if he doesn’t get killed first. Nick is getting married . . . if he doesn’t get his fiancée killed first.

Sick of wedding plans, and with the wedding less than a week away, Nick decides to travel to Philadelphia for a meeting of the Vidocq Society—an elite group of forensic specialists from every field that meets once a month and helps solve cold cases—only cold cases (at least two years without any new clues), and only murder cases (lost your cat? Don’t come to Vidocq).

Upon arrival at the meeting, Nick discovers the friend who lured him there with the promise of a really tough case has been murdered. The evidence points him to the Poconos and an old murder by neglect case. When his fiancée doesn’t hear from him at the promised time—two nights in a row—she heads to the Poconos to find him.

Fans of Bug Man novels will recognize the sarcastic obstinacy of our hero as he does everything to avoid endearing himself to any and all law enforcement officers along the way, including old friends like FBI agent Nathan Donovan (who is pegged to stand with Nick as best man).

The writing, as always, is fast-paced and action-packed—even at the boutique shop of the wedding planner (Weddings ‘n’ Such—where Nick wants more wedding and less such). If you want to meet the bride and attend the wedding, you’ll have to grab a copy of the book and read it. For background, you’ll want to read earlier Bug Man novels, especially Ends of the Earth. In the meantime, I’ll give Downs another five out of five reading glasses for another excellent diversion.

—Benjamin Potter, May 12, 2011

[Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”]

Ends of the Earth – Tim Downs

© 2009, Thomas Nelson, Nashville

Tim Downs can tell a story. He can even get me interested in the details (which usually put me to sleep). The reason: Downs has a sense of humor that bursts forth—especially in the details. He makes this perfectly clear in his Bug Man series featuring Nick Polchak. In the Bug Man novels, forensic entomologist, Polchak, goes into minute detail when describing what happens to blowflies and beetles when they encounter a fresh dead body.

Ends of the Earth has Polchak called in to develop a postmortem interval (PMI), determining as closely as possible when a person died. Nick arrives on the scene to find a dead tomato farmer who may or may not be involved in drug trafficking. He suggests that the police might make use of a good drug dog, and recommends Alena Savard (see Less than Dead to meet the “Witch of Endor”). As he begins collecting larval evidence, he discovers that the widow of the dead farmer (who asked that he be brought in on the case) is none other than Kathryn Guilford (see the Bug Man’s first outing in Shoofly Pie for background on the connection here). Now the mother of an autistic child, Kathryn wants to know who killed her deadbeat husband and why.

Nick’s investigation leads him to call in other characters from past stories—Nathan Donovan (Plague Maker and Less than Dead) and his new wife Macy (First the Dead). He finds that he is chasing after an international agriterrorist. Among the details found in the story are some about corn farming (including some interesting information on ethanol), organic farming, and autism spectrum disorders. As always Downs has done a great deal of research to marry these concepts.

The story moves smoothly from beginning to end, with lots of dry humor along the way. In an effort to overcome his desire to make a decision about Nick’s future, Downs leaves the last chapter blank. Writing two separate endings, he offers them online at his author website for readers to vote. (Don’t click on the link to read the options for resolving the cliff-hanger unless you want to have the ending of the conflict to be spoiled.) This element angered my blushing bride—I’d given her the book for her birthday. So much so that she threw the book across the room. Then she refused to vote for either of the optional online endings arguing anti-climax for both.

I found the options to be satisfactory (regardless of the choice), but that’s just me. I think you’ll enjoy the story regardless of the cliff-hanger ending. Pick up a copy at your favorite online or brick and mortar bookstore today.

You should enjoy the story at 4½ out of 5 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, June 12, 2010

Adam – Ted Dekker

©2008 Thomas Nelson, Nashville

Ted Dekker doesn’t always hit the mark for me (see my review of Skin). Even so, he hit a home run with his recent thriller Adam.

Adam is the story of a serial killer known to the FBI as Eve. He has killed fifteen young women in as many months, and law enforcement officials are hoping to catch him before number sixteen. He kills every new moon and has developed the habit of writing the word “Eve” on the wall over his victims in blood, leaving the victims in basements, cellars, and caves.

Daniel Clark is the behavioral psychologist who leads the chase of the elusive Eve. His obsession with catching the killer has cost him his marriage, and perhaps his sanity. Upon locating victim sixteen alive, Daniel comes face to face with Eve and is shot for his effort. New team member Lori Ames, a pathologist imported from Phoenix to help in identifying and catching Eve, works feverishly to resuscitate Daniel after the fatal wound. Through some miracle (which Daniel doesn’t believe in) her efforts are rewarded, and Daniel lives again to obsess over Eve.

When Eve takes Daniel’s ex-wife, Heather, as victim number 17, Daniel determines to catch up to the killer and save Heather, even if he must die in the process.

Adam reads like a procedural part of the time and a suspense/thriller at other times. Dekker throws in the cleaned up “reporter’s” account in the form of periodic interruptions throughout the book that claims to be a “Nine part series” of reporter Anne Rudolph. For Crime Today, Rudolph chronicles the lifelong travails of kidnap victims Alex and Jessica Price. In essence, you get two takes on the same tale from two different perspectives.

This is a work reminiscent of Dekker’s earlier rocker Thr3e. If you’re fond of suspense or thriller writing (especially with a whopper of a twist) you’ll enjoy this read. I know I did. I give Adam 4.5 out of 5 reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, January 30, 2009

Lying with Strangers – James Grippando

© 2006 Madison Park Press, New York

Grippando is one of those authors that I’ve enjoyed since his debut. For several years I got first editions hot off the presses (before the wife and kids came along). Now I’m about four or five novels behind. He’s one of those lawyer-turned-author guys who often writes a good suspense novel or legal thriller.

In Lying with Strangers, he writes about a lawyer-turning-author whose personal life is falling apart all around him. The real focus is actually on the lawyer’s wife, Peyton, who is a promising young doctor who is being stalked by a maniac. During the course of the story, Kevin (the lawyer) has ups and downs as he betrays his marriage vows, accuses Peyton of doing the same, sells his first novel with the promise of greater things to come, and then finds himself fighting for his job at a top Boston law firm because of the similarities between his characters and his colleagues.

While the story has some really good points, and the plot is one that could really catch the reader’s attention, Grippando is off his mark somewhat in this novel. The novel groans on for over four hundred pages, the characters are flat, and the thread is disjointed. The only character that really draws you in is the mysterious stalker, and it’s just the mystery about who it might be that beckons.

Lying with Strangers can’t even be used for a good escape because it won’t hold your interest. I give this novel two sets of reading glasses (for the villain).

—Benjamin Potter, April 10, 2008

Blaze – Richard Bachman

Stephen King writes in the introduction to his pseudonymous book, “This is a trunk novel . . .” In a manner of apology, this works well, because Blaze is a trunk novel. One that King found hiding among his papers, edited with some minor updates from the Bachman days, and then had published by Scribner earlier this year.

Here we have the story of Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., the abused and abandoned child who after the “accident” becomes little more than a huge puppy who falls under the influence of other ne’er-do-wells who have more brains than brawn. Blaze tells by means of interwoven flashback the story of how the title character landed where he is, and the ultimate crime that would help him escape a life of wrong-doing. The crime: the brainstorm kidnapping of Joseph Gerard IV, infant son of Joseph Gerard III, developed by George—partner and guardian of Blaze, recently deceased.

Throughout the narrative Blaze carries on conversations with the now dead George who continues to guide and advise his less intelligent partner through the intricacies of the delicate plan. Sadly, often the advice (peppered with derogatory name-calling and berating that characterized the small man that had taken Blaze under his wing) came after the fact. Blaze unknowingly finds himself only a step or two ahead of the law.

What works in the book especially is the nostalgic reminiscences into Clayton Blaisdell, Jr.’s developmental years—spent mostly at Hetton House. As a matter of fact, it is during these flashback chapters that we find some of the gems that let us know that this might be an early work of the master wordsmith. These coupled with the tender moments showing the growing relationship between Blaze and his kidnap victim make the book worth the read. One particularly literary moment is the point at which Blaze sees little Joe as “a wonderful, terrible book where a story had been written in invisible ink.” The disappointment comes in the infrequency of these moments in the book.

Included in the volume that I read was a short story by King, “Memory,” which has been expanded for release as the novel promised in 2008 from Scribner. I must admit that I found little merit in the story itself and don’t really look forward to the book into which it has grown.

As for Blaze, its profuse use of rough language will turn many away. The vestiges of the master writer being too few and far between make it fall somewhat on the literary ladder. Is it worth the time to read? For King/Bachman fans, yes. For those who are looking for a good story, I’d suggest you look elsewhere. I’d rate it at two and one-half stars.

—Benjamin Potter, September 27, 2007

Skin – Ted Dekker

There is a problem with a book that only ends well. It never gets read. When I taught literature, I convinced many of my students to explore the possibility of reading. I never expected them to truly enjoy those things that I made them read—I didn’t even expect the majority of them to read those books I told them to read. However, I wanted them to give reading a chance. My answer: give a book two to three chapters before saying, “This one’s just boring,” and giving up. I figure that most of the time, even the slow starters will show enough sign of promise to keep the reader reading.

Skin is a book that ends well. It ends really well. So well in fact that I can’t give much information without invoking a double spoiler alert. I stuck with the book to get through the interesting parts, not because I wanted to (really), but because I was determined to give a plausible review here. (Something that can’t be done if you stop after chapter three.) Why was this important? Because Dekker is such a talented wordsmith. Perhaps the struggle with Skin lies in the pressure for talented, rising-star authors to crank out at least one book a year forces occasional mediocrity.

The story follows the adventures of a group of young adults thrust together by circumstance. During the course of their lives together, these six people are thrust back and forth between the town of Summerville (devastated by a massive tornado and the terror created by a ruthless murderer) and a vast desert which replaces the town from time to time leaving only the structures of the town library and the house of the doctor who had the library built. This jumping back and forth leaves the reader trying to decide whether or not he is reading a fantasy (played out in the desert) or a police procedural-type mystery.

From time to time there are glimpses of Dekker’s writing talent, usually embodied in the setting of the town without the advent of the desert. Often the writing seems disjointed. So how long should the reader give this selection in order to make it worthwhile reading? My estimation is about 40 to 45 chapters. Die-hard Dekker fans will want to read this book. Those who enjoyed House and Showdown will like portions, but will find the writing not up to Dekker’s normal par. If you must read everything that Dekker writes, I would advise you to rush to the last 125 or 150 pages. As I said, the book ends really well. Because of the good ending I give Skin 1 ½ thumbs. Sorry I can’t give the first two-thirds of the book even a thumb to stand on .

—Benjamin Potter, August 27, 2007

Saint – Ted Dekker

Christian suspense has reached a new high. Ted Dekker has done it again, and this time with a spy novel.

Carl Strople does not know who he is. What he knows is that he is trained to kill. He knows that he will kill for Kelly, his wife(?). Carl completes his training and teams up with Kelly to complete his first assignment—to assassinate a dignitary outside the UN.

Dekker keeps you jumping with his trademark twists and turns. He tells you the ending three or four times and then makes you question your assessment. During the course of the book he makes advertisement for previous books: Showdown, House, and the “Color” trilogy. You love and you hate Carl, you find yourself on his mental precipice with him as he learns who he is and who he is meant to be.

Keep ‘em coming, Ted. We want more.

—Benjamin Potter, April 25, 2007

Update! Guardian of Light -- Steven Hunt

Here is the cover for Guardian of Light. Read the review here. And look for it in stores or online July 16.

Head Game – Tim Downs

Tim Downs jumped into the fray of suspense writing with his Bug Man novels in 2003. He exploded with last year’s Plague Maker. And now the former cartoonist and writer of the comic strip Downstown has come into his own.

Cale Caldwell is an up and coming ad man who returns to his childhood home of Charlotte to slow the pace of life for his family. Having recently lost his wife, Cale is struggling to be a good father for his young daughter. Grace resents her new school and new friends who become mere acquaintances because of her mother’s untimely death in an automobile accident. And then the bottom falls out. Cale is faced with the news of his boyhood friend’s suicide, a possible lawsuit alleging that his docile family pet has savagely bitten a stranger, and now Grace disappears. With the help of his friend and former colleague in the Fourth Psychological Operations Group (4POG), Cale tries to iron it all out. Their information leads them to believe that Cale is the target of a vengeance-seeking officer who lost half of his troops in a leaflet-driven exodus of personnel from the front-lines in Kuwait during Desert Storm.

Characters are well-developed and action is exciting in this tale of intrigue and psychological puppetry. It is often difficult to determine who is truly in control. The twists and turns are sometimes unexpected, sometimes broadcast, and always welcome. Utilizing his artistic talents, Downs introduces this work to us with a six-page graphic depiction of the suicide note left for Cale’s benefit at his friend Kirby’s New York apartment. This is another page-turner that you won’t want to miss. It’s another edition in the new genre born out of the old Christian Fiction model. This new genre is one that will impress all readers of good fiction. Without the preaching of Christian fiction of only a decade and a half ago, new authors are telling an intriguing story that also is absent the gutter language and scenes that have long been the standard of mainstream publishing. Downs is an author to watch.

—Benjamin Potter, April 2, 2006

The Oath – Frank Peretti

He’s the father of modern Christian fiction. His faith-based suspense stories do a better job of mixing the natural and the supernatural than almost anyone in the publishing business. Most Peretti fans will turn your attention to his breakthrough novel This Present Darkness for a look at the author’s best. I would draw your attention to his actual best, though—The Oath.

People are dying in the mountains. The small town population is aware, frightened, and resigned to the dark evil creature that hovers all around them. Someone must defeat the dragon, but who can? How can it be done? Does Levi Cobb, the town lunatic, really know the answer?

The Oath is a fantasy, a mystery, and an allegory, all rolled into one. The writing is engaging, the story is intoxicating, and the answer is hiding in the darkness at the end of the book. Few 500-page books read faster. It’s good for a scare, and for relief. Pick up your 10th-Anniversary copy today.

—Benjamin Potter, March 2007

A Time to Kill – John Grisham

Before he’d made a name for himself outside his home state of Mississippi, John Grisham was a lawyer. Then he decided to write a book. The first one took some time, but he completed it and shopped it around. It wasn’t his first book that made him famous, but the second which was purchased for filming. The success of the film version of The Firm got the good lawyer noticed. Soon we were being blessed by a book a year and movies right on the heels of the books. And finally his publisher, Doubleday, discovered the obscure raw talent that really was Grisham—A Time to Kill.

What would a father do when he saw the vermin that abused and disfigured his daughter getting off on a technicality? How would he respond? What would matter to him? Carl Lee Hailey has the answer in the form of an automatic weapon, hidden and ready, blasting away to gain vengeance on the rednecks that destroyed his daughter’s life and his own.

Young and green, lawyer Jake Brigance seeks to make his name by defending this black man in a time and a place where the Klan runs rampant and the black community is still referred to as “the Quarters.”

At times the writing is stiff and shows the inexperience of a new novelist. At times the lawyer within takes over, trying to convince the reader as a good trial lawyer would before a seated jury. But always the thrill of this story grips you. It is easy to look beyond the raw edges because of the raw edginess of Grisham’s subject. You may not want to read another courtroom drama, but you will want to read this one. You may be tired of hearing how successful Grisham has become, but you will want to read him before all the accolades. This is a fine piece of literature that is not to be missed. It should be put on every to be read list. And even on some to be read again lists.

—Benjamin Potter, March 2007

Links to Past Reviews

Because I have a tendency to be lazy instead of industrious, but I did want to include these reviews here, I decided to just link to the reviews for those who would like to read them rather than cut and paste them. So here are some past reviews that I did before starting this blog:

• Murder Among the OWLS by Bill Crider
• Next by Michael Crichton
• The Great Santa Search by Jeff Guinn
• Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger
• Just a Simple Carpenter by Benjamin Potter
• House by Frank Peretti & Ted Dekker

Just click the links and enjoy.

--Benjamin Potter, March 2007

Blood Marks – Bill Crider

I know, I know, you’re saying, “Doesn’t he read anything besides Crider?” As a matter of fact, I was once accused by a used bookstore owner of being a “purist” in my reading. At the time I was working on completing my collection of Crider first editions that were published before I discovered that this former professor and now friend of mine was a writer of renown.

I’ve introduced you to his westerns, now I want to give you a taste of his mysteries. When looking for the “best of” an author, I tend to steer away from their series. I like Dan Rhodes (the most prolific of Crider’s characters), I’ve read all the Truman Smith private eye novels, all the Carl Burns novels (my favorite of Crider’s protagonists), and the Sally Good novels as well. I like reading Crider because his style is easy and readable, but to find his best I turn to his stand-alones.

Blood Marks follows a serial killer, at sometimes being narrated from the killer’s point of view, and at other times filling in the story. The beauty of the story is that until the “reveal” you’re kept guessing as to the identity of whose mind you see from time to time. The humor for which Crider is famous is not missing, but it takes on a darker tone in this masterpiece of a crime novel. This book is a nail-biter, terror-building, psychological thriller that will keep you up at night—at first because you just can’t put it down, and then because you can’t get it out of your mind. When you get this one from your friendly neighborhood used book seller or borrow it from the library, be sure to lock the doors and windows as you curl up for a thrilling ride.

—Benjamin Potter, March 2007

Thr3e – Ted Dekker

Twists, turns, suspense, and scares. Not what you’d normally expect from a Christian writer published by a major Christian publishing house. But that’s exactly what you get in Ted Dekker’s Thr3e. Along with mainstays like Frank Peretti and writing gurus like Sigmund Brouwer, Dekker is helping Christian fiction become as good or better writing than mainstream publishers can offer.

Thr3e is the story of struggling seminary student Kevin Parson. He is plagued by phone calls and notes from a homicidal maniac. Who can he trust to help save his life and the lives of those he loves? The FBI, the police, his favorite professor and mentor?

Dekker writes with a smooth gate that leads the reader to a variety of conclusions, all of which are partly right and mostly wrong. As you read this page-turner, you’ll be caught up in Parson’s life, you’ll figure out who the caller is three times before you discover that you were wrong, but you should have seen it. Of all Dekker’s books, Thr3e is the one to start with. Read it and then see the movie.

—Benjamin Potter, March 2007