Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,

Last year Ted Dekker released A.D. 30, which reminded me how good a storyteller he is.  He wove a beautiful tale of Maviah and her search for love and exceptance from first her earthly father and then when he is killed, by others around her.  Her searched only ended when she was introduced to Jesus.  

It was a wonderful reminder to us all, that no matter how important or how unimportant we are, we are loved perfectly by our heavenly father.  Now Ted continues Maviah's story in A.D. 33.  We move forward in Maviah's story and how she is still trying to live her life according to what she learned from Jesus or Joshua as he is called in this book.  

That is not as easy as it seems as Maviah and her band of outcasts are living with the idea that Joshua is here for an earthly kingdom.  They don't understand that he is here to die for all mankind, not to free the Jews or any other outcasts that follow him.  

Once again Ted's story keeping skills come into play.  He takes us to a place of great despair and wonderful mountain tops. He reminds us that the walk we are called to isn't always easy, sometimes it takes us to places we don't know that we can survive, but He has promised to always walk along side of us even in times we are not sure he is there.  

Even if you have sworn off Ted's books because of how dark they have been in the past (I will admit I was close to doing that myself), come back and try this little series.  I know I gave a couple hints away from book number one, but really it isn't anything that you can't figure out by reading the title.  

Happy Reading. 

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,

 

Everything you think about when I mention a Ted Dekker book, throw it out right now. A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker is not what I would call a normal book for him.  It is quite a departure from what he ‘normally’ writes.   This is what I would say is Biblical fiction.  Even though there are no Biblical characters as the main people in this book it does happen at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. 

 

Maviah is the eldest daughter of one of the most powerful sheikhs  of the desert.  She was rejected and sold as a slave only to return in disgrace with a young son.  Her father’s new wife takes a liking to her and she is welcomed back, until her step mother dies.  Then a hated enemy attacks and she is sent on a mission, a mission that will lead her to Israel because of an alliance with King Herod.

 

I found this book interesting, not because it included some of Jesus’ ministry, but because it is much more a look at what life was like at that time in the rest of the world.  There is some focus on what is going on in Israel at that time, but more of it is centered on what is going on in Arabia at that time. 

  

I did find out how difficult it was to be a gentile if you were trying to talk to/meet with/work with any Jewish person.  They look on the rest of the world as unclean.  I never really thought about it because it has not really affected me.  But for a person to be labeled unclean by anyone does not make you like that person and for a woman like Maviah it really brought up old memories of how she was treated as a child.  It was just a unique perspective in the book.

 

I like this new direction that Ted is headed.  I have to believe he will and is writing more of the genre we all love him for, but it is great to be reminded of how good a story teller he really is.

 

Happy Reading.

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,

Ted Dekker is going to be in our store next week Wednesday.  I can hardly wait as not only is a favorite author of mine going to be visiting; it will be a chance to show off our newly remodeled store.  Most of you know that we are closed this week so we can move our books from the old part of the store to new part of the store.  But on November 5^th we will open at 7:00A.M. with a beautiful and fresh new look. 

The Sanctuary is Ted’s book that he will be promoting on his visit.  I recommend that you read The Priest Graveyard first to learn Renee and Danny’s history.  Once you have that read and understood then this book will be easier to read.  Now you could read this one without the first as Ted does a great job of reminding us all of the storyline, but there are some holes in the storyline that you may or may not understand if you haven’t read Priest’s Graveyard.  (If you haven’t read Priest yet then don’t read any farther in this review as it will give away the ending)

Danny is serving time for crimes he didn’t commit.  To save Renee he admitted to them so she wouldn’t have to go to prison.  Renee is trying to survive on her own and to overcome her fear of well everything.  They both get caught up in a game a person bent on revenge.  One who believes in an eye for an eye.  If either one of the goofs up in anyway, the other one dies. 

I wasn’t sure what to make of this book by Dekker.  It is very different for him.  He leaves out the creep factor and puts in more moral dilemmas.  I couldn’t put my finger on the thing in the book that was intriguing me the most.  I finally figured it out close to the end when one of the characters was talking about what was happening and I thought “Hey this is what it would be like in a world without grace.”  It is a world of the Old Testament, a world where works are what mattered and they were not all judge the same by an imperfect god. 

Without going to deep into the storyline, I wonder if that is what Ted had in mind for this story.  What would it be like to live in a world where there was no forgiveness and that the only reason anyone obeyed the laws was because they were afraid of the consequences of not obeying.  Yet some of those rules were subjective.   

I am glad I got a chance to read this book before visiting with him.  I have a couple of questions I would love to ask him and the storyline.  You also have a chance to “Share dinner with Ted.”  All you need to do is go to Baker Book House’s Facebook page and share the announcement of Ted visiting our store.  Once you do that you will be entered to win dinner with Ted. 

Happy Reading

P.S. Don't forget that Ted will be in our store on November 7th from 7 - 9. 

P.S.S. This book is available at our store or by request on our website.

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker is a book that easily kept my attention.  It was still as intense as most of his other books, but not a gruesome as some of them have been.  If you are worried don't be, it still has a seriel killer in it, but one with a different agenda. 

Danny was just a young man when his mother and sisters were killed in Bosnia during the time the ethnic cleansings were going on.  He joined the under ground and learn many ways to kill a person without leaving any evidence behind.

Renee is a prisoner in the prison of drugs and prostitution.  She is rescued by Lamont and broken of her drug problem.  When Lamont disappears Renee and Danny are suddenly working for the same side.  Their own revenge against the evil in the world.

Danny has sworn to rid the world of all he has deemed worthy of death.  They are low-lifes that have treated their fellow mankind with contempt and evil.  He has set himself up as Judge against these people and carries out his mission with precision and in such a way that no one can figure out what happened to the person.

Renee has sworn to find her husband's killer and bring him to justice.  She has no training and is even a bit naive about the world.  She is just planning on tracking down the persons responsible and she doesn't care whether she lives or dies.

I am not going to go into any more details as I want to you read and enjoy this book on your own.  I think every reader comes away from a book with their own little lessons.  I know what I was getting out of this book besides a good suspense story, but it might not be the same for you.  I refuse to judge that.

Happy Reading

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,

Tuesday Sept 7th Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker releases to the reading world. This book is causing a bit of a stir and not for the reasons I may have guessed and not even in a country I would have thought. More on that in a minute.

Immauel's Veins is a vampire book. Not along the lines of Twilight, but more like Dracula. 18th century Russia is the setting for the book, which actually even gives it that Dracula feel. If you are a fan of Ted's then you have been waiting for this book to release. If you are one who doesn't like Ted's writing, this book will not change your mind.


Ted loves to push the envelope a bit with every book and this one is no different. In fact that is what is causing all the controversy. The publisher that carries his book in the Netherlands has refused to carry this one because it is "too racy."


Interesting. I have read this book and didn't really have any parts that made me uncomfortable. The people in the story are beautiful/handsome and they are very much sexual beings. This story struck me as being almost about the dance that we all seem to have with evil. I know Ted has described it as the story of God's pursuit for us, but I even had more of a feel that it was about our struggle with the attractiveness of evil. It may seem like something we really want and yet it isn't something that is good for us.


The hero of this book tries to stand between his two charges and the temptation of the evil that is trying to lure them in. He continues to try to do what is right, what he is called to do, which is let no harm come to them. When the girls are lured to the new neighbor's castle, Toma knows that trouble will come from it. He had been warned.


There is really nothing else I can say about the storyline without giving too much away, which then would take away from your pleasure of reading this book.


The critics of this book are asking those who read it, what is too much? Ted's argument that this book isn't too racy is based on the Song of Solomon in the Bible. He says we were created sexual beings and there is nothing wrong with sex. I am not going to argue that here, but it does make me think about what is right or wrong for Christian fiction. What is too much?


I really enjoy reading books that don't leave me comfortable. Ted's books have done that on several occasions. I have read Steven James' books and they have had lots of complaints about their violence. Yet if you are going to ask tough questions then you need more than a paper cut to have someone sweat over those questions.


If Ted had written a tame book, would it make you think about God's pursuit of us? If there is no tempation then why worry as we will never have left His side. In this fallen world there is nothing that comes in neat little packages and nothing comes with easy answers. Who hasn't had that friend ask those questions that we have not had the answers to. Some of them are because we have never experienced something. Sometimes a fiction book can do that for you. Sometimes it can point you in the right direction and sometimes it also offers you a chance to think things through by yourself.


I am not sure where you are on the spectrum of why you read fiction, but each of us reads for different reasons. I like to read to get away, to learn and to understand. I know that fiction has given me insight into things I would never experience. That is when it becomes a learning experience and I can hopefully use that knowledge to help someone else either by answering questions or having some insight into that experience.

Happy Reading

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,
I know Ted Dekker is not everyone's cup of tea, but he is one of my favorites. The Bride Collector is going to be one of my favorite of his novels. It is a psycho-thriller. It is dark and plain and simply scary. I actually put off reading for a couple of days as my husband was out of town and I really didn't want to be home alone while reading it.

Why would someone kill anyone? Why would this mad man kill the most beautiful women? He says it is because he loves them. Brad Raines is trying to track him down before he kills again. With 6 women to his credit already the Bride Collector has vowed to continue to kill women until he finds the most beautiful of them all. Brad isn't sure who to turn to for help. He finds the Center for Wellness and Intelligence with the last hope that the patients there will help him get ahead of the killer and help Brad catch him.

When Brad finds himself attracted to one of the young woman helping him, he begins to see that she may be the center of all that is going on. Paradise has been a patient a long time, and yet she seems to be the only one who can help Brad. Will Brad be able to catch up with the Bride Collector before he claims his next bride? Or will someone close to Brad pay the ultimate price?
If you like Ted, read this book. There is no reason to not read it. Yes, it is intense. Yes it is creepy, And yes it will keep you up at night. But why else would you read a Ted Dekker book.
Happy Reading

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,


Here is one of those authors that is causing the great discussions on what is and isn't Christian fiction. Ted Dekker is one that you either love his books or hate them. I for one love them. They are not all my favorite, but if nothing else, his books always make me think. Nothing is as it seems, sometimes you have to hunt for the answers to questions.

Burn co-authored with Erin Healy will not disappoint Dekker fans. Now to be honest I wasn't as excited when I saw this one as Kiss wasn't really my favorite of Ted's books. Burn is different. It kept me guessing all the way to the end as to where we were going on the twist he threw in.

Janeal lost everything in a fire; or was that gained everything? She was sick of living the gypsy life. She wanted out. When the opportunity presented itself to her, she took it even though it cost her friends their lives. She starts a new life and seems to be living the life she always wanted.

Until the past and the present collide. The friends that she thought were dead are alive and the enemy that she thought she had destroyed is once again threatening her life. Does she really have to go back to her family home to rid herself of her past?

Fast paced, with several twist and turns, this was more than I expected. It isn't really a thriller, but it has several elements of a thriller. It isn't really a fantasy like the Circle books. It is just a very interesting story that kept me reading quickly to the end.

This book was scheduled to come out in January and it nicely released early. Which is always nice if you are looking for that last minute gift for that hard-to-buy-for reader in your family.

Happy Reading
Chris

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,

First of all if you are a Ted Dekker fan... READ THIS BOOK. Yes it is that good. I am so amazed that one man can do this with a series that he started over 5 years ago. I also have to confess that at first I was a bit disappointed that he was going to write another book for a series that he said ended 4 years ago. I hate when authors do that. Well I was wrong, this one so needed to be written and if you haven't read the Circle trilogy, the Paradise books or the Lost Books, you may want to do that first, but you don't have to. I will explain that later.

Ok now the review of Green... sort of. This is one of those reviews that is a bit delicate to write. I am afraid that with anything I say I may give the entire book away and I really don't want to do that as the best part of the book is not knowing what is happening.

I can safely say that all our favorite characters are back in all their glory. There are some new and exciting ones which makes this even better yet. Thomas Hunter is the one who got this all started by crash landing in the black forest and he is once again completely in the center of it all.

This is listed as book 'zero' of the Circle Trilogy, and it fits. It didn't make sense to me until I read it so you are going to have to trust me on that part of it. :-) But the subtitle "the beginning and the end" is completely correct. Do you feel like I am talking in circles yet? lol. (This is why you don't really have to read any of the other books first) I really feel that if Ted wasn't a writer than he would have serious mental problems and at least 7 personalities. :-)

Ted won me as a fan with his books Black and Three and this year he reminded my why with his books Boneman's Daughters and now Green.

Happy Reading

P.S. Book is available on Sept. 1st.

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,
Did you know that Ted Dekker's newest, Boneman's Daughter, is in stores now? I am eager to hear from any of you that have read it. I have gotten a couple mixed reactions to it and I want to see what others have to say. I personally liked it as I am sure those who have read my review noticed.
Come get your copy here and then write me and tell me what you thought of it.

Happy Reading

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,
A Ted Dekker book is met with such different responses when I recommend them. It seems to be you either love him or hate him. If you are enjoy a good creepy mystery, ex. this will be the book for you.

BoneMan's Daughters is not a read at night when home alone book. It is creepy and every noise in the house is him coming to get you. I really did like this book and can't wait until more of you get a chance to read it so I can ask you what you thought of it. It has been interesting so far to see who has liked it or not liked it and why. But that is so few people it isn't a good read on that.

Ryan Evans is captured in Iraq and tortured beyond anything anyone would expect him to survive. But survive and escape he does. The military sends him home to recover. He is eager to go home and prove to his wife, Celine, and his daughter, Bethany, that he is sorry for the past and wants to make it up to them. The problem is they have moved on with out him.

BoneMan is trying to find the perfect daughter and hasn't yet found one that is. He is killing his victims by breaking their bones and leaving them to die. The police and FBI thought they had the guy, but now they are not so sure. When Bethany goes missing, Ryan is their first suspect. He needs to prove his innocence to everyone while trying to rescue his daughter.

Fast paced, edge of your seat mystery. It was not easy for me to lay it down once I got started. I will admit that a couple of times it was just plain scary to read. I didn't like that part of it, but I couldn't stop reading because I really had to know who the BoneMan was. It reminded me a bit of a Mary Higgins Clark book because it got to the point where I couldn't put it down until I knew the bad guy was caught.

If you are a fan of Ted's you will like it. If you are a fan of Steven James you may want to give this one a try. If you are a fan of a good creepy book this is one you will want to read. I wouldn't want to read this is my husband was out of town, but then again I am a big 'fraidy cat.

Happy Reading

P.S. This book releases on April 14th.

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,

I had been hearing rumors about this book for several months now. So you can imagine my excitement yesterday when I found out that yes there is a new Ted Dekker book coming, soon! Boneman's Daughter.

April 14th is the release date on this one. He is with a different publisher and I am excited to see what they let him do. As most of you know Ted loves to push the enevelope just a bit, so who knows. I have my copy at home and am trying to be good and not read it before a manuscript I have and need to get read soon. :-)

I know from reading the reviews and excerpts from it, it just plain and simply sounds creepy and a "don't go to sleep until you done" type book. The rep even compared it to the Steven James books that we have. (Yeah)

I have it linked to Ted's website so you can look up the info for yourself. I will get a review on here as soon as I get one done.

Happy Reading

P.S. You are welcome to pre order the book by just emailing or calling me at the store.

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,
Kiss by Ted Dekker is due out on January 6th. This book is a stand alone Physiological thriller that are my favorites of Ted's. My favorite book of his is still Three, mostly because of the huge twist that comes at the end of it. Kiss doesn't have that big twist in it, but it is a good mystery/thriller that does keep you guessing as to who the good and bad guys are all the way to the end.

Shauna McAllister causes a car accident that cost her memories and her brother is permenently brain-damaged. Everyone in her family blames her because of the drugs found in the car. She is struggling to remember anything that will help her understand why the accident happened at all.
Shauna struggles to prove her innocence. She has no proof or memory of why she would try to kill herself or her brother, just a feeling. When snippets of memories start to come back she is more and more sure that this accident wasn't just a simple accident.

I'm done, no more clues as to what the book is about. I hate those reviews. I never understand why someone would want to ruin the whole book for someone else. Just know that I did like this book, it is an interesting read and I had no problem wanting to keep reading it. It is a book that you do need to pay attention to. About the time that you think of someone being a certian thing, Ted changes it for you, just to see if you are paying attention.

This book is not just for Dekker fans, it is for anyone who likes a good mystery. I was so looking forward to reading it and was not disappointed. If you haven't noticed I liked this book. I think those who like this type of book will throughly enjoy it. :-)

Happy Reading

Ted Dekker

Dear Readers,
This review is about Sinner, due to come out Sept 3. If you order and prepay for your copy now, Baker has them at $14.97 in the pre-sale.

Sinner is the last of the Paradise series. It draws us closer to a complete circle of the three series he has been working on. I have to say that Ted is writing in his author bio that you can start this series at any book and follow what is going on. Well I believe you must follow the order and read them that way. I do believe that you can read the three different series in any order you want, but the books int the series must be read in order to understand what is going on.

Ok back to the review. There is going to be a showdown between Maruvees Black and the remaining kids from the monistary. He is forcing their hand, his assians are hunting them down one by one. Until only three remain. Billy, Johnny, and Darcy are the reason he exsist and he wants to rid the world of any threat that he can be destroyed.

In a world where Political Correctness has gone wild, Maruvees can manipulate the systems for his own good. He uses the goverment to make it impossible to talk about your faith. I am not going to tell you how he manages to do this, as it takes away an interesting part of the story.

Once again Ted packs a lot of action and adventure in to his 300 plus page book. He hold true to the story, even though I think he gets very preachy about the P.C. issue. I just enjoyed this story for the sake of the story. I know that if you like Ted's books you will want to read this book as it will help you continue the circle to completion.

Happy Reading