8.06.2008

Speaking of books,....

I just found a new Christian, thriller author I like. Alot. I was getting tired of reading authors like King or Dean Koontz, as they were getting too raunchy and vulgar for me. I like a good thriller or scary book, but not if it distracts me from the true story at hand.Mary Higgins Clark is pretty good, as she stays clean and even while telling of the romance that results from fear or heartache, her stories still sometimes leave me feeling empty, especially since I tend to read these books in a 24-Hr. period. That can be both a good thing and bad thing: good in that it's THAT good to read through, bad in that I just spent $8 or more and then it's gone.
So, while in B&N and looking in the "religious" section, Dh said he heard of an author by the name of Ted Dekker, who was supposed to be pretty good. So I found some of his. Thre3, House, and The Saint are the first three that I've read; it turns out, I thoroughly enjoyed them as well! Dekker brings a cool aspect to a thriller: not just the psychological aspect that makes someone do crazy, horrible things, but the Spiritual aspect, too, that drives us human beings towards evil. We walk a thin line between good and evil every day, and sometimes, we slip and fall, making horrible choices; other times, we make a special effort to do good for people and remove ourselves from the mirror that we like to look at all too often (in other words, being selfish). When we've allowed ourselves grace for making those mistakes instead of asking for it from Him, we become numb to the direct (and indirect) correlation(s) between evil, and it's consequences; and that's where Spiritual Warfare becomes part of us and we've become not just Spirtitually disfunctional, but Psychologically as well (i.e., what the world tells us is right and wrong). Dekker haunts us with some good thoughts after coming away from his books: he gives us food for thought and a good reason to pray, not just for ourselves, but most importantly, for others. And I, as a faulted human being, forget to do that sometimes.
I recommend Dekker to those of you who, like me, enjoy a good thriller but are hungry for that "something else" that King, Koontz or Higgins-Clark doesn't and can't bring. I think Dekker was given this gift and he uses it to reach people. And that's a good thing!

2 comments:

Melissa said...

Did you know that Saint is actually the second in a series of three books? It goes: Showdown, Saint, then Skin. The trilogy also factors in parts of the Red, Black, and White series, as well as House. Confused? LOL.

I never know which order to read his books in, but definitely read Showdown if you liked Saint.

Thr3e is excellent. What a surprise ending!

~teachmom~ said...

Thank you for the info. Yes, I was becoming confused as to what book was related to what book. House is also part of the series, I found. I didn't know Skin was a part of it though, so that helps! I plan on picking the Black,Red, White Circle trilogy soon, after I finish reading Swiss Family Robinson.
Thanks for the info,Melissa! It helps!