House by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti

Synopsis :


A mind-bending supernatural thriller from the creators of This Present Darkness and Saint.

Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker -- two of the most acclaimed writers of supernatural thrillers -- have joined forces for the first time to craft a story unlike any you've ever read. Enter House -- where you'll find yourself thrown into a killer's deadly game in which the only way to win is to lose... and the only way out is in.

The stakes of the game become clear when a tin can is tossed into the house with rules scrawled on it. Rules that only a madman—or worse—could have written. Rules that make no sense yet must be followed.

One game. Seven players. Three rules. Game ends at dawn.


I bought this book because it's a collaboration of two heavy weights in the world of supernatural thriller especially one with Christian messages.  It sat on my shelf for a couple of years and for some reason and it was only recently that I decided to 'make an honest book out of it'. :) just playing with words here.

I love the cover....dark against an equally sinister and creepy background, it should house within it an equally dark and creepy story.  I was right and wrong at the same time.  The story was confusingly dark and creepy...confusing because everything just seems to go round and round and I got extremely muddled!  It was dark and creepy because there are scary moments and the message....I am not sure I am able to interpret it especially since there's always seems to be some sort of theology message behind books by these two authors.  

Can Susan be a representation of Christ who doesn't have to be in the world but yet came into the world (i.e. the house) to save those inside it?  And the characters and their actions, do they represent the dwellers of the world?  Perhaps someone can read and share with me your interpretation of this story?

Not Without My Sister by Kristina Jones, Celeste Jones and Juliana Buhring

Synopsis :

The true story of three sisters betrayed in the name of love, deprived of their childhood and robbed of their innocence.

The devastating first hand account of three sisters' courageous struggle to escape a perverse community that robbed them of their childhood.

I didn't want to put up the whole synopsis.  I thought that would be enough and let the sisters share their stories with you if you choose to read it.

Not Without My Sister is quite a difficult book to read as it evoked emotions of disgust, sadness and disbelief of what the sisters went through.  The book itself is not any of the above.  On the contrary, it's a book of courage and strong convictions.  It's what they went through and the people that abused them were disgusting.

What is terrifying is that Not Without My Sister is a true story and the sisters are somewhere out there in the world and they are not the only ones with stories to tell.  There could be more equally sad or even with more terrifying stories.

I gave this book up for sale at a recent book exchange session with other fellow readers.  While it's a good book, it's not a book that I would like to read again.  Let others get to know of the stories of these sisters.

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci

Synopsis :

Edgar Roy--an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins--en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered. 

It is now up to them to ask the questions no one seems to want answered: Is Roy a killer? Who murdered Bergin? With help from some surprising allies, they continue to pursue the case. But the more they dig into Roy's past, the more they encounter obstacles, half-truths, dead-ends, false friends, and escalating threats from every direction. Their persistence puts them on a collision course with the highest levels of the government and the darkest corners of power. 

In a terrifying confrontation that will push Sean and Michelle to their limits, the duo may be permanently parted.

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci brings reader to his two well know and probably pretty well liked characters, King and Maxwell.  I first met these two characters in another of David's title but I couldn't remember which title at this point.

That said, I think I would remember this book in years to come (hopefully) as it was a pretty good read.  The story is pretty thrilling and fast paced and I was pretty captivated by it especially since it was read during the recent long holidays that we had.

As for the ending, I won't actually call it a twist but it was a good enough ending for for that I do recommend this to you if you're looking for a thriller.

Hello, Darkness by Sandra Brown

Synopsis :

Since moving to Austin to ease the pain of past, tragic mistakes, she has led a life of virtual solitude, coming alive only when she hosts her show. To her loyal listeners, she is a wise and trusted friend who not only takes their music requests but listens to their problems and occasionally dispenses advice.

Paris's world of isolation is brutally threatened, however, when one listener -- a man who identifies himself only as "Valentino" -- tells her that her on-air advice to the girl he loves has caused her to leave him and that now he intends to exact his revenge. First he plans to kill the girl, whom he has abducted -- which he says he will do in 72 hours -- then he will come after Paris.

Joined by the Austin police department, Paris plunges into a race against time in an effort to find Valentino before he can carry out his threat to kill -- and to kill again. To her dismay, she finds that one of the people she must work with is crime psychologist Dean Malloy, a man with whom she shares a history that had a catastrophic effect on both their lives. His presence arouses old passions, forcing Paris to confront painful memories that she had come to Austin to forget.

As the clock ticks down, and Valentino's threats come closer and closer to becoming a reality, Paris suddenly finds herself forced to deal with a killer who may not be a stranger at all.

It has been a long, long while since I read anything from Sandra Brown.  I remember she writes thriller. I remember there would be element of romance in the thriller but beyond that I have quite forgotten about her.

Hello Darkness are among the lot I bought from someone from the capital city quite a while back.  She wanted to contribute to charity and thus selling her book.  I helped by buying them so, it was a win-win situation for both.

I brought this title with me during my recent work trip and alternating between the other book that I brought, it was a very pleasant trip as I was practically in the middle of nowhere!

Hello Darkness is quite a page turner.  Readers were kept guessing as to who 'Valentino' might be and he could be a few of the characters identified earlier to the the readers.  Playing the guessing game is part of the thrilling effect in this book.

It's a nice title to get acquaiented with this author again.

 

The Egg Race by Polly Williams

Synopsis :

Stevie Jonson is thirty-four. She's broody. And she's set to marry not-quite the-man-of-her-dreams in two weeks' time. 


Just as the reality of her marriage sinks in, Stevie's path collides with that of Katy Norris, a thirty-six-year-old narcissist with an inside knowledge of fertility indicator home kits and a desire to get her boyfriend to settle, at any cost. As Stevie lurches further into a life that never should have happened, she meets a man who reminds her that she's more than just the sum of her ovaries . . 


Set in London, Thailand and New York, this hilarious and heartfelt novel will speak to any woman who has ever met the wrong man at the right time.

This book is unique for a few reasons.  First, I bought this more than 10 years ago and started reading them twice since then but cannot really get through the first chapter.  I have no idea why.  Second, since I started this book a few months ago, I read 90% of the whole book in my car while stuck in traffic and at traffic lights.

Yup!  No kidding! The Egg Race spent the last few months in my car and I only read it during the many times I was stuck in traffic and you know what, it helped a lot in keeping cool during those times!  The only time I took it out to read it would be when I was lunching alone in a coffee shop and the book was my lunch companion.  The other times, surely and truly (in case you still don't believe me), it was read a few pages at a time while waiting for the light to turn green.

As a chic lite, it was a good read as the title suggest, it seems like a race against time for these two ladies, Stevie and Katy in the biological time clock race.  There's the usual comical situation but not really obvious.

If you drive daily or commute daily, you can attempt to try to read a whole book just during your commuting time for a different experience.  I am now looking into another book to reside in my glove compartment for the next few months or so. :)