Hacker by Ted Dekker Ebook Review

Hacker by Ted Dekker

From Amazon:

My name is Nyah and I'm a hacker. I know things most people would never believe. Things that shouldn't exist, but do. 

Seventeen year old Nyah Parks is a genius hacker who makes a living by cracking the firewalls of the world's largest corporations. But when the biggest job of her life goes wrong she's plunged into a desperate situation with only one way out: one last hack that will either save her or kill her. 

So begins Hacker, a modern day parable that examines the staggering world around us, the seen and unseen, and reminds us that there's far more to who we are than meets the eye.

My Take:  This is another great book by Ted Dekker.  The book starts with a bang with Nyah trying to Hack into a company and things go bad and Nyah finds out some things that are secret.  She is trying to make some money to help with the care of her mother.  She goes to meet her friend who has cancer and he tells her about an experiment he has been conducting and how it could change both of their lives.  The rest of the book is the wild ride that follows.  Great suspense and thrill ride.  Dekker at his best. 

Audio book of the Week - The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker
Read by John Glover


From Goodreads.com:

FBI Special Agent Brad Raines is facing his toughest case yet. A Denver serial killer has killed four beautiful young women, leaving a bridal veil at each crime scene, and he's picking up his pace. Unable to crack the case, Raines appeals for help from a most unusual source: residents of the Center for Wellbeing and Intelligence, a private psychiatric institution for mentally ill individuals whose are extraordinarily gifted.It's there that he meets Paradise, a young woman who witnessed her father murder her family and barely escaped his hand. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Paradise may also have an extrasensory gift: the ability to experience the final moments of a person's life when she touches the dead body.In a desperate attempt to find the killer, Raines enlists Paradise's help. In an effort to win her trust, he befriends this strange young woman and begins to see in her qualities that most 'sane people' sorely lack. Gradually, he starts to question whether sanity resides outside the hospital walls...or inside.As the Bride Collector increases the pace and volume of his gruesome crucifixions, the case becomes even more personal to Raines when his friend and colleague, a beautiful young forensic psychologist, becomes the Bride Collector's next target. The FBI believes that the killer plans to murder seven women. Can Paradise help before it's too late?

My Take:   I have a love/hate relationship with Ted Dekker.  About 90% of the time I really don't like his books.  But I keep reading them because I know that that other 10% there is a pretty good book.  This is in that 10%.  It is not my favorite of his but I was really engaged in the story and wanted to keep listening when I really should have been doing something else.  If  you have been visiting this blog for a while you know that I am a fan of thrillers and this book is one in ever sense of the word.  There isn't any language which is refreshing and the murder scenes are toned down quite a bit ( I still would not recommend to early teens or if you don't like that sort of thing).

There are quite a few twists and turns and several times I found myself saying to myself " I don't believe that happened!"  Great book!!  here's hoping I don't have to read 9 more of his books before I find one I like.

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

From getthisbook.com:

Two abandoned souls are on the hunt for one powerful man. Soon, their paths will cross and lead to one twisted fate.

Danny Hansen is a Bosnian immigrant who came to America with hopes of escaping haunted memories of a tragic war that took his mother’s life. Now he’s a priest who lives by a law of love and compassion. It is powerful men and hypocrites who abide by legal law but eschew the law of love that most incense Danny. As an avenging angel, he believes it is his duty to show them the error of their ways, at any cost.

Renee Gilmore is the frail and helpless victim of one such powerful man. Having escaped his clutches, she now lives only to satisfy justice by destroying him, regardless of whom she must become in that pursuit.

But when Danny and Renee’s paths become inexorably entangled things go very, very badly and neither of them may make it out of this hunt alive.

Judge not, or you too will be judged.

My Take:
This was definately a thrilling book. It did hold my attention but there were several aspects that left me a bit uneasy.  I really didn't think the whole Lamont and Renee relationship was a healthy one.  Sure he saved her from the men who were trying to kill her but them kept her locked in the house and made her just as obsessive compulsive as he was.  She seemed to fall in love with just/ about everyone that showed her some kindness.  Also Lamont had her on drugs also.  He said to help her but I got the feeling that it was more to be able to control her. 

Danny on the other hand was also a disturbing character.  He sees his family killed at a young age but then decideds to take vengency on those that are seemingly untouchable by the law.  When he first meets Renee he puts her to close scrunity that he doesn't seems to use himself.

All though this is written by Ted Dekker, who is a Christian author, I would not consider this book a Christian book.  Other reviews I have read have said that this wasn't as dark as his other books but I think there is still plenty of darkness in this book. 

If you like thrilling books that keep you guessing this would be a good fit. 
Check out the above link for more info on buying the book, Reading a portion of the book and other goodies.

Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

Green by Ted Dekker

Green by Ted Dekker is called The Circle book zero.  It is supposed to be the book that you can start with or end the series that includes the books. Black, Red, and White.  This book deals with two realities The one that Thomas Hunter lives in with the Circle or albinos, the people that drowned in the pools of Elyon, and the Horde the followers of Teelah who have a skin disease that makes their skin turn into scabs thus they are nicknamed Scabs.  The other reality is Earth in modern day after they have suffered a virus outbreak that killed alot of the population. 

This story is very allegorical and it brings the people of Thomas' reality come to the edge of Armageddon.  Elyon is God, Teelah is Satan And various people in the story are Christ, the antichrist, false prophet. 

The story is very action packed and it does go back and forth between the two realities but it is mostly focused on the Circle.

You are suppose to be able to read this book either as the end to the series or as the beginning.  I have read Black but not the other two books and I think I would have enjoyed Green better if I had read the other two books first.  I think because I read Black that I understood a bit more about what was going on in the story.

If you are a suspense fan ore a fantasy fan then this book will be right up your alley.

I read this as part of Thomas Nelson Blogger Reviewer Program.