Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Book Review: The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker {REPOST}

THIS IS A REPOST -- with today's release of The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker, I am reposting my blog tour kickoff review. I highly recommend this book!

Bride Collector Blog TourTed Dekker's newest novel, The Bride Collector, due in stores on April 13, 2010, is at once both haunting and moving.

FBI Special Agent Brad Raines is on the trail of a delusional psychopathic killer who believes he is delivering to God His perfect bride. This killer dubbed the Bride Collector, after performing his ritualistic act of horror, leaves each victim with a bridal veil. As Raines and his partner Nikki Holden, a young forensic psychologist with whom Raines shares a mutual attraction, follow The Bride Collector's trail of sacrifice, they are baffled by the complete lack of any actionable evidence at the crime scenes.

Only when The Bride Collector decides to make a game of his offerings to God by enlisting Raines as his opponent does the FBI start to zero in on their suspected target. At the same time, the Bride Collector is zeroing in on his next target -- one of the FBI's very own, Nikki Holden. As Raines and Holden enlist the help of the societal outcasts at the Center for Wellness and Intelligence, a private psychiatric center that houses some extremely gifted psychotics and schizophrenics, author Dekker blows the story wide open with some very unexpected and very disturbing revelations.

The Bride Collector is both very typical of Dekker's suspense writing while at the same time very unlike much of his earlier work. Dekker, known by his fans to bury his spiritual message deep within the context of his work, weaves a tale overtly spiritual with a message that all of society needs to hear: every one of us is loved.

All too often today we are busy trying to be better than everyone else. We judge ourselves and each other by some unknown, unseen, unofficial guideline that determines where we belong in society. In doing so, some very special people become societal outcasts while others are elevated to levels of extreme fame and stardom. What we fail to realize is that in God's eyes, we are all equally loved. We are all equally special. We are all famous to God. From the top of the charts to the bottom of the barrel, we are all children of God and recipients of His infinite love. We are all God's favorites.

In The Bride Collector, Dekker expertly delivers this message in a way that comes across loud and clear while never being preachy or condescending. While I have read and reviewed nearly all of Ted Dekker's writing, The Bride Collector stands out from the pack as one of the best -- a critical read! The beginning will entice you. The middle will shock you. The ending will move you.

Check out the next review in The Bride Collector blog tour here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: (from TedDekker.com)Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker (born October 24, 1962) is a New York Times best-selling author of more than twenty novels. He is best known for stories which could be broadly described as suspense thrillers with major twists and unforgettable characters, though he has also made a name for himself among fantasy fans.

Early in his career he wrote a number of spiritual thrillers and his novels were lumped in with ‘Christian Fiction’ a surprisingly large category. His later novels are a mix of mainstream novels such as Adam, Thr3e, Skin, Obsessed and BoneMan’s Daughters, and Fantasy thrillers that metaphorically explore faith. Best known among these is his Circle Series: Green, Black, Red, White and The Paradise Books: Showdown, Saint, and Sinner.

Download Ted Dekker's complete bio.

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

Ted Dekker discusses The Bride Collector.


Direct video link.

Send me your comments. Joe





Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Monday, April 5, 2010

Reds Opening Day!

Do you feel that? That little fluttering sensation in your chest? Like butterflies in your stomach, only a little bit higher. And louder. And faster.

That, my friends, is OPENING DAY that you're feeling. The excitement of the first pitch about to be thrown out. The boys of summer back at it again. Spring has truly sprung.

It's Opening Day in Cincinnati, and I cannot wait to see the Cincinnati Reds back at it again. After a good first half of the year last year, they struggled a bit, but always put on a great show. This year I'll be pulling for them from wire to wire, once again.

This team, if they play like they are truly capable of playing, can be a HUGE surprise in the National League Central.

Are you ready? I hope so, because that little fluttering feeling won't go away until long after the first out has been made.

It's Baseball, baby, and there's nothing better than
Baseball in Cincinnati!

Send me your comments. Joe





Sunday, April 4, 2010

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Happy Easter!

Today while I celebrate the Resurrection of my Saviour, I wish you and yours a very Happy Easter!
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

RadioShack & Best Buy: Just Plain Bad

Best Buy - Radio ShackAs one who has been a Manager at both Radio Shack and Circuit City (may she rest in peace), I declare this potential merger to be bad for consumers and bad for the Retail Electronics sector. Let's hope anti-trust laws prevent this...
RadioShack & Best Buy: Marriage Made In Mobile Phone Heaven? - The Consumerist: "According to a recent report, the folks at RadioShack are looking to either sell themselves off to the highest bidder or find another retailer to merge with. Among the companies being discussed, the one getting the most attention is Best Buy."


Send me your comments. Joe





Sunday, March 28, 2010

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Book Review: Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy


Book ReviewErin Healy's second attempt at co-authoring a work of fiction with leading Christian author Ted Dekker is an undeniable success! In Burn, their follow up to the best-selling novel Kiss, Dekker and Healy weave a tale of suspense and intrigue that will keep you turning the pages long after you know you should be sleeping, or working, or whatever else it is that you steal time from to dig into this compellng tale.

Dekker's signature good versus evil story telling style is unmistakeable, but perfectly complemented by the softer side of the struggle that one assumes must be the work of Healy.

When a young half-Gypsy woman finds herself tempted by evil, dissapointed by her father, and betrayed by her sweetheart all at the same time, her life is thrown into utter turmoil. The tragedy that ensues leaves her with no family, no friends, no home, and little hope for the future.

When fifteen years later she finds that she didn't lose all that she thought she had, her life is turned upside down again. She finds herself in a struggle with that same evil again, and in an inner struggle between her own good and evil natures. When the two sides of her personality become manifest, is she losing her mind? Or is it Divine? And, when once again she faces the ultimate test of her heart, will she fail again? Or will she make it right by doing what is right.

Dekker is a master of his craft, and proves it once again in Burn. Healy seems to have been an attentive student. Together, they have done it again, with a fast-paced page turner that opens the heart and mind to new possibilities.
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Friday, March 26, 2010

We Good Europeans...

Mitch DanielsWhat's next for Indiana now that ObamaCare has become law? Some remarks from an incredible piece by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels in the Wall Street Journal:
Check to see if Indiana should drop its health insurance plans and dump its government workers into the exchanges. Paying the new tax penalty might actually be cheaper for the state, as it will be for many private firms. I'm not certain the same rule applies to government as to business, but since no member of Congress read this entire bill before the vote, I don't feel embarrassed about not knowing.

Call the state's attorney general to see if we can join one of the lawsuits to overturn ObamaCare. Yes, it's a long shot. But why not try?

We may no longer need the Department of Insurance since insurers will now be operating as regulated utilities under the thumb of the federal government.

...for the moment, our federal overlords have ruled. We better start adjusting to our new status as good Europeans.
Send me your comments. Joe





Monday, March 22, 2010

Help the Indiana GOP defeat Democrats who voted for healthcare reform

A message for the Indiana Republican Party Chairman, Murray Clark, forwarded without compensation or endorsement as a courtesy by Average Joe American. 

TIRP1 TIRP2

Dear Friends and Fellow Republicans,

Last night the House passed the Senate's health care reform bill by a slim 219-212 margin.  I don't have to tell you that this bill was an assault on the Republican principles of smaller government, lower taxes and more individual freedoms.  I don't have to tell you that this bill has a price tag we can't afford.  I don't have to tell you about all the back room dealings and underhanded parlor tricks the Democrats used to get the bill passed.  You've heard about all of it for months now.

While we should still be telling our friends and neighbors why this bill was such a raw deal for Hoosiers, it's time to put our words into action.  We must work harder than ever to defeat those in Congress who voted in support of this bill.  Rep. Joe Donnelly was for this bill, then he was against it, and at the last minute yesterday he voted for it.  Rep. Baron Hill has played the same game at every step in the process: Pretend to have concerns and then ultimately vote for the bill.  Rep. Brad Ellsworth, who will be running for U.S. Senate this fall, tried to hide from the public as much as possible and avoided taking a stance for as long as he could.  He, too, voted to pass this bill multiple times.  And we all know that Reps. Andre Carson and Pete Visclosky are reliable liberal votes for the Obama and Pelosi agenda.

The Indiana Republican Party is committed to defeating all of them in November.  If you are as outraged as we are, help us send a message to these Congressmen that Hoosiers won't stand for their lack of leadership. 

There is a long way to go between now and November, but we won't forget that Joe Donnelly, Baron Hill and Brad Ellsworth turned their backs on Hoosiers last night.

Sincerely,
JMC-Sig-Revised
Murray Clark
Chairman
Indiana Republican Party

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