Originally released in 2003, the mass-market paperback is now hitting shelves in bookstores. This is a ‘clean’ mystery/suspense read; there isn’t any cursing or explicit sensuality, though there is violence, darkness, and a disturbing history of a warped childhood. Still, it isn’t explicit or TOO scary in my opinion.

There are some faith-based themes here obviously, with the struggle between good and evil being the obvious one. There are also explorations of adoption with God as a father, personal vs. abstract faith, and others. However, this isn’t mainly an exploration of personal faith, and when Dekker does attempt to pull that into focus momentarily it quickly slips into the background and doesn’t weave through the rest of the novel.

Due to the surprising plot twists it’s difficult to go deeply into the plot of THR3E without revealing spoilers, but it certainly is a mind-bending read that will have you wanting to go back and read it through again once you’re finished. I will say though, that the focus on action and suspense does leave a little something to be desired in the realm of character development. I never truly saw Kevin’s genius (our threatened hero) though it was repeatedly referred to, nor did I find Jennifer’s (the lead FBI agent) closing responses believable.

THR3E will definitely have you looking at the world through a different set of lenses for days to come after you finish reading it.

Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com