Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Brandilyn Collins' "Dark Pursuit"--suspense at its most riveting



Where has Brandilyn Collins been all my life?

Actually, she's been writing for quite some time, but reading Dark Pursuit was my first experience with reading one of her books--and believe me, I'll be back for more.

Dark Pursuit takes you on a harrowing roller-coaster ride of suspense, but you won't want to get off the ride until you read the last page. All the while, Collins weaves themes of redemption and grace throughout this riveting tale.

It's the story of Darell Brooke, a wildly successful suspense writer who has been suffering a deadly case of writer's block since being in an accident. Brooke is often mentally confused and finds it hard to focus on his writing, which leaves him frustrated and angry.

Back into his life comes his granddaughter, Kaitlan, who he forcibly ejected from his home years earlier when, as a teen-aged druggie, she stole from him to support her habit.

Kaitlan has kicked drugs and is drawn to God, but she's in trouble...literally. She's pregnant by a man she suspects of being a serial killer.

Almost against his will, Brooke is drawn to Kaitlan and her plight. He's genuinely concerned about Kaitlan's safety, but in her intriguing real-life story, he sees a way to jump-start the plot of the book he can't seem to flesh out. He agrees to help her if she'll follow his directions implicitly.

But given his frequent confusion, can Kaitlan trust her grandfather to implement a plan to catch the killer, without severely endangering her life?

Rarely have I read a book that propelled me forward so intensely. Warning: make sure you pick this up book up when you have plenty of time, because you'll have a really hard time setting it aside for any reason!

Brandilyn Collins is a writer with a remarkable gift for building suspense. At least one plot twist literally made me gasp out loud. But scary and surprising twists and turns aren't her only forte--she also creates nuanced, real characters that you come to care about.

Dark Pursuit won't be released until December (I read a preview copy). If you love great suspense, I highly recommend it.

Right now? Excuse me while I go find everything else Brandilyn Collins has written.

4 comments:

Ann-Marie said...

I am always complaining I can't find decent Christian suspense books. I'm going to have to give this one a try.

And, ooh, a serial killer. Bonus!

Randall said...

Sounds like a great book. I'll have to watch for it.

Juliet said...

Cindy I'm afraid that I will have to stop reading your blog. I can't keep up with all the good books that you mention.

At my hair dresser yesterday she recommended the book, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. I'm going to have to get rid of my computer and TV to get all this reading done. Perhaps I should sell my house and just take a room at the library.:)

Teena in Toronto said...

Happy blogoversary!

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