Norma L. Brumbaugh

Eden, the main character, is kidnapped from a foster home by her birth mother’s husband and taken to a place where she is immersed in a strange set of circumstances. She finds herself trapped in some things she doesn’t understand. The plot keeps you reading and reading until you finish the book. Lots of suspense. We wrestle with the character of Zeke, the controller, and Katherine, Eden’s over-zealous (and mind-controlled) mother. Then Zeke tells Katherine to do the unthinkable to keep Eden out of commission. There’s a reason he will do almost anything to make her comply to his requests. I liked how the concept of the very human act of forgiveness is woven into the story near its end. Surprisingly, this was my first Ted Dekker book. My daughter is a huge fan. She knew it would keep me on pins and needles. Besides a riveting storyline, this book hits on a topic worth considering. Dekker sort of exposes what cult-like thinking does to persuade people to do wrong in the name of right. The mother in this story will do anything she is told to do because she is beholden to the leader and is unable or unwilling to think for herself. He uses Scripture to convince her that what she is doing is pleasing to God. The Outlaw helps rescue the situation by coming into the picture different times throughout the book. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed in the ending, it seemed to rush too fast.