Friday, April 15, 2011

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker: A Review

I enjoy Christian fiction.  In the current conundrum surrounding the Christian fiction market my preferences run towards stories from camp #2 (realistic, harder edge) but there are several authors in camp #1  (softer edge) I enjoy.

The Priest's Graveyard falls firmly into camp #2.  The main character is a priest, having witnessed the brutal murder of his mother and sisters, believes he is meteing out God's justice by assassinating evil individuals that prey on the innocent.  In a twist of fate he is joined by a reformed drug addicted prostitute.  After they meet there are two more grisly murders before the twist turns them.  For a couple so perfectly matched how can the situation end in any way other than tragic.

The words within this brief synopsis sit squarely in camp #2; assassinating priest, drug addicted prostitute, grisly murders.  I have read novels that dealt with harsh issues, used a soft brush stroke, and it was a camp #1 story but Ted Dekker is a pioneer for camp #2.  Somehow, somewhere in his career he convinced a publisher that his novels, running a faith theme, dealing with gritty situations and authentic life circumstances, would find a readership and could be lucrative.

Ted Dekker is recognized as a fine author and camp #2 readers will enjoy The Priest's Graveyard, as did I.  It should be pointed out that, here, in the current publishing climate Ted Dekker is forging a path through timid publishers to provide a wider selection of Christian fiction where all readers across the genre can be served.

Also on today's tour stop: wall-to-wall-books.blogspot.com
Tomorrow's stops: edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com; writesprite.wordpress.com

I received a book from the publisher to review.
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4 comments:

  1. JulieApril 16, 2011 at 10:03 AM

    Sounds like my kind of reading! Looking forward to a new good book!

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  2. SallyApril 16, 2011 at 1:45 PM

    Let me know what you think, Julie, Dekker has quite a few books if you like this one.

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  3. Donna VolkenanntApril 16, 2011 at 7:54 PM

    Hi Sally,
    I just finished THE PRIEST'S GRAVEYARD. You are right about it being edgy. Both main characters were fascinating. I couldn't put it down and was surprised and pleased with the twist at the end.
    Donna

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  4. Cathy C. HallApril 18, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    Do you believe in coincidences? 'Cause I wanted to read your review of this book--and then today, I needed to stop by to let you know you're a winner. :-)

    So, I'm going to add this book to my list of TBR (I also enjoyed your discussion of Christian fiction)AND send me your address, Sally. You're going to LOVE The Literary Ladies!

    ReplyDelete

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