Adam(Spoilers Included)

The funny thing about this book is that most of you wont be able to find it yet. Since I work at a Christian book store I happen to come upon it before many people will even know it is coming out and brought it home that day. With that being said, it is released to Christian book stores across the nation with an additional chapter added to help sum things up as well as an interview with TD and John Eldridge about the underlining premise of the book. The book I have also has a short excerpt from Sinner, what I know to be the last of the Showdown series.

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, to the point. For all those who fell in love with Dekker at his book Three, you have to pick this book up. Although it is not quite the page turner as Three was, it is just as good of an overall story line with just as many surprises(one huge one in particular). The research done for this book, as far as I know on the subject, is outstanding. The book's makeup is well crafted and well thought through. The theological ideas are a bit disturbing if you do not know where the book is going, but once you find out it will make light of your darkness.(notice the wording here)

Here comes the spoiler part, so unless you want to know what is going to happen, read no further.


The book starts out with a paper clipping (the first of nine found through out the book) in which may include some of the best ideas through out the book. It is literally walking the treck of the makings of a serial killer known only as Eve. These clippings though give great detail to a horrible upbringing that is steadally introduced to you as you read more of the actual story.
The actual story then is about an FBI agent going after this Eve, who has killed sixteen younger women. When Eve is able to put a bullet through the side of Agent Clark's head Daniel dies for twenty minutes and is brought back by his new partner Lori. When he is brought back though, Daniel begins having unnatural and horrible panic attacks that are simply unexplainable by any sort of psychiatrich means. The most important detail to this puzzle though, is that Daniel saw Eve's face and has the one piece to crack the case wide open. Or, he would if he could remember that instant before he was killed.
Lori and Daniel soon determine that the only way to retrieve this memory and possibly find out what is causing the panic attacks is to enduce a DMT, or loosely explained as a near death experience. The idea is that the brain introduces halocegens to the brain that are associated with the persons beleifs. Only when Daniel goes under he sees a small boy playing with a doll as if he is hurting it. The boy says he is not Eve, but Eve is in the next chamber just beyond.

As the reader learns more of Alex and Jessica Price, who are the two children who are abducted in the news paper clippings from the book only to be brutally tortured by a Satanic Alice Brown. When they escape they move forward to a Preist who helps them get back on their feet. Although Jessica is able to move forward, Alex becomes obsessed with belief and disbelief and what laws govern our world. He becomes frantic and violent at times. But you begin to learn a bit about Eve. My only critique of this section of the book is as a believer who has been introduced to spiritual warfare from when I first came to Christianity, I was making the connection of who and what Eve was in comparison to the panic attacks. Daniel was being stalked by Eve, a demon that had been controlling the killings of the girls and Alex's actions for some time.


The book comes to a climatic end back at the Eve's Holy Coven, the Satanic temple found on Alice's property in which she would leathaly punish both Alex and Jessica as children as sacrifices. It is here where Daniel's battle with the demonic becomes a little like "Exorist" and Daniel's ex-wife(who is developed through out the story and becomes very important to the climatic scene) tries to come save him along with a Priest. By this time Heather, the wife, has realized just how real possession can be.


The best twist is when the reader realizes that Lori, who had been helping Daniel from the very beginning, is actually Jessica. She shows up to be the heroine and a character needed in order to resolve the greater problem. When this happens I said aloud, wow, didnt expect that coming-But wait, if I would have paid attention, you did see it coming. 1. The character is introduced as an after thought to help Daniel through out the case. 2. You knew at some point Jessica had to show up, but no one, not even Alex, knew where Jessica was. and 3. How would they find a Jessica who had gone under the radar for 17 years. So, make her there all along.
In thinking it through, it really works out well, but also, Jessica who is developed through out the articles, does not seem to connect with Lori. The two characters only come to a meet because Dekker says they do, but if you look at who they are Lori had to have placed a mask over Jessica in order to truly do all the things she did through out the book. Because Jessica, is still afraid. Lori, is determined and the brains behind much of what happens.


Overall this book is really good. The last 200 pages flew by, and the first 200 were interesting to develop the story line and create a world apart from Dekker's Circle series in which has connected so many of his ideas as of late. Adam is able to create a worldview by the end of the book and even if the non-believer may dismiss the ideas in whole, the book makes a convincing argument that this could be true. I think wherever you are in life, if you pick this book up it will challenge you on many levels and give you a reason to rethink at least your presumptions about Good and Evil.

At the end of the day we must come to a realization that Evil powers do exist. We brush up against the horrors everyday whether it be from children being abandoned to all ought wars. There is something though about the name of Jesus that seems to bring pause to these Evils. I can not convince you that this is true, I can only advise you to keep it in mind if ever you truly come upon a more lethal form of Evil. Dekker has a great point and awesome idea in Adam, and it is a story to get you thinking deeper into the supernatural. You might as well, the supernatural thinks about you more than you can imagine.