Robert Liparulo is another author I discovered from the Ted Dekker forums.  In his first three books, he's shown a great ability to create unique, fast paced thrillers.  There is little question of who did it, but there are a lot of questions about what's going to happen next.  I'm not a huge fan of thrillers, simply because I like trying to discover who did it.  However, I have very much enjoyed each of Liparulo's books.  He's gotten better each time, with Deadfall being the best book I read in 2007.  I will caution that his books are not for the squeamish.  They have a pretty descent body count with some pretty groosome means of death.  Don't expect to find tons of theological lectures or in depth Bible teaching.  That's not to say there isn't spiritual truths present, they just aren't whacking you over the head.  You will get a good visual of the evil humans are capable of contrasted with human's desires for survival.  Excellent books, especially Deadfall.

UPDATE:  I am currently reviewing books for The Christian Manifesto and am no longer updating the book review portion of this site.  I enjoy working with them and it has given me a great opportunity to read a wider variety of books as well as chat with some of my favorite authors.  TCM reviews a wide variety of material, not just fiction books.  It's a great site and I'm enjoying working with them.  Since a lot of work went into this portion of the site, it will stay up in its current state.  Thanks for stopping and hope to see you at TCM.

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Comes a Horseman--Originally, I did not write a review for Comes a Horseman.  Mainly, I didn't remember much about it.  I know that sounds bad, and I still don't remember it too well, but it's a good book and I hate to leave it out.  So, while I don't remember a lot of the plot, I do remember what I thought about it.  Comes a Horseman was great for an author's first book.  It had an original plot with some very good points.  While the killer was absolutely scary, given his reasons for killing, it was truly hard to hate him.  Since the story dealt with deception, the complexity of feeling sympathy for this character added a great deal to the book over all.  My only true complaint was it felt long.  Thrillers are hard to keep going through 400 pages.  About three-quarters through, I remember feeling like it was time for the story to wrap up.  I highly recommend Comes a Horseman.  You might want to read it first.  It will give you a good idea of his books, but since each one gets better you won't feel let down.

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Germ--Germ will make you think.  It will get inside your mind and make you think about the evil things terrorist can do with DNA and viral technology.  There really is no mystery about who created the virus, who released it, or what it does.  However, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.  It’s an out and out thriller.  At times the description of the virus’s destruction is a bit graphic, but it is not excessive.  All the characters are well written and the action is believable.  While the book has some Christian aspects, they are not over powering or a major part of the story.  They do add depth to one of the characters and highlight how Christians should respond to people in certain situations.

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Deadfall—A week of ‘roughing’ it in Northern Saskatchewan was suppose to be the perfect vacation Hutch and his friends needed after a difficult year.  However, their vacation turns to a nightmare when they encounter Declan, the son of a billionaire, and his plans to terrorize the small town of Fiddler Falls.  Armed with only a bow and his outdoor skills, Hutch must face Declan’s ultimate weapon, in an attempt to save himself, his friends, and the town of Fiddler Falls.

 Deadfall is Liparulo’s best book to date.  It’s a high energy thriller from start to finish.  The action is fast and the story is tight, but the characters make the story.  Liparulo has done an excellent job of creating the cold, hard villain and his little gang of followers in a way that’s both believable and chilling.  The minor characters, whether good or bad, are alive with personalities.  Through the characters, Deadfall highlights courage in the face of overwhelming odds as well as the depravity of the human heart.  It’s difficult to keep thrillers from having pockets of boredom, but Liparulo has managed to use his characters in a remarkable way to keep the story moving even if the characters are not.  Wonderful story, great writing.  So far, it’s the best book I’ve read in 2007.

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Deadlock--A year has passed since Hutch, Laura, and Dillon survived the attack on Fiddler Falls. Hutch returned to his life in Denver and Laura and Dillon to theirs. However, Hutch's life has not returned to normal. His obsession with tying Declan's father, Brendan Page, to the attacks and other atrocities has led to tension with his kids. When Laura and Dillon visit Hutch in Denver, the plans are to have a nice week of play, but those plans are quickly changed when Hutch is finally granted the interview with Page he's been seeking. Leaving his kids with Laura and Dillon, he follows his obsession to Washington and finds himself in the midst of a trap that endangers not only his life, but those of the ones he loves.

Deadfall was a rare thriller and in my top 15 all time favorite books. It was brilliantly written with characters that really deserved to be seen again. So, Deadlock was a much anticipated book, which did not disappoint.

Deadlock starts out slower than other Liparulo books. We're filled in on the events of Deadfall and caught up on what has been happening in everyone's lives. While this is a follow up book, if you haven't read Deadfall, that's not a problem. You're not going to be lost and there are only a couple of minor Deadfall spoilers. As with all of Liparulo's books, though, once the action starts, it's breathtakingly fast.

All the subplots in Deadlock work well together. A few I wish would have had more time spent on them. I loved Julian in Deadfall. He was and still continued to be a kid who held onto what was right in the midst of evil. While he has an important roll, I really wanted it to be a larger role. I also would have liked to have seen more of Michael. Again, he was there and he served a nice role, but I wanted a bigger role for him.

**SPOILER**
I love Julian.  He did not want to be where he was.  He did not enjoy the evil, the killing, the fighting, or the training.  He lived in darkness, but he never lost his conscience.  He was able to stand against it.  It’s not typical though.  Most will cave to the pressure.  Wouldn't it be great if more kids were able to withstand negative peer and parental pressure?
**ENDSPOILER

One part of the story that was awesome, was the training of the soldiers and the blurring of the line between game and reality. It painted a powerful picture of transforming boys to killers through the use of games. Great storyline, that in and of itself could have been a whole book.

Though I'm not sure this was Liparulo's intention, I could very easily see Page representing Satan. He actively searched for boys and he converted them to killers. He took them from their families, locked them away, and trained them to be what he wanted them to be. He fed them half-truths and retrained their minds to focus on the game, not the consequences of their actions. He was evil to the core. Not sure that was what Liparulo was going for, but Page was, without a doubt purely evil.

**SPOILER**
At the end when Page gave Hutch his options, the most telling was taking the kids and reprogramming them.  This happens everyday, in subtle ways.  If we don’t actively protect our kids, Satan will take them.  We have choices everyday and what we choose can drastically affect our kids, how they see us, whether they trust us.
**ENDS SPOILER**

Aside from the action and a great story, Deadlock offers some insight into relationships--those with our kids, our friends, and workers. It highlights the struggles between our focus and what our focus should be.

**SPOILER**
In many ways, this was a story that hit home.  I struggle with balancing kids and other things.  I have a strong obsessive compulsive personality and it’s difficult to set things aside to focus on kids.  Liparulo is dead on though.  When it comes right down to it, our kids need us.  I don’t think anyone can fault Hutch for going after Page.  He knew the horrors he committed and he knew he was getting away with.  Unfortunately, he didn’t stop to realize what he was putting those he loved through.  Anyone who has kids plus other responsibilities knows the difficulties of balancing those obligations.  It’s a matter of making sure our obsession is with our kids, not everything else.  It’s a hard feat to accomplish.
**END SPOILER**

Even though Deadlock is 450+ pages, I was not ready for it to end. It was a great story that could have went on for another 500 pages and I would have been happy to keep reading. I loved it and hope that maybe one day we'll see some of these characters again.

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House of Dark Shadows—An abandoned house, with mysterious rooms, and unnerving sounds.  Huge foot prints, odd entrances, and bizarre clearings.  Overall, not a place an ideal home for most people, but it is for the King family.  When his dad accepts a new job in Pinedale Oregon, Xander is just a little miffed.  Leaving behind his friends and all he knows for a spot in the middle of nowhere.  Why he’s leaving, he doesn’t quite understand, but when asked to trust his father’s judgment, that’s exactly what he does.  When they end up purchasing an extremely unique house, things appear to be looking up.  However, thing’s aren’t always as they seem.

I've been looking forward to this series.  I had some concerns going in, mainly in relation to the amount of blood shed and high body count in Liparulo's adult novels.  However, this really isn't like his other books.  While Comes a Horseman had some mystery, it was still predominately a thriller.  House of Dark Shadows is more of a suspense/mystery/thriller.  There's always more questions than answers, and not a lot is revealed at a time.  There’s still a descent amount of blood and gore, but not to the extent of his other books.  I feel quite comfortable letting my 9 year old read this one and anticipate that he will love it.

The first half is very slow.  It has a lot of character development, but very little story progression.  Some uneasy things are discovered about their new home, but really nothing of surprise.  However, once the action does start, the rest of the book flows very nicely, grabbing the reader’s attention and keeping it.

I’m very impressed with the way Liparulo wrote this book.  While it’s marketed to young adults, it’s equally enjoyable to adults.  The story is written at an adult level and once the action starts, it's quite gripping.  While the end is a bit of a cliff hanger, it’s not unsatisfying.  Overall, a very good book and a great addition to the young adult market.

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Watcher in the Woods—The mystery surrounding their strange house deepens as the King family continues the search for their missing mom. How do they find someone when the rooms keep changing and the rules seem to be fuzzy? To add to the difficulty, someone very wealthy and powerful wants the house and are willing to go to great lengths to acquire it. So many secrets to keep, so many mysteries to untangle. An amazing adventure awaits, if they only have the courage and opportunity to continue.

I'm loving this series. Watcher in the Woods is an excellent continuation of Dreamhouse Kings series. It picks up the pace from the first book and pushes the story a long a little further. We're introduced to some exciting new characters who add more mystery and creepiness than before. I love what Liparulo had created with the assassin. A great addition and he's worked creatively into the story.

I assumed from reading the first book, this series would be from Xander's point of view. However, in the second book, David takes center stage. He's a great character who has been carefully constructed to grab the reader and generate a huge amount of sympathy. While Xander came across as a bit obnoxious and hard at times, David is tender, sweet and honest. It was refreshing to continue the story from his perspective.

Unlike the first book, the ending to Watcher in the Woods is most unsatisfying. It's a total and complete cliffhanger, leaving tons of questions left unanswered until January 2009. What a long time to wait...

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Gatekeepers--The adventure continues for the King family. When Watcher in the Woods ended, it seemed as though the search for Mrs. King was successful. As expected, though, things weren't quite so easy. With their dad in jail, the King children left to survive in the house, and the past trying to catch them, Jesse could not have arrived at a better time. What does he know and will his knowledge help them with their quest to find their mom?

What an adventure! Liparulo has a great series going. Gatekeepers is a high energy, fast paced book from start to finish. What down time there is only serves to allow the reader a moment to catch their breath. The action never stops. In the midst of all the action, the over all story develops quite nicely and continues to move forward answering questions, but leaving many more behind.

Jesse and Keal are developed and used very effectively in Gatekeepers. Jesse's knowledge combined with Keal's loyalty brings a nice calming balance into an otherwise hectic story. David continues to be an awesome character. The insight into his personality is well worth waiting for. He has a heart of courage tendered with love. I'm glad to see he has a prominent role in this series.

More than the other two books, Liparulo gives the reader some great ideas to think about. One of my favorite themes is always our uniqueness in this world--our talents that were given to us for a specific purpose. Liparulo makes good use of this theme as well as accepting our place in history. It's also interesting to think about events of the past and how they effect the present and the future. The Dreamhouse Kings series is great entertainment for all ages and one I highly recommend. The only drawback--Gatekeepers has a most unsatisfying ending. Another cliffhanger....

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Timescape--The adventure continues for the King family. This time instead of seeing the past, they get a glimpse of the future. What they see not only strengthens their desire to find their mom, but also adds extra urgency to their quest to discover Taksidian's ultimate plan. 

It's possible Liparulo has written his best book to date. At the very least, it's the best (so far) in the Dreamhouse King series. Timescape is an awesome creepy, mysterious, suspenseful thriller. With break neck speed, it moves from one action sequence to the next, with tiny breaks in between. All along the way, the mystery builds and exactly what is going to happen is quite surprising. 

Timescape felt a lot more like Liparulo's adult novels than the previous three books in the series, but still remained very appropriate for the young adult market. Liparulo has created a very well thought out series that combines history with imagination and top notch suspense. Never lost in his novels are wonderful life concepts for the reader to absorb. Timescape is no exception. The interaction between the King family members, how they grow through each trial, how the mutual admiration develops, is beautiful to watch. What is the meaning of courage? When is courage really stupidity? What it takes to be courageous and those who embody it. Many wonderful ideas, that Liparulo injects into Timescape for the reader to contemplate. 

While there are several great characters in this series, David is still the one who carries the book. I was once again wowed by his character. Just when it seemed like he couldn't go on, he kept finding a way to continue. So young, so sweet, and so willing to do whatever it takes to do what is right. 

It seemed like I just started, and the book was over. I would pick it up intending to read a few pages and find myself completely lost in the story. From the Titanic to Viking berserkers, Timescape takes the reader to from one adventure to the next, giving the reader little time to breath. Great read from the first page to the last. Once again, another long 6 months till the next book in the series.

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Whirlwind--David's trapped in a crypt with no exit. Unarmed Xander's facing off with a knife wielding Taksidian. Dad's stranded away from both of his boys with a run down car and two slashed tires. Jesse's in ICU, struggling to survive a brutal stabbing. Mom's still missing. That's where the major characters were when Timescape ended, and that's exactly where Whirlwind begins. No one is in a particularly good situation and events seem to be spiraling in a decisively negative direction. How will any of them escape their current situation in order to survive another day? After a six month wait, it's good to finally know. 

The Dreamhouse King series is an amazing group of books. I keep thinking at some point Liparulo has to take a step backwards and the next one will not be as good as the previous one. After all, how can he keep improving when each book seems to be about as good as it can get? But yet again, he's managed to write a spectacular book that heightens the already present tension and takes the reader on another thrilling adventure. 

As with the previous books, the King family is trying desperately to make sense out of their odd house in order to find their mom. This time they get to learn a few more facts about the house and discover a different way to move between worlds. As expected, Whirlwind provides more pulse pounding adventure, traveling in the histories. They visit some areas they are already familiar with as well as face a couple of new challenges including Hannibal's army in the Alps. Poor David--nothing like showing up to a battle in the Alps, shirtless with a belly scraped raw by a life endangering tumble. If all that's not enough excitement, we finally learn from where and when Taksidian came. It's a surprising piece of information that doesn't make the wait till the next book any easier. 

Liparulo has again embedded some sweet themes into the story. A great one this time, is intervening to prevent evil or hurtful acts. The quote at the beginning of the book is Edmund Burke's, "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing." This statement is woven through the story and leaves a lasting impression. This idea also spawns another, what are we willing to personally sacrifice in order to help others? There are other equally strong concepts that run through several of the books. Liparulo has done a great job of blending these into his story without belaboring a point or `dumbing' it down. This series is marketed to young adults, but the topics within are worthy of everyone's consideration. 

There isn't a lot of downtime in Whirlwind and it concludes with yet another cliffhanger. Six more months and we should find out how it ends. In the mean time, though, it's another excruciatingly long wait.

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