Book Review: "The Knight" by Steven James

Agent Bowers is used to tracking the country's most dangerous killers, but now it looks like a killer is tracking him. When he realizes the murderer is using clues from an ancient manuscript as a blueprint for his crimes, Bowers faces a race against time to decipher who the next victim will be and to stop the final shocking murder--which he's beginning to believe might be his own.

I'm just going to start off this review by saying that Steven James is one of the best authors I have read period. I have never been more engrossed or sucked into a novel as I have with his books. It's such a page turner that I managed to finish this almost 500 page book in less than two hours. This book was another roller coaster ride to read. There are many ups and downs, twists and turns, and sharp drops while you read this book. You better believe there are times also while reading when you want to scream and cover your eyes. This book is not for the faint-hearted. If you have a weak stomach, read the book with caution. While the book is not gory or overtly graphic in terms of violence, there are scenes where even the most iron clad stomachs could get a bit squeamish. I think what is more effective is that the fact that a lot of the details are left to the imagination. The reader is given the overall gist of the scene and left to infer on their own as to what else is going on. Not only is the book intense, it also makes you think about your beliefs and challenges them. There are several instances in the book where you feel very uncomfortable, not due to gory scenes, but just to the situations themselves. This is especially true when the POV goes into the mind of the killer.

Patrick Bowers is such an intense character. Not only is his job life interesting but his outside life and the relationships he has with his family is captivating to read as well. The author does a wonderful job of making the reader want to read everything and not just what is considered the exciting bits. Other books put so much energy and focus on the action scenes and tend to neglect the character development sequences. This book is completely well rounded so with every page you are eager to find out what happens next.

If you haven't read any of the books in this series, what are you waiting for? If you think that Christian fiction is boring, preachy, and predictable then I dare you to pick up this book and read it. It will blow you away with its edgy storyline and extremely well written plot. I've never had a more enjoyable time reading a suspense novel and I am dying until book 4 comes out. I've raved about this series so much, I've made my mom a fan! VERY HIGHLY recommended.

The Knight by Steven James is published by Revell (2009)