BoneMan's Daughters

A Nail Biter

I was curious as to how this author would do in his first of this kind. His award winning fantasy (Circle Trilogy) has a huge following, but I'm not into fantasy. Another of his books about a serial killer was supposedly religious, which again, I'm not into.

Now comes BoneMan's Daughters and as an employee of a major book seller and a lover of thrillers I got my hands on an early copy.

Every bit as good as any thriller I've read this last year. Not perfect (some of the details in Iraq were off) but once it gains steam this is a nail-biter to the bitter end. Dekker knows how to write with heart and he had mine all the way through.

Not bad, not bad at all.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

SIMPLY DREADFUL

Words cannot even begin to explain how bad this book is. I enjoy reviewing a good book for others to enjoy but I really get upset when a writer with a considerable following writes something that his fans are going to waste their money on when they are expecting much more. This has a plotline that has been done again and again..the serial killer with his many quirks (his mother's fault of course), grabbing girls off the street and murdering them of course, in his basement. The only thing that differs from this overused plot is the method of killing which in this case is breaking all the bones in their body without breaking the skin while he spends his free moments smearing, of all things, Noxzema all over his body. Again his mother's fault.
In comes the estranged ex-military father to save the day. His credibility would make any military specialist cringe as his methods are unreasearched and ludicrious. He also suffers from various forms of nausea and threats of throwing up every few pages.
If all this isn't enough, the writing is so bad it is sad,no other word for it.
In this genre of torturing girls you may read the other book this taken from or watch the movie as this is not an original by any means.
I thought perhaps the ending would perhaps hold some redeeming or surprising revelation but nothing there either.
A thump on the head to the Hatchett Book Group ,if you buy this you will want to bury the hatchet, literally.
So many great writers out there but fail to understand why they are lettin down thier fans more often lately, don't they owe their readers their best?

5 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

Suspenseful thriller will haunt long after you put it down

BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker is a cringe-worthy, hair-raising thriller. Ryan Evans has spent most of his adult life devoted to the Navy, at the expense of his relationships with his daughter, Bethany, and wife, Celine. When he is captured and tortured in Iraq, he realizes how much time he wasted with his family and returns home to make it right. But after sixteen years of abandonment, both Celine and Bethany are more than willing to move on. Celine with the handsome district attorney, Burt, who put serial killer BoneMan behind bars, and Bethany with a modelling career. Burt messed up, and the man who was imprisoned as the BoneMan has been set free. The killer takes Bethany, and Ryan is soon suspected to be the BoneMan, so the only way to prove his innocence and save his daughter from a brutal monster is to find her himself. Dekker writes a haunting, frightening story with parallels to the love of God. He uses Ryan's love and willingness to sacrifice his life for her to demonstrate Jesus' death for us. The story doesn't get hung up on faith, however. The BoneMan is a frightening villain worthy of Hannibal Lecter, and Bethany's descent into Stockholm syndrome gave me goosebumps. Do not read this book late at night or in the house alone!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

So Intense and Haunting

If you like your stories intense, this debut mainstream novel from Dekker is a fantastic treat. Not for lovers of plodding plot with endless character development, this is a fast read and it had my pulse going steady, especially during the last half.

I read an advance copy because of the endorsements from Brad Meltzer and some others who all commented on it being intense... So true. What surprised me most was how deeply I got sucked into the characters on this harrowing ride they take. Honestly, it's not the most original premise in the world, Father returns from Iraq to discover that his estranged daughter has been taken by a serial killer and goes after said killer on his own.

But there are numerous reversal and twists and I had a very hard time putting this novel down which is quite unusual these days.

A great, fast paced read if you want to lose yourself in an intense plot.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

BoneMan's Daughter

Could not put this book down. Very suspenseful. The ending was not what I thought it would be. All of Ted Dekker's books are riviting.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A little too far fetched...

More like a bedtime story than a novel...unrealistic plot, author glosses over some key points in the story. I have read much better serial killer based novels with authors that have really seemed to do their research on the inner workings of their "bad guy". It seems as if the author didn't want to worry about creating a conclusion involving the supporting characters so he just kills everyone off with little fuss. If not a good bedtime story, maybe a made for TV movie is where it should end up, definitely not on my Nook...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This was one of the stories that gets you involved from the very beginning and then never lets you go.

This is one of the stories that gets you involved from the very beginning and then never lets you go. Keeps you on the edge of your chair. I found my self wanting to not put it down, and then anxiously waiting for the next chance to start reading it again. I really like the character development for each of the main players. I have suggested this book to many others as an introduction to Ted Dekker. So far, everyone that I suggested the book to really loved the book. Anytime a book can keep me interested, regardless of the story line, then I consider it a good book. I think that Mr. Dekker can do this with the talent he has been given. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Boneman, Satan & the father of lies...

My 1st Ted Dekker experience!

This book caught my eye right away when I saw it for the first time and the blurbs from Nelson DeMille & Brad Meltzer on the back are what sold me on it! DeMille says it the best book yet by Dekker and Brad Meltzer (author of Book of Lies) says it gets under your skin! I know previously Dekker has written mostly for a Christian audience and this book is his first shot at mainstream.

"BoneMan's Daughters" is a good thriller / mystery. I thought the book started very strong and ended even stronger! Part of the ending is a little predictable, but its the journey getting to that point that makes reading it worthwhile. The characters were good, the main character was a bit confusing, Dekker made him out to be a somewhat "tough" military man, but then later in the book he doesn't quite fill that part! The serial killer, the Boneman had his moments.

This book is probably considered gruesome, gory and a little scary if your a teenage girl or if you are easily spooked or if you attend alot of church! For me, I'm used to a little more extreme stuff. This book did have one of the cheesiest lines I've ever read in a book, so cheesy I feel the need to share it-

"There are two things the Boneman despises, writers & journalists of all kinds and Mini Cooper automobiles, because they looked like ladybugs and Boneman hates bugs and he hates women!"

I probably won't go back and read any of Ted Dekkers other books based off the reviews I've read, but I will strongly consider reading anything new he writes that is written for a mainstream non/Christian audience!

Good, fun fast paced thriller!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

By Far Dekker's Best Yet

I hate for someone to give me a summary of the book so here is my opinion instead. I can read just about any type of murder mystery/ serial killers, etc.. However, this book made me cringe when I begn reading the details and desscciption of breaking humans bones. I could only read for short periods of time before taking a short break - very intense.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wild Ride

Kinda hard writing a review for a story that leaves you speechless.
From the sands of Iraq to the city and country-side of Texas, we follow Ryan Evans as he faces insurgents, a family torn apart and even the FBI. If that wasn't enough, he now has to deal with a serial killer named BoneMan-who strangely enough uses the same killing methods as the Iraqi insurgents.
This is one book hard to put down. It grabbed me from the start and just had to read on to see what happens and who's really behind all that's going on-- who is this Boneman? Is there really a Boneman or is it really Evans as the FBI suspects? Or is he something else completely? Time is running out and somebody better do something to stop the madness.
The twist towards the end is killer (pun intended). Although it ends rather abruptly.
I'd rather not go into it with more details as I don't want to ruin the story for anybody.
Ted Dekker takes you through one emotional, psychological thrill ride that will leave you breathless but still turning the pages at the same time.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Rich in Irony

BoneMan's Daughters is a simple book on the surface, but as we all know, looks can be deceiving. What looks to be a straightforward serial killer novel is actually a more complicated tale rich in paradox and irony. What you take into this book will likely determine what you take out of it and the longer you dwell on it, the more it wraps around you.

I love the way Dekker constructed the opening chapters of BoneMan's Daughters. The changing between scenes was highly effective and contrasted Ryan's suffering with his family's indulgence. It caused an immediate connection with Ryan and affected my attitude towards him throughout the whole story.
I enjoyed a lot of the themes explored in BoneMan's Daughters. They were interesting to think through and some very good points were made. It wasn't as overt as some of Dekker's previous novels, but he was crystal clear in presenting his ideas. It was a nice change and more in the vein of Thr3e than Skin.

My main complaint was I didn't feel the story as I should have. This had the making to be a story that could cause tears to flow and my blood pressure to rise. The problem with BoneMan's Daughters, was it was a rather subdued book. One the surface, it appeared as though it would be violent. After all, we are talking about a serial killer who breaks his victim's bones. Unfortunately, there were not a lot of details, so I knew when someone was injured, but I didn't get to experience it with them. Granted violence can go too far the other direction, to gratuitous, but there is a middle ground. An area where the reader can truly understand, but without feeling the need to puke. BoneMan's Daughters didn't go far enough. It stopped well short. I wanted to feel the horror that Ryan did when he watched the first child die. I wanted to know how he felt. I wanted to be outraged, but because it was anticlimactic it lacked true impact. Don't get me wrong, there is a respectable body count and none of the deaths would be a method I'd choose, but it lacked the chilling aspect I thought this book should really have.

Over all, I enjoyed BoneMan's Daughters. I liked it even better a couple of hours after I finished it. In some ways it's a break from some of Dekker's recent books. It's not as energetic and fast paced. It's not slow by any means, but it doesn't have as many turns and they're taken a little more cautiously. There are some nice plot twists and great suspense elements. It's a well written book with some deep spiritual themes. It's the type of book I most enjoy. I know I'll be contemplating it for several days, and that's exactly what I want in my fiction.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Thrilling, if brutal.

Definitely on of Ted Dekker's best. It grabs you at the beginning and never loosens its grip as it drags you through hell. (and back) Complete with rich parallels, it sketches a different, considerably more painful portrait of love and sacrifice. Not for the faint of heart, but if you are looking for Dekker books, then you probably expected that.
Not to say it is without its problems. The basic plot idea has been used a lot before, even by Dekker himself. So in that department it is far from inventive. And (in my opinion only, of course) I thought the ending was a tad lacking. However I also think that the thrill and the thought provoking make it quite worth it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Ted Dekker at his best

Just finished this book, definately one of Ted's better novels. I highly recommend it

Not His Best

This book is pretty good but I missed the strong Christian theme normally found in his book

Amazing !

This was the first book I ever read by Ted Dekker. He is now my favorite author !

Great book

If you are into the serial killer thing this is a great read.

Suspenseful

This was a great book. The first Ted Dekker book I've read and I loved it.

Ted Dekker is very good

This is the first book that I have read by this author. It was very good. If you like thrillers with twists and turns I reccomend this book!

Good Psychological Thriller!

I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Robert Petkoff.

BoneMan¿s Daughters is a story that follows Capt. Ryan Evans and his dysfunctional family. He is a military man who has dedicated his life to the military. He is so dedicated that he leaves his family for years at a time to go off on military missions. He has a wife who no longer loves him and a daughter he hardly knows. While he is on a mission in Iraq, he is captured and tortured by the Iraqis. He eventually escapes the torturers and goes back to the United States.

Upon his return to the United States, he finds that his wife and daughter don¿t want anything to do with him. While he is trying to sort things out, the BoneMan strikes. Not only has he struck before, but the BoneMan¿s pattern of torture is exactly the torture he learned while he was in Iraq. Is it a coincidence that all of the BoneMan¿s strikes correspond to when Capt. Evans was in the Untied States?

This is one of those psychological thrillers that has you guessing throughout the book as you follow along with the story. The author doesn¿t come out and tell you who BoneMan really is for a while and even when he tells you about BoneMan, you are still left guessing for a while whether BoneMan is an alternate personality of Capt. Ryan¿s or a whole separate individual.

There were several things mentioned in the story that were not elaborated on and I was left wondering what was up with that. Also there were several police/FBI procedural things that I also couldn¿t swallow. For example, even if the police believed that Capt. Evans was guilty, they still would have questioned his wife after her attack. Also, since Capt. Evans claimed to have received a call from BoneMan, why wouldn¿t the police check his incoming call records with the phone company? Just sayin ¿.

The Narration Review
This audiobook was narrated by Robert Petkoff. I thought the reader definitely brought the BoneMan to life in the story. His voice for the bad guy was creepy. He also did a good job with all the different voices in this book. He was very enjoyable to listen to.

** Note **
I borrowed this audiobook free from the Willow Public Library. Did you know you could get audiobooks from the public library? It just another good thing to know about our public libraries.

Well it's a book -- Bad Ending

Predictable.. Started out with promise, but did not deliver.

Seen all the characters in so many mystery books, same old same old.