(4 1/2 stars) "T.L. Hines makes a grand entrance onto the novelist stage with his first book, Waking Lazarus... Not many books have hooked me with the first sentence, but this one did.... Spiritually challenging, complex, creative, intelligent."
—About.com
"This book is compelling as well as spell-binding... an excellent murder-mystery, touching one of the most sensitive areas of our lives--the safety of our children."
—Who-Dunnit.com
"T.L. Hines debut novel is stunning. His writing is crisp and fast paced. The characters are fully developed and the plot is spiritually complex and fascinating. It is original suspense at its finest."
—armchairinterviews.com
"On the most superficial level, this novel is a thriller, but as with well-written novels, the genre serves as the structure upon which the author builds a compelling thematic analysis. Waking Lazarus weaves a strong story that looks at the reasons of life and death and our relationship to them. By the end of the novel, the reader gets not only a ripping good yarn, but also a deep and profound meditation on some of life's most profound subjects. I look forward to more novels by this new author."
—Infuze Magazine
"Every eight years, Jude Allman dies-by drowning, lightning strike, freezing in a snowstorm-and then returns to life. Now, fleeing media vultures and miracle-seekers, he takes up a new identity as a school janitor in small-town Montana, and then sinks into a paranoid funk. Singularly ungrateful for his resurrections, he suspects there may be Nothing after death; in any case, he's upset with the Almighty for allowing his mother to be murdered-and in church, of all places. God won't let him be, though, pestering him in the form of Rachel, the born-again mother of his son Nathan, and the mysterious Kristina, who shows up on his doorstep to remind him that God has a plan for him. The plan seems to involve hallucinatory premonitions of others' deaths, which coincide with a rash of local child disappearances. Is the serial killer the strange old man in the local café? Jude's school janitor colleague? Or someone else altogether? Regardless, the story of Jude's existential crisis and his gradual redemption through the healing power of prayer, forgiveness, good works and the occasional jaw-dropping miracle is compelling...."
"Waking Lazarus is a confident entry into the psychological thriller market."
—curledup.com
"Waking Lazarus, by first-time novelist T. L. Hines, is a fast paced and satisfying spiritual thriller. I'd say that once you pick it up you can't put it down, but I made the mistake of starting it too late in the evening and had to set it aside until morning because it was creeping me out. ... All in all, it's a pretty spectacular debut and Mr. Hines would appear to be an author to watch."
—brothersjudd.com
In this promising if sometimes grisly debut of inspirational suspense, Hines introduces Jude Allman, a man who has been declared clinically dead several times, but who always comes back to life. Allman becomes a paranoid recluse in Red Lodge, Mont., where he works under an assumed name as a school janitor; His son, Nathan, lives with his mother elsewhere in town. As a string of child abductions begin, Jude finds he possesses supernatural powers that allow him to see into the lives of others. When Nathan is kidnapped, Jude finds his purpose and his faith. Hines handles the numerous flashbacks and switches in point of view well, and has a deft touch in knowing just how much information to give and how much to withhold. There are a few trouble spots: Allman's battle with paranoia is wrapped up too easily, and Nathan's mother is unnaturally calm about her son's abduction. The descriptions of children hung in burlap bags, chained to beds or caged are not for the faint of heart. Hines does an excellent job of laying false trails to keep doubts alive as to the identity of the serial killer. Readers who consider most faith thrillers too tame should find this satisfactorily chilling. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
