Book Review: Thr3e by Ted Dekker

by | March 19, 2017 9:24 pm | Books | 0 comments

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I love the feeling of finishing off another book- making it to the back cover always gives me a sense of accomplishment, even though that’s kind of silly when you really think about it.  I digress…

Today I finished Ted Dekker’s Thr3e, and while I have some mixed feelings about the writing, I did enjoy the story overall.

Brief synopsis from the back cover:

By all accounts Kevin [Parson] is leading a virtuous life.  But like al people, Kevin has his secrets.  And someone wants them revealed.

While driving home from graduate school, Kevin receives a call from a deluded stranger who calls himself Slater.  Slater demands that Kevin confess his sin in the next three minutes or the car he’s driving will be blown to pieces.  With the threat, he offers a riddle: What falls but never breaks, what breaks but never falls?

Thus starts a harrowing chain of threats with progressively higher stakes.  Another riddle, another three minutes.  Confess your sin, Kevin.

The problem is Kevin has no idea what sin.  And Slater’s cycle won’t stop until he’s dead.

Now only Samantha, the woman he once loved more than life itself, can help him uncover the secrets of a mysterious past.  But Samantha may soon be dead as well. 


There are a few key factors that influence my overall ratings of the books I read:

To put it simply, I really enjoyed reading Thr3e by Ted Dekker.  The story had me hooked, and the plot twist at the end makes perfect sense, while at the same time, there were elements of the twist that I certainly didn’t see coming.
That being said, I’ll admit I didn’t love all of the characters; the hotshot female FBI agents so many books and movies feel the need to include always get on my nerves (and say what you want, feminists, but I know I’m not alone).  I also found Kevin’s “virtuous” nature just a little bit irritating; put aside the fact that he’s a young person studying to become a priest.  We’re to believe that he’s a good-looking 20-something guy who’s actively pursuing a life of solitude and hasn’t kissed a girl aside from his first kiss when he was 11?  How often does that really happen?
There were also little quirks I found in the writing itself (i.e., overuse of the word “dozen,” the occasional misspelled word– my back cover actually mentions a Kevin Parsons, when his name in the story is really Kevin Parson– and, in a few instances, a lack of clarity in describing certain scenes) that factored into my rating, but these are minor details.
Dekker has created a riveting story, and almost every page leaves the reader in suspense.  Definitely check out Thr3e if you’re into suspense and haven’t read this one already.  Comment below and share your thoughts!

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