Customer Reviews

BoneMan's Daughters

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(35)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

I`d never heard of Ted Dekker before (it turns out he's a remarkably prolific author of Christian fiction) and picked up The Bone Man's Daughters as an audio-book because, well, it was a new release and the selection of unabridged audio-books in my library is limited.

I had a mixed reaction to this novel. On a positive note, I appreciate that the author tries to explore issues, ranging from the relationship parents have with their children to the morality of causing innocent casualties of war. Dekker poses the question, what are you prepared to sacrifice, including the lives of other people, to protect your children? As a thriller, The Bone Man's Daughter mostly succeeds and for the most part I enjoyed the novel.

I have some complaints though. First off, the relationship between the protagonist (Ryan) and his estranged wife is something of a mystery. She shifts from a kind of indifference towards him to a level of fear and hate that feels contrived and without basis. 2nd, Ryan is a brilliant military strategist but does a lot of things that seem pretty stupid. Granted, his thinking may be clouded by his daughter's plight, but again this felt like a necessary contrivance of plot rather than a genuine extension of his character. Ultimately though, these are really just two examples of a larger issue for me, which is that the whole novel is just too melodramatic for my tastes. The surprise twist near the end (I don't want to give it away) is predictable and as these twists often are, undermines much of the rest of the novel.

I didn't realize until after I had finished listening to the novel that Dekker was an author of Christian fiction. I did notice a couple of instances where Dekker referred to Christian beliefs in a factual way, which struck me as odd at the time (not being familiar with the author) because they were the kind of statements that would normally be couched with `many Christians believe...' or words to that effect. The novel is ripe with Christian themes and a serial killer who calls himself Satan, but for the most part, this is not overtly Christian fiction. It's a pretty standard commercial serial killer novel although, not an especially good one. 2 1/2 stars.

BoneMan's Daughters is a story that will shock you, haunt you, amaze you and then just totally freak the living daylights outta you. Ted Dekker has truly bested himself with this story, this protagonist, and this honest-to-goodness bad guy who for sure tops even the infamous Marsuvees, at least in my mind. The characters in BoneMan's Daughters are driven to their own individual (and each understandable) ends and I love that, because it leaves you guessing at every step. Though considerably violent, this story has completely restored my excitement and faith in future Dekker releases. Because it poses a signature Ted Dekkery question: How far would a Father be willing to run into the bleak unknown for his daughter? It's that key unknown that'll keep the pages turning until you hit the very end.

I just wrapped this audiobook after buying it over the weekend. There certainly was some quality here - parts of the plot seemed well hashed out, and the first few chapters really get you going. Sadly, at some point in the story its almost as if the author begins to fluff the pages a little. There are a number of annoying phrases that were repeated ad nauseum, and words that seemed out of place as well. I didn't have the paperback in my hand so I can't judge reading it for myself, but the style didn't play well having it read to me.

The other thing that got me was the characters. None of the characters in this novel were terribly compelling, and the protagonist particularly was prone to fits of melodrama. I lost count of the times he was in a rage, or furious, or despondent or whatever and after a while I wanted to reach into the cd player and slap him in the face. A lot of attention was paid to his inner turmoil, and since he was in that state for most of the book there was a lot of repetition (see paragraph 1).

Overall it was a so-so thriller. I understand that Ted Dekker writes mostly religious fiction and I have not read any of those books so I don't have anything to judge this one against. There was certainly a religious these that ran through the novel and it was generally free from the more gruesome depictions of manslaughter that can inhabit more mainstream crime and thriller authors. I have read some of the reviews and take it that some of his more erm...'faithful' readers said that this wasn't what they expected and they were offended or put off that he had produced such a work. I'm not sure what they were expecting, but if you want to really be offended go read King of Swords or anything by James Lee Burke - there is some real crime writing.

Bottom line; boring, a bit long and repetitive. Two stars.

This is the first book I have read by Ted Dekker so it would be unfair to grade his writing at this point. I would only say that, based on this book, I consider him an "okay" writer: nothing really exceptional but certainly a decent enough read. He's more of a basic "meat-and-potatoes" writer versus being a "culinary feast".

The plot was certainly creepy enough but my main "complaint" (which is too strong a word!) is that, except for the one female FBI agent, absolutely NONE of the characters are particularly likeable: the father is an idiot; the mother is a self-centered bitch and the daughter is as equally self-centered as the mother, plus she feels victimized because her parents didn't make her the absolute center of their universe. The rest of the characters are, either, scummy or just two-dimensional "cameo roles" with no real substance.

That said, I plan to read another Dekker or two to see if this book is typical of his work. If this turns out to be the case, he will probably move toward the back of my list of "must read" authors.

I'd never read anything by Ted Dekker, but I'd heard positive things, so I thought I'd check him out. At first, I was interested. Confused, because the events in Iraq didn't seem to match the story described on the back of the book, but I was going with it. Then there was the sudden jump to the military hospital. What? There were a few more jumps, too, that just seemed to say to me that Dekker had a maximum word count he was trying to stay under and that he had too much story to fit.

I became more and more disillusioned with the story as I went along. The characters were uneven. The plotting was uneven. I didn't buy what people were doing and it didn't always make sense. A lot of things seemed to happen "off camera" and then were casually summed up later. Like Bethany's trip to NYC for the cover shoot. Before that, she wasn't sure she wanted to be a model, then suddenly, the shoot is over and she's all for it. That's just a small example, but it seemed to happen a lot. Also, there appeared to be foreshadowing that then came to nothing. Red herrings, perhaps, but not handled very well. Alvin Finch (BoneMan) doesn't make an appearance until 143 pages into the paperback. That was a little startling. Before that, Dekker seemed to be setting up hints that Burt Welsh was BoneMan.

My biggest problem with the book came, however, when I realized that Dekker was writing an allegory disguised as a thriller. Dekker is a Christian and this is his first book for a mainstream publisher. In lieu of an overt Christian message, Dekker attempts to write the story of God's relationship with humanity in the form of a tortured father's pursuit of his estranged daughter who has been taken by a serial killer. I am convinced that some (but not all) of the stiltedness of the plotting and characterization comes from Dekker's attempt to force the story into the allegory. Ryan acts the part of God (which we are actually told, when he tries to "think like God"). He is willing to break his own bones to save his daughter. Bethany stands for humanity, who hates God and believes he hates them and has abandoned them. And BoneMan, as he himself says, is Satan, who has taken and deceived humanity and attempted to become a false father. But, with this in place, it is necessary for Bethany to identify with BoneMan and initially choose him. That works for the allegory, but doesn't make much sense really, even though Dekker tries to explain it. And then the ending... I absolutely hated the ending. The symbolism was clear that it equated to God chaining Satan to burn alive forever in the pit of hell. But yikes. I mean, he'd already captured and subdued BoneMan, was the rest really necessary? Apart from the allegory... (And what one thinks of the allegory itself depends on one's religious views.)

So, I guess the problem was that Dekker was trying to do too many things at the same time. The story was thriller and allegory. But the thriller was often illogical because it was busy being allegory.

I think calling fiction Christian needs some further study. I was raised a Catholic and went to Catholic schools so I would assume I am aware of Christian beliefs. I also studied philosophy in college so I have a good basis for understanding belief orientations.

A few years ago I read a book that had that Christian fiction label. It was written by Dee Henderson. It was set in the FBI and terrorist plotting world. In between fights with the bad guys and often killing them, the main characters (FBI agents) would sit down and pull out the bible and begin to talk about how this whole experience stacked up against Jesus. I did not finish the book. This heavy handedness pulled me out of the tale.

I wanted to read Dekker much earlier but I kept seeing this same label on his work, "Christian author, Christian fiction," and I thought he was going to do something equally heavy handed. Finally, I gave in and decided to give my second Christian fiction book a try (but with much misgiving). I am happy to report that I personally find Dekker to be more of a philosophical writer who ponders, and has his characters ponder, the afterlife and good and evil vis a vis the world as we know it, while a rollicking good story is going on.

All the above said, if you like intricate mystery-thriller books involving serial killers, it is hard to find them better than this. Dekker does an extraordinary job. This is a serial killer book about fathers and daughters and the killing of children. You don't fully understand this until the end but that is the underpinning of his idea. He turns it on its head in several ways but I don't want to give away any more than that. An Army Intelligence officer, back home in Austin, is pulled into these murders while trying to reestablish his relationship with his daughter. He neglected her emotionally while away at war year after year after year.

Dekker hits us with many ethical and moral questions in his books that other authors in this serial killer genre do not. I find this adds to the book and I do not find those questions uniquely "Christian." I pondered these very same questions in my college philosophy class and these questions are pondered by many religions, not just one.

It might be best to call these philosophical thrillers, which I think is a lot closer to the mark, than Christian fiction. Yes, Dekker believes in God and an afterlife, obviously, and that does come through in his books but he doesn't use his belief to recruit. Rather he makes it believably part and parcel of an excellent storytelling ability. I have read three of Dekker's books now and I like them all.

Ryan Evans has served his country well as an intelligence officer for the navy. On the other hand his role as a husband and a father has been lacking at best. When a mission goes wrong near Fallujah, Ryan comes face to face with a horrific reality causing him to reflect on his own personal failures. After a narrow escape Ryan vows to return home a better man for his wife and his daughter, Bethany.

Meanwhile in Austin, TX, new evidence has come to light regarding the capture of the serial killer known as Boneman. Two years ago Boneman went on a rampage capturing young girls and then torturing them by breaking all of their bones without breaking their skin. Boneman was finally captured, but the new evidence suggests they have the wrong man. Their suspicions are confirmed when the real Boneman captures Bethany Evans soon after her father returns from Iraq. Ryan will now stop at nothing to save his daughter from this monster. Unfortunately for Ryan, the FBI is convinced that he is Boneman.

Ted Dekker has sold more than three million copies of his titles and Boneman's Daughters shows us why. With an astonishing twenty-three novels in nine years, Dekker has done what many authors fail to do after time: he only continues to get better. This latest installment easily showcases the best writing of his short, yet illustrious career.

This well crafted plot is packed with tension and suspense. Dekker gives just the right amount of information to keep us hooked, but never enough to spoil the ride or reveal the final destination. Each of the main characters are wondrously brought to life, and the twisted glimpses into Boneman's world are terrifying and disturbing. Dekker has crafted his share of memorable villains, but Boneman may be his darkest creation yet.

While I was effortlessly drawn in by the mystery and relentless pacing of this story, my favorite aspect was the personal struggle of Ryan Evans. This is a brilliant, yet flawed character that has completely made a mess of his life. Ryan's resolve to make things right is the driving force that fuels this story along. In the end we are left with perfect closure and a fitting message of redemption that resonates loud and clear.

Boneman's Daughters is Ted Dekker's first book not published by Thomas Nelson. While that relationship continues, it's great to see a publisher like Center Street/Hachette making an effort to get this story out to the masses. I hope this move will introduce Dekker and his writing to a whole new host of fans who have truly been missing out on some of the best storytelling around.

Dekker does not disppoint. If you want a book that will jar you back and forth like a roller-coaster, this is it. I do have one disappointment with it. The clomatic confrontation was too quick...I wanted it to last longer! In some ways, this book was somewhat disturbing. I wondered how can a Christian write such a book with such hoorid violence in such detail (now, for sure, the secular books are worse but, for a Christian, Dekker seemed to be pushing the envelope). If that is a question in your mind as you read it (or after having done so), don't miss his afterward, "Are You the Boneman's Daughter?"

Reading this book will make you feel out of your element.

I am a huge fan of Ted Dekker. My first Dekker novel was Three and I've been following him ever since. When I heard that he was releasing a secular novel, I was excited and I purchased it shortly after it's debut.

The premise sounded exciting, Ryan Evans' daughter is kidnapped by a viscous killer called Boneman. The moral of the story is, how far will a father go to save his daughters life? I am a father, so I expected this story to grab me from the beginning. However, poor character development ruined the story. We never get the back story for Ryan, his wife, his daughter, or Boneman. I had a hard time believing the hatred that Ryan's ex felt for him. I had even more trouble understanding the reasoning behind the daughter's sexual advances toward Boneman. I was really scratching my head on that one, since she never shows that side to her character at any other point in the novel.

Sorry Dekker, but this book just didn't cut it for me. However, The Bride Collector is a much better novel, so at least we know he hasn't lost his touch. Avoid this novel and pick up one of his other thrillers.

I like a nice serial killer as much as the next in our dying breed of traditional fiction readers, but Dekker's newest is, in addition to being abut 100 pages too long, a very difficult, disturbing read. If I had him to ask in person, I'd wonder if he'd allow his own daughter to read it - and at what age.

We open in Iraq with our protagonist taken hostage by a vicious terrorist with a point to make. After the usual torture and hopeless situation, our hero escapes, but we are left adrift. He passes out, then awakens in a military hospital. Huh? Wha' happened? The action that got him there is non-existent until later in unfulfilling flashback form during a debriefing (as it is in much of this latest effort by an author perfectly capable of producing a page-turner).

There is a somewhat self-imposed limit on just how far you take the reader into a serial killer's mind and actions. Dekker crosses the line with graphic descriptions of his bad guy's peculiar method of disposing of young girls he doesn't like because their skin is nicer than his; huh? The title should give you some ideas. Keep a bowl nearby should you feel the urge to rolf.

Between a few exciting passages, the existential foo-fah that must be endured between action goes on and on. Unlikely scenarios, errors (if not in fact, certainly in real life) constantly force the reader back a chapter or two just to confirm facts and possibilities. I, for one, require my reading to be believable. I can't quite get there on several occasions. Two revelations about a female character's provenance; seemingly impossible actions by those with injuries that would put you and I in hospital for weeks, unlikely law enforcement decisions...

This is too much work, Ted. The viciousness of this particular killer (unloved by his mother, yadda, yadda, yadda) is exacerbated by graphic descriptions, complete with sound effects) of the actual acts. This is customarily where you let our imagination roil, while leaving the action intact to keep the pages turning. By doing the opposite, you give a fairly good read; but one the reader is tempted to abandon several times just because of the brutality.