Customer Reviews

Three

5 star:		(198)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

There are few books which really surprise me. This one did. I am writing this review nearly a full day after finishing it, and I still can't quite get over the way it ended. Of course I will not clue you in on how it ends, nor should you find out. This is one to experience for yourself.

The book starts with the lead character, Kevin Parsons, driving away from a day in seminary school and a discussion with his professor on human nature, sin and our ability for good an evil. Kevin receives a call on his cell phone telling him he has three minutes to solve a riddle or his car will blow up. This starts an escalating chain of events involving the FBI, local police and Kevin trying to stop a terrorist insisting on making Kevin confess his sin to the public or people will get killed. The problem is that Kevin has no idea what he is supposed to confess.

The book takes place over a period of just a few days. The action is non-stop, and the clues don't make any sense. Both a psychological thriller, one of the best I have read, and a look at the duality of human nature.

I highly recommend this book. It has a solid message and is so well written you will be shocked at the ending.

1) What thriller will snag you by the throat this summer?

I suggest it will be "Thr3e." This book starts with a literal bang and only lets up long enough for you to catch your breath before the next harrowing twist. The story follows Kevin, a seminary student, who wrestles with the concepts of good and evil. Before he can face his inner self, he finds himself taunted by a ruthless killer who gives him three minutes to confess his sin. What sin? Kevin soon realizes that this game is deadly and very real. He must face his own dark secrets if he is to have a hope of surviving.

2) What author will rock your reading world this summer?

Easy. Ted Dekker is the obvious answer. In this latest of his, he surpasses his other books for sheer narrative force. With a seemingly simple idea, he takes you on a rollercoaster that will leave your head spinning by the end. This high-speed thrill-ride left me smiling in begrudging amusement at his clever plot twists. Each time I thought I knew where the story was headed, it took another turn. If you think the ride begins to slow down, then hold on...It's about to whip you through another loop. Along the way, Dekker paints a grim and realistic portrayal of a disturbed young man and his repressive past.

3) What storyline gains philosophical power with each twist of the plot?

This novel is one of those rarities, a book that thrills while also causing you to examine deeply your views of good and evil, right and wrong, and the effects of morality on us all. For a book that delivers everything a good thriller should, and more, you have to pick up this book. I read it in two sittings, and I'm buying copies for my friends.

You know that part of the book - every avid reader knows it - the page where things really kick off and you can't stop reading cause you just HAVE to know what happens next? In this latest thriller from Ted Dekker that happens on page 12. Yeah, you read that right, page 12, and there's still hundreds of pages to go.

Other reviews comment that they flew through this novel in just a few days, etc. I read it in no less than 4 hours. Almost all in one sitting.
(I had to take a break to go to church).

Imagine a world where ABSOLUTELY nothing is what it seems. A world where even craft-masters M. Night Shyamalan and Alfred Hitchcock couldn't predict what's around the next bend. Kevin is a Seminary student with a big problem - he's being stalked by a madman who knows too much - more than even Kevin, at times. As he is forced to deal with the past he fought so hard to escape, Kevin wonders the whole time if he can truly find freedom, even with the help of an old friend and an FBI agent running from demons of her own.

Even if you think you know, you still have NO idea.

One of the things I really liked about Three was its multiple layers. It was so well-written that, even though the answer to the whole story was presented at the beginning, it was not obvious until it smacked you in the face at the end.

Pick this one up today - assuming you have a few hours free...

And don't miss Ted's next book, Volume 1 of Trilogy, BLACK, out in January 2004.

Not in my lifetime. That's the thought that would run through my mind whenever some publishing industry colleague suggested that the quality of evangelical fiction would eventually rival that of mainstream novels. Deeming these hopelessly optimistic professionals as downright delusional, I continued to bypass the Christian fiction titles in my bookstores of choice.

Then something curious began to happen. Friends whose literary opinions I trusted began dropping the names of Christian novels that they considered good --- not just better than the usual fare, but genuinely good. Within the past year or so, I actually heard that praise applied to no less than a half-dozen titles. But when one friend described Ted Dekker's suspense novel THR3E as "flawless," I knew I had to read it, if only to prove her wrong.

By page 20 or so --- usually the point at which I relegate Christian novels to the "donate" pile --- I was completely hooked, no-turning back. At that point in the book, you know that mild-mannered seminarian Kevin Parson has done somebody wrong, given the car bomb and all. What you don't know yet is that the author is about to take you on an exhilarating ride filled with so many hairpin twists and turns that you'll quickly forget you have this other life requiring nuisance activities like eating and sleeping.

On the two or three occasions when something equaling a life-or-death emergency forced me to stop reading, I'd put the book aside and silently pray something ludicrous like "Please, God, please please please don't let this book be a disappointment." Foolish, adolescent, unsophisticated behavior, I know. But you know what? He must have heard me and at some point said, "OK," because THR3E never let me down.

The gist of the story is this, sort of: After getting the first call from a stranger warning him of the car bomb, Parson continues to hear from the mystery caller. Each time, the caller --- known as Slater --- threatens to cause greater destruction involving the loss of more and more lives unless Parson meets his single demand: that he confess his sin. Not his sins, but some great nameless sin that Parson has committed in the past. The bombings bring in the FBI and the California Bureau of Inspection and keep Parson on the move as he tries to make sense of Slater's maddening clues and thus avert catastrophe. That's "sort of" the gist, because things are seldom what they seem to be in this version of reality.

To go into much more detail would be difficult without venturing into the realm of spoiler. Believe me, this is one story you don't want anyone to spoil for you. I've read a fair number of suspense novels --- for whatever reason, it seems I couldn't get through a pregnancy without Robert Ludlum on my nightstand --- and each time I've held out hope that I'd experience the heady rush that comes with a true stunner, a surprise ending that I never could have anticipated. THR3E's rush brought to mind the phrase "shock and awe" --- only in this case, it seemed more accurate.

This is the point where I would normally say something negative, like "Yes, it's a great book, but..." and then drop some mild criticism on it. Few people trust the opinions of a gushing reviewer, so I'll try to maintain my credibility by issuing the only negative comment I can make about THR3E: It deprived me of the satisfaction of proving my friend wrong. Because, as I discovered, THR3E really is a flawless book.

Yes it is that good! I read one of his other books titled 'Blink' and really that made me an instant fan. Thr3e only poushes this further.
Ted dekker is an extremely talented story teller and he is an intellectual. Thr3e portayes that perfectly.
Thr3e is a very fast paced book as the action gets going right from chapter 1 where Kevin a seminary student gets a mysterious phone call from one 'slater' who gives him 3 minutes to confess a sin kevin does not know about. His car gets bombed as he failed to solve the riddle slater gave him as a hint and confess his sin as well to the newspaper. From there on, kevin with the help of jennifer an FBI agent and samantha a childhood friend faces all other challenges and riddles from this slater guy.They have a tough time trying to figure out exactly what slater is up to exactly why he is after kevin and who he is so they keep digging deep.
Throughout the book you are sucked into a world where you have to keep guessing all the time! When you think you gotten it right, somethiong else turns up! It is a perfect example of how a writer can keep a reader in suspense till the very end. Talking of the end, Thr3e will surprise everyone. Up until now, i still think of this book more than any other. It is thought provoking and explains perfectly the way we humans struggle between good and evil when what we don't want to do we do and what we want to do we don't do. It is great for christians and also non-christians. Why, because it explains the human nature... there is a bit of good and a bit of evil in us!
Until you read this book to the very end, you might not fully understand this review but i can recommend this book to any person any! The message is clear, it is enjoyable to read and it can make a huge impact in your life. Buy thr3e, you won't regret it!

Who is Ted Dekker? I didn't even know about this author until I came across a bookstore display for "Three". I bought the book, and funny enough, finished it in 3 days.

In 400 pages, the reader is thrust into the life of Kevin, an intelligent seminary student who finds himself suddenly being stalked and terrorized by a demented maniac bent on Kevin's destruction. Kevin's life and mysterious past are masterfully unfolded as the story continues to build the suspense and gain speed. This book pretty much has it all for those who want to read a good thriller: great character development, lots of suspense-dripped action, thought-proving moments and heck, even a little romance.

I know this is being billed as a "Christian Thriller", but please don't mistake this as something like the "Left Behind" series. The writing is VASTLY better here and will have a much broader appeal to all suspense fans.

So, who is Ted Dekker? Apparently, a great story teller.

To say that this is the best Christian novel I have ever read may, I'm afraid, somehow lessen its greatness. Somehow we have come to expect less from Christian fiction than we do from secular, big publisher, mass market fiction, and to say that a book is a great "Christian novel" tends to put it in a "best of second class" light.

THR3E is not second class. There is absolutely nothing about this book that precludes it from being ranked with the best and best-selling thrillers on any bookstore/drugstore/checkout shelf around. It is on par with the big boys. In fact, if you want to use this book as an outreach tool, give it to anyone who reads Greg Iles, Harlan Coben, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, or who likes the movies of M. Night Shyamalan. If they are honest with themselves, their view of "Christian" fiction will change, and they might just be moved a step or two closer to a personal relationship with God.

WOAH! I never saw it coming when I picked up this book and read the inside cover. I finished reading THR3E two hours ago. This is the most spectacular book I've ever read. Three...the number three, you think it's an important detail, but you're only hanging by a string because in the end, and then you realize that three is truly the answer. I don't care how much you think, how outrageous your hypothesis is, or how far you read into the clues, you will never, ever, guess the ending of this book until you read it. A word of advice: everything you believe throughout the book's plot: you're wrong. The book's resolve and mind blowing concepts creeped into my mind and I'm still shivering. This book makes other books seem dissapointing, it's THAT amazing. Ted Dekker must be a genius, and I don't know how he wrote this novel without going insane in the process, because I think I might be crazy after reading it.
This book is what fiction, suspense, thrill, and an adrenaline rush is all about. If you haven't read THR3E you haven't read anything yet.

I'll be honest - I was one of the lucky ones who got an advance copy of Ted Dekker's newest novel, Thr3e.

It was a phenomenal piece. Even without the complex twists and turns it would be a crime novel that would put bigger names (in top ten reviews and such) in the penalty box for the rest of the period. Seriously.

It grabbed me with the first paragraph, and I kept my clutches on the pages of this novel until I'd re-read the closing scenes at least twice. And then my wife had to force me to get some sleep - at gunpoint.

It is a rare thing for a story to compel the reader with both convincing characters and a mind-buzzing pace. Thr3e does it without breaking a sweat. The reading was so intense and yet so natural that I had a rare moment of disappointment - the prospect of having to find another novel that approached the bar-level of Thr3e.

If you buy books, buy this one....And you can kiss sleep and leisure goodbye until you close the book. A novel that keeps fiction where it belongs - with King, Grisham, Kellerman, and all the other blockbusters.

The ending of Thr3e is absolutely unbelievable -- and that's not a compliment. Dekker shoots for a "Sixth Sense" style twist, but fails completely. Not only does he telegraph the ending (or part of it, anyway) a few chapters too soon, he also glosses over major plot holes.

In his defense, though, a competent editor could have made the ending more plausible by deleting some earlier passages. For example, there's a scene in Chapter 12 where Samantha visits her office. While there, she interacts with her boss and interviews a suspect. For the basic premise of the story to work, this scene absolutely could NOT happen.

Before reading the absurd conclusion, I thought Thr3e was an above-average thriller, good enough to make me want to read more of Dekker's stuff. This makes Thr3e a difficult book to rate; the ending will either leave you breathless or ruin the whole thing for you. I'm giving it "thr3e" stars as a sort of compromise between the two.

One final note: although Dekker is billed as a Christian writer, the spiritual content of the book is pretty light. The story is basically a clean thriller with a few moral elements.

P.S. One of the posters who left a comment on my review included a SPOILER; caveat emptor!