Customer Reviews

Waking Lazarus

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jude Allman has died three times. With each death and resurrection, his notoriety increased. To flee a spotlight he never asked for nor wanted, he vanishes from sight. He takes on the new name Ron Gress and moves to Red Lodge Montana. He takes a job as a janitor in the local school system and strives to maintain his anonymity. Life in Red Lodge isn't easy; he has problems with paranoia and struggles in social situations most people breeze through, but it's better than his life as Jude.

Then a woman named Kristina shows up at his doorstep. She knows his real identity and his carefully constructed world begins to rattle down around him. Long-suppressed memories bubble to the surface and begin to torment him. He develops a new *gift*-when he touches a dying stranger, their life is played back within his mind, in full color. Visions and blackouts become more common, further complicating his world. Kristina insists they are signs, while Rachel, mother of his son Nathan, is convinced they are symptoms of a physical or mental condition.

Then an elusive child stalker strikes Red Lodge. When local law enforcement and the FBI are stymied, Jude's gifts may be the only chance the missing children have. But now, when Jude needs his gifts the most, they may very well fail him.

T.L. Hines does a great job at getting inside the heads of his characters. His child molester scenes, written from the molester's point of view, are some of the strongest in the book. Some scenes, while not gory or graphic, may seem over the top to some readers. He doesn't soften the pure evil of this particular character.

Jude is another well-rounded character. Here is a man longing for a normal life, but he struggles with the simplest things, like giving his son a hug. It's the smaller struggles in the life of this unusual man that bring him to life.

Waking Lazarus is one of the few books that have given me the creeps. It is also a book that kept me guessing until the end the identity of the kidnapper and it was a revelation that was surprising, but plausible. I recommend this book; it's one that goes on my keeper shelf.

One of the last "recreational reads" I had on my shelf was the debut novel by T. L Hines titled Waking Lazarus. I heard about it during the writing process, and quickly put myself on the hold list at the library. It was well worth the wait...

Jude Allman has lived a number of lives... literally. He's died three times and come back to life after all efforts to resuscitate him were abandoned. You do that often enough, and you become quite a celebrity. But Allman didn't want that. In fact, he moved away, changed his name, and developed some rather strange psychotic behavior. He also fathered a child during a one-night stand, but he's never been able to be there for the kid. His self-imposed isolation starts to crumble when a woman shows up at his door, asking about his purpose after having died so many times. While he wants to just get rid of her, things start to change. He begins to experience an unusual ability to foresee death around him, and can visualize the process by touching the person. The mother of his child wants to chalk it up to seizures, but the fact remains that the foreshadowings are accurate. This coincides with a string of child kidnappings that are occurring in the local area, and Allman has to use his new-found powers in solving this mystery when it's his kid who's been taken. This is a position and power he doesn't want, but he now has little choice but to exercise its use...

For a debut novel, this is very well done. Any book that starts off with "The first time Jude Allman died, he was eight years old." is enough to catch your interest, and Hines doesn't give you much chance to put the book down after that. The interplay between his mental illness and his desire to be a real father to his child is an interesting conflict, and you can understand why he'd want to just make it all go away (both reality and his constructed existence). And while I thought I had the plot figured out a number of times, it turns out that things took off in a direction I didn't expect...

An entertaining read that engaged my mind a bit more than usual...

Tony Hines has hit the ground running with WAKING LAZARUS. If you like page-turning thrillers, then get this book. I plunged into this story with the first sentence, "The first time Jude Allman died, he was eight years old."

This story is well-constructed and the characters come to life in this title. It's a clean, thoughtful well-told story and a departure for this publisher (Bethany House) since there is no overt spiritual theme (an implied spiritual theme is there but it's not spelled out like in many of this publisher's books)--which is OK--but something readers should know about for this story.

It's a great read and something I highly recommend. I'll be watching for more books from T.L. Hines.

I'm an aspiring suspense/thriller novelist. If you ask those who are published novelists, they'll tell you there are 2 ways to learn to write. 1) Read. 2) Write. So, I do a lot of both.

I first heard of T. L. Hines from a friend who's also an aspiring novelist. My friend is using a similar marketing strategy developed by Hines. I clicked over to Hines' website and found that I could read the first chapter of his, at that time, yet to be released novel, Waking Lazarus.

I was hooked from the first sentence and by the time I reached the last sentence I wanted more. Finally, got a chance to purchase a copy and read it in three days.

It's the story of Jude Allman, a tortured soul who's died three times and lived to tell. As you'd expect from such a series of events, Jude becomes a celebrity. After much hoopla about him, Jude becomes a recluse, choosing to move away from his Nebraska hometown to an small town in Montana. He changes his name and takes a job as a school janitor. He's paranoid and denying memories of his past and he blames God for the death of his mother.

Six years off the grid and Jude thinks things are ok. He has a child with a woman he cares about, likes his job, has a home. But all is not well. Children are missing all over the area. It's only a matter of time before abductions happen even closer to home.

Meanwhile, the jig is up. A woman named Kristina shows up at Jude's door and knows who he really is. She tells him he has a gift and he needs to use it.

How does all this tie together? I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. You'll have to read it yourself.

Hines' prose is flowing, natural and easy. Some of his imagery is just amazing. I've actually read passages to people! The three deaths of Jude Allman are told after the fact and yet, it doesn't feel like flashbacks (something that can be dicey to pull off for many novelists). The characters are believable. The dialogue is good. I never had to read something twice because I didn't get it. I especially enjoyed the sections from the child abductor's POV. That character was warped! Since I enjoyed those sections so much, I'm not certain what this says for me. :-) The twists and turns were better than any rollercoaster this thrill ride enthusiast has ever been on. There were so many possibilities for whodunnit. And when the truth is reveals, I was shocked.

In conclusion, read this novel! You'll love it. Check out T. L. Hines website, too. There's a lot of goodies there.

Break on through to the Other Side!

This book was so good I read it in several days. I was enthraled from page one. I could not put it down. I hope Hines writes more. Enjoy.

Waking Lazarus by T.L. Hines is a terrific debut suspense novel. Jude Allman has died three times before and come back to life. He's a walking medical mystery. He's also trying to hold on to his sanity by hiding from the world, but as a killer begins stalking children, Jude finds that he may no longer be able to hide. While the review of this book on Amazon.com describes the book as grisly, I don't feel that's true. Hines does a terrific job of giving just enough detail to give the reader the creeps without resorting to gross-out. He also leads the reader on a merry chase through many red herrings. The narration switches with each chapter keeping the reader jumping and guessing, but Hines' writing is very clear at delineating who's speaking. Jude's gradual adjustments to the world seem natural, and his inner strength shines by the end of the book. Hines also manages to tie in several Christian themes into the story without ever proselytizing. Rachel's faith is as much a part of her character as Jude's anger at God is a part of him. There are many layers of mystery within this novel, and I was greatly impressed by the quality of writing. I look forward to reading more of Hines' work.

T.L. Hines has written a debut novel which is difficult to explain. Waking Lazarus is a mystery, a supernatural thriller and a real page-turner. This is the type of book you will have a difficult time putting down because every chapter ends with a new twist compelling you find out what happens next. This is Tony's first published novel and I can't wait for number two. With all the twists and turns throughout the story as soon as I thought I had the plot figured out another spin left me wondering where the story was headed.

The hero, Jude Allman, is difficult to like in the beginning but you end up rooting for him as the story progresses. Jude is asocial with more demons than I would wish on an enemy. While his quirks, fears and prescience make him a cross between Adrian Monk (Monk) and Johnny Smith (The Dead Zone) you can't help but like him, in a fish out of water sort of way. Jude starts out a fairly unlikable fellow but his metamorphosis into a more "human" person is believable.

I truly enjoyed this novel and I think you'll be doing yourself a disservice by not picking up a copy for yourself and a few more for Christmas gifts. Don't wait for your local library to purchase their copy get your's today.

Ordinary people, extraordinary things. That just might be described as a layman. So with a promise I made, I quickly retreated to my book shelf to begin the journey of "Waking Lazarus". I was not at all disappointed. To be blunt, it left me wanting just a little bit more in the end! Kinda like when you're a kid, "More please. PLEASE!" But just when you've seen all kinds of spiritual warfare, T.L. Hines opens up a whole new variety!

OK, Jude Allman has died 3 times... CHECK! And um, he's come back all 3 times... CHECK! End of story? Nope, not even close. We meet Ron Gress, a janitor, who gets a rude awakening. A visitor, looking for Jude Allman, cracks open the shell. This visitor hints that he has a purpose, and it limited to being reclusive for the rest of his life. When there is evil about, do you call the police? Maybe, but how much help will they really be? Will they believe you? You have a past. And while this thought roams your mind, children are missing. Why hasn't dying 3 times killed you yet? What's going on? Fact of the matter is, he has to do something. That just might answer his questions.

So, with that, does that have you asking questions? Maybe it should. There were times where it was simply tough for me to keep reading. Yet I found that the distractions were worth it! Worth it to the point where I do want to see more of T.L. Hines on MY book shelf in the future. Job well done!

T. L. Hines debut novel, Waking Lazarus, has one of the most unusual plots that I have read this year. In the very first few pages 8 year old Jude Allman dies. It is a tragic accident. His father is there and, after hesitating, does pull him out of the icy water. He is definitely dead, no doubt about it. However, later at the hospital he is alive!

Jude dies not one more time but two more times and some time after the third death decides he does not want to be Jude Allman anymore. He shuts that part of his life off so completely he can't remember most of it. Poor Jude is extremely paranoid about people `watching him' and doesn't even allow his house to have windows. As his story becomes known, no one can blame him. The media blitzes, the 'groupies', everyone wants a piece of Jude Allman. All Jude wants is to be left alone.

Thus Ron Gress is born and Jude Allman disappears. Ron is a janitor at school in a small town in Montana. He has built a new life for himself and even has a son though he isn't married. Rachel, the mother of his son, has a strange connection to Ron but when his visions start she isn't sure whether he is having epileptic seizures or if there is something deeper wrong. Can she really trust him? She prays for help because she is at a total loss as to how to help Ron and something deep inside her helps to relieve her doubts.

There have been young children abducted in the surrounding areas for the past year. Everyone is concerned. Chief Odum is on the look-out. He knows it's only a matter of time before a child is abducted in Red Lodge. The Chief feels that there is someone close who is taking the children.

This is a fast paced novel that gives you glimpses into Jude Allman's past while going full throttle forward as a `Hunter' gets closer and closer to Red Lodge. Jude finally starts to come to terms with his previous deaths, his father and starts to remember his past. He is getting close to discovering who the evil person is and as that happens the danger around him mounts because no one could possibly guess who has been stealing and taking the lives of the children.

Hines does a wonderful job of building the suspense throughout the book while adding Jude's spiritual re-awakening that is subtle but nonetheless there. Overall this is a great read and I can't wait to read more by T.L. Hines.

I am a huge reader, particularly of Christian fiction. T.L. Hines is an author that I will be coming back to again and again. Waking Lazarus is his first book ... and I just loved it. I found it very hard to put down! One of the things that I most enjoyed about this book was that it was not a preachy, feel-good read. It made me think ... it scared me ... it moved me. I cannot wait until the his next book hits the shelves!