BoneMan's Daughters (Hardcover)

~ Ted Dekker (Author)
Key Phrases: Alvin Finch, Ryan Evans, Father Hortense (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The BoneMan, a serial killer, who murders his victims by breaking their bones, but not their skin, re-emerges after a two-year hiatus and abducts 16-year-old Bethany Evans, the estranged daughter of military intelligence officer Ryan Evans. Having recently returned from Iraq, where he was captured and psychologically tortured by insurgents, Ryan is an emotional wreck. His mental state not only impedes his efforts to find Bethany, but also gives the authorities reason to suspect him of being the BoneMan himself. Robert Petkoff's narration matches the novel's tense pace step-by-step. He handles the diverse cast of characters with ease, and though his voice sounds too youthful for Ryan, it works perfectly for the BoneMan, who Petkoff infuses with chilling malevolence. A good—and gruesome—suspense-filled ride. A Hachette/Center Street hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 9). (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From School Library Journal

Well known for taut, supernatural thrillers (Sinner; Skin) that push readers to the brink, Dekker goes over the edge with a gruesome plot that may make sensitive readers squirm. A serial killer is kidnapping young girls, breaking their bones, and leaving them to die. Ryan Evans is an intelligence officer who is alienated from his own family. When the BoneMan kidnaps Ryan's daughter, Ryan must take on this deranged killer himself to save her. Full of Dekker's trademark suspense, this well-written thriller is bound to elicit strong demand from fans. Despite the dark material, it does not contain overly graphic accounts of violence. For CF suspense collections.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Center Street; BCE edition (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599951959
• ISBN-13: 978-1599951959
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,625 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Dekker Book in a VERY Long Time, April 14, 2009

By	Anna Bowlus (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

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.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a terrible thriller, but a little too melodramatic for my tastes, June 22, 2009

By	J. Norburn (Quesnel, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I like a nice serial killer, BUT (no plot spoilers), October 1, 2009

By	CPMGRP (Jupiter, FL) - See all my reviews

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.