Waking Lazarus (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this promising if sometimes grisly debut of inspirational suspense, Hines introduces Jude Allman, a man who has been declared clinically dead several times, but who always comes back to life. Allman becomes a paranoid recluse in Red Lodge, Mont., where he works under an assumed name as a school janitor; His son, Nathan, lives with his mother elsewhere in town. As a string of child abductions begin, Jude finds he possesses supernatural powers that allow him to see into the lives of others. When Nathan is kidnapped, Jude finds his purpose and his faith. Hines handles the numerous flashbacks and switches in point of view well, and has a deft touch in knowing just how much information to give and how much to withhold. There are a few trouble spots: Allman's battle with paranoia is wrapped up too easily, and Nathan's mother is unnaturally calm about her son's abduction. The descriptions of children hung in burlap bags, chained to beds or caged are not for the faint of heart. Hines does an excellent job of laying false trails to keep doubts alive as to the identity of the serial killer. Readers who consider most faith thrillers too tame should find this satisfactorily chilling. (July)
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From Booklist

After he fell under the ice and died, eight-year-old Jude Allman came to life again. Worse, from his point of view, he died and was resurrected twice more in his life. It turned him into a celebrity but also a freak, and he leads a reclusive life, barely holding on to a janitor's job. He is stalked by demons, but then a kind of clairvoyance stalks him, and he learns to divine evil before it has had its way, which leads to a sort of healing. Hines makes the most of his unusual tale, characterizing his hero realistically but with humor and holding on to his secrets to the end. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764202049
• ISBN-13: 978-0764202049
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,015,447 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy read!, July 5, 2006

By	Cheryl Russell "Book reviewer, writer" (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-done debut novel... looking forward to more., July 29, 2006

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic story, excellent craftsmanship, August 8, 2006

By	Robert Liparulo (author of Deadfall, Germ & Comes a Horseman) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Debut novel or not, "Waking Lazarus" is a wonderfully written story. T.L. Hines's vivid descriptions, emotive prose, and edge-of-your-seat pacing kept me interested and entertained from page one to the end. A welcome addition to my short list of must-read authors.