Immanuel's Veins

December 13, 2010
Dekker jumps on the vampire bloodwagon with an 18th century novel set in the Carpathian Mountains. When two warriors are charged by Catherine the Great of Russia to guard two young women at risk of harm, Toma, the narrator and protagonist, must choose between his duty and honor and the passion he feels for one of the two, the beautiful Lucine. When she falls into the hands of a group of descendants of Nephilim—offspring of the angels who bred with humans, as mentioned in Genesis—Toma must rescue her by means of blood and a love he's never known but must come to understand first himself: the blood of Immanuel's veins. Dekker takes Christian fiction to the edge of darkness in a way that makes redemption and the ancient practices of the church—holy communion, confession of belief in Christ, baptism—bright and believable by contrast. This is classic Dekker clothed in Eastern European garb, passionate and shocking. Pacing is fast as a hummingbird, villains induce cardiac arrhythmias, and the novel must be read with blood pressure pills.

Starred review from August 1, 2010

In 1772, Catherine the Great sends warrior Toma Nicolescu to Moldavia to protect the Cantemir family. During the course of his assignment, he grows fond of their daughter Lucine. Then Vlad van Valerik appears with the intent of courting Lucine. Toma senses something is wrong with this new suitor. Are his own feelings for Lucine getting in the way, or does this stranger pose a serious threat? VERDICT Best-selling suspense author Dekker has written a page-turning spiritual thriller populated with intriguing characters. Fans of CF suspense and fantasy should eat this one up, but historical fiction fans will also enjoy the Saint Thomas of Russia story line.

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