Kiss

November 3, 2008
Master of evangelical Christian suspense, Dekker (Thr3e
; Blink
; Skin
) joins first-time author Healy in this thriller, no less fast-moving than the Christy Award–winning author's solo prose, but also more gripping as it plunges into the life of a woman with frayed and painful family relationships. When a tragic auto accident leaves Shauna McAllister's brother brain-damaged and erases her recent memories, she discovers she has a paranormal ability to steal memories from others, a capability that will either get her killed or unveil hidden sides of the very people she thought she could trust. Against this background, she attempts to uncover the ugly truth about her father's dark secrets and to upend his run for president of the United States. True to Dekker's penchant for twists that keep you guessing till the very last page, Kiss
also attempts to return to snappier dialogue and more logical plotting than Skin
. A psychological suspense thriller that shines light into black-market child trafficking, Dekker's latest will satisfy Christian fiction lovers who want complex characters and who believe in the stark realities of true good and heinous evil.

Shauna McAllister wakes up in the hospital after a car accident with weeks of missing memory. Her fiancé tries to fill in the blanks, but is he telling her the truth? Pam Turlow's sweet voice brings Shauna to life as she struggles to reconstruct her world. But Shauna has a secret to protect: When she touches others, she can steal their memories. As Shauna begins to uncover the truth about her father's indiscretions, Turlow's voice reflects her tension and fear. Turlow's delivery alternates between a calm, steady narration and modulated emotion. Her understated approach helps make this story of the paranormal even more suspenseful. M.B.K. 2010 Audies Finalist (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine