Written by: Randy Alcorn
486 pages
Overall Grade: B+
I've never been a huge detective mystery fan, I do have a collection of Shelock Holmes stories but I've only read one of them. Randy Alcorn, however, may change that. His characters are so real, funny, and engaging it's hard not to get drawn in. The main character is Ollie Chandler, a detective for the Portland Police Department. (I know I said I would try not to do too many series, but sheesh now that I start looking, everything is in a series!!!) Deception is the third book in the series, I have yet to read the other two but my mom has read them and says they are just as good. Regardless of all of that I was hooked when I read this passage (Ollie is watching the TV show 24 and thinking upon his heroes Jack Bauer and Chuck Norris and has this train of thought), "They say that when the boogeyman goes to sleep, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas. Chuch Norris doesn't sleep; he waits." Maybe it's just me, but any author who writes in Chuck Norris jokes on page 33 is worth reading!
Anyway, the book starts out with the murder of a college professor. Ollie and his partner are assigned the case but there are unsettling clues at the murder scene that incriminate not only Ollie but his fellow homicide detectives. Ollie begins to suspect that another officer committed the crime. If one cop suspecting another cop of murder isn't your idea of drama then obviously you've never watched an episode of Law & Order. It does get very tense and there are more twists that a roller coaster as Ollie uncovers each new piece of evidence.
I love the way Alcorn writes. It is very gritty and real. Ollie isn't a politically correct character, he doesn't particularly care what people think, he cares about justice and making sure the guily get caught. In the beginning of the story it is a bit slow going, although to hear Ollie's thoughts on police procedure and how slow getting evidence processed through the crime lab is this may have been a deliberate choice on the part of the author. By page 100 though the story is moving along and there is enough intrigue and suspense to keep the pages flying!
Randy Alcorn is a Christian author, Decpetion is considered Christian Fiction, but Ollie is not a Christian. It seemed weird to me that the central character of the series was unsaved but the real struggles that Alcorn depecits are very moving. Some of the storylines and characters may be appreciated more if the first two books were read first but Alcorn does a good job at explaining who everybody is and I don't feel as though anything is lost by this book being read first.
All in all if you are looking for something new and different to read I highly reccommend Randy Alcorn and his "D" trilogy: Deadline, Dominion, and Deception. If you have never read a detective mystery novel I think this would be a good one to get your feet wet as the crime isn't too graphic, in case you are a little squeamish. Be prepared to laugh, to cry, maybe to jump in fright (I did once), but most of all be prepared for some good entertainment!
