Deceived by James Scott Bell

I've read nearly ever novel written by James Scott Bell. Devoured would most likely be a more apt term. His soon to be released novel from Zondervan is his most unique, proving it truly is a small world, and your sins will most definitely find you out.

"Deceived" opens with quick vignettes of various characters. At first, the speed of introduction threw me. Knowing James' writing, I hung in there, waiting for the action to begin.

I wasn't disappointed. Soon, two dead bodies were found in a gorge, a young woman discovered wandering with a severe head wound, and a wannabe hero entered the picture. The tempo of the story picked up from there.

As lives began to intertwine, it wasn't difficult to recognize the villains from the victims. "Deceived" quickly became clear in its premise: you may be able to fool people, but you'll never fool God.

Watching the detectives unravel the case was fascinating. Sometimes I don't like to know who did it until the very end; this time, it was totally perfect that we not only knew the WHO, but the WHY and the HOW early on in the story.

With twists and turns that kept me flipping pages well into the night, James Scott Bell has penned his most unique suspense novel to date. I won't go so far as to call it my favorite, but it most definitely ranks in the top five.

It's obvious to me that Mr. Bell has not only found his voice in writing, but he has developed a finely tuned instrument and the echoes in his stories resound for days afterward.

"Deceived" is almost impossible to summarize--to do so any more than I have would to give away some major plot twists and for me, that's a definite no-no. Just be prepared for a novel unlike any you've ever read by James before.

And you just won't see it coming...something else I love about Mr. Bell! That's why I'm giving him, once again, five out of five bookmarks, with a compass as a charm. You may need it to find your way back home after the ride he takes you on in this novel, due to release from Zondervan in March 2009.

The wait is most definitely worth the ride!

Happy Reading!