** spoiler alert ** I learned about the author from an NPR listener-generated summer reading recommendations list. I purchased this and The Boneman's Daughter.

At first I thought this book was excellent, even a rival to Thomas Harris's Red Dragon, my favorite modern thriller by far. But then the characters were never really developed and the conclusion had strange and unbelievable twists.

SPOILER NOW

Apparently Dekker's thing is exploring the interplay between Good and Evil. I don't know if this commonly involved demonic possession or if I just stumbled across a clumsy attempt. (I mean, I bought it at CVS...) I just expected a more sophisticated exploration of Good and Evil, not "Surprise! You thought it was creepy biological stuff, but it's SATAN! Twisty!"