Fast-paced thriller with a haunting message: My review of "Stranger Things" by Erin Healy

Soon into Serena's rewarding career as a biology teacher, the unthinkable happens: a student accuses her of a heinous act. After being confronted with the accusations, Serena flees to the nearby hills to spend time in nature, trying to find reprieve before the media storm hits. But things take a darker turn still when she stumbles upon criminals hiding in the ruins of a house, and she witnesses the murder of a man who steps in between Serena and certain death. Desperate to clear her name and also to uncover the truth of why the man was murdered, Serena must find the courage to confront evil, though it may cost her very life.

Erin Healey’s latest offering provides a thrilling read that pulses with suspense while mining the depths of human depravity through the exploration of human trafficking. The plot is intense, with tension that only builds as the story progresses. Although there are a number of key characters that readers will meet, the way that the author introduces them into the story makes it easy to keep track of them. I loved the main character of Serena as she finds herself caught in a web of deceit that seemed all too possible to happen to someone in real life. The other characters are also well-formed, whether the good or the bad, and as such Healy has expertly balanced plot and character development. Indeed, the story was difficult to put down, and was both frightening and inspiring at the same time. 

Although faith is an element of the novel, and hints of supernatural are wonderfully explored, the characters do not seem to have a clear encounter with the person of Christ himself, something I feel may have added to the story. However, there is much within the pages of the book that points to the saving and redemptive power of God, and I love the way the characters encounter more than our eyes can see. As Serena's father said so eloquently, "There are places in the world where you will encounter things so real that you will be surprised others don't have the identical experience. But then you will realize that the clarity given you is a gift from God. Perhaps this gift is just for you, maybe it will also touch the lives of others". Reading "Strangers Things" may just cause you to look at the world around you differently and realize your own calling that God has placed on your life!

I strongly recommend this well-written book and award it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, and the Booksneeze program, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

about the author...

Erin Healy writes supernatural suspense novels from a Christian worldview. Her books explore what it means to be a spiritual being in a physical world, and a physical creature in a spiritual world. She is an award-winning fiction editor who worked with Ted Dekker on more than a dozen of his stories before their collaboration on KISS and BURN. She owns WordWright Editorial Services, a consulting firm specializing in fiction book development. 

Learn more about her books at http://www.erinhealy.com.

This biography was provided by the author or their representative.