Scott Couey

I just didn’t like Saint as much as Showdown.

Have you ever read a book only to find the middle to be the best part? You start with a weak beginning and then when you get to the end your first thought is “Really?!?! That’s how you ended it?!?!” That’s how I felt about Ted Dekker’s book Saint (the second book in the Paradise trilogy). Dekker is by far one of my favorite authors, but this just isn’t one of his best books. My first frustration was it took reading at least half of the book before you find out how it ties in with Showdown (the first book in the trilogy).

Saint is about a trained assassin named Carl Strople. We find out that he has been stripped of his identity (his true identity is a major plot point and what ties the two books together, so I won’t spoil it). Strople is recruited to be a part of a secret assassin society called The X Group. His first mission is to kill Assim Feroz, a middle-Eastern dignitary, but in the middle of his mission he is told to switch targets and assassinate Robert Stenton, the President of the United States. Strople develops a conscience and cannot follow through with his task. As a result Englishman (another assassin from The X Group) starts searching for Strople with the intent to kill him.

The main themes that run through Saint are identity (coming to terms with who you really are and your past) and trust (primarily who can you trust when your life is at risk). This book is a good stand alone book as well, so if you haven’t read Showdown it will still make sense and that is one thing I like about Dekker’s works. I hope that Sinner (the final book in the trilogy) is much better than Saint. If you have never read any of Ted Dekker’s books, I would not recommend starting with this one – try Thr3e, House, or The Bride Collector instead.

Photo Credit: By http://www.teddekker.com