Thr3e

Thr3e, while not definitely my favorite (it ties with Blink), stands out in my mind as the most distinct of Dekker's works. The plot twists, a battle between good and evil fought in a most peculiar way, and the best surprise ending I've ever read. It's not the flat-out-"Really?"-Sherlock-Holmes type of ending, where you don't have a usable clue until the answer pops up from his brilliant mind and the case is solved. But part of it was a complete surprise, and part kept you figuring and refiguring as two theories provided proof in an alternating pattern similar to ping-pong.

No more hints. Go out and buy it.

I'm the sort of person who likes things the second or third time around, and that includes authors. It's a rare book that will make me fall in love with an author I've never read before. There are a few. Ann Tatlock's All the Way Home, for example. But generally, I like knowing a little bit about the author before they stick me on a galloping horse until the last page. I'm not the most adventurous person. Doing something for the first time gives me the jitters. If I do something again, it's usually because I know it's safe and well worth my time. It's still thrilling, but it has a slight homey feel as well. (I guess that's why they invented dress rehearsals.)

As I read more and more of an author's books, I understand their methods better, and usually after a while (the time depends on the author) I start disliking their work 'cuz it's so predictable. A few authors continue to surprise me, and the fact heightens my esteem of their writing. The Circle trilogy pulls so many elements from Dekker's other seven books that parts were predictable, though most of it was not. Thr3e wasn't predictable in the least, though I'd read six Dekker books before it. That's why I rate it above the trilogy.