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The Canary List
Protected by the dark of night, Jaimie Piper runs. But is anywhere safe when Evil is hunting you?
She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.
All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone.
But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction.
Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican.
She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.
All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone.
But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction.
Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
26 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
About the author
Sigmund Brouwer
252 books406 followersSigmund loves going to schools to get kids excited about reading, reaching roughly 80,000 students a year through his Rock&Roll Literacy Show.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
May 16, 2011
Overall Review: This book made me want to double lock my doors, arm the alarm system and put bars on the windows. Seriously scary stuff!! We are tossed into a web of lies, deceit, power, and secrecy that is centered within the highest powers of the Vatican. Crockett Grey, a regular teacher with his own stack of personal problems, becomes embroiled in something way over his head, all because a student comes to him for help and he cares enough to do something. We watch as the 'powers that be' first try to destroy him career-wise, then threaten his family, then his life; then comes the backpedaling as ‘they’ realize that maybe Crockett could be useful after all. It was especially astonishing to note the incredible amount of power, influence, and ability of just a few people with the ‘right’ connections. I thought I had it all figured out…and I did, until right at the end where there was this totally unexpected twist that left you doing a double take—What?!? Amazing how ambiguous the truth becomes when politics enter! And to what lengths people will go to protect something they believe in—or to protect themselves personally and financially! We are left to wonder—what was real? And we find ourselves out in the cold wondering about the truth once again. ‘The Canary List’ is a solid and seriously suspenseful psychological thriller, but watch out for the ‘Hitchcock-esque’ ending! Overall rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Content Review:
PROFANITY: A few very mild instances
VIOLENCE: Moderate throughout
SEXUAL CONTENT: Moderate throughout
MATURE THEMES: Moderate
RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: 18+
Interestingly enough, the only bad words were used to describe the horrific circumstances which the main character constantly finds himself, and it’s always the same word (used maybe between 5-10 times). Other than that, there were no exclamations or slang usage of profanity at all! The reason I put moderate on the sexual content is because of one of the topics of the book: Pedophiles. This is mentioned often, but not elaborated upon. There is quite a bit of violence: one character kills his mother because a demon tells him to; a character is kidnapped and held prisoner with threats of death; a character is almost hanged; a character is beaten badly; children are abused; there is arson, assault, death threats, identity theft, kidnapping... Even with that long list, the violence is not explicit. The themes are many. There are the main themes of Evil and deception. Satanic worship is included. There is a character who can detect demons and she is always afraid. There is drunkenness and dealing with loss of family/children and abuse. On the whole, it’s not trashy and explicit, all the harsh themes and content are handled very well, but it is most definitely dark. If you are looking for a thriller that gives you chills and makes you think (and want to bar your windows and add more deadbolts), considering the fact that there is a lack of profanity and sex scenes, this is fairly clean for the genre, and would probably be a good choice. However, because of the darkness and intensity of the themes, I would recommend this for ages 18+.
This review was written by Emily
A Squeaky Clean Reads Book Reviewer
This book was sent to Squeaky Clean Reads by WaterBrook Multnomah for a review
Content Review:
PROFANITY: A few very mild instances
VIOLENCE: Moderate throughout
SEXUAL CONTENT: Moderate throughout
MATURE THEMES: Moderate
RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: 18+
Interestingly enough, the only bad words were used to describe the horrific circumstances which the main character constantly finds himself, and it’s always the same word (used maybe between 5-10 times). Other than that, there were no exclamations or slang usage of profanity at all! The reason I put moderate on the sexual content is because of one of the topics of the book: Pedophiles. This is mentioned often, but not elaborated upon. There is quite a bit of violence: one character kills his mother because a demon tells him to; a character is kidnapped and held prisoner with threats of death; a character is almost hanged; a character is beaten badly; children are abused; there is arson, assault, death threats, identity theft, kidnapping... Even with that long list, the violence is not explicit. The themes are many. There are the main themes of Evil and deception. Satanic worship is included. There is a character who can detect demons and she is always afraid. There is drunkenness and dealing with loss of family/children and abuse. On the whole, it’s not trashy and explicit, all the harsh themes and content are handled very well, but it is most definitely dark. If you are looking for a thriller that gives you chills and makes you think (and want to bar your windows and add more deadbolts), considering the fact that there is a lack of profanity and sex scenes, this is fairly clean for the genre, and would probably be a good choice. However, because of the darkness and intensity of the themes, I would recommend this for ages 18+.
This review was written by Emily
A Squeaky Clean Reads Book Reviewer
This book was sent to Squeaky Clean Reads by WaterBrook Multnomah for a review
September 23, 2019
Excellent story...but very frightening. It illustrated spiritual warfare in a rather lurid way.
January 24, 2012
I found this book incredibly confusing. I think Brouwer's writing style is maturing, but possibly not his sense of storytelling. I wasn't sure A) for what audience this book might be intended, and B) whether it was meant to end so ambiguously or is set up for a sequel. It seemed too boring for teen/YA (style and subject and age of main characters), yet also too boring for adults (tame "action" sequences, lame personal and interpersonal struggles). It also seemed like the plot took one twist too many, and wound up tangled in knots instead of coming to a clear resolution. I felt like all the major characters (and thus I, as the Reader) were left hanging; for instance, it was completely uncertain whether the protagonist could expect to be murdered when he arrived home (right after the pages of the book ran out) or not. I'm not particularly interested in child abuse or satanism or demon possession or magnets or the ins and outs of Catholicism's power structure, so I didn't have enough reason to do the hard work necessary to figure out what the point might have been.
August 7, 2024
I found this at Goodwill. It kept my attention, but I didn't understand it.
April 5, 2011
Synopsis
Protected by the dark of night, Jaimie Piper runs. But is anywhere safe when Evil is hunting you?
She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.
All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone.
But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction.
Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican.
The cover of this book seems to draw you in...the bright yellow of the girls dress. This is not a story about birds or Canaries!
At first I struggled to get into this story...not my kind of book! As the story progresses I found myself getting more and more into it. The character's seemed very real...like Jamie I wanted to go live with Nanna. Are there really deamons running around like in this book? One would hope not, but then I'm not so sure.
You find yourself being drawn in by the innocent teacher just wanting to block out the day his little daughter died, and wanting help for the little girl! Wanting to help these 2 the book does become a page turner. Know some of the facts in this book I have read about before, so is there truth in this story? You will have to judge for yourself!
Wait until you get to the end! It will have you scratching your head and wondering about the whole story! Yes I would recommend this book, and hope it is just fiction!
I was provided with a copy of this book by Waterbrook Press, I was not required to give a favorable review, and the opinions expressed are my own.
Protected by the dark of night, Jaimie Piper runs. But is anywhere safe when Evil is hunting you?
She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.
All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone.
But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction.
Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican.
The cover of this book seems to draw you in...the bright yellow of the girls dress. This is not a story about birds or Canaries!
At first I struggled to get into this story...not my kind of book! As the story progresses I found myself getting more and more into it. The character's seemed very real...like Jamie I wanted to go live with Nanna. Are there really deamons running around like in this book? One would hope not, but then I'm not so sure.
You find yourself being drawn in by the innocent teacher just wanting to block out the day his little daughter died, and wanting help for the little girl! Wanting to help these 2 the book does become a page turner. Know some of the facts in this book I have read about before, so is there truth in this story? You will have to judge for yourself!
Wait until you get to the end! It will have you scratching your head and wondering about the whole story! Yes I would recommend this book, and hope it is just fiction!
I was provided with a copy of this book by Waterbrook Press, I was not required to give a favorable review, and the opinions expressed are my own.
October 6, 2011
Pretty decent suspense novel featuring a Vatican conspiracy with supernatural elements. Starts off lively and fast paced, gets a bit too pleased with itself for its convolutions of plot, but overall decent. I don't think I've read more than a scant handful of Christian novels, so I thought I'd branch out.
Teacher and surfer Crockett Grey (our hero, with that name, you know he'll be a rugged individualist) is having his once a year Scotch whiskey drunk fest at home on the anniversary of his young daughter's death. He's shocked to see what appears to be his daughter's face at the window, but it turns out to be his 12 year old student Jaimie. She's afraid to go back to her foster home, because a man is there whom she can sense is evil. She can sense darkness in people. Crockett has the werewithal to bring Jaimie over to his elderly neighbor's, and neighbor Nana drives them to the foster home, which they find burned down and surrounded by cops. When Crockett is framed and falsely accused of viewing child pornography, he has to find out what's going on. It all gets rather complicated from there; suffice to say that priests, psychologists, Satan worshippers, a Vatican conspiracy, DNA research, witches, pedophilia, child abuse, and demons feature. It's not graphic. The author leaves the demon/witch thing up to interpretation and the reader could take the psychological interpretation. I'd recommend it to the Christian fiction suspense fans, but maybe not devout Catholics. More on the Evangelical side, probably.
Teacher and surfer Crockett Grey (our hero, with that name, you know he'll be a rugged individualist) is having his once a year Scotch whiskey drunk fest at home on the anniversary of his young daughter's death. He's shocked to see what appears to be his daughter's face at the window, but it turns out to be his 12 year old student Jaimie. She's afraid to go back to her foster home, because a man is there whom she can sense is evil. She can sense darkness in people. Crockett has the werewithal to bring Jaimie over to his elderly neighbor's, and neighbor Nana drives them to the foster home, which they find burned down and surrounded by cops. When Crockett is framed and falsely accused of viewing child pornography, he has to find out what's going on. It all gets rather complicated from there; suffice to say that priests, psychologists, Satan worshippers, a Vatican conspiracy, DNA research, witches, pedophilia, child abuse, and demons feature. It's not graphic. The author leaves the demon/witch thing up to interpretation and the reader could take the psychological interpretation. I'd recommend it to the Christian fiction suspense fans, but maybe not devout Catholics. More on the Evangelical side, probably.
March 24, 2011
Crockett Grey just wants to spend the anniversary of his daughter's death alone, but when his troubled student, 12 year old Jaime Piper, shows up at his home, afraid and needing protection, he soon finds himself entangled in a web of bizarre events.
Crockett must find out the secrets of Jaime's past and of her strange gifts in order to help her, and to get his life back. But he soon finds himself involved in a dark conspiracy which reaches all the way to the Vatican.
This book was a page-turner that reeled me in from the beginning, starting with young Jaime. From the start, the reader can see there is something "special" about her, and as the book progressed, I was thoroughly engrossed, anxious to find out what was to become of her and the other characters involved.
Brouwer is a very talented author, able to pain vivid images with his words and able to keep focus in a fast-paced story. He is the author of Broken Angel, as well as 19 other novels with close to 3 million books in print. This thriller, The Canary List, is the first of his novels I have read, but it certainly will not be the last.
Look for The Canary List on June 21, 2011, and in the meantime, download the first chapter at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/tag/th...
Crockett must find out the secrets of Jaime's past and of her strange gifts in order to help her, and to get his life back. But he soon finds himself involved in a dark conspiracy which reaches all the way to the Vatican.
This book was a page-turner that reeled me in from the beginning, starting with young Jaime. From the start, the reader can see there is something "special" about her, and as the book progressed, I was thoroughly engrossed, anxious to find out what was to become of her and the other characters involved.
Brouwer is a very talented author, able to pain vivid images with his words and able to keep focus in a fast-paced story. He is the author of Broken Angel, as well as 19 other novels with close to 3 million books in print. This thriller, The Canary List, is the first of his novels I have read, but it certainly will not be the last.
Look for The Canary List on June 21, 2011, and in the meantime, download the first chapter at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/tag/th...
July 1, 2011
All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter's death alone. That's it. But after one of his students, Jaimie Piper, knocks on his window that night scared to death, his life will never be the same. Jaimie isn't your typical 12-year old girl. She's not afraid of the dark, the Boogeyman, or even an abusive family member. She's afraid of evil.
I can't tell you a whole lot of the story without giving it away, but the basic idea is that Crockett is a teacher who because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is now in the middle of a mess including super-hackers, demon chasers, and the Vatican mafia. And all he really wants to do is clear his name so he can be a good father to his little boy Mickey.
This book was interesting and kept me guessing until the very last page, which is hard to do. It was a little hard to follow at times with all of the Vatican history and talk about demons and witches, but I understood the general idea behind the plot and like one of the reviews on the back of the book said, "What's darkly horrifying...is the plausibility of the story." And once you read the book you'll understand that comment. Overall a decent book but not my favorite. 3 stars.
I can't tell you a whole lot of the story without giving it away, but the basic idea is that Crockett is a teacher who because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is now in the middle of a mess including super-hackers, demon chasers, and the Vatican mafia. And all he really wants to do is clear his name so he can be a good father to his little boy Mickey.
This book was interesting and kept me guessing until the very last page, which is hard to do. It was a little hard to follow at times with all of the Vatican history and talk about demons and witches, but I understood the general idea behind the plot and like one of the reviews on the back of the book said, "What's darkly horrifying...is the plausibility of the story." And once you read the book you'll understand that comment. Overall a decent book but not my favorite. 3 stars.
June 13, 2011
Take a young girl, a caring teacher, throw in some conspiracy, the Catholic Church, politics, and demon possession, shake them all up, and you've got "The Canary List" in a nutshell. This suspenseful read, kept me quite interested in both the characters and storyline. Jaimie and Mr. G are both characters you can't help but get involved with. They are likeable and both in situations you want to help them with, but wonder how. The twists and red herrings will keep you guessing and the surprise ending, although somewhat weak, should leave the reader satisfied, and wanting to read another book by Brouwer.
May 26, 2011
Terrible book. Didn't even read much of it. It was given to me free at the Christian bookstore. I'm not sure why the Christian bookstore was handing these out, but first of all there was a disclaimer at the front of the book about the danger of being too curious about the devil and devil worship and the the book goes on to talk about devil worship ceremonies in detail - what!? The lead character apparently can sense evil and whatever - not going to read it! Not going to pass it on! It's in the trash where it belongs in my humble opinion! How's that for a scathing review, Wendy? :)
July 21, 2011
The Canary List
By Sigmund Brouwer
Jamie Piper is a twelev year old who can sense evil.She tries to find safety with her teacher Crockett Grey.Crockett is getting drunk on the anniversary of his daughter death who died from cancer.
Jamie only brings trouble to him.He ia accused of child molestation and is arrested.Crocket tries to uncover what has happen to him and where Jamie has gone.
As the mess gets darker he finds the vatican is watching him and he doesn't know why.
The Canary list makes you wonder if demons are real or canwe explain all
By Sigmund Brouwer
Jamie Piper is a twelev year old who can sense evil.She tries to find safety with her teacher Crockett Grey.Crockett is getting drunk on the anniversary of his daughter death who died from cancer.
Jamie only brings trouble to him.He ia accused of child molestation and is arrested.Crocket tries to uncover what has happen to him and where Jamie has gone.
As the mess gets darker he finds the vatican is watching him and he doesn't know why.
The Canary list makes you wonder if demons are real or canwe explain all
January 16, 2014
I've enjoyed all of Sigmund Brouwer's books, Canary List is no exception. The premise was interesting. A 12 year old girl that can feel evil is needed for a bigger purpose, a demon possessed Pope elect, and an innocent teacher in the middle of a conspiracy. I gave it three stars because I felt the ending was lacking a bit in answering some questions, but it was an acceptable ending to the story. Just not one I felt completely satisfied, yet it kept me reading while exercising on the elliptical and any book that can do that is worth the read!
May 28, 2013
Meh.. this was ok. It started out really good and I was all into the story; couldn't put it down. But as these thinsg sometimes go, it lost its momentum for me about half way through. But it wasn't a complete waste of time. I liked the conspiracy theory idea. Just not my favorite novel Sigmund Brower has written.
December 24, 2019
Do you think for yourself, or blindly believe everything authorities tell you to believe?
Not all is as you think it is, there's more going on behind the scenes than you can imagine, and it's crucial to discern who can truly be trusted. These are the prevailing themes in Sigmund Brouwer's novel, at least from my perception, which is a huge reason why I loved this book. I was raised to think for myself, so a book like The Canary List is right up my alley.
This novel was quick-paced and held my attention from start to finish. I liked that the action scenes weren't overdone, there was no sappy love story awkwardly plunked into the plot, and the conspiracy theory was easy to follow.
Was it a perfectly written novel? No, but who am I to judge? I would have given The Canary List five stars except for the fact that the last quarter of the book felt a little too "explain-y" to me; there was a lot of conspiracy theory explanation poorly disguised as dialogue. Even so, I enjoyed the entire book. Especially the end - the very last page remained true to the prevailing themes of the book and left the reader wondering: "What's really going on, and who will I choose to believe?"
Not all is as you think it is, there's more going on behind the scenes than you can imagine, and it's crucial to discern who can truly be trusted. These are the prevailing themes in Sigmund Brouwer's novel, at least from my perception, which is a huge reason why I loved this book. I was raised to think for myself, so a book like The Canary List is right up my alley.
This novel was quick-paced and held my attention from start to finish. I liked that the action scenes weren't overdone, there was no sappy love story awkwardly plunked into the plot, and the conspiracy theory was easy to follow.
Was it a perfectly written novel? No, but who am I to judge? I would have given The Canary List five stars except for the fact that the last quarter of the book felt a little too "explain-y" to me; there was a lot of conspiracy theory explanation poorly disguised as dialogue. Even so, I enjoyed the entire book. Especially the end - the very last page remained true to the prevailing themes of the book and left the reader wondering: "What's really going on, and who will I choose to believe?"
August 29, 2019
Crockett Grey, a teacher who thinks he's helping a 12 year student, Jaimie Piper, overcome a simple fear, becomes embroiled in a complex plot involving the papacy. Jaimie claims to be capable of sensing evil when not wearing her magic magnetic bracelet. Crockett, whose own daughter recently died, is drawn into a conspiracy including the smoke of satan, demon possession, plots, conspiracies, the papal library, and abuse allegations. Just as the story is wrapped up and Crockett thinks he knows all the details, he is presented with an alternate scenario. Don't forget to read the "Afterward".
March 28, 2021
Very different! It left me with a lot of questions and a lot to research. While satisfactory the end was a little disappointing. As a Christian novel that dealt with topic of demons. I didn’t really like how it left the reader in a state of uncertainty, When there is so much certainty for a Christian where demons are concerned. Very thought provoking and worth reading. Or is it all conspiracy theory?
December 28, 2022
The plot seemed interesting at first, but the writing style ruined the book for me. It seemed like the author may have been inexperienced or did not have a helpful proofreader. There were a lot of unnecessary words and comments throughout the book that just felt repetitive at times. I expected the ending to be more exciting and in depth. If you are looking for a book with few twists, you may enjoy this one. There just wasn't much that was keeping me hooked on reading it.
June 9, 2019
The Canary List is a compelling look into demon possession and the abuse of children in the Catholic Church. I was immediately drawn into the story. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages. This book is hard to put down.
I borrowed a copy from my local library. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
I borrowed a copy from my local library. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
September 30, 2019
This book was an out of genre experience for me. I’ve never read something that officially falls into the Christian speculative fiction category. The story of Crockett and Jaime drew me in. This book is a high-speed, crazy ride until the end. The last chapter was completely unnecessary, and I think it detracts from the overall plot.
April 12, 2025
Riveting!
A fan of Sigmund Brouwer, I began reading this book with anticipation that it would be every bit as good as any of his other books I've read. But this one far surpassed my expectations. Twists and turns keep the book interesting, with just enough factual background to keep it interesting.
A fan of Sigmund Brouwer, I began reading this book with anticipation that it would be every bit as good as any of his other books I've read. But this one far surpassed my expectations. Twists and turns keep the book interesting, with just enough factual background to keep it interesting.
May 11, 2019
3.5 ⭐️ I literally pulled this book from the shelf thinking this was an adventure story set in Canada. But boy was I wrong. A good read, tho. Mind buggling and genius storytelling about the horrors in Vatican👌🏼
January 15, 2022
Oh boy, this story brings up the many controversies of the Catholic church, from exorcisms to child molestation. It's a very tangled story and at its ending it threatens to disrupt all the reader has been led to believe happened throughout the book.
March 26, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. You never quite knew exactly where it was going. Of course a couple of things are predictable, like all things. The 007 feel was high near the end of the story. It kept me interested. Also, I “stan” Nana.
September 6, 2017
Loved this book!
April 30, 2018
good idea but not new. i also had a problem while reading it, not all the sentences were understandable. but i don't regret reading it afterall.
May 10, 2018
I really enjoyed this story! I don’t enjoy reading dialogue and this book had over my limit. Otherwise... loved the plot!
June 6, 2018
It was an ok read....just another conspiracy theme.
December 10, 2018
I would call this fiction work not Christian but Catholic fiction.
January 23, 2019
This book was so good! Super interesting! Definitely unique!
May 22, 2020
Audiobook. An easy listen. Popes, cardinals devils and demons.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews