My Soul to Keep

Day of Evil #3

by Melanie Wells

As nasty as I knew Peter Terry to be, I never expected him to start kidnapping kids. Much less a sweet, funny little boy with nothing to protect him but a few knock-kneed women, two rabbits, and a staple gun…

It’s psychology professor Dylan Foster’s favorite day of the academic year–graduation day. A day of pomp, circumstance, and celebration. And after all the mortar boards are thrown, Dylan and some of her best friends will gather around a strawberry cake to celebrate Christine Zocci’s sixth birthday. But the joyful summer afternoon goes south when a little boy is snatched from a neighborhood park, setting off a chain of events that seem to lead exactly nowhere.

Police are baffled, but Christine’s eerie connection with the kidnapped child sends Dylan on a chilling investigation of her own. Is the pasty, elusive stranger Peter Terry to blame? Exploding light bulbs, the deadly buzz of a Texas rattlesnake, and the vivid, disturbing dreams of a little girl are just pieces in a long trail of tantalizing clues leading Dylan in her dogged search for the truth.

Genres: Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Supernatural, Fantasy

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2008

About the author

Melanie Wells began her writing career by telling lies on the playground. An accomplished fiddle player (she went to SMU on a music scholarship), she is the author of the critically acclaimed Dylan Foster series of psychological thrillers: When the Day of Evil Comes, The Soul Hunter, and My Soul to Keep (Waterbrook/Multnomah, a Division of Random House). Melanie holds two masters degrees and is a licensed psychotherapist and licensed marriage and family therapist. She is the founder and director of The LifeWorks Group, P.A., a collaborative, creative community of psychotherapists (www.wefixbrains.com), with offices in Dallas and Ft. Worth. She lives in Dallas with her dog, Gunner, who wishes she would not spend so much time at her computer. Fun fact: Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen have both signed her fiddle case.

Reviews

[Kane Faucher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dylan Foster has elected of her own volition to follow the wending labyrinth of mysteries and intrigues surrounding the kidnapping of a young neighbourhood child. As the police turn up no substantive clues in finding the child, Dylan relies on a constellation of unlikely sources to aid her in the quest for truth. Chilling coincidences and the unsettling dreams of a six-year-old girl, Christine Zocci, lead Dylan on an epic and shadowy journey filled with bizarre twists and feints as she unravels an even deeper mystery. As opposed to other “whodunit” books of this genre, the tale is imbued with a more intensive psychological focus, involving haunting symbols and the paranormal connection between dreams and reality.
Melanie Wells employs sinuous, rolling description in this suspenseful drama. With a natural flair for dialogue, My Soul to Keep is a spellbinding example of a writer at the top of her prose, and an exemplary highlight that just may outshine her other offerings such as The Soul Hunter and When the Day of Evil Comes. As in her other two previous novels, Wells truly excels in writing characters of profound depth and in providing her readers with a mystifying and sinister atmosphere that truly compels. Moments of levity occur throughout to give the story a strong sense of pace and realism, allowing readers to catch their breath when the macabre richness of the tale becomes vertiginous. This interplay of shadow and light effectively make this book a kind of literary chiaroscuro, and will provide delight to those readers who wish to be swept up by the intriguing and sometimes shadowy details of the human mind.

[Victoria Montoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am heartbroken. I loved this series so much and I'm left without a real conclusion to the story. What happened to Peter Terry? Did Dylan finally get him out of her life? If so, how? Did things work out with Dylan and David? I have a feeling Melanie Wells has at least one more book up her sleeve for this series, but it's nowhere to be found. Melanie, if your reading this review, please give me some closure. I love your work so much and I'm left wishing there was more. Thank you for a great story.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in a series of mystery/mystical/suspense novels about a psychologist who finds herself caught up in something that's bigger than her. The story grabs you from the first chapter, and it's difficult to put down until the end! I can't wait for the next one to come out!

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fair--lots of spiritual warfare. 3rd in series and I didn't read the first two. Not very strong spiritual content considering the subject.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had this book on the shelf for a long time and now I know why. Too much background drama as with the main character and an old boyfriend and her struggles with God and this ‘Peter Terry’ who was never really explained. Little about the boy that was kidnapped. Not sure about other stories from this author but I won’t be reading any books by her again.

[Melissamc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad to Finish . . . Need another in this series

Great book! These characters are likable, relatable and leave you feeling as if you’ve had to leave some of your best friends when you finish each book.

Next?

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost 4★
I unfortunately haven't read the first 2 of this series so I may have missed something along the way. I did enjoy the pace of the story, the quirky dialogue and interactions with the children. The whole spiritual 6th sense component was not over done and that made it believable.

[Nicole DeVault · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had difficulty connecting to the first half of the book. The second half was much better.

[Nicole Okawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun quick read that is easy to follow.

[Megan Magee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t read the previous 2 in this series, but after research, I felt it would be fine to explore as a stand alone. The MC is ditzy, charming, witty, and responsibility free for the most part- aside from a string of bad luck that seems to follow her and her friends/ family like a dark cloud. After a while, these qualities becoming annoying. Maybe it just seemed redundant and trivial to me. The supporting characters are enjoyable, but I was hoping to unearth more details about them. The main villain- was he behind anything directly, or just previously a menace? Did this series really end with no updating in the driving evil force? Did the MC reignite her relationship with David? For a final book in a series, this one felt very incomplete and unsatisfactory by the ending.

[Wyeth Doty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first two in the series, but still really good! As always, Dylan is a wonderful character and I felt like I could really relate to her the whole time. I'm sad the series is over! I wish I could read them all for the first time again.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In My Soul to Keep, the third spiritual thriller featuring psychologist Dylan Foster, Melanie Wells brings her reluctant heroine full circle as Dylan is forced to confront her most complex battle yet against the demon Peter Terry. This time, Peter Terry's attacking the children in Dylan's life as Nicholas, the son of her friend Maria, is kidnapped. Six-year-old Christine, a child with astonishing spiritual acumen, witnesses the kidnapping and is emotionally traumatized. But her faith and spiritual depth may be the best link Dylan has to discovering the kidnapped child's whereabouts. On top of this tragedy, Dylan's personal life hits new lows as her distinct lack of "people skills" repeatedly threaten to drive away the small group of friends who put up with her in spite of her prickly demeanor.

Of the three novels in the series, this book is the least successful as a standalone, so I have to stress reading the books in order (the first, When the Day of Evil Comes, and then its sequel, The Soul Hunter). However, not working as well as a standalone novel in this case should only serve as incentive to read the entire series. Wells has hit her stride and the canvas on which she paints Dylan's story has become increasingly rich and complex with each successive outing. I would have liked to have seen more insight into Maria's response to her son's kidnapping - Wells gives us more of Liz's perspective (Christine's mother) as the worried parent of a hospitalized child. I think it would have made for an even more compelling read if a bit more attention had been devoted to Maria's viewpoint in the middle section of the novel. (I could also do with a little less product placement - you can only name so many name-brand cleaning products without having Dylan's cleaning obsession cross over from quirky to annoying and distract from the narrative.) However, the bottom line is that this is Dylan's story, and having her most vulnerable friends - young children - attacked sends Dylan reeling. Her episodes of spiritual and self-examination are not only insightful but brutally honest.

At the time of this review, My Soul to Keep is the final Dylan Foster novel. With this series, Melanie Wells has introduced an unforgettable heroine - a sassy, irreverent, smart aleck who's thoroughly relatable, modern, and genuine. Wells has brought the spiritual realm into the forefront of her characters' everyday lives, driving home the reality of spiritual warfare in a real and compelling way. She has a knack for building suspense and terror out of everyday circumstances and situations which makes her novels chilling and compulsively readable in a way that's reminiscent of the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Each novel in this series comes highly recommended.

[Katherine Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited years to hear more from Melanie Wells and was thrilled to finally spot her latest on Amazon. In My Soul to Keep, the third of the Day of Evil series, psychology professor Dylan Foster’s young friend, Christine Zocci, celebrates her sixth birthday at a park where a little boy, Nicholas, is snatched by a stranger. As the police commence their search, every clue fizzles to failure, while Christine’s eerie connection to the boy leads Dylan on an investigation of her own. Dodging the mysterious Peter Terry’s attempts to thwart her, Dylan remains dogged to the end in her quest for the truth.

Who would not want to spend time with this charmingly flawed, outspoken heroine (entirely too prim a term for the intrepid Dr. Dylan Foster)? A thoroughly beguiling Christian, neck-deep in boyfriend woes, who freely admits that, “if Christianity were a merit-based society, I would have gotten kicked out years ago. … I never go to Bible study, don’t keep a prayer journal or do the morning ‘quiet time’ thing. I only remember to pray in emergency situations. The truth is, I really don’t have time or energy for all that checklisty stuff.”

Makes me wish I could join her in one of those ”let’s get real” conversations, preferably over one of her famous glasses of pinot grigio.

This novel has it all: taut pacing, spicy voice, a dash of romance–a superbly crafted suspense. If pressed to provide a criticism, I would offer up only this: the cover, in its sepia tones, conveys a grimness not reflected in the story. Don’t let the macabre artwork scare you away. If ever a book should not be judged by its cover, it’s this one.

May the next wait not be so long for a Melanie Wells novel, whether it’s another installment in this series, or something entirely new. In either case, if it’s anything like My Soul to Keep, it’ll be well worth the wait.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thoughts: If you know anything about me and my book reviews you know that I have a really long TBR list. If you did not know that, look at my archives and see it. Anyway, it's long, I just have so many things that are calling my name. Well, I received this book My Soul to Keep and it is book three of a series. I'm one of those people who does not like to read things out of order, so I planned to put this one further down in the pile and maybe read the others first, but then I read a couple reviews on various websites and the blurbs in the front cover and decided to at least read the first chapter and intro. Well, next thing I know I'm starting chapter 6, then chapter 14, then it's the next day I'm halfway through and just have to finish it. So now, being finished with this novel I'm extremely glad that I read it. This book was un-like anything that I have read, it was better than almost any mystery film that I have seen. The main character, Dylan a female psychologist is the most fun-loving hilarious character that has ever existed. She is so real, and just what you need in a character to make you fully enjoy the book. The main point in the book is a kidnapping, but so many other things happen one after the other and you think it's all just ridiculous, but in a not so crazy sense, it is really is not. It makes complete sense. This book brings in a little paranormal with Angels and non-Angels, and it makes me curious about her other books. If you want some mystery, and some realistic faith, and lovable characters in a story, then please read this book! You will chuckle more than giggle, and you might even cry a little, I did.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The horror elements are actually muted this at this point in the series -- this is really more of a suspense novel with tinges of the supernatural, and those tinges are clearly shaping up into an overarching backstory with hierarchies of angels and demons whose spiritual warfare spills over messily into human lives. At this point, you can still read this novel on its own, but there's a lot you can better appreciate if you've got the first two under your belt. Clearly, this is all headed somewhere... but where, and over how many more books?

[Duane Benedict · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series that I have read. Maybe Dylan's character traits/flaws would be better understood if I'd read all 3 books in order.

Just enough creepy factor. Some of Dylan's exploits seem unlikely. Running around seedy parts of town...late at night...in a clunker. Not likely if you want to stay alive. Again, maybe that is part of the allure.

I'm intrigued by the Peter Terry and Joe Riley characters. Enough to go read the first 2 books.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know this was the 3rd in a series when I picked it up and there were several places in the book where I knew the story was referencing something from book 1 or 2. That said, I still managed to follow the story and the relationships pretty well. Would I go back and read the first two? Probably not. But this one was pretty good.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read. I picked it up at the library not realizing it was number three out of three in a series. As I was reading it I often questioned some things the main character was doing or saying it just did not seem real, but I also could not put it down and had that eerie feeling when I was not reading it. I would check out the other two if given a chance.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this mystery and could not put it down. Melanie Wells is a talented writer and drew me in from the first page and kept me wanting to know more until the very end! My only regret is that I didn't read the other Dylan Foster stories first because I felt that they would have helped me understand this book a little clearer.

[Tiffany Malcom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty much everyone who knows me knows I won't quit reading a book . . . once I start, I have to finish. But I came close with this one. There were parts of the story that were good, but I just wanted to hear the story about finding the kidnapped boy without all of the weird stuff thrown in around it.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line was the best out of the three but the reason I gave it three stars instead of four was the ending. The worst ending to a trilogy I have ever read. In fact there was no ending; it just stopped. Nothing was really left unsaid but I felt there could have been more. There could easily have been a couple more books in this series.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too far out there weird for me. Maybe I just missed out by reading the first two in the series, but this bad mysterious spirit guy, Peter Terry, being to blame for all this - nope, not my kind of book.

[Dawn Golec Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out if all three....the second book was the best. I am not sure if the Author plans to write more in this series. I felt like there were too many loose ends for the characters...including the infamous Peter Terry. I hope there is more. Good book all in all. But the second is my favorite.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prefer this book, #3, over the other two in the series. Easy read, decent plot twists, just not a book that I would probably reread. The main character is interesting enough. There's something about it I don't love - maybe that the plots are so similar between the books? Not sure.

[Kahri]

cant wait for it to come out!

[Jennifer Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspenseful. Great book did not know that the author has written previous books using the same characters. Looking into reading more of these!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuing story of Dylan Foster's strange encounters with Peter Terry and the people he's affected. This time, a young boy is kidnapped and Dylan tries to figure out the who and the why.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

intriging, captivating

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last book in this series...again, same main characters but as good as the other two. All with suspense and some romance thrown in there too.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read in this series!!! I sure hope she keeps writing!!