Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

On the 7th Day

Rate this book
New York Times bestseller T.D. Jakes pens a compelling story that unites love, suspense, and faith into one heart-wrenching package.

Based on the film, Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the Seventh Day, executive-produced by T.D. Jakes, a novel that follows the lives of a couple whose love and commitment are tested when their only child is kidnapped right from under them in their gated community in New Orleans.

David, a respected college professor and his wife, Kari, appear to be the perfect church-going prosperous couple when their young daughter is abducted. The police immediately launch an investigation and set out to find the child of this high-profile couple. Reports surface of a serial child-kidnapper on the loose with a pattern of killing his victims on the seventh day, so there’s no time to waste. In pursuit of information relevant to the case, they uncover information about Kari whose past threatens their marriage and challenges their capacity to forgive.

Unknown Binding

First published December 20, 2011

9 people are currently reading
281 people want to read

About the author

T.D. Jakes

454 books1,137 followers
Bishop T.D. Jakes is the author of the bestsellers God's Leading Lady; The Lady, Her Lover and Her Lord; Maximize the Moment; The Great Investment; His Lady; Woman, Thou art Loosed (the film of which won the Best Film Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival) and He-Motions. His daily morning show The Potter's Touch and weekly broadcast The Potter's House air on Trinity Broadcasting Network and Black Entertainment Television, as well as in Europe and South America. Bishop Jakes is the founder and pastor of The Potter's House, one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation, where he leads an interracial congregation of more than 28,000 members. He lives in Dallas with his wife and five children.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
73 (38%)
4 stars
51 (26%)
3 stars
48 (25%)
2 stars
14 (7%)
1 star
5 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Tee loves Kyle Jacobson.
2,532 reviews179 followers
November 21, 2012
On The Seventh Day is an INCREDIBLE READ! God has a way with sending you messages when you need one and this book was his way of sending me a loud and clear message I received. I have to say that I love T.D. Jakes books and his music. There is such a calming effect he has that God just reaches into my heart and quiets down everything that the devil is trying to stir up. This book was such an uplifting inspiration for me because it reminded me that what I perceive as bad is not always the case and I need to lean on Jesus and know that he will always be there for me.

In On The Seventh Day we meet a college professor David who has it all. He has a lovely wife and a daughter he loves to pieces. He loves his job and has an assistant who is a little to friendly towards him. As you read you learn that everything is not what it seems and peoples outward appearances are not always how or who they really are. Kari is Davids wife and she seems so happy and content in her life until their daughter is kidnapped then you see the cracks in their relationship and their everyday lives they live.

When their daughter is kidnapped Kari's old life comes to the forefront and she is judged harshly by her husband and friends. She was a hooker and she still pays the pimp to keep quiet but when her husband finds out he acts like she is the plague and does not want to touch her or look at her. So through a series of flash backs we see that Mr High and Mighty David is not perfect at all but a cheating lying son of a so and so. As they struggle to find their daughter and figure out what happened to her Kari has a moment where she wants to relapse but a friend is there for her and he helps her through.

In the end the person who kidnapped their daughter was someone who was close to them and knew by doing this it was hurting them and hoping to break up the marriage. There are so many lessons to learn from this but the one that stood out to me was that you never truly know a person until you have a crisis and in times of crisis you need to lean no lay on God and he will carry you through. He will fill your hurt and your pain and he will make it right!
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,121 reviews423 followers
October 17, 2012
I'd rate this book a high 3 or low 4 stars. It's not a work of literary art since it is written from a television script. The story is good and worthwhile. It is about redemptive love and Divine forgiveness, as well as trusting in Him to forgive.

I liked the way all of the characters are flawed yet some of them find the fortitude to trust in a bigger plan. It's a good Hallmark card and nice evening spent reading an entire book.

I liked it.
Profile Image for Paula  Phillips.
5,680 reviews342 followers
September 14, 2012
WOW , have you ever read or picked up a book and thought hmm , this should be good and you have an expectation of that author to produce an amazing piece of work. For me , as soon as I saw this advertised as a movie a few weeks ago and that it was based on a book by African- American preacher TD Jakes, I knew I just had to read it and that it would be amazing as I had read one of his books "Woman: Thou Art Loosed" about three+ years ago and I was reading it on the bus and had to actually put the book down as I honestly had tears of sadness rolling down my face - talk about embarrasing for myself. His story had moved me so much and for me to have tears rolling down my cheeks, not just the watery eyes but actual tears shows that this was an emotional and touching story.
On the Seventh Day to a christian could mean the story of God's creation but for this family it meant terror and worry that they may never see their daughter again. Meet the Ames family - Kari, David and their four-yr old daughter Mikayla. They are a god-fearing family and love each other to bits and have no secrets or so they thought and discovered. Somebody in their area is kidnapping children and holding them for six days and then on the seventh day , they are found dead. When Kari and David's daughter goes missing , the worse is feared - has the M.K killer kidnapped their daughter ? So begins a seven day countdown, however in the week , David and Kari are about to discover that sometimes you really don't know the person you married and how easy it is to forget who you are and be judged on your past. When Kari's past comes into light , she finds herself suddenly alone and in the spotlight, has someone from her past kidnapped Mikayla to teach her a lesson ? David, on the other hand has always prided himself in being a married man and a son of the Christ but when things get tough in his marriage and he no longer feels supported, will he turn towards temptation in the form of Beth - his TA ? When FBI Agent Will turns up - Kari's first love , will she return to him or will she stand by her husband David ? Will they find their daughter DOA ?
Find out all this and more in the amazing and outstanding novel by TD Jakes. This is one book that you will not want to miss and I would highly recommend it to all.
Profile Image for Adrienna.
Author 18 books242 followers
May 20, 2013
This novel amazed me. I read T.D. Jakes other books even in this series but do not recall it laced with profanity. There are several words used in dialogue or thought process in italics; and I saw the movie first before reading the novel which actually followed very well via book to movie.

Blair Underwood is not only a great actor but super sexy still! I really loved the movie and wanted to read the book, which was pretty decent aside from the cursing. I thought reading T.D. Jakes, I would be okay to read without worrying about anything like profane language used to be relatable to the characters (as most authors make this excuse). Yet, I do know that we are not perfect even as believers of Jesus Christ. Moreover, I didn't really experience the churchgoing thingy concept until page 281 (towards the end section in the seventh day sub-chapters).

The writing style was mediocre for me, and in some cases, more telling and making assumptions (or drawing to your own conclusions early on). I've enjoyed other books by T.D. Jakes such as nonfiction as well as past novels. However, this was a good read and finished in three readings!

Overall, I do like the compelling storyline about how believers are not perfect and hide behind their education, intellect, or even classy neighborhoods thinking this will protect them from predators. Then, both married couples have deceitful secrets that came to the light! The whole time, you are praying for the innocent life in this web of deception--safe and sound. Can this couple get it right after this dreadful seven nights?

Adrienna Turner
Author of "God is in the Equation"
Profile Image for OOSA .
1,802 reviews237 followers
March 10, 2013
What’s Done in the Dark

From the outside looking in, David and Kari Ames seem to have a solid marriage and loving family. Their world is shattered when their daughter, four-year-old Mikayla, is kidnapped. As the days pass, the investigation in the kidnapping progresses, stress, pain and anxiety make way for skeletons from the past to fall out of David and Kari’s respective closets and things and people are not as they seem.

T.D. Jakes has done it again. Though I was not in love with the idea of the story revolving around the kidnapping of a child – every parent’s worst nightmare – I thoroughly enjoyed “On the Seventh Day.” Faith and forgiveness are central themes. Add to that a compelling and suspenseful story and you have a good read that I recommend to others.

Reviewed by: Marcella
Profile Image for Sandra (Book Loves) Atueyi.
708 reviews23 followers
February 24, 2016
Title: On The Seventh Day
Author: T.D. Jakes
Reviewed by: Sandra

Review:

On the Seventh Day is a good read. It's a emotional and spiritual. This is my first time to reading from T.D. Jakes. Mr. Jakes did a good job. He introduces his readers to David and Kari. He gives a good message and positive message in this book. In the beginning and middle of the book was a emotional, stressful and drama to David and Kari. End of the book was blessed and happiness for them.

I enjoyed reading this book and watch the movie from this book. This book is based on the truth story. It's well written. I'm looking forward to read more books from this author and I hope this author will give a good positive message to me. I'm happy that I could related to this book. This book deserves five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Renae Valadez.
11 reviews9 followers
March 3, 2013
Learning to forgive yourself and others came be a real challenge. Truth and honesty are very important in any relationship even marriage. To put God first is also very important. Your trust in God truly comes into play when someone that you love has been taken for you in this novel. Excellent novel that I would recommend this one. Enjoy and God bless
Profile Image for Rev. Linda.
665 reviews
October 30, 2013
This was a real page turner. The novel, my second title by T. D. Jakes, deals with the emotions that a couple experience when their child is abducted, and the secrets that come to the surface from both of their pasts during the police investigation. Has a really surprise sending and is a wonderful example of God being in all circumstances, even when it seems He has abandoned us.
62 reviews6 followers
February 8, 2013
On The Seventh Day was a quick read. I watched the movie first and it was pretty much in line with the book. I thought it was a good story with some great moral lessons.
3 reviews
July 22, 2013
Awesome! This is the first time that I have ever read a Bishop T D Jakes books. I thoroughly enjoyed it.. it was a page turner. I can understand the many lessons being taught in this book...
Profile Image for MaryAnn.
105 reviews6 followers
October 25, 2012
This is a great story to serve as a reminder that when we think we have life all under control and can handle any thing that is put in our way, we have to come back to what is important in life.

The story is every parent's nightmare and a depiction of what happens to a couple when everything that could go wrong in a marriage does. As much as we want to believe that the things in our past life can be buried and forgotten, the story is a great reminder that unless those issues are dealt with they will continue to negatively impact that "new" life that we started.

The theme to the book is that when we can't do for ourselves we turn to God to give us the strength that we don't have on our own. The question came to my mind several times while reading this book, "what does it take to get our attention?"

I really appreciated the message in this story and give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Kevin.
804 reviews20 followers
May 21, 2013
This book is a good example of not judging a book by its cover. Based solely on the front cover copy (stating it was part of the "Woman, Thou Art Loosed! series) I probably would have bypassed it. Had I done so I would have missed out on an extremely well-written story.

David and Kari Ames appear to have the perfect marriage, but when their young daughter is kidnapped the reality of the past comes into the present and threatens their future. Author T.D. Jakes has given David and Kari some very real character flaws. Each day their daughter is missing brings forth new revelations about the other that have to be dealt with. However, it is those discoveries and those flaws that allow the redemptive power of God's love and forgiveness to shine brightly in this story.

An engaging story and great characterization make this book easy to recommend to others.
Profile Image for Arizona Atueyi.
20 reviews5 followers
March 4, 2016
On the Seventh Day is a good read. It's a emotional and spiritual. This is my first time to reading from T.D. Jakes. Mr. Jakes did a good job. He introduces his readers to David and Kari. He gives a good message and positive message in this book. In the beginning and middle of the book was a emotional, stressful and drama to David and Kari. End of the book was blessed and happiness for them.

I enjoyed reading this book and watch the movie from this book. This book is based on the truth story. It's well written. I'm looking forward to read more books from this author and I hope this author will give a good positive message to me. I'm happy that I could related to this book. This book deserves five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
7 reviews
November 26, 2012
I really enjoyed this book- it held my interest-scripture based.
Profile Image for Rhonda.
10 reviews40 followers
Read
April 23, 2013
This book was decent. Quick read.
Profile Image for Sandra Brown.
25 reviews
September 6, 2014
I saw the movie years ago; interesting story; he judged her but had skeletons in his closet.
Profile Image for Shannan Harper.
2,461 reviews28 followers
June 26, 2015
It was an ok read. I read it for a book club discussion. Basically it seems that they just put the movie script in book format.
Profile Image for Dana.
229 reviews3 followers
December 23, 2015
Great read! What is done in the dark always be brought to the light!! You have to face your past in order to move forward and enjoy your future.
Profile Image for Shalawn.
100 reviews
December 15, 2012
This was a really good Christian based book. I think the book was much better than the movie.
73 reviews1 follower
October 7, 2023
I enjoyed this book immensely. My first time reading this author. It really made you think about the things we take for granted everyday, especially the feelings of others.
Profile Image for Blue North.
280 reviews
October 21, 2013
David and Kari are leading the good life along with their little girl, Mikayla. However, unexpectedly life changes for the worse. All of a sudden these loving parents find themselves looking for their little girl. Mikayla is stolen out of their house. Perhaps, a better word is kidnapped. No ransom is ever asked for, but all the same Mikayla can not be found. David and Kari are heartbroken. They hope and pray that Mikayla will be found alive and well.

T.D. Jakes brings these characters to life. They are definitely three dimensional. I felt as though Mikayla was a child in my neighborhood whom I had waved at or given cookies and milk. Even though Mikayla is not given a voice until deep into the story she still seems real. We see and know her by what the parents say about her.

Mikayla's disappearance is the high drama in the novel. However, when one thing goes wrong in life suddenly something else and something else go wrong until our whole house falls down around us. In the midst of looking for Mikayla, David and Kari find out they really don't know one another. Both parents have pasts which can destroy their love for one another and could very well destroy the family circle before or if Mikayla is ever found.

It is amazing how human nature can find a way to lead two lives at one time. I suppose this is why people say we are actors on a stage. What I learned about Kari surprised me. What I learned about David shocked me more than Kani's situation. On The Seventh Day by T.D. Jakes becomes a plea for the human community to let go of the past. To share our secrets with the one we love the most knowing that God will never forsake us. His love is always there to catch us when we fall and to stabilize us. Secrets will not destroy us because His Love covers us.

It is mind jerking suspense wondering whether Mikayla will ever be found, wondering who could have taken her and wondering if they are hurting her in some way. I only wish T.D. Jakes had chosen another title. I fear people will think it is a nonfiction book about marriage or some other subject if they don't read the inside cover. I would have liked a Thriller like title. This would ensure every one would know their picking up a Christian mystery novel. This does not mean the title does not have purpose. The title is a huge literary symbol for what happens in the novel. I look forward to reading more fiction by T.D. Jakes.tdjakes.on-the-7th-day/
5 reviews
October 12, 2015
T.D. Jake's On the 7th Day mesmerized with helpful and interest , I really liked this book it was a good novel it was touching i learned a lot about this book as well , it really as heart braking in some parts .
David, a respected college professor, and his wife, Kari, appear to be the perfect churchgoing prosperous couple when their young daughter is abducted. The police immediately launch an investigation and set out to find the child of this high-profile couple. Reports surface of a serial kidnapper on the loose with a pattern of killing his victims on the seventh day, so there’s no time to waste. In pursuit of information relevant to the case, the police uncover startling information about Kari. Now Kari’s past threatens her marriage and challenges the couple’s capacity to forgive.The hunt for Zoe takes trails through the world of pedophilia, including the capture of a serial child killer who considered killing children a sacrifice to a god angered by the wickedness in today’s world. The movie contains heavy drinking with obvious intoxication. It also contains foul language and police misbehavior.
Early in the book, Pastor T.D. Jakes is shown giving a sermon about getting to the root of one’s bitterness and dealing with it. Kari suffers from having been raped by her father. The movie’s path to loosing Kari from that root of bitterness is very unpleasant to read . Also, she’s left with a marriage and family situation still in need of much help. Rather than leaving audiences inspired by the grace of God, ON THE 7TH DAY will leave readers depressed about the vile world around them, including the sordid behavior of some people who claim to be Christian.
Throughout the investigation he has to deal with Kari's FBI ex Wil who he ended up summoning by using a contact he had the mayor's office. The two butt heads a lot due to how David acts and because of Wil's lingering feelings. In a way though, after how rocky the marriage becomes after Kari's secrets are revealed, he gets told what he needs to hear. They had found there daughter and continued to move on with there lives .
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.