Thr3e / Obsessed

by Ted Dekker

Three: Enter a world where nothing is what it seems. Where your closest friend could be your greatest enemy. Kevin Parson is driving his car late one summer day when, suddenly, his cell phone rings. A man who identifies himself as Slater speaks in a breathy voice: You have exactly three minutes to confess your sin to the world. Refuse, and the car you're driving will blow sky high. Kevin panics. Who would make such a call? What sin? Kevin ditches the car. Precisely three minutes later, a massive explosion sets his world on a collision course with madness. From the #1 best-selling fiction author comes a powerful story of good, evil, and all that lies between.

Obsessed: A deadly tale of ultimate obsession. Stephen Friedman is making a good living in good times. He's just an ordinary guy. Or so he thinks. But one day an extraordinary piece of information tells him differently. It's a clue from the grave of a Holocaust survivor. A clue that makes him heir to an incredible fortune...a clue that only he and one other man can possibly understand. That man is Roth Braun, a serial killer who has been waiting for Stephen for thirty years. Roth was stopped once before. This time nothing will get in his way. Known worldwide for page-turning, adrenaline-laced thrillers, Dekker raises the stakes in this story of passion, revenge, and an all-consuming obsession for the ultimate treasure.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Horror

649 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Ted Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil. Ted lives in Austin with his wife LeeAnn and their four children.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both stories were very good and the author created a lot of suspense. I enjoyed “Three” the most as more of a psychological thriller. Looking forward to my next Dekker book!

[Shari · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book annoyed me. Here's the biggest problem: it's actually super engaging. You won't be able to put it down.
Here's what annoyed me the most: child abuse is not a plot point to write a clever story with twists at the end. Child abuse is actually horrible, and for those of us who were abused emotionally and have worked with kids who were abused, we just can't get behind this crap. Don't get me wrong: I couldn't put the book down. In the end, however, I am pretty disgusted with it.
Also, I liked Samantha. I can't say much more without spoiling the plot. Ugh. Disappointing.

[Elyse · Rating 1 out of 5]

TW: childhood abuse, Dissociative Identity Disorder, mental illness, ableism, and the worst crime of all; crummy writing.

We'll start with the good because that's a lot shorter and quicker to get through: the premise was interesting, cool idea for a story. And the twist ending did indeed surprise me! That's it.

The bad: and it is indeed bad.

[Ursala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so this was okay. Took me forever as I wasn't really into it. But it was surprising. It was a bit long winded and had too many (for my taste) references to religion.

I didn't read "Obsessed". Can't do all the religion.

[Rachel Tobey Barrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a thrill. I love the surprise twist and the way they explain it to make it actually believable.
Admittedly, it is a “Christian” book, but I don’t think the religious messaging is enough to take away from the mystery.

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!!!

[Emma Pettus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thr3e 5/5 Obsessed 3/5

[Brittany Darr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly fast paced book that kept me guessing in all the right ways. I enjoyed the details and the ending was pretty fair, expected darker I suppose. There was a lot of slight of hand tricks paired with the pace and surprise ending, this book almost begs to be reread to make sure Dekker was paying attention to the transitions. I think his tone was nice, and I would explore other books by him. This book crossed my path due to book club's previously reading his daughter's work.

Plan to read again in the future, and eager to see if others saw that exact ending coming.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give Thr3e 3/5 stars and Obsessed a solid 1/5 stars (since I can't give a zero), for an average or middle of 2/5.

Thr3e
There is a blurb at the end that has Romans 7:15-25 and it cuts out the most important part, which is v. 24-25a “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” That part being cut out bothers me so much.

Also, I was under the impression that Ted Dekker is a Christian author, but he is not, he is actually Catholic. *For those that know the difference and care. If you don’t know the difference or don’t care, this warning is not for you.*

CW/TW (Content Warning) : child abuse, dark themes. No F-bombs though, no sex scenes, no illicit relationships.

If you don’t care about spoilers, read on. OR if you’ve read the book and want to know what others thought, please also read on. I was kind of disappointed by the end. I mean, it’s kind of satisfying because I GUESS the bad guy dies? But also, I really wanted there to be a concrete villain to be thwarted and either go to jail or die. Also, there are a lot of unanswered questions about what happens after that I would have liked to know. Such as: what happens to Belinda? What happens to Bob and the doormat husband? I hope they get separated from Belinda forever. Does Milton ever get punched in the face? What happens to Kevin after? Obviously he gets psychiatric help but how does he support himself and get food and basic necessities? Does the actual Riddle Killer ever get caught??? Was that in a separate book? So many unanswered questions!!

Obsessed
The main protagonist for this book was so stupid that it actually gave me a headache. Once again that ending was really unsatisfying because I have so many unanswered questions. The biggest question is how does the bad guy get punished? I want to see some justice and his lament. That whole book was just unsatisfying and stressful. You can honestly skim or skip Stephen’s part entirely and you don’t miss much.

(TW) Content/Trigger Warning: this book is so dark that it actually made me nauseous. Gruesome deaths, satanic rituals, cannibalism, racism, but no F-bombs or illicit relationships. Regardless, I regret reading and finishing this book.

[Dru Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

(this review is for the first half of the book, specifically Thr3e)

While it was a page turner, and I really enjoyed this book, especially as my first Ted Dekker novel, I am a little tired of the specific twist ending that this one featured. I've just seen it too many times recently as a "clever" way out of this type of thriller. All in all, I liked the book and will certainly give this author another shot.

[Sarah (In A Book Bind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of THREE: WOW! This book is, quite simply, AMAZING. I'm normally not into thrillers, but this held me in suspense and kept me guessing right up till the end. I love the Christian message in the book, although you could still enjoy it purely from a philosophical point of view if you are not Christian. Or, just read it because it's a great thriller. Highly recommend!

I will review Obsessed when I have finished the book (This is a 2 in 1 book)

[Chris Clements · Rating 3 out of 5]

While they eventually made a movie out of this book, this was not the reason I read it. I enjoy most of Ted Dekker's writings. This book was full of suspense and drama. It left me guessing until the very end with a very climactic end to a great story. Not one of Dekker's most theologically deep books though.

[Trish Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for Three: I love psychological thrillers. I also usually figure them out pretty quickly. This one however, got me! I didn't see it coming, and I would have to say this is one of ny all time favorite books for that reason.

[Jody Crone · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG.... What a page turner...I kept thinking I had the story figured out, and then, BAM!!something else would happen and blow my theory completely out of the water... A must read ...so I can talk about it with YOU!!!

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very thrilling read with a twist ending...every time i thought i had it figured out it turned again....would highly recommend to any thriller suspense enthusiast

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one will keep you awake at night. Twisted, psychological thriller. I like it.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have the movie Three, also. Good movie.

[Paula Joiner Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book I ever read of Dekkers... I was hooked right then and there!

[Amelia Sallee]

So far, so good!