Kiss
by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy

Kiss is Ted Dekker’s latest novel, cowritten with Erin Healy, and it just hit stores last week. Tagged as romantic suspense, it revolves around Shauna McAllister and her search for the truth and for her own lost memories.

When a tragic auto accident leaves Shauna McAllister’s brother brain-damaged and erases her recent memories, she discovers she has a paranormal ability to steal memories from others, a capability that will either get her killed or unveil hidden sides of the very people she thought she could trust. Against this background, she attempts to uncover the ugly truth about her father’s dark secrets and to upend his run for president of the United States.

When I was offered an advance copy of Kiss to read and review, I couldn’t turn it down. I’ve been a fan of Ted Dekker since I fell in love with his Circle Trilogy (Black, Red, White), and I was curious about this book, his first cowritten with a woman.  As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I am a fan of thrillers. I love books with plenty of twists and turns, and enough suspense to keep me reading long after I should be asleep. And Dekker almost always delivers in those areas.

Kiss certainly did not disappoint. Twists and turns? Check. Plenty of suspense? Check. Staying up far too late, just so I could see what happens next? Check.

But what about the romance? I have to admit that sometimes, romantic suspense novels really bug me. It’s not that I have anything against romance, but rather it often seems the author is so determined to incorporate romance that it feels forced, overdone, or completely unrealistic, given the harrowing circumstances the characters are supposedly immersed in. However, I don’t think Kiss fell into this trap at all. The romance was appropriately subtle, while the focus was kept on Shauna’s quest for the truth.

I know that some readers believe the paranormal in Dekker’s novels sometimes seems “way out there,” but if that’s your concern, I encourage you to still give Kiss a try. Yes, the main character is able to “steal” memories from other people, but the authors handled this anomaly in a very down-to-earth way, keeping Shauna a realistic character with whom readers can relate.

Finally, I really appreciated the way Kiss reminds us of the value of painful memories. So often, we would like to completely forget a trial or difficulty from our past, but God can use painful pasts to point us in the right direction and to use us to accomplish His purposes. Kiss is not “preachy,” but it still gets the point across.

If you still need a little convincing, check out the reviews on Amazon.com — I’m not the only one who enjoyed Kiss!  And I just noticed that Dekker has another book coming out in April: Boneman’s Daughters. I’m guessing it’ll be another page-turner!