Hacker by Ted Dekker

Nyah Parks is a teenager that is brilliant and has an amazing skill with hacking computers. Her mom has suffered a brain injury from a car accident, the same accident that killed her brother and father. She is desperate to find some help for her mom before she loses her too. She asks her friend for help hacking into one of the largest companies in town but everything goes wrong. While Nyah is on the run she flees to her friend Austin. Austin reveals he is suffering from a health problem and has been experimenting on himself to find a cure. His potential cure could be exactly what Nyah’s mom needs if they can figure it out before time runs out for Nyah, Austin, and Nyah’s mom.

I had trouble getting into this book after the initial few chapters. I found myself a little confused by Austin’s experiments and the explanation of those experiments. By the half-way point of the book, I was hooked and could not put it down. I realized that understanding the experiments was not critical to enjoying the book. I was amazed by how Dekker ended the book and the experiences of the characters throughout the story.

I think this is a great story but I found that there were pieces that could have been taken out and the book would have been just as good. Throughout the middle of the book I was curious how the beginning played a part it the story. It felt like there was an intense beginning and then it was set aside for the main part of the story. It eventually came back to include the resolution to the beginning of the book but it felt like an added part that could have been cut from the book.

Overall, I would recommend this book to Dekker fans. I think readers need to be exposed to other Dekker books to understand his writing style before reading this one. I feel that most Dekker fans will not be disappointed in this book and that they will see Dekker back to his old writing style. That is the style that attracted me to his books years ago. I’m glad I read this book. I will keep some of the word pictures in my mind for years to come and my picture of Heaven has been altered to include some of his descriptions. It was a memorable book and I look forward to reading it again soon.

Advance Reader Copy received via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Read May 25^th – June 17^th