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In the last three weeks I’ve read three Christian thriller/mystery novels causing an excess of heart-pounding chemicals to be injected into my system. But how can I resist when three of my favorite authors all release new novels at the same time?

The best of the three, in my opinion, is Ted Dekker’s new release Adam. While obsessively pursuing a serial killer, FBI behavioral psychologist Daniel Clark has a near death experience. His anti-religious skepticism provides him perfect rationalization for what happened during the 20 minutes he was “dead”. But the personification of evil gives him increasing reason to doubt his atheistic conclusions. This may be Dekker’s best book since Three. And that’s saying a lot - he’s written some good ones in that time. The characters, the pacing, the plot twists, the insights, the scares - everything you’ve come to expect from Dekker, but taken to a new level. If you are a Dekker fan, you won’t want to miss it. Not yet a Dekker fan? Adam is a great place to start.

Randy Singer writes courtroom thrillers that are every bit as good as John Grisham’s. Better, if you prefer your protagonists chaste and sober. In By Reason of Insanity reporter Catherine O’Rourke is following the story of a serial killer when she starts having ghastly visions that reveal details of the crimes. Because of the bizarre way she gains intimate knowledge of the cases, she’s charged with murder, and her high-priced lawyer wants her to plead insanity. Lots of wonderful twists and turns, and I guarantee you won’t guess “who dunnit” before it is revealed. In fact I wondered for a while after reading it if I felt betrayed by the author. There’s no way the reader can see this ending coming. Is that fair? It’s such a fun read that I think I’ll let Singer get away with it this time.

Last and, in my opinion anyway, least of the three is Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer. This is an edgy tale set in the post-apocalyptic U.S. which has been divided into two political units: the totalitarian theocracy of Appalachia where the cowed citizens labor under an odd blend of “big brother” high tech and Amish-style horse and buggy simplicity, and Outside, the atheistic, decadent world beyond the fence where embryonic tinkering produces God-knows-what kinds of quasi-humans. Brouwer masterfully reveals all of this to us one tantalizing bit of information at a time. The plot follows 17-year-old Caitlin, a self-described “freak” as she attempts to evade the Appalachian authorities to get to Outside while struggling with feelings of having been betrayed by her father. I found the ending somewhat unsatisfying and I was annoyed by Brouwer’s (wink-wink) allusion to supposed similarities between Appalachia’s leadership and politically conservative evangelicals of our day. That said, it’s still a worthwhile read from a master.