About the book:Bestselling author Terri Blackstock presents another stand-alone novel, Predator.
The murder of Krista Carmichael's fourteen-year-old sister by an online predator has shaken her faith and made her question God's justice and protection. Desperate to find the killer, she creates an online persona to bait the predator. But when the stalker turns his sights on her, will Krista be able to control the outcome?
Ryan Adkins started the social network GrapeVyne in his college dorm and has grown it into a billion-dollar corporation. But he never expected it to become a stalking ground for online Predators. One of them lives in his town and has killed two girls and attacked a third. When Ryan meets Krista, the murders become more than a news story to him, and everything is on the line. Joining forces, he and Krista set out to stop the killer. But when hunters pursue a hunter, the tables can easily turn. Only God can protect them now.
My thoughts:
I tell ya, Terri Blackstock's books just keep getting better and better! This one had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. What made it so good was that it was a story relevant to the current hi-tech society that we live in. It made me rethink everything that I post online, and thankfully, I know better than to post the intimate details of my life such as where I'm going every day, when I will or won't be home, etc. Some people really just don't know better, and this book tackles that very issue. It may literally scare you witless.
I would recommend this book to anyone, but particularly to parents and older teens. Some parents don't pay attention to what their children are looking at online, what networks they belong to, or who their friends are. That, in and of itself, is plain scary, but what's scarier is that you never know who's watching and what someone's intent may be. There's a section of the story where Terri just puts it in black and white through the voice of one of her characters:
"Examine your social networks and take down everything you've posted that you wouldn't want a murderous predator to see. Don't post where you are, ever. Don't post where you live, or your school, or your town, or your church. Don't post pictures that identify places, like colleges or schools or particular teams you might be on. Never post your work schedule or your activities or your travel plans. And don't flood the site with pictures of yourself. You have no idea how much information a predator can get from those pictures."
I loved this book because I got a great story plus some really relevant information. This has to be one of THE BEST books that Terri has ever written, and I applaud her for writing about a subject that is very prevalent in today's society. The characters in the story are real, the circumstances harrowing, and the roadblocks they face agonizing. Predator gets a huge 5 star rating from me!
**Thanks to Zondervan through CFBA for providing a copy for review.
Predator is another great Terri Blackstock book that is hard to put down once you read the first page. Caution: reading this book at bedtime may cause scary dreams or trouble sleeping!
ReplyDeleteIt also should make you look at your online posts and profiles through the eyes of a predator, such as the one in the book. Then change or take down anything that would lead a predator to your home, your school, your job, or anywhere else you could be a target.
Young people aren't the only ones taking risks. Many parents and grandparents are unwittingly putting their children at risk by posting pictures and other identifying information about how and where to find their children.
I'm a Terri Blackstock fan, and have read all her books at least once. Although Predator is fiction, the plot can easily become reality, and sadly already has in many cases.