Review of Ted Dekker's Novel Three

Title: Three
Author: Ted Dekker
Publisher: W Publishing Group, Nashville
Copyright: 2003
Pages: 353
ISBN: 0-8499-4372-8
Genre: Christian suspense/psychological thriller

Kevin Parson is an innocuous figure, a first-year seminary student who fumbles with basic cell phone technology and buries himself in books, particularly novels, of all kinds. But he has secrets about his past that he'd prefer to keep in the past. To Kevin's annoyance, someone else wants those secrets out in the open. Kevin receives a bomb threat along with a demand for confession. The clock starts ticking. A detonated bomb proves that the threat isn't an idle one. In a race to discover and shut down the killer known as "Slater," Kevin is torn between who to trust and what to believe.

The book opens with a scene between Kevin and one of his professors. They carry on a philosophical discussion about the capacity for evil in all humans. Dr. Francis has just remarked that man can never step beyond evil's reach during his earthly life when Kevin concludes, "'Then all men are condemned to a life of evil.'" But Dr. Francis corrects Kevin: "'A lifetime struggle with evil, not a life of evil'" (2). This friendly discussion begins to play out with frightening clarity for Kevin as Slater continues to terrorize him. But nothing is what it seems in this mad race-or perhaps everything is exactly what it seems.

Dekker has produced a fresh portrait of the capacity for the worst kinds of evil within every single human being. Once again, this concept pops up within the first few pages of the novel. As Dr. Francis and his student are parting, Kevin concludes that the bishop is capable of murder. Earlier, he had asked Dr. Francis if he thought the bishop ever gossiped, a question to which Dr. Francis implies an affirmative. Now, Kevin says, "'Just one last thought. In absolute terms, gossip isn't so different from murder, right?" When Dr. Francis agrees, Kevin says that if the bishop is capable of gossip, he is capable of murder (4-5).

Jesus taught this same concept. During His famous Sermon on the Mount, He preached, "'You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, "Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment." But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment'" (Matthew 5:21-22a). Dekker's novel presents a stunning portrait of a mild-mannered seminary student who plumbs the depths of evil and learns an important lesson as a result: Evil thrives in the dark, but when light exposes evil, evil shrivels and dies. This, too, is a lesson garnered straight from the pages of Scripture. Paul wrote, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is the light that makes everything visible" (Ephesians 5:8-14a).

Frankly, I believe this novel would sell on the strength of the plot alone. But the lessons Kevin learns about human nature are invaluable for all of us. It's not until we face our own capacity for evil that the news of Christ's righteousness in us becomes so incredibly precious. Only when we see the incredible depth of our own need and our insufficiency to meet that need, can we begin to appreciate His provision for our need.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.