Day 214 – 52 Books in 52 Weeks

A grizzly? A scorned wife? A jealous husband? Or was it a dragon that killed Cliff Benson? The Oath by Frank Peretti is a fun little gem. I mean what’s not to like, it starts off with a raving mad lunatic attacking a semi-truck with her hunting knife… in a rural, nearly abandoned mining town, where the locals don’t talk to outsiders… and there’s a dragon! Or is there?

Something evil happened in the little town of Hyde River a century ago. And that something is stirring up again. And this time, it’s not just after the locals – this time it killed an outsider – and that outsider’s brother wants answers.

Peretti weaves this thriller with edge-of-your-seat mastery and gruesomeness of Stephen King (without the swearing)… and actually, without most of the grotesqueness. Steve Benson’s brother was killed, supposedly by a grizzly bear, and Steve, who happens to be a biologist who specializes in bears, wants to find this bear and kill it before it kills again.

But things aren’t that easy. They find the bear (Herman) and kill it, but the autopsy is inconclusive. So as Steve starts questioning the people of little Hyde River, he finds out that he’s not welcome, nor are his questions… and that there’s a lot more to this little town than what meets the eye… something that started a century earlier.

Okay, I hate reviewing novels because I don’t want to give anything away. So I’ll just leave it with that little teaser. The story is great and weaves a thread of sin vs. righteousness through it (as you’d expect from a Christian author) but it is a good thriller. It’s pretty easy to pick out the good guys and the bad guys, and it’s almost typical in character development and how the story is presented… but Peretti is able to keep your attention, and keep you turning pages because it’s just that well written.

I have to admit, of the three Peretti books I’ve read, this one, House which was co-written with Ted Dekker, and Monster, I do prefer Monster. It makes you think. The Oath, however, is a good thriller to kick back and read with a bowl of popcorn and a tall glass of iced tea (which is exactly what I did).

Good book, worth the read if you’re into thrillers. A couple of gruesome scenes but doesn’t rely on that to sell the story. And hey, there’s an invisible dragon!

By the way, the best line in the book: “I’ve hit a trout!” Frank’s comical side coming out a wee bit on that one.