The Surrogate : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A Christian page-turner
Review: As a friend and writing colleague of Kathy Mackel, I am privileged to have read all of her books. She is a gifted writer and storyteller who deserves a wide audience, and The Surrogate provides ample evidence of that fact. You can expect a thoughtful treatment of a sensitive subject, presented in a well-plotted and page-turning style from a writer who shows true Christian compassion and decency in all her work. So read the book, chew your fingernails, and try to guess the ending.


Rating:
Summary: The Surrogate is a great page turner
Review: From the moment I picked up this book I just couldn't put it down. Not only did it grip you with the suspense it tells how God really is the center of everything. Real life situations are illustrated and how believers realy on the creator to guide them. So many twists and turns, ups and downs. Isn't that life? Yet God is there with us. That's what this story tells us. Mrs. Mackel is just an amazing writer with an uncanny ability to tell a story and yet she always gets the point across who is in charge and who we should count on. Read this book. You won't be able to put it down

Rating:
Summary: Chilling Suspense Novel!
Review: I couldn't put it down. Wish there were more great christian thrillers like this. I would highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read!
Review: I was riveted by The Surrogate! What a different concept, a Christian "chiller" that is scary. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I'm eager to The Departed when it comes out!

Rating:
Summary: Well Worth Reading
Review: In "The Surrogate", Kathryn Mackel balances a tight, suspensful plot with compelling characters and a graceful handling of a sensitive subject. Not only is this book a great can't-put-it-down thriller, it also is a thoughtful depiction of how faith plays out in painful, terrifying circumstances. Can't wait for the next one!

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: It's suspenseful, scary, quick-paced, with a lot of heart. There are characters of all ages, from a young teen-age hiphop kid to older teens, to middle aged. Lots of plot twists but not light on character. Lots of scary parts but lots of quiet and moving scenes, also.

Rating:
Summary: The Thrills of Parenthood...and the Chills!
Review: Not many Christian novels create real suspense. They tend to become trite, maudlin, contrived. Mackel's novel tries very hard to avoid these mistakes--and succeeds for the most part.

When told that "The Surrogate" contained some supernatural suspense, I grew interested and decided to give it a shot. Within twenty pages, I was hooked. The first half of the book kept me intrigued as I waited for the showdown between the shady, but sympathetic surrogate, and the downtrodden Christian parents. Once some of these questions were dealt with, I had a harder time maintaining interest. I also struggled with the plausibility of one or two items--particularly one regarding a baby's cries.

But in the last 75 pages or so, the story kicked into gear again and raced to a conclusion which drew together the themes of motherhood, song, and God's sovereignty in our lives. I enjoyed Mackel's writing, and I look forward to her next thriller.

Rating:
Summary: A page turner with vivid characters
Review: The authors handling of very human and believable characters in a desperate situation made for fast paced reading. This reader really got to know the main characters and empathize with the challenges faced by each of them, challenges that bring them into conflict with each other.

With a well built plot, the novel becomes compelling as the story unfolds. A few twists and turns kept me actively involved in the lives of the characters and eager to learn the outcome of each of them.

Rating:
Summary: Not for the Narrow-minded :)
Review: This book breaks new ground on a number of fronts. The author goes into an area that many authors in the Christian market consider a "third rail". Speaking as a Christian and someone who went through years of struggle before my second child was born, it was great to read a compelling story that dealt realistically with that emotional roller-coaster.

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This book is a great suspense thriller. I was captivated from the start and found this book extremely hard to put down. I just wanted to keep reading it straight through to the end. I highly recommend The Surrogate by Kathryn Mackel if you like to be kept at the edge of your seat. The Surrogate is the best book that I have read so far this year. I am eagerly awaiting more books written by this author.