The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted and Rachelle Dekker

Book description:

Ten years ago, Grace saw something that would forever change the course of history.

When a terrible scourge is unleashed on the world, she and others from their religious community are already hidden deep in the hills of Tennessee, abiding by every rule that will keep them safe, pure--and alive. As long as they stay there, behind the red rope.

Her older brother's questions and the arrival of the first outsiders she's seen in a decade set in motion events that will cause Grace to question everything she has built her life on. Enemies rise on all sides--but who is the real enemy? And what will it cost her to uncover the truth?

For the first time, bestselling authors Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker team up and deliver an intense, tightly focused ride through the most treacherous world of all.


In a world where the boundaries are clear and punishments severe, a young woman risks everything to break free from the system of fear and control to find freedom and love.

My review:

  I have read several books by Ted Dekker, but have never read anything by his daughter. The description of the book intrigued me, as well as reading something the father and daughter teamed up on.

  As with pretty much any Dekker book I have read, the book had its weird moments. It actually took me a while to decide if I liked the book or not, but then I hit a point that I found myself definitely liking it and found it harder to put down the further I got into it.

  Through a fictional story, the authors did a tremendous job of showing how easily we can be captive to fear, and the effects it can have on us to be ruled by and controlled by fear. I was actually rather impressed when I finished the book, and saw how well the authors used the story to get that all across.

 The plot was well done, and the book was full of great characters, some likable and some not so likable. One of the most likable was Eli, who the book never said exactly who or what he was, but this is fiction, so I guess that doesn't really matter.

 All in all, this was a rather riveting read that shows how even religion can be wrong, and use tactics like fear to control people and keep them as bound as the devil they claim to be fighting. Great read, and great message.

About the authors:

Ted Dekker is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, with over 10 million copies sold worldwide. He was born in the jungles of Indonesia to missionary parents, and his upbringing as a stranger in a fascinating and sometimes frightening culture fueled his imagination. Dekker's passion is simple--to explore truth through mind-bending stories that invite readers to see the world through a different lens. His fiction has been honored with numerous awards, including two Christy Awards, two Inspy Awards, an RT Reviewers' Choice Award, and an ECPA Gold Medallion. In 2013, NPR readers nationwide put him in the Top 50 Thriller Authors of All Time. Dekker lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Lee Ann.

Rachelle Dekker is the Christy Award-winning author of The Choosing, The Calling, and The Returning in the Seer series. The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle was inspired early on to discover truth through the avenue of storytelling. She writes full-time from her home in Nashville, where she lives with her husband, Daniel, and their son, Jack. Connect with Rachelle at www.rachelledekker.com.


  The Girl Behind the Red Rope is available from Revell Publishing, part of the Baker Publishing Group.

 Thanks to Revell for the review copy.