"Abomination" by Colleen C

March 19, 2008 11:05 am

— “Such a contradiction. So courteous and yet so evil. Eve couldn’t wrap her mind around it. He kept a tight grip on her arm as they went around to the back of the cabin. Thunder rumbled overhead, and fingers of lightning illuminated the mostly overgrown path. In the next flash, Eve saw the white birds gliding along the pond’s surface.”
— Excerpt from ‘Abomination’ by Colleen Coble

“Michigan’s rugged and beautiful Upper Peninsula is the setting for this absorbing tale of love and loss, beauty and terror, grievous sins and second chances. A deftly woven thriller from the popular author of the Rock Harbor novels.”
— flyleaf

“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
— Proverbs 6: 16-19

By Elizabeth Butler
The Valdosta Daily Times

Just a warning: If you don’t enjoy seeing “CSI” and “Law and Order” and the grisly bodies, you won’t like “Abomination” by Colleen Coble. And if you saw Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and could never look at the feathered creatures the same after that, this book’s not for you: You will never think about the graceful swans on lakes and envision ballets again.
Five blond women about the same size and features are being killed, their faces surgically removed along with a certain part of their bodies cut off or out: eyes, tongue, hands, heart and feet. A swan feather lies at each site.
A madman who calls himself “Gideon” is the killer and seeks to rid the world of abominations. He gives clues to the death sites through geocaching. A normally innocent pastime, geocaching is using GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates to find a treasure. Once the site is found, the hunter can take the treasure if he leaves another one in its place.
Apparently, one of the women escaped Gideon’s clutches and drove away in her car until it quit on her. She is found bleeding by the side of the road, a stab wound in her side, and a knot on her head from a blow which has given her amnesia. She has a small child by her side whom she doesn’t know but assumes is her daughter.
They are picked up and find refuge with a park ranger, Kade; his wife, Bree; and their young son, Davy; who live in a lighthouse overlooking Lake Superior.
Eventually, it is discovered her name is Eve and she is the ex-wife of Michigan State Police Captain Nick Andreakos, who still loves her and wants to protect her. But she has no memory of him. What broke up their marriage? How can she trust him?, she wonders.
For a few months, she is safe. But Gideon discovers where she is after a picture at a festival with her in the background is published. He comes after her and even taunts her, calling her on the phone. Why is she deserving of death? Gideon won’t tell her.
I promise you, dear reader, you probably won’t know who Gideon is until he is revealed by the author. It’s a chilling, spine-tingling ride you won’t want to miss, that is, unless you are faint of heart.
Karen Kingsbury, one of my favorite writers, said of the “Abomination” author, “Colleen Coble is a master storyteller, whose heart-pounding plots keep readers turning pages and coming back for more.”
For those who want more, there’s “The Rock Harbor Series,” “The Aloha Reef Series,” and two “Women of Faith” fiction selections, “Alaska Twilight” and “Midnight Sea.”
“Abomination” normally sells for $21.99, but I got it at The Potter’s House Christian Bookstore for $5.

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