Nosing around where she shouldn’t, 17-year-old Christy Snow falls into a concrete bunker beneath the hospital. Terror, darkness and death seem her fate until she climbs her way forward and emerges in the hospital basement—which is also a psychiatric ward. There she finds herself in an even more sinister trap. In this psychological thriller, Christie must escape before it’s too late. Her only hope is that her friend, Austin, will decipher her twisting trail and set the psych ward administrator straight.
Eyes wide Open starts out hard and fast and with typical Dekker style, irresistibly draws you in. The plot rushes from one twist and disaster to another and the mind bending psychological torment is palpable. However, as the story winds down, it offers no real resolution. Moreover, the spiritual backdrop is lacking, and atypically Dekker leaves his readers wallowing in despair. The series was written in an episodic format with a more fulfilling resolution, possibly unwritten. However, the sequels, Water Walker and Hacker, although excellent as a pair, don’t really satisfactorily resolve the questions raised in Eyes Wide Open.
Age Range: 14 and up
Genre: Speculative
Series: The Outlaw Chronicles, Book 1
Worthy Publishing, 2012
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