"Faces in the Fire" by T. L. Hines

So, I'm taking back some of the bad things I thought about T. L. Hines after reading "The Unseen." If you are going to read his books, don't read "The Unseen" first, because it will bore you compared to this one and "Waking Lazarus."
This book is a masterpiece - a MASTERPIECE - of creative writing. The book is structured around the lives of four people who have (seemingly) no connection to each other. But at some point, their paths cross each other. Each person has an experience with a traumatic fire, and a catfish, and a long number. (I know it sounds weird....and in reality, the book IS pretty weird). The way the author weaves these four tales together is a work of genius, plain and simple.
Back to what I just said: the book is weird. The whole reason I quite reading it the first time I tried is because the first part of the story involves a guy who can hear ghosts talking through dead people's clothes. When I picked the book back up and pressed on, I found a lot more weirdness. The book is not a work of Christian fiction, in my opinion, so I haven't labeled it as such. But there is a LOT of the supernatural in it. Just not the Christian kind. In fact, if you can't handle books that deal frankly with murder, drug abuse, and other such harsh realities, don't read it.
Still, the book was fantastic. It was not tremendously thrilling - in fact it had a fairly leisurely pace. But the characters were so HUMAN. I felt as if they were real people (with made-up experiences, of course). A nice touch in the structure of the book was the fact that each chapter started with a number, but the numbers weren't progressive. They followed the chronology of the story. So when a character is in the present in chapter 25 and then she starts thinking about her past, the "flash-back" chapter will be chapter 18, not chapter 26.
The ending was very somber to me. It was a great ending, and it really brought the whole work together splendidly. But the subject matter just put me in a reflective mode.
If it weren't for the "weirdness," this book would definitely surpass "Waking Lazarus" as my favorite by this author. Still, the book is marvelous, and deserves a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

"Waking Lazarus" by T.L. Hines

I am really astounded.....   My first experience with T. L. Hines was "The Unseen," and I pretty much had to sludge through it, forcing myself to turn page after page. My second experience was "Faces in the Fire," which fell outside my tastes, so I stopped reading after about 50 pages. This book was a complete shocker! The characters were believable (some frighteningly so), the pacing was masterful, the storyline was just sensational enough to be enthralling and not ridiculous, and the ending was emotional.  OK, I didn't actually cry, but it was definitely heart-warming. And this is Hines' first novel???????  Sorry if I sound incredulous. Maybe I should re-try "Faces in the Fire" and see if I'm missing something.... Hines writes in "Waking Lazarus"  with the elegance of a master craftsman. He uses words and phrases like a magician uses handkerchiefs and cards. (Not to mention, one of my old slang phrases, "No big whoop," made an appearance!)

There are some minor criticisms. The author used one choice word that I felt was unnecessary, especially for a book marketed to a Christian audience. We expect swearing in non-Christian reading, but in a Christian book? It could have been easily removed, but he chose to put it in for some reason. The second criticism relates to the lack of Biblical redemption. There is definitely redemption of relationship and purpose of the main character, but no redemption of the soul-saving kind. On the positive note, there WAS plenty of talk about God, although mostly in a bitter way from the main character's point of view.

Some of you will be skeptical, but I knew fairly early on who the bad guy would be, and I also figured out Kristina almost immediately. But it was still a breath-taking read! I would definitely give the book a 5 out of 5 rating.

"The Unseen" by T. L. Hines

***WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
My first introduction to the writing of T. L. Hines is "The Unseen." After reading it, I must say that it was one of the most unique novels I have ever read. Partially, this can be attributed to the fact that the main character is an urban explorer. These people (and yes, there are people who really do this) pride themselves in "infiltrating" buildings and structures and areas that are usually off-limits. This could include condemned buildings, public utility structures, and many other places. This is a new subject for me, and I was quite fascinated by it.
The main character, Lucas, is an introverted man who has little or no recollections of his early childhood. He believes he grew up in an orphanage. The book basically details the adventures of Lucas and a lot of trouble he gets himself into. On top of that, people die - several of them - in the process.
I guess you could describe this book as a "page-turner," but it was more passive empathy for Lucas that kept me going. I really did find myself cheering him on and hoping he would become the hero. I would not personally label this one a "thriller," though. (Even though there were some very intense scenes...like when Lucas has a time-bomb strapped to his ankle!)
There was no Christian content to speak of... an abandoned church is the setting for a few scenes, and Lucas ALMOST prays one time.... but doesn't. But, the story is clean and the violence is not graphically described.
For the most part, though, the book was just kinda strange. No one was who you thought they were, but you never find out who they REALLY are... Which aggravates my need for closure. The book was also a little slow to start for my taste. Character development in the book isn't astounding. And I think I discovered a goof... In the early part of the book, Sarea tells Lucas that a man (later discovered to be Saul) asked her, "Is Lucas working today?" However, about 200 pages into the book, Saul dramatically reveals to Lucas that he knows his name is Lucas...and Lucas is surprised....even though he asked for him by name earlier....
Really, the story was pretty good, and the writing style held my interest. I'll probably read some more by this author to see if I have missed his greatest work. I'd give this book a 3 out of 5 stars.
**On a side note, in the "Acknowledgements" page, the author tells the reader that he had been diagnosed with and treated for cancer while writing this story. So, this book represents a period of intense personal difficulty. T. L. Hines is to be admired for enduring his affliction, and authoring this story in the process.