Comes a Horseman

The ancients saw Death as a blazing figure on horseback, swift and merciless. Those facing the black chasm often mistook their pounding hearts for the beating of hooves.Now, two FBI agents pursuing a killer from a centuries-old cult realize they have become his prey.From Publishers WeeklyToward the end of this debut novel, its heroine, FBI Special Agent Alicia Wagner, summarizes its plot to herself, characterizing it as "the stuff of bad movies." Indeed, with its myriad contrivances, gratuitous gore and tedious explanations of crime-scene investigation technology, this novel does feel like the screenplay for a formulaic suspense thriller. Complete with earnest, good-looking law enforcement agents, an even better-looking Antichrist candidate and gory murders committed on his behalf by a modern-day Viking, this novel travels territory familiar to fans of both contemporary crime thrillers and apocalyptic Christian fiction. However, there are strong points: Liparulo's prose style is smooth, and he, like many contemporary Christian novelists, avoids miscues of previous generations of Christian fiction. For example, while he engages in some gender stereotyping, his heroine is actually tougher than her male counterpart. And rather than making liberal Christians evil and conservative Christians good, this novel, much like Ted Dekker's best work, does not draw such simple distinctions. Rather, Liparulo weaves conservative Christian belief into the novel with subtlety and restraint. While these virtues do not entirely make up for the novel's tendency toward convolution and suspenselessness, Liparulo may well find a readership among existing fans of Christian thrillers. (Nov. 3) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Grabs you from page one. Be warned: Your heart will race, your head will spin, your palms will sweat!!" -- Robert Andrescik, editor of New Man magazineComes a Horseman offers "hold your breath" thrills at a breathless pace. Well-developed characters drive the suspense-filled plot. -- Aspiring Retail Magazine, July 2005A thriller in the truest sense of the word. -- Focus on Fiction, October 2005Comes a Horseman is easily one of this year's best novels. -- New Man magazine, November/December 2005This book is loaded with suspense and moves at a very fast pace. Highly recommended! -- BestSellersWorld.com, October 2005This is a fast-paced page-turner as gracefully written as anything churned out by Koontz or Crichton. -- Dancing Word Magazine, November 2005