My Soul to Keep - Melanie Wells

Author:  Melanie Wells
Publisher:  Multnomah Fiction
Website:  http://www.melaniewells.com

In My Soul to Keep, the third spiritual suspense thriller featuring psychologist Dylan Foster, Melanie Wells brings her reluctant heroine full circle as Dylan is forced to confront her most complex battle yet against the demon Peter Terry. This time, Peter Terry’s attacking the children in Dylan’s life as Nicholas, the son of her good friend Maria, is kidnapped. Six-year-old Christine, a child with astonishing spiritual acumen, witnesses the kidnapping and is emotionally traumatized. But her faith and spiritual depth may be the best link Dylan has to discovering the kidnapped child’s whereabouts. On top of this tragedy, Dylan’s personal life has hit new lows as her distinct lack of “people skills” repeatedly threaten to drive away the small group of friends who put up with her in spite of her prickly demeanor.

Of the three novels in the series, this book is the least successful as a standalone, so I have to recommend reading the books in order (the first, When the Day of Evil Comes, and then its sequel, Soul Hunter). However, not working as well as a standalone novel in this case should only serve as incentive to read the entire series. Wells has hit her stride and the canvas on which she paints Dylan’s story has become increasingly rich and complex with each successive outing. I would have liked to have seen more insight into Maria’s response to her son’s kidnapping – Wells gives us more of Liz’s perspective (Christine’s mother) as the worried parent of a hospitalized child. I think it would have made for an even more compelling read if a bit more attention had been devoted to Maria’s viewpoint. However, the bottom line is that this is Dylan’s story, and having her most vulnerable friends – young children – attacked sends Dylan reeling. Her episodes of spiritual and self-examination are not only insightful but brutally honest.

At the time of this review, My Soul to Keep is the final Dylan Foster novel. With this series, Melanie Wells has introduced an unforgettable heroine – a sassy, irreverent, smart aleck who’s thoroughly relatable, modern, and genuine. Wells has brought spiritual warfare into the everyday life of her characters, driving home the reality of spiritual warfare in a real and compelling way. She has a knack for building suspense and terror out of everyday circumstances and situations which makes her novels chilling and compulsively readable in a way that’s reminiscent of the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Each novel in this series comes highly recommended.

Purchase My Soul to Keep (Dylan Foster Series #3).

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