Special Target by Jerusha Agen Review

 

Special Target is an awesome Christian suspense thriller by Jerusha Agen. This stand-alone novel gripped me from the very beginning and just wouldn't let me go. I really didn't plan to read it when I did, seeing as I had other books to read first. However, once I started reading, I could not put the book down. There was lots of suspense, danger, and action; just the way I like my suspense books. 

This story is told from only one point of view, that of social worker Ashley Sorenson. She is joined by a recently orphaned teen with Down's Syndrome named Matthew. A teen who she needs to find a home for, but is unable to at first, so he ends up in her care. Which she is not thrilled with. And she has no clue how to handle a person with Down's Syndrome. In fact, I admit, she really started to get on my nerves with the way she felt towards him. But, I will say this for her, she did her best to take care of him even when danger headed their way. And as the story progressed, you could see her feelings towards him start to change. 

Another main character in the story is Tiernan, a man who claims to be an FBI agent. But, is he really? Should she be trusting this stranger? And what about his supposed fellow agents? She honestly doesn't know who to trust when troubles come their way and she finds herself on the run with the orphaned teen.

As she tries to navigate these challenges, memories from her past help to explain her lack of trust and her animosity toward God and Christianity. A faith that both Matthew and Tiernan try to share with her. There are some powerful truths that the author shares and some difficult topics are tackled. Very thought-provoking. And there were quite some emotional scenes. Make sure you have your tissues handy. I wish I had. I admit, there was a point where I wanted to question the author directly and say, "Why, why, why??"

Another book I highly recommend by this author. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.