My husband and I chose Dark Intercept by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson as a road trip listen. I thought this thriller with a military tie-in and lack of romance would appeal to my husband. We diligently listened to the end, but our take-away was that the writing was just okay, the plot a bit ludicrous, and the adult language and graphic violence somewhat offensive. This book was a 2022 Christy Award finalist and a Carol Award winner in the Speculative category. It is heavy on spiritual warfare which we had no problem with, but it was difficult for us to buy into the scenario presented. It does have non-stop action if that is what you are looking for, but as I said the violence was jarring, especially at the end, and both the bad guys and good guys use adult language. There is a twist at the end that we saw coming that will probably be addressed in the next book in the series. However, my husband and I will not be joining in on that mission. 😉

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

4.5 Stars

A former Navy SEAL, a girl with a special gift who has gone missing, and a race around Nashville to find her make Dark Intercept by the writing team of Andrews and Wilson a book that you will fly through.

This military thriller dives more than surface deep as the authors explore good and evil—both the seen and the unseen. Jedediah Johnson is somewhat jaded but when he agrees to help out his former best friend by finding his daughter, you get a peek at his heart.

But what really sets this book apart are the scenes from Sarah Beth’s point of view. First, her quick acceptance of Jed is true to her character. These two male authors write their tween protagonist in a way that shows us she’s special while keeping some of her innocence intact. It’s a tough feat but one Andrews & Wilson handle with aplomb.

I wholly look forward to book two in this series and learning more about the shepherds and the watchers.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. ( )

5 stars, Epic story of good vs evil

DARK INTERCEPT
by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson
Published by: Tyndale House Publishing

This is the kick-off novel for The Shepherds Series. The story is about a Navy Seal named Jedidiah Johnson who is rotating out of the Navy. He has an uncanny sense of self-preservation that usually worked pretty well to protect him and his Seal Team.

Jed is approached by his ex-best friend to help find the friend's teenaged daughter, who has been kidnapped. Due to his shared history with his ex-friend, he doesn't want to take the job but knows that he has to for the girl's sake.

Highly recommend it, this is an epic story of good vs evil, complete with high-action scenes without the non-stop offensive expletives that are so common in today's writing styles.

Many thanks for the complimentary copy of #DarkIntercept I received from @TyndaleHousePublishers #ChristianThriller #MustReadSeries #BestChristianThrillerBooks I was under no obligation to post a review. ( )

Dark Intercept is an exciting read. It has plenty of action to keep any reader interested. Jedidiah Johnson is retiring from the Navy Seals. In any other job he would be considered in the prime of his life, but the demanding life of a Seal requires a team member to always be in top form. Jed has seen too much and suffered to much both physically and emotionally to continue. He feels it is best for him and his teammates to retire. Just as he is getting set to enter civilian life he is called upon by an old acquaintance, David, to help find the man’s missing daughter. Jed hasn’t heard from David or David’s wife, in years. The parting was not on the best of terms and was only exacerbated by the fact that David, who is now a pastor, had married Jed’s old girl friend, Rachael. Now they are turning to Jed to find their teenage daughter who they say has been kidnapped. Jed tells them he was a Seal, not a detective and doesn’t know how he could be of help. They bring up the fact that Jed had always had a special connection with Rachael and David, a closeness that went beyond the physical to the spiritual. This spiritual connection they say could help him find their daughter, who also has a strong spiritual connection with Rachael. Though not convinced of this, Jed does say he will look into the kidnapping. The hunt does not go as Jed had imagined, as he meets opposition from local law enforcement and from a dark energy that he cannot explain. He will need all his skills as a Seal and help from a higher power to bring the girl home. The action is well detailed. This is a faith based story that includes some interesting spiritual propositions and some unusual stretches of the imagination. This reviewer was provided with a complementary copy of this book by Tyndale House Publishers. ( )