Like a Thief in the Night: Stolen Soul Book II by S.R. McDanniel

Publisher: PublishAmerica

Publishing Date: May 19, 2011

Format: eBook

Pages: 178

ISBN: 9781456099657

List Price: $24.95

With mass murder-suicides happening across the planet, Dr. Matthew Reiber is recruited to find a solution because of his expertise in thought transference and telepathy. As the second installment in S.R. McDaniel’s series, this book makes several improvements over the first. He steps away from his overly descriptive writing and focuses more on the book’s plot. Although this makes for a faster read, fans of McDaniel’s incredibly descriptive passages may be slightly disappointed. The book is much easier to follow and get into than the first. I did not find myself lost, confused or having trouble keeping the characters straight. The overall plot surpasses Book 1. McDaniel’s combination of mass murder, telepathy and religious cults makes for a pleasurable read. The book is creative and easily holds the reader’s attention.

However, I did find several small problems with the book. During a couple crucial points in the plot, McDaniel stops to include background information. For example, when the protagonist is searching for a missing person at the Old Irish Church, the book cuts away to a detailed description of the text the religious cult follows. The information is interesting, but I wanted to quickly get passed it and return to the plot. The book also needs to be edited more carefully. Although slightly annoying, the typos do not make the book unreadable. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Like a Thief in Night and would recommend it to others because of its thrilling storyline.

Stolen Soul: In The Beginning by S.R. McDaniel

Publisher: PublishAmerica

Publication Date: April 19, 2010

Binding: eBook

Pages: 130

ISBN: 978-1448955312

List Price: $24.95

This modern retelling of Saul turned Paul chronicles the 30 year killing spree of Preacher as he attempts to murder the last remaining Tinsley heir. S.R. McDaniel craftily interweaves elements of fantasy into the book to create a thrilling tale that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat.

Although the plot is good, it is sometimes hard to follow. At times, I had trouble discerning the flashbacks from the current plot. The beginning chapters are focused on different characters. It was somewhat difficult at first to connect the different stories together. This made the book seem jumpy. However, everything smoothed out as I continued to read.

McDaniel has a knack for descriptive writing. He provides beautiful descriptions of mundane parts of the plot. For example, he provides a wonderful description of coffee brewing. These scenes are especially great for literary analysis and close reading

The book really sparkled towards the end when more information is given on Preacher and his cult. While I struggled through the beginning if the book, I couldn't put it down at the end. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian thrillers with lots of descriptive writing and fantasy.