"Deadline", by Randy Alcorn

I read Deadline about a year after its first release (1994) and I remember enjoying it. I read it at a time when I wasn't all that interested in reading fiction novels. When it was available for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers (Blogging for Books), I decided to read it again. I forgot how great this book was!

THE SETTING: Three close friends -- one, a Christian, another an abortion doctor, and yet another a liberal journalist -- are the heart of this story. One evening, the Christian and the abortion doctor are killed in a car wreck, but it was far from accidental.

The journalist sets out to discover what happened that ill-fated night that took his best friends. The plot is thick with twists conspiracies. It all caught me by surprise, even having read it once before.

APOLOGETICS 101: Behind the story, however, is the real story. This novel is undoubtedly an apologetic against abortion. I've read some of Alcorn's other books, and didn't realize in my first reading of this novel how much of an apologist he really is. From the first page to the last, Alcorn lays out fantastic facts and arguments about the horror of abortion. There are a lot of arguments contained in the book, but my favorite paraphrase was, "Planned Parenthood would rather teach children to dodge cars as they play in the freeway, rather than teach them to stay out of the freeway in the first place."

THE GOSPEL: One of my favorite aspects of the novel is the clear presentation of the gospel of the message of the Cross. In several sections, the message of Jesus Christ and our craving for redemption is at the forefront. Throughout the book, Jesus is presented through various characters. There are several depictions of heaven, with one of the characters having an on-going journey and dialogue with an angel. Another section depicts one of the characters in hell. Both are truly riveting. In Alcorn's own words, his purpose is to write fiction about "biblically revealed truths is a speculative way, but hopefully not carelessly". He did a fine job!

RECOMMENDATION: While the book is long (35 chapters, 424 pages...small print), it has the action to keep readers turning pages. I think a lot of people interested in the pro-life / abortion debate would do well to pick up this book. I also think it would be a good read for victims of abortion, since Alcorn addresses many of the side-effects (and solutions) of abortion. It's not overly "preachy", so unbelievers would likely enjoy it.

RATING: I give Deadline 5 stars out of 5, for its clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and for its sound pro-life apologetic.

Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers (Blogging for Books) in exchange for my unbiased review of it. All opinions are mine. I was not threatened or coerced to provide a positive review.