Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

Here's a change of pace for February--a little suspense to shake things up a bit! :)

Please join us this month as we read Double Blind by Brandilyn Collins.

Goodreads synopsis: Twenty-nine-year-old Lisa Newberry can barely make it through the day. Suddenly widowed and a survivor of a near-fatal attack, she is wracked with grief and despair. Then she hears of a medical trial for a tiny brain chip that emits electrical pulses to heal severe depression. At rope’s end, Lisa offers herself as a candidate.

When she receives her letter of acceptance for the trial, Lisa is at first hopeful. But—brain surgery. Can she really go through with that? What if she receives only the placebo?

What if something far worse goes wrong?

Written in the relentless style for which Brandilyn Collins is known, Double Blind is a psychological thriller with mind-bending twists. Lisa faces choices that drive her to the brink, and one wrong move could cost the lives of many.

I know a few have already read and/or started this one!

I've got it on hold at the library & am next on the list to get it!

Then, just in case, I also placed a hold in the TN Reads ebook library.

And then, just in case again, I requested that the book be loaned to me at booklending.com.

Hopefully one of these will pay off soon.

Also waiting for my hold at the library to come. I haven't read Brandilyn Collins before but am looking forward to getting my copy of the book.

Glad you're joining in, Anna!

Wow Beth, you've got EVERY possibility covered to read this book!! Here's hoping you get a copy VERY soon :) I won this book off suspense sisters blog and read it recently, looking forward to this discussion here. So glad these libraries are getting copies :)

I tried too, haha! I thought the library was going to work out but when I placed the hold there were actually 2 people in front of me, not one, so now i'm waiting on that second person to be done.

But if one of the other things works out first, I'm going for them.

I have requested it from our library, which usually doesn't have it so has to interloan it, and who knows if that will work out or not. But hoping. Can't wait to get it.

Rebecca wrote: "I have requested it from our library, which usually doesn't have it so has to interloan it, and who knows if that will work out or not. But hoping. Can't wait to get it."

I will have to do this also.

I read and reviewed it for the Christian Manifesto. I look forward to your reactions and a discussion.

Just bought it today on Amazon. I may not get around to it this month, I just ordered last months books too. But it's certainly going in the ASAP reading pile on my dresser.

I can't get it from interlibrary loan. That really disappoints me since I love her books. O well. That's the problem with new releases

I love her books, but can't get it even from interlibrary loan---it's too new I guess.

I just finished Double Blind, loved it! I plan to read more of her books in the near future!!

I am still waiting for this one from the library, it should be back soon!

In the meantime, how many Brandilyn Collins fans do we have here?

This will be my first read by her, and I'm definitely intrigued.

What do you think of her decision mentioned in the summary to have a chip put into her brain?

It definitely sets off alarm bells to me!

Also, I probably would have re-thought this pick simple due to the fact that it just came out in October. I think the picks for these should be at least 6 months old so as to at least help it be more accessible. Sorry about that everyone :)

She writes very suspenseful thrillers--but the Christian input is clearly present. Definitely very different from SHORT-STRAW Wife BUt I really like them.

I think this is my first book with Brandilyn Collins, but I really enjoyed the intrigue and suspense with this book. I thought Lisa was crazy to do the chip, but then I considered how desperate we can be as humans to find cures for diseases, losing weight, having kids and her decision didn't seem so crazy.

I'm glad you picked this book even though it's new, wanted to see how others would respond to it :) The language and content in the story is very clean, but the suspense is a page-turner and that's what I really enjoyed. I was hooked without even realizing it :)

I usually do not read books of this nature, the writer did a good job, it was suspensful. I just did not like the replaying of the murder scene, but at end of the story I understood the impact of those scenes to story. This book was so well written you can feel the emotions of the characters.

I agree that I thought Lisa was crazy to do the chip But sometimes we do desperate things when faced with what we believe are insurmountable problems. And I thought she was really crazy to try it a second time.

Is there another book before this one?

Rebecca, no, that I know of, it is a stand-alone novel :)

I picked it up from the library this evening after work, so I will start it soon!

yay Beth, so happy you got it!
@ Rebecca, this is a stand alone :) the book published before this one is Gone to Ground and is a completely different story.

Just downloaded ...cant wait to start!

I'm about halfway through, and it is a very exciting read! I hope to finish within the next couple of days.

I thought I'd start out with a question since we're halfway through the month--

1. "Desperate people make desperate choices." Why do you think the book starts with this line? Does it refer to characters other than just Lisa?

I finished the book yesterday on my lunch break :) I got so absorbed in the ending that I went 5 minutes over, woops!

Honestly, the first question is a little hard for me. There weren't a lot of secondary characters that you really get to know in the story...from what little that we learned about "Ice Lady" Claire, she seemed desperate to have the Empowerment Chip work. Other than her, I wouldn't classify any of the other characters as desperate, but maybe i'm overlooking something.

First book I've read by Brandilyn Collins. The story kept me guessing and wanting to find out what would happen next. Obviously Lisa was in a desparate state in making the choice to have the chip emplanted. I believe that Patti was also desparate to have Dr. Hilderbrand love her that she was willing to take actions against what she would normally do. Also Dr. Hilderbrand was so desparate for power he was willing to kill to acheive wealth and power.

Anna wrote: "First book I've read by Brandilyn Collins. The story kept me guessing and wanting to find out what would happen next. Obviously Lisa was in a desparate state in making the choice to have the chip e..."

Anna - some really insightful comments.

Anna wrote: "First book I've read by Brandilyn Collins. The story kept me guessing and wanting to find out what would happen next. Obviously Lisa was in a desparate state in making the choice to have the chip e..."

I wanted to have more empathy with Patti, but it was hard since she was behind the plot as well. I didn't really buy her being desperate. I don't feel like I got to know her very well.

Here are a couple of broad questions to think on and/or discuss:

•What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?

•Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know

SPOILERS

In regards to the first question:

Since this is a Christian group, I can use my faith in my response! Hurray! So, does the line apply to more characters? I think Patti and Hilderbrand are perfect examples. Hilderbrand was desperate to create his chip, to be in complete control of his product that he was willing to kill Lisa. He wanted to make sure his chip was functioning properly that he inserted it into Lisa without her consent. I would definitely say that's desperate. Or insane. Or both.

Specific themes
The idea of loneliness, or lack thereof with God in our life. I think that was a big theme. Collins, I think, was trying to show how no matter what happens, God never leaves us. We may leave Him in the midst of our calamities and trials, but He never leaves us and is waiting for us. There's always going to be someone there, but no one can help us the way He can.

I agree, Nichole, I felt like the need for power/prestige had gone to Hilderbrand's head, which I suppose made him desperate, but to me not in the way that Lisa was.

I love your thoughts about the theme too. Lisa definitely tried to help herself based on her own knowledge and using the chip. She later realized that she hadn't listened to God in a while, and though she had stopped listening, He never stopped speaking.

Beth, you're completely right about it not being the same as Lisa. Lisa was not only struggling with the desperation of depression, but the desperation one feels when they have fallen away from God. Hilderbrand's desperation was a very fleshly one.

Your comment about the theme is great! It's something I bring up in my bible study class often. Frequently, we try to fix things ourselves. We find our own way of doing things instead of relying on God to do so, and that was what Lisa did. I really liked, though, that she realized He had never left her after the chip had been put in. She recognized that it may have been her "idea" but was it? God was there for all of it. As you said, He had been speaking to her the entire time.

I wanted to discuss another one of the questions, if that's okay, of course, still discussing the other questions because I think they're really interesting. But this particular one has been on my mind.

Some might criticize brain tech like the Empowerment Chip saying that enduring difficult times makes a person stronger. Therefore no one should be able to "turn off their pain" so easily. Would you agree with any part of this argument?

I'll be honest, and say that I have no idea. On the one hand, we know that all things come from God, and they're to strengthen our faith and walk with Him. We saw that with Paul. How many times do we hear testimonies from people about how they found God through their pain, or their pain helped them to get closer to Him? But there's a flip side. Is it ethical to allow a child to have PTSD? What about a rape victim? A soldier with survivor's guilt? I mean, we're looking at this from a human perspective, and I think there's no way for us to decide where the line should be drawn. Where the black and white is. Or if grey exists. I've always believed that everything that's happened to me, happened for a reason and has made me who I am today. I have no regrets, because it's all led to this moment. But I've led a pretty good life. Others aren't so lucky, and who am I to tell them that the pain will help them, when I've felt so little comparatively in my own life? I know it definitely makes people stronger, but as we saw with Lisa, while the murder scenes did make her stronger, it nearly drove her mad. The line between black and white.

Here I thought I was so ahead this month and have yet to get this one. Next months book I already have so maybe I will jump and skip this one even though I love this author.

Karen, you don't have to participate in every group read :) Sometimes us mods can't even participate in all of them.

I enjoyed this book so much, I've already started on her novel, Violet Dawn, and am hooked. The suspense and mystery were a welcome break from the romance that I've been reading!

Nichole wrote: "Beth, you're completely right about it not being the same as Lisa. Lisa was not only struggling with the desperation of depression, but the desperation one feels when they have fallen away from God..."

Very thought-provoking comments, Nichole! I agree. I am not going to judge someone's reaction (unless it's harmful to themselves or others) to the pain that they've gone through unless I've gone through it myself. Although I must admit, a lot of times I am more quick to offer judgement than understanding.

LeeAnn wrote: "I enjoyed this book so much, I've already started on her novel, Violet Dawn, and am hooked. The suspense and mystery were a welcome break from the romance that I've been reading!"

Glad you liked it, LeeAnn!