Wow, that was an intense read! This is the first book I’ve ready by this duo, but I will surely be looking into their other titles. It’s not for the faint of heart—part This Present Darkness and part Kindergarten Cop. There’s a lot of blood and gore, but at the heart of this story is the assurance that evil forces are still working in the spiritual realm whether they can be physically seen or not. Well written and fast-paced, if you like Christian suspense you’ll love this book.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher.
Authors: Andrews & Wilson
Publisher: Tyndale House
On-Sale Date: Sept. 7th
Synopsis: Newly-retired Navy SEAL Jed Johnson finds himself engaged in an urgent new operation: tracking down twelve year-old Sarah Beth and her kidnappers.
Personal Connection

The book is a supernatural thriller and the Lord really used it to speak to me! I have been experiencing spiritual warfare, recently, and the book shed light on the realities of my own circumstances. It’s not a flesh and blood battle!

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Eph. 6:12
What I Liked

The writing was excellent! I was especially impressed with the chapters written from Sarah Beth’s perspective. I felt that the authors did a particularly good job of capturing Sarah Beth’s youthful innocence, without losing sight of her unique gifting and intelligence. She is an insightful, extremely believable, character. I’m also rather amused that these were my favorite (in terms of writing) sections, considering that both authors are male.
Along this line, this is my first time reading a book by these authors. However, if they haven’t done so yet, I hope they write a children’s book— partially because I was so impressed with Sarah Beth’s (third-person limited) narration, and partially because this book was a bit intense for me (but really good!).
In terms of content and writing, the book reminded me of Ted Dekker’s writing. I say that as a compliment, because Dekker is one of my very favorite novelists.
The pacing was also delicious! While I had a little bit of trouble “getting into” the prologue (a snapshot of a battle scene in Afghanistan), I was hooked from chapter one! The authors have a knack for switching between perspectives just when things are getting interesting. It drives me crazy and keeps me reading!
Similarly, the mystery elements were engaging and intriguing. I really like how Andrews and Wilson kept me guessing.
I very much appreciated the supernatural emphasis, which was so timely for me.
Spiritual Elements

As I’ve mentioned above, the book strongly sheds light on the reality of spiritual battles, which we see described in Eph. 6. Like This Present Darkness, a popular Christian novel by Frank Peretti, I believe this book has a lot of potential to raise awareness among Christians. In general, I am “aware” of spiritual warfare, but the Lord really used it for me to shed light on spiritual warfare that I’ve recently experienced. For this reason, the book felt practically useful, in addition to being a well-crafted work of fiction.

With that said, I think I would have liked to see a bit more direct interaction with the Heavenly Father. There was a lot of emphasis on the physical battle, alongside the spiritual. While the physical battle was integral to the plotline, I think I wanted more of a conscious recognition that God was the One battling.

This is in no way to say that the book “leaves God out” of it. There are numerous references to His role in the battle between good and evil. I am just a little bit wary of emphasis on the impressiveness of spiritual warfare/ gifts over the Holy Spirit Himself. I’m NOT saying this book does that. Instead, I’m saying that, for a reader who struggle with the temptation to focus on the supernatural for its own sake , I’d advise caution.

Content Notes

One thing I really liked is that, in a few instances that used the Lord’s Name, the authors specifically allude to prayer, not just exclamation. (For those who are concerned, there were a few “swear“ words. I’m more concerned about the Lord’s name.)

There’s a flashback to rape.

There’s quite a bit of violence / intense scenes. With that said, I felt that the content was appropriately suited to the subject-matter, not gratuitous. It makes sense to me that, in a book about the battle between good and evil, there’s going to be violence. It wouldn’t really make sense to omit evil. In this sense, I feel that the content was appropriate to the subject matter, but certainly not mild. I wouldn’t say that this was a “scary” book, though 🙂

Recommendation Status

Fast-paced, gripping and well-written, this is definitely a book for adults—or at least older teens. I would particularly recommend it as an illustration of the reality of spiritual warfare.

Always on the hunt for a book that is not the norm? This is that book. Not only is it full of action, it has believable characters. Jedidiah Johnson is a hero at a cross road of his life. Because of his injuries he is forced into retirement. He is unsure where to turn when a phone call from a long ago friend leads him to Nashville. What he find might be unbelievable but will change his life.
Jed is a very human hero with flaws, along with Sarah Beth and others you meet this book will take you on an adventure that will leave you wanting to find someone who else has read it so you can talk about it.
A great storyline that you will find yourself digesting days later.

I enjoyed the read and will follow the series. I am, however, a bit confused as to what I read and how I am meant to take it as it is a bit of Screw Tape Letters meets The Gray Man meets David Baldacci kind of thing. From the Christian side, it has elements of grace, redemption, submission, Holy Spirit guidance, and the battle of good and evil. From the thriller side, it presents a good guys, bad guys conflict in a modern special operations environment. From the paranormal side, we get demons, possession, and the war against God and his people. It is an odd mix that makes for an interesting read from the Tier One guys.

Book Review – Dark Intercept – Andrews & Wilson
Dark Intercept is a new series – The Shepherds Series -- from Andrews and Wilson and separate from their Tier One and Sons of Valor series. It’s a really good faith-based, spiritual novel based around a former Navy SEAL named, Jedidiah Johnson. On the eve of his retirement, Jed receives a frantic call from his disgruntled childhood best friend, David Yarnell, now a minister. David’s daughter has been kidnapped in Nashville in broad daylight. The police have no suspects and no leads, and the only clue is the body of a dead priest left at the scene of the kidnapping. With the clock ticking, David is growing desperate, as is his wife, Rachel, who just so happens to be Jed’s first love, many years ago. This is an edge-of-your-seat, deep spiritual action thriller. Andrews and Wilson continue to amaze me in how they nicely intertwine faith and ‘violence of action’ all in one carefully planned story. The story is action filled and the pace was intense. As expected from the tag-team duet, the characters were well developed, and the dialogue was believable. This book was a pleasant surprise and what I especially liked about it is Andrews and Wilson’s efforts to tell a story of how a military warrior like Jed Johnson could use his faith and spiritual gifts to bring light and hope into the darkness of wrongdoing. These guys nailed this spiritual faith-based action thriller without being preachy nor overly religious. I could tell that they stepped out of their comfort zone in creating this new series which is deeper than what we are used to from them. The book is still packed with military action, but the faith and spiritual elements have been stepped up and done very well.. I’m excited to read the next installment and highly recommend Dark Intercept. It’s scheduled to be published on September 7. Special thank you to Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson, NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for the electronic ARC, Advance Reader’s Copy.

A different concept for a story. Good plot, etc. Gruesome in some places. Maybe a little more of a story for guys than gals, in my opinion... ;)
It would definitely be handy if God's Spirit gave some of the gifts in real life that He does in the story, but also a little scary! Exactly what speculative fiction is for, right? Speculating!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance e-copy of this book. All opinions are entirely my own!

Dark Intercept by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson
Andrews and Wilson were a new to me writing team, who have written about 10 other books. This book was action-packed and suspenseful and had elements reminding me of Frank Peretti’s works, which I loved.
Jedidiah Johnson, a newly retired SEAL, is plunged into a difficult situation, where his past is messing with his present. Estranged friends have contacted him to help them find their missing daughter, who has been kidnapped.
The supernatural weaves itself through this story, along with page-turning suspense. Despite the military terminology which may be unfamiliar to readers, the plot moves quickly. The authors slowly reveal the secrets of Jed’s past, teasing the reader along. They set up a new villain at the end of the story, so the saga will continue.
Readers who enjoy military suspense with a supernatural twist will enjoy this. I am grateful to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for this, my honest review.

Get ready for the new supernatural/spiritual military thriller by Brian Andrews and Jeffery Wilson, an already established powerful writing team. In Dark Intercept, we are introduced to Jedidiah Johnson (Jed), who, after a terrifying supernatural encounter one night with two close high school friends, leaves everything he knows behind, and flees his hometown and joins the Navy SEALs.

Years later, as Jed is about to be medically retired from the Navy, his once close high school friend contacts him with a heart wrenching plea to help find his kidnapped 12-year-old daughter. As Jed returns to his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee the events of the kidnapping begin to mirror what Jed experienced that fateful night that caused him to flee everything he knew. Jed, who has been a Navy SEAL his entire adult life, must become a private investigator to find this missing little girl. As Jed works this case, the voices and the visions he heard and saw that fateful night return, and Jed must take a leap of faith to embrace this strange phenomenon that he thought he left behind to find this little girl before it is too late.

Dark Intercept is a fantastic blend of supernatural thrills, crisis of faith, and military thriller all rolled into one. The reader is thrown into the story without a lot of background information, and soon learns what is going on as the novel progresses.

Of particular interest is the dilemma that Jed is put in when his estranged best friend asks him to help find his daughter. The reader automatically senses that there is some bad blood here, and as we read on and find out why, that punch is so much stronger due to not knowing right away. If there are any readers out there who have read this team of authors individual books, there is a character from a past novel that makes an appearance that added an “oh my gosh” element for any devoted fans.

Dark Intercept, is a great start to a new series. We have the military thriller component mixed in with the supernatural/faith storyline that is sure to bring in more fans into the thriller genre. Jed is a complex character that do doubt a lot of people can connect to as he struggles to figure out his faith journey. This is a unique crisis of faith novel that is sure to be a hit!

Reviewed for Mystery and Suspense Magazine

Dark Intercept by Brian Andrews is a huge hit in my book. I had a really hard time putting the novel down. Tons of actions. Tons of darkness. Tons of running. Tons of shooting. Kidnapping. Mystical, Spiritual Elements. This novel kept my attention and did not let go. At first, when it started in the Middle East, I sighed in defeat because so many spy or military novels start over there. I did not want to read another one of these novels. But once you move past the first couple of chapters, it really takes off. A lot of unknowns, which kept me begging for the authors to tell me. I sat and devoured the novel. It was fabulously written. Since this was labeled as book #one, I really hope there are more novels. I can't wait to put this novel on my keeper shelf. I highly recommend this novel to fans of high octane action with the twist of spiritual warfare.

I received a complimentary copy of Dark Intercept by Brian Andrews from Tyndale Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Andrews & Wilson are the best writing duo on the planet right now and I believe they have a great opportunity to pick up readers who do not often pick up Christian Fiction (myself included).

While the faith component is central to the series, it is not an in your face proselytization that may turn some readers off from other Christian thrillers.

The character development and emotional flashpoints in the story are everything fans have come to expect from these two. They also deliver on the action sequences like only they can.

This is going to be a fantastic series.

This Andrews and Wilson Shepherds series debut is the very definition of good versus evil. Navy SEAL Senior Chief Jedidiah Johnson, a man with an intentionally forgotten past is on the verge of retirement as a door kicking terrorist hunter when everything changes.
Retirement from twenty years of military service is something that everyone looks forward to who has spent time in the military. Not needing to jump into a career right away and finding your own niche with your free time was the plan until a young woman is kidnapped, and she is part of a family that he knows well. Being drawn back to the place where he grew up, with friends he hasn’t talked to in decades, family he hasn’t spoken to in a while, and at a place where his life was changed by a freak encounter with something that is not of this world, you can bet he isn’t excited about the trip.
This debut is dark and thorough, and as a faith-based thriller, it has the competitive juices to compete with the Tier One series that the two of them have continued to produce amazing results with. The faith portion of this thriller is not an overpowering in your face religious service, it’s about how your faith can empower you and give you the strength to accomplish things that you might not have thought possible. The action is good, support characters are complex enough and intriguing enough to aid the story and create conflict as well. If you’re looking for something a little less hard hitting than the Tier One series but with the clever and dynamic writing from A&W give this one a try!

This is the first time that I have read anything by these authors, wow, what a suspenseful ride this one was! I wanted to turn the pages as fast as I could to get to the end to find out how everything was connected.

I am not a big reader of fantasy but the suspense was incredible! I will be thinking about this book for quite some time.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Jed has tried to forget about the traumatic incident that made him lose everything and became a Navy SEAL all those years ago. Now after a successful career of service, he receives a call from his former best friend and all the nightmarish horror begins stalking him anew.
This high octane thriller combines super high speed military know how with spiritual warfare for a can’t put it down read! This is the first book I have read from Andrews and Wilson and I believe their first published with Tyndall. Mystery and suspense make a strong start to their newest series. The action is at times graphic describing how the bad guys are killed and there are numerous mild to moderate bad words throughout which surprised me given that this is a well known Christian publisher, hence why I docked a star. Overall, I enjoyed reading and will be on the lookout for the next book in this series, but would caution readers given the content.