Pawlik is definitely one of the Kings of Weird. This was an engrossing read. I'm a nighttime reader, and this book was quite the nightly bedtime story. ( )

Title: Beckon
Author: Tom Pawlik
Pages: 399
Year: 2012
Publisher: Tyndale
Beckon is the story of three very different people who all arrive in the small town of Beckon, Wyoming for very different reasons. George Wilcox has been contacted by Tom Vale, the man in charge of Beckon, to bring his wife for an experimental treatment to cure her Alzheimer’s. George had planned to retire and enjoy his hard earned money with his wife traveling, but her illness changed that. He has always put up with Miriam’s faith, not really making a commitment himself. They arrive, but soon discover there is more to the treatment than they were told and more that Vale wants than to cure Miriam Wilcox. How far will George go to save his wife? What will it cost?
Elina Gutierrez is a young woman recently suspended from LAPD who also arrives in Beckon as she has followed her cousin, Javier. Her cousin’s wife called Elina frantic when Javier disappeared. Elina knows Javier was picked up in a white van that appears once a month in Las Vegas to pick up people looking for work. She knows Javier got in the van a month ago, so she follows the van this month and winds up in Beckon. She soon discovers that all is not right in this town. What have the townspeople done with her cousin? Elina soon finds out and has a chance to use her rediscovered faith.
Jack Kendrick is on the trail of his anthropologist father who disappeared near Beckon 12 years ago. Jack also is an anthropologist and has taken up his father’s obsession with an alleged pre-Colombian Indian society that is rumored to live completely underground and has done so for thousands of years. Jack and his best friend Rudy meet an old Indian and hear legends of these strange people. He is told about a cave entrance, hires a guide and begins his adventure. What he discovers is so much more than he bargained for. The strange legends don’t come close to the horrors he encounters. Jack meets Elina and reverts to his upbringing of faith also.
This story is filled with action, tension and is very entertaining. Hold on to the edge of your seat because this story will take you for a ride! Each person discovers the cost of playing God. God is in control and doesn’t leave them alone is also a theme. This is my first book by this author and I thought it was great! I look forward to reading more of his books.
My rating is 5 stars.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/. Also follow me on Twitter @lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457 ( )

Welcome to Beckon. You're not here by chance.

Just what would you give to live forever? Money? Security? Your loved ones?

In the town of Beckon, no one ever leaves of their own free will. There is a dark, sinister secret hidden in the mountains and caves. One that has existed since the beginning of time. One that seeks to devour any that wind up in the belly of the mountain.

Ancient legends called them Shadow People, other people call them murderers and killers and still others worship them and what they can provide.

In the latest supernatural Christian suspense thriller, Beckon takes the reader into a four part journey in this novel by Tom Pawlik through the eyes of three characters, Jack, Elina, and George who happen upon the town of Beckon for very different reasons but each will meet at a unique crossroads.

Jack is going in search of his father, an anthropologist named David who went missing and has never come home. While searching through his father's desk, Jack locates a brown envelope that may provide the clues no one has been able to uncover in the hills of Wyoming. He takes along an Indian guide and US Army Ranger, Ben Graywolf along with his best friend Rudy to search for the missing ancient civilization of the Caieche Indians. He receives a warning from an old man named Running Bear that they seek to tell them about the Caieche Indians and the Shadow People, that "If you go...death will find you there." Death does in fact find them there in the darkness.

Elina Gutierrez is an LA County police officer who is on leave and searching for her cousin Javier, who has disappeared. A mysterious white van roaming the neighborhoods and streets in Las Vegas promising jobs to the illegals that gather on the street corners in search of work and money. Only when Javier didn't return, Elina believes that there is something going on with this roaming van. When she follows it one day, it takes her into the hills of Wyoming and what she finds there in the dark woods will call upon more than just her police training if she expects to survive.

George Wilcox is about to lose his best friend and wife to Alzheimer's. There still remains no cure and George struggles to find a way to reunite his wife to her former life. When an offer from Thomas Vale arrives promising him the ultimate cure, he immediately wastes no time in driving them both to Beckon, Wyoming. What he learns is that this miracle drug does more than just heal whatever ails you, and the price is worth almost anything George has to offer.

I received Beckon by Tom Pawlik compliments of Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Tours for my honest review. There is something to be said for things that go bump and click in the dark. I didn't see this one coming but it truly is a must read for anyone that LOVES a great suspense thriller with a Sci-Fi twist to it. I love how the author wove these three different but intricate story lines together to keep the plot moving along and to see where it culminates is worth reading every single page. This book alone will make me second guess ever going into a dark cave again. Well written, the characters are believable and have you rooting for them in the end. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. I personally feel his books rate right up there with Travis Thrasher and Mike Dellosso and can't wait to read more! ( )

Few books grab me in the first pages and don't let go. Beckon is just such a book!

Fast paced suspense that keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can. Breathless and breath-stopping the entire novel's length!

Think Steven Spielberg meets Stephen King, and you'll get the idea.
Lost Indian culture with weird shamanic practices that can promise miracle healing and the fountain of youth. Throw in giant blood-sucking, flesh eating, crustacean-like arachnids, and you've got a tale that will make your little heart jump around in your chest!

Love, love, love this book.

Great read! Highly recommend it for the pleasure of an exciting novel! Rate this T for teens and older. [If you like Indiana Jones movies, you'll love this! Hey Mr. Pawlik, when can we expect to see this in a film! I'll be the first to purchase a ticket!!!]

I give this book Five Stars and my Thumbs Up!

****DISCLOSURE: This book was provided by Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an independent and non-biased review. ( )