Review: Crazy Dangerous

Do Right. Fear Nothing.

It can be hard being a preacher’s kid. It puts pressure on you to be perfect, and causes people to treat you differently. This is the struggle that Sam Hopkins faces, and he is tired of it.  So, he starts to run with a bad crowd, breaking the law and living dangerous. But when the bullies he has been “friends” with begin to attack Sam’s bizarre schoolmate, Jennifer, Sam has a choice to make—should he do the right thing, or the easy thing?

Sam’s choice pushes him into a plot deep in suspense, excitement, fear, and (naturally) danger.  Jennifer seems to know more than anyone about the scary things that are happening in Sam’s town, and her visions of demons begin to appear more and more credible as Sam's world spins out of control.

High speed chases, moving character relationships, and striking faith-filled themes make Crazy Dangerous a masterpiece.  This was the first book I have read by Andrew Klavan, and I was left wanting more.  Even if you are not a huge fan of teen fiction, this book is worth a read. You will be amazed by how captivating it is!

My thoughts on this book:

The other day, after I finished Crazy Dangerous, I was thinking about the powerful statement the book centers upon, “Do right. Fear nothing.” It reminded me of 1 Samuel 17—the David and Goliath story. Reading it, I discovered David’s reason to not fear as he faced Goliath: “for the battle in the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands (verse 47).” Sam's response to his fears was the same--he chose to trust God even though no one believed him, and he chose to do the right thing even though it did not feel right.

I also thought it was interesting that the words “fear” and “not” occur simultaneously in 66 different verses in the NIV, like these two:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” –Isaiah 41:10

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” --1 John 4:18

A remarkable lesson that I learned from the character Sam in Crazy Dangerous is that we must simply do the right thing before we can claim the promise of fearing nothing. We may be terrified when we strike out into the unknown, but if we go anyway, we will not be alone. 

I received this book for free from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my review.

Celebrate with Andrew Klavan by entering his Crazy Dangerous giveaway and connecting with him during the Author Chat Party on 5/29!

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A $100 Visa Cash Card
• A copy of Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan for YOU and 5 of your Friends!

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on May 28th. Winner will be announced at the "Crazy Dangerous" Author Chat Facebook Party on 5/29. Andrew will be hosting an Author Chat, testing your survival trivia skills, giving away books and gift certificates to iTunes and Amazon.com! Don't miss a second of the "danger"!

Grab your copy of Crazy Dangerous and connect with Andrew on the evening of 5/29/12 for an author chat and lots of giveaways.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 24th!