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A secret organization hiding beneath our noses uses the psychic gifts of kidnapped and brainwashed children to further their wicked agenda.

*Spoiler Alert*

Welcome to your next psychological mind-f*ck.
What Freedman does here is an incredible example of the lengths some will go to for power, greed, and survival. Reading of the best and worst kind.

Warning!!
Kidnapping, Abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Torture, Murder, Graphic violence
Brainwashing, Cult behavior, Misogyny, Foul language

This book is absolutely packed with potentially triggering content and controversial situations.

The Faithful

S.M. Freedman

Publication date: September 2015
Pages: 480
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Psychological thriller
Series: Book 1 of 2: The Faithful Series

(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases made through my links may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you.)

First line:
I found her amid the drifts of dirty snow, somewhere near the silenced creek.

On the last day of school in Elkhorn, Nebraska an unusual little girl vanishes. Ryanne Jervis leaves behind a devastated mother and a young police detective who’s life will forever be altered.

“None of her classmates ever tried to be her friend, or stepped forward to help her. Once she was gone, I bet most of them tried to forget her. But I hope her memory haunted them, instead. “

Becoming FBI Agent Josh Metcalf, that detective obsession with finding Ryanne has only grown, along with finding the hundreds of other similar missing children cases since the 1950’s. It shouldn’t be possible. Someone should have noticed.

There were exactly 778 photos on the wall, and Josh knew each one by name. It averaged out to fifteen or sixteen new cases a year, although some years there had been almost no disappearances, and other years, like 1998, there had been more than thirty.

He just needs to know what connects these children together, why them, why were they chosen?
Josh gets his answer. Every last missing child was said to have ‘strange’ gifts. Gruesome imaginary friends, nightmares that later became true, objects that moved of their own accord. Unsettling occurrences and behavior. But if that’s it.. if that’s what make these children ideal targets, how are they being found? Josh is in a race to discover the answer before the trail of the latest abducted child goes cold.

A secret religious organization kidnapping kids with psychic gifts since the sixties with the governments knowledge.

“Somehow, this organization is finding out about these kids. Finding out what they can do. If I can figure out how they’re getting their information, that just might be the bit of thread I need to unravel this whole thing.”

Rowan thought she understood her life. Having graduated out of MIT into one of it’s space research programs, her job is observing and flagging asteroids that could become a potential threat to our planet. It’s work she enjoys. Until a card arrives with two words in Italian, ‘Remember, Return‘ and Rowan’s life begins spiraling out of control. The life she thought she knew begins to alter and fade, her memories becoming distorted and vague, not understanding what’s happening.. she begins her own desperate search for answers.

How can she know what is real and what was them messing around inside of her head?

“It’s hard to put into words. But I think I might have been implanted with false memories of my childhood.”

“Are you talking about abuse? Or traumatic events?”

“No, not like that. I, um, think my whole childhood might have been a false memory.”

Meanwhile, in the midst of his own crisis, another man struggles with the choices he’s made and the resulting pain others have suffered because of it. Will Sumner choose to allow his fear of the quick and brutal consequences of opposing his orders to prevent him from standing up for what he believes in.. or will he free himself from the subjugation of the monsters who raised him and fight.

All are carefully designed puzzle pieces, each with their own part to play in an intricate dance towards the truth.

“It’s time to choose. Are you going to be an I Fidele patsy and contribute to the destruction of the world, or are you going to go down with your guns blazing? It’s your choice, Sumner. And for the first time in your sorry life, you actually have the freedom to choose.”

Ora. A young woman, spoiled and full of her own self importance, chose her side in the war for survival. Along with two others, a temperamental firestarter and his sister, none are willing to let the terrible actions of their ‘family’ slide any longer. These three have grown up to believe the ways of their father’s.. to trust that all that is done, all who are sacrificed, any who oppose their ‘true path’ are deserving of it.

If you grew up on The Ranch, you just couldn’t do normal. You were too broken. Which was just what the Fathers wanted, anyway.

These unlikely heroes must find one another, a unique boy, and the truth hidden in their broken memories if they’re going to stop the bad guys and rescue the children before time runs out.

And as the group expose more and more of I Fidele’s atrocities, an idea of their plan begins to form.. but it may already be far too late to stop it.

Four Stars!

The plan is already in motion, there is no stopping what’s to come, and the devastating consequences will change more than just their motley crew.. it will impact the world.

Later, I would be haunted by what-ifs. What is Jack had awoken earlier? What if I had figured out my part in it before Jack had spelled it out for me? What if and what if and what if? What if there had been more time?

About the book:

Short chapters, alternating timelines. and multiple POV’s all make for a confusing combination at times. The author does a wonderful job of smoothly transitioning between the many elements playing out(and there are many)but there is a lot to keep up with. Twists and turns that are skillfully placed throughout the storyline add to the suspense as these characters race towards the shocking truth behind I Fidele’s plan.
The characters that are mainly focused on here are:
Rowan/Ryanne: Catalyst or linchpin? Intelligent. Calm. Resilient. Ryanne is a fantastic character with nerves of steel and a pretty good handle on adapting to the crazy amount of chaos that seems to follow/find her.
Sumner: Slightly unhinged. Was instrumental in the kidnappings but has seen the light and is now attempting to earn redemption for the part he played.
FBI Agent Josh Metcalf: Love interest. Obsessed with finding the kidnapped children and the reason why they’ve been taken. Driven. Very protective of Ryanne.
Ora: A Chosen/child of a Priest, Sumner’s mentor. Spoiled but later develops into a more subdued and caring person. Group mediator. Caretaker.
Jack: A very special and important boy. Kidnapped. Later injured trying to escape, Jack knows it might already be too late but.. He must find Ryanne. He has to warn them. Jack knows what the ultimate goal of the Priests is but he can only fight them off for so much longer before his ‘Angels’ will be too weak to protect him.

A slow building, suspenseful ride through the twisted world of some seriously sick and misogynistic f*cktards.

Overall:

There are so many trigger inducing scenes and situations here that I wouldn’t even know where to start. Just.. Be aware that women are a useful commodity in this sick organization, pretty dolls to use up, and nothing more. That was very hard for me to overlook. Many areas of this book were uncomfortable to get through, not because the author didn’t write it well but.. because she did.

I’m not entirely sure who I would recommend this to. It was an interesting read and I fully intend to continue with the next in the series but.. It was also weighed down by such heavy and, at times, disturbing content that it can be difficult to really enjoy.

If you enjoy psychological suspense with some darker themes and a touch of the paranormal? This may be the book for you.

Do you read psychological thrillers?

What book would say was the most twisted and disturbing thing you’ve read?

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