When the Day of Evil Comes

When the Day of Evil Comes is book one of the Dylan Foster series and, with Dylan Foster, it introduces a literary character whose company I think I would enjoy in the real world. Dylan, a Southern Methodist University psychology professor, is one of those down-to-earth types not easily impressed by status symbols and those who flaunt them, someone who never quite loses her sense of humor about herself and those around her no matter what crazy turns her life might take, including the discovery that a demon from the spirit world is determined to destroy her.

That particular demon, who calls himself Peter Terry, is a bald, emaciated and very white-skinned man with an ugly horizontal wound across his back who makes contact with Dylan at a show more faculty outing that she is attending with fellow SMU professors. Spooky as the man is from the start, Dylan does not realize his intentions (or his true nature) toward her until she makes the connection between him and the student who suddenly files a formal complaint that Dylan made sexual advances toward him during his visits to her office for psychological counseling.

Dylan is removed from the classroom pending a formal investigation of the charges against her and, just when she thinks that things could not possibly get any worse, they do. She knows, of course, that she cannot defend herself by explaining to the investigative committee that her problems are being caused by harassment from a local demon. But when a second student’s sanity is threatened by the same Peter Terry, Dylan realizes that she has to move quickly and heads for Chicago hoping to learn more about the young man whose complaint started all of her problems.

When the Day of Evil Comes is a mystery and thriller combination that will satisfy fans of both genres. In order to defend herself in Dallas, Dylan Foster has to delve into the secrets of a Chicago family that has kept them hidden for decades, and she has to do it while enduring psychological tricks and physical threats from Peter Terry. Dylan defends herself from this demon through prayer, help from one little girl’s personal angel, and by covering herself with the spiritual armor described in Ephesians, chapter six.

This struggle between the forces of good and evil fits firmly into the Christian fiction genre but Melanie Wells makes her religious points in a way that are not so obvious or preachy that they intrude on the story being told. Dylan Foster is the kind of Christian that most of us probably are: a little bit lazy about the whole thing at times but quick to ask for help when we find ourselves over our heads in some kind of panic situation. The message is that there are bigger and better weapons on the side of good than on the side of evil – if we remember to ask for them.

I have not read the second novel in the series yet but my first exposure to Dylan Foster and Peter Terry was with book three, My Soul to Keep. After reading that one, I was a little surprised to learn that I had just finished something in the Christian fiction genre, a type of reading I rarely do, because its religious references are so much more subtle than in this first book. But now that I have read When the Day of Evil Comes it is easy to see why these books have been embraced by the Christian community, and I suggest that they be read in order if at all possible in order to get their full impact.

Rated at: 4.0 show less

Christian fiction for people who don't like Christian fiction. Wells has a cut-the-bull attitude, and so does her main character, psychology professor Dylan Foster (female) who finds her life being troubled by demonic activity. Dylan is unladylike, often sarcastic, and an intelligent hard-line investigator. Wells writes tightly and in a totally non-preachy way. Even if you don't buy the existence of demons, the story is eerie and hard to put down and the character won't annoy you!

I absolutely devoured this book. What I want to share is how much I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much I took it with me to the Raven Cafe on Saturday. I squeezed in reading while my husband took his contacts out before bed. Basically, if I could read When the Day of Evil Comes even for a moment, I did it. Truly I only put the book down in order to not be rude.

The story introduces us to Dr. Dylan Foster who is a psychology professor at SMU. Dr. Foster sounds like the kind of woman I would have aspired to be when I was growing up. She is strong, well educated, beautiful, and has direction. Dylan's main flaw might be that she is a bit disconnected from those around her. She seems to have few close ties. Life may be slightly show more predictable and a bit boring for Dylan, but that changes rather quickly after an afternoon picnic with her colleagues at a lake.

From a meeting with a strange and rather creepy individual, Dylan finds herself on a path to possible personal destruction. Her usually ordered life is slowly coming unraveled with her professional ethics being questioned and her very career being put in jeopardy. Worse still she seems to be under some sort of spiritual attack, and that is far more difficult to get ahead of when you are accustomed to an orderly life where the rules are usually followed and most things are easily explained.

This story had plenty of edge and mystery to keep me reading. It contained characters that were entirely realistic and believable. This is a book that kept me actively engaged from the very first chapter. Seriously, I did not want to put this down. There were some questions in the story that kind of left things up to the reader, but that could be so you can find out more in the other books in the series.

Melanie Wells took me on a very interesting ride that I enjoyed thoroughly. I look forward to reading the second book "Soul Hunter" this week, and if it is anything like the first, I will be devouring "My Soul To Keep" the week after. show less

Dylan Foster is a phychology professor who also works at the local clinic, helping students deal with their problems. While at a faculty picnic, Dylan meets Peter Terry, an ashen, whisper thin bald man, whom she takes to be a cancer patient. His conversation with her gives her the willies, and when he finally turns to leave she notices a hugh gash on his back, exposing bone and muscle. When she returns to the picnic she discovers that all of the faculty have been presented with expensive, but anonymous, gifts. She receives a necklace, one that she finds very pretty and would have bought for herself.

When Dylan returns to her truck at the end of the day she finds another gift, in a similar box. It’s her mother’s wedding ring. The same show more ring that should currently be on her mother’s finger, six feet under ground. Dylan then takes the necklace and, truly creeped out, throws it into the lake and drives home. When she arrives, she finds hanging from her doorknob, “that necklace, still dripping with the cold water of Barton Springs.” So ends chapter one.

For a first time author, Melanie Wells has written a gripping tale, one that will not let you go. It deals specifically with the reality of angels and demons in our world, and the war that we may not always see. She also tackles the effects of that war, both positive and negative. While there are questions that seem to be left unanswered, it seems to me that the answers just aren’t obvious. Melanie doens’t come out and say, “This is the answer to that little conundrum on page 47…” but she does weave the answers into the story. There were some that I didn’t discover until after I’d finished the book and thought about it, but they were there. I eagerly await her newest book, out in just a few months.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read Christian suspense. Although, you may want to sleep with the lights on for a few nights! show less

This book was an honest waste of my time to read. I hate saying that because I think books are amazing and worth the time, but the author relies on way too much deus-ex-machina to fix major plot holes.

Basically, the main character (who is quite obviously the author) prays her way through every plot problem and just waits for the answers to come to her.

It's an incredibly weak plot with a heroine is doesn't do much of anything. I was very disappointed because this book came highly rated here on Goodreads.

I felt like this review said everything I wanted to:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/461382429?book_show_action=true&page=1

Good as an edgy inspirational.