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Title: Slain in the Spirit

Author: Melanie Tem

Narrator: Ann Richards

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-02-11

Publisher: CrossRoad Press

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Horror

Publisher's Summary:

Leila Blackwell suffers from keratitis, a condition that, coupled with prior eye problems, is slowly robbing her of her sight. Nevertheless, she stubbornly tries to maintain a normal lifestyle, often forsaking the companionship of her lover, Cathy, to act independently, as any fully sighted person might do. Its thus that she finds herself alone in a public rest room when a familiar male voice penetrates the silence, saying, Dont be afraid, I wont hurt you.

Leila finds herself kidnapped and confined in a basement, slowly and steadily losing her sight, as she is forced to engage in a batlle of wills with a man who beleives he is acting to save her soul. Through a series of harrowing escapes and confrontations with obstacles both real and self-imposed, Leila must try to survive to reach freedom, and her life, without losing her sanity in the process.

Members Reviews:

A gripping, psychologically insightful tale.

Leila Blackwell suffers from keratitis, a condition that, coupled with prior eye problems, is slowly robbing her of her sight. Nevertheless, she stubbornly tries to maintain a "normal" lifestyle, often forsaking the companionship of her lover Cathy to act independently, as any fully sighted person might do. It's thus that she finds herself alone in a public rest room when a familiar male voice penetrates the silence, saying, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The voice belongs to the born again Russell Gavon, a former high school class mate, who believes God wants him to save Leila from her sinful existence. With this objective, he kidnaps Leila and confines her in an abandoned building. The two engage in a protracted battle of wills, Russell believing Leila's soul is at risk, Leila soon realizing that her very life is what's really at stake. Hampered by worsening eyesight (Russell withholds her medication, believing the Lord will heal her after she comes to her senses) and self-imposed mental obstacles, Leila vacillates between defiance and despair between increasingly desperate escape attempts.

It is somewhat disingenuous to call Slain in the Spirit a horror novel; it is more accurately classified as a suspense novel, psychological thriller or tragedy. While certain aspects of the story can be deemed horrific, the book contains nary a whiff of the supernatural - whatever shivers the novel evokes lie in the characters' reactions to events, and in the way they treat each other and themselves. Still, this is enough, at least for someone with Tem's storytelling talents.

Tem continues her tradition of writing about damaged souls, characters whose personal demons are far more dangerous to their well being than are outside forces. Leila is a curious, almost annoying choice for a heroine. Far from the durable, quick witted protagonist one might expect to encounter in a piece like this (think Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark), Leila is exceedingly passive, almost complacent, at several points in the story even feeling empathy for her deranged captor's skewed point of view. Russell also defies expectations - although he's the villain of the piece, readers begin to feel sorry for this unfortunate man, whose mental illness makes him so dangerous.