Holy convoluted ending, Batman!

I finished Thr3e last night. What. the. crap.

I mean, I get it. And it (sort of) works. But it's SO far out there that I didn't really enjoy it.

After a really interesting set-up, and well-developed, steady elevation of the tension, the story shifts way out into left field.

It also felt like Dekker really sped through the last third of the book.

And he couldn't resist the moralizing speeches. He did so well until the last few pages. Then they hit. With a minor character who's a seminary professor, I guess it was unavoidable.

I don't know. I was really enjoying the book, but the ending... it felt like he was trying so hard to break the formula, that he really went too far. He was trying too hard to shock and amaze me. And it took me out of the story.

I mean, I was fooled. He had me going the whole time. So when the other shoe dropped (those who have read it will get the joke), it was like, "But wait, you just said that..."

Overall, that's kinda how it went. Dekker's clearly talented. But he was straining for the shock ending, the "Psycho" ending, Norman Bates popping out of the doorway wearing his momma's sundress. And to accomplish that, Dekker led you down one path, switched you to another, then--"Psych!"--switched you back. And I didn't buy it. (But, if you want to stick with the "Psycho" comparison, the moralizing speech at the end of "Thr3e" works like it did in "Psycho." And the protagonist in the book wouldn't even hurt a fly. No, sir.)

So, final verdict on "Thr3e"-- "eh. S'alright, I guess."