Reviewed by K T Bowes for Readers' Favorite

In 10910 by Nick Samra, The Dark Prophet peddles the drug 10910, creating a dangerous epidemic and sucking ordinary people into its addictive allure. One scientist stands in his way, scarred by another’s addiction and willing to put himself on the line to prevent the drug’s systematic swallowing of vulnerable communities. When a serial killer nicknamed The Hobbler wreaks misery across the US, he becomes the epitome of the evil associated with 10910. He murders adolescents and desecrates their bodies, claiming one of their feet as a trophy. Paul Topasteehl has a vision of what’s coming, a slow, painful destruction of humanity. While dedicated police officer Brad Labradine pursues The Hobbler across America, with the covert help of a psychic, Paul turns to science and powerful politics to defeat the chemical enemy. But when The Hobbler comes after Brad’s psychic ally and Paul uncovers a traitor in his camp, all hope for the innocents seems lost.

The novel 10910 is a clever allegorical Christian thriller which begins with a seed sown on fertile ground in the character of Rachel. Nick Samra presents a thrilling murder mystery filled with biblical clues. I loved the hidden anagram of ‘the apostle’ for Paul’s surname and the dichotomy of his likeness to both Herod and Saul. The name of the drug at the heart of the narrative is particularly artful. The title 10910 relates to Romans 10:9, verse 10, which states that ‘‘God has set everything right between him and me!’ Samra injects incredible depth into the plot, combining multiple points of view as the story progresses. I thought Samra wrote skillfully in recognizing how the world blames believers for all the worst parts of humanity, particularly in his portrayal of The Dark Prophet as the evil mastermind behind an organized drug cartel. It’s a fantastically ambitious Christian novel that certainly kept my mind spinning, because absolutely nothing is as it seems.