Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (Review)

Posted on January 2, 2026 by John

Pendergast: The Beginning - Preston & ChildPendergast: The Beginning (Agent Pendergast Series)
by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub Date: January 27, 2026
General Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling duo Preston and Child comes the Agent Pendergast origin story—a golden opportunity for longtime fans and new readers to learn about Agent Pendergast’s strange and shocking first case.

It only took six months for the life of Special Agent Dwight Chambers to crumble around him. First, he lost his partner, and then, tragically, his wife. Returning to work at the New Orleans Field Office, Chambers is dismayed to find himself saddled with mentoring a brand new FBI agent—a certain A. X. L. Pendergast. As Chambers tries to pull himself together, his enigmatic and exasperating junior partner pulls an outrageous stunt that gets both of them suspended.

Pendergast welcomes the banishment, because it gives him the opportunity to investigate a peculiar murder in Mississippi that has captured his fancy. Chambers grudgingly goes along. What starts off as a whimsical quest swiftly turns into a terrifying pursuit, as Chambers and Pendergast uncover a string of grisly, ritualistic killings that defy any known serial killer profile.

Thanks in large part to Pendergast’s brilliance and unorthodox methods, they solve the case and find the killer… and that is when the true horror begins.

REVIEW:

Pendergast: The Beginning is billed as the origin story of Agent Pendergast. As a long-time fan of the Agent Pendergast series, I was thrilled at the opportunity to get an advanced reader copy for review.

The story begins with A. X. L. Pendergast already working as a junior agent for the FBI. There are hints about his time in the “Ghost Company” performing top secret black ops but only a shading of information, though this does reveal the connection to Pendergast’s ‘sponsor’ in the FBI and how he met met Proctor who, as those already familiar with the series know, becomes Pendergast’s competent factotum.

A lot of the early going in the story deals with Proctor’s abduction and imprisonment by an apparent technically detailed, surgically trained serial killer, which ties into the cold case that Pendergast and his FBI mentor, Agent Chambers end up investigating after they are kicked out of the New Orleans field office due to Pendergast’s unsanctioned but successful corruption sting. Initially, Pendergast’s mentor is more than willing to let Pendergast take the lead in interviews, etc., then pointing out course corrections for the young agent. But eventually Pendergast’s out-of-the-box investigative skills and penchant for skirting rules and regulations drivers Chambers to distraction, to the point where he wants to wash his hands of the young agent.

It’s apparent early on that Pendergast, despite his verbal deference to the older, more experienced agent, will not be constrained and will, ultimately take on cases that hold special interest to him. His personal wealth, derived from his notorious family, allows him to treat his FBI role as a moral hobby rather than a needed vocation. The FBI badge can open investigative doors that would otherwise remained closed to him.

Soon, the case investigating the serial killer who abducted Proctor takes a surprising twist which suggests a much deeper evil to Pendergast, who senses something nefarious hidden behind the obvious ‘facts,’ but he is unable to convince his partner that they need to keep digging to get to the truth. Nevertheless, Pendergast is relentless in his own investigation. From this point, the novel shifts into an exciting one man campaign against superior forces, basically Die Hard on a steamboat. And Pendergast’s time in Ghost Company has prepared him for high risks and high stakes with low odds of success.

In summary, Pendergast: The Beginning is an exciting prequel to the main series, complete with a paranormal conspiracy, and reveals new layers of Pendergast—though not all of them. (Maybe some day we’ll get the Ghost Company stories!) And yet it seems as if FBI Agent Pendergast has always been the highly competent Agent Pendergast we’ve witnessed in almost two dozen thrillers so far, even dating back to his time as a junior/mentored agent. Would we expect anything less?

Note: I received an eGalley of Pendergast: The Beginning from the publisher via NetGalley in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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Book Reviews: The Reformatory (Tananarive Due) & Worst Case Scenario (T.J. Newman)

Posted on March 24, 2025 by John

In honor of Women’s History Month, I thought I’d post reviews of two recently read books by women authors. These were books from my own TBR, not galleys/ARCs from publishers or NetGalley. Spoiler: I enjoyed them both!

The Reformatory by Tananarive DueThe Reformatory: A Novel
by Tananarive Due
S&S/Saga Press, 573 pages

DESCRIPTION: Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

REVIEW: Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory has a definite Stephen King vibe, so I’m not surprised Mr. King was a fan of the book and provides a solid cover blurb. Due mixes two kinds of horror with dramatic effect. The story begins with the terrifying racism of Jim Crow Florida in 1950 where a small offense sends twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr. to a meat-grinder of a reform school run by a sadistic pedophile warden. Children under his ‘care’ are treated worse than hardened criminals in a maximum security prison, whipped mercilessly for the slightest reason, worked as virtual slaves, and subject to unspeakable abuses by the psychotic warden.

Even those who die by fire, torture or failed attempts to escape, continue to suffer after death. And this is where the supernatural horrors kick in, because the reformatory is haunted by these ghosts, called ‘haints’ by the locals. Children are more likely to see them or feel their presence than adults, though the warden is keenly aware of them and wants them banished — or, more accurately, extinguished and captured. These haints function as a sort of external conscience for the warden who has no internal moral compass. Robbie often sees the haints and is particularly fine-tuned to their presence, even experiencing echoes of their pain and endless suffering. When the warden learns that Robbie can track and find the haints, which will allow him to effectively neuter and bottle them, he places the young man in an untenable situation: inflict further harm on the dead or suffer additional punishment himself. Robbie navigates a delicate balancing act, trying to appease the warden without betraying the haints while awaiting the dangerous opportunity to finally gain his own freedom.

Despite its supernatural aspects, The Reformatory is a powerful reminder that humans are all to capable of inflicting horrors on those they view as “other” or “less than” out of hate or their own unbridled depravity.

 

Worst Case Scenario by T.J. NewmanWorst Case Scenario: A Novel
by T.J. Newman
Little, Brown and Company, 321 pages

DESCRIPTION: When a pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, a commercial airliner filled with passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, which becomes ground zero for a catastrophic national crisis with global implications. The International Nuclear Event Scale tracks nuclear disasters. It has seven levels. Level 7 is a Major Accident, with only two on record: Fukushima and Chernobyl. There has never been a Level 8. Until now.

REVIEW: I’ve read all three of T.J. Newman’s exciting airline thrillers (Falling, Drowning, and now Worst Case Scenario) and Worst Case Scenario was a definite change of pace in that the plane in question, along with the crew and passengers, is a lost cause right from the beginning, which almost qualifies as a ‘twist’ beginning. From that point, the thriller aspect takes place on the ground with the fallout, in the form of the physical wreckage of the plane and in the potential and escalating radioactive fallout from the damage done during the crash to a nuclear reactor scheduled for decommissioning. First responders race to save the lives of locals trapped and injured throughout the town and, more importantly, fight a ticking clock to stop a nuclear event with the potential to be an extinction level event.

Worst Case Scenario pulls no punches. Nobody is safe. Really. I was surprised and impressed by Newman’s commitment to the consequences of dealing with such a high-level threat. Newman raises the stakes with this one and delivers a brutal nail-biter of a novel.

 

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The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi – Review

Posted on March 17, 2025 by John

The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip FracassiThe Third Rule of Time Travel
by Philip Fracassi

Publisher?:? Orbit
Pub Date: March 18, 2025
Time Travel/Science Fiction

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

Rule One: You can only travel to a point within your lifetime.
Rule Two: You can only travel for ninety seconds.
Rule Three: You can only observe.
The rules cannot be broken.

In this electrifying science fiction thriller from acclaimed author Philip Fracassi, a scientist has unlocked the mysteries of time travel. This is not the story you think you know. And the rules are only the beginning.

“Tense, fast-moving, surprising, and above all else, entertaining.” – Owen King, New York Times bestselling author

“Part Crichton, part Bradbury, and all Fracassi, The Third Rule of Time Travel further demonstrates why Fracassi is one of the best writers working today, regardless of genre.” – Tyler Jones, author of Midas

Scientist Beth Darlow has discovered the unimaginable. She’s built a machine that allows human consciousness to travel through time—to any point in the traveler’s lifetime—and relive moments of their life. An impossible breakthrough, but it’s not perfect: the traveler has no way to interact with the past. They can only observe.

After Beth’s husband, Colson, the co-creator of the machine, dies in a tragic car accident, Beth is left to raise Isabella—their only daughter—and continue the work they started. Mired in grief and threatened by her ruthless CEO, Beth pushes herself to the limit to prove the value of her technology.

Then the impossible happens. Simply viewing personal history should not alter the present, but with each new observation she makes, her own timeline begins to warp.

As her reality constantly shifts, Beth must solve the puzzles of her past, even if it means forsaking her future.

REVIEW:

With The Third Rule of Time Travel, Fracassi puts a unique spin on time travel. Instead of physically traveling to any time period in the past or the future, the time traveler can only travel to the past, only within their own lifetime, and only to revisit their own experiences. Further, only the consciousness of the traveler makes the trip, becoming a new layer on top of their past self’s consciousness, with no ability to change the past, merely to observe. With that premise, the safety of time travel seems assured — and the ability to tell the story as a thriller made all the more difficult. Nevertheless, Fracassi succeeds. The science behind the time travel feels speculatively possible, certainly within the context of the novel. And, after a slow ‘proof of concept’ type of opening to the tale, the dangers, internal and external, begin to creep in.

Looming within each time episode is the need to keep the trip to 90 seconds or less to protect the mind of the traveler, skirting the possibility of mental damage or the inability to retrieve the traveler’s consciousness from the past event. Second, Beth always travels to times where she experienced tragedy and intense grief, which exposes another variable in the travel. She and her team don’t know how to control which WHEN the traveler experiences. So each trip for Beth is a harrowing experience, suffered in hopes of advancing the science and learning how to control which experience is revisited. Further, budget cuts have added stress to the operation while the lack of funding puts pressure on Beth to perfect the process before she loses her lab. All the while, her relationship with the CEO of the company providing the funding deteriorates throughout, eventually taking a dark turn.

The story kicks into high gear when casual comments by Beth’s daughter and her own experiences suggest the ghostly presence of her dead husband, and soon Beth realizes that the Third Rule has been broken, but she has no idea how. Despite being an observer only, she has somehow changed her own timeline in a horrific way. Everyone in her orbit believes she’s delusional, suffering hallucinations either from mental deterioration or overwork. And, appropriately, time is running out for her to restore her timeline. She’ll need to risk her life, in more ways than one, to fix her past to preserve her present.

I’m not sure if there will be a sequel to The Third Rule of Time Travel (the story has a satisfying conclusion), but the ending really expands the idea of time travel in a way that’s as exhilarating as it is frightening, providing a cautionary note about messing with things we don’t fully understand.

 

Note: I received a physical galley (ARC) of The Third Rule of Time Travel from the publisher in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy – Review

Posted on January 6, 2025 by John

DEADBEAT -Adam HamdyDeadbeat
A Novel
by Adam Hamdy

Pub Date: Dec 03 2024
Atria Books
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

The author of the “moving head-spinner of a novel” (John Connolly) The Other Side of Night returns with a taut thriller following a desperate single father as he searches for the anonymous employer who hired him as a hitman.

Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. Divorced, drunk, and severely damaged, Peyton is offered a life-changing sum of money to kill an evil man. But as he goes on a vigilante journey that leaves a trail of bodies across California, Peyton wonders about the identity of his anonymous patron. Soon, his questions become an obsession, and he embarks on a tense and potentially deadly investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed.

“A superb, white-knuckle thriller . . . Surprise explosions make the pages shake.”
—Booklist

“Once again, Hamdy has delivered a standout work of smart, tough crime fiction.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

REVIEW:

How much you enjoy DEADBEAT might rely on how well you can suspend disbelief and overlook logistical issues. Deadbeat is a fast-paced thriller with breezy prose that carries you along from one dire situation to another and at that level, it really satisfies the suspense and thriller itch. What tugs against that fast-forward plot current is the continually mentioned anchor of Peyton’s guilt over becoming what is, in essence, a serial-killer. On one hand, he takes to the role of a hitman with relative ease while agonizing over his own choices throughout. Initially, he’s convinced he’s doing the world a favor by ridding it of nasty actors (i.e, people who deserve it) based upon what he reads about them on (planted) search result pages. He’s paid incredible sums of money to kill his victims, but becomes victimized (and brutalized) himself by petty criminals. I kept wondering why he didn’t think about hiring bodyguards. And having sudden large sums of money on hand doesn’t seem to raise enough eyebrows as he buys an expensive car and a new home in a new, ritzy neighborhood, along with hiring a very expensive lawyer. Since he can’t put the money in the bank without raising IRS flags, he spends time storing it in furniture in a home he doesn’t own (yet), or underground, like a pirate. Then there’s the hooker with the heart of gold who seems way too eager to accept his murderous choices. She seems put in place to provide Peyton with the potential for a happy ending—no pun intended. There’s a revelation (not exactly a twist) that gives a reasonably satisfying reason for everything that’s happened to Peyton, but there are still a lot of “oh, really?” moments throughout that stretch credulity. And yet, if you’re willing to cruise along with the story without stopping to ask too many questions, on ponder the implausibilities, you’ll enjoy the ride.

 

Note: I received a free eGalley of Deadbeat from Net Galley in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs – Review

Posted on September 22, 2024 by John

Sunderworld Vol1: Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry - Ransom RiggsSunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry
by Ransom Riggs

Pub Date: Aug 27 2024
PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Dutton Books for Young Readers
Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

The instant New York Times bestseller from visionary storyteller Ransom Riggs!

Weaving the familiar with the peculiar, this stunning tale of loss, triumph, friendship and magic, will remind readers everywhere that true heroes are made, not born—and when you’re never the chosen one, sometimes you have to choose yourself.

Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won’t leave him alone. Every hallucinatory moment seems plucked from a cheesy 1990s fantasy TV show called Max’s Adventures in Sunderworld—and that’s because they are.

Not a good sign.

In the blurry weeks after his mother’s death, a young Leopold discovered VHS tapes of its one and only season in a box headed for the trash—and soon became obsessed. Losing himself in Sunder was the best way to avoid two things: grieving his mother and being a chronic disappointment to his overbearing father. But when the strange visions return—at the worst possible time on the worst possible day—Leopold turns to his best friend Emmet for help. Together they discover that Sunder is much more than just an old TV show, and that Los Angeles is far stranger than they ever imagined. And soon, he’ll realize that not only is Sunderworld real, but it’s in grave danger.

Certain he’s finally been chosen for greatness, Leopold risks everything to claim his destiny, save the world of his childhood dreams, and prove once and for all that he’s not the disappointment his father believes him to be. But when everything goes terribly, horribly, excruciatingly wrong, Leopold’s disappointments prove to be more extraordinary than he ever could have imagined.

How do you battle darkness when no one believes in you—not even yourself?

Welcome to Sunderworld.

REVIEW:

As a huge fan of the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series, I was excited to get the opportunity to read the first book in this new series by Ransom Riggs. With Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry Riggs has primed us for another exciting YA/Fantasy series. Sunderworld is a parallel world running alongside—or, more accurately, a world overlaid onto—our world, invisible to normal folks, but visible to Sunderworld natives (called Sparks), within which magic works… But it’s kind of rundown and neglected. Magic can’t make up for infrastructure deterioration.

In short, Sunderworld feels like a world in need of a renaissance, or at least a savior of some sort to return a spark (pun intended) of life to it. Leopold (mostly called Larry in the normal world) seems to be the chosen one, but he lacks faith in himself. He lost his devoted mother (who had secrets of her own related to Sunderworld) at a young age and his father does nothing but criticize him for every perceived failure to live up to his exacting standards. Leopold is a round peg his father wants to shove into a square hole.

At one point, after discovering Sunderworld, Leopold takes a leap of faith in himself, but fails and is basically exiled from the ability to live his one enduring dream scenario. Another failure. (Note: readers are forewarned by the subtitle to this book, i.e., ‘Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry.’)  But Leopold is loyal and doesn’t give up when barriers are thrown in his path. There’s a clear sense that Leopold will eventually succeed, just as there’s a clear sense Sunderworld will recover from its own crises—no doubt with ‘extraordinary’ help from Leopold. But that does not happen in Sunderworld Vol. 1. While I enjoyed this book, and look forward to all the developments to come, there is definite sense that this volume is a long prologue of sorts, a table-setting volume hinting at lots of fun things to come rather than feeling complete in itself. I definitely recommend this first volume, but go in knowing it’s very much a ‘to be continued’ ending type of book.

 

Note: I received a free eGalley of Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry from Net Galley in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (Review)

Posted on August 12, 2024 by John

Angel of Vengeance - Preston and ChildAngel of Vengeance
by Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child

Pub Date: Aug 13 2024
Grand Central Publishing
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

Preston & Child continue their #1 bestselling series featuring FBI Special Agent Pendergast and Constance Greene, as they take a final stand against New York’s deadliest serial killer: Pendergast’s own ancestor…and Constance’s greatest enemy.

A desperate bargain is broken…

Constance Greene confronts Manhattan’s most dangerous serial killer, Enoch Leng, bartering for her sister’s life – but she is betrayed and turned away empty-handed, incandescent with rage.

A clever trap is set…

Unknown to Leng, Pendergast’s brother, Diogenes, appears unexpectedly, offering to help—for mysterious reasons of his own. Disguised as a cleric, Diogenes establishes himself in New York’s notorious Five Points slum, manipulating events like a chess master, watching Leng’s every move…and awaiting his own chance to strike.

A vengeful angel will not be deterred…

Meanwhile, as Pendergast focuses on saving the unstable Constance in her fanatical quest for vengeance, she strikes out on her own: to rescue her beloved siblings from a tragic fate and take savage retribution on Leng. But Leng is one step ahead and has a surprise for them all…

REVIEW:

And so, with Angel of Vengeance,  the “Leng Quartet” comes to an end with a grand flourish. I’ve mentioned previously that The Cabinet of Curiosities was one of my favorite Agent Pendergast novels from the prolific Preston & Child. Angel of Vengeance puts a bow on the whole series-within-a-series. I know some long-time Pendergast readers balked at the science-fiction (arguably science-fantasy) turn at the conclusion of Bloodless, but as a multi-genre reader I loved the commitment. And it pays off handsomely. Angel of Vengeance is a thrill ride for Pendergast fans. We get prime Diogenes and Enoch Leng, along with Pendergast and Constance, swirling in each others often-deadly orbits in what amounts to a high-stakes historical thriller. I don’t want to risk any spoilers, but I will say: Angel of Vengeance is appropriately titled, in more ways than one; Diogenes basically steals the show; and, going forward, there may finally be some progress in the ongoing tension between Aloysius and Constance.

 

Note: I received a free eGalley of Angel of Vengeance from Net Galley in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke (Review)

Posted on July 28, 2024 by John

A Short Walk Through A Wide World - Douglas WesterbekeA Short Walk Through a Wide World
by Douglas Westerbeke

Available Now
Avid Reader Press | Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
General Fiction (Adult) | New Adult | Sci Fi & Fantasy

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

“Imagine The Life of Pi, The Alchemist, and The Midnight Library rolled into one fantastical fable.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“An epic adventure…rich with all the possibilities the world can hold.”
—People

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A dazzlingly epic debut that charts the incredible, adventurous life of one woman as she journeys the globe trying to outrun a mysterious curse that will destroy her if she stops moving.

Paris, 1885: Aubry Tourvel, a spoiled and stubborn nine-year-old girl, comes across a wooden puzzle ball on her walk home from school. She tosses it over the fence, only to find it in her backpack that evening. Days later, at the family dinner table, she starts to bleed to death.

When medical treatment only makes her worse, she flees to the outskirts of the city, where she realizes that it is this very act of movement that keeps her alive. So begins her lifelong journey on the run from her condition, which won’t allow her to stay anywhere for longer than a few days—nor return to a place where she’s already been.

From the scorched dunes of the Calashino Sand Sea to the snow-packed peaks of the Himalayas; from a bottomless well in a Parisian courtyard, to the shelves of an infinite underground library, we follow Aubry as she learns what it takes to survive and ultimately, to truly live. But the longer Aubry wanders and the more desperate she is to share her life with others, the clearer it becomes that the world she travels through may not be quite the same as everyone else’s…

Fiercely independent and hopeful, yet full of longing, Aubry Tourvel is an unforgettable character fighting her way through a world of wonders to find a place she can call home. A spellbinding and inspiring story about discovering meaning in a life that seems otherwise impossible, A Short Walk Through a Wide World reminds us that it’s not the destination, but rather the journey—no matter how long it lasts—that makes us who we are.

REVIEW:

A Short Walk Through a Wide World feels like an instant classic. Not bad for a debut novel. Before reading A Short Walk (excuse the abbreviated title), I was intrigued by a description comparing it to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, a book with a similar structure I really enjoyed. Where Addie LaRue is doomed to never be remembered by anyone she meets, Aubry Tourvel is doomed to never stay in one place more than three or four days. If she stays anywhere longer than that limit, she begins to bleed out, stricken by convulsions to the point of helplessness. While there’s more poignancy in Invisible Life, A Short Walk is often just as bittersweet. Aubry is forever discovering new places and meeting new people, regularly depending on the kindness of strangers, despite her hard-earned resourcefulness. But her lifelong journey is one she must travel alone. And where Invisible Life embraces the fantastical elements early, A Short Walk teases them out a little longer, with the exception of the puzzle ball, which launches the story. Aubry’s lifelong travels take her across the globe and through the changing times, but Westerbeke doesn’t give much page-time (as opposed to screen time) to her travels through North America, with the exception of a few mentions. That choice gives A Short Life more of an exotic, fairytale feeling, which seems appropriate given the subject matter. Aubry becomes something of a celebrity, which helps endear her to many of the strangers she is destined to meet (and eventually leave) by the nature of her ‘curse.’ While Aubry is often alone, she is never lonely, as there is always someone to meet just over the next rise. Best of all, despite not answering all the questions a reader might have had along the way, A Short Life Through a Wide World manages a satisfying conclusion, making one glad to have experienced her journey.

 

Note: I received a free eGalley of A Short Walk Through a Wide World  from Net Galley in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton (Review)

Posted on June 3, 2024 by John

The Last Murder at the End of the World - Stuart TurtonThe Last Murder at the End of the World
by Stuart Turton

Pub Date: May 21, 2024
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers |
Sci Fi & Fantasy

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.

Solve the murder to save what’s left of the world.

Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they’re told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn’t solved within 92 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don’t even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

REVIEW:

The Last Murder at the End of the World presents a world full of contradictions: far enough in the future that human lifespans can extend to hundreds of years, but the last three elders live among peaceful island villagers surviving in a crude society subsisting on fishing and farming. The only real sign of advanced technology is Abi, the artificial intelligence that speaks and listens directly within their minds. These villagers (unlike the comparatively ancient elders) all die peacefully and willingly at the age of 60 after having been born, seemingly at the advanced age of 8.

A deadly fog has covered most of the planet with the sole exception of this island, a last refuge for humanity with its small community. The fog is held at bay by an unseen barrier that ensures the villagers’ continued survival. Until one of the three elders is murdered, and the deadly fog begins to advance on the island. Per Abi, only the revelation, confession, and execution of the murderer will stop the fog and save everyone.

Emory, the one apparent misfit among the villagers is tasked with solving the murder. At this point, the story turns into a murder mystery, and the stakes couldn’t be higher: the very survival of the human race. Emory’s work is cut out for her, because on the night of the murder, everyone on the island was subjected to a memory wipe by Abi, at the instruction of the murder victim herself.

If you’re a fan of unreliable narrators, this is the book for you, because it is filled with them, either by way of the memory wipe or through the willful withholding of information. The ticking clock on the extinction of humanity is a cool suspense hook that could have been played up even more, though it factors heavily into the final moments of the story. When the ticking clock is most felt, the story is most effective.

At times it’s hard to relate to the unusual behavior of the villagers. For instance, Emory’s natural curiosity is anything but natural in the eyes of her docile peers. In general, they seem removed from the everyday expectations of human behavior. Meanwhile, the elders keep themselves at a distance, so the connection there is not as strong as it could have been either. Finally, everything seems filtered through Abi, along with Abi’s motives, which aren’t always clear, sometimes pointedly and purposefully so. But Turton sticks the landing in a startling and satisfying way, ending the tale on a simultaneously sober yet hopeful note.

Note: I received a free eGalley of Last Murder at the End of the World from Net Galley in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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Extinction by Douglas Preston – Review

Posted on April 22, 2024 by John

Extinction - Douglas PrestonExtinction
by Douglas Preston

Pub Date: April 23, 2024
Tor Publishing Group | Forge Books
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

With Extinction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston has written a page-turning thriller in the Michael Crichton mode that explores the possible and unintended dangers of the very real efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth and other long-extinct animals.

Erebus Resort, occupying a magnificent, hundred-thousand acre valley deep in the Colorado Rockies, offers guests the experience of viewing woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths in their native habitat, brought back from extinction through the magic of genetic manipulation. When a billionaire’s son and his new wife are kidnapped and murdered in the Erebus back country by what is assumed to be a gang of eco-terrorists, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash partners with county sheriff James Colcord to track down the perpetrators.

As killings mount and the valley is evacuated, Cash and Colcord must confront an ancient, intelligent, and malevolent presence at Erebus, bent not on resurrection—but extinction.

REVIEW:

I’ve read many of the books co-authored by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, but my favorites, no doubt, have been the entries in the Agent Pendergast series. Preston and Child, however, are just as prolific in writing books on their own. I had previously read and enjoyed Blasphemy by Preston writing solo, so when I read the description of Extinction, I wanted to get my hands (virtually) on a copy. What I was expecting was a variation on Jurassic Park and there are obviously similarities, with prehistoric species, most notably woolly mammoths, de-extincted to roam in a park (Erebus Resort) as a tourist attraction.

A newlywed couple camping in the resort is brutally attacked, leaving behind a lot of blood, but no bodies, so a sliver of hope that they’ve survived. The immediate assumption is that one of the de-extincted animals is responsible. But early on, it’s made clear that aggression has been edited out of the gene sequences of these restored animals. Unlike the prehistoric fauna roaming in Jurassic Park, they should be harmless. Unless that process was flawed… So, suspicion shifts to human predators, either protestors or eco-terrorists. Frankie Cash from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Sheriff James Colcord of Eagle County, along with Ererbus’ own security personnel investigate the couple’s disappearance/probable murder and attempt to apprehend those responsible. Soon the killers begin to openly taunt the investigative team, and things take an even darker tone, with evidence of cannibalism by the “cult.” Soon things turn catastrophically worse. With creepy and relentless killers stalking everyone within the Erebus Resort’s borders — including the abandoned mines used for administration and experimentation — Preston delivers a nail-biting, claustrophobic thriller.

Preston bolsters his claims that the novel’s science should not be considered “science fiction” with an extended and interesting afterword to the novel that is equally terrifying in its implications.

 

Note: I received a free eGalley of Extinction from Net Galley in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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The Resort by Sara Ochs – Review

Posted on March 14, 2024 by John

TheResort (Sara Ochs) - front coverThe Resort: A Novel
by Sara Ochs

Sourcebooks Landmark
Mystery & Thrillers

General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 06 Feb 2024

DESCRIPTION/SYNOPSIS:

For readers of Rachel Hawkins and We Were Never Here comes a searing vacation thriller set on a remote island in Thailand following two mysterious women, a charismatic group of expats, and the one murder poised to bring their paradise crashing down.

Welcome to paradise. We hope you survive your stay…

There are three rules to survive a dive at the famous Koh Sang Resort

1 – Breathe normally if something goes wrong. Scuba diving instructor Cass leads her students out for their first dive off the beautiful coast of Koh Sang, Thailand’s world-famous party island. It’s supposed to be a life-changing experience, but things quickly spiral out of control…

2 – Always dive with someone you trust. By the time she’s back on the shore, Lucy, one of her students, is dead, another critically injured, and she knows the new and idyllic life she has built herself is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks.

3 – Don’t panic if your oxygen is running out. Because someone has discovered Cass’s dark secret, and on an island as remote as this, there aren’t many places to hide. There is a killer waiting, and whoever it is will stop at nothing until Cass’s life is ruined and justice is finally served.

REVIEW:

Some secrets are deadly. The Resort comes with a cast of characters who are self-described castoffs and loners seeking a second chance or at least a fresh start on the party island of Koh Sang in Thailand. What they have in common has brought them together, but the secrets some of them harbor could tear their new lives apart. The narrative alternates between two POV characters, Cass, a scuba diving instructor on the island, and the latest member of the group, Brooke, an Instagram influencer who’s sponsors subsidize her itinerant lifestyle. Brooke is still in the process of insinuating herself into the group of expats calling themselves the Permanents when Lucy, a tourist visiting the island, is found dead, likely murdered. The local police force, however, seems unwilling to entertain the possibility of foul play, possibly due to a payoff by the resort’s owner, despite the recent and suspicious death of another young woman that was, nevertheless, deemed a suicide. Before long, Brooke and Cass — the one Permanent most accepting of the social media savvy newcomer — begin their own amateur investigation of Lucy’s death.

In her POV, Cass reveals some of her own secret, involving the death of her sister and father, though the details are scarce; while Brooke’s POV reveals she isn’t as successful in her social media influencer role as she would like people to believe, and that she’s struggling to make ends meet. Even less is revealed about the secrets of the rest of the Permanents. And perhaps too much of  3/4 of the book revolves around investigative speculation and general introspection by these two semi-reliable narrators for the story to slip into the flow of a page-turning thriller. Much like the scuba divers at the resort, the plot spends a bit too much time treading water without generating much forward progress. The final quarter of the novel, however, bursts into hardcore thriller mode, during a destructive island storm when buried secrets and hidden motivations finally rise to the surface and boil over with unexpected menace and murderous betrayals.

 

Note: I received a free eGalley of The Resort from Net Galley in consideration of an unbiased review.

This site is a member of the Amazon affiliate partnership program. As such, any sales resulting from links to Amazon products on these pages might generate a small commission for the site, which helps keep the proverbial lights on—but does not affect the price you pay at Amazon.

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