A hypnotic page-turner about the frightening haziness between past and present.
A woman’s seemingly perfect life unravels in this debut novel that explores what happens when past traumas resurface.
Kate Whittier, nee Barton, lives in a “Southern California movie script”—a dream life with her wealthy husband, Jacob, and their two children, Becca and Logan. But tensions arise when Jacob comes home after a debauched evening unable to recollect exactly what happened but convinced that he and his wife should be tested for sexually transmitted infections. Kate’s positive HPV result, after years of fidelity to her husband, seems to confirm the one-off affair. With her marriage now under serious pressure, Kate feels that her position in her haute social world is precarious. In a circle that focuses so much on pedigree, Kate’s traumatic and abject past threatens to undo the life that she has built. Zadeik’s novel is not really about the strained relationship between Kate and Jacob. Rather, their knotty bond becomes a catalyst for Kate’s coming to terms with her past and present. While her husband’s infidelity sours their unity, that betrayal is not what haunts Kate in the form of waking nightmares and horrifying memories, or what will keep readers glued to the page. What troubles Kate are the unseemly characters of her past—her villainously cruel brother, Daniel, and their drunken father. Kate’s past and present become like a Russian nesting doll of grief, where the glossy surface projects a beautiful, polished version of herself. But underneath are all the iterations of the protagonist and the various grotesque experiences she suffered at the hands of her brother and his loathsome friends. When Daniel reenters Kate’s rocky life, the effect is truly riveting, and readers will be left wondering if she can ever truly escape her past. The author’s tale is as chilling as it is affecting. With a cast that includes the intriguing and mysterious Ryan, who becomes Kate’s main source of emotional support, the story will keep readers wanting to learn more about the protagonist’s past and her new possibilities (perhaps involving a new man?) for the future.
A hypnotic page-turner about the frightening haziness between past and present.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64742-379-7
Page Count: 312
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A grim yet gleefully gratifying tale of lost innocence and found family.
A woman fears she made a fatal mistake by taking in a blood-soaked tween during a storm.
High winds and torrential rain are forecast for “The Middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire,” making Casey question the structural integrity of her ramshackle rental cabin. Still, she’s loath to seek shelter with her lecherous landlord or her paternalistic neighbor, so instead she just crosses her fingers, gathers some candles, and hopes for the best. Casey is cooking dinner when she notices a light in her shed. She grabs her gun and investigates, only to find a rail-thin girl hiding in the corner under a blanket. She’s clutching a knife with “Eleanor” written on the handle in black marker, and though her clothes are bloody, she appears uninjured. The weather is rapidly worsening, so before she can second-guess herself, former Boston-area teacher Casey invites the girl—whom she judges to be 12 or 13—inside to eat and get warm. A wary but starving Eleanor accepts in exchange for Casey promising not to call the police—a deal Casey comes to regret after the phones go down, the power goes out, and her hostile, sullen guest drops something that’s a big surprise. Meanwhile, in interspersed chapters labeled “Before,” middle-schooler Ella befriends fellow outcast Anton, who helps her endure life in Medford, Massachusetts, with her abusive, neglectful hoarder of a mother. As per her usual, McFadden lulls readers using a seemingly straightforward thriller setup before launching headlong into a series of progressively seismic (and increasingly bonkers) plot twists. The visceral first-person, present-tense narrative alternates perspectives, fostering tension and immediacy while establishing character and engendering empathy. Ella and Anton’s relationship particularly shines, its heartrending authenticity counterbalancing some of the story’s soapier turns.
A grim yet gleefully gratifying tale of lost innocence and found family.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781464260919
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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