An earnest but ultimately unengaging novel despite a strong anti-gambling message.
In Bronson’s thriller, an analyst at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta uncovers a link between suicide and gambling addiction, but pro-gaming interests attempt to silence her.
Cara Davenport’s life has been affected time and again by the tragedy of compulsive gambling. Her childhood crush, Patrick, who was addicted to online gambling, killed himself just a few weeks ago after racking up insurmountable debt; her father, Clyde, who also was addicted to online gambling, committed suicide about five years ago, leaving his family in financial arrears. Cara’s college boyfriend, Ben, ended his own life, as well, and she suspects he may have also suffered from a similar addiction. If this sounds like an implausible string of coincidences, it’s because this book is far more invested in proselytizing against the evils of gambling than telling a believable story; indeed, the work sometimes reads like an educational pamphlet. Cara works as an analyst at the CDC; while combing through the CDC archives for a symposium project, she stumbles upon suppressed evidence of a correlation between gambling addiction and suicide. She teams up with Ron Hynes, the former CDC analyst who wrote the papers that uncovered the link, and the pair attempt to publicize the evidence of what they’re certain is a deadly disease. However, online-gambling entrepreneur Geraldine Major is willing to do anything to bury those studies—maybe even commit murder. Over the course of the book, Bronson compellingly illustrates the genuine risks of excessive gambling and how it intersects with depression. However, the novel is unsuccessful as a work of fiction, as the plot strains credulity, the characters are formulaic, and the prose feels bland and clichéd. Consider Cara’s plea to her gambling-addict brother, Brady, after a car accident: “Brady, please, you need to fight to live!...I promise I’ll do everything in my power to fight for you, but you need to fight for you, too.” Overall, this is a didactic work designed to educate the reader, but it’s unlikely to entertain them or engage their emotions.
An earnest but ultimately unengaging novel despite a strong anti-gambling message.Pub Date: June 17, 2022
ISBN: 9781734855142
Page Count: 342
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.
What hasn’t legendary legal eagle Grisham tried yet? How about a thriller about serial kidnapping and international terrorism.
When Paul and Chelsea Tanner disappear during a day trip on their Paris honeymoon, their abductors demand a ransom of $2 million from Chelsea’s wealthy parents, and a few days later the same sum from Paul’s much less well-heeled parents. After orthopedist Lowell Clayburn, Chelsea’s father, ponies up the ransom without breathing a word to the authorities, his daughter is promptly released. But even though Paul’s parents sell their home, liquidate their assets, and borrow money from the Clayburns to meet the kidnappers’ demands, the villains hold on to Paul anyway. Asked whether he’s ever seen such an outcome in a double kidnapping, FBI deputy director Andrew Strong tells Lowell: “No, this is a new one.” But it’s not, as Strong knows all too well; it’s the third such active case, all involving honeymooning couples whose bridegrooms had served in the armed forces. After masterfully drawing readers in with his bare-knuckle account of the Tanners’ abduction and the attempt by their families and the CIA to tell the lies required to keep caring friends and the rapacious press at bay, Grisham effortlessly switches gears to follow CIA agent Rae Claire Russo and Stuart Nash, a former Department of Justice prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay who agrees to marry her so they can serve as bait for the kidnappers, whose motives include justice and revenge as well as cold hard cash. So much for the imprisoned Paul’s wistful reflection that “hopefully, it was only about money.”
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780385550543
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
