A measured but diverting medical spy thriller.
In Magnani’s third series entry, pathologist and government assassin Lily Robinson finds herself hot on the trail of a poisoner.
Lily, who works as a consultant at a Boston medical school, uses her toxicological skills assassinations in her secret job as an assassin for “The Agency.” Now her case officer has paired her with a forensic pathologist to investigate a U.S. senator’s death, which initially seems to be the result of natural causes. Signs of a lethal poison reveal a murder—one that shares similarities with that of a politician in the fictional Eastern European country of Jokovikstan. It turns out that Lily’s Agency partner and soulmate, Jean Paul Moreau Marchand, is investigating the latter crime, but the pair are still cooling off from a previous argument, which may be why she later finds the allure of another colleague so tempting. She eventually traces the poison (and poisoner) to the Middle East, but it’s clear that someone is trying to cover their tracks. Lily soon switches to assassin mode when the suspect she’s after threatens someone she loves. The dialogue in Magnani’s deliberately paced novel features plenty of medical jargon and toxin specifics, which showcases the pathologist/toxicologistauthor’s expertise in these areas, although some readers may wish that there was a bit more explanation at times. The characters, however, are well developed, drawing on series-established backstories. Lily, for example, deals with a shocking, recent discovery that her daughter, whom she believed died 20 years ago, is alive and attending the school where she works. The fine supporting cast includes another person who was thought to be deceased, and Lily’s friend John Chi Leigh, a Hong Kong chemist and fellow assassin. The narrative perspective shifts as the story goes on, but Lily’s point of view is always the most relaxed. The action picks up moderately in the final act and the ending leaves things open for another series installment.
A measured but diverting medical spy thriller.Pub Date: April 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64599-325-4
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Encircle Publications, LLC
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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.
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