THE URGE

A mysterious vigilante tracks down and kills sex offenders in Gibson’s debut psychological thriller.

In 1998, the Futrells are starting over at a smaller, trailer home in Naperville, Illinois. Max’s frequent job changes have nearly exhausted the patience of his wife, Opal, and her trust fund; now they’re hoping to find success operating a used car lot. But not long after they move, a masked pedophile victimizes their children—12-year-old Vette and her 10-year-old brother, Woody. In a parallel story, 8-year-old Betty Harte narrowly escapes an abduction attempt by a different man: 26-year-old Brad Denver. Her friend, 7-year-old Alice Rayburn, is kidnapped instead, and searchers find her body weeks later. Cops soon catch Denver, who receives a life sentence. As the years pass, Vette, Woody, and Betty struggle with the traumas they’ve endured. Betty feels survivor guilt and can’t get Denver out of her head—partly because writes her letters from prison. In 2018, a person known as “the Good Samaritan” visits a series of sex offenders under the pretense of a friendly neighborhood welcome; each receives a poisoned muffin. The murders won’t stop until the Good Samaritan is satisfied—which may involve going after one of the two men responsible for Vette’s, Woody’s, and Betty’s traumas. Over the course of this decades-spanning novel, Gibson showcases a variety of ways that people deal with harrowing experiences, while also highlighting a failed marriage and surprisingly endearing romance. But although the novel offers many engaging scenes, the moments involving the Good Samaritan gradually lose potency as the muffin deliveries become predictable and redundant. Nevertheless, they do take a surprising turn, eventually, and lead to a gratifying conclusion. Gibson’s confident prose shines with truly unsettling moments that reverberate throughout the novel, such as a revelation of Denver’s horrifying “trophies.” 

A grim but gripping story that offers admirable character studies.