This entertaining sequel and its vibrant, now-familiar characters will surely leave readers craving more.
Nerves are frayed in New York City when an affluent celebrity’s murder threatens to ignite a race war in Myers’ thriller series installment.
For some time, white supremacist groups have been trying to assassinate the Black Camelots—a group of successful Black friends and those close to them. When a white supremacist hit squad kills Phaethon Malone, a beloved Jamaican-born pro athlete and humanitarian (and friend of the Camelots), Jamaican gang leaders in New York demand revenge. NYPD Chief of Detectives Teddy Walker wants to prevent a race war and seeks help from the Society of Protectors, whose combat-trained members have thwarted previous assassination attempts. Meanwhile, California Democratic senator Janet Bivens eyes the presidential election, intending to run against Republican candidate Digby Yates. While Janet has indirect ties to the Society of Protectors, Digby is an unsavory sort (years ago, he helped cover up the fatal police beating of a Black college football player). As the Black Camelots mourn their loss, someone plans a lethal assault in hopes of turning New Yorkers against one another. Myers, as per usual, loads this story with memorable characters, both returning and new. A few appearances are akin to cameos; others spawn engaging subplots that, unfortunately, lead nowhere. In some ways, this novel feels transitional, carrying over conflicts from the preceding installment and unspooling new plot threads, such as a Black Camelot member’s crucial political decision, for a sequel to pick up later. Still, the tension rarely lets up as Walker struggles to maintain peace, the Society of the Protectors’ enigmatic leader (“the Voice”) interrogates an uncooperative killer, and the baddies put a master assassin (“one of the most feared and renowned in the business”) on their payroll. The large, dynamic cast, abetted by deftly succinct writing and short chapters, propels the narrative with an impressively swift momentum.
This entertaining sequel and its vibrant, now-familiar characters will surely leave readers craving more.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2022
ISBN: 9781088009291
Page Count: 326
Publisher: Fero Scitus
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.
A woman accused of shooting her husband six times in the face refuses to speak.
"Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband. They had been married for seven years. They were both artists—Alicia was a painter, and Gabriel was a well-known fashion photographer." Michaelides' debut is narrated in the voice of psychotherapist Theo Faber, who applies for a job at the institution where Alicia is incarcerated because he's fascinated with her case and believes he will be able to get her to talk. The narration of the increasingly unrealistic events that follow is interwoven with excerpts from Alicia's diary. Ah, yes, the old interwoven diary trick. When you read Alicia's diary you'll conclude the woman could well have been a novelist instead of a painter because it contains page after page of detailed dialogue, scenes, and conversations quite unlike those in any journal you've ever seen. " 'What's the matter?' 'I can't talk about it on the phone, I need to see you.' 'It's just—I'm not sure I can make it up to Cambridge at the minute.' 'I'll come to you. This afternoon. Okay?' Something in Paul's voice made me agree without thinking about it. He sounded desperate. 'Okay. Are you sure you can't tell me about it now?' 'I'll see you later.' Paul hung up." Wouldn't all this appear in a diary as "Paul wouldn't tell me what was wrong"? An even more improbable entry is the one that pins the tail on the killer. While much of the book is clumsy, contrived, and silly, it is while reading passages of the diary that one may actually find oneself laughing out loud.
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30169-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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