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THE HOUSE ON KALALUA

Rich in characters and real-world events and a worthy companion piece to the author’s previous book.

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The search for a killer in a decades-old homicide exposes family secrets in a Pacific Northwest town in this historical novel.

In 1994, Sal Bremer; her husband, Rob; and their children move into the Chatsle House. It’s in the couple’s hometown, where the Chatsles were a notoriously wealthy family. Sal is fascinated by the former homeowners, as son Andy went missing in action during the Vietnam War and there are questions surrounding matriarch Celeste’s death (a car somehow crushed her against a tree). So Sal is understandably curious about the diaries Celeste left behind. Meanwhile, Vietnam veteran Kevin Occley has already perused some of Celeste’s diaries, hoping for answers about his sister Kitty’s unsolved murder in ’64. An unknown person has been letting Kevin inside the attic and later, after the Bremers take up residence, giving him notes on additional diary entries. Reading about Celeste’s life reveals a host of surprises, including her link to The Society of the Red Dragon, a mysterious spy organization. But the diaries further detail secrets among the families that spent decades in the town. As Kevin receives a note warning him off his hunt, he and Sal inch closer to identifying Kitty’s killer. Celeste’s diaries play out as flashbacks, giving the enthralling story a lengthy timeline beginning in 1915 and focusing on Vietnam. There’s an abundance of characters, quite a few who appeared in McGinnis’ (Five Cats of Hamburg, 2015) preceding novel. Reading the earlier book isn’t necessary but does enrich this tale once familiar names start popping up. Along with the murder mystery, the author provides a brooding atmosphere with the old, often spooky house. For example, after seeing an unexplained light in the attic, Sal goes to check on it, with her daughter, Tali, and some friends—all during an ominous storm outside. The final act runs a bit long, as McGinnis intentionally prolongs the murderer’s unveiling. But the resolution, coupled with other plot turns, results in a satisfying ending.

Rich in characters and real-world events and a worthy companion piece to the author’s previous book.

Pub Date: June 3, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-5328-2214-8

Page Count: 336

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: June 18, 2019

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  • New York Times Bestseller

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DEVOLUTION

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

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Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

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THE SILENT PATIENT

Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.

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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

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