A rousing crime tale with an indelible cast and a sharp, edgy environment.
In this debut thriller set during a pandemic, a New Jersey contractor finds romance while dodging a lethal mobster henchman.
For his contract work at a bank, Aloysius “Alby” O’Brien anticipates payment under the table. That’s perfectly fine, but since he’d rather not do asbestos removal, he farms the work out to three strangers. One of those hires does something with unexpected consequences—he swipes a signed cashier’s check that a dim bank executive left in the open. The theft itself isn’t surprising; what’s shocking is that the bank’s owners are mobsters. They want this mess cleared up in a week and send meticulous problem-solver Jagger, who’s armed with a fake FBI badge and homicidal intentions. Alby hunts for the thief, too, as the mob’s involvement has already complicated the quiet life he struggles to maintain. Years ago, while working in Baghdad, he was unwittingly entangled in an Islamic State group attack. United States government types spun the story so that Alby was the hero who thwarted the assault. This unquestionably put him on the terrorists’ hit list, forcing him to retreat to America and keep as low a profile as possible. But his present situation isn’t all bad, with charming diner waitress/Zumba instructor Ginger occupying his mind. While she shares with Alby a love of classic Hollywood musicals, Jagger tracks down the contract employees, leaving lingering threats and the occasional body in his wake. It’s not long before he’s eyeing Alby, an intriguing man with an oddly murky history. But now that Alby is dating Ginger, he’s not the only one in potential danger.
O’Neill infuses his series opener with a perpetual sense of unease. Jagger, for example, is a constant menacing presence, and readers know his ferocious search puts him closer and closer to Alby. In the same vein, the mobsters’ deadline ignites the story’s momentum, as each new chapter designates the day and time like a countdown. Even romantic interludes with Alby and Ginger hardly slow the narrative down. Their dialogue scenes pop, and their dates include such winsome bits as Alby’s mostly futile attempts at dancing. The titular pandemic enhances this story—it creates a brooding atmosphere rather than serving as the plot’s driving force. In this case, the near-future world endures Covid-22. Alby protects himself with the most elaborate mask available, while Jagger, who’s getting his hands dirty for the mob, makes sure to sanitize when mingling with the unvaccinated. Despite the romantic couple’s appeal, Jagger is the standout; it’s not his violent acts that prove the most terrifying but rather his painstaking dedication to his grim assignment. His actions often showcase O’Neill’s stark, concise prose: “He saw an empty garage with weeds starting to poke through the black parking lot tar; an abandoned business, two large bay doors with narrow glass windows near the top. Jagger got out and peered through the windows. The place was half-lit from the parking lot, so all he could see was a mess; trash and oil stains were the main inhabitants.” While this book offers a solid wrap-up, the author has two more installments in the works.
A rousing crime tale with an indelible cast and a sharp, edgy environment.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2021
ISBN: 979-8985122404
Page Count: 342
Publisher: AESON Publications
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although it lacks the surgical precision of Slaughter’s very best nightmares, this one richly earns its title.
More than a decade after a Georgia man is convicted of a monstrous double murder, an uncomfortably similar crime frees him and resets the search for the guilty party.
In Clifton County, home to the Rich Cliftons and the other Cliftons, the disappearance of teens Madison Dalrymple and Cheyenne Baker during the Halloween festivities hits everyone in North Falls hard. Working with her father, Sheriff Gerald Clifton, Deputy Emmy Lou Clifton hears the clock ticking down as she races frantically to get leads on the two friends, who’d been secretly plotting to take off for Atlanta after some undisclosed big score. As a longtime friend of Madison’s mother, Hannah, Emmy hopes against hope to find the missing teens before they’re both dead. By the time Emmy’s hopes are dashed, two unpleasantly likely suspects with strong attachments to underage sex partners have emerged, and one of them ends up in prison. In a bold move, Slaughter jumps over the next 12 years to the case of Paisley Walker, a 14-year-old whose disappearance catches the eye of retiring FBI criminal psychologist Jude Archer, who promptly crosses the country to come to Clifton County and take charge—um, that is, consult—on this heartrending new investigation. Emmy, suddenly and shockingly deprived of counsel from the parents who’ve supported her all her life, doesn’t get along any better with Jude than with the larger circle of Cliftons and the Clifton-Cliftons. But together they identify one new suspect, then another, before a shootout that arrives so early you just know there are still more surprises to come.
Although it lacks the surgical precision of Slaughter’s very best nightmares, this one richly earns its title.Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025
ISBN: 9780063336773
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 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
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