This is an imperfect but intriguing novel from a new writer with real potential.
The discovery of a long-lost prophetic manuscript triggers a series of increasingly catastrophic events in this promising debut thriller.
A Boston electrician discovers the book in a mysterious box in his grandfather’s attic. Curious about whether it was truly authored by Nostradamus, he calls his brother-in-law, who owns a used bookstore. Unbeknownst to them, someone else is listening to their conversation: An ex-KGB hacker who sells stolen data to anyone who can pay his exorbitant fees. One of his clients is a shadowy terrorist group that is willing to give nearly anything to obtain Nostradamus’ text and the powerful secret it may hold—the location of the Ark of the Covenant. When the hacker lets his contact know that the book may have been discovered, events are set into motion that threaten not only the individual characters’ lives and families but international stability as well. Each chapter covers the point of view of one of the many characters, telling his or her story gradually until they begin to intersect. A highly-skilled assassin, an undercover Iranian agent in a Jewish monastery, an up-and-coming computer genius, a history professor with a secret past, a jaded former Army colonel, an inexperienced American president, his chief of staff, and others come together as the plot gains steam. Parts of this novel are too wordy, with excessive description and long character backstories that slow the story’s momentum; at more than 900 pages, this book is far longer than most others of the genre. However, the action scenes are suspenseful and most chapters end on a tension-filled cliffhanger that compels the reader to keep turning pages. The overlapping story threads are ably balanced and offer genuine surprises. With the multitude of characters in play, no one is truly safe, and that unpredictability serves the book well.
This is an imperfect but intriguing novel from a new writer with real potential.Pub Date: May 8, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 946
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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