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STONE THE DEVIL

Should appeal to fans of political intrigue who demand visceral and intellectual gratification.

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In this political thriller, disparate characters act out—whether voluntarily or through trickery—a plot hatched by wealthy and powerful men hoping to turn the tide of history in their favor.

Simensen’s (Black Mamba, 2011, etc.) fourth novel is a slowly simmering examination of power, wealth, manipulation and corruption. It opens with a baffling array of seemingly unconnected characters. They go about their business and multiply with each chapter. Some readers might find Simensen takes this route a tad too long, particularly when some of the already myriad players start using different false identities. However, as the plot leisurely thickens, people and events eventually take their places for a denouement that is both thrilling and thoughtful. The twisting plot involves the attempt by a group of rich Americans to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power: The Americans plan to fund and execute their own terrorist attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudia Arabia. Whether this is done wholly of their own accord or with a nod and wink from the U.S. government is just one of the intriguing questions Simensen raises. The characters, all exquisitely drawn, are one way or another pulled into this intrigue and ultimately forced to accept it, whatever their motivations and philosophies may be. Character development is the author’s strong suit, hence the long buildup; fortunately, the finale’s action grows directly and logically out of each personality, making for a more complex, layered approach than the usual fare. Even names are hauntingly evocative. For instance, Dr. Donner, principal architect of the scheme, along with his National Security Agency–connected firm Donner Systems Corporation, can’t escape association to the snowbound, cannibalistic Donner Party. This is a suspenseful thriller for the thinking man or woman, with action and characters extracted from today’s headlines and a plausible plotline that plays on the emotions and fears of modern life.

Should appeal to fans of political intrigue who demand visceral and intellectual gratification.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2014

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2014

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REGRETTING YOU

The emotions run high, the conversations run deep, and the relationships ebb and flow with grace.

When tragedy strikes, a mother and daughter forge a new life.

Morgan felt obligated to marry her high school sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their daughter, Clara. But she secretly got along much better with Chris’ thoughtful best friend, Jonah, who was dating her sister, Jenny. Now her life as a stay-at-home parent has left her feeling empty but not ungrateful for what she has. Jonah and Jenny eventually broke up, but years later they had a one-night stand and Jenny got pregnant with their son, Elijah. Now Jonah is back in town, engaged to Jenny, and working at the local high school as Clara’s teacher. Clara dreams of being an actress and has a crush on Miller, who plans to go to film school, but her father doesn't approve. It doesn’t help that Miller already has a jealous girlfriend who stalks him via text from college. But Clara and Morgan’s home life changes radically when Chris and Jenny are killed in an accident, revealing long-buried secrets and forcing Morgan to reevaluate the life she chose when early motherhood forced her hand. Feeling betrayed by the adults in her life, Clara marches forward, acting both responsible and rebellious as she navigates her teenage years without her father and her aunt, while Jonah and Morgan's relationship evolves in the wake of the accident. Front-loaded with drama, the story leaves plenty of room for the mother and daughter to unpack their feelings and decide what’s next.

The emotions run high, the conversations run deep, and the relationships ebb and flow with grace.

Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5420-1642-1

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 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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