A superb, kinetic terrorist tale bursting with tension, paranoia, and malicious governments.
A British inspector unravels a chilling and dangerous global conspiracy in this debut thriller.
It’s the summer of 2005, and train bombings rock London. DI David Sharp of the anti-terrorist squad is on the case, which now includes an explosion on a double-decker bus. He spots discrepancies almost immediately—conflicting witness statements and amateur bomb makers using military-grade explosives. “There’s something not right about this investigation,” he says. Anonymous texts validate his speculation and point Sharp to the possibility of a worldwide conspiracy. It sounds crazy until the DI scours the internet and connects the London attacks with ones in other countries, like 9/11 and the Madrid train bombings. A mysterious figure comes forward and tells Sharp of a secret group operating for centuries that’s likely had its hands in wars, political assassinations, and myriad coverups. These powerful people have a sinister plan already cooking that will devastate the world population. Sharp vows to stop them, but as a proficient assassin in Britain takes out nosy individuals threatening the group, the DI may be next on the hit list. Macpherson’s series opener dives deep into the conspiracy, checking off the group’s trademarks—from media manipulation to hidden messages—and nodding to real-life tragedies, corporations, and political leaders. The story nevertheless moves at a steady pace; Sharp continuously stumbles on new mysteries; the cryptic baddies’ growing presence elevates suspense; and action ignites the final act. At the same time, the narrative perspective shifts in the latter half, most notably to the frighteningly calculated and lethal assassin in Britain. Ultimately, Sharp gets a strong hint regarding the group’s origin that he’s uncharacteristically slow to pick up on. It’s a curious turn that may push the series to another genre, though Macpherson keeps this entertaining book grounded in espionage terrain.
A superb, kinetic terrorist tale bursting with tension, paranoia, and malicious governments.Pub Date: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64543-954-7
Page Count: 296
Publisher: Mascot Books
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
For connoisseurs of speculative fiction who enjoy detailed worldbuilding.
In the near future, the world is run by WellCorp but all is far from well.
Stephens’ debut begins in “Zone 874, Pacific Ocean, 29 Days Post-Launch,” where we find one of our two heroines, Maggie, alone and afloat in a vessel called a WellPod, which is about to serve her a so-called latte made of mushrooms and root vegetables. "When Maggie could see the brown sludge that coated the bottom of the mug, she placed it back on the coaster, triggering its descent into the table at the same time her gratitude journal slid out from a lower compartment.” A passion for worldbuilding continues to drive this story of Lenses, Devices, Injectibles, Pohvees, WellNests, EarDrums, and much, much more as we go landside and meet Maggie’s live-in partner, Noa, who works at WellCorp’s Malibu campus, where she and Maggie have been assigned a high-tech apartment. With wildfires, earthquakes, and drought having wiped out most of the rest of California, volunteering for a Pod voyage was Maggie’s only option for getting out of town—and she really needs a break to figure out what to do about her unexpected pregnancy. Oops. In chapters dated by number of days pre- and post-launch, a complicated story unfolds. One has to do with corporate malfeasance and whistleblowing at WellCorp—were the Pods really ready to launch, and is there a major storm underway? Others involve infidelities and betrayals both past and present. It’s hard to keep up with which scary threat you’re supposed to be worrying about and which characters you’re rooting for—and the constant explanations and exposition dry up the juice. The novel is happiest when preparing and serving futuristic meals. “The hatch of her NutriStation opened and Maggie reached inside for her plate. The diagram projected through her Lens mapped out the baked coconut bacon, sun-yellow cherry tomatoes cooked in lab-grown avocado oil and coated in ancient grains aside tempeh topped with a dollop of collagen- and protein-fortified macadamia nut labneh.” Sounds better than the latte, anyway.
For connoisseurs of speculative fiction who enjoy detailed worldbuilding.Pub Date: June 25, 2024
ISBN: 9781668034316
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Scout Press/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
A psychological thriller rife with pretzel-like twists, gaslighting galore, and revenge-fueled machinations.
The aftereffects of a break-in chafe on a London mother, leading to her stubborn pursuit of unanswered questions in this hair-raising thriller.
When a frightening man breaks into her London kitchen one evening, Alice Rathbone leaps into action. She’s hosting a playdate for her daughter and two other families, and when the intruder grabs a large kitchen knife and moves toward the room with the children in it, Alice goes into serious defense mode, grabbing a stool the man had kicked at her and fatally whacking him on the head. While waiting to hear from the police about whether she’ll be charged or cleared of any wrongdoing, Alice grapples with the randomness of the break-in, wanting to know more about her attacker. By all appearances, he was visibly under the effects of drugs or alcohol—or perhaps both—and had forced his way into a high-value home in a still-gentrifying neighborhood bent on destruction. But Alice can’t shake the desire to find out more about the person she killed, who turns out to be 18-year-old Ezra Jones. When, against her bail conditions, she wends her way into the life of Ezra’s family, things go spectacularly awry, even as Alice fends off anonymous phone calls and bitter, threatening online comments. The people closest to her—her husband, Jamie, a high-powered executive, and fellow school-focused mothers—beg her to move on, though one friend, Stella, a journalist, reluctantly agrees to assist with Alice’s investigation. Small items from Alice’s household go missing, the once-perfect nanny gives notice, and Alice’s life continues to fall apart. Skillfully spinning a taut, surprise-filled tale enlivened by multiple compelling characters, Faulkner keeps this highly charged guessing game going until the final page.
A psychological thriller rife with pretzel-like twists, gaslighting galore, and revenge-fueled machinations.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781668024812
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Scout Press/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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