A timely, high-stakes political page-turner.
Washington shenanigans provoke a female septuagenarian terrorist in this political thriller.
In Oshins’ latest, the political landscape may remind readers of the recent past: The president continually rails against “fake news,” the right and left are miles apart, and the right controls the White House, the Supreme Court, and the House of Representatives. Only the reelection of Democratic senator Allan Hansen of California stands in the way of the GOP’s domination of the Senate and therefore the entire government. Silver-haired FBI agent George Blum is tasked with taking down Hansen by outing him as the unidentified fourth conspirator of the infamous Oakland Four, who attempted to bomb a California biotech research facility nearly 40 years ago. Hansen’s roommate and fellow student at the time, Jimmy Tolver, was killed in a battle with police the night of the attempt, and slightly older “real revolutionaries” Jacob Gillium and Lauren Bastini were caught, tried, and given lengthy prison sentences. Hansen, tangentially involved, was convinced to snitch on the others to avoid jail time and keep his anonymity. Bastini, now 73, is out of jail, heavily armed, and no friend of the government. She also wants to destroy Hansen. But she is out to hurt him physically, possibly even kill him, and not merely ruin his political career. As Blum acknowledges, “Bastini might be seventy-three years old, but she could and would go hot if mishandled.” And she goes scorching. The story is riveting and relevant. Flawed or seriously damaged characters—all are one or the other—capture the reader’s attention. The dialogue flows well, the plot is scarily credible, and the descriptions are strong: “His eyes were large for his face, with irises like black olives.”
A timely, high-stakes political page-turner.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9798987788738
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Deep Six Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.
What hasn’t legendary legal eagle Grisham tried yet? How about a thriller about serial kidnapping and international terrorism.
When Paul and Chelsea Tanner disappear during a day trip on their Paris honeymoon, their abductors demand a ransom of $2 million from Chelsea’s wealthy parents, and a few days later the same sum from Paul’s much less well-heeled parents. After orthopedist Lowell Clayburn, Chelsea’s father, ponies up the ransom without breathing a word to the authorities, his daughter is promptly released. But even though Paul’s parents sell their home, liquidate their assets, and borrow money from the Clayburns to meet the kidnappers’ demands, the villains hold on to Paul anyway. Asked whether he’s ever seen such an outcome in a double kidnapping, FBI deputy director Andrew Strong tells Lowell: “No, this is a new one.” But it’s not, as Strong knows all too well; it’s the third such active case, all involving honeymooning couples whose bridegrooms had served in the armed forces. After masterfully drawing readers in with his bare-knuckle account of the Tanners’ abduction and the attempt by their families and the CIA to tell the lies required to keep caring friends and the rapacious press at bay, Grisham effortlessly switches gears to follow CIA agent Rae Claire Russo and Stuart Nash, a former Department of Justice prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay who agrees to marry her so they can serve as bait for the kidnappers, whose motives include justice and revenge as well as cold hard cash. So much for the imprisoned Paul’s wistful reflection that “hopefully, it was only about money.”
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780385550543
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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