A superb hero hunts for answers in this sharply written, increasingly disturbing tale.
An American woman’s fate has ties to a dangerous, millennia-old secret society in this debut thriller.
After a public clash with her cheating boyfriend, 24-year-old Sophie Greer is positive she’ll lose her job in Paris. But Edward Hughes, CEO of the mergers and acquisitions firm that employs her, lends an unexpected helping hand. He also seems genuinely interested in Sophie, asking her to dinner and, later, a work-related meeting in Moscow. Sure, he’s handsome and charming, but Sophie is understandably wary. He knows maybe a bit too much about her, like her favorite dish (“The magret de canard is out of this world”). Things only get more unnerving from there, as Edward’s father and half brother have a bizarre fixation on Sophie as well. She winds up in a variety of places, including Los Angeles, and mingles (sometimes unwillingly) with the Hughes family and associates. But what exactly is going on? All anyone gives Sophie are “riddles” as she tries to figure out how she connects to The Order of Belial, some sort of secret organization. But the more she learns, the deeper she falls under the merciless spell of her apparent destiny. Juvenelle cloaks her series opener in a rich, brooding atmosphere. Most characters, for example, evade Sophie’s questions, and the quick-witted, cool-headed hero struggles with deciding which Hughes brother, if any, to trust. Details gradually come to light, especially for readers, as Sophie’s first-person narration periodically changes to Edward’s perspective and others’ viewpoints. The story grows darker as it becomes more apparent what The Order is, and some readers will have trouble sifting through the harsh content of myriad later scenes. The author’s prose is nevertheless crisp and often lyrical, especially when describing a Parisian daytime walk and the LA streets at night. As the novel inches closer to its ending, signs of a subgenre crop up and peak with an unforgettable cliffhanger.
A superb hero hunts for answers in this sharply written, increasingly disturbing tale.Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2022
ISBN: 979-8986723129
Page Count: 542
Publisher: By the Pure Sea Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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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