A satisfying blend of legal drama and psychological thriller.
In Greco’s thriller, a lawyer defending a serial rapist in a high-profile trial suspects something dark is at play when his girlfriend goes missing and bodies begin to pile up.
Jedidiah “Jed” Bouvier has spent 17 years as a public defender in Murrieta County, California. His most difficult case begins when he takes on client Dexter Wayne Jones, a serial rapist and possible killer on trial (again) for the decades-old slayings of an entire family. With the previous trial having ended with a hung jury, the pressure is on to make this one count. Jed feels the evidence is circumstantial enough to possibly set Dexter free, but the case’s bulldog prosecutor, Catalina “Cat” Galvez, has other ideas. An already complicated situation gets even messier when one juror from the first trial is found murdered and a second goes missing. Jed’s new girlfriend of a few months, Amy, also disappears, leading him to wonder if he ever really knew her in the first place. It soon becomes clear, from jury tampering and threats of violence, that someone is interfering with the proceedings. As the trial finally nears its end, Jed unsuspectingly hurtles toward a shocking revelation that changes everything. Greco delivers a dialogue-heavy courtroom drama that manages to move briskly and avoid any tedious legal verbiage. Although the book’s main twist is not particularly surprising, the buildup to get there is more than worthwhile. This success is thanks to the author’s clear and occasionally sardonic narrative voice (Jed “often wondered whether practicing law or drinking whiskey was more to blame for wrecking his life”), believable dialogue, and a cast of characters who manage to transcend their plot functions to feel like real people. (Jed’s oft-contentious conversations with his ex-wife prove particularly illuminating.) The result is a satisfying, if somewhat predictable, yarn that meaningfully probes themes of justice, forgiveness, and revenge.
A satisfying blend of legal drama and psychological thriller.Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9798999855008
Page Count: 332
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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