An unapologetically wild and engaging romp through middle America.
A literary novel focuses on two siblings on the run.
The year is 2009 in St. Louis. Elizabeth Bauer, 15, and Mikey Bauer, 9, are in a predicament. Their mother has received a hefty prison sentence for driving while intoxicated and killing a woman in a car accident. Elizabeth and Mikey’s father died previously from a drug overdose. The children are supposed to go to Connecticut with their wealthy aunt and uncle. It seems like the best option in a bad situation, but the kids do not trust their relatives for reasons that will later become clear. Elizabeth decides they should flee. The siblings stow away in the back of a stranger’s van unbeknownst to the driver. When the van crashes, killing the driver, they are near a truck stop in Wisconsin. The truck stop happens to be next to a protected natural area, providing the ideal place for the Bauer kids to figure out their next move. That is until they are discovered by a retired geology professor, Gregory “Finn” Finnegan. Finn is empathetic to their plight. He even supports Elizabeth’s theory that her mother was not actually driving when the fatal accident that put her behind bars took place. This frantic adventure features choices that will likely surprise readers. Want to escape from your new guardians? Why not hide in a van and figure it all out later? It is just one of the many crazy decisions that keep Hampel’s captivating story rolling as the fate of the Bauer siblings (and others) hang in the balance. Many descriptions along the way are well written, as when a character is killed and “sheets are presently brought in from somewhere to respectfully cover” this “venerable” figure. But the dialogue is often too long-winded. Elizabeth remarks after trying some “super-duper chocolate” ice cream that “you’re right Mr. Finn, this is the best ice cream I’ve ever had.” Nevertheless, this audacious search for justice never ceases to astound.
An unapologetically wild and engaging romp through middle America.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780962799235
Page Count: 570
Publisher: BZFF Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
A grim yet gleefully gratifying tale of lost innocence and found family.
A woman fears she made a fatal mistake by taking in a blood-soaked tween during a storm.
High winds and torrential rain are forecast for “The Middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire,” making Casey question the structural integrity of her ramshackle rental cabin. Still, she’s loath to seek shelter with her lecherous landlord or her paternalistic neighbor, so instead she just crosses her fingers, gathers some candles, and hopes for the best. Casey is cooking dinner when she notices a light in her shed. She grabs her gun and investigates, only to find a rail-thin girl hiding in the corner under a blanket. She’s clutching a knife with “Eleanor” written on the handle in black marker, and though her clothes are bloody, she appears uninjured. The weather is rapidly worsening, so before she can second-guess herself, former Boston-area teacher Casey invites the girl—whom she judges to be 12 or 13—inside to eat and get warm. A wary but starving Eleanor accepts in exchange for Casey promising not to call the police—a deal Casey comes to regret after the phones go down, the power goes out, and her hostile, sullen guest drops something that’s a big surprise. Meanwhile, in interspersed chapters labeled “Before,” middle-schooler Ella befriends fellow outcast Anton, who helps her endure life in Medford, Massachusetts, with her abusive, neglectful hoarder of a mother. As per her usual, McFadden lulls readers using a seemingly straightforward thriller setup before launching headlong into a series of progressively seismic (and increasingly bonkers) plot twists. The visceral first-person, present-tense narrative alternates perspectives, fostering tension and immediacy while establishing character and engendering empathy. Ella and Anton’s relationship particularly shines, its heartrending authenticity counterbalancing some of the story’s soapier turns.
A grim yet gleefully gratifying tale of lost innocence and found family.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781464260919
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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