In his third installment of The Rapstone Chronicles, the prolific Mortimer (Paradise Postponed, 1986; Titmuss Regained, 1990, etc.) offers a light, dryly amuisng tableau of contemporary English politics featuring his always-scheming hero, Leslie Titmuss, a Thatcherite out of office but never, it seems, far from power. After sorting out the party names and positions, the reader settles into a harmless comedy of duplicity, betrayal, power, and, of course, sex. As in the two preceding satires, the center of political gravity is “Lord” Titmuss, whose appetite for revenge against his party’s unfaithful liberals is given an opening with the highly suspicious death by drowning of the Hartscombe and Worsfield South MP. The race is on to fill the dead MP’s seat, and Titmuss engages in a strange alliance with Terry Flitton, the Tony Blair—esque, reformed Socialist New Labour candidate. Mortimer wickedly recounts the hedging, omissions, and fabrications endemic to successful political life while arming Titmuss with the more damaging knowledge of Flitton’s extramarital affair with Agnes, a Socialist bookseller of high principle who becomes Flitton’s nominal conscience. A skeletal subplot involves the Skurfield Young Offender’s Institution, headed by the closeted homosexual Paul Fogarty, one of whose inmates figures in the opening death. In a neat fold of plot, the election turns on Flitton’s outing Fogarty (at Titmuss’s behest), losing both Agnes and his wife Kate, and winning office. The fun doesn—t stop here, though: the story’s unresolved issues are lined up in a neat row with the flaws and faults of Flitton, who himself topples conclusively when Titmuss flattens him—on national TV, no less. Mortimer has the attractive ability to write about politics without the brow-furrowing gravity or campy absurdity so often found in American political fiction. He inhabits an entertaining place where there is much to smile at, not so much to think about, and almost nothing to complain too loudly about.
Pub Date: Feb. 10, 1999
ISBN: 0-670-87861-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another well-crafted and enjoyable escape from reality. The Ryans just keep on saving the world.
The latest in the action-filled series of thrillers based on characters created by the late Tom Clancy (Oath of Office, 2018, etc.) and continued here by Maden.
Malign forces are trying to steal America’s vital secrets, which it keeps in the highly secure IC Cloud. Naturally, a security breach would be catastrophic. China is the biggest cybersecurity threat by far, and it may have American allies. Sen. Deborah Dixon, who wants President Jack Ryan’s job, says in a speech that “the future belongs to America and China,” and a Ryan aide speculates that she may be in league with the Chinese. Meanwhile, Jack Ryan Jr. is a financial analyst at Hendley Associates who is sent to Poland to see if there is a connection between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Poland. In Warsaw, he is assigned a Polish assistant, Agent Liliana Pilecki. She’s good-looking, of course, and exceptionally brave. There’s an unrequited sexual tension between them that reflects especially well on Jack Jr. as a heck of a decent guy. Early on, his cancer-stricken friend, Cory, makes a deathbed request that Jack feels honor-bound to keep. “A man keeps his word,” he thinks, and he goes to heroic lengths to do so. Jack Ryan Jr. is definitely someone you want on your side, and not because he’s the president’s son. He is the quintessential good guy—tough, smart, honorable, unafraid. Handcuffed with his hands behind his back atop a Peruvian mountain and saying he needs to pee, he asks a captor for help. “If you’re nice, you can hold it for me,” he wisecracks. “Of course, you’ll have to use both hands.” Now that’s a red-blooded American. Author Maden’s style meshes perfectly with the classic Clancy yarns, with global action, struggle, suffering, and formidable foes who get what they deserve.
Another well-crafted and enjoyable escape from reality. The Ryans just keep on saving the world.Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-54169-1
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Taut and fraught with surprise twists, Hillier’s thriller is addictive.
“Free Abby Maddox, 2/10.” Carved into the back of a murdered prostitute, these words resurrect a violent story that everyone thought had ended.
Picking up where Creep (2010) left off, the latest from Hillier reassembles a cast of characters facing the aftermath of serial killer Ethan Wolfe’s death. Dubbed the Tell Tale Heart killer, Wolfe had seduced and tortured psychology professor and recovering sex addict Sheila Tao. Now that Wolfe is dead and his girlfriend, Abby Maddox, has been incarcerated for attacking Detective Jerry Isaac, Sheila believes she can rebuild her life. Retired from the force and estranged from his wife, Jerry struggles to regain his confidence after Maddox’s attack. The scar she left on his throat is simply the physical manifestation of the scars within his psyche. Suddenly, the wary peace is shattered, and Jerry’s partner calls him back to help with a murder case. The corpse bears a strong resemblance to Maddox, and the killer has strangled her with a zip tie. The message carved into her back prophesies nine more victims. Who is willing to kill for Maddox’s freedom? Twists and turns reveal a website devoted to freeing Maddox, a trash bag full of fan letters to Maddox and a mysterious young man hiring prostitutes online. Jerry isn’t quite ready to cope with this case, particularly when the only leads seem to lie in Maddox’s hands. Even more strange, Maddox wants to talk to Sheila. Luckily, Jerry has a new intern, Danny. Studying to become a criminologist, Danny is, of course, intrigued by the case. Her fresh-faced interest, energy and technological skills rejuvenate Jerry’s hunt. Yet as the kill count mounts, he has to begin to wonder: Is someone orchestrating everyone’s every move? The second book in this series leaves readers hungry for the next.
Taut and fraught with surprise twists, Hillier’s thriller is addictive.Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4516-6454-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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