A novel of psychological depth that’s occasionally bogged down by its science focus.
A man wrestling with alcoholism attempts to revolutionize the predatory pharmaceutical industry in Midlam’s novel.
Tom Glass has a dream to reform the pharmaceutical industry by making prescription drugs affordable, especially for the impoverished workers in developing countries who manufacture them. Endeavoring to discover untapped medicinal resources in the Amazon jungle, Tom struggles to balance his grand ambitions with a severe alcohol addiction that’s devastated his family and relationships. After a disastrous business meeting and the sudden loss of his grandmother, Tom commits to sobriety, determined to reclaim his life and make his family proud. In the process, he meets the woman of his dreams, Claire De Abreu, and embarks on a months-long jungle expedition to find a new life-changing drug. Aided by groundbreaking artificial intelligence tools that can help him research plants and their makeups, Tom sets forth to change the world—only to be foiled by others, and sometimes himself. Set primarily in Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Peru, Midlam’s novel provides a harrowing, deeply accurate account of the agonizing cravings and psychological battles inherent to the recovery process: “I found order from chaos. And now the invisible hand is dragging me back down to hell.” At the same time, the narrative delivers sharp social commentary on an industry that bilks sick people for profit while its low-wage laborers can’t afford the very medicines they produce, an insight enriched by the author’s own professional background in global pharmacy initiatives. The story also insightfully touches on global wealth disparity, corporate greed, and the human condition in general. While the text occasionally overexplains the chemistry behind the drugs and drifts into tangents while discussing psychedelics like ayahuasca, the novel ultimately succeeds as an intimate study of a tortured soul finding redemption.
A novel of psychological depth that’s occasionally bogged down by its science focus.Pub Date: July 4, 2026
ISBN: 9798901742174
Page Count: 306
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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