For a novel about whiskey, this thriller doesn’t go down easily.
The double crossings and plot twists are dizzying in this thriller, Snyder’s first novel.
University of Virginia law student Jackson Cole spent last summer boozing and flirting at a prestigious D.C. firm. His prior career as an entrepreneur making millions off of smartphone applications isn’t enough to get him invited back to the firm for his second law school summer, and he just discovered that his longtime girlfriend appears to have found a new guy. At loose ends, Jackson replies to a mysterious advertisement in the law school newsletter seeking candidates for a “non-traditional legal opportunity” for someone with “problem solving skills and the ability to handle confidential information.” But when Jackson appears for an interview, the private investigator that placed the ad has been killed by a gunshot to the head. While mulling over the shooting at a bar, Jackson meets Caroline Mills, a former Wall Street big shot now mucking out stables for John McAllister, a wealthy landowner who also runs a secret distillery. Instantly attracted to one another, Jackson and Caroline are quickly plunged into a dangerous power play between McAllister and other members of his organization for control of the distillery, which harbors other illegal activities as well. And the organization isn’t a bunch of backwoods criminals; it includes a U.S. senator, members of the FBI, and the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. No one knows who to trust as the characters all try to assess others’ motives and allegiances while the bullets fly. It’s difficult to worry about the possible impact of the scandal and battle for power when the main characters are little more than pretty magazine cutouts. When Snyder does try to flesh out his characters, the language is often maddeningly vague. At one point, John McAllister is described as having a “non-worrisome demeanor.” Overly formal language also slows down the action—a waitress does not bring Jackson a drink, she “obliges his request” for one; characters do not talk when they can “converse”; and to stop talking, they “cease the conversation.”
For a novel about whiskey, this thriller doesn’t go down easily.Pub Date: May 11, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 321
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Review Posted Online: Sept. 4, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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