A well-written, serpentine, breezy thriller centered on themes of belonging, abandonment, and the emotional struggle of...
An adventuresome tale of two co-dependent foster kids, one of whom becomes unraveled when the other is found murdered.
Popular serial novelist Lost’s (Clarity, 2014, etc.) story of allegiance and betrayal follows Scarlett and Cole Hunter, who both managed to endure a string of disastrous foster-home experiences and establish an inseparable, heartfelt connection. Scarlett has had a protective bond with Cole since she was 13, but recently, now that he has become a reputable, innovative architect, he has inexplicably disappeared. When Scarlett’s meddlesome war-veteran boyfriend, Zack, reveals proof that Cole has been murdered, she dismisses his desperate marriage proposal to embark on a mission to discover why her beloved Cole was gunned down. Motivated by her love for her friend and the rich history they shared, Scarlett (using “Sophie” as a fake name) believes she can solve the riddle of his violent murder. Flashback chapters effectively grouped throughout the novel depict the two’s youth. Cole’s parents died in a house fire when he was young, and his adolescence included a succession of abusive foster homes. Throughout it all, he cultivated a dream of becoming an entrepreneurial architect. He’d met Scarlett when they were foster children together under the roof of an abusive, child-molesting tyrant, each promising the other they would get out alive. Their abuser now has become a high-profile senator and quite possibly Cole’s vengeful murderer, so Scarlett must use all of her technological acumen as a covert “cryptanalyst” (developed after years of designing security-system software for Cole’s business) to break into his personal accounts for clues. The story is succinct and swiftly paced, loaded with colorful characters; the makeup of one looked “like it came directly from an Instagram tutorial.” Readers will vicariously enjoy this thrill ride as Scarlett edges closer to the truth and the danger mounts. Scarlett’s true identity and a final, somewhat far-fetched twist will both surprise and bewilder and leave just enough room for a sequel.
A well-written, serpentine, breezy thriller centered on themes of belonging, abandonment, and the emotional struggle of parentless children.Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5393-5286-0
Page Count: 360
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an...
True love flares between two people, but they find that circumstances always impede it.
On a winter day in London, Laurie spots Jack from her bus home and he sparks a feeling in her so deep that she spends the next year searching for him. Her roommate and best friend, Sarah, is the perfect wing-woman but ultimately—and unknowingly—ends the search by finding Jack and falling for him herself. Laurie’s hasty decision not to tell Sarah is the second painful missed opportunity (after not getting off the bus), but Sarah’s happiness is so important to Laurie that she dedicates ample energy into retraining her heart not to love Jack. Laurie is misguided, but her effort and loyalty spring from a true heart, and she considers her project mostly successful. Perhaps she would have total success, but the fact of the matter is that Jack feels the same deep connection to Laurie. His reasons for not acting on them are less admirable: He likes Sarah and she’s the total package; why would he give that up just because every time he and Laurie have enough time together (and just enough alcohol) they nearly fall into each other’s arms? Laurie finally begins to move on, creating a mostly satisfying life for herself, whereas Jack’s inability to be genuine tortures him and turns him into an ever bigger jerk. Patriarchy—it hurts men, too! There’s no question where the book is going, but the pacing is just right, the tone warm, and the characters sympathetic, even when making dumb decisions.
Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read.Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57468-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
To her usual mix of love, mystery, and passion, Roberts (Sanctuary, 1997, etc.)—author of 115 romancers in some 17 years—adds Renaissance art and a decidedly Medici-like family: the Joneses of Maine. Dr. Miranda Jones, nearly six feet with flaming red hair and a glacial reserve, is an archeometrist who specializes in the analyzing and dating of Renaissance bronze sculpture. Miranda hopes to secure a world-class reputation for herself by authenticating a 15th-century statue of the Dark Lady, one of the mistresses of Lorenzo the Magnificent, as the undiscovered work of a young Michelangelo. Miranda's mother, Dr. Elizabeth Standford-Jones, the emotionally remote director of the Standjo art lab in Florence, has summoned her daughter from the family's Victorian cliffside home in Jones Point, Maine, to test the statue. Meanwhile, Miranda's father, equally remote, is an archaeologist who spends more time at his digs than at home. In fact, no one in the Jones family has made a successful run at marriage, a failure that Miranda and her alcoholic brother Andrew call the Jones curse. As for the statue, when it's discovered to be a fake, Miranda sets out to prove that someone stole the original. In this she's helped by gorgeous art thief Ryan Boldari (half-Italian, half-Irish), who's come to Jones Point to steal yet another bronze, which also turns out to be a forgery. Ryan's plan had been to use Miranda as a pawn, but now, naturally, he finds himself falling hard for her. While the two search for bronzes, a standard-issue romance-novel psychotic is stalking them. Most readers will twig to the killer's identity: Here, as always, Roberts's sexual tension is more compelling than her suspense. Perhaps it's time to take a sabbatical from the pink sweatshop and turn her considerable wit and narrative skills to a more original piece of work.
Pub Date: March 23, 1998
ISBN: 0-399-14387-4
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1998
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