Just watch I Know What You Did Last Summer instead.
The past is about to catch up to a group of friends that may have accidentally killed a serial killer.
A weekend music festival in the woods featuring 1990s cover bands seems like the perfect way for Liverpudlians Matt Connolly, his live-in girlfriend, Alexandra, and their childhood friends Stuart, Chris, Nicola, and Michelle to reconnect and shake off the middle-age doldrums. The fun turns into terror when Matt awakens in the middle of night to Stuart’s screams. The group eventually catches up to Stuart, who is fighting for his life with a machete-wielding maniac. Matt’s group soon gets the upper hand, and in the end, it’s not clear who dealt the killing blow, but the stranger is undeniably dead. Despite his friends’ urging, Matt nixes calling the authorities. For some inconceivable reason, he thinks they’ll be accused of killing the man in an alcohol- and drug-fueled frenzy. They bury the guy and plan to skedaddle, but they then discover the body of a young man next to a flickering red candle. They reason that the man they buried could be the mythical (so far) killer dubbed the Candle Man who leaves behind red candles when he abducts someone. But no bodies have been found, suggesting he’s a mere urban legend. Yikes, definitely time to leave and never speak of the incident again. Flash-forward a year. Guilt has been eating at Matt, whose narrative alternates between past and present, and his friends. After one of their own supposedly jumps in front of a train, they begin finding the distinctive red candles in their homes. They suspect the man they killed may have had an accomplice who is now targeting them one by one. Unfortunately, the narrative largely consists of Matt and the gang arguing the merits of confessing versus keeping their secret, and after slogging through a glacially paced story nearly devoid of suspense, readers might find it’s too much work to get to a shock twist that isn’t fully earned.
Just watch I Know What You Did Last Summer instead.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-78748
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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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