KIRKUS REVIEW
A medical professional with a penchant for score settling discovers another opportunity for vengeance.
Veldt’s (Unfortunate Event, 2015) sophomore effort returns to the scene of his debut medical chiller and, again, centers around middle-aged anesthesiologist Dr. Jack Andrews, who had previously been the target of a medical malpractice and a homicide lawsuit. He’s also suffering the ire of an embittered ex-wife. Now, even after serving a three-year humanitarian medical missionary term in Africa, Andrews remains disillusioned and yearns to exist just under the radar of suspicious law enforcement and his ex. Back in Omaha, still craving freedom and detachment, he enrolls as a traveling anesthesiologist and is immediately assigned to a hospital in Alaska, where he bonds with co-workers in his ward through a masterfully detailed hunting trip. Meanwhile, Kevin “Kenai” Hartly, a local successful car dealer, finds himself in hot water after killing one driver and seriously injuring another in a hit-and-run drunken driving ordeal. Veldt’s tightly woven yarn shifts into high gear once Hartly begins to show his obnoxious true colors. Not willing to risk the imprisonment of his irresponsible, arrogant son on a vehicular homicide charge, the man’s high-powered father, together with a corrupt attorney, plots to manipulate the court system to clear the guilty party. Hartly’s ruthless intimidation of the grieving family in front of Andrews enrages him, and, under the guise of taking one final deer-hunting trip before departing Alaska permanently, he calculatedly takes matters into his own hands. Both installments of this continuing saga work well together, though readers may be left wanting more page length and plot. Still, for suspense fans looking for a breezy yet exhilarating slice of crime and punishment, Veldt keeps the action crackling and the narrative tight—with just enough heroes and villains to keep the embers smoldering.
A thrilling, potent sequel offering more of the same well-honed tension and revenge-fueled retribution.
