A dynamic cast effectively drives this deliberately paced tale of vengeance.
In Alexander and Dobry’s novel, a prison doctor’s revenge plan becomes more complicated when it involves a legendary inmate.
James Johnson is the newly hired physician at Thornton State Prison in Illinois. His job is, of course, tending to prisoners’ illnesses and injuries, but he also has a hidden agenda. Specifically, he yearns for vengeance against an incarcerated man, Steven McAdams, who murdered one of his loved ones and then received just a seven- to 10-year sentence. However, his plans may not be as secret as he thinks. A powerful inmate at the same prison, known as The Book, assigns hedge fund manager Jeffrey “Cipher” Jones to surveil James at the doctor’s home. Cipher’s late father once worked for The Book, who sent him coded messages involving biblical verses. This Bible code allowed The Book to sway events that made him, and Cipher, financially successful. Spying on someone, though, is definitely an unusual order from The Book. At the same time, it turns out that a government agency (or agencies) is monitoring James, as well. The doctor knows that getting to his target won’t be easy, even though he’s an employee at the secure prison. However, The Book may be willing to help—and Cipher isn’t the only person whom he has working for him. The Book’s name is very well known among people inside and outside the prison, and he always seems to have a way of getting things done. However, as James pursues his plan, various secrets are revealed, upending both James’ and Cipher’s lives. Also, The Book has another scheme cooking, which could help himself—a wrongly convicted man who’s serving two life sentences for murder.
This crime story is leisurely paced, but it has plenty of surprises to keep readers’ attention. The Book is a delightful enigma who has a genius-level IQ and innumerable connections. Even when more details about him come to light—his name, the crime that landed him in jail, and elaboration of his Bible code—there’s enough residual mystery to keep the character enticing. Unexpected ties between characters pop up, as do new antagonists and occasional betrayals. The Book, like most of the vibrant cast, is Black, and racism plays a significant role in the story. Overall, Alexander and Dobry present a grim perspective on the American prison system; most of the prisoners James sees are known to readers only by their numbers. There are also quite a few subplots throughout the novel, including one involving a burgeoning romance between James and the instantly likable prison doctor Amanda Perkins, and another about a potential “rat” at Cipher’s firm. A few minor storylines don’t lead anywhere, as the narrative instead favors scenes of James’ downtime, showing him golfing or enjoying the beach. However, the final act takes a significant turn that results in several additions to the cast and alters James’ plan, although his motive stays the same. The novel ends on a satisfying note, but some characters could easily carry on in a sequel or spinoff.
A dynamic cast effectively drives this deliberately paced tale of vengeance.Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9798218981358
Page Count: 472
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
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