A political thriller that relies heavily on action but lacks substance.
Corrupt American and Chinese government officials scramble for control over a medical cure-all derived from a Nepalese plant, culminating in an international incident in Allen’s (Deadly Untruths, 2008) second novel.
Dr. Maggie James and Dr. Jangbu Tong have been researching the growth and effect of a unique plant found in a remote village in Nepal. When Maggie arrives at the village to check on the progress of the experiment, she finds her partner severely beaten. Jangbu reveals that his abusers, hoping to intimidate him into submission, were strangers in search of the plant. In the aftermath of the attack, it’s imperative that the team work quickly to validate their research. As they rush to complete their findings, U.S. senators, lobbyists, an ambitious Chinese ex-pat and his granddaughter, Luli, all scramble to gain control over the miracle drug. Allen then increases the reader’s anticipation of conflict with the introduction of corrupt Chinese government officials. The plant’s power offers what seems like the golden ticket to world domination; everyone wants a piece of the pie. Though briskly paced, the language is often clumsy and redundant. No matter how well the plot is moving, the constant mention of Luli’s youth and beauty or Maggie’s idealism and dedication do little to advance the story. Detailed expositions of the internal workings of the U.S. government—specifically the Senate and the lobbies—indicate exhaustive research or familiarity with the halls of power. Allen has a knack for keeping the reader enthralled by the suspense. Unfortunately, the rush of the plot derails in-depth exploration of the issues of corruption and greed, or the ethics behind the use and dissemination of such a miraculous plant.
A political thriller that relies heavily on action but lacks substance.Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2011
ISBN: 978-1935083337
Page Count: 258
Publisher: CyPress Publications
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
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