An up-to-the-minute thriller that ably tackles contemporary politics.
An investigator takes on a group of right-wing grifters and domestic terrorists in Moore’s political thriller.
Private eye Nick Crane is spending time in a Pacific Northwest cabin one evening when a mysterious man named Mars throws a brick through his window. Mars informs Crane that he’ll be driven to Vail, Colorado, to meet Willem Spahn, a financier with a relationship to a high-profile group of hard-right reactionaries. Crane has dealt with associates of the group, including Desmond Cole and Marguerite Ferguson, before—he knows they shoot to kill. Marguerite’s latest scheme is to back legislation that calls for the imprisonment of undocumented Latine people and Muslims, plus a plan to build for-profit private jails. Crane soon arrives in Vail, where Spahn explains that Cole is trying to save him from Ferguson, who wants to kill him. Crane is suspicious of his Spahn’s motives, but he’s soon crisscrossing the country trying to figure out what Marguerite is up to; in Wisconsin, she’s planning alt-right Make America Safe Again rallies. In the meantime, Nick’s business partner Bobby is taken hostage, drugged, and made to speak at a rally. With the help of FBI agent Carrie North, Nick puts himself in serious danger to save his friend and partner’s life. Moore’s fast-paced, exciting political thriller is full of action and intrigue. However, it’s also rather crowded, with a few too many extraneous characters. That said, it offers deliciously wicked villains—particularly the sly Ferguson—who are shown to be tough as nails (“I knew they didn’t want to kill me. Orders were to take me alive. So that Marguerite could deliver the coup de grâce personally”). Crane, meanwhile, always has right on his side. The timely plot will resonate with many readers as it digs deep into a depraved, shadowy underworld of manipulation and greed.
An up-to-the-minute thriller that ably tackles contemporary politics.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781643962986
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Down & Out Books
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.
What hasn’t legendary legal eagle Grisham tried yet? How about a thriller about serial kidnapping and international terrorism.
When Paul and Chelsea Tanner disappear during a day trip on their Paris honeymoon, their abductors demand a ransom of $2 million from Chelsea’s wealthy parents, and a few days later the same sum from Paul’s much less well-heeled parents. After orthopedist Lowell Clayburn, Chelsea’s father, ponies up the ransom without breathing a word to the authorities, his daughter is promptly released. But even though Paul’s parents sell their home, liquidate their assets, and borrow money from the Clayburns to meet the kidnappers’ demands, the villains hold on to Paul anyway. Asked whether he’s ever seen such an outcome in a double kidnapping, FBI deputy director Andrew Strong tells Lowell: “No, this is a new one.” But it’s not, as Strong knows all too well; it’s the third such active case, all involving honeymooning couples whose bridegrooms had served in the armed forces. After masterfully drawing readers in with his bare-knuckle account of the Tanners’ abduction and the attempt by their families and the CIA to tell the lies required to keep caring friends and the rapacious press at bay, Grisham effortlessly switches gears to follow CIA agent Rae Claire Russo and Stuart Nash, a former Department of Justice prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay who agrees to marry her so they can serve as bait for the kidnappers, whose motives include justice and revenge as well as cold hard cash. So much for the imprisoned Paul’s wistful reflection that “hopefully, it was only about money.”
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780385550543
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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