Colorful, often shady characters propel this diverting mystery.
In Douek’s graphic novel, a celebrity couple who’ve already lost a child make headlines when their daughter goes missing.
Fourteen years ago, Andrew and Emma Walker’s young daughter Mandy vanished, only to tragically turn up murdered. Since then, media coverage has made the Walkers famous. Now they star in a reality TV show called Second Chancesthat focuses on the couple as they raise their other girl, Meghan. On the morning of her 6th birthday, Meghan is missing; an open window in her room suggests another abduction. The Walkers quickly point fingers at Nina Hendrik, a journalist who had accused them of exploiting Mandy’s murder, leading to a defamation suit that wrecked her career. Nina starts looking into the old case with LAPD Detective Raul Martinez, who, while trying to apprehend Mandy’s killer all those years ago, fatally shot the culprit. That man didn’t work alone, Nina believes, and she compiles a list of potential accomplices. (“Three solid suspects. None of them the poor schmuck you put six bullets into.”) Meanwhile, the Walkers get a phone call from Meghan’s kidnapper, who makes an unusual demand if they want to see their daughter again. Douek’s rich characterization generates tension—quite a few characters seem dubious, as if they’re hiding something. The story comes in pieces, shining a light on characters’ past involvement in the 14-year-old case as the present-day investigation gradually unravels. This approach leads to a handful of plot turns that, while entertaining, are mostly predictable—but that certainly doesn’t dilute the scathing examination of social media personas. (Are the Walkers being their true selves on their show? How much do they allow the public to see?) The standout among a robust cast is whip-smart Detective Connors, the scene-stealing lead investigator of Meghan’s abduction. Illustrator Olson excels at depicting the surroundings, from an impressively detailed stand of woods to deep-black shadows in darkened rooms to the memorable, lightly toned flashbacks.
Colorful, often shady characters propel this diverting mystery.Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781952303753
Page Count: 82
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced...
A pairing of the text of the Scottish Play with a filmed performance, designed with the Shakespeare novice in mind.
The left side of the screen of this enhanced e-book contains a full version of Macbeth, while the right side includes a performance of the dialogue shown (approximately 20 lines’ worth per page). This granular focus allows newcomers to experience the nuances of the play, which is rich in irony, hidden intentions and sudden shifts in emotional temperature. The set and costuming are deliberately simple: The background is white, and Macbeth’s “armor” is a leather jacket. But nobody’s dumbing down their performances. Francesca Faridany is particularly good as a tightly coiled Lady Macbeth; Raphael Nash-Thompson gives his roles as the drunken porter and a witch a garrulousness that carries an entertainingly sinister edge. The presentation is not without its hiccups. Matching the video on the right with the text on the left means routinely cutting off dramatic moments; at one point, users have to swipe to see and read the second half of a scene’s closing couplet—presumably an easy fix. A “tap to translate” button on each page puts the text into plain English, but the pop-up text covers up Shakespeare’s original, denying any attempts at comparison; moreover, the translation mainly redefines more obscure words, suggesting that smaller pop-ups for individual terms might be more meaningful.
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced e-book makes the play appealing and graspable to students . (Enhanced e-book. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The New Book Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times...
A bland, uninspired graphic adaptation of the Bard’s renowned love story.
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times oddly psychedelic-tinged backgrounds of cool blues and purples, the mood is strange, and the overall ambiance of the story markedly absent. Appealing to what could only be a high-interest/low–reading level audience, McDonald falls short of the mark. He explains a scene in an open-air tavern with a footnote—“a place where people gather to drink”—but he declines to offer definitions for more difficult words, such as “dirges.” While the adaptation does follow the foundation of the play, the contemporary language offers nothing; cringeworthy lines include Benvolio saying to Romeo at the party where he first meets Juliet, “Let’s go. It’s best to leave now, while the party’s in full swing.” Nagar’s faces swirl between dishwater and grotesque, adding another layer of lost passion in a story that should boil with romantic intensity. Each page number is enclosed in a little red heart; while the object of this little nuance is obvious, it’s also unpleasantly saccharine. Notes after the story include such edifying tidbits about Taylor Swift and “ ‘Wow’ dialogs from the play” (which culls out the famous quotes).Pub Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-58-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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