Information technology consultant Robert McCabe continues his freelance evil-smiting against a bizarre trio of siblings.
In this distinct novel that defies easy categorization—part supernatural thriller, part (presumably fictionalized) memoir—McCabe’s brother-in-law, Tim, contacts him concerning a rash of heart-attack deaths in Portland, Ore. Computer hacking discovers a striking coincidence: Not only did the deceased share a cardiac surgeon, Dr. George Condon, but they all used the same financial planning firm, Condon and Chrome. Intrigued, McCabe secures a temporary job with Freightliner, providing legitimacy for his presence in the rainy city. Then, under the pretense of having chest pains, McCabe sees George Condon and immediately senses his evil. The doctor’s handshake produces an electrical jolt, and McCabe swears Condon’s eyes turned red and his skin green. Following the doctor’s recommendation to use his brother and sister’s financial planning firm, McCabe meets Lewis Condon, whose handshake produces a similar response. Because McCabe acquires the powers of the evil ones he encounters, he soon shares the Condons’ ability to read and alter a person’s heart rhythm. Combined with the metal-controlling powers he had previously acquired, McCabe’s new skill makes him a formidable adversary—much to the detriment of the Condon siblings. Although author McCabe’s engaging narrative voice carries readers effortlessly and enjoyably through this short suspense novel, the dialogue is often oddly stilted, a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent book. Superhero abilities aside, McCabe is an enviable protagonist; he’s easygoing and talented, with a remarkable nose for wine. Comparatively, secondary characters are one-dimensional, good or evil, although even the poorly developed characters don’t detract from the otherwise enthralling story. Enlisting his wife Shelley’s assistance to make the crusading a team effort, McCabe promises future installments in his evil-conquering series.
A unique tale well worth the suspension of disbelief.Pub Date: May 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-1475154375
Page Count: 152
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | THRILLER | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER
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BOOK REVIEW
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. 10, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
Past and present collide on a trail of death in the second in the authors’ Nora Kelly series, begun with Old Bones (2019).
When a local sheriff investigates the illegal activity of relic hunters in an abandoned, middle-of-nowhere New Mexico gold-mining town called High Lonesome, he discovers a mummified corpse and a fabulous cross of gold. The discovery is on federal land, so the FBI gets involved. Special Agent Corrie Swanson would have liked a juicier assignment than checking out some old bones in the high desert, but she has a degree in forensic anthropology, and she’s a rookie. She persuades a reluctant Dr. Nora Kelly, senior curator at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute, to help puzzle out what happened to the man, as it’s unclear whether a crime has been committed. Forensics determine that the gold is slightly radioactive, and there’s a pack animal skull with a bullet hole. And by the looks of the decades-old corpse, the poor man suffered a horrible death. High Lonesome is on the Jornada del Muerto, or Dead Man’s Journey, the bleak and dismal trail that connected Mexico City and Santa Fe during Spanish colonial rule. The authors are expert plotters and storytellers with smart, engaging characters—Kelly is an experienced pro who thinks Swanson “looked very much the rookie.” Newbie Swanson had barely passed her firearms qualification, and being a lousy shot may bring tragic consequences and a guilty conscience. Luckily, Sheriff Watts has practiced his quick draw since he was a preschooler. Meanwhile, some of those relic hunters are dangerous men searching for an object—not the gold—unknown to Kelly and Swanson. To a descendant of the dead man, “most people would have thought his precious item fit only to line a henhouse with.” Expect nice twists, hairy danger, and good old-fashioned gunplay.
This one’s an attention grabber. Get a copy.Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5387-4727-8
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
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