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RAETHER'S ENZYME

A plausibly chilling what-if tale with a smart, sensitive hero.

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A young woman whose body contains a cancer-curing enzyme becomes the target of a ruthless conspiracy in this debut thriller.

Last year, Megan Bishop’s mother died of cancer and her distraught father killed himself. Megan left Seattle for her parents’ isolated cabin in Stillanomish Valley, where she tries to work on her master’s degree coding project—but her peace is interrupted by an avalanche of strangers begging for help. Doxxers have invaded confidential medical records to publicly identify those belonging to a rare group of people whose livers contain a biomaterial that prevents and cures cancer called Carcinoma Immune Factor 117—or Raether’s enzyme, after a study subject. Megan is one, and the gold rush for her biomaterial soon goes beyond cancer patients. Some R-positives like Megan have disappeared, perhaps kidnapped by cartels, and now violent criminals are after her at the behest of a wealthy, power-seeking, and malignantly bitter man. Their first attempt fails, and Megan goes into hiding with the help of her Seattle friends, but the bounty hunters are well funded and determined to get their payoff. Megan soon faces an ordeal that will test her intelligence, problem-solving skills, and courage to the utmost. In his book, Flynn goes to some very dark places with his intriguing scenario. Innocents die; authority figures offer dubious protection; and Megan gets caught in a hideous nightmare. Some R-positives are turned into lobotomized organ donors. The author nicely captures the atmosphere in Megan’s circle of brainy, nerdy, sweet friends, making good use of the hero’s admirably analytical mind in the final showdown. The pace lags in the middle section as the specifics of Megan’s flight and identity change are worked out in careful detail, but the ending is taut and rivetingly suspenseful.

A plausibly chilling what-if tale with a smart, sensitive hero.

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-73518-390-9

Page Count: 442

Publisher: Tensile Press

Review Posted Online: March 10, 2021

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NEVER FLINCH

Even when King is not at his best, he’s still good.

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Two killers are on the loose. Can they be stopped?

In this ambitious mystery, the prolific and popular King tells the story of a serial murderer who pledges, in a note to Buckeye City police, to kill “13 innocents and 1 guilty,” in order, we eventually learn, to avenge the death of a man who was framed and convicted for possession of child pornography and then killed in prison. At the same time, the author weaves in the efforts of another would-be murderer, a member of a violently abortion-opposing church who has been stalking a popular feminist author and women’s rights activist on a publicity tour. To tell these twin tales of murders done and intended, King summons some familiar characters, including private investigator Holly Gibney, whom readers may recall from previous novels. Gibney is enlisted to help Buckeye City police detective Izzy Jaynes try to identify and stop the serial killer, who has been murdering random unlucky citizens with chilling efficiency. She’s also been hired as a bodyguard for author and activist Kate McKay and her young assistant. The author succeeds in grabbing the reader’s interest and holding it throughout this page-turning tale of terror, which reads like a big-screen thriller. The action is well paced, the settings are vividly drawn, and King’s choice to focus on the real and deadly dangers of extremist thought is admirable. But the book is hamstrung by cliched characters, hackneyed dialogue (both spoken and internal), and motives that feel both convoluted and overly simplistic. King shines brightest when he gets to the heart of our darkest fears and desires, but here the dangers seem a bit cerebral. In his warning letter to the police, the serial killer wonders if his cryptic rationale to murder will make sense to others, concluding, “It does to me, and that is enough.” Is it enough? In another writer’s work, it might not be, but in King’s skilled hands, it probably is.

Even when King is not at his best, he’s still good.

Pub Date: May 27, 2025

ISBN: 9781668089330

Page Count: 448

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025

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DON'T LET HIM IN

Jewell is absolutely a genius at building suspense, but the “man behaving badly” plot is getting tired.

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Following her father’s sudden death, Aisling Swann is secretly horrified when her mother begins to date again—and she quickly becomes suspicious of this new flame.

Four years ago: A mysterious male narrator reflects upon his relationship with his wife—along with a few pointed comments about how she is aging. It quickly becomes apparent that this self-proclaimed “very pleasant” man is not who he seems; he already has a girlfriend on the side, and he’s playing both women with sob stories about his job and his traumatic past while taking money from them. Even as they get more and more frustrated with his lack of communication during ever-lengthening absences, he still gives them what they want: “a top-notch husband.” In the present day, Ash Swann; her brother, Arlo; and their mother, Nina, mourn the loss of her charismatic father, Paddy, a successful chef with a chain of lucrative restaurants. Nina receives a sympathy note from a man who claims to have worked closely with Paddy in the industry, which leads to a robust online flirtation that moves into the real world about a year after her husband’s death. Ash is living at home, mired in grief as well as her own mental health struggles, and she’s none too happy to see her mom dating—but particularly this handsome, egregiously suave Nick Radcliffe. Ash begins to notice some inconsistencies with his stories and his past, so she enlists Paddy’s ex-girlfriend Jane to help her investigate. Meanwhile, Ash’s story continues to intercut that of the mysterious man who is now married to his former girlfriend—and still up to his old tricks. Jewell’s cutting between past and present certainly allows revelations to ooze out at a slow, controlled pace; even as the reader makes obvious connections, the full picture remains obscure. Jewell has written some incredibly engaging and strong female characters, Nina, Ash, and Jane foremost among them. What would it have been like to split the narrative between them instead of giving so much voice—and thus narrative power—to the male antagonist?

Jewell is absolutely a genius at building suspense, but the “man behaving badly” plot is getting tired.

Pub Date: June 24, 2025

ISBN: 9781668033876

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025

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