Engaging characters enliven this brisk and entertaining mystery.
In Archer and Wade’s thriller, podcasters scramble to identify which of their upcoming guests is scheming to murder them.
Podcaster Raspy Fuse gets his very first death threat via text. The anonymous message promises that one of three authors appearing together on a future show will kill him and his co-host and best friend, Salty Remarks. This trio of writers is already suspicious after their shared interview with a California podcaster who mysteriously died later that same day. So, Raspy and Salty look closely at their scheduled guests: poet William Z. Wisp, romance author Della Molasses, and thriller scribe Edwin Nocturne (“Raspy liked his chances in a fistfight with any of the three. But the threat was murder, not a boxing match”). Each of them, it turns out, has ties to people who are not exactly on good terms with the podcasting hosts, including an IT guy to whom they owe money. As motives and suspects pile up, Raspy and Salty have very little time to determine which of the three intends to take them out during their podcast’s year-end live production. The co-authors pack a lot into this novella, such as shifting narrative perspectives that plumb the depths of the energetic cast. Raspy and Salty may occasionally clash (Salty doesn’t initially take the death threat seriously), but they clearly care for and respect one another. The potential killers flaunt robust personalities, even if they’re superficially defined by their respective genres’ associated stereotypes (William is pretentious, Della is sex-positive, and Edwin broods). The story’s predominant focus is the whodunit (or “whomightdoit”); there’s not much room for humor, aside from delightfully goofy names (including one that hilariously makes other characters cringe). A frenzied final act wraps up things in style. The ending, though gratifying, is one many readers will likely foresee.
Engaging characters enliven this brisk and entertaining mystery.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9798987757079
Page Count: 162
Publisher: Charlotte Readers Podcast, LLC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
