A thrill ride incorporating mystery, believable familial worries, and a vindictive ghost.
A devoted doctor becomes bedeviled by an elusive entity in this supernatural thriller.
Dr. Amir Hadad is a successful interventional radiologist in Naperville, a western suburb of Chicago, with lots to be thankful for, including John F. Kennedy Jr. looks; a loving wife, Camille; and a young daughter, Sami. Then Amir begins to hear an entity. He dismisses it until it returns with harrowing frequency and increasing vitriol. When the police are called, they discover no evidence of an intruder; even a new family dog is unable to soothe the Hadads’ growing fears. Still, the voice grows louder and, after careful research, is uncovered as the vengeful ghost of Irishman Patrick Doyle, who was hanged in 1854 for the murder of another immigrant, Patrick Tole, in Naperville. The hanging tree is located adjacent to the Hadads’ home, and it’s up to Amir to finally put Doyle’s spirit to rest. Set in 2018, Shiloah’s tense, atmospheric second novel channels the historical relevance of Irish immigrants and their exodus to North America. The result is a multifaceted tale of intrigue, eternal unrest, and ghostly retribution. Courtesy of Sami’s great-grandmother Sabiha, the story integrates aspects of Iraqi culture and superstitions, which are intriguing but cry out for greater coverage in the book. As the author demonstrated in her debut, Emergence (2020), anesthesiologist Shiloah has a distinct talent for crafting crisp characterization even as supernatural nuances dominate the narrative. Camille, for example, is French-born, stylish, and prone to depression, stemming from her inability of have more children due to a post-labor mishap. She also mulls reinvigorating the theater career she brushed aside in favor of motherhood. Another notable presence is Viva, Camille’s radiant younger sister, whom Amir and his wife hope to use as a surrogate for their second child. The author injects plenty of credible medical scenery into the story, but the eerie melodrama takes center stage. As the plot thickens, readers of paranormal fiction and suspense thrillers will find themselves engrossed in this finely paced, sinister tale of a family haunted by the spirit of a historical figure.
A thrill ride incorporating mystery, believable familial worries, and a vindictive ghost.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-73519-309-0
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Salty Air Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
Maybe not the most thrilling thriller, but the role of AI in coping with grief gives this novel pathos and interest.
A widowed and disgraced plastic surgeon is drawn into a Russian oligarch’s evil schemes.
Witherspoon’s adult fiction debut, co-authored with thrillermeister Coben, opens as heart surgery performed by Dr. Marc Adams in a North African refugee camp is interrupted by the explosive invasion of armed militants. It's the last we will see of Marc in this dimension. The next chapter jumps ahead one year to a ceremony at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where his widow, Maggie McCabe, is supposed to be presenting an award in honor of her mother. Miserable and anxious about appearing in public after having lost her medical license, she consults with her late husband on her phone—not via supernatural means, but using a "griefbot," an amazingly lifelike and functional AI app created by her genius sister, Sharon. Once the griefbot coaxes her to brave the sneering masses, she learns she’s been replaced on the podium anyway. But she runs into a former professor, a celebrity plastic surgeon, who requests a meeting with her at his office in New York and won’t take no for an answer. Next thing she knows, there’s $10 million in her bank account and she’s on a private plane heading to a palace outside Moscow where she’s been engaged to perform off-the-record surgery on billionaire Oleg Ragoravich (new face) and his girlfriend, Nadia (new boobs). And…we’re off. A whirl of surgeries, chases, and escapes ensues as Maggie gradually comes to understand who these people are and what they have in mind for her, and how it connects to Marc and their missing friend and business partner, Trace Packer. She is aided by her delightful father-in-law, Porkchop, owner of a biker bar in New York City and a very handy guy to have on your team if you've run afoul of an international criminal organization. From the palace in Rublevka the action moves to Dubai and then Bordeaux, climaxing in a high-stakes illegal heart transplant. But wait—is Marc really dead? What happened to Trace? Who is Nadia really? Though these smoldering questions don’t quite catch fire, it's a good first try for Witherspoon.
Maybe not the most thrilling thriller, but the role of AI in coping with grief gives this novel pathos and interest.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781538774700
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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