While it features some stock characters, this multicultural tale creates a complex web of relationships.
A debut novel set in the 1980s follows a young banker.
Alexander Andreivich Romanovsky is the vice president and Eastern European area manager at Universal Bank, based in San Francisco. Alexander is of Russian descent, though he was born in France and raised in California. His life in America was aided greatly by his mother’s wealthy friend Fiona Sinclair. Alexander even developed a relationship with Fiona’s son, Drew Faircloth. Tragically, Alexander’s father died when the boy was only 17 years old, and his mother eventually committed suicide. Despite such a dark family history, Alexander finds his career as a banker going well. But it is the mid-’80s, and the AIDS epidemic is in full force. Drew contracts the disease and is adamant that Alexander take over his art-dealing business after he dies. But Alexander faces his own problems. Not only does he become involved in the affairs of a troubled British secretary named Philippa Tate-Palmer, but aspects of his family’s life in Europe come to haunt him as well. What is a cosmopolitan yet conflicted banker to do? In short, there is no telling if and when all the complications in Alexander’s life will get sorted out. Jordan’s book shines when offering intriguing facets of the cultures and characters that Alexander encounters. Lively details include Russian traditions such as an Eastern Orthodox Easter and the inherently odd juxtaposition of a boy with Russian roots growing up in California. Of course, some developments are blaringly obvious. In an early scene, Alexander is blackmailed while on a trip to Russia. But the crime is orchestrated so smoothly by a stereotypical brute named Ivan Alexinsky that readers will be left wondering if it couldn’t have been conducted in a more thrilling, or at least memorable, fashion. Then there is Philippa, who, when not reminding cohorts of how British she is (how she longs for a decent cup of tea in America), goes so far as to collapse on a sofa in a fit of crying. Despite such melodramatic choices, the narrative should leave readers curious about the fates of the people Alexander meets on his serpentine journey, even if none of them are particularly endearing.
While it features some stock characters, this multicultural tale creates a complex web of relationships.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-948484-10-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Clovercroft Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Roberts’ newest is part thriller, part romance, part survivors’ psychological study with a touch of New Age magic—and a...
The victims of a mass shooting—including two young heroes from the tragedy—are moving forward in their lives, affected in different ways, when they're stunned to discover a serial killer is targeting survivors.
Simone Knox and Reed Quartermaine were both survivors of a mass shooting at a mall in Portland, Maine. Afterward, Simone, grateful to be alive, vows to be a better daughter and at first tries to conform to her parents’ conservative expectations. However, she soon realizes she’ll never be happy appeasing them and finally chooses to follow her artistic dreams in order to lead a more authentic life. Reed, inspired by Essie McVee, the first police officer on the scene, becomes a detective, eventually becoming Essie's partner and close friend. Years later, survivors of the massacre begin to die, and Reed is convinced the deaths are connected—but not even Essie takes him seriously until the killer targets him. Reed is wounded but survives, and suddenly everyone believes him. The cunning psychopath escapes into the ether, armed with money, lots of false identification, and a seething desire for revenge. Taking time to heal, Reed visits Tranquility Island, Maine, his childhood vacation spot, and falls in love with the place. He also meets a charismatic older woman who helps him land the house of his dreams and the position of police chief. Falling in love with her granddaughter, Simone—whom he had been aware of since the tragedy but had never met—seems like fate. Reed settles into his new job and hooks up with the FBI regarding the case, convinced their face-off has frustrated the vengeful killer. As heroic survivors, Reed and Simone are prime targets, and now that they’ve found each other, the stakes are higher than ever. Facing the hunter means fighting for their lives, love, and happiness while silencing the violent echoes of the worst day of their lives. Fascinating characters—Simone's grandmother is a standout—and a sprawling plot that covers a lot of ground yet keeps the reader engaged offer a surprisingly compelling and poignant redemption story that begins with a tragic mass shooting.
Roberts’ newest is part thriller, part romance, part survivors’ psychological study with a touch of New Age magic—and a lively, captivating read.Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-16159-8
Page Count: 448
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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