An action-packed thriller that stars an unsympathetic protagonist who turns into a mad scientist.
A brilliant researcher seeking a cancer cure makes a startling discovery in this novel.
American research scientist Dr. Todd Richards, who’s also a renowned plastic surgeon, has synthesized an elixir for eternal youth. Richards started out meaning well, trying to find a cure for cancer to save his wife, Molly. An unexpected byproduct of his research is a formula that slowly reverses the aging process, using “a specific combination of fetal stem cells combined with the subject’s modified DNA.” Soon, Richards further improves the serum so that he can transform into other people. For this process to work, he needs fetuses with his DNA. So he makes an arrangement with five female celebrity clients. He will impregnate them and illegally abort their fetuses to create personalized serums for them and himself. (A “new Federal Anti-Abortion Law” is in effect.) Then, a distracted Richards accidentally gives one of them an overdose and dumps her body at sea. Driven mad by his latest formula, he starts killing off his other patients to keep his secret. The CIA, which funded Richards’ original research, continues to tail him because the American president wants to use the formula to create “covert operators.” FBI agents Matt St. Claire and Jill Emerson are assigned to the missing celebrities case. Emerson is a dead ringer for Molly, and Richards, using one of his aliases, seduces and impregnates her. He is determined to retrieve Emerson’s unborn child before he changes his face and disappears for good.
Jaffe’s lively tale delivers plenty of action. But the author creates a narrative problem early on, as his novel’s main character isn’t very likable. Sure, Richards begins his research to save his wife’s life. And, yes, he wants to keep his formula out of the hands of the United States military, which would use it to shift the global balance of power. Yet his reason for doing so is largely self-serving. Richards is solving an intellectual puzzle. Once he perfected his serum, he could become anybody, living or dead, that he wanted. But using himself as a guinea pig begins to take its toll, and the genius starts making huge mistakes. Why else would he draw attention to himself by leaving a trail of bodies in his wake? In addition, stalking an FBI agent is just asking for trouble. The author’s portrayal of Richards’ dogged pursuers is the most captivating part of the book. It is hard to fault the skeptical law enforcers, as the scientist’s serum is like something out of an SF movie. And they must deal with the CIA spooks who are determined to keep Richards to themselves, despite his murders. It would have been intriguing for Jaffe to delve into the effects on society of abortion’s being outlawed instead of the restriction’s serving as just another obstacle for Richards to overcome. In addition, at nearly 500 pages, the volume feels overly long, with the doctor continually slipping away just as the police close in. The author resolves little at the end, so a sequel certainly would be viable.
An action-packed thriller that stars an unsympathetic protagonist who turns into a mad scientist.Pub Date: April 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9819410-7-3
Page Count: 481
Publisher: Bowker
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.
A woman accused of shooting her husband six times in the face refuses to speak.
"Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband. They had been married for seven years. They were both artists—Alicia was a painter, and Gabriel was a well-known fashion photographer." Michaelides' debut is narrated in the voice of psychotherapist Theo Faber, who applies for a job at the institution where Alicia is incarcerated because he's fascinated with her case and believes he will be able to get her to talk. The narration of the increasingly unrealistic events that follow is interwoven with excerpts from Alicia's diary. Ah, yes, the old interwoven diary trick. When you read Alicia's diary you'll conclude the woman could well have been a novelist instead of a painter because it contains page after page of detailed dialogue, scenes, and conversations quite unlike those in any journal you've ever seen. " 'What's the matter?' 'I can't talk about it on the phone, I need to see you.' 'It's just—I'm not sure I can make it up to Cambridge at the minute.' 'I'll come to you. This afternoon. Okay?' Something in Paul's voice made me agree without thinking about it. He sounded desperate. 'Okay. Are you sure you can't tell me about it now?' 'I'll see you later.' Paul hung up." Wouldn't all this appear in a diary as "Paul wouldn't tell me what was wrong"? An even more improbable entry is the one that pins the tail on the killer. While much of the book is clumsy, contrived, and silly, it is while reading passages of the diary that one may actually find oneself laughing out loud.
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30169-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Even when King is not at his best, he’s still good.
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
© Copyright 2025 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.
