Eerily suspenseful and masterfully penned, Kennedy’s debut is reminiscent of Stephen King, with paranormal events that creatively form the elements of a memorable suspense-thriller.
In Beverly Hills, a wealthy, elderly man is brutally attacked and murdered on the night of his 86th birthday. After examining his wounds, the medical examiner believes that the man was killed by a vicious animal, possibly one of the guard dogs at the house. Cub reporter Denny Heller is certain, though, that there is something more to it. When psychic Gillian Brooks comes forward to tell of horrific visions she’s had of two brutal animal-attack murders, Heller is hot on the case, believing that the two crimes are connected. But LAPD police lieutenant Bob Dandridge discounts Heller’s theory, until he meets Gillian, whose detailed knowledge of the crime scenes is too accurate to dismiss. The suspense escalates substantially as the vicious murders continue, and Denny becomes convinced that a sinister force is at work in the form of the devil, who poses as the ageless founder of an obscure religion. Police and law-enforcement officials eventually turn to Catholic priests and church officials to aid them in their quest to rid the world of this demon before he strikes again. Demonic possession, exorcism and a decades-old curse form the backbone of this enthralling tale, likely to appeal to fans of the supernatural murder-mystery. The most genuine aspect of Kennedy’s first novel lies in his ability to fashion highly detailed vicious crimes.
Yet it is not the nature of the violence alone that catapults this novel to first-rate status. The highly developed, multifaceted characters imbue this read with a chilling sense of realism.Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4196-7239-2
Page Count: 358
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2011
Categories: GENERAL FICTION
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In Walsh’s American debut, a woman desperately tries to find out why the man she spent a whirlwind week with never called.
Sarah has just separated from her American husband and is visiting her hometown in England when she meets Eddie. He’s kind and charming, and although they only spend one week together, she falls in love. When he has to leave for a trip, she knows they’ll keep in touch—they’re already making plans for the rest of their lives. But then Eddie never calls, and Sarah’s increasingly frantic efforts to contact him are fruitless. Is he hurt? Is he dead? As her friends tell her, there’s a far greater likelihood that he’s just blowing her off—she’s been ghosted. After trying to track Eddie down at a football game, Sarah starts to become ashamed of herself—after all, she’s almost 40 years old and she’s essentially stalking a man who never called her. But as Sarah slowly learns, she and Eddie didn’t actually meet randomly—they both have a connection to an accident that happened years ago, and it may have something to do with why he disappeared. The tension quickly amps up as the secrets of Eddie’s and Sarah’s pasts are revealed, and the truth behind their connection is genuinely surprising and heartbreaking. The barriers between Sarah and Eddie seem insurmountable at times, and although their issues are resolved in a tidy manner, the emotions behind their actions are always believable. Walsh has created a deeply moving romance with an intriguing mystery and a touching portrait of grief at its heart.
A romantic, sad, and ultimately hopeful book that’s perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes.Pub Date: July 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-52277-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
Categories: GENERAL FICTION
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An ambitious and bewitching gem of a book with mystery and passion inscribed on every page.
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A withdrawn graduate student embarks on an epic quest to restore balance to the world in this long-anticipated follow-up to The Night Circus (2011).
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a typical millennial introvert; he likes video games, escapist reading, and drinking sidecars. But when he recognizes himself in the pages of a mysterious book from the university library, he's unnerved—and determined to uncover the truth. What begins as a journey for answers turns into something much bigger, and Zachary must decide whether to trust the handsome stranger he meets at a highflying literary fundraiser in New York or to retreat back to his thesis and forget the whole affair. In a high-wire feat of metatextual derring-do, Morgenstern weaves Zachary's adventure into a stunning array of linked fables, myths, and origin stories. There are pirates and weary travelers, painters who can see the future, lovers torn asunder, a menacing Owl King, and safe harbors for all the stories of the world, far below the Earth on the golden shores of a Starless Sea. Clocking in at more than 500 pages, the novel requires patience as Morgenstern puts all the pieces in place, but it is exquisitely pleasurable to watch the gears of this epic fantasy turn once they're set in motion. As in The Night Circus, Morgenstern is at her best when she imagines worlds and rooms and parties in vivid detail, right down to the ballroom stairs "festooned with lanterns and garlands of paper dipped in gold" or a cloak carved from ice with "ships and sailors and sea monsters...lost in the drifting snow." This novel is a love letter to readers as much as an invitation: Come and see how much magic is left in the world. Fans of Neil Gaiman and V.E. Schwab, Kelly Link and Susanna Clarke will want to heed the call.
An ambitious and bewitching gem of a book with mystery and passion inscribed on every page.Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-385-54121-3
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Categories: GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | FANTASY | HISTORICAL FANTASY | LITERARY FICTION | GENERAL FICTION
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