An engaging tale that sheds a perceptive light on animal cruelty.
A small group of vigilantes tracks down animal abusers in this thriller.
An unexpected inheritance makes Arnold Ashford a wealthy man. Now, he has hundreds of thousands in the bank and a huge property—once a dairy farm—in Central Florida. He quits his job and moves to the farm, which he reestablishes as a pet crematorium and cemetery and a no-kill shelter. Arnold’s good fortune continues when his former co-worker and secret crush Katie Harris visits. As their romance sparks, Arnold confides in Katie about the illicit side business he’s planning. He forms a coalition for targeting animal abusers, who often bypass the law. Katie pleads with Arnold to do this legally. So rather than maim or kill these barbaric humans, Arnold gathers evidence to send to the authorities. Sadly, this doesn’t guarantee jail time, and when one abuser with “gang connections” realizes what’s happened, he sets his sights on Arnold and Katie. Now the coalition, which includes Katie’s brother, Greg, a former Army Ranger, may have to take action to ensure those who mistreat pets learn lessons they won’t forget. Sandel’s no-nonsense writing produces a fast-paced narrative. This doesn’t quite work for Arnold and Katie, as the appealing characters’ expedited love story isn’t very convincing. Still, the tale builds to nerve-wracking scenes when it’s apparent the two are in peril. But the author’s greatest success is bringing awareness to a serious issue. There are numerous details of people’s cruelty to dogs that Sandel based on real-life cases. Arnold’s suggesting that his group hurt abusers in the same manner that they’ve injured animals further highlights these acts’ sheer brutality. Despite all the violence, the engrossing story lingers on none of it. Moreover, Katie’s voice of reason keeps Arnold and the novel’s message on stable moral ground.
An engaging tale that sheds a perceptive light on animal cruelty.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A fun read. Terrorists make great Clancy fodder.
Evildoers plan attacks from America to India, and Jack Ryan Jr. is a prime target.
In Washington state, a man and his family are murdered, and President Jack Ryan learns it is another Poseidon Spear incident. Three retired members of that counterterrorism group have been killed now, and the U.S. government suspects a mole in its midst. Meanwhile, the Umayyad Revolutionary Council believes it has a holy and wholly anti-American mission. Against this backdrop, Jack Ryan Jr., and his fiancée, Lisanne Robertson, visit Delhi, India, to attend the wedding of Srini Rai, the brilliant surgeon who attached Lisanne’s prosthetic left arm. Lisanne had lost her arm in Tom Clancy Shadow of the Dragon (2020). Jack and Lisanne are both operators working for the Campus, a covert group that executes secret presidential directives. A wedding is a happy occasion, and the engaged American couple intend the trip as a vacation. Jack and Lisanne will attend a sangeet, an elaborate pre-wedding party. But it isn’t long before they survive a suicide bomb attack. As with all Clancy novels, there’s plenty of action on a global scale. In simultaneous strikes, terrorists plan to contaminate America’s Western water supply with radioactive waste from Washington’s Hanford nuclear power plant, blow up a spectacular new bridge in Kashmir, and kill the evil Ryan—or Junior, at least. It will be At-Takwir, the end of days. There is an appealing mix of Indian culture, high-speed action, and the rich lode of details that characterizes the whole series. And in the background lingers the question on several characters’ minds: Have Jack and Lisanne set their own wedding date?
A fun read. Terrorists make great Clancy fodder.Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780593718032
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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
© 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.
