A wonderfully suspenseful and engrossing thriller.
In this debut mystery, a man tries to find the killer of a socialite, but his search may take him down darker paths than he could ever have imagined.
In Jones’ story, which opens in 1924, New Yorker Jarek Videni has come to Minnesota to investigate the vicious murder of socialite Sarah O’Connell. She was found stabbed to death in her home library in St. Paul with her heart ripped out. The police have no suspects, and her heart is still missing. Jarek, “an intuitive,” journeyed to the Midwest of “his own accord. However, the travel was significantly prodded” by the anonymous “letters he received requesting help.” Sarah left behind her husband, Martin, an amiable and cheerful man who appears normal but has recently been sleepwalking and acting strangely. Also grieving for Sarah is her college-age daughter, Annie, who has responded by becoming reclusive, delving into as many books as she can find and becoming angry at her father. Finally, there is Rose Smith, the governess who oversees the housekeeping and cooking and has been with the family so long she is practically a member. All three have deep, dark secrets that Jarek slowly begins to uncover. But doing so puts him in danger of a horrible darkness that could overtake them all. Jarek discovers that while Sarah was a woman of great standing in the city, she was involved with the local spiritualist community. There is more at play in this great house than earthly schemes. Jones interweaves intense thrills with the supernatural to create a superb mystery that is surprising as well as rewarding. Jarek is a remarkable sleuth with a calm and kind disposition whose knowledge helps drive the plot as he faces realistic limitations. Martin, Annie, and Rose have believable personal dynamics and conflicts that support the mystery elements. Annie has an apparent animosity toward her father but still cares for him and shows concern for his weird behavior. Rose is protective of the family that gave her a chance and welcomed her, but she knows more about the O’Connells than she lets on. The twists and turns of the plot as well as unexpected character revelations make for a carefully constructed thriller that is a gripping addition to the horror genre.
A wonderfully suspenseful and engrossing thriller. (Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 979-8986344003
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Water Sign Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Jewell is absolutely a genius at building suspense, but the “man behaving badly” plot is getting tired.
Following her father’s sudden death, Aisling Swann is secretly horrified when her mother begins to date again—and she quickly becomes suspicious of this new flame.
Four years ago: A mysterious male narrator reflects upon his relationship with his wife—along with a few pointed comments about how she is aging. It quickly becomes apparent that this self-proclaimed “very pleasant” man is not who he seems; he already has a girlfriend on the side, and he’s playing both women with sob stories about his job and his traumatic past while taking money from them. Even as they get more and more frustrated with his lack of communication during ever-lengthening absences, he still gives them what they want: “a top-notch husband.” In the present day, Ash Swann; her brother, Arlo; and their mother, Nina, mourn the loss of her charismatic father, Paddy, a successful chef with a chain of lucrative restaurants. Nina receives a sympathy note from a man who claims to have worked closely with Paddy in the industry, which leads to a robust online flirtation that moves into the real world about a year after her husband’s death. Ash is living at home, mired in grief as well as her own mental health struggles, and she’s none too happy to see her mom dating—but particularly this handsome, egregiously suave Nick Radcliffe. Ash begins to notice some inconsistencies with his stories and his past, so she enlists Paddy’s ex-girlfriend Jane to help her investigate. Meanwhile, Ash’s story continues to intercut that of the mysterious man who is now married to his former girlfriend—and still up to his old tricks. Jewell’s cutting between past and present certainly allows revelations to ooze out at a slow, controlled pace; even as the reader makes obvious connections, the full picture remains obscure. Jewell has written some incredibly engaging and strong female characters, Nina, Ash, and Jane foremost among them. What would it have been like to split the narrative between them instead of giving so much voice—and thus narrative power—to the male antagonist?
Jewell is absolutely a genius at building suspense, but the “man behaving badly” plot is getting tired.Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9781668033876
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
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.
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