A simple yet delightfully left-field take on a fight against oppression.
Murray offers a near-future thriller sequel about a war on personal freedom.
In the first series installment, New York City was shown to have been taken over by a government that’s hostile to individual rights, particularly regarding religion. Enforcers known as Thought Police have the power to arrest and detain anyone. As one character explains it, they “don't believe in religion or moral values. They just act on the orders they are given by the soulless city government.” Two Jewish people in their 40s, Sue and David, fled to Long Island. The Thought Police don’t have jurisdiction there, and it’s home to a hotel turned safehouse run by Hilda, a leading member of the rebellious New York Freedom Fighters. She was kidnapped by the Thought Police at the end of the previous book, but her fellow Freedom Fighters find her, and she has ideas on how to fight against the city. To kick things off, several of her organization’s members, including Sue and David, head into Manhattan to rescue some Jewish people being held against their will in an apartment. The entire gang conduct the operation dressed as Batman; if anyone asks any questions, they plan to say that they’re merely in the city for a costume party. Although the mission is a success, it’s clear that much more will be required to make a dent in the oppressive society and to foil the Thought Police’s plan for an all-out assault on the city. David reflects on his new existence: “My life had become like an action movie.”
As in an action film, things move quickly in this brief book. No sooner has Hilda recovered from her abduction ordeal that she’s ready to try something new. “The cowards didn't have the guts to kill me,” she says of her kidnappers. And, indeed, throughout the story, the villains continually prove to be inept. The Freedom Fighters, by contrast, are highly skilled—sometimes despite themselves. For example, at one point, David says, “I don't know much about guns. I'm not sure how to fire it,” but he still manages to shoot a moving vehicle while riding in another. Such moments, combined with a mostly bloodless storyline (although there are some deaths) gives the story a unique feel that’s much different from a traditional thriller. It certainly proves to be stranger and more playful than one might expect in a work about a citywide totalitarian government. For instance, as in the first installment, there are dogs in the middle of the fray; when David is preparing to take the fateful shot, for instance, Sue, who’s in the car with him, struggles to keep a canine named Tim from “jumping up to look out the window.” The animal is humorously subdued with the help of some peanut butter cookies. Although it seems clear early on that the good guys will emerge triumphant (either in this volume or a later one), the fun comes in following the offbeat path they travel along the way.
A simple yet delightfully left-field take on a fight against oppression.Pub Date: April 8, 2022
ISBN: 9798449217967
Page Count: 108
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 3, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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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