A fervent hero headlines this engrossing end-of-days zombie tale.
A young woman braves a post-apocalyptic world teeming with undead hordes and hostile survivors in this horror sequel.
Following the events of An End (2022), Vallerie Sabell is a 19-year-old survivor in a zombie-littered United States. She has luckily run across some affable sorts, namely Grahm and his small group, who allow her to join their peaceful commune up in the mountains. Grahm calls the settlement “quaint”: “Tiny houses, all wood and brick; like the olden days.” Vallerie is an enemy of the Bastion, a militant band who have taken it upon themselves to police this “New America.” The book follows Bastion leader Esther Mathews as he searches for Vallerie in order to mete out the group’s typical punishment—execution. Grahm is determined to keep her safe, though the commune can’t avoid the Bastion, which willingly trades food for such goods as clothing. But when Esther realizes that Vallerie is closer than he previously believed, he’ll do whatever he can to capture her, even if it entails threatening children. Vallerie, who over time has become skilled in weapons and fisticuffs, may decide to fight the Bastion and settle their differences once and for all. Pawlicki’s second installment, like the preceding book, is a quietly enthralling tale. For example, the story centers on the living characters, from Grahm finding another band of survivors to a Bastion soldier questioning Esther’s obsession with Vallerie. Zombies, meanwhile, fade into the background, though a few people use them to their deadly advantage. There’s nevertheless undeniable evolution, with Vallerie becoming more than capable of taking down foes, undead or otherwise. Readers see various sides of her; she’s a doting dog parent to Bullet, but she won’t hesitate to kill to protect herself and her friends. Her intermittent bursts of violence produce the novel’s most indelible scenes, including the final pages, which offer some resolution—though a third volume seems likely.
A fervent hero headlines this engrossing end-of-days zombie tale.Pub Date: April 23, 2022
ISBN: 9798986050614
Page Count: 382
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Dark and unsettling, this novel’s end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed.
Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past.
Laurel Mack’s life stopped in many ways the day her 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, left the house to study at the library and never returned. She drifted away from her other two children, Hanna and Jake, and eventually she and her husband, Paul, divorced. Ten years later, Ellie’s remains and her backpack are found, though the police are unable to determine the reasons for her disappearance and death. After Ellie’s funeral, Laurel begins a relationship with Floyd, a man she meets in a cafe. She's disarmed by Floyd’s charm, but when she meets his young daughter, Poppy, Laurel is startled by her resemblance to Ellie. As the novel progresses, Laurel becomes increasingly determined to learn what happened to Ellie, especially after discovering an odd connection between Poppy’s mother and her daughter even as her relationship with Floyd is becoming more serious. Jewell’s (I Found You, 2017, etc.) latest thriller moves at a brisk pace even as she plays with narrative structure: The book is split into three sections, including a first one which alternates chapters between the time of Ellie’s disappearance and the present and a second section that begins as Laurel and Floyd meet. Both of these sections primarily focus on Laurel. In the third section, Jewell alternates narrators and moments in time: The narrator switches to alternating first-person points of view (told by Poppy’s mother and Floyd) interspersed with third-person narration of Ellie’s experiences and Laurel’s discoveries in the present. All of these devices serve to build palpable tension, but the structure also contributes to how deeply disturbing the story becomes. At times, the characters and the emotional core of the events are almost obscured by such quick maneuvering through the weighty plot.
Dark and unsettling, this novel’s end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed.Pub Date: April 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-5464-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.
The feds must protect an accused criminal and an orphaned girl.
Maybe you’ve met him before as protagonist of The 6:20 Man (2022): Ex-Army Ranger Travis Devine, who’d had the dubious fortune to tangle with “the girl on the train,” is now assigned by his homeland security boss to protect Danny Glass, who's awaiting trial on multiple RICO charges in Washington state. Devine has what it takes: He “was a closer, snooper, fixer, investigator,” and, when necessary, a killer. These skills are on full display as the deaths of three key witnesses grind justice to a temporary halt. Glass has a 12-year-old niece, Betsy Odom, and each is the other’s only living relative—her parents recently died of an apparent drug overdose. The FBI has temporary guardianship of Betsy, who's a handful. She tells Travis that though she’s not yet 13, she's 28 in “life-shit years.” The financially well-heeled Glass wants to be her legal guardian with an eye to eventual adoption, but what are his real motives? And what happens to her if he's convicted? Meanwhile, Betsy insists that her parents never touched drugs, and she begs Travis to find out how they really died. This becomes part of a mission that oozes danger. The small town of Ricketts has a woman mayor who’s full of charm on the surface, but deeply corrupt and deadly when crossed. She may be linked to a subversive group called "12/24/65," as in 1865, when the Ku Klux Klan beast was born. Blood flows, bombs explode, and people perish, both good guys and not-so-good guys. Readers might ponder why in fiction as well as in life, it sometimes seems necessary for many to die so one may live. And what about the girl on the train? She's not necessary to the plot, but she's a fun addition as she pops in and out of the pages, occasionally leaving notes for Travis. Maybe she still wants him dead.
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781538757901
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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