A compelling political thriller with a loyal friendship and an intriguing love affair at its center.
A young political protégé is caught up in a web of murder and other intrigue.
Teddy Thompson is a wunderkind in the political world, the mentee of a congressman who becomes a senator and then aspires to the White House. The novel starts with Teddy’s childhood in Connecticut, where he strikes up a friendship with the then-congressman’s daughter, Charlotte Pennington. Though always skirting around romantic involvement, they are the best of friends, ending up at Georgetown together, where Teddy begins to intern with Charlotte’s father, Sen. Conrad Pennington. Teddy also makes fast friends with Braden Edwards, a charismatic soccer player who becomes Charlotte’s boyfriend. Her father’s run for the vice presidency will lead to Braden’s murder, and Teddy’s and Charlotte’s lives, of course, will be changed forever. McMahon’s novel is part political thriller but also, as the author is quick to point out, part romance. “This is a story of misconduct, of power, of senators and leaders and children,” he writes in the prologue. “But it is, above all else, a love story. You cannot doubt that. You must not.” And that it is, several love stories in fact: of Teddy and Charlotte, Teddy and Conrad Pennington, and Teddy and politics. McMahon has concocted a taut thriller with twists and turns that start from the very beginning and don’t let up. Most of all, he has created a memorable cast, none of whom is without flaws. They’re all likable in their ways, but they’re also despicable at times, which gives them real depth. In the tradition of Jeffrey Archer and John Grisham, McMahon manages to tell a complicated story in a straightforward manner. Something else he does well? He leaves us wanting more. Though the end of novel comes to a satisfying, if troubling, conclusion, it also signals the beginning of a new chapter in Teddy and Charlotte’s story. We can only hope the rest of their tale is forthcoming—and that it will be as good a read as this one.
A compelling political thriller with a loyal friendship and an intriguing love affair at its center.Pub Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 9798987918104
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Some Other Time Books
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
“Nasty little fellows…always get their comeuppance,” a movie character once said. Deeply satisfying.
Following the mysterious disappearance of his wife, a struggling London novelist journeys to a remote Scottish island to try to get his mojo back—but all, of course, is not what it seems.
Grady Green hits the pinnacle of his publishing career on the same night that his life goes off the rails—first his book lands on the New York Times bestseller list, and then his wife, Abby, goes missing on her way home. A year later, Grady is a mere shadow of his former self: out of money and out of ideas. So, when his agent, Abby’s godmother, suggests that he spend some time on the Isle of Amberly, in a log cabin left to her by one of her writers, it seems as good a plan as any. With free housing for himself and his dog and a beautiful, distraction-free environment, maybe he can finally complete the next novel. But from the very beginning, Grady’s experiences with Amberly seem weird, if not downright ominous: As a visitor, he’s not allowed to bring his car onto the island; the local businesses are only open for a few hours at a time; and there are no birds. At all. Not to mention the skeletal hand he finds buried under the floorboards of the cabin, the creepy harmonica music in the woods, and the occasional sighting of a woman in a red coat who’s a dead ringer for Abby. As Grady falls deeper and deeper into insomnia and alcoholism, he begins to realize his being on the island is no accident—and that should make him very afraid. Through occasional chapters from before Abby’s disappearance, told from her point of view, we learn that Grady is not necessarily a reliable narrator, and the book’s slow unfolding of dread, mystery, and then truth is both creative and well-paced. Every chapter heading is an oxymoron, like the title, reminding us of the contradictions at the heart of every story.
“Nasty little fellows…always get their comeuppance,” a movie character once said. Deeply satisfying.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781250337788
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
A potent and surprising novel by the ever-reliable Crais.
Hired to find the father of celebrity “muffin girl” Traci Beller 10 years after his disappearance, PI Elvis Cole uncovers a nefarious plot that puts his life and those he contacts at risk.
The sweetly likable Traci, now 23, has amassed a huge following with her website, The Baker Next Door, and on social media. Against the advice and self-interest of the people who over-manage her career, she decides to find out what happened to her father. Cole quickly determines that he was last seen at the SurfMutt hamburger stand, where he gave a ride to Anya Given, a troubled 15-year-old whose mother, Sadie, was late in picking her up from the skate park across the street. With the reluctant help of a scattered young woman who used to work at the burger joint, Cole tracks down Anya and Sadie, who is eventually revealed to have a criminal past. For his efforts, he’s jumped by a small gang of men who send him to the hospital with the worst beating of his life. (Asked by a nurse what his name is, the best he can guess is “Los Angeles.”) Still in recovery, Cole and Joe Pike, his ex-Marine partner, trace his attackers to Sadie, with unexpected results. As ever, Crais draws the reader in via his protagonist’s casual, dryly humorous manner and the book’s relaxed ties to classic noir. Slowly but surely, the plot gains intensity and deadly purpose. Just when you think the missing persons case is solved, Crais ratchets things up with a devastating follow-through. This is the L.A. novelist’s 20th Cole mystery, following such efforts as The Watchman (2007) and Racing the Light (2022). It may be his most powerful.
A potent and surprising novel by the ever-reliable Crais.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9780525535768
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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