A sharp, gripping story of a bleak future.
In Berger’s dystopian tale, an accountant searches for a man who’s somehow disappeared in a strictly monitored society.
In this futuristic world, the System aids citizens with nearly every aspect of life, from finding compatible dating prospects to getting to work each morning. Jack, just a typical accountant at a bookkeeping company in New Boston, has a business meeting with Megumi, general counsel at UVblZCofKX Corp., a company headquartered in Asia; its North American subsidiary is one of Jack’s clients. Unexpectedly, Megumi asks him to help locate missing financial officer Stanton Lime. Sure enough, Jack’s ping for Lime gets no response whatsoever, which is practically inconceivable. Consequently, he initiates an investigation of sorts to find the missing man. Though there’s little information in Lime’s workstream to indicate his whereabouts, Jack makes headway when he talks to two of the last people who saw him before he vanished. Once he uncovers “subversive” materials among Lime’s belongings, Jack, in little time, begins to question the System itself. He learns, for one, that the System’s most recent update includes a recorded historical fact that’s been slightly altered. Jack teams up with Megumi and others and tries to unearth whatever else the System may be hiding. Berger’s absorbing story skewers reliance on social media. What makes the System so unsettling is that it merely sends “prompts”; citizens can ignore these prompts but often abide by them regardless. Lighter moments help alleviate the overall somber tone. For example, after Jack’s gender-fluid pal, Jesse, suggests Jack is a detective, the accountant subsequently researches Sherlock Holmes for reference. As the narrative progresses, the mystery slowly unravels, though the biggest surprise is saved for the final act. Berger’s prose is crisp, although the narrative can be vague since Jack gets few answers until the end.
A sharp, gripping story of a bleak future.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.
Stephanie Plum’s 31st adventure shows that Trenton’s preeminent fugitive-apprehension agent still has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, and needs every one of them.
The current caseload for Stephanie and Lula—the ex-prostitute file clerk at her cousin Vincent Plum’s bail bonds company, who serves as her unflappable sidekick—begins with two “failures to appear.” Eugene Fleck is suspected of being Robin Hoodie, who robs from the rich and, yes, distributes the proceeds to the poor. Racketeer Bruno Jug, who’s missed his court date on charges of tax evasion, is also suspected of drugging and raping a 14-year-old. But neither of these fugitives can hold a candle to Zoran Djordjevic, aka Fang, a self-proclaimed vampire wanted in connection with the gruesome fate of his late wife and three other missing women. As usual, Stephanie’s personal life is just as helter-skelter as her professional life as a bounty hunter. She’s managed to get herself engaged both to Det. Joe Morelli, of the Trenton PD, and Ranger, a former Special Forces agent who runs a private security firm; she thinks she may be pregnant; and she’s willing to marry the father, whichever of her fiances that turns out to be. On top of it all, her nothingburger schoolmate Herbert Slovinski suddenly pops up at one of the funerals she ferries her Grandma Mazur to, hitting on her relentlessly and gilding his importunities by cleaning and painting her shabby apartment and laying new carpet. Luckily, Lula’s on hand to offer cupcakes that stave off the worst disasters, and whenever this hodgepodge threatens to slow down, another FTA appears, or fails to appear.
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781668003138
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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
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