An energetic, enthralling tale of dangerous family secrets.
In this thriller, a Seattle widow’s search for a mysterious item may lead her to her husband’s killer.
Lauren Kaine can’t wipe the images of her husband William’s death out of her head. A black Audi had chased the couple, ultimately leading to William’s plummeting from a bridge and drowning in the river below. The only clue to who wanted him dead is his final words to Lauren: “They want the card.” Sure enough, an anonymous caller later demands that Lauren give him this card, only she has no idea what it is. Maybe it’s connected to William’s estranged brother, Ryan, a truck driver and an alcoholic eight years sober. Someone offers Ryan a hefty paycheck to recover something from William, who worked at an internet security company. Ryan is willing to do so—he can barely afford his meager apartment—but, like Lauren, he doesn’t know exactly what he’s looking for. Meanwhile, Lauren sees a strange, older man and black cars following her everywhere, and her unknown antagonist soon hurls threats against both her and her teenage son, Mason. While a mystery drives Paine’s engrossing story, there’s poignant melodrama as well. Lauren, for example, has a restraining order against Ryan for a shocking 13-year-old incident, and Mason copes not only with his dad’s death, but also with coming out to his mother. In addition, Ryan’s struggles with addiction coincide with Lauren’s bouts with debilitating, nearly uncontrollable rage. The author’s pithy writing generates short chapters, an unwavering pace, and sharp, visual details, such as Lauren’s anger turning things red, from a computer screen to entire rooms. Still, the narrative cranks up suspense with recurrent sights of strangers whose unrelenting presence and tight-lipped motives make them all the more chilling. The story’s ending boasts several big reveals—some that readers will easily guess but a couple of doozies, too.
An energetic, enthralling tale of dangerous family secrets.Pub Date: June 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-9992183-6-5
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Dark Swallow Books
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
Plenty of excitement for Clancy fans.
Chinese president Li Jian Jun plans a sneak attack on Taiwan, and it’s up to the Jack Ryan administration to stop him without going to war.
President Li announces a naval exercise, but his real plan is Operation Sea Serpent, the lightning reunification of Taiwan. His minister of defense, Admiral Qin Hâiyû, thinks the idea is crazy because a great number of people would die, but he can’t say so. Li is not a man to be challenged, and he’s already had one of his ministers executed. But Qin wants to stop the war before it begins. Perhaps he can get word to the Americans so they can cut off the mad scheme, and he’s troubled by whether his actions will make him a traitor or a patriot. A Western asset nicknamed the Spider helps facilitate his dangerous disappearance as he attempts to leave China, and authorities in Beijing don’t know if he’s been kidnapped or has defected. Meanwhile, the Ryan administration wants to get him safely extracted from mainland China. President Ryan orders that an American naval vessel will transit through the Strait of Taiwan, which the People’s Republic has blockaded. Will there be a bloody showdown that triggers a major war? So much can go wrong, and there are series regulars like John Clark and Ding Chavez at the tip of the spear. And there’s also Katie Ryan, a lieutenant commander with the Office of Naval Intelligence who’s deployed to Taiwan because she’s “one hell of an intelligence analyst” who “thinks outside the box.” She’s a “rising star” who refuses to trade on her relationship with her father, President Ryan. There’s not much violence, although there’s enough to call it a military thriller. One brave American is fading fast from a round to his chest, but he has time to smile about that “hot” Katie Ryan. (Yes, yes, we all like the Ryans.) The novel’s big question is not which nation wins, but whether they fight. Bravery and clear thinking will have to come from both sides. By the way, Jack Junior isn’t in this one—it’s Katie’s time to shine.
Plenty of excitement for Clancy fans.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593717974
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
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