For fans of the genre, this story of military action will not disappoint.
Two men’s lives are forever changed when their paths cross in Demith’s military thriller.
Samir Al Khafaji is quiet and keeps to himself, showing promise in his chosen path as a linguist for the United States Army, but something about him makes his superiors suspicious. Unbeknownst to those around him, Al Khafaji is working undercover for Jihadists, scheming to gain the military’s trust to cause as much destruction and death as possible—he believes his fellow soldiers are infidels and traitors, and that it is therefore his duty to kill them (“I will take pleasure in what is waiting for them once we get to Iraq”). Sgt. Abdullah is a man of integrity, honor, and hard work. He repeatedly goes back to Iraq, returning to visit the childhood home he left when his family moved to the United States. As a soldier in the Army, he’s worked as a linguist and a mechanic, and he is dedicated to serving his country. Alongside them is Sara Rashidi, who trained with Al Khafaji to become a linguist, joining the Army after her Kurdish family was killed by Iraqi combatants. The three of them are sent to Iraq to find and take down a militant cell of terrorists with other linguists and old friends, some of whom may not survive the oncoming battle. Abdullah and Al Khafaji are compelling foils for each other, with the story switching between their points of view and illustrating their different perspectives on the war in Iraq. Sara provides another outlook, having been greatly affected by the conflicts in her home country. Demith supports this action-packed story with his own vast knowledge of the military, carefully detailing the large amount of training and planning that goes into missions. The great volume of technical information that makes up a large portion of the book is deftly conveyed and made easy for the average reader to understand and follow. Exposition is skillfully woven into the development of the story of Abdullah and Al Khafaji, which leads to a satisfying ending.
For fans of the genre, this story of military action will not disappoint.Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781962202299
Page Count: 292
Publisher: Ballast Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Fast-moving fun and a highly creative plot.
Bloody murder spoils folks’ fun while megafauna return from extinction.
What a glorious way to spend a honeymoon: Mark and Olivia Gunnerson go backpacking through the vast Erebus Resort in the mountains of Colorado, where scientists have “de-extincted” species like the woolly mammoth and other Pleistocene megafauna. Just watch the peaceful beasts at their watering holes. Behold the giant armadillos, and the indricothere that make mammoths look like dwarfs. The scientists have removed genes for aggression in these re-creations, so humans will be safe unless they’re accidentally stepped on. And yet, someone doesn’t want the newlyweds camping there, made evident by their disappearance without a trace, save only a copious amount of blood outside their tent. Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent in Charge Frankie Cash takes the case. What happened to Mark and Olivia, and why? The park has no predators, so humans must be responsible. But where are the bodies? A doctor suggests that due to the amount of blood found, the victims may have—gasp!—been decapitated. The matter gathers national attention, and things only get worse as more people die. The late groom’s aggrieved billionaire father demands immediate answers, and of course he interferes with the investigation: “You’ll see me now, you son of a bitch, and tell me what the fuck you’re doing to find my son!” And speaking of F-bombs, surely it is possible to write a thriller with fewer—maybe use one or two to establish a character and then move on to more creative language? Anyway, the investigators are doing a lot. The action seldom lets up, and readers will feel the mounting tension and excitement. The setting itself is a scientific wonder, and it must tie into the murders somehow. Meanwhile, Hollywood is filming an action movie in the park, and the pièce de résistance will be the spectacular explosion of a train. But wouldn’t you know, Preston has other plans. Imagine Jurassic Park with the timeline brought forward to the Pleistocene, and you have the Erebus Resort. Science, imagination, storytelling, and action are all here.
Fast-moving fun and a highly creative plot.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780765317704
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Forge
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Squeamish readers will find this isn’t their cup of tea.
Dexter meets Killing Eve in Wallace’s dark comic thriller debut.
While accepting condolences following her father’s funeral, 30-something narrator Claire receives an email saying that one of her paintings is a finalist for a prize. But her joy is short-circuited the next morning when she learns in a second apologetic note that the initial email had been sent to the wrong Claire. The sender, Lucas Kane, is “terribly, terribly sorry” for his mistake. Claire, torn between her anger and suicidal thoughts, has doubts about his sincerity and stalks him to a London pub, where his fate is sealed: “I stare at Lucas Kane in real life, and within moments I know. He doesn’t look sorry.” She dispatches and buries Lucas in her back garden, but this crime does not go unnoticed. Proud of her meticulous standards as a serial killer, Claire wonders if her grief for her father is making her reckless as she seeks to identify the blackmailer among the members of her weekly bereavement support group. The female serial killer as antihero is a growing subgenre (see Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer, 2018), and Wallace’s sociopathic protagonist is a mordantly amusing addition; the tool she uses to interact with ordinary people while hiding her homicidal nature is especially sardonic: “Whenever I’m unsure of how I’m expected to respond, I use a cliché. Even if I’m not sure what it means, even if I use it incorrectly, no one ever seems to mind.” The well-written storyline tackles some tough subjects—dementia, elder abuse, and parental cruelty—but the convoluted plot starts to drag at the halfway point. Given the lack of empathy in Claire’s narration, most of the characters come across as not very likable, and the reader tires of her sneering contempt.
Squeamish readers will find this isn’t their cup of tea.Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9780143136170
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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