WHAT KIND OF PARADISE

5 stars out of 5

If nothing else, I got a huge charge out of being transported back to the early days of the Internet in this thoroughly enjoyable novel - I, too, can remember the excitement over the first PCs, BASIC programming and my wide-eyed, jaw-dropping virtual tour inside the Louvre right from my computer chair. But even for those who aren't quite my age, it's a totally engrossing read that serves up food for thought given the concerns for the future that surround technological advancements with which we're bombarded every single day.

The story is told by Jane Williams, who grew up with only one parent, a survivalist father in a backwoods cabin in Montana in the 1990s. He taught her philosophy, music masters, how to kill and cook dinner and hide, should it become necessary, when strangers encroached on their property. As she reaches her teenage years, she begins to question a few things as teenagers will, but as far as she knows her mother died in a car accident.

But even though her father rails against technology, the Internet comes to Montana, providing dial-up access from the landline next to the wood-burning stove in their wood cabin. That access to what's in the rest of the world opens unending possibilities and the possibility of finding answers to questions she has about both her parents, making her beg to accompany her father when he takes off on one of his few-day forays away from home. Reluctantly - but perhaps sensing an opportunity - he agrees. And when they get to his destination - the U.S. technology Nirvana called Seattle - something horrible happens that will change the world for Jane and her father forever.

Exactly what happens there, and from that point on, is for other readers to discover, with details reminiscent of familiar headlines from years past. In the end, I, at least, was left with many rather heavy questions: When do ethics and following the law give supersede loyalty to some you love - and should they? When does technology shift from tomorrow's savior of the human race to the downfall of the world? The list goes on - and while searching for the answers in my own head isn't keeping me awake nights, those issues are still on my mind as I watch and try to comprehend what's happening in the world around me.

All in all a wonderful book, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read it by way of a pre-release copy.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (Random House, June 2025); 352 pp.

THE NEVER GAME

5 stars out of 5

What could possibly be better than finding an exciting new series? When it's written by a favorite author, that's what! Such is the case here for sure - and for sure I'm already chomping at the bit for the next installment.

The new character is a complex guy named Colter Shaw, who grew up as a son of exceptionally well-educated parents who ditched mainstream life for a survivalist existence. They taught their children well; their father, from off an ever-deepening end, and their mother from a more practical (and loving) perspective as she struggled to rein in her husband's paranoia. Long since, Colt moved back to reality (even going to college and law school) and now makes a living primarily by earning reward money offered for locating missing loved ones. He's not a bounty hunter; he picks his jobs only after carefully researching both the reward offerers and the victims. On every case, one of his strengths  - long ago instilled by his now-deceased father - is assessing probabilities (whether or not he'll be successful, which suspect is more likely to be the perpetrator, etc.) Adding to the overall strength of the book is that interspersed throughout are recollections from Colt's growing-up years - some good, some not so much -  all of which give readers intriguing insights into what motivates him.

The story opens as Colt is in over his head - literally; he's trying to save a very pregnant woman who's been locked into a boat that's sinking in frigid water. We get a glimpse or two of what might happen before the scene shifts to two days earlier, when someone tries to toss a Molotov cocktail into Colt's RV. Shortly thereafter, he learns of a $10,000 reward from a Silicon Valley father who's desperate to find his missing daughter. Colt drives his RV to a park there, rents a car, visits the father and agrees to take on the case. During the investigation, he encounters a professional computer game tester named Maddie, who drags him to a huge convention and introduces him to a world he didn't even know existed - a world filled with characters who love killing, both virtually and, quite possibly, in real life.

Although I'm working on some kind of electronic gadget a big part of every day, whether it be my desktop or Kindle or smartphone - I've never had more than a passing interest in playing animated games. As such, a good bit of the plentiful and complex information on that topic that's in here pretty much sailed over my head. On the other hand, I learned quite a few things - all of which added to the story and made it even more interesting. I can't say more without giving away too much, but the ending brings everything together (including the woman on the sinking ship) as well as leaves the door wide open to the next chapter in Colt's life.

For me, that can't come soon enough, so please get busy, Mr. Deaver. While I wait, I'll thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review the first of what I'm confident will be a great series.

The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver (G. P. Putnam's Sons, May 2019); 416 pp.