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.

PRODIGAL SON

5 stars out of 5

Better late to the party than not at all was my thought when I neared the end of this, the sixth installment of the author's Orphan X series. So enjoyable was the adventure that I almost resented having to put it down long enough to open Christmas gifts.

It took a few chapters for me to really get into the swing of it as chapters shifted back and forth in time, but that actually helped bring someone like me who didn't read previous books up to speed in short order. In the here and now, Evan Smoak has retired from his job as a government assassin in the Orphan program, which carefully chooses and trains orphaned children like him. He remains at the ready, though, billing himself the "Nowhere Man" who is willing to help those in desperate need.

At an impound lot, his mentor is murdered, and the lot attendant, Andre Duran, manages to escape the same fate. Then Evan gets a phone call he'd never have expected - from a woman who claims to be his mother. He's both upset and reluctant to meet her (after all, it was she who gave him up as a baby), but curiosity wins and he heads for Buenos Aires for a face-to-face. There, she remains tight-lipped other than to ask him to help a man named Andre Duran.

With more than a few misgivings, he agrees; but when he gets back to the States and finds the man's house, let's just say it becomes clear that the man will need any help Evan can give. I could spend an hour writing about what comes next, but doing that would spoil it for others, so I'll say only that he seeks help from old friends - at least one of whom has a grasp of technology seemingly far beyond any mortal human - characters who I assume will be familiar to loyal readers. The action is nonstop and the aforementioned technology, especially when it comes to weaponry, is mind-blowing.

I was also struck with an overall feeling of sadness; when I read about the characters' backgrounds and why they've turned out the way they are, at times I almost got tears in my eyes. It was educational as well; not counting some very unique technological advances that, if they aren't already available, soon will be, I picked up on tidbits like this: There's enough iron in the human body to make a three-inch nail. Who knew?

Be forewarned: This one ends with the mother of all cliffhangers. All the more reason to anticipate the next one, I'd say - I'll be watching! Meantime, thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for offering me an advance copy to read and review.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz (Minotaur Books, January 2021; 432 pp.

BROKEN GENIUS

4 stars out of 5

After a rough couple of chapters that almost caused me to pack it in, this one took off - and kept me flying through the pages until the end. It's the first of what I assume will be a series featuring filthy rich former tech CEO and FBI Special Agent Will Parker, whose ego is exceeded only by his computer savvy. Put another way, he likes himself far more than I liked him (to which, of course, he'd say, so what?)

I'd also caution that if you're a total Luddite, this may not be the book for you. I'm probably somewhere in the middle - relatively undaunted by "everyday" devices like computers and cell phones and at least familiar with most techie jargon - but I admit to being a little confused about some of the finer details here. Basically, as I see it, Will left his uber-successful company and joined the FBI after a coding error resulted in a young woman's death. He can't seem to forgive himself for the error; whether that's because he truly believes he caused her gruesome demise or simply can't deal with the fact that he screwed up is a matter of conjecture, but for the purposes of this review, I'll go with wanting to compensate for the death.

Will gets a call for help when a murder happens at a Comic Con event; no big deal on its own, but the murder seems to be connected to a radioactive quantum computer - known as the Unicorn - that Will's company had sealed the deal to purchase when it went missing in a disaster. Needless to say, Will wants that Unicorn back - partly because it could wreak untold havoc if it fell into the wrong hands and, I presume, partly because his company owns it and would stand to reap substantial profits by bringing it back where it belongs.

At the Comic Con, he works mostly with local homicide detective Dana Lopez, who is (as expected) extremely competent, drop-dead gorgeous and has psychological issues similar to Will as well as FBI agent Thomas Decker, who gets off on being pushy, stubborn and generally a pain in the neck. Will soon learns that the murder victim may have been in possession of the Unicorn - at least, he was trying to auction it off on the Dark Web - and that there are high-stakes bidders who will stop at nothing to win, even if it means other murders and a kidnapping all too similar to the one that prompted him to ditch his company a few years earlier.

Sorting everything out makes for an action-packed chase that comes to an exciting end with more than a few bits, bytes and twists in between - as well as the most on-target words of advice I've read in a while (social media privacy complainers take note here), to-wit: "If you don't pay for the product, you are the product."

All told, I'm intrigued and totally down with trying the next book (well, except for one note to future copy editors: Puleeeze - unless you're British - there's only one "e" in the word "judgment"). That said, thanks to the publisher for offering me a copy in exchange for an honest review and introducing me to a solid new series.

Broken Genius by Drew Murray (Oceanview Publishing, June 2020); 336 pp.

FOLLOW ME

5 stars out of 5

Wow! What a timely, provocative and downright creepylicious story! Don't misunderstand: Generally speaking, I'm all in when it comes to new technology, even though I realize that just about any advancement comes with the potential for misuse. Knowing that, I'm active on social media, but I don't post anything I'd be upset about if my grandmother saw it; still, I recognize that who gets what I post - and what they do with it - isn't always under my control.

Case in point: As I was in the middle of this book, my husband and I were recovering from nasty colds. One morning, I mentioned that tidbit on my Facebook page (garnering expected sympathy, of course, from family and friends). What I didn't expect was this: the very next day, an email arrived from our drugstore of choice expressing the hope that we were feeling better and offering a discount on cold-related items. Immediately, the theme from Twlight Zone passed through my brain; to this day, I'm not clear on how that happened, but I'm totally sure it was no coincidence.

The story here follows the experiences of Audrey Miller, who has an enviable following on her blog and Instagram posts. She's just moved from her beloved New York City to Washington, D.C., to take a job managing social media for a major museum. She's also moved close to her ex-boyfriend, who's an on-again, off-again friend with benefits, and to her long-time friend Cat, an on-the-climb attorney at a high-powered D.C. firm.

Audrey lucks into a basement apartment not far from her friends, but it comes with her landlady's whacked-out grandson who loves get into her apartment whenever he feels like staring at her up close and personal. Chapters shift between perspectives of Audrey and Cat and "Him" - an anonymous male who's been in lust with Audrey ever since she began posting all her comings, goings, likes and dislikes online. In fact, her life is like a day-to-day autobiography, open to anyone who cares; clearly, "Him" cares beyond the point of obsession.

Her stalker isn't identified, but readers learn he's managed to install secret software on Audrey's laptop that allows him to track her every moment - even when she's asleep. All she knows is that strange things are happening - like the feeling that she's being watched and that someone besides that grandson has been in her apartment - but there's no way she can prove anything. Meantime, there's growing tension between Audrey and Cat that only grows stronger when Audrey meets Max, who knows one of Cat's darkest secrets - one she's determined to keep that way.

As the relationship between Audrey and Max heats up, the unknown "Him" gets bolder in his pursuit of her affections and the action ratchets up to a can't-put-it-down frenzy that doesn't stop till the bang-up ending. Super good - as well as a scary reminder that somebody's out there watching us all. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-publication copy for review.

Follow Me by Kathleen Barber (Gallery Books, February 2020); 349 pp.

THE CROOKED STAIRCASE

5 stars out of 5

I have three things to say about the books in this series, of which this is the third: First, I loved every single minute of reading them all. Second, they're good enough to keep you looking forward to the next one - but even more so because the endings aren't quite endings at all. And third, if you want to get the most out of them, start at the beginning (with The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room.

That doesn't mean the books can't stand on their own, because they do. But I also know that I enjoyed Books 2 and 3 a lot more because I read what came before (and I'd say that's more true of this one; had I not read the second, I'd have felt a bit lost throughout the first several chapters). 

The series features Jane Hawk, a disgraced standout FBI agent who's now on the Bureau's Most Wanted list and on the lam. She's certain her husband Nick's suicide (in a previous book) was murder - committed by an ultra-dangerous and secretive group of powers-that-be called the Arcadians who use nanotechnology to infiltrate the minds of their victims and control their words and actions. Those victims, it seems, are chosen based on a computer model that identifies people who are most likely to get in the way of the group's idealogy - and that certainly included her highly principled husband. While trying to stay out of the group's crosshairs, Jane is now searching for an especially violent member who has threatened her young son, Travis - forcing her to stash the boy with friends at a place where he won't be found (or so she fervently hopes). 

Also featured prominently here are fraternal twins and writers Tanujat and Sanjay, who apparently have landed a place on that hit list. Chapters switch from what's happening in their world as they slowly realize somebody's out to get them to what's happening in Jane's - ditto, except in her case, there's nothing slow about the realization.

Her chase is, as might be expected, fraught with identity changes, close calls and dead bodies, but eventually she gets what she wanted (or thought she did). That, in turn, leads her to a frightening encounter with - you guessed it - a crooked staircase that, no matter whether she's going up or down, is filled with almost unimaginable horrors. Put another way, there's never a dull moment in this book; and once again, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

Oh yes, about that non-ending: What follows it is a preview of the next book, The Forbidden Door. When authors do this, I never - but never - bother to read them. But something - maybe the totally abrupt stop of this one - made me take the plunge, and I urge you to do the same. Even though it too ends with a cliffhanger, it eases the pain of the first one a bit and is a little less in-your-face.

The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz (Bantam, May 2018); 512 pp.

CUT TO THE BONE

4 stars out of 5

If nothing else, the story here is timely: At the heart of it all is "vlogging" - video blogging - plus more technology tricks for ferreting deleted information out of computers and cell phones than I ever dreamed existed. All in all, it's a very good debut novel, for which I thank the publisher (via NetGalley) for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

It begins when Ruby Day, a wildly popular vlogger, is reported missing by her distraught parents. The case lands at the feet of detective inspector Kate Riley, detective superintendent Zain Harris and the rest of the team from their newly formed department. Things take a nasty turn when a video is posted online depicting Ruby begging for her life, putting the detective team on high alert with the realization that they've got to move fast - but there are few clues to indicate where they should go next.

As team members put their technology talents to work, they begin to uncover information that points to Ruby's ex-boyfriend, vloggers who are being exploited by a less-than-honorable management company, misdeeds by a corporation that would be out of business in a heartbeat should the facts become known and dastardly cover-ups at the highest levels. Meantime, Ruby and Zain must deal with emotionally draining personal issues of their own - issues that simultaneously bring them together and drive them apart. In fact, that's true of several of the characters here; not only are they so seriously flawed that it's hard to tell the baddies from the goodies, but they're so many in number that I had a tough time keeping them straight in my aging head.

As the plot moves along, the investigation sort of splits in two directions, one of which is resolved (with several twists and turns) and the other not so much. Also left hanging are those complicated issues Kate and Zain have been dealing with for years, making me suspect this book may be intended as the start of a series. Whether or not that's true, bloggers, vloggers, gamers and technology buffs should be happy with this one (for the record, count me in two of those categories). And if I'm correct about a series, count me as one who'll be happy to sample the next one.

Cut to the Bone by Alex Caan (Skyhorse Publishing, March 2017); 440 pp.

THE TUMOR

5 stars out of 5

This short "book" (67 pages) puts the spotlight on focused ultrasound, a medical treatment procedure involving "intersecting beams of high-frequency sound concentrated accurately and precisely on tissue deep in the body..." The noninvasive procedure is in various stages of development for healing more than 50 diseases and conditions such as Parkinson's and tumors of the brain, liver, pancreas and lung.

The goal, no doubt, is to ramp up awareness of the technology and the need to speed up the approval process for more applications and financial contributions toward the cause. In the interests of full disclosure, Grisham's friend and neighbor Neal Kassell, M.D., a neurosurgeon and proponent, founded the Focused Ultrasound Foundation (based in Charlottesville, Virginia), and Grisham is on the Board of Directors. It's equally important to note that the book is free for downloading at various websites including Amazon
(http://www.amazon.com/The-Tumor-A-Non-Legal-Thriller-ebook/dp/B01AUYDNI6).

Incorporating narrative and graphics, Grisham outlines the benefits of the technology and how it has the potential to improve both quality and length of life for cancer patients who qualify for treatment. More information, including a link to a video of Grisham's TEDx presentation, can be found at the Foundation's website (links are provided in the book).

Grisham calls this the most important book he has ever written. I call it highly informative and more than worth the brief time it takes to read it. 

The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller by John Grisham (Focused Ultrasound Foundation, January 2016); 67 pages.

THE STRANGER

4 stars out of 5

Well, the first thing I'll say is wow! It's been a long time since I really, really didn't want to put a book down - and even longer when I actually put off something important (like cooking dinner) so I could have a few more minutes to read. Okay, you say, then why just 4 stars?

In fact, the dropping of the 5-star rating was decided somewhere around the 80% mark; all the loose ends were tied up neatly by the end, as far as I could tell, but somehow the final package wasn't quite as satisfying (or believable) as I'd expected. And, as other reviewers have said, there's a truckload of characters to keep track of; except for those who appear with some regularity, it was a little hard to remember who some of them were when they popped up after a multi-chapter absence.

Ah, but that first 80% had me hooked every word of the way. Truth is, so did the rest - even if I wasn't totally happy with the ending, I couldn't wait to get there. The book begins as a man who calls himself the Stranger suddenly appears, cornering "innocent" people who are going about their daily lives. Once he's got their attention, he shares a bit of information and saunters off leaving the recipients almost in shock. That happens to Jersey suburb dweller and attorney Adam Price, who has a beautiful wife, two lacrosse-loving sons and what appears to him to be the good life.

But those few words, and the realization of his wife's deception, turns Adam's world upside down. When he confronts his wife, she not only doesn't deny it - she runs away, leaving a cryptic text message that she wants to be left alone for a few days. Adam doesn't buy it, especially since she packed up with no word to the sons for whom she lives and breathes and absconds from the teaching job she normally wouldn't skip out on for the world. Unbeknownst to Adam, other people are having similar experiences; suddenly, they're told that the Stranger knows a deep, dark secret; for some, that knowledge turns out to be deadly. For Adam, all it does is raise more questions - and he sets out to find the answers (and, of course, his wife).

There's a fair amount of reliance on technology here (of the Big Brother is watching you variety), and if you're one of the few folks left on this planet who think none of this can happen, hopefully your eyes will be opened and you'll at least take a closer look at the security features on your smartphone. 

The Stranger by Harlan Coben (Dutton, March 2015); 396 pp.