A twisty thriller with superb worldbuilding and biting social commentary.
A young woman reluctantly takes a job working for a powerful vampire in Linde’s supernatural novel.
In a world where vampires rule and humans are barely able to make ends meet, Reyna Carpenter is desperate to find a job to ease the burden on her overworked brothers. She decides to apply at Visage, a vampire-run company specializing in “body employment services.” The company assigns humans (called “blood escorts”) to vampires with matching blood types, as “vampires who drank blood that matched the blood type they had when they were human functioned at higher cognitive levels.” Reyna is promptly assigned to Visage’s senior vice president, Beckham Anderson. Fighting their instant attraction to each other, Beckham quickly introduces her to the elite world of wealthy vampires. As he continually refuses to drink from her and rogue vampire attacks increase in frequency, Reyna senses there is something very wrong in Beckham’s world…and with Visage itself. As she delves into the dark underbelly of vampirism, Reyna discovers that there is something different about her that may threaten the fragile, decade-long peace between humans and vampires. In a somewhat saturated market of vampire fiction, the author manages to artfully dodge expectations while still occasionally indulging in the tropes of the genre. In particular, the economic disparity between humans and vampires is thoughtfully explored and adds relevance to an otherwise frothy thriller. When Reyna questions the vampire daughter of a local politician, for example, her frustrations sound eerily familiar: “Have you actually seen the streets?…Seen the people starving and dirty and poor? Seen the streets littered with filth and felt the utter despair?” The plot twists are genuinely surprising, and the story concludes with a deliciously foreboding cliffhanger. With realistic dialogue and a snappy pace, Linde has crafted a smart supernatural romance that isn’t afraid to tackle themes like abuse, greed, and social injustice.
A twisty thriller with superb worldbuilding and biting social commentary.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hair-raising fun!
Two strange deaths in the desert pose tough questions in this fifth Nora Kelly adventure.
In a remote section of New Mexico, a woman walks alone into the blistering desert heat. In a trance, she ignores her horrific thirst and discards her clothing, piece by piece, until she lies down and dies. Five years later, a video crew with a drone discovers her skeletal remains, which they promptly report. Agent Corrie Swanson is part of an FBI team that heads out into the bleak badlands to investigate. She shares a photo with anthropologist Nora Kelly, who is especially intrigued by the pair of rare green lightning stones found under the skeleton. The woman died with perfect health, yet no one had reported her missing. DNA confirms the 40-ish woman was Molly Vine, an apparently vibrant person who “wouldn’t just throw her life away.” Then the FBI finds another body, another woman, same trail of clothing and pair of green lightning stones, but her death is much more recent. And that’s just the beginning of a tale that gets curiouser and curiouser with discoveries of ancient mass murders and modern mind control. Corrie and Nora are a perfect pair: smart and professional, and with bravery they will need in abundance. At one point, they compare approaches: As an anthropologist, Nora is trained not to judge; as an FBI agent, Corrie is trained to judge. As they delve into the investigation, Nora’s younger brother, Skip, and his billionaire buddy, Edison Nash, complicate matters immensely. They decide to go camping and investigate on their own, and Skip reminds Nash that taking ancient artifacts like an obsidian arrowhead is a felony. But as strange shadows lurk around their faded campfire at night, they learn that getting in trouble with the law is the least of their worries. The landscape imbues a special flavor to this engrossing yarn—the adobe kivas with signs of thousand-year-old murders, the slot canyons, the changing terrain as desert yields to ponderosa pine—and the sandstorms that can abort a rescue. In this setting, an unknown enemy causes cringeworthy violence that the heroes may have to face alone. But as Corrie tells Nora, “We’ve got a gun. We’ve got a knife. Now we need a plan.”
Hair-raising fun!Pub Date: June 3, 2025
ISBN: 9781538765821
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
A unique story of transcendent love.
An aimless young musician meets the girl of his dreams only to have his newfound happiness threatened by several inexplicable—and possibly supernatural—events.
The story opens as Leeds Gabriel meets with a detective while his girlfriend, Layla, is restrained in a room one flight above them. Through the interview, readers learn that Leeds was wasting both his time and his musical talent playing backup for a small-town wedding troupe called Garrett’s Band when he spied Layla dancing her heart out to their mediocre music at a wedding. When Leeds approaches Layla, their connection is both instant and intense. A blissful courtship follows, but then Leeds makes the mistake of posting a picture of himself with Layla on social media. A former girlfriend–turned-stalker wastes no time in finding and attacking Layla. Layla spends months recovering in a hospital, and it seems the girl Leeds fell for might be forever changed. Gone is her special spark, her quirkiness, and the connection that had entranced Leeds months before. In a last-ditch effort to save their relationship, he brings Layla back to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. When they get there, though, Leeds meets Willow, another guest, and finds himself drawn to her in spite of himself. As events unfold, it becomes clear that Willow will either be the key to saving Leeds’ relationship with Layla or the catalyst that finally extinguishes the last shreds of their epic romance. Told entirely from Leeds’ point of view, the author’s first foray into paranormal romance does not disappoint. Peppered with elements of mystery, psychological thriller, and contemporary romance, the novel explores questions about how quickly true love can develop, as well as the conflicts that can imperil even the strongest connections. Despite a limited cast of characters and very few setting changes, the narrative manages to remain both fast-paced and engaging. The conclusion leaves a few too many loose ends, but the chemistry between the characters and unexpected twists throughout make for a satisfying read.
A unique story of transcendent love.Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0017-8
Page Count: 301
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
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