A powerful, unique look at the benign origins of catastrophe.
Writer McDermid and illustrator Briggs show a plague tearing through all aspects of modern life—personal, professional, political—leaving plenty of apocalyptic blame to go around.
For decades the world has been stewing in a volatile mix of antibiotic overuse, industrialized farming, profit-driven pharmaceuticals, and public ignorance. The danger finally boils over at a music festival in the Scottish countryside, when several musicians and concertgoers come down with a bad case of what at first is dismissed as food poisoning but eventually reveals itself to be much, much worse. Like any good disaster narrative, the story follows several key figures making their ways through the carnage: intrepid reporter Zoe Beck, who had abandoned “real” news in favor of more popular cultural pieces like her coverage of the doomed music festival; Sam the Sausage Sandwich Man, the proprietor of the food truck that appears to have been the source of this outbreak, as he defends his reputation; infectious disease expert Dr. Aasmah Siddiqui, who works with a loose affiliation of global medical professionals who have thrown off the strictures of corporate funding and individual ambition in a desperate attempt to understand the new disease; as well as government officials who are mainly enraging with their prioritization of systems over people. McDermid skillfully builds pathos for the individuals wrestling with their dire circumstances while also baking in enough science to make the proceedings feel frighteningly plausible. Briggs composes fascinating pages and panels that have a mixed-media feel, layering her realistic figures over maps and medical diagrams, invoices and intake forms, tarot cards and plague paintings. The effect puts the story on a historical continuum, which is comforting in the sense that humanity has faced similar disasters in the past but also chilling with its reminder that history is full of cataclysms and the current age is hardly exempt.
A powerful, unique look at the benign origins of catastrophe.Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8021-5872-7
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.
A love story about a life of second chances.
In Nassau, in the Bahamas, casino detective Vincent LaPorta grills Alfie Logan, who’d come up a winner three times in a row at the roulette table and walked away with $2 million. “How did you do it?” asks the detective. Alfie calmly denies cheating. You wired all the money to a Gianna Rule, LaPorta says. Why? To explain, Alfie produces a composition book with the words “For the Boss, to Be Read Upon My Death” written on the cover. Read this for answers, Alfie suggests, calling it a love story. His mother had passed along to him a strange trait: He can say “Twice!” and go back to a specific time and place to have a do-over. But it only works once for any particular moment, and then he must live with the new consequences. He can only do this for himself and can’t prevent anyone from dying. Alfie regularly uses his power—failing to impress a girl the first time, he finds out more about her, goes back in time, and presto! She likes him. The premise is of course not credible—LaPorta doesn’t buy it either—but it’s intriguing. Most people would probably love to go back and unsay something. The story’s focus is on Alfie’s love for Gianna and whether it’s requited, unrequited, or both. In any case, he’s obsessed with her. He’s a good man, though, an intelligent person with ordinary human failings and a solid moral compass. Albom writes in a warm, easy style that transports the reader to a world of second chances and what-ifs, where spirituality lies close to the surface but never intrudes on the story. Though a cynic will call it sappy, anyone who is sick to their core from the daily news will enjoy this escape from reality.
Have tissues ready as you read this. A small package will do.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780062406682
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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