Marcia C. reviewed on + 670 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Disappointing. It was shocking to encounter Antifa in this book as if they were ISIS or Al Qaeda, financed by trust fund babies. Previously Box's politics had been rather hazy - veiled by fictional governors and "current events" that the reader knew hadn't happened. It was also jolting to encounter the phrase, "reminded him of the bad old days of the pandemic" - as if that were ancient history. But the main thing was his bringing in Antifa and Black Lives Matter, implying that both were negative movements. And that's not to mention off-the-books US special forces making an appearance, as well as the author's pointed digs at Seattle and Portland.
A series author makes a pact with his readers that if he was writing, say, political thrillers he is not going to veer off his cherished characters into historical fiction or sci-fi. I feel that Mr. Box broke his pact with his readers in this book, and it's a real shame. Could it be that he just plain doesn't care any more, or that he's bored, or that like some other popular authors, he handed over his series to ghostwriters?
As for plotting and characterization in this book, they were just OK.
A series author makes a pact with his readers that if he was writing, say, political thrillers he is not going to veer off his cherished characters into historical fiction or sci-fi. I feel that Mr. Box broke his pact with his readers in this book, and it's a real shame. Could it be that he just plain doesn't care any more, or that he's bored, or that like some other popular authors, he handed over his series to ghostwriters?
As for plotting and characterization in this book, they were just OK.
