The Last One

The Last One

by Will Dean
Atria, 2023. 448 pages. Thriller

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends. But when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing. And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.

I loved the premise of this book. As an avid cruiser, I found myself drawn in and invested in this setting, even though there wasn't much reason to connect to the characters. None of them seemed to experience much character development or growth -- with perhaps the exception of some minor characters (but it turns out, they were plants all along, so that doesn't really count.) There was a sharp change in tone around the 35% mark: this book went from a thriller to a survival story bordering on horror, and that was unexpected to say the least. I also wish the pace were a bit quicker: for a thriller, there is an awful lot of reflecting and remembering that didn't seem to influence the plot at all. I was also a bit mystified by the ending: the way I understood it, she is set up again to be a contestant on another Dark Web broadcast show, but this time it's on a plane? It seems a bit too far-fetched for my taste. All thing considered, it gave me a lot to think about.

Five Midnights

Five Midnights

by Ann Dávila Cardinal
Tor Teen, 2019. 288 pages. Horror

When teen Lupe Dávila travels from Vermont to Puerto Rico to visit police chief uncle, she arrives just as he is called to the scene of a grisly murder, the first of many. Lupe and her new friend Javier set out to discover who -- or what -- is causing these murders. But the clues they find lead them into a world of myth, legend, and shadow.

This trilling novel sets the Latin American myth of el Cuco against the backdrop of modern-day San Juan. As a Puerto Rican female author, Cardinal seems to understand that not everyone in her reader base will understand written Spanish; therefore, she masterfully crafts passages that include Spanish phrases and dialogue, always being sure to weave in translations or explanations. However, the characterization feels a little forced: the protagonist never really settles into any distinct personality traits, except perhaps for teenage angst. Despite this, the break-neck pace of this plot makes for a very compelling read. 

Cold Storage

Cold Storage
by David Koepp

Harper, 2019. 308 pages. Sci-Fi

Settings: Kiwirrkurra, Australia in December 1987; Eastern Kansas in March 2019 (near the Missouri River, probably circa Kansas City)

Plot Summary: In 1987, Pentagram operative Roberto Diaz was dispatched to rural Australia to investigate a suspected act of biological terrorism. However, what he discovered was Cordyceps novus, a highly mutative, sentient fungus that seeks out humans for nourishment and breeding grounds. This threat to all lifeforms on the planet was safely contained and placed in a cold storage unit beneath a former military repository in Kansas. That is, until things started warming up some 30 years later. Pulled out of retirement to handle this emergency, Diaz must team up with two unsuspecting security guards to stop this contagion from destroying all life on Earth.

Subject Headings: Epidemics, mycology, mutation (biology), biological terrorism, government investigations, microbiology, retired individuals.

Elements of Science Fiction: (From Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 94)

• Explores ethical, moral, philosophical, or other question in a setting outside everyday reality. This work ventures beyond the confines of our typical life experiences by introducing a sentient fungus on track to eliminate all human life. While a real-life fungus probably cannot exhibit motivation, complex analysis, and abstract thought, perhaps this serves as an analogy to discuss the idea of something out there that is lurking and lying in wait for us.
• Setting evokes the otherness of time, place, and reality. The location of the storage unit deep underground and in a former military installation imparts a sense of otherness and unfamiliarity to the work. Also, the otherness of the reality in which the story occurs is revealing to its purpose as a work, and it helps transport the reader to another setting as they read.
  
• Style and language suit the storyline and reinforce the intellectual nature of the genre. The descriptions of the origin, adaptation, and proliferation of the fungus use a jargon specific to mycology and microbiology. This helps the reader feel immersed in the intellectual tone of the book.  
• Wide range of tones to disorient readers and highlight issues. The use of darkly humorous dialogue (such as Roberto's commentary of the physical limitations that prevent him from being a hero at age 68) and chilling, dark tones (such as the description of the mutant rat found in the underground storage unit, or the various scenes where human chest cavities erupt to spread fungal spores) provide contrast and help to emphasize the message of the work, forcing the reader to "grapple... with the responsibilities and consequences of exploration" (p. 94).
• Characters underscore issues and atmosphere; creatures emphasize otherness. The development of Roberto, Teacake, and Naomi takes a backseat to the general feeling of the book, as well as the issues that are discussed. The depictions of the fungus's mechanical, utilitarian thoughts sharply contrast the emotional, often vulgar outbursts of the human characters.
• Focus drives the pacing. Since this work is focused more on adventure elements and physical action than on ideas and philosophies, the work unfolds at a rapid pace. However, passages that explore the psychological or biological processes at work in the fungus do provide a somewhat more leisurely pace.

It's worth noting here that Cold Storage also contains several elements from other genres, such as Horror and Thriller. However, it primarily revolves around science fiction elements, and it holds the genre characteristics of Science Fiction. 

Rule of Three: (From Saricks, 2009) 

1. Fast pace. Born from the work's focus on adventure elements and non-stop action, the pace of the book is quite fast, with a slowdown during somewhat jargon-laden passages that discuss the scientific side of what's going on.
2. Suspenseful tone. The psychological unease that comes from knowing what the characters don't blossoms into a very suspenseful story. This is broken up at times with mild humor, but the overall tone is suspenseful.
3. Compelling writing style. The reader feels drawn into the rich, textured story, and it's a hard book to put down.

Similar Works (Read-alikes): 

• The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
  Both of these suspenseful sci-fi works by American author-screenwriters focus on a microorganism that endangers the human race and threatens a pandemic apocalypse. These fast-paced and plot-driven works use this scenario to explore the social concerns of their time.
• Red Hands by Christopher Golden
  In both of these action-packed sci-fi stories of suspense, a retired expert is asked to assist the government in its battle against a mysterious contagion on American soil. Red Hands features a bioweapon that has renders its victim unable to touch anyone without killing them instantly.
• Frozen Solid by James M. Tabor
  These suspenseful, plot-driven works focus on the prevention of mass annihilation and a pandemic apocalypse while creating a sense of suspense. Whereas Koepp's contagion is a mutated fungus, Tabor's work features a group of scientists who plot to release a virus to end overpopulation.
• The Next Pandemic: On the Front Lines against Humankind's Gravest Dangers by Ali S. Khan
  Khan, a former director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) uses a fast-paced and somewhat disturbing tone to discuss his thoughts on the where, when, and how of Earth's next major disease outbreak in this richly detailed work. (Published in 2016, its foreshadowing of the Covid-19 pandemic is haunting in its accuracy.) 
• Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists by Nicholas P. Money
  For the reader compelled by Koepp's antagonist and the passages that explore their biology and physiology, Money reveals secrets and mysteries about real-life fungi (including brewer's yeast, Penicillium, and the poisonous death cap) and how they have shaped the history of the world.
• The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas J. Preston
  While the subject matter of these works may vary, fans of Koepp's action-packed storyline and suspenseful tone may also enjoy Preston's high-octane chronicle of his real-life expedition in search of a fabled lost city deep in the Honduran jungle.
  

Saricks, J. (2009). At leisure: The rule of three. Booklist, 106(3), 25.

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). Science Fiction. In The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (pp. 93-118).

The Birthday Girl

The Birthday Girl
by Melissa de la Cruz
Dutton, 2019. 352 pages. Thriller

Setting: Palm Springs, California, present day (with flashbacks to Oregon, 24 years ago, or approx. 1995).

Plot Summary: Ellie de Florent-Stinson's luxurious fortieth birthday bash is her opportunity to show off her seemingly perfect life to the social elite. But as invited and uninvited guests show up to the lavish party, the skeletons in her closet from her sixteenth birthday threaten to come to light and tear down the appearances she's so desperate to maintain.

Subject Headings: Birthdays, fashion designers, marital strife, memories, secrets.

Elements of Thrillers/Adrenaline: (From Wyatt & Saricks, 2019)

• Compelling pace. Each chapter is marked not only with the year, but also with the time. This is common of works in the Adrenaline genre to "emphasize the idea that every minute counts" (p. 5). The story fits within a single day (in both timelines), showcasing the compressed time frames typical of this genre.
• Gripping storyline. The storyline works towards a dangerous central event, a murder which Ellie committed 24 years ago, which is depicted in a rather gruesome passage. There is also a compelling plot twist at the end of the work, which involves the reveal of Ellie's identity as the best friend in the flashbacks, not the protagonist.
• Gritty tone. The book has a satisfactory resolution, but the dark overtones feed on the building suspense. Ellie also deals with a past trauma that is hard to forget. 
• Strong protagonist. Whereas most Adrenaline novels include characters that are "famous enough to be known to those who do not read the genre" (p. 7), such as Indiana Jones, Jack Reacher, and James Bond, this novel is something of an exception. Ellie is not well known, and her likability is moderate at best. Yet Ellie largely works alone, not even relying on her family for aid. This characterization is in keeping with this genre: since most of the focus is on the plot, the work lacks strong characterization of secondary characters.
• Immersive setting. While the setting is not a driving force of the novel, it does play a role in Adrenaline novels, and this is no exception. Although Palm Springs may not be as exotic as other settings found in Adrenaline novels, the lap-of-luxury upper-crust of society is essential to the development of the work.
• Colorful language. Although "the Adrenaline genre is not known for its stress on language" (p. 9), the explicit language of this work underscores the adult situations found in this work, as is common for the genre.

Rule of Three: (From Saricks, 2009)

1. Intensifying pace. As more unanswered questions arise, the pace moves more and more quickly.
2. Domestic drama. The relationship angst of teenage girls is contrasted with the backstabbing of the glamorous social elite.
3. Nonlinear storyline. The narrative alternates between Ellie's 40th and 16th birthdays.

Similar Works (Read-alikes): 

• The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
  This novel has an intensifying pace with a character whose life seems perfect on the outside, but it is crumbling on the inside. In both works, secrets cause marital strain as chapters alternate viewpoints.
• Silent Night by Danielle Steel
  This gripping novel focuses on a the drama surrounding a woman dealing with past trauma. 
• Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
  Both novels share an intensifying plot and focus on complex, flawed protagonists who are keeping secrets from their spouses.
• Obsessive Creative by Collette Dinnigan
  This autobiography gives readers a glimpse into the glamorous world of high fashion.
• The Fortress by Danielle Trussoni
  A memoir of marital conflict caused by secret-keeping and attempts to recover a failing marriage.
• Death in the City of Light by David King
  A suspenseful true crime book that has an intensifying pace.

Saricks, J. (2009). At leisure: The rule of three. Booklist, 106(3), 25.

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). Adrenaline. In The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (pp. 1-29).

Not If I Save You First

Not If I Save You First
by Ally Carter
Scholastic, 2018. 293 pages. Thriller

Maddie Manchester thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president's son, sometimes life has other plans. After her father was wounded in an attempted kidnapping, the pair moved to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness with no phone and no Internet. And not a single word from Logan. Maddie tells herself it's okay and starts to move on, until Logan shows up six years later... and Maddie wants to kill him. But before that can happen, an assailant appears out of nowhere, knocking Maddie off a cliff and dragging Logan to some unknown fate. Maddie knows she could turn back and get help. But the weather is turning, and the terrain will only get more treacherous, the animals more deadly. Maddie still really wants to kill Logan. But she has to save him first.

In some novels for young adults, the romantic elements feel clunky and artificial. But this winner of the 2020 Beehive Book Award certainly is not one of them. The chemistry between Maddie and Logan is believable (teen awkwardness and all), and it helps to lighten up this complex story of loss and revenge. As they begin to heal old wounds, the two friends find real, healthy connection. Beyond the romance, Carter strikes a careful balance of action and angst. Get ready for a fun, quick-paced thriller with a witty, capable heroine and some dark twists.

*This blogpost first appeared on Provo City Library Staff Reviews blog.*