Robert Ferrigno

The main character in this book is Jimmy Gage a down on his luck Reporter he received photos a while ago from a man calling himself the Eggman who was killing people in Laguna California.
Jimmy has a very strained relationship with his very successful plastic surgeon brother Jonathan. Bit of sibling rivalry going on as Jonathan now is married to Olivia who used to be Jimmy's Girlfriend.

Jimmy has a few odd friends and acquaintances he hangs around with, one is Police officer Jane Holt who has been looking into the Eggman murders.
There is a bit of a Gang war between rival baddies Jimmy helps starts this.

Jimmy also has his suspicions about his brother Jonathan being the Eggman/Serial killer. As he found the polariod photos of the victims in their old family home.

Jimmy with the help of Jane Holt is proved right and Jonathan gets arrested. OK book, Too many unbelievable characters though.… (mere)

It's hard to call this an alternate history when it was written in 2006, but since I'm reading it in 2023 it feels like it. The main characters are very interesting, with strong sense of responsibility, personal morals, and intelligence, caught in a time of chaos. I really enjoyed Sarah's quick wit and independence, not afraid to call out Rakkim for making plans for her instead of letting her choose. There was quite a bit of violence, and some of the assassin's kills were pretty gross.
If I try to find something in this alternate world that seemed out of place, it would be the DNA enhancement of the Fedeyeen, which is not a technique we currently have and wouldn't be likely in the Islamic America that is having declining intellectual & scientific discoveries.
I was concerned that the book would exacerbate anti-Islam sentiment. To me, it seemed the theme was criticizing fanaticism and greed/power more. A number of Muslims were portrayed as good people, and their beliefs and prayers showed their sincerity. There was also a short riff tucked in criticizing the 'Christian' culture of America (most births to unwed mothers, drug use, divorce rate, etc) before the Islamic takeover.
I'm glad this is a series, because I'd like to see what else happens. We're prepped for a confrontation between Darwin and Rakkim.… (mere)

3-1/2 stars.
I almost didn't stick with this book but I'm glad I did. It first it was confusing and I wasn't quite sure who the characters were and what was going on, or who I was supposed to root for. But after I got past the first couple of chapters it all became clear. There were many characters who had POV but the main characters were the kidnapped woman, Remy and her boyfriend, Mack who was searching for her. Remy's half of the story involved her and her kidnappers who were well written as not clearly good or evil, lots of layers. Remy started off not really easily emphasized with but she grew and learned. I quite liked her by the end. She was determined and resourceful. Meanwhile Mack was looking for her and he had his own set of secondary characters. His side of the story showed his efforts to find Remy. I liked that Remy always knew that Mack was looking for her. Neither one of them doubted the other. It wasn't a romance but was the story of two people already in a solid relationship who had an external conflict to work through.

The suspense/mystery part of the plot seemed convoluted at first but gradually it became clear and I found it held together pretty well. Once I got into the book there was a fair amount of hurry up and read to find out what was going to happen. The tension was well done.


Received as an ARC from netGalley for review.… (mere)