This fast-paced story from Oshins (author of Lake Barcroft) entertains urgent questions— should a politician striving to do right get a pass for the decisions made in youth? Are civilians fair collateral damage in the name of saving the planet?—and all the interested parties will face hard decisions, right or wrong. The action is swift, perhaps too much so at times, as the momentum and mysteries ensure readers won’t get much background on most characters, especially Lauren, now a Muslim and still plotting destruction, and Deirdre, a devotee of BDSM whose lovers are terrified that the world might find out that they like to be dominated.
These potentially fascinating characters still surprise and engage as Deirdre, learning more about the Oakland Four and efforts to ruin the Senator's campaign, faces opposition at every corner, including adversaries eager to spill her own secrets. Lauren, meanwhile, has plans that are literally explosive, adding sharp suspense. Oshins spins an exciting story alive with tension, jolts, and contemporary political resonance.
Takeaway: Quick-moving thriller of old radicals and contemporary politics.
Comparable Titles: Chris Hauty’s Savage Road, John Gilstrap’s Crimson Phoenix.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
Washington shenanigans provoke a female septuagenarian terrorist in this political thriller.
In Oshins’ latest, the political landscape may remind readers of the recent past: The president continually rails against “fake news,” the right and left are miles apart, and the right controls the White House, the Supreme Court, and the House of Representatives. Only the reelection of Democratic senator Allan Hansen of California stands in the way of the GOP’s domination of the Senate and therefore the entire government. Silver-haired FBI agent George Blum is tasked with taking down Hansen by outing him as the unidentified fourth conspirator of the infamous Oakland Four, who attempted to bomb a California biotech research facility nearly 40 years ago. Hansen’s roommate and fellow student at the time, Jimmy Tolver, was killed in a battle with police the night of the attempt, and slightly older “real revolutionaries” Jacob Gillium and Lauren Bastini were caught, tried, and given lengthy prison sentences. Hansen, tangentially involved, was convinced to snitch on the others to avoid jail time and keep his anonymity. Bastini, now 73, is out of jail, heavily armed, and no friend of the government. She also wants to destroy Hansen. But she is out to hurt him physically, possibly even kill him, and not merely ruin his political career. As Blum acknowledges, “Bastini might be seventy-three years old, but she could and would go hot if mishandled.” And she goes scorching. The story is riveting and relevant. Flawed or seriously damaged characters—all are one or the other—capture the reader’s attention. The dialogue flows well, the plot is scarily credible, and the descriptions are strong: “His eyes were large for his face, with irises like black olives.”
A timely, high-stakes political page-turner.
