A review by laurenjodi
Black Friday by Alex Kava
3.0
Black Friday
3 Stars
Synopsis
Black Friday, the busiest shopping day in America, and three young men are about to wreak havoc by detonating an EMP pulse in the Mall of America. Unbeknownst to them, they are actually pawns in a much larger and deadlier conspiracy that will leave dozens dead and FBI profiler, Maggie O'Dell in a race against time to prevent an even more catastrophic terror attack.
Review
A good premise but the execution is poor and the finale does not deliver.
This is supposed to be a "race against time" scenario but the pace is slow and there is no sense of urgency. The book also finishes with too many loose ends and unanswered questions -.
The writing is choppy with events occurring out of the blue with no exposition or development. The chapters are also very short, often 2-3 pages, which makes it difficult to became engaged with the storyline.
Once again, there is little to no character growth - the cat and mouse between Maggie and Nick is getting old - too many hurt feelings and lack of trust. It is time to either put up or shut up with this relationship. On the other hand, Maggie's half-brother, Patrick Murphy, is given some much needed page time and the sections about him are enjoyable.
One positive aspect of the plot involves the exploration of the John Doe #2 conspiracy theory following the Oklahoma Bombing - as a non-American, this is my first time hearing about this and it added an interesting element to the terrorist plot.
On a final note, the book references numerous events from previous installments and it might be difficult for first time readers of the series to follow.
Overall, a disappointing addition and I hope that the next one will be better.
3 Stars
Synopsis
Black Friday, the busiest shopping day in America, and three young men are about to wreak havoc by detonating an EMP pulse in the Mall of America. Unbeknownst to them, they are actually pawns in a much larger and deadlier conspiracy that will leave dozens dead and FBI profiler, Maggie O'Dell in a race against time to prevent an even more catastrophic terror attack.
Review
A good premise but the execution is poor and the finale does not deliver.
This is supposed to be a "race against time" scenario but the pace is slow and there is no sense of urgency. The book also finishes with too many loose ends and unanswered questions -
Spoiler
As with "A Perfect Evil", I gather we will be seeing more of the villain of this pieceThe writing is choppy with events occurring out of the blue with no exposition or development
Spoiler
i.e., Dixon and Becca's sudden rescue by SWATOnce again, there is little to no character growth - the cat and mouse between Maggie and Nick is getting old - too many hurt feelings and lack of trust. It is time to either put up or shut up with this relationship. On the other hand, Maggie's half-brother, Patrick Murphy, is given some much needed page time and the sections about him are enjoyable.
One positive aspect of the plot involves the exploration of the John Doe #2 conspiracy theory following the Oklahoma Bombing - as a non-American, this is my first time hearing about this and it added an interesting element to the terrorist plot.
On a final note, the book references numerous events from previous installments and it might be difficult for first time readers of the series to follow.
Overall, a disappointing addition and I hope that the next one will be better.