Book Review: China Lake by Meg Gardiner

China Lake - Meg Gardiner

Synopsis:
Evan Delaney is a science fiction writer, legal researcher and guardian to her six-year-old nephew Luke, who remains in her care while his father- her brother, Brian- flies F/A-18 jets for the US Navy.
As far as good lives go, Evan is on top of the world- her new novel is a bestseller, her career is going from strength to strength and she has a fantastic relationship with her boyfriend Jesse. To make things even better, Brian has just relocated back to the China Lake naval base, which means that Luke will be able to move back in with the father he adores, and have a more stable childhood.
But then Luke’s mother, Tabitha, who abandoned Brian and Luke eight months earlier, arrives back on the scene, and she’s not alone. Having joined the cult religious group, The Remnant, Tabitha is determined to get her son back, and will stop at nothing to make that happen. The Remnant, who believe that the apocalypse is eminent, seek perverse pleasure in heckling people at the funerals of AIDS victims, as well as other ‘weaker’ people, and Evan knows that she has to keep them as far away from Luke as possible.
But when two deaths occur within a short period of time, and Brian is arrested as the murderer of one of the victims, Evan realises that The Remnant will not rest until they get what they want. Evan, along with Jesse and her friends have to protect Luke from the evil cult, who believe that the scriptures of the bible foretell judgement day, and who believe that Luke holds the key to their redemption.
With kidnap attempts, weapons dealing and biological warfare on the cards, Evan has to be as strong as possible to fight against The Remnant, protect her young nephew and keep him from danger.

What I gained from reading this book:
This book is mainly about family, and the lengths that some people will go to, to make sure that their loved ones remain safe and out of harm’s way. Evan is determined to make Luke’s life as pleasant as possible, considering the tough circumstances that surround his parent’s break-up, and when she learns that The Remnant is threatening his safety, she goes all out to ensure that no harm befalls him.
In a similar vein, Evan is just as determined to protect her brother Brian, who is jailed for a crime he didn’t commit, and help her boyfriend Jesse when the situation with The Remnant starts to get out of hand. She always appears to put her family and friends first, and this is something that all readers could aspire to.

Positives:
While the concept of fanatic cults isn’t new, Gardiner has brought a new element to the idea, with the surprising demise of one of the main characters of the plot. This not only creates a sense of mystery, but it means that the storyline is also difficult to predict.

Negatives:
Some of the events of this novel can be a little hard to believe, simply because the characters seem to face few repercussions for their actions. In a more realistic world, there would be far more consequences involved, but this shouldn’t deter you from reading this otherwise absorbing story.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Genre: Crime/ Thriller

Recommended for: Anyone who wants to read a crime/thriller where the heroine has to fight against a religious cult to save her family.

Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

Book Review: Thicker Than Water by Maggie Shayne

Thicker Than Water - Maggie Shayne

Synopsis:
As a seventeen-year-old runaway, Jewel Jordan, along with her friend Lizzie, found sanctuary with a group known as the Young Believers, led by Mordecai Young. Although the experience started out favourable, it slowly became a nightmare for the girls- one which they hoped to escape from as soon as they were able.
But then a fiery attack by government forces extinguished the cult, along with the lives of many of the compounds’ residents. For the survivors, the frightening ordeal appeared to be finally over, and, with the thousands of dollars of cash they managed to escape with, they were free to start over afresh.

Sixteen years later, Jewel has reinvented herself as Julie Jones and has become a successful news anchor, living in Syracuse with her teenage daughter Dawn.
But her peaceful life is shattered when a man named Harry begins blackmailing her, threatening to tell the world about her secret past. With no choice but to give in to his cash demands, Julie is soon worried that Harry isn’t the only person who knows the secrets that could destroy her.
This fear is heightened when Harry is found dead in his hotel room, and the murder weapon- a kitchen knife belonging to Julie- is found planted at her home. Someone is trying to frame her for Harry’s murder, and the worst thing is, she has no idea who it could be, or why they are doing it.
With the help of her journalism nemesis, and unlikely alley, Sean MacKenzie, Julie is determined to find the real murderer, especially when circumstances see her daughter put into danger.
Sean, an investigative journalist who is renowned for covering the worst that humanity has to offer, is just as determined to help, although he initially finds himself torn between wanting to protect Julie and wanting to expose her.
With Dawn’s life on the line and a vengeful killer on the loose, Julie will have to relive some of the horrors of her life in the Young Believers compound, if she is to uncover the truth and save her beloved daughter from an uncertain fate.

What I gained from reading this book:
This novel begins in the Young Believers compound- controlled by ‘Reverend’ Mordecai Young- and brings into focus the issues of cults and alternative sects, and the dangerous factors often associated with them. While I am unsure as to just how many cults exist in the world today, I would not be surprised if many of them are run in a similar fashion to the one that is depicted by the author in this novel. [Note: I know this is a massive generalisation, but I am yet to hear of a cult or sect that is completely innocent of wrongdoing]. Seen as a ‘safe haven’ for young runaways, compounds such as this are known for drugging their residents and brainwashing them into believing that the outside world is the enemy. They are often told that the only place of respite is with the cult and its leader, and are often driven to become obsessive about protecting their haven.
Even though the Young Believers of the novel are fictional, readers are more likely to be aware of the dangers of such places after reading this story and experiencing what Julie, Dawn and the others go through because of it.

Positives:
The verbal sparring between Julie Jones and Sean MacKenzie, and their obvious sexual tension, provides light relief from the more serious aspects of the novel. Speaking of which, the originality of the cult storyline, and the subsequent drama surrounding Julie after sixteen years, sets the novel apart from others of the same genre.

Negatives:
Without trying to give too much of the storyline away, I have to question the way that some of the characters managed to survive the raid on the compound, sixteen years earlier. I know that the story can’t happen without them, but it does make the storyline seem less credible.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Genre: Thriller

Recommended for: People who enjoy reading Maggie Shayne’s novels.

Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below: