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- Micro-Review #135: The Long Weekend
by Gilly Macmillan Three women travel to a remote corner of England for a long weekend. When they arrive, a note awaits them stating that one of their husbands will be killed by the time they get home. As they’re cut off from the world (no cell coverage, Wi-Fi or vehicle), they’re left alone with their own fears and obsessions.
This eco-tourism version of a locked-room thriller is capably told but not overly ambitious. The narrative swings from twisting to plodding and back again. Constant POV jumps add unnecessary murkiness. If you like cozy thrillers, you’ll probably be happy. If you’re not big on the genre, this could end up as a DNF.
- Micro-Review #134: The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave Hannah’s husband suddenly goes missing—but not without sending her a cryptic note (“Protect her”) and a bag of cash. Was the husband a criminal? A victim of someone else’s scheme? Is Hannah’s stepdaughter in danger? A fast start and crisp hook make this bestselling suspense novel a compulsive read for about 100 pages. After that, the story loses forward thrust, with key events happening offstage and our main character striking the same emotional chord in every scene. The writing is clean and the story easy to digest, but there are few surprises. Our heroine also tends toward the saintly. I kinda wanted to see her taken down a peg.
- Micro-Review #133: QRF
by Craig DiLouie Eleven years after leaving Iraq, former soldier Jim Cooper isn’t adapting well to civilian life. When his old lieutenant gets abducted by ISIS, he and his former squad members don’t hesitate: they’ll return to Mosul to nudge the Iraqi army to try to free him.
This tight, briskly paced novel is a gripping ride. For fans of military fiction, all the right elements are here: strong details, honorable soldiers, a sense of history and purpose. For readers new to the genre, the genuine characters and David-versus-Goliath dynamic make for an unputdownable commercial story—more Tom Clancy than Tim O’Brien, but without corrupt politicians and off-putting technical deep dives.
- Micro-Review #132: Munich
by Robert Harris This historical fiction tells the story of two men—one German and one British—who in 1938 try to stop Hitler from invading Czechoslovakia and starting World War II. The book’s historical elements come across as well-researched and authentic, the tension is palpable, and the characters are responsibly drawn. Perhaps most intriguing, Neville Chamberlain is depicted as principled and sympathetic—not the Hitler-appeasing pushover that history recalls. Informed readers will of course know the ending before they start reading, but the story is still worth enjoying. You’re likely to come away feeling as if you’ve learned a thing or two.
- Micro-Review #131: Zeitoun
by Dave Eggers This is a very American true story. In the years leading up to Hurricane Katrina, Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun run a successful painting business in New Orleans. When the storm approaches, Kathy and the kids flee to higher ground while Abdulrahman stays in order to look after his properties and provide help to the desperate.
Trouble follows. Zeitoun, a Muslim, falls victim to Homeland Security’s war on terror and FEMA’s disastrous response to the hurricane. He becomes a real-life Joseph K., punished for the sake of punishment. Eggers tells his story with clear-eyed journalistic simplicity, which kind of makes sense. There’s no need for writerly flourishes when the facts themselves are hard to believe.
