BookView Review rated it:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Buy now

Fischer House Publications

Pub date April 19, 2022

ASIN B09RG39YH6

Price $2.99 (USD) Kindle edition

New adult intrigue, the characters’ realistically portrayed emotional dilemmas, and swift pacing mark this dark thriller by the debut author Obele. Dylan Woodger, a young college student, finds his whole life turning upside down after he is captured by a notorious mafia. His memory of the last three years is gone, and he has no recollection of stealing the group’s 3 million dollars. Once released, Dylan knows he must find the person responsible for setting him up, and to do that he needs to remember everything. But is he ready for the truth? The prose is choppy at times, hampering the flow of the story, but Obele’s vividly developed major and minor characters and their realistic interpersonal dynamic make sure the reader stays invested. The sensitive but difficult Dylan is credible as both an amnesiac patient and a troubled college student and his struggles with picking between right versus wrong are authentic. The secondary characters, particularly Katerina and Terrell, are equally compelling. Obele smoothly blends the sleuthing with the characters’ individual struggles (the suspense comes from Dylan’s quest to hunt down the person responsible for his amnesia as well as his own shady role in the whole 3-million robbery thing). The themes of racism, feminism, misogyny, rape, hate crimes, identity, and battle between good versus evil are woven nicely into the narrative. A dark, disturbing thriller.

***