Having someone read to you is a joy we come to appreciate as a child and recently I indulged and listened to Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle. Easy to follow, full of suspense with cliffhanger moments at the end of each chapter…I was addicted from the very beginning!
Beth has been planning an escape from her abusive husband for a long time. We go on the journey with her as she escapes the danger and runs away, fighting for survival, trying to create a new identity while at the same time hoping to leave bogus clues to lead the man she fears far away from her.
Sabine is missing when her husband Jeffrey arrives home from work. He can’t imagine where she might be; her personal belongings are still intact and he is distraught over her disappearance.
Marriage may not be easy and Marcus the detective takes a good hard look at Jeffrey and Sabine’s history as he is investigating the case of her disappearance. Told from three points of view, Author Kimberly Belle creates unbearable tension as she reveals clues every step of the way to help us piece together what really happened; Is Beth really Sabine? Did Jeffrey kill his wife? What secrets are they hiding?
Nothing like a fast paced mystery to listen to as you walk at the beach! Loved listening to Dear Wife and recommend it if you are looking for a fun escape that keeps you guessing!
Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of five novels, including the domestic suspense, Dear Wife (June 2019). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and her work has been translated into a dozen languages. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.
Lila Bennett’s life is not run of the mill. She is a young, upwardly mobile criminal defense lawyer, has had the challenging experience of defending the guilty on more than one occasion, and has stepped on some toes along the way to achieve her success. Questions regarding her moral and ethical decisions plague her psyche when it comes to her job and her past personal life choices, and to add to her confusion, conflicting emotions when it comes to her best friend’s husband has lead her to make some recent choices that could jeopardize her own marriage.
Lila’s life could go in two different directions…and in The Two Lila Bennetts, and in Sliding Doors fashion, they do! In one case, Lila leaves her office at night, gets captured and held hostage by a masked assailant in an undisclosed location, while being forced to repent for her bad choices. In another case she is being followed and emotionally tortured with hints and clues about her checkered past as they slowly become public.
Authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke take us on an emotional and thrilling ride, following through with Lila’s parallel lives; we are faced with unexpected twists and turns every step of the way as the anticipation builds. Lila must re-evaluate her choices and figure out who is out to get her before it is too late…and even if she does, can she return to her life as it once was?
For an edge of your seat escape you don’t want to put down, grab a copy of The Two Lila Bennetts!
Q & A with Liz and Lisa
Q: You have said that writing Girls’ Night Out Together practically ended your partnership and The Two Lila Bennetts brought you back together. Can you explain?
The edit of GNO was very challenging and we found ourselves at an impasse. For so many years we had been on cruise control, not really discussing the particulars of how we do things. And that worked until we were pushed to the limit with that edit. (We rewrote a large portion of the book FOUR times!)
But ultimately, hitting rock bottom was the best thing that could have happened. It gave us an opportunity to start fresh and understand each other and our work processes better. Lila was a joy to write and edit, and it felt like a fresh start.
Q: I am curious about your process…how did you split up the writing? Did one of you write Lila captured and the other write Lila free?
A: One of the lessons we learned from Girls’ Night Out was that we both need to be fully invested in every narrative and/or timeline. So because of that, we would alternate which one of us would begin a free or captured chapter. Then we would pass the chapter back and forth, editing until we were both happy.
Q: I love how there were hints of a double life when Lila free had unexplained soreness and dejavu. Did you add those references in the edit stage or right from the beginning?
A: They were there from the beginning! We thought it was important for Lila to subconsciously be aware of both lives.
Q: Who came up with the “Sliding Door” concept? (I never saw the movie but it is now on my list!)
A: Liz’s fourteen-year-old daughter! We were creatively depleted after the GNO edit and she tossed out taking the Sliding Doors concept (we’d forced her to watch the movie!), and creating a suspense novel. That’s why we dedicated the book to her.
Q: Without giving anything away, did you stick with a plan for each of your characters or did things change during the writing process?
A: We changed the kidnapper in edits. Both our agent and editor thought it was too obvious, and they were right!
Q: Being a lawyer that defends guilty people is defiantly a challenge and can wear on you morally. How did you come up with the idea for your title character?
A: We wanted Lila to have a career that had a lot of moral gray area to give her room to make questionable choices. She’s at a point in her life where she’s questioning many things, including her choice of career.
Q: Even though Lila wronged people in her life, she was still likable and I rooted for her until the end. How do you create a balance of good and evil but keep your heroine intact?
A: It’s really tough! The most important thing is to create interesting protagonists and to show the reader why they are the way they are. With Lila, she had made many bad choices, but that didn’t mean she was a terrible person, and it also gave room for growth in her arc.
Q: If this book were to become a movie, who would you want to play Lila, Ethan, Sam and Carrie?
A: For Lila–Krysten Ritter Carrie-Kate Hudson Ethan-Mark Ruffalo and Jay Hernandez for Sam
Q: What books do you have on your nightstand and what do you recommend?
A: Liz is reading The Library Book by Susan Orlean and Lisa just finished Ask Again, Yes. We have so many books on our TBR! Some include: This is Not How It Ends by Rochelle Weinstein, Love at First Like by Hannah Orenstein and Breathe In, Cash Out by Madeline Henry
Q: Can you tell me a little about your next book?
A: We’re switching things up a bit next summer with a dark love story! It’s called How To Save a Life, and it’s about a man named Dom that must figure out how to save the love of his life when she re-enters his life after a ten-year absence. Think Russian Doll meets One Day in December.
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have co-authored six books:
THE TWO LILA BENNETTS, about a woman whose life is split into two. Literally. (Out July 23rd)
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT, about three estranged friends who go to Mexico and one of them disappears. (Lake Union, July 24th, 2018)
THE GOOD WIDOW, about a wife who learns that nothing is as it seems: not her marriage, her husband…or his death is out now. (Lake Union.)
THE YEAR WE TURNED FORTY, about three best friends who get the chance to re-live the year that dramatically changed the course of their lives, is out now. (Atria Books.)
THE STATUS OF ALL THINGS, about a woman who discovers she can literally rewrite her fate on Facebook, is out now. (Atria Books.)
YOUR PERFECT LIFE, about two childhood best friends who wake up the morning after their 20th high school reunion to discover they’ve switched bodies is out now. (Atria Books.) (less)
Can you forgive and repair old friendships and have them be as strong as they used to be? In this Agatha Christie-like murder mystery where everyone is a suspect, Kate wants to know who killed her mother, Lily, and who is sending her threatening notes. Her old best friend Blaire returns to her life after being estranged, ready to help, but does she have her own agenda? And is Kate’s husband, Simon having an affair? Is her dad keeping a secret? Is the nanny being honest? Set in the world of old money and generational wealth of Baltimore, Kate has suffered more than one tragic loss and her family and friends support her, yet one of them could be a murderer. Filled with lots of twists and turns, this whodunnit keeps you on your toes! The Last Time I Saw You‘s author, Liv Constantine is the master of deception and lies, with this fast paced psychological suspense, perfect for a day on the beach!
I was fortunate enough to attend a book talk with the authors and learned about them and their writing process.
Liv Constantine is the pen name for Lynne and Valerie Constantine, the dynamic duo sisters who write together over FaceTime; one lives in Maryland, the other in Connecticut. They figured out the secret to success with their huge best seller, The Last Mrs. Parrish, and are back with a new psychological thriller that will keep you flipping through the pages, called The Last Time I Saw You. Lynne and Val started working together 20 years ago in person and enjoy having each other as writing partners. They split the writing pretty evenly but both have their own strengths, as Val is best at setting and scene and Lynne is the pro on writing dialog. They come up with the story line and characters together and luckily, they rarely disagree.
The theme of The Last Time I Saw You is friendship, and it is dedicated to the Tuesday ladies, the special group friends who spent time with their mom and aunt, always elegantly dressed with nice shoes, fancy hair and makeup.
After a big splash in the book world with Mrs. Parrish, there was considerable pressure to follow suit. This sophomore book took them one and a half years to write, and according to the authors, it was like pulling teeth all the way! Revisions were plentiful as their publisher told them they needed one more twist in the plot, and then the decision to change who the murderer was in the third draft led to some rewriting. Lucky for us, the book is complete and out in the world! FYI, their third book, about a wife stalker, only took four months to write and is in edits now!
When asked about the attention received for The Last Mrs. Parrish, Lynne and Val told a few stories.
(Lynne, sorry about this photo with your eyes closed licking your lips…you must be thinking about Patrick Dempsey!)
When The Last Mrs. Parrish was chosen for the People Magazine pick, the sisters were ecstatic and ventured out to CVS to buy up a bunch of copies. Unfortunately Harvey Weinstein was on the cover and they got a lot of strange looks from observers!
When they were notified that Reese Witherspoon chose Mrs. Parrish for her book club, over the phone, they screamed with delight but were then told they had to keep it quiet for close to three weeks. They lied to one of their husbands who was in the room at the time, making up some story about how someone was going to write an article about them. He thought they were a bit dramatic but they stuck to their story. Ultimately Lynne and Val were thrilled when Witherspoon announced her pick of The Last Mrs. Parrish and they had the pleasure of connecting with Reese on Instagram.
The most recent, exciting news is that Amazon is developing a series based on Mrs. Parrish, but mums the word on details as of now!
Liv Constantine is the pen name of USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and international bestselling authors and sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine, co-authors of the Reese Witherspoon book club pick, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH. Separated by three states, they spend hours plotting via FaceTime and burning up each other’s emails. They attribute their ability to concoct dark story lines to the hours they spent listening to tales handed down by their Greek grandmother. Their next book, THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, was released on May 7, 2019.
You will surely be hooked from the get go when you dive in to Emily Liebert’s upcoming emotional thriller, Pretty Revenge! Eighteen years ago, Kerrie’s life was turned upside down. Hurt by the betrayal and disappointment she once felt, and having never fully recovered, she is stuck in a bad relationship with no job and feeling disappointed. After coming across the person she blames for her sad life on tv, old memories rise to the surface and retaliation becomes her goal. She takes a job and reestablishes her life in the city with the sole purpose of revenge.
Jordana is a sophisticated New Yorker who seems to have it all. She is a sought after wedding expert with a handsome, wealthy, successful husband and a beautiful apartment in the best part of town. With dark secrets, she is running from her past while keeping herself busy with wedding plans for her wealthy clients. When the job demands become overwhelming, she hires a much needed assistant who is agreeable to everything she is asked to do and seems to be extremely competent. Focused on the details of expensive weddings and client management, the two women seem to develop a solid working relationship; but are they truly who they say they are, and how well do they really know each other?
With women and secrets, lies and deceit, friendships and forgiveness, Pretty Revenge delivers a suspenseful dose of crazy you won’t want to miss! From her bestselling women’s novels focused on complex female relationships to this psychologically thrilling suspense, where we see a slightly darker side of those relationships…Liebert’s new spin is a huge success! Easy to read with humorous, witty language, the novel’s impending dread constantly builds as it brings us to the truth, and appealing to my pollyanna side, we are lead to believe everything will tie up in a bow after the last page – perfect for a weekend away! A most enjoyable read – available July 2019 – preorder a copyso you can have your own Pretty Revengethis summer!
Q and A with Emily Liebert
You have been greatly successful with your women’s fiction novels, what made you decide to try psychological suspense this time?
EL: Writing women’s fiction novels was fun and fulfilling, but—ultimately—I wanted something edgier to sink my teeth into. I started reading a lot of psychological suspense and became motivated to challenge myself to try something new and bigger. With that said, I think both PRETTY REVENGE and the novel I’m writing now still have a women’s fiction element to them. I’m not going too far to the dark side, at least not yet! I also moved publishing houses to Simon & Schuster for these next two books, which I hope will be a major relaunch for me.
Are your characters in Pretty Revenge based on anyone you know? Do you think people you know have recreated themselves and are hiding big secrets?
EL: I rarely base my characters directly on people I know, but there are always circumstances and stories from my life or from my friends’ lives that meander their way in. I don’t believe I know anyone who’s hidden his/her past life and is pretending to be someone else. I do, however, believe that everyone has at least one secret, some bigger than others.
The cheating husband of the woman who appears to have it all is not a new idea…why do you think we love to read about those types?
EL: Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, and I think people relate to them. They see their own lives reflected in the characters and plot. I always say, even if it’s not a revolutionary idea, there’s a fresh spin on it.
I was a fan of Kerrie’s from the get go but I felt compassion toward Jordana as her real life was revealed. Who did you root for in Pretty Revenge, Jordana or Kerrie?
EL: As the author of the book and the creator of the characters, I have to say I was rooting for both of them in different ways. You think Kerrie is the underdog at first and you understand why she wants revenge. But then, my hope, is that people will realize how broken and vulnerable Jordana is too.
Your writing is very witty and fun to read. Do you add descriptive phrases and detail afterward or does it just come out on the page as we see it?
EL: I love this question, and I get asked often about the humor in my writing. That is me! I’m funny (if I do say so myself). Also, I think you have to be able to laugh in life, even when it may not seem like the right moment. A big bucket list item for me would be to do standup comedy just once. I imagine it would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m not sure I’d be able to go through with it, but stay tuned!
When you are starting a new book, do you develop your characters first, assigning them a past, present and future, or do you write the storyline and their details develop along with the plot?
EL: There’s always a nugget of an idea to begin with and maybe one character who I assign to that. Then, as I start fleshing out the idea, I’ll establish who the 2-3 main characters are and begin defining their personalities. After that, I’d say the storyline and the characters’ pasts/presents/futures unravel together.
What 3 books have you read lately that you recommend and what is on your nightstand right now?
EL: Three books I’ve loved recently are advanced copies of The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine and The Night Before by Wendy Walker (both pub in May), and Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. On my nightstand are an advanced copy of Jane Green’s The Friends We Keep and Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty.
Emily Liebert is the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of five books.
PRETTY REVENGE, her forthcoming novel, will release on July 2, 2019.
Her first book Facebook Fairytales is available across the globe.
In 2012, Emily wrote her debut novel, You Knew Me When (Penguin), which published on September 3, 2013. Her second novel, When We Fall, published on September 2, 2014. Those Secrets We Keep, her third novel, released on June 2, 2015, and her fourth novel, Some Women, came out on April 5, 2016, all with Penguin Random House.
Emily is featured often in the press, by outlets such as: Today Show, The Rachael Ray Show, Anderson Cooper, FOX News, Good Day New York, The Couch, Oprah Radio, Martha Stewart Radio, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, InStyle, OK!, Nylon, Ladies’ Home Journal, Woman’s World, WWD, Woman’s Day, The New York Post, The Washington Post, The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, Boston Herald, and The Huffington Post.
She has also served as a spokesperson for Microsoft, appearing on TV and radio stations nationwide.
Therapists are supposed to have it together but in The Blind, Dr. Samantha James is not on solid ground. Her love hate relationship with alcohol, abusive boyfriend and struggle with anxiety, are self destructive and cloud her judgement, while and at the same time she has fooled her colleagues and is the shining star therapist at the Manhattan psychiatric institution where she takes on all the most difficult patients.
When her boss is overloaded and reaches out for help, Sam goes the extra mile to help out with paperwork. Things come to a head when she reads her own psych evaluation and she is faced with her personal demons that could impact her career. At the same time, she is finally having a break through with Richard, her most difficult and mysterious patient who up until now has refused to talk. Lines become blurred when this doctor – patient relationship method of communicating strays from tradition, secrets are unleashed, and the question becomes, “who is helping whom”?
The Blind is “on the edge of your seat” reading, the linear timeline is fast moving and easy to follow with character and background information slowly revealed amidst many shocking snippets of Sam’s crazy days and nights during a five month time span. Upsetting episodes of domestic violence, disturbing alcohol related binges and purges, tension filled sexual encounters and tender moments of friendship are peppered with Sam’s emotional instability and her continual struggles to hide reality, all under the illusion of a perfect life…wonderfully addictive!
I loved this book and can’t wait to read Alex Brady’s new novel, Once A Liar.
The main character, Dr. Samantha James has Borderline Personality Disorder and according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, more than 4 million people are diagnosed with BPD with around 75% of them, women.
Mental illnesses are not talked about as much as they could be, so enjoy this SHORT VIDEO with information about BPD.
One more thing….
I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Alex (A.F.) Brady speak on a panel with Lynne Constantine, one of the sisters who wrote The Last Mrs. Parrish and the upcoming novel, The Last Time I Saw You, and Wendy Walker, author of Emma in the Night and her upcoming novel, The Night Before, moderated by comedian and life coach, Lisa Lampanelli. According to the smart and witty Alex Brady, author and psychotherapist, it is POSSIBLE the characters she writes about MAY deal with similar issues and illnesses as her real life patients. She enjoys the writing process, gets little sleep when working on a plot twist and has a wonderfully helpful husband who picks up the slack with their two little ones when she needs to put in the time to concentrate on her novels. Alex appreciates a good, rugged cocktail, but be forewarned…you will be taking your chances if you offer her a Malibu Bay Breeze!
A.F. Brady is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor/Psychotherapist. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brown University and two Masters degrees in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University. She is a life-long New Yorker, and resides in Manhattan with her husband and their family. The Blind is her first novel. Her most recent book, Once A Liar was released in Jan. 2019.
If you are in need of a blood chilling thriller to make your heart pound, Baby Teeth is for you! Author Zoje Stage mastered dark and suspenseful when she created Hanna, a seven year old, only child of Suzette and Alex. Suzette had a difficult childhood, poor mothering and a continual battle with Crones Disease, and when she meets Alex in a professional environment, he saved her from loneliness and despair by respecting her design work and falling in love. Alex, an architect, is a cheery Swedish man who desperately loves his wife, Suzette, and showers his very bright but mute daughter Hanna with love and attention. Both parents want to be the best they can be; they spend lots of time with Hanna, they have patience for their daughter, but she doesn’t speak a word and seems to only love her Daddy.
After being kicked out of several preschools for bad behavior that Alex cannot recognize or accept, Suzette is homeschooling her daughter but seeing red flags in her behavior towards her. She witnesses outrageous outbursts but due to her lack of confidence in her parenting and wife skills, she keeps some of what she experiences with her daughter to herself so as not to upset her disbelieving husband.
Hanna has an alter ego that seems to want to kill Mommy so she can have Daddy all to herself and she is working on a plan. When mother and daughter are alone she terrorizes and scares her but when Daddy gets home she is her cuddly sweet self.
Life becomes dangerous for Suzette when warnings escalate from Hanna’s artwork that depicts a dead Mommy to Hanna speaking obscene and threatening messages to her mother when nobody else is around to sophisticated scheming that leads to illness and physical violence! Suzette and Alex’s parenting skills are in question along with safety in their home when they finally reach out for help ad share what is going on with outsiders as the danger and threats escalate…but will it be too late?
This is a creepy story…but good creepy! If you want to feel positive about your own family, OR you don’t want to have children, this book will support you in a big way! Baby Teeth is a quick summer read that will keep you engaged and freaked out.
An author of dark and suspenseful novels, Zoje lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Her debut novel BABY TEETH (St. Martin’s Press) was released 17 July 2018. It will be released in the UK as BAD APPLE (Transworld) on 9 Aug.
In Girls’ Night Out, the thrilling summer read by authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, Ashley invited her old friends Natalie and Lauren to go on a girls’ vacation in Tulum, Mexico… but it is not the easygoing carefree celebratory trip they had wanted. Ashley and Natalie are best friends that work together and they are in disagreement about whether or not to sell the company they own. For personal reasons they have not shared with each other, neither are willing to budge. Lauren, typically the third wheel in this longtime friendship, had lost her husband the prior year and had a falling out with Ashley at his funeral. Both were hoping to repair their fractured friendship, but bad feelings run deep.
The ladies plan to spend some quality time together hoping they can mend some fences, but their issues are not exactly fixable with a few cocktails far away from home…despite the beautiful setting and casual atmosphere, problems esclate when a charming local insinuates himself in the midst of their relationships and their planned girl time. This fast paced thriller will keep your attention as everyone’s secrets are slowly revealed and at the same time physical danger ensues…your pulse will increase as you race to the finish…another fun page-turner by writing team Liz Kenton and Lisa Steinke!
Girls’ Night Out is a perfect summer thriller…a girlfriends trip to Mexico….secrets and tragedy….a fun escape!
Liz and Lisa have been best friends for 30 years. They have also published three women’s fiction novels with Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. Your Perfect Life is a hilarious and heartwarming story of two childhood best friends who switch bodies at their twenty-year high school reunion. The Status of All Things, is a cautionary tale of a woman who realizes she can change the course of her entire life by what she writes in her Facebook status. And The Year We Turned Fortyfollows three women who get the chance to relive the year they turned forty, a year they each made decisions that altered the course of their lives. But a lot happened before their first publishing deal…
Amber Patterson has had a disappointing life and so she sets her eyes on a handsome, rich married man, Jackson Parrish, with her goal being to make him hers, in The Last Mrs. Parrish. She befriends his lovely wife, Daphne, and weasels her way into the family, developing relationships with his inner circle, even his young children. Amber’s sisterly connection with Daphne deepens as they have what seems to be unbreakable ties as they bond over similar experiences of loss, and their friendship appears to be genuine and strong. But Amber is conniving and she works her way into Mr. Parrish’s office, ultimately getting a job as his assistant, and manipulating him into being interested in her and thinking his wife is becoming a bore. Continually scheming to get what she wants, this psychological thriller draws you in. And then there is a twist…We learn about Daphne Parrish’s past, her relationship with her husband, Jackson, and the truth behind her seemingly beautiful life and perfect marriage. Secrets are revealed fast and furious; The Last Mrs. Parrish is not a book to put down…it is a one day read…maddening and tragic, addictive, thrilling and entertaining….a great escape!
As Seen of Goodreads:
A mesmerizing debut psychological thriller full of delicious twists about a coolly manipulative woman who worms her way into the lives of a wealthy “golden couple” from Connecticut to achieve the privileged life she wants.
Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted. To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne and her husband, Jackson—the beautiful philanthropist and the confident real estate mogul—are a golden couple straight out of a fairytale, blessed with two lovely young daughters.
Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn’t have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrish family, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces.
With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent.
About the Author:
Liv Constantine is the pen name of USA Today and WSJ bestselling authors and sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Separated by three states, they spend hours plotting via skype and burning up each other’s emails. They attribute their ability to concoct dark story lines to the hours they spent listening to tales handed down by their Greek grandmother. THE LAST MRS. PARRISH is their debut thriller. Visit them at www.livconstantine.com
Rights for THE LAST MRS. PARRISH have been sold in 19 other territories, including Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Korea, the UK, China, and Russia.
Perfectly written for the big screen, Dan Brown definitely knows how to keep a plot moving! He feeds the reader information, just enough to peek your interest, and to create mysteries and questions. In each chapter he adds more fuel to the fire and slowly reveals clues to bring you closer to the reveal. Origin, this thought provoking, action packed mystery left me breathless at the end of every chapter. Brown takes us to Spain on what feels like a wild goose chase as we follow his beloved character Langdon from Bilbao to Barcelona. His futurist friend, Edmond, had made a huge discovery that would answer the defining questions; Where did we come from, and where are we going…, impacting religion and science in a history making way. But during the big announcement, in front of millions of people all around the world, something went wrong. With the answer to these burning questions of humanity and the unknown discovery lying in the balance, Langdon is in a race against time to find out what happened to his friend and what the revelation was.
Although, for me the earth shattering discovery that effects all of mankind was the least impressive part of this novel, Dan Brown does bring to light the question about how we were created, the possibility that we came from God vs. Science. He also indicates the idea that religion holds us back, and that technology has the power to take over man, or even to merge with humanity to become a new species. Because we can’t go back in time we may never really know where we came from, but we can see where we are going short term and with cell phones, computers, Alexa and robocalls, it is clear that technology has a big part in our future. I highly recommend this one.
As Seen on Goodreads:
Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.
As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.
Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself… and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery… and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.
About the Author:
Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the best selling novels of all time as well as the subject of intellectual debate among readers and scholars. Brown’s novels are published in 52 languages around the world with 200 million copies in print.
In 2005, Brown was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine, whose editors credited him with “keeping the publishing industry afloat; renewed interest in Leonardo da Vinci and early Christian history; spiking tourism to Paris and Rome; a growing membership in secret societies; the ire of Cardinals in Rome; eight books denying the claims of the novel and seven guides to read along with it; a flood of historical thrillers; and a major motion picture franchise.”
The son of a mathematics teacher and a church organist, Brown was raised on a prep school campus where he developed a fascination with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion. These themes eventually formed the backdrop for his books. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he later returned to teach English before focusing his attention full time to writing.
Brown is currently at work on a new book as well as the Columbia Pictures film version of his most recent novel.
