I am a suspense junkie. I love thrillers, police procedurals, detective fiction. This stuff is closely related to horror, and in many cases the two genres are indistinguishable. Is The Silence of the Lambs horror or suspense? Psycho? Misery?
So when I hear of a newish author who has a suspense novel out, and it is getting acclaim from trustworthy sources, I am interested. No Exit, by Taylor Adams, is such a case. Joe Hill, who is rivaling his father for blurbage, is among those who have praised No Exit, so I figured I'd give it a try.
No Exit is a major hardcover from Morrow, but it has the feel of a down-and-dirty paperback original from days gone by. Like a tight, mean Fawcett/Gold Medal book. It's kind of padded out to acceptable hardcover length, with wide margins and comfortably-sized font.
The novel has a nearly irresistible beginning. Darby, a college-age woman, is en route to see her mother, who has been diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. No suspense there. It's a death sentence. She is driving her rickety old Honda Civic through a nasty snowstorm, hoping to reach her mother and make peace over disputes of the past. The storm becomes impenetrable and Darby luckily finds a rest stop in which to take shelter. Darby's luck ends there.
While trudging through the parking lot of the rest area, Darby peers into the back of a van and is terrified to see a young girl imprisoned in a dog kennel. Sickened, she seeks to identify the owner of the van and rescue the girl. Four people are inside the rest stop building, waiting for the storm to let up. Someone is a monster and Darby has to find out who it is and figure out how to save the girl.
No Exit is kind of a mouse-and-cat situation,with stakes getting higher with each passing hour. Adams knows how to pace a story, and he generates a substantial amount of suspense. Darby is a smart and capable character, and one who is easy to relate to and to feel sympathy for.
That's the good news. Now for the bad.
The novel was rolling along like greased lightning, but the end fell completely apart. I don't mind when characters behave stupidly in books. Smart novels don't always have smart people in them. Look at the news, look around you in any crowded public place. Many people are not very bright. Darby makes poor choices in No Exit, but she had no way of knowing they were bad decisions until later. You'll have to read the book to see what I mean. In the end Darby makes an incredibly irrational move. A move that defies any logic except an author's need for dramatic impact and a suitably action-packed finale. And then there is an unsatisfying surprise which brings No Exit to an unrealistic happy end. I don't mind happy endings, but in this case it felt hollow.
I don't normally rate books, but No Exit was well on the way to a solid seven or eight out of ten stars. After completing the book I can't help but feel that it deserves a five.
I won't count Taylor Adams out, because he obviously understands the process of engaging the reader, but I hope his next book has a more satisfying conclusion.
Written by Mark Sieber
So when I hear of a newish author who has a suspense novel out, and it is getting acclaim from trustworthy sources, I am interested. No Exit, by Taylor Adams, is such a case. Joe Hill, who is rivaling his father for blurbage, is among those who have praised No Exit, so I figured I'd give it a try.
No Exit is a major hardcover from Morrow, but it has the feel of a down-and-dirty paperback original from days gone by. Like a tight, mean Fawcett/Gold Medal book. It's kind of padded out to acceptable hardcover length, with wide margins and comfortably-sized font.
The novel has a nearly irresistible beginning. Darby, a college-age woman, is en route to see her mother, who has been diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. No suspense there. It's a death sentence. She is driving her rickety old Honda Civic through a nasty snowstorm, hoping to reach her mother and make peace over disputes of the past. The storm becomes impenetrable and Darby luckily finds a rest stop in which to take shelter. Darby's luck ends there.While trudging through the parking lot of the rest area, Darby peers into the back of a van and is terrified to see a young girl imprisoned in a dog kennel. Sickened, she seeks to identify the owner of the van and rescue the girl. Four people are inside the rest stop building, waiting for the storm to let up. Someone is a monster and Darby has to find out who it is and figure out how to save the girl.
No Exit is kind of a mouse-and-cat situation,with stakes getting higher with each passing hour. Adams knows how to pace a story, and he generates a substantial amount of suspense. Darby is a smart and capable character, and one who is easy to relate to and to feel sympathy for.
That's the good news. Now for the bad.
The novel was rolling along like greased lightning, but the end fell completely apart. I don't mind when characters behave stupidly in books. Smart novels don't always have smart people in them. Look at the news, look around you in any crowded public place. Many people are not very bright. Darby makes poor choices in No Exit, but she had no way of knowing they were bad decisions until later. You'll have to read the book to see what I mean. In the end Darby makes an incredibly irrational move. A move that defies any logic except an author's need for dramatic impact and a suitably action-packed finale. And then there is an unsatisfying surprise which brings No Exit to an unrealistic happy end. I don't mind happy endings, but in this case it felt hollow.
I don't normally rate books, but No Exit was well on the way to a solid seven or eight out of ten stars. After completing the book I can't help but feel that it deserves a five.
I won't count Taylor Adams out, because he obviously understands the process of engaging the reader, but I hope his next book has a more satisfying conclusion.
Written by Mark Sieber
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