M.R. Mackenzie "Cruel Summer" (2019) ***1/2
Full disclosure: M.R. Mackenzie is a friend of mine. I've guest hosted numerous times on the podcast which he co-hosts, Movie Matters. I also had a hand in proofreading this book, so this was my second read-through. And I like to support my friends in their creative endeavors. Regardless of all that, I still very much objectively enjoyed his sophomore novel Cruel Summer (2019).
Summer is the sequel novel to In The Silence (2018) (my review for that book here) and the second installment in the Kelvingrove Park Trilogy. Two of the main characters from Silence, Zoe Callahan and Anna Scavolini, return in Summer, but the focus this time lies on Zoe rather than Anna. Three years after the horrific events of ITS, which, without spoiling anything, have a deep and personal affect on Zoe, we now find her embroiled in possible political scandal and in bad favor of some unsavory and dangerous people, who threaten her and her loved ones.
Whilst I really appreciate that Summer is not simply a retread of Silence—still a thriller but with more of a police procedural/noir approach and less of a horror angle, and pleasingly swapping the cold winter backdrop of Silence for a scorching heatwave—I didn't find Summer quite as gripping as its predecessor. That's not to say that I didn't greatly enjoy it, simply that I didn't find Zoe quite as engaging as a protagonist (even as I found myself relating to some of her thought processes and predicaments) nor the newly introduced characters quite as interesting as the ones from ITS. Regardless, I very much look forward to the final novel in M.R.'s KP Trilogy and I'm excited to find out who will lead the charge in the third book, as well as how it will be similar and different from the first two novels.
Cruel Summer comes recommended for those that have read In The Silence (2018), and who like a hard-hitting crime thriller featuring a female protagonist and emotional gravitas. You can purchase it via Kindle or paperback here.
Summer is the sequel novel to In The Silence (2018) (my review for that book here) and the second installment in the Kelvingrove Park Trilogy. Two of the main characters from Silence, Zoe Callahan and Anna Scavolini, return in Summer, but the focus this time lies on Zoe rather than Anna. Three years after the horrific events of ITS, which, without spoiling anything, have a deep and personal affect on Zoe, we now find her embroiled in possible political scandal and in bad favor of some unsavory and dangerous people, who threaten her and her loved ones.
Whilst I really appreciate that Summer is not simply a retread of Silence—still a thriller but with more of a police procedural/noir approach and less of a horror angle, and pleasingly swapping the cold winter backdrop of Silence for a scorching heatwave—I didn't find Summer quite as gripping as its predecessor. That's not to say that I didn't greatly enjoy it, simply that I didn't find Zoe quite as engaging as a protagonist (even as I found myself relating to some of her thought processes and predicaments) nor the newly introduced characters quite as interesting as the ones from ITS. Regardless, I very much look forward to the final novel in M.R.'s KP Trilogy and I'm excited to find out who will lead the charge in the third book, as well as how it will be similar and different from the first two novels.
Cruel Summer comes recommended for those that have read In The Silence (2018), and who like a hard-hitting crime thriller featuring a female protagonist and emotional gravitas. You can purchase it via Kindle or paperback here.
Comments
Post a Comment