PositiveThe New York Times Book Review... not merely a good legal thriller; it’s a great one ... At each turn, Clark writes with compassion not only about those exploited by callous institutions, but even about the paper pushers who do the bidding ... For readers who don’t get chills from Cobra claims, competing case precedents and the distinction between void and voidable court orders, Clark’s attention to legal detail may prove a tad too careful. But lurking among the technicalities are the tools that savvy Kevin might use to save himself — and the clues that Clark cleverly weaves together for a truly thrilling ending. Maybe some lawyers are unpredictable after all.
Riley Sager
MixedThe New York Times Book ReviewWhile Sager attempts to explore the intense dynamics within adolescent female friendships, an overly large cast of thinly sketched characters undermines the effort, and genre fans searching for more than the requisite ingredients of a solid thriller may find themselves unsatisfied. The book’s most vibrant exchanges take place in the past, between younger Emma and Vivian, the Queen Bee of Nightingale, who seduced Emma as only a wiser, more sophisticated girl could ... Compared to the piercing Vivian-Emma relationship, however, the rest of the female campers feel extraneous. Indeed, sometimes the only way to keep track of the many characters is by relying on the stereotypes employed to introduce them in rapid succession ... in the end, the author delivers the kind of unpredictable conclusion that all thriller readers crave—utterly shocking yet craftily foreshadowed. For some readers, though, these might be the only pages that linger.
