Publishers Weekly - 27.01.2020

BOOKLIFE.COM 103

MYSTERY/THRILLER

Okinawa

FX Holden | FX Holden

270 pages, e-book, $2.99, ASIN B081GYKHMJ

Holden’s intense second Future

War novel (after Bering Strait) is a

riveting take on the near future of

warfare and global politics,

peopled by a large cast of well-

written characters. In 1942,

Chinese-American soldier John

Chen interrogates captured

Japanese pilot Tadao Kato. In 2033,

Japan and China sign a landmark

treaty, and Chen and Kato’s great-grandchildren, Li Chen and

Takuya Kato, are both pilots ordered to participate in the first-

ever Sino-Japanese joint military exercises. But the suppos-

edly peaceful Operation Red Dove turns deadly when a secret

government-funded Chinese hacking group takes control of a

DARPA drone and targets American Navy assets on Okinawa.

Takuya’s friend Mitsuko, a political radical, may be the only

person who can stave off a global war—because the death of

her father has just made her Japan’s first empress.

This page-turner is filled with extensive cultural, interper-

sonal, and tactical detail, from the unspoken meaning in a cup

of tea to the military decisions that move battleships. Holden

dispenses with stereotypes and crafts well-defined characters

from multiple countries. Particularly memorable are the many

richly characterized women, including outspoken, driven

Mitsuko; brassy Australian drone pilot Karen “Bunny” O’Hare;

conflicted hotshot Li Chen; brilliant hacker Frangipani; and

big-hearted 103-year-old

gardener Noriko Fukada. The

human face they put on the

conflict makes each develop-

ment feel real and evoke

powerful emotions.

The crisp dialogue is a plea-

sure to read and balances the

tension with genuine laughs.

(“Don’t lose those,” Bunny

tells a sonar tech taking

custody of her facial piercing

jewelry. “I’m both sentimental

and violent.”) Readers will be

on the edges of their seats as

Holden ratchets up the danger

to civilians as well as sailors

and pilots. This military

thriller, which honors service-

people while strongly ques-

tioning the value of war, is

both highly enjoyable and

deeply thought-provoking.

MYSTERY/THRILLER
Disappeared and Found
Kerry Reis | Outskirts
183 pages, trade paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1-
977217-72-1
Reis’s languorous second novel
(after 2013’s Legacy Discovered)
opens with college student
Dorothy Samuels testing her blood
type and consequently discovering
that her affluent, nurturing parents
are not her blood relatives. After
her father confirms she was
adopted, she secretly contacts
Finding Family, a television series that specializes in reuniting
adopted children with their biological families. The producers
have Dorothy submit a DNA sample, which leads to a sibling
match with Scott Bradley. Finding Family host Rory Mason
calls Scott, who’s being interviewed for Gone Without a Trace,
a true crime show about missing persons. Scott reveals that
his mother and baby sister mysteriously disappeared 19 years
earlier—and that missing sister is Dorothy.
Dorothy gradually becomes acquainted with loving,
supportive Scott and the other Bradleys, which is a pleasure to
read. Scott and Dorothy are both determined to learn about
Dorothy’s kidnapping and their mother’s disappearance, and
they share their suspicions and discoveries with law enforce-
ment. Unfortunately, the interesting premise is bogged down
by repetition (for instance, readers are constantly reminded
that Dorothy’s adoptive mother died of cancer, which inspired
Dorothy to pursue medical school) and long paragraphs about
mundane events such as rearranging furniture. Reis’s exper-
tise in television is evident in
the meticulous details of
producing and filming the two
reality shows, but this also
slows the pace.
As secrets are revealed, the
plot becomes a bit confusing.
It doesn’t help that several
characters have similar
names: Stephen is Dorothy’s
biological father, but Steve is
her love interest; Dorothy’s
last name is Samuels, her birth
name was Samantha (nick-
named Sammy), and Sam is a
television producer. Readers
will wish for more develop-
ment for Dorothy, who is
amiable but somewhat banal.
Despite a lack of depth, the
central mystery will keep
readers engaged.

Any fan of military

thrillers will be

riveted by this

near-future novel

that sets Japan,

China, and the U.S.

at the brink of war.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design & typography: A+
Illustrations: –
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: B+

Production grades

Cover: B

Design & typography: B

Illustrations: –

Editing: A-

Marketing copy: B

Contemporary

mystery fans will

enjoy unburying

family secrets

alongside Reis’s

capable

protagonists.

PAID REVIEWS

Great for fans of

Kate Hamer’s The Doll

Funeral, Mary Higgins

Clark.

Great for fans of

Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s

All You Need Is Kill,

Clive Cussler’s Oregon

Files.