All that for THAT?? was my first reaction when finishing Abir Mukherjee thriller Hunted (at Amazon). Add to that the fact many plot and character lines are left pretty much unresolved and you get a frustrating suspense novel.
There is a Presidential election going on. It opposes a female Vice-President named Greenwood and a right wing candidate named Costa. A very small militia of about 6 people operating out of Oregon executes a false flag bombing at a California mall for which a terrorist Muslim cell takes credit. This gives the trailing Costa quite a boost in the polls. More attacks are planned.
Greg, an Afghan war veteran, is the bomb builder. He falls in love with a young British woman named Aliyah Khan. She is one of the militia members and believes she is avenging the fact her sister was put in a vegetative coma after forces protecting Vice-President Greenwood attacked her during a demonstration.
Greg realizes there is something wrong with how the militia is operating and questions its motives. He runs away from the compound with Aliyah. The FBI eventually starts looking into and after them. Meanwhile, Greg’s mother has contacted Aliyah’s father and both are looking for their kids and trying to save them before they get into trouble. One of the militia members is also after Greg and Aliyah.
Shreya Mistry, an FBI agent right out of central casting (she is smarter than her colleagues, does not get along well with her superiors, and is always one step ahead of everybody) is also looking for who is responsible for the California mall bombing.
SPOILER ALERT
My problem with Hunted by Abir Mukherjee is the author does not play fair. He sets up the reader to believe the false flag operations are to help Costa win the election but….
The conclusion to this thriller is messy. It answers a few questions but not all of them. The card Abir Mukherjee has kept up his sleeve until the very end leaves the reader with the impression the author has been cheating all along. The reader is also left ignorant of how the end game to the reveal was supposed to play out.
Hunted
Abir Mukhejee
Mulholland Books 2024
382 pages
Related posts
- Will Lee has decided to run for president of the United States but there maybe someone who doesn't want him to get there.
- 214 Palmer Street is a great read! It contains all of the elements of a real psychological thriller. It is a compelling and engaging novel, filled with secrets, suspense, and the pseudo unity and often unpredictable dynamics of power, attraction, and an irreversable pecking order between long-time friends. Although he's…
- Of IQ, the first thriller by Joe Ide, we said “a unique and edgy crime/mystery novel”. The same cannot be said about the fourth book in the IQ series. This one is a mess. It is a shame because IQ, the unofficial neighborhood detective is a great character. I thought…
- Painter Crowe is off to investigate an explosion at the London museum as it may point the way to the most important energy source of all time.
- You will hold on to the edge of your seat when you read Framed; the excellent debut thriller by Canadian author S. L. McInnis. Life seems routine for Beth and Jay; the Montgomery family. With an enviable affluence, she is a talented pianist turned music teacher, while he is an…