V. S. Holmes

The Only Thing Money Can't Buy is a Miracle

8/22/2020

The First to Lie, by author and reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan, is an engaging and twisting domestic thriller. Initially, we follow Ellie, an investigative journalist (like the author herself!) newly relocated to Boston for a job at the brand-new Channel 11 News. Her first big story aims to take on a massive pharmaceutical company for misleading patients about its new miracle drug. Not only is Pharminex pushing it for off-label use as a fertility treatment, but the medication may be causing permanent infertility. As the story hurtles forward, we’re introduced to an all-woman cast of characters, each with their own secrets--and some whose identities just might be one and the same.

My taste in thrillers usually trends toward medical and science subgenres, but Ryan’s strong, decisive voice and familiarity with my own Boston hooked me from the beginning. I enjoyed each new twist as we moved from Ellie and Nora (a cunning pharmaceutical rep) to the ruthless and privileged women on the arms of Pharminex’s men. Every piece of this seemingly chaotic puzzle clicked into place, including a few I hadn’t predicted. Ryan did a wonderful job weaving a tale of the lengths women will go to secure their futures--or avenge them--in a world run by masculine power and wealth. Through the characters’ heartaches and regrets, we learn that the only thing money can’t buy is a miracle.

Recommended to fans of corporate espionage and modern journalistic thrillers, 4 out of 5 stars.

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Nothing short of Prophetic!

7/28/2020

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The Line Between by Tosca Lee is a meticulously crafted and incredibly timely science thriller. It follows the journey of Wynter Roth, a young woman raised in an apocalyptic extremist Christian cult. Upon her expulsion from the New Earth community and compound, she must navigate the overwhelming world of the modern United States. As the days wear on, however, North America is gripped with a strange illness that presents as rapid, early-onset dementia. To Wynter, the epidemic and increasing natural disasters look eerily similar to the events New Earth’s prophet foretold as signs of the impending Doomsday--a Doomsday from which she no longer has salvation.

Lee handles this terrifying story with deadly accuracy, from the creeping dread that sets in with the first scene’s thawing permafrost to Wynter’s heart-pounding flight as the country crumbles around her. My background is in biology and pre-med and I was impressed with the scientific plausibility that many science thrillers lack. Having survived a pandemic and family succumbing to the same illness that inspired Lee’s fictional disease, I can say her worldbuilding in The Line Between is nothing short of prophetic. Both the overarching plot of the epidemic and Wynter’s own tale were gripping from the very first line.

Highly recommended, 5 out of 5 stars!

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Imaginary Borders and Changing Warfare with BBC Foreign Correspondent

3/18/2020

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I discussed cultures that withstand changing borders, and how warfare has developed with the advent of the internet and remote missiles with thriller author and BBC Foreign Correspondent Humphrey Hawksley.

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Avoiding Nihilism when Writing from Isolation with M. J. Preston

3/4/2020

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V. S. Holmes (formerly Sara) kicks off Season Two with thriller, sci-fi, and horror author M. J. Preston. They discuss the benefits of isolation for writing, how to avoid apathy in an increasingly dark world, and his thrilling Highwayman series

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Film Adaptation and Characters with OCD with Tosca Lee

11/12/2019

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Tosca Lee discusses the creepy science behind THE LINE BETWEEN, her character's OCD, and what it's like to have your work optioned for film!

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Crime and Paramedic Accuracy with Dwayne Clayden

11/5/2019

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I spoke with crime fiction author Dwayne Clayden about the thin line between fact and fiction, and he shares the terrifying experience that helped inspire Brad Coulter's encounters. Stay through to the end to learn how you can win a signed paperback of CRISIS POINT!

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The Only Thing Money Can't Buy is a Miracle

Nothing short of Prophetic!

Imaginary Borders and Changing Warfare with BBC Foreign Correspondent

Avoiding Nihilism when Writing from Isolation with M. J. Preston

Film Adaptation and Characters with OCD with Tosca Lee

Crime and Paramedic Accuracy with Dwayne Clayden

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The Only Thing Money Can't Buy is a Miracle

Nothing short of Prophetic!

Imaginary Borders and Changing Warfare with BBC Foreign Correspondent

Avoiding Nihilism when Writing from Isolation with M. J. Preston

Film Adaptation and Characters with OCD with Tosca Lee

Crime and Paramedic Accuracy with Dwayne Clayden

ContactEVENTSmedia​NewsletterSOCIALS

Archives

Categories

Contact
EVENTS
media
Newsletter
SOCIALS