cover image The First Horseman

The First Horseman

Clem Chambers. No Exit (IPG dist.), $14.95 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-84243-654-7

British author Chambers’s run-of-the-mill fourth thriller featuring the Bruce Wayne–like Jim Evans (after 2011’s Kusanagi) starts out stronger than it finishes. Evans, who made a fortune using his analytic genius to master the stock market, matches wits with Professor Christopher Cardini, who has discovered how to manipulate cells to dramatically increase human longevity. The fly in the ointment is the means of producing the serum. Even the small dose Cardini administers to eradicate Evans’s black eye in a matter of hours required 30 tons of human blood. The price tag—$5 million per dose—also limits its effectiveness for humanity as a whole. Early on Cardini strangles a woman he views as a threat to his mission, leaving no doubt as to his villainy. And when a love-interest for Evans appears, savvy readers can pretty much sketch out the main points of the subsequent story arc. (June)