The Registration

In the not too distant dystopian future of Lawson’s earnest debut, each citizen—for an affordable fee—is given the one-time-only right to murder a person of their choice, with no legal repercussions. They have two weeks to complete the kill. If they fail, the chosen victim is safe until someone else chooses to Register them. Lynell Mize, 24, of Dallas, Tex., is waiting in line to Register to kill her abusive stepfather when she hears her own name being Registered by a man who identifies himself as Zachary Price. She has no idea who he is or why he would want her dead. She hastily heads for her apartment to grab a bag, planning to leave the city and lie low for the next two weeks. After a few close calls, she realizes that Zachary isn’t the only one who has Registered to kill her. Her attempts at escape only bring her closer to the secret truth about her family’s past. Lynell’s ability to talk herself out of danger is a bit too facile, and the coincidence-filled plot builds to a perplexing conclusion. This tale of a targeted innocent person on the run isn’t up to Hitchcock standards. Agent: Julie Gwynn, Seymour Agency. (Oct.)