cover image Exodus 2022

Exodus 2022

Kenneth G. Bennett. Libertary, $19.95 trade paper (422p) ISBN 978-1-62015-212-6

Despite occasional heavy-handedness, this well-paced eco-thriller shrewdly teases out its tantalizing premise. Bennett launches his story with a persuasive burst of misdirection as Joe Stanton becomes hysterical when his daughter, Lorna Gwin, goes missing. Despite his terror and vivid sense of loss, Joe, an Episcopal priest on a weekend getaway to the Puget Sound with his girlfriend, Ella, soon recalls that he has never had a daughter. His public meltdown draws the attention of Sheldon Beck, the violently unbalanced third-in-command of Erebus, a private military contractor. A gradual unveiling of the source of the hallucinations, shared by three other men who are now dead, keeps the mystery alive, while Beck’s pursuit of Joe and Ella provides ample tension, but the protagonists’ stolid earnestness is far less interesting than the malevolent, tech-savvy Erebus crew. As Beck’s escalating psychotic behavior generates fireworks, it becomes increasingly difficult to invest in the plight of the two leads. Despite this drawback, Bennett prevails when it counts, leading readers towards a riveting and unequivocally satisfying showdown. (BookLife)