Book Review: Panic

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Panic     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Jeff Abbott
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller   Espionage
Dutton, Sep 2005, $23.95, 368

Twenty-four years old documentary filmmaker Evan Casher feels he owns the world and the universe is next in his grasp. The reasons he feels euphoric on life are his career seems on the verge of major success as he is in demand and he cherishes his girlfriend Carrie, who seems to reciprocate his high regard.

When his mother calls in a state of panic, a stunned Evan races to Austin to insure she is okay. However, he arrives as someone brutally murders his mother and tries to kill him too. Evan knows he is fortunate to escape with his life and that only because some weird former CIA operative Gabriel rescued him. On the run, Evan begins to learn what he thought was his heritage is a total fabrication. He has no idea what is going on or who to turn to for information. He quickly realizes he must trust no one including the agent who saved his life, law enforcement, the CIA, or even his maybe biological father he seeks for answers. He wonders if he has turned paranoid as Evan even questions whether Carrie was part of the fraud that he once called his life.

PANIC is a powerhouse of a thriller filled with twists and turns that keep readers guessing what is going on. Evan is a terrific center holding the tale together while coping with his shock that nothing about his life is true. The support cast adds depth to this Kafka existence in which the beleaguered hero feels like the Prisoner starring in a deadly version of The Truman Story.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner