From Publishers Weekly
Even for a suspense thriller protagonist, Goodman's Hannie Reynard encounters some seriously grisly stuff—and that's before she even leaves the bathroom. The heroine, an Australian documentary filmmaker, suffers from Crohn's disease, a chronic, incurable bowel disorder that can be, well, pretty gross (She had hunched on the cold toilet for fifteen minutes, pushing out small globules of mucus and blood). But illness doesn't deter her from aggressively pursuing her latest project, a film about young women considered medical freaks; Hannie's real problem is that her interview subjects are being mysteriously evasive. When they start dropping dead, Hannie and her partner, Mosson Ferret, a bean counter from the Independent Film Fund, are unwittingly thrown into the midst of a murderous international plot. Meanwhile, Hannie's got a dark secret to protect that, if revealed, could jeopardize her career and her budding romance with Mosson; Mosson, meanwhile, has a secret of his own he's trying to keep. Unfortunately, Goodman spends too much time with the minutiae of her (admittedly vivid) characters to deliver much suspense, which may leave readers with a chronic case of the snoozes.
(Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Take one part Michael Crichton-style sci-fi speculation and two parts Australian ambience, add the hot-button topicality of women's reproductive rights plus a colorful array of endearing misfits and evil henchmen for spice, stir in generous helpings of white-knuckle suspense and corporate cloak-and-dagger intrigue, and shake well, and you have the recipe for
Killing the Rabbit, a delectable debut thriller from Alison Goodman. You'll eat it up!"—Stephen Woodworth, author of
Through Violet Eyes and
With Red Hands"A sharp, aware and compelling thriller, taking the genre into exciting new territories."—Michael Marshall, author of
Blood of Angels
“Quite simply the best first adult speculative novel I've read in years. I'm tempted to invoke the names of Neal Stephenson, Bruce Sterling, Marge Piercy, and even Quentin Tarantino ... but Goodman's near-future vision and ripped-from-the-tabloids premise are so unique I'd rather not compare her to anyone. I hope and believe that
Killing the Rabbit marks the arrival of a major new talent on the speculative scene.”—Chris Moriarty, author of
Spin Control“Alison Goodman's
Killing the Rabbit is a tour de force that defies all the rules, choosing life and character and story over any conventions of genre. The result is mesmerizing and wickedly brilliant, unlike anything I've ever read, and every word of it sheer genius.”—MindUnbound.com
"Every fascinating, unique character leaps off the page and lingers long after it's turned. Goodman has a winner!" —Kelley Armstrong, author of
Exit Strategy
