Security

Starred review from April 18, 2016
At the start of Wohlsdorf’s stellar debut, property manager Tessa is sweating the small stuff at the new Manderley Resort, fretting over which place settings to deploy at the upcoming opening gala. She’s unaware that certain uninvited guests are about to turn the opulent Santa Barbara, Calif., Shangri-La—which has been flogging its state-of-the-art security—into an abattoir. Meanwhile, Tessa’s foster brother and former heartthrob, motocross legend Brian Domini, reappears after 11 years of estrangement. As the Ducati-swift plot accelerates from there, told through a mosaic of views from various Manderley security cameras (as seen by an initially unidentified narrator), it’s a testament to Wohlsdorf’s skill that she successfully negotiates the numerous tonal shifts between the unfolding Grand Guignol splatterfest and Tessa and Brian’s rekindling passion. Readers will gradually discover an even more emotionally affecting story as the action races to the moving climax. Agent: Emma Sweeney, Emma Sweeney Agency.

August 29, 2016
Wohlsdorf’s debut thriller plays out on a bank of surveillance monitors in what was thought to be a state-of-the-art security stronghold at the luxe beachfront Manderley Resort in Santa Barbara, California. With its grand opening approaching, the 20-story hotel has been breached by a pair of assassins, who are planning to close off all exits and slaughter, in as grisly a way as possible, the staffers readying the hotel for its debut. Initially, all we know about the narrator is that he’s probably responsible for the resort’s security and is staring at the monitors, witnessing the horror unfold. Reader Villa, given these very bare bones by Wohlsdorf, creates an articulate young man with amazing sangfroid who can segue, without losing a beat, from a monitor image of the hotel’s manager, Tessa, making love with motocross star Brian, to another monitor where an assassin is stabbing, mutilating, and beheading a housemaid. There’s a droll quality to Villa’s delivery that adds to the novel’s flashes of dark humor. And he’s very effective in concocting voices for the staff, including a despotic intemperate French chef, wisecracking electricians, and a thuggish worker who may have compromised the hotel. The narrator’s cool dissolves until, eventually, he sounds totally caught up in their suspenseful struggle. Listeners will be, too. An Algonquin hardcover.

Wohlsdorf is a new, significant talent in the often formulaic world of thrillers and horror, and this first major work is surprising and refreshing. Narrator Zack Villa's warm voice adds a significant dimension to the story. An opulent hotel on the California coast is about to open, but someone is determined to obstruct the opening. One by one, members of the staff are murdered. Villa's capacity for distinct dialogue voices--both male and female--allows the listener to keep track of the subplots. His pacing is careful, and his pronunciation consistent. His performance as the nature of the protagonist slowly reveals itself is spectacular. Wohlsdorf expresses a sadistic streak, and the buckets of blood may be too much for some listeners. Still, this thriller holds one's attention. F.C. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine