29 Seconds

July 1, 2019
Given the opportunity to make someone permanently disappear with no repercussions, would a decent person take it? That’s the question posed by this uneven thriller from British author Logan (Lies). London literature professor Sarah Haywood, who’s married with two young children, has been working toward a full-time teaching position at Queen Anne University for years. The only thing standing in her way is her lecherous department head, charming and charismatic Alan Hawthorne, whose fame and position have allowed him to assault women for decades with no consequences. When Haywood is given the chance to have the man who’s destroying her career killed, she takes it—but the results of her decision are unanticipated. Though short chapters help sustain the brisk pacing and nonstop action keeps tension high, the contrived story line (particularly how Haywood gets the chance to strike back at her harasser) and clichéd characters (Hawthorne is Harvey Weinstein in corduroy trousers and a cravat) make this a predictable and less than satisfying reading experience. Hopefully, Logan will return to form next time. 100,000 announced first printing. Agent: Camilla Wray, Darley Anderson Literary (U.K.).

September 1, 2019
A Christopher Marlowe scholar contemplates a Faustian bargain to rid the world of a serial sexual harasser. English professor Sarah Haywood, 32, has spent the last two years fending off unwanted advances from lecherous department head Alan Hawthorne. Reporting him is pointless; Queen Anne University needs the Cambridge-educated TV academic's fame and grant money too much to discipline him, and Hawthorne has enough clout to ruin any accuser's career. Sarah assumes things will improve when her position becomes permanent--until Hawthorne informs her that she must sleep with him to earn tenure. Sarah is despondent; she can't afford to cross Hawthorne--particularly since her husband, Nick, left her with their two young kids to go "find himself." Then one night, while racing through London's side streets to collect her children from day care, Sarah thwarts the attempted kidnapping of James Grosvenor's daughter. Intent on repaying her, Grosvenor hands Sarah a burner phone and gives her 72 hours to call him with the name of someone she wants to disappear. If she declines the offer, it's gone forever. If she accepts, there's no going back. And if she tells anyone, her family will pay. Sarah tries to forget the encounter, but as the Hawthorne situation deteriorates, she can't help but wonder--what if? Logan (Lies, 2018) squanders a strong, tense start with preposterous twists, underdeveloped characters, and a paper-thin plot. Although Sarah's terror and anguish ring true, her anger remains at an exasperating simmer and she lacks agency throughout. Hawthorne quickly devolves from convincing creep to moustache-twirling villain, further sapping the tale of authenticity and heft. Short chapters push the pace, but an abrupt conclusion fails to satisfy. Logan delivers a disappointing take on the #MeToo thriller.

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August 1, 2019
Sarah Hayward is led to believe that the temporary university teaching job she loves is about to be made permanent. When that doesn't happen, her department head, Alan Hawthorne, a sexual predator a generation her senior, suggests what she can do to improve her career opportunities. Hawthorne, who's been making moves on Sarah from the start, is the university's star professor, with his own BBC series and a new book pending, making him invulnerable to complaints. Then she gets an offer from a powerful man with unsavory connections: in exchange for her helping his young daughter, he will make one person disappear for Sarah. She agonizes but then?in a 29-second phone call that she later tries unsuccessfully to retract?gives him Hawthorne's name. When things go awry, Sarah's choices are even more bleak, but she's a fighter motivated by her love for her children?Grace, 8, and Harry, 5?and her desire for revenge. Logan (Lies, 2018) spins out suspense to the final pages in this timely #MeToo thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

April 1, 2019

Sarah's work has become a living hell, with the professor in control a famed scholar and TV host who makes millions for the university and trouble for female colleagues. But when Sarah prevents the kidnapping of a child whose father is a wealthy businessman with questionable connections, there might be a way out. From the author of the best-selling Lies.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.