One of the New York Times Book Review’s Best Crime Novels of 2017“Warning: you’ll finish this in one sitting.” —TheSkimm “Expertly made thriller . . . clever and irresistible.” —The New York TimesAn electrifying novel about the primal and unyielding bond between a mother and her son, and the lengths she’ll go to protect him. The zoo is nearly empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the … empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the last few moments of playtime. They are happy, and the day has been close to perfect. But what Joan sees as she hustles her son toward the exit gate minutes before closing time sends her sprinting back into the zoo, her child in her arms. And for the next three hours—the entire scope of the novel—she keeps on running.
Joan’s intimate knowledge of her son and of the zoo itself—the hidden pathways and under-renovation exhibits, the best spots on the carousel and overstocked snack machines—is all that keeps them a step ahead of danger.
A masterful thrill ride and an exploration of motherhood itself—from its tender moments of grace to its savage power—Fierce Kingdom asks where the boundary is between our animal instinct to survive and our human duty to protect one another. For whom should a mother risk her life?
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Well, I tried. I read about 75 pages, then I read the last 20 pages just to see how it all ended. I do not like books that take place mostly inside someone’s head, with little dialog or interaction. Granted, Joan certainly interacted with Lincoln, but those interactions were basically the same…over and over.
“She is trying to work herself back into the right mood to talk to him—quiet, as quiet as possible—to make everything normal and alright. A considerable part of parenting is pretending moods that you do not entirely feel. She has thought this before when she’s listening to little plastic people act out a battle scene for hours at a time, but now it seems like maybe all those eternal battles were a good thing—maybe they were practice. She is good at pretending. She will start doing it again any moment now.”
The premise of this book is terrifying. The thought of this happening would scare the pants off of anyone who knows what it is like to have a young child under their protection whether as a parent, sibling, extended family, babysitter, teacher, etc. To be in an epic game of hide-and-seek where life and death may very well hinge on the tiniest of noises or movements…and you have a four year old with you. A four year old who although obedient, still acts in an age-appropriate manner when it comes to announcing their needs, fears, and questions. And you have to pretend everything is going to be OK, so it doesn’t result in a tired, hungry meltdown that will surely end very badly. OMG.
Overall, Fierce Kingdom was an incredibly engaging read. I had some mild distraction though when it came to a few POV shifts that took me out of thriller/suspense mode. It was interesting to meet some of the other characters a bit more in depth but with minimal closure to any of their stories, I’m not certain the added POV’s (for the exception of the villain) were incredibly necessary. I would recommend this book for fans of realistic thriller/suspense, but because of the day and age we live I feel the following trigger warnings may be necessary: (spoiler: active shooter situation, having to hide during a violent attack). Check it out!
Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Fierce Kingdom. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Gin Phillips
Publisher: PENGUIN GROUP Viking
Genres: Mystery & Thrillers, Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: 25 Jul 2017