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A review by brennanlafaro
Recall Night by Alan Baxter
4.0
I read Manifest Recall as part of my campaign to squish as many novellas as possible into the month of November last year. Important? Not really, but the potential downside of reading so many different stories in such a short period of time is having elements blend together. The point is despite being one of the first books I read that month, it stuck with me.
The pacing, the fun, the dark humor, and Baxter's brilliant ability to write action scenes are all on display again in Recall Night. Eli Carver is in exile after the events of the first story, but has the opportunity to return to America scott-free to start over. Before he can even settle in, he's falling ass-backwards into trouble again.
Baxter kicks things off with quick flashbacks interspersed with trips to the present to show how Carver got into his current predicament. Once the two stories catch up, it's all action and another dead sprint to the finish line.
What I love about this series is the way the author flips tropes in a unique way. Eli Carver could very easily fit into the role of a Jack Reacher or Lucas Davenport type - a real man's man who's practically invincible. Instead Baxter uses this platform to speak up about issues like subtle (and also not-so-subtle) racism and toxic masculinity. More than once, we get to see Carver ridicule men that fit (despite their bulked up arms) into this category.
Of course we can't talk about this series without touching on Eli's ghosts. I generally don't like the term 'supernatural thriller' because it's usually horror trying to get itself noticed, but that's what this book is. We don't see Eli's ghosts quite as much this time around, but their use as comic relief and allowing the reader to draw conclusions about whether we're seeing a haunting or symptoms of a psychological break continues. Clues are offered to support either decision, though I know which direction I lean in.
This is an easy recommend to fans of the first book, bringing back the storytelling elements I loved, but adding a new and unexpected supernatural element that I hope we haven't seen the last of. Assuming, of course, we haven't seen the last of Eli Carver. I believe this could be read as a stand-alone, but there might be elements, such as Eli's ghosts, that aren't overpaid owing to this being the second in a series.
I've said it before, but no one writes a fight scene quite like Alan Baxter and Recall Night has no shortage of the good stuff.
I received a copy from the publisher for review consideration.
The pacing, the fun, the dark humor, and Baxter's brilliant ability to write action scenes are all on display again in Recall Night. Eli Carver is in exile after the events of the first story, but has the opportunity to return to America scott-free to start over. Before he can even settle in, he's falling ass-backwards into trouble again.
Baxter kicks things off with quick flashbacks interspersed with trips to the present to show how Carver got into his current predicament. Once the two stories catch up, it's all action and another dead sprint to the finish line.
What I love about this series is the way the author flips tropes in a unique way. Eli Carver could very easily fit into the role of a Jack Reacher or Lucas Davenport type - a real man's man who's practically invincible. Instead Baxter uses this platform to speak up about issues like subtle (and also not-so-subtle) racism and toxic masculinity. More than once, we get to see Carver ridicule men that fit (despite their bulked up arms) into this category.
Of course we can't talk about this series without touching on Eli's ghosts. I generally don't like the term 'supernatural thriller' because it's usually horror trying to get itself noticed, but that's what this book is. We don't see Eli's ghosts quite as much this time around, but their use as comic relief and allowing the reader to draw conclusions about whether we're seeing a haunting or symptoms of a psychological break continues. Clues are offered to support either decision, though I know which direction I lean in.
This is an easy recommend to fans of the first book, bringing back the storytelling elements I loved, but adding a new and unexpected supernatural element that I hope we haven't seen the last of. Assuming, of course, we haven't seen the last of Eli Carver. I believe this could be read as a stand-alone, but there might be elements, such as Eli's ghosts, that aren't overpaid owing to this being the second in a series.
I've said it before, but no one writes a fight scene quite like Alan Baxter and Recall Night has no shortage of the good stuff.
I received a copy from the publisher for review consideration.