Reseña de Publisher's Weekly
If Palmer's second thriller, after 2011's Delirious, doesn't generate tingling spinal columns, then nothing will. From the moment 15-year-old Lindsey Wells texts a nude photo of herself to a boy she hopes will take her to the prom, all holy hell breaks loose. The photo becomes a metaphorical chicken whose Internet spawn come home to roost not just in Lindsey's backyard but in the backyards of her soccer coach, divorced dad Tom Hawkins; Hawkins's daughter and her best friend, Jill; and even strangers from her hometown of fictional Shilo, N.H., all the way to Boston and beyond. While Lindsey and a few other girls are the catalyst, it's the life of coach Hawkins-a man with a past-that's thrown into turmoil when that past re-emerges with a vengeance. Superbly crafted characters and catchy prose will keep readers turning the pages, though some parents may feel like reaching for the Prozac. Agent: Meg Ruley. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
and targeted by an old military pal who was involved in smuggling heroin from Germany with the dead wife. The book opens with Lindsey, Jill's friend, bowing to her boyfriend's pressure to sext him nude shots on her cell phone. The photos end up on a child-porn website that computer shenanigans link to Tom, whose daughter was already mad enough at him thanks to all the terrible things her mother told her about him. Now his careful campaign to win her back seems doomed, as are his efforts to convince the school that the kids are safe with him. Tom was a Navy SEAL stationed in Germany when his Army-enlisted future wife, a former high-school girlfriend, hid millions worth of drugs in his baggage for the trip home. Now their long-unheard-from third wheel overseas appears on the scene to skulk in the shadows, threaten Tom and whack him around. That sort of thing has been happening to Coach a lot lately, what with his old high school nemesis being the cop assigned to the case and other town folk wanting bad things to happen to this good person. Good thing he knows how to break out of a meat refrigerator. Palmer's thriller is nothing if not topical, and it's got enough plot for two novels. But the plot turns stretch for believability. Tom is too bland to attract the interest of an attractive FBI agent. And the novel is longer than it needs to be. The teenagers are sympathetic and believable, leading one to think that the book might have been better had they played a bigger role.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Reseña de Booklist
Palmer follows up his solid debut, Delirious (2011), with this weaker story of a man accused of murdering his ex-wife. Tom Hawkins, an ex-Navy SEAL who's reconnecting with his teenaged daughter after a bitter divorce, is a good character, and when it looks like he's the prime suspect in his ex's death, we do feel some trepidation on his behalf. But, as the story develops, we start to lose our sympathy for him, not because we think he might be guilty (his innocence seems pretty bankable) but because the writing never really pulls us into the story. Unlike Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay, whose prose helps to build suspense and keep us from looking away, Palmer assembles his story by piecing together obligatory scenes without communicating any real passion for the people and events. Too bad. There's enough raw material here for a gripping thriller, but too much of it remains raw, hinted-at but not developed. Not a bad novel by any means, but not as good as it might have been and a step down from a strong debut.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Former Navy SEAL Tom Hawkins has moved back to New Hampshire to raise his teenage daughter after his ex-wife dies under mysterious circumstances. His spotless reputation as high school guidance counselor and girls' soccer coach begins to unravel when he is accused of sleeping with one of his players. And Tom is forced to confront a decades-old secret that may endanger not only him but his daughter as well. Palmer's sophomore effort, following Delirious, is every bit as gripping as the first, maybe more so. His background as an e-commerce pioneer is evident in his skillful incorporation of technology into an already enthralling plot. He is so successful that readers hardly realize they're being educated about one of the dangers of a commonly used technology-in this case, sexting among teenagers. VERDICT Palmer scores again with a terrific thriller that has it all-murder, drugs, kidnapping, techno-mayhem, romance, manly ex-Navy SEAL exploits, and a burgeoning father-daughter relationship. This reviewer enjoyed it so much she is going to suggest her husband read it next-its wide appeal is another plus!-Julie Pierce, Fort Meyers-Lee Cty. P.L., FL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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