Review: A Better World by Marcus Sakey

A Mysterious Review of A Better World by Marcus Sakey. The Brilliance Saga.

Review summary: This second book in the Brilliance saga doesn't really advance the story much from its far better predecessor, and while it has some good moments, it is basically a bridge between two points and not a novel that can stand on its own. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

A Better World
Marcus Sakey
The Brilliance Saga
Thomas & Mercer (June 2014)

Publisher synopsis: The brilliants changed everything.

Since 1980, 1% of the world has been born with gifts we'd only dreamed of. The ability to sense a person's most intimate secrets, or predict the stock market, or move virtually unseen. For thirty years the world has struggled with a growing divide between the exceptional … and the rest of us.

Now a terrorist network led by brilliants has crippled three cities. Supermarket shelves stand empty. 911 calls go unanswered. Fanatics are burning people alive.

Nick Cooper has always fought to make the world better for his children. As both a brilliant and an advisor to the president of the United States, he's against everything the terrorists represent. But as America slides toward a devastating civil war, Cooper is forced to play a game he dares not lose — because his opponents have their own vision of a better world.

And to reach it, they're willing to burn this one down.

    

Trial by Fire, A Helen West Mystery by Frances Fyfield, New This Week from Witness Impulse

Every week, Witness Impulse — an imprint of William Morrow — releases new suspense and thriller digital originals, typically priced at just $2.99 each.

Omnimystery News is pleased to present you with one of this week's titles …

Trial by Fire by Frances Fyfield

A Helen West Mystery (2nd in series)

Publisher: Witness Impulse

Price: $2.99 (as of 08/05/2014 at 4:30 PM ET).

First published in the US by Pocket Books in 1990, this is its first US appearance as an ebook.

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

A woman's abandoned corpse is found in a shallow grave in a posh suburb. The death hits close to home for prosecutor Helen West as she and detective Geoffrey Bailey have just moved into a new house within the gated neighborhood where the body was dumped. But tensions continue to rise when the victim is identified as the wife of the developer who built the estates, and all of the neighbors begin to accuse one another.

As Helen and Geoffrey dig deeper into the secrets of their sleepy commuter village, they discover a hidden world of passion, envy, and betrayal.

— Trial by Fire by Frances Fyfield

The Cater Street Hangman, A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Mystery by Anne Perry, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy. Today, we're pleased to feature the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Open Road …

The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Mystery (1st in series)

Publisher: Open Road

Price: $0.99 (as of 08/05/2014 at 4:00 PM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Panic and fear strike the Ellison household when one of their own falls prey to the Cater Street murderer …

While Mrs. Ellison and her three daughters are out, their maid becomes the third victim of a killer who strangles young women with cheese wire, leaving their swollen-faced bodies on the dark streets of this genteel neighborhood. Inspector Pitt, assigned to the case, must break through the walls of upper-class society to get at the truth.

His in-depth investigation gradually peels away the proper veneer of the elite world, exposing secrets and desires until suspicion becomes more frightening than truth. Outspoken Charlotte Ellison, struggling to remain within the confining boundaries of Victorian manners, has no trouble expressing herself to the irritating policeman.

As their relationship shifts from antagonistic sparring to a romantic connection, the socially inappropriate pair must solve the mystery before the hangman strikes again.

— The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

The Mystery in the Forbidden City by Harper Paris, a New Greetings from Somewhere Mystery

Omnimystery News is pleased to present in this post a new First Clues: Mysteries for Kids series title published this month …

The Mystery in the Forbidden City by Harper Paris

Series: Greetings from Somewhere

Publisher: Little Simon

Format(s): Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Recommended for New Sleuths, Ages 4 to 6

  

For more information about the book, see a synopsis, below.

From the Great Wall to the dumplings, Ethan and Ella love China so far. And the Forbidden City in Beijing doesn't leave anything to be desired, either! When the twins get separated from their parents, however, they get do some exploring on their own.

As they are wandering, the twins happen across an ancient-looking scroll that appears to have a map on it. Being the mystery-solving duo they are, Ethan and Ella attempt to navigate the map … but they get lost in the palace. There are thousands of rooms, and they all seem to look the same! Will the twins figure out where the map is leading them? And will they ever make their way out of the Forbidden City?

— The Mystery in the Forbidden City by Harper Paris

Cat of Many Tails, An Ellery Queen Mystery by Ellery Queen, Now Available at a Special Price

Omnimystery News is always searching for newly discounted mystery, suspense, thriller and crime novels for our readers to enjoy. Today, we're pleased to feature the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Open Road …

Cat of Many Tails by Ellery Queen

An Ellery Queen Mystery

Publisher: Open Road

Price: $0.99 (as of 08/05/2014 at 3:00 PM ET).

  

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

New York City is terrorized by a serial killer, and only Ellery Queen can stop the panic …

In the dog days of August, it is no surprise to see New Yorkers perspire. But this summer, a killer called the Cat gives the city a new reason to sweat. He selects his victims seemingly at random and strangles them, then escapes without leaving a clue. As the death toll climbs, and the press whips the public into horrified frenzy, Gotham teeters on the edge of anarchy.

Ellery Queen, the brilliant amateur sleuth, has gone into retirement when the Cat begins to kill. As his father, a seasoned homicide detective, leads the investigation into the murder, Ellery tries to avoid getting involved. But as the body count rises, he can no longer resist the urge to hunt. The Queens are known for their curiosity — and everyone knows how curiosity can affect a cat.

— Cat of Many Tails by Ellery Queen