Review: Two Weeks’ Notice by Rachel Caine

 

Title: Two Weeks’ Notice {Revivalist #2}

Author: Rachel Caine

Published: Penguin Australia July 2012

Synopsis: After dying and being revived with the experimental drug Returne, Bryn Davis is theoretically free to live her unlife—with regular doses to keep her going. But Bryn knows that the government has every intention of keeping a tight lid on Pharmadene’s life-altering discovery, no matter the cost. And when some of the members of a support group for Returne addicts suddenly disappear, Bryn begins to wonder if the government is methodically removing a threat to their security, or if some unknown enemy has decided to run the zombies into the ground…

Status: Read on July 24, 2012 — I own a copy {Courtesy Penguin Australia/Netgalley

My Thoughts:

I read Working Stiff, the first book in the Revivalist series, with some trepidation, not being a fan of shambling mindless brain eaters, only to find myself gripped by a original, exciting story. I was thrilled to be given access to a galley of Two Week’s Notice and eager to see if Caine could do it again.

And she did. Picking up a few months after Working Stiff Bryn is managing the funeral home she ‘inherited’, searching for her kidnapped sister, Annalie, offering counseling to the newly Revived and falling in love with Patrick McCallister. As Manny continues to tinker with the Returne formula she must inject herself with everyday or risk a gruesome death, the FBI, who are in the process of dismantling Pharmadene insists she help them with an investigation into missing funds. What Bryn discovers is a shocking government conspiracy that involves murdered and missing Pharmadene employees, and results in her being targeted by a shadowy group of sadistic military operatives. This time, Bryn is not at all sure she will escape with her life.

Perhaps best described as an urban fantasy thriller, with a compelling mix of action, conspiracy and a touch of romance, the plot of Two Weeks’ Notice is well thought out and ideally paced. I was engrossed by each twist and turn as Bryn, backed up by Pat McCallister and Joe Fideli, becomes the target in a complex conspiracy by the government to tie up loose ends involving Pharmadene and Returne. To escape a bomb she must jump from a seventh story window, to avoid abduction she jumps through a wall of glass but when the mysterious Jane finally gets a hold of her by threatening Joe’s son, she has to endure unimaginable torture. While rarely explicit, the imagined horror is inescapable and made my skin crawl.

There is a continued intensity to Bryn’s character as she struggles with the emotional fall out of becoming the living dead. Her dependence on the Returne drug makes her vulnerable, at the mercy of Manny and the FBI and she still suffers from nightmares about her death and the white room in the bowels of the Pharmadene building. Bryn also has concerns about her growing intimate relationship with Patrick which is hit with a shocking curve ball when the truth of the conspiracy comes to light.

Fast paced, action packed and leading to stunning conclusion that left me wanting more, Two Week’s Notice is a thrilling page turner. A must read for urban fantasy fans, this is one series you don’t want to miss.

Available to Purchase

Australian Edition: @Penguin Australia I @Boomerang Books I @Booktopia I @Amazon{Kindle}

via Booko

US Edition: @Amazon I @BookDepository

Book 1  – Working Stiff

Fantasy