Review of Final Act

[Divergent_2020]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Final Act" by Van Fleisher.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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What can a seventy-nine-year-old woman from Rome, and a twenty-four-year-old woman from the USA have in common? Accused of a double homicide, both are found dead in their apartments a few days later. They are later found to be recipients of the "Final Notice." These crimes are happening across the globe - London, Moscow, Massachusetts, and Rome. The FBI is currently dealing with a country smoldering in political protests, election rallies, polarising opinions, threats of foreign manipulation in the upcoming elections, and increasing crime rates, now has to work with the inventor of VT2 to identify recipients of the Final Notice.

VT2 is a fitness watch with a feature unheard of - prediction of the wearer's death. It sends them a "Final Notice." Vijay Patel, its inventor, thought if people knew how many days they are left with, they would spend their time meaningfully. But what he didn't see coming was that few of the recipients would resort to revenge and murder, now that they didn't have anything to fear for. A guilt-ridden Vijay started working with Zoe Brouet of the FBI to undo damages caused by his invention. What happens when some Russians lay hands on the list of recipients of the Final Notice? With their career, love, and lives at stake, will Zoe and Vijay succeed?

Final Act, the second book of the series by Van Fleisher, is a stand-alone thriller that keeps you engaged with its gripping storyline and powerful ideas. While teething problems of VT2 are still haunting him, Zoe has a lot of pressure mounting on her and with Vijay's aid, she has to figure out a way to stop these crimes.

The story is fast-paced and covers many point-of-views. Along with Vijay and Zoe, it includes multiple well-written characters like Eric Hawke, Demi Magray, Alek Belikov, and Jennifer Patel. Each new character brings us closer to understanding what ails them. And with intelligent story-telling, some sarcasm, some wit, and some romance, the author succeeds in keeping it light.

I found it deeply inspiring in its portrayal of women like Zoe, Demi, and Jennifer. It felt good to read a lot of communities represented well in the story. I also liked that topics of significance are discussed briefly, for example, the pros and cons of carrying a gun, the weight our opinions carry, and the impact ignorance can have on our own families. The author treads carefully, sensitively, and manages to not get too political.

I would rate the Final Act four out of four stars. I did not dislike anything; there are no errors and it's exceptionally well-edited. It includes scenes on assault and rape, so this book isn't for the faint-hearted. There were also several instances of minor profanity scattered throughout. That's also why I recommend this book to people who are 18 or older. I picked this book for its mystery and thriller quotient which it does complete justice to. I hope when you put it down you'll think about the kind of person you want to be, just like I did.

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Final Act
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[Emeka Anderson]

The plot twists in Final Act kept me guessing until the very end