3 out of 4 stars
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Final Notice by Van Fleisher is a unique suspense novel that ingeniously incorporates multiple political concerns that inundate American society. The title refers to Dr. Vijay Patel’s new smartwatch, VT2, feature which allows for the continuous monitoring of a user’s blood and can accurately warn the user if his blood tests indicate he will die within the next 30 days. Throughout the watch’s testing phases Dr. Patel’s marketing team is plagued by the aftermath of the Final Notices. Although the watch can predict a user’s demise, it cannot predict how that information will impact the user. Unfortunately, not all recipients of the notification are concerned with getting their financial affairs in order and saying their goodbyes to loved ones; some are focused on revenge.
As reporters flood the news outlets with gun related violence triggered by the Final Notice warnings, Vince and Trudi Fuller can’t help but develop an interest in the horrifying events. The news and Vince’s own recent experiences cause the older couple to question whether or not they should purchase a gun for protection. As the Fullers seek out information on gun laws, gun safety, and gun ownership, Fleisher cleverly introduces a wide range of real-life concerns revolving around firearms. He also introduces Vince and Trudi’s friends and acquaintances whose differing life circumstances lead the couple to delve deeper into the political atmosphere of the United States, in particular in regards to the treatment of foreigners.
Final Notice is a clever, intriguing novel of suspense that seamlessly broaches topics of great political concern in the modern age including gun ownership and the effects the National Rifle Association (NRA) has on legislation related to the topic. Fleisher cleverly uses Vince and Trudi, along with their friends, to provide insight about owning weapons. The Fullers are like so many Americans who have very limited knowledge about gun safety, gun acquisition, and gun use. Fleisher uses them to present to the reader many questions in regards to these issues. Which states allow concealed carry? Does the law protect someone who shoots an attacker in self-defense? How long must a buyer wait before he can take possession of his gun? At some points in the story I did begin to feel like I was reading a handbook about firearm ownership, but the questions Fleisher presents are intelligent and thought provoking.
As Vince and Trudi seek answers to their questions and try to determine if gun ownership would be good for them, FBI Agent Zoe Brouet is busy seeking answers to an array of different questions that arise from a series of murders committed by VT2 test group members. Zoe’s task is to track the Final Notice recipients in an attempt to prevent future crimes. Dr. Patel and his team, in conjunction with Zoe, must determine if the benefits of the feature outweigh the costs. With every Final Notice message given, I was anxious to see how the user would respond. There is a wide array of reactions to the notice, resulting in very different outcomes. For the most part I found the actions of the recipients believable, but one or two struck me as being somewhat far-fetched.
One thing I noticed amidst all of the politically driven content was that Fleisher genuinely cares about people. This was evident in his inclusion of Qasim and Rasha, friends of the Fullers, who were both hailed as heroes by the end of the book. It seems that Fleisher’s concern with politics is primarily driven by his desire to see all people treated well. This was an element of the novel I would not have expected to be so prominent, but it truly impressed me. I was further impressed by the ending and my inability to predict it. It was a great conclusion to the story and well represented Fleisher’s views.
I was very disappointed to realize that Final Notice did not appear to be professionally edited. There were more mistakes than I cared to track. In particular, Fleisher needs to brush up on his use of quotation marks, semicolons, and colons. Most of the mistakes were rather minor but when quotation marks are missing, it makes scenes heavy in dialogue difficult to follow.
I rate Final Notice 3 out of 4 stars for the numerous typos and grammatical errors as well as the “handbook” quality that cropped up a couple of times when Vince and Trudi were discussing their opinions about buying a gun. Overall, the story was well-written, very interesting, and enjoyable. As soon as I put it down, I was looking forward to the next time I could pick it up again. Fleisher wrote a novel I found to be quite unique and far different than the type of fiction I normally choose to read. As someone who is not remotely interested in politics, I was hesitant about this book, but was pleasantly surprised at the tactful approach Fleisher took in his discussions of highly controversial issues.
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Final Notice
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