Review by Mildred Tabitha -- Final Notice by Van Fleisher

Mildred Tabitha · Post by **Mildred Tabitha** » 27 Apr 2018, 07:20

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

4 out of 4 stars

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What would you do if you knew - for certain - that you had one week to live? Some people will spend more time with their loved ones while others will utilize all they have and even worse, some will decide to kill knowing they won't be accounted for it. Final Notice by Van Fleisher is a fiction novel that shows how different people would react to this question and the political influence of the NRA concerning guns.

A man named Vijay Patel invented a watch-like device called VT2 which can analyze a person's vital signs and give a "Final Notice" of when the person will die. In addition to this, the individual will be given a pay-as-you-go smartphone. A VT2 app should be installed and it will capture the watch readings and transmit data to the manufacturer. The country has more senior people who were seen as vulnerable members of the society. Young thugs would take advantage and hurt the seniors together with their families knowing that they were too old to defend themselves. There was also the National Rifle Association (NRA) that introduced the NRA Armed Senior Discount Program. Their aim was to get more seniors in the country acquainted with guns to defend themselves. This is proven by their motto:

Never fight if you can avoid it, but when you must fight, don’t lose!

which could convince any senior citizen to get the gun.

The book starts with a nice setting as we learn about the old couple. Vince and Trudi seem to have no interest in guns though they made some jokes about it while conversing. I enjoyed reading their honest and sarcastic conversations. The book introduces many different characters in each chapter. Some seniors were invited to test the product since they experienced many medical issues which means the VT2 watch would be accurate as it was set to give a "Final Notice" between one to thirty days. Vijay Patel's initial intention for the watch-like device was for it to give a "Final Notice" and to also give a chance to the individual to call a doctor and see if anything could be done.

For every good thing comes the bad. Not only did most seniors use the VT2 watch, they also got the NRA discount guns. The 89 year old man from Arizona shot 12 other seniors and was killed by the security guard. Earl shot himself dead after receiving the final notice. An 85 year old man shot a cashier and died of a heart attack the same day. The FBI realized there could be an association of the VT2 watch with the murders and so they got involved. This was triggered by the fact that not only a gun was used, a sport watch and a smartphone were found in the scene. Rasha's school was attacked. Vince and Miles were attacked and this made Trudi feel there was need to own a gun. Although fictitious, the book has many more murder cases discussed. Many people lost their lives during the mass killings. They included the NRA staff members and even some innocent people who attended the program. I was fully engrossed in the book and although there were many different stories, I liked how each character was well developed. I liked that Vince didn't kill the dog and the two men.

The book generally addresses issues such as hate for foreigners, political influence, indifference attitude towards the elderly and the need for gun control. This are the same issues affecting citizens in the US and the author wants us to be more aware about what is happening in our society today. I won't recommend this book for children and teens because of the fact that the topics dealt with here are too mature for their age. In addition, the crime scenes and murders in this book will prove to be mentally disturbing for them. I recommend this book for seniors because the whole theme revolves mostly around them. I also recommend this book for readers who love politics and anything to do with fiction. I didn't find anything alarming to make me dislike the book. For this reason, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.

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Final Notice
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kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 30 Apr 2018, 08:34

This is an interesting book. Since you recommend it to seniors, I wonder how they would react to it?

Mildred Tabitha · Post by **Mildred Tabitha** » 30 Apr 2018, 11:38

kdstrack wrote: ↑30 Apr 2018, 08:34 This is an interesting book. Since you recommend it to seniors, I wonder how they would react to it?

They would probably get mad at first just as Vince did. Those who love guns will enjoy the book while those who dislike guns will disagree with everything.

dtb · Post by **dtb** » 13 May 2018, 08:58

Thanks for a great review. I liked how some characters changed their minds about things as they learned more and it wasn't always the evolution I would expect.

Mildred Tabitha · Post by **Mildred Tabitha** » 13 May 2018, 22:05

dtb wrote: ↑13 May 2018, 08:58 Thanks for a great review. I liked how some characters changed their minds about things as they learned more and it wasn't always the evolution I would expect.

You are most welcomed

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 14 May 2018, 02:07

It's an interesting book that blend science fiction, political and social issues. Thanks for this interesting review.

Mildred Tabitha · Post by **Mildred Tabitha** » 14 May 2018, 02:24

Sarah Tariq wrote: ↑14 May 2018, 02:07 It's an interesting book that blend science fiction, political and social issues. Thanks for this interesting review.

You are welcomed Sarah