The Murder Complex - Lindsay Cummings

The Murder Complex is a harrowing tale of survival, reluctant friendships, harsh family dynamics, secrets, and struggling to regain control of one's destiny.

 Always remember: Count to three. Relax your mind. Now survive.

 Meadow Woodson is a teenager battling to survive in a dystopian, walled-off city in Florida after a plague wiped out the majority of the country's population. The state is now controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that words to track down and kill people with deadly precision in an effort to keep the longer-living population under control. But things become even more complicated when Meadow meets Zephyr, who has a secret of his own, though even he doesn't know what it is yet. When the two come across some disturbing information about Meadow's family history, the two embark on a bloody and terrifying journey to take their lives back into their own hands.

 The story moves along quickly, told through alternating points of view, slowly peeling away layers of complex characterization as the plot moves forward. The bleak, harsh landscape is beautifully rendered, and in some ways almost feels like a character in its own right. Cummings used wonderfully descriptive language throughout, without becoming overly verbose, and the mixture of character- and world-building will keep readers engrossed from the first chapter. The end of the novel is rather abrupt, setting up a definite future sequel, and a few of the actions sequences move so fast that a few moments that could have been opportune moments for further characterization, feel rushed.

 Even with these few reservations, this is an edge-of your seat thriller that is not to be missed.

Recommended

 (Note: This review is from and Advanced Reading Copy - Out June 2014)

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