5.5 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/05/17/hunted-by-abir-mukherjee-review/

Hunted is a terrorism thriller, pure and simple. Though not exactly the most common kind, where some government agent or soldier or patriot foils a plot by an evil Islamic fundamentalist. There’s a lot more grey area, and the patriots don’t always wear the same colors.

That said, I’m less than a fan of terrorism thrillers, as they’re all pretty much the same. This one proved more interesting, as it was just different enough, though not different enough to escape the overall pattern.

Three main characters—Shreya, Sajid, and Greg—all of which I found fundamentally lacking. Weak and poorly constructed, hardly fleshed out at all. That said, Hunted’s characters are quite human—in the way that humans are flawed and conflicted and contradictory. Just not deep, nor bearing any sort of complexities. They’re cardboard cutouts, going through an admittedly well-constructed story, like some form of low-budget, stop-motion broadcast.

The story is an interesting one, full of twists and turns, and saves the book from a life of monotony. An interesting enough read, one that ends abruptly (albeit for obvious reasons), good enough for a layover or some such. Just don’t expect it to shatter any expectations. It’s not at the level of Wyndham and Banerjee, that’s for sure.

An action packed thriller that kept me up late so I could finish it. The plot is scarily real and the thought it could actually happen makes it more than just a thriller. This is a book to enjoy but also gave me food for thought. I highly recommended it.

I love when a suspense/thriller book builds like a roller coaster and really draws you in. I also love when you can't automatically tell what's going to happen right from the start (which is often why I stop reading thrillers). Hunted is one of those books that you have stick with - the beginning is a little slow, but once the action starts...watch out! It reminded me of a movie the way that it was written. Mukherjee does a great job with setting up the suspense.

The premise of the book is a parent's nightmare from different perspectives, they are both missing their children and one suspected to have terrorist ties. They band together to find their kids and as we follow them and the FBI agent who is also on the hunt, we find out that things aren't as they initially seemed...

Thanks so much to Random House UK and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Read Copy of Hunted.

I've thoroughly enjoyed other books by this author and was excited to read his new one. It was very hard to put down, with lots of twists and turns to keep it interesting and surprising.

Abir Mukherjee did a remarkable job as a Scotsman writing a book based in the USA. A few terms may have missed the mark, but so many details were spot on!

Content warning: violence, cursing, brief mention of Roe vs. Wade

Well known for his series of mysteries set in 1920s colonial India, Abir Mukherjee has produced his first contemporary standalone thriller. Hunted is a fascinating exploration of what people will do when they think they have no choice, that sense of desperation which makes them feel vulnerable. It’s also a critique of unethical political leaders who have forgotten that they are meant to represent the needs of everyone in their electoral districts. This is quite an exciting new venture and a big departure from the historical Wyndham and Banerjee books.

The United Kingdom and various places in the United States are the setting for Hunted. The choice of these two countries is quite intentional. Mukherjee mentions in his notes the divisive impact of Brexit in the UK along with the rise of populism which is starting to make democracy appear fragile. What happens to those who feel betrayed and forgotten by the people in power? Does this make them susceptible to manipulation and radicalization?

It all starts with a bang. Yasmin and Jack are heading to a Starbucks in a Los Angeles mall. They plan to plant bombs by the radio station within the mall, but things don’t go according to plan. Mukherjee paints a vivid picture of the crime scene that will trigger all of your senses and you’ll feel like you are there in the midst of the nightmare as Yasmin’s suitcase explodes and kills 63 people.
Shreya Mistry is an FBI agent investigating the terrorist attack. It’s clear that she’s a bit of a rogue agent as she risks her life entering the structurally unstable building. Shreya goes in search of the mall security office to see if their cameras can provide information about the bombing. She flags Yasmin as the bomber and spots a potential lead. Her boldness pays off and the FBI are quickly able to identify the culprit by her fingerprints.

With Yasmin’s identity, they can track her movements and discover that she entered the country via the Portland airport nine weeks earlier. She was not alone. Yasmin travelled with Aliyah, another young British woman. Yusuf, a man with ties to a terrorist group picked them up at the airport. Given the number of people involved, more bombings are anticipated and the FBI is in a race against time which ramps the tension up. A great deal happens in the eight-day time span of the book.

The terrorists are living together in a remote house in Oregon. An American woman called Miriam is their leader – described as a soldier masquerading as a messiah. She recruited the men in the group for their military skills. In addition to Jack and Yusuf, there is Greg. He is a disillusioned vet with the skills to make explosives. We learn about the people in the terrorist group from his perspective.
Miriam lured Yasmin, Aliyah and an American woman called Rehana online. Mukherjee does a brilliant job in demonstrating why some people are vulnerable to terrorist groups as he shares the background of the characters. Miriam is able to manipulate the feelings of the team to get them to perform tasks related to her plans.

The third perspective in the thriller comes from Aliyah’s father, Sajid. He has joined forces with Greg’s mother, Carrie, to try and protect their children. Carrie is a force of nature. She actually travelled to the UK in order to convince Sajid to join her. They both feel responsible for their children’s involvement in the terrorist group. Out of all the things that happen in Hunted, these two parents suddenly becoming action heroes is the most unlikely.

Even if your instincts have you questioning the probability of this storyline, it’s worthwhile taking a leap of faith here. The scenes of the growing friendship between Sajid and Carrie strengthen the story. There are some touching moments between them and a strong underlying thread about racism. Carrie’s bravado and entitlement as a white woman never ceases to surprise Sajid. You will be cheering the two of them on.

Hunted is more than a thriller. The book will leave you with a better understanding of the frustration felt by individuals who believe they are treated differently because of their social class, skin colour or beliefs. Mukherjee offers some interesting insights into who people perceive as enemies and why. You’ll be thinking about this long after closing the covers. The author achieves just the right balance between building tension for an exciting thriller and social commentary.

Read if you like:
💨 Fast Paced Thrillers
💣 Terroist Plots
#️⃣ Multiple POV
🙏🏼 Discussions on race, religion, discrimination & much more

Overall, this is a fast paced thriller propelled by the changes in POV, mystery, and short chapters.

This book definitely feels heavy with its subject matter and the story opening with a mall bombing in America carried out by a character we were getting her reluctant pov before her death, before bouncing to several POV for the after math.

For those of us that lived through different terror attacks this book definitely is a heavy read, especially with the discussion of racism and religion.

My one struggle with this book was that the author clearly wrote America/americans from a perspective of someone that doesn’t really understand many of the nuances of America and often used wrong words/phrasings that pull me as American out of the story.

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

This book opens with a bang, almost literally. To call Hunted fast-paced is doing it a disservice: This book is utterly furious in its pacing, relentless as time itself as it inexorably works for the antagonists in this book and against the protagonists.

The story engages you immediately, hooking you with a tension and terror-fueled scene that unfolds in a busy Los Angeles mall. After that the hits just keep on coming as we bounce from a female POC FBI agent who loves her work but faces discrimination at every turn, two parents of two different potential terrorists who are trying to get to their kids before the cops do, and one of those potential terrorists as he struggles with the ethics and morals of what he’s doing and where it’s all leading.

It’s eloquently written, with a lot of genuine emotion that’s sometimes lacking in thrillers. The plot is incredibly executed and the story is incredibly relevant to current times. There’s compassion here for everyone except the people who don’t deserve any of it: The actual terrorists.

It’s a terrific, compulsive, page-turning read.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley, the Novel Suspects Insider’s Club, and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Conspiracy Thriller/Crime Thriller/Political Thriller/Suspense Thriller

Powerful thriller!

Abir Mukherjee has served up a fast paced thriller exploring many of the challenges of our society today. Racism, religious tensions, the everyday working class feeling disenfranchised, refugees in despair, ideological conservatism on the rise, Government organizations gone rogue. Citizens feeling their dreams and hope lost, the rise of populist demigods “peddling simple answers to complex situations.”
It takes talent to roll all those factors into your storytelling. Mukherjee does it with ease.
I was disturbed and yet enthralled by the determination of FBI agent Sheyra Mistry as she defied bosses and protocols in her hunt for terrorists who were multi racial, multi religious, and angry. Their actions are being steered by an unknown enemy with contacts at the highest levels.
What follows is a complex, gut wrenching chase that serendipitously is helped by the stubbornness and brilliance of Agent Mistry.
I found the author’s notes extremely enlightening.
Brilliant and heart stopping. I couldn’t put it down. I was enthralled and read into the wee small hours!

A Mullholland ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

"Your enemy doesn't travel by dinghy. He travels by jet."

I was really drawn to the synopsis of this book, and it sounds like it would be incredibly compelling and thought-provoking, but for me it never quite got there.

I struggled with the different perspectives, as it didn't feel like they were fully-fleshed out characters. It doesn't feel like they get to have complete arcs and it also feels like the book is trying to do too much, I think it would have benefitted from a tighter focus. I didn't have the anxious feeling that I look for when reading a thriller. I can see what this book was trying to do, but it felt a bit chaotic and choppy.

With Shreya, we get a bit of her backstory and it helps to sympathize with her. She feels like the most fleshed out character in the book. She has this history with her ex-husband and daughter that has been broken by her commitment to her job. She's trying to find that balance, but gets completely sucked into this case. I honestly think that I would have enjoyed this book more if it focused on Shreya.

Miriam's group was a bit frustrating as it felt like their actual motives were never clear, even though you can infer it from the text. The parts with Sajid felt tedious and almost a bit unrealistic as he leaves behind his wife and other child to go off searching for Aliyah. The process isn't compelling, and I really struggled with his chapters. I realize a parent will do whatever they can to help their child, but it's implied that she's now part of a cult and that requires delicate actions and deprogramming,

Ultimately, this is not the best thriller I've read this year. I think it just feels incomplete,

Hunted begins with a bloody bombing in a Los Angeles mall. FBI agent Shreya Mistry identifies a young Muslim woman as the bomber. She is part of a group calling the Sons of the Caliphate. They are claiming responsibility, for the bombing and are threatening future attacks. This is all occurring along side a tight presidential race between a right-wing ideologue and the country’s Democratic vice president. This new conflict could spark a resurgence of Islamist terrorism and effect the political outcome. Shreya uncovers the bomber’s connection to a small town outside of Portland, Oregon and teams up with fellow FBI agent Susan Kramer. Together they discover another potential bomber on the loose: Aliyah Khan, a young British woman radicalized by her sister’s death during a political protest.
While the characters can get confusing, the cast is diverse, and well-portrayed as they conduct clever investigative work, at breakneck speed.
This is a pulse pounding thriller in a all to familiar scenario.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I love AM's Sam Wyndham historical mystery series, and appreciate the author's desire to try something new & contemporary. This is a decent, quick-paced thriller.

Overall, 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The pros: twisty, unexpected plot. Quick pace. Good character development.

The cons: some stilted dialogue. Very UK perspective of U.S.; feels like author has only visited the American locations via Google, which occasionally took this reader out of the story (i.e. you can't get $90 out of an ATM that only dispenses 20s... )

A decent, if not completely successful, first attempt at a modern day thriller with two parallel plots involving terrorism and family. I appreciated the thoughtful author's note at the end.

This is a story about every day people who become radicalized and an FBI agent trying to stop terrorist attacks. There are a lot of POVs and I would find myself feeling like I was pulled in too many directions - I would've liked this better getting close to just 1 or 2 characters stories.

It was heavy action, blockbuster vibes. Not a ton of mystery/psychological suspense but you do get a twist reveal. Overall okay, just felt kinda like a crime show like NCIS and that's not my favorite vibe.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book was good! I couldn’t put it down. It had my attention from the very first page. I was completely hooked. I couldn’t put it down until I read the very last page

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Hunted.

Without summarizing the plot, I can say that the characters were fully fleshed out and people who we cared about who moved the story rapidly forward. Three groups of people, radicalized young people, their parents and the FBI all racing to circumvent a catastrophic event.

There were a few quirks of character I wish were better explained. Did the FBI agent have a diagnosed mental problem? How did Greg's mom afford her quest to find him? How was she so skilled in subterfuge and driving? A few too many unexplained background things for me.

Still 4 stars. Worth reading.

Two parents of different children risk everything to run to the aid of them after they've been accused of terrorism. Have the kids been sucked into a cult, or are they participating of their own volition? Twists aplenty will keep readers guessing. Great for fans of thrillers.

I went into this hating it. I don’t know if it’s because as an American who was a child during 9/11 I have a sour taste in my mouth for terrorism, or because it was very slow to take off, but I am so glad I stuck with this to the end.

The scariest part of this entire premise is I can 💯% see this happening in the near future. The government is so far gone, and pulling this country into a bottomless chasm.

The idea of a cult like group working to reset it, and two parents doing everything in their power to find their children that get caught in the middle is very real.

The one thing I have to say is the ending is rather abrupt.
And the chapters all end on a sudden note too. And it gave me mental whiplash. I would have appreciated smoother transitions.

Thanks to Net Galley and the author for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest opinion.

4 ⭐️

In London, the police storm Heathrow Airport to bring in a father for questioning about his missing daughter. In Florida, a mother makes a connection between her son and the bomber, fearing he has been radicalized. And in Oregon, an unknown organization’s conspiracy to bring America to its knees unfolds…

This was not what I was expecting at all but I did really enjoy it. Well plotted and very tense.

Hunted was a great thriller novel, it had a great concept and worked with this type of book. It had a strong plot with great characters. I enjoyed getting to read this and enjoyed how Abir Mukherjee wrote this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mullholland Books Publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

I immediately fell under the spell of this book, mesmerized by its haunting whispers of trees. Shreya Mistry, the fearless FBI agent, became my trusted confidante, drawing me into her thrilling quest for truth. As we raced across continents, I felt my heart pounding in sync with hers, my mind whirling with theories and suspects. The rain-soaked streets echoed my own turmoil, as if the skies themselves were conspiring with the author to keep me turning the pages. This book wrapped itself around my soul, a seductive embrace that left me breathless and craving more. If you're ready to surrender to a thriller that will own you, body and mind, then join me in this addictive adventure.

I am probably not the best reader for this book, since I'm not generally fond of thrillers, and this is very much a thriller, complete with car chases, shootouts, and breakneck flights from powerful enemies.

The story involves three parents. Two have children who have become enmeshed in a shadowy group that is responsible for a deadly bombing that was set off by a young Muslim woman who realizes, as she tries to flee, she has been lied to. The parents, one a headstrong American woman looking for her veteran son, the other a Bangladeshi asylum seeker long settled in Britain whose young daughter has disappeared, apparently to join a terrorist cell. The third parent is a driven FBI agent who is in trouble for following her instincts against orders, who can't find the time to talk to her daughter until the unthinkable happens. The two children who have been caught up in the secret cell are beginning to have doubts and find themselves up against powerful foes. All of this unfolds against the backdrop of a looming presidential election between an establishment woman candidate, estranged from the common people, and a loudmouthed populist with an enthusiastic following. Sounds very familiar.

Those who enjoy political thrillers with lots of action and twists and turns will probably love it. I ... didn't, but it's partly because it's not my kind of book and partly because I dislike plots that rely on extraordinarily competent secret organizations that can anticipate every move and have the skill sets of super heroes (or villains). (It kind of felt like an evocation of the so-called "deep state" which in reality is just a large bureaucracy full of civil servants doing their best but without the power or, in many cases, the skills, to set national agendas or accomplish their goals. I also don't like blaming everything on "polarization" as if there are two equally extreme factions vying for power, but that's a rant for another venue...)

I did find most of the characters nicely developed as real human beings who I cared about, and the pacing is just as breakneck as a thriller should be. I'm sure it will hit the spot with many readers.