Joshua Corin

The title is more than appropriate and serves as a brief summary of this novel. Larry Walder is the pilot for Pegasus Airlines. His wife Marie and seven year old son Sean have been abducted. The kidnapper makes his demands plain — the cost of his family’s freedom is for Larry to alter flight 816 from its destination of Cozumel, MX to the coordinates they dictate. Reese Rankin is Larry’s copilot. He holds a glock on him so he won’t interfere with the new coordinates. The hijackers show more don’t mind the passengers calling their loved ones; in fact they encourage it. Soon, they’ll be running a telethon where friends and families can pay for their safe return. The five people whose families have donated the most will be returned; the five people whose families have given the least will be executed.

Xanadu (Xana) Marx is finally getting her life back in order. She’s dry from her addiction to drugs and wants her job back with the FBI. Jim Christie had promised she would be reinstated. But, Jim didn’t have the authority to make that promise. However, they cannot understand the language of one of the captured men and are running out of time. They need Xana’s assistance as she speaks over 20 languages. With her foot in the door, she does all she can to locate the missing plane and assure as few casualties as possible.

The action alternates from Larry and the passengers of flight 816 to Xana and the FBI involvement. The author knows how to catch the reader early and not let go. It might be an understatement to say that Xana is a strong character. The truth is the reader never knows what she’s going to do next. During her query into the lives of the hijackers, Xana’s paths cross again with Madeline who runs a private security job in Baltimore. They had been Xana’s lover before she went into rehab. I didn’t feel like everything was tied up nicely at the end, however Cost of Life is still an exceptional and fast-paced thriller. Rating: 4 out of 5. show less

I selected this book based on the fact that the main character's name was Xanadu and I needed to complete a challenge which had a character with an X in his/her name. Before we meet Xanadu, we are introduced to Larry Walder, a pilot with a local airline. When Larry's wife and son are kidnapped, he is forced to land his airplane in a field where we soon find out the unique reason everyone on board has been taken hostage.

On the ground, disgraced FBI agent Xanadu Marx is called in to consult show more and translate. She's refuses to follow instruction, goes rogue, and decides to find where the plane is located. She's definite a rough and tumble character, but the author chose to team her with a young intern dying of cancer in a way that make her much more likable.

This wasn't the best book I've read this month but it wasn't a total dud either. I don't know if I would necessarily recommend it but it turned out be fairly suspenseful with an interesting plot twist. show less

Assume Nothing by Joshua Corin is a highly recommended mystery. Although this is written as a thriller for adult readers it is a perfectly acceptable YA novel.

Sixteen-year-old Kat McCann is an avid reader and loves the books written by mystery writer Carissa Miller. It's 1995 and she is active in a chat group for Miller's fans, which is where she met 19-year-old Dev. After they become friends, Kat shares her secret with him. When Kat was six years old renowned Austrian detective Alik Lisser show more solved her mother’s 1985 murder and Miller wrote a novel about the case. Many of her novels were based on the cases solved by criminologist Alik Lisser, however, she changes the name to detective Adrian Lescher in the books.

When Dev and Kat learn that Lisser will be giving a talk nearby they both attend. Lisser notices Kat, remembers who she is, and contacts her, inviting her and her aunt to visit him in England. Once there, Kat, who wanted to know the truth behind her mother's murder, has many of her beliefs challenged.

This is an intriguing, compelling mystery with an even paced plot that picks up toward the end. All of the twists along the way are interesting and they will hold your attention in this quick read. It can also feel a bit nostalgic with some of the chat group texts included in the story. Readers will have to set some disbelief aside. The biggest drawback to the narrative is the lack of chapters.

Kat is the narrator, which lends the YA feel to the whole novel. She is a wonderful, fully realized book-smart teen who loves reading mysteries. Her youth provides an enthusiasm and courageousness to the plot that is not entirely based on experience, but she has also had to deal with some real difficulties in life, including the death of her parents and an abusive uncle. Lisser is a creepy, know-it-all who is intensely unlikable. Pedro and Dev are nice supporting characters.

All in all, Assume Nothing is a fun, engaging mystery with a teen protagonist. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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This totally oddball story kept me amused for a couple of days. I couldn't wait to see what would befall Adam next.

All in all, I found this to be a quirky tale, another of the surreal humour books I like so much.