Catherine Raynes: The Forsaken and Not Quite Dead Yet

The Forsaken by Matt Rogers  

In the twilight of his career, Logan learns he has been a vessel for furthering government interests, not a rogue hitman for a band of vigilantes. The revelation destroys him. 

But when Jorge Romero – an investigative reporter and Logan's oldest friend – is brutally and inexplicably murdered, Logan allows his fury to deliver him from despair. 

With an ally in Alice Mason, a homeless witness with a target on her back, Logan goes to war. Against whom, he isn't sure, but he knows powerful forces are at work behind the scenes. 

Now, to deliver justice, Logan and Alice must confront their demons and win a savage battle that could destroy their lives... even if they survive. 

  

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson  

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead. 

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time. 

Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder. 

She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm. 

Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend. 

She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something: 

Jet is going to solve her own murder. 

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talk ZEDB twenty.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
To twelve on News Talks. 'd be another text here, Jack,
eighties children here, Disposable nappies were just becoming a thing.
And let me tell you, they were disgusting in the eighties, big, heavy,
cold and wet, so my kids just stayed in cloth.
They were cheaper, and the kids were all toilet trained
by the age of two. So what disposables have evolved?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Though?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
They are no longer wet and cold, and that, in
my theory, is why children today don't toilet train nearly
as early, and disposables are pretty comfy. Gotta say thank
you for that. Ninety two to ninety two, Yes to
all of that. I think they can't possibly disagree. They're
probably also, they're more company, probably also slightly cheaper relative
to income compared to what they were back then, which

(00:51):
is not to say they're cheap. But you know my drift.
You can see me a text if you like. Catherin
Rain's our book reviewers here with her two reads for
the weekend. Hey Catherine, Jack, let's begin with your first recommendation.
Tell us about the forsaken by Matt Rodgers.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
So Logan Booth the main character in this thought he
had been a rogue assassin for this group of vigilantes
for the past ten years, and he's absolutely devastated to
learn he's actually been used by the CIA as a
contract killer to further government interests, and so he's kind
of in a path that's not great. And then his
longtime friend and a guy who's an investigative journalist, Chill Gromero,

(01:30):
is murdered for attempting to cover for attempting to uncover
political corruption, and Logan's very determined to seek justice, and
he ends up forming this very unlikely bond with witness
girl called Alice, who's our homeless drug addict, and they
both sort of joined forces to seek revenge. And through
the story you learn about Alice in her life on

(01:50):
the streets, but what her life was like before then
and the aftermath, some of the decisions that she makes,
and she's a really lost soul and she's feeling very worthless.
And you follow Logan and Alice's story in this friendship
of people who actually you think it from do very
different worlds. But as the story move through, you realize
that they aren't that different than the both got fairs
and things that they are struggling to break through from

(02:12):
and a pass that they just don't want to know about.
And it's perfect for readers who like revenge stories, conspiracy,
corruption thrillers. And you can see it as you're reading,
playing out as a movie at some point. But yeah,
it's a good read, a little bit violent, but a
good read all the same.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yeah. Nice. Okay, that's The Forsaken by Matt Rodgers. You've
also read Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
So this is Holly Jackson's first adult novel. She's more
known for her young adult novels, and this one is
set in Woodstock in Vermont, and twenty seven year old
Jet has a week weirdly to solve her own murder.
She receives several blows to the head during her attempted murder,
and the doctors have told her that she's got a
week to live until her injuries course this huge aneurysm,

(03:00):
and we'll leave her dead. And she's determined she's going
to use that time to catch a killer, and so
she teams up with her childhood billy, who's this amazing
human being and everything jack could want and a friend.
There were lots of suspects, her family, her ex boyfriend,
her best friend, and she's determined in those seven days
to figure out who might want to see her dead.
And she discovers, of course, some secrets about people close

(03:22):
to her, and it's all about that, the secrets and lies,
and Holly Jackson has this really amazing way of giving
you everyday characters full of complexities, and managers to kind
of show you all of their characters and their backstory.
And there's lots of twists and turns, and as I said,
those characters are complex and interesting and a really engaging
plot from a premise that sounds a little bit weird,

(03:44):
but actually, for some reason, this story just really works
and it's a very good readon.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, I mean, the Preyers are sound a little implausible
to say the least.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
But I don't think you'd probably, I don't think you
probably feel like solving your own murder in that seven days.
This story, Yeah, Jetnist just decides that she's going to
find out and yeah, some interesting characters that appear and
some interesting backstories that she discovers along the way.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Right, Okay, cool, So That's Not Quite Dead Yet by
Holly Jackson. Catherine's first book is The Forsaken by Matt Rodgers,
and both of those will make sure up on The
News Talk's 'DB website

Speaker 1 (04:17):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live
to News Talks EDB from nine am Saturday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio