By: Paul Cleave ISBN: 9781501153013
Publisher: Atria
Publication Date: 8/1/2017
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars Top Books of 2017 A new thriller from the Edgar-nominated author of Trust No One and Joe Victim about a blind teenager who receives new eyes through corneal donation and begins to see and feel memories that he believes belong to the previous owners—a detective and a serial killer. Joshua is convinced there is a family curse. It’s taken away his biological parents, robbed him of his eyesight, and is the reason his father Logan, the detective who raised him, is killed while investigating the homicide of a young woman. The suspect, Simon Bowers, is killed by Logan’s partner Ben, whose intentions are murkier than expected.
After this tragedy Joshua is handed an opportunity he can't refuse: a new pair of eyes. But a mishap during the surgery leads to Joshua unknowingly getting one eye from his father, and the other from Simon. As Joshua navigates a world of sight, he gets glimpses of what his eyes might have witnessed in their previous life. Memories, truths, and lies—Joshua discovers a world darker than the one he has emerged from. What else has he failed to see?
Meanwhile, Simon’s accomplice Vincent is bent on revenge, going after the loved ones of those involved in Simon’s death…and Vincent is drawing closer and closer to Joshua.
Thriller virtuoso Paul Cleave is back with another riveting story of hidden secrets and unspeakable horrors that will keep readers guessing until the very last page.
My Review
Paul Cleave, the internationally bestselling powerhouse New Zealand author returns following Trust No One landing on my Top 10 Books of 2015 and Five Minutes Alone making its way to my Top 30 Books of 2014 with yet another jaw-dropping twisty suspense horror thriller — A KILLER HARVEST. It is indeed "Killer."
An avid Cleave fan: What sets this author apart from the competition? Many things. Tops: His creativity, talent, and his wicked dark humor!
Oh, and what a cover! Dynamite. Atria is killing it! I kept swishing at the last page, hoping for inspiration from the author. Would love to know the spark which ignited this story.
Those who enjoyed the movie Blink (1993) and Seven Pounds (2008) will be fascinated with A KILLER HARVEST — a new unique twist which keeps on spinning . . .
Now back to the book. Cellular Memory Horror. Dark secrets.
Poor Joshua Logan. He has had a run of very bad luck. A family curse. (I would say he is on to something here, for sure).
His dad jumped in front of a bus a few months before Joshua was born. He did it to save a small girl he never met who had slipped away from her mother’s grasp and had stumbled into the street.
A hero? A dad who was missing in his life. His mom was in his life for five months before meeting a bus of her own, in the form of a brain embolism.
Predestination.
Blind from birth. Biological parents gone. Joshua’s world is black. It has been his entire sixteen years. The curse made sure of that.
Now his current father (his aunt and uncle), Detective Mitchell Logan is killed. On a case. The suspect construction foreman, Simon Bowers. What do a killer and a cop have in common? Eyes.
Detective Inspector Ben Kirk (Logan’s partner) takes out Simon. However, before he takes him out, he needs to get answers to a few health questions.
The clock is ticking. Mitchell and Ben wanted to improve the world. Taking organs from the evil to give to the good.
The four best friends through high school: Mitchell (cop), Michelle (vet), Ben (cop), and Ben’s brother Jesse (teacher).
A dad's promise. He wanted his eyes to go to his son, Joshua.
Detective Vega, once again states his dad was a hero. No hero left for him. The guy that killed his dad was a bad guy and his dad makes sure that guy could not hurt anyone else.
However, now there is Simon’s friend, Vincent who wants revenge. He is a nasty one as well.
Joshua is the recipient of his dad’s eyes. He is hoping to be able to see the world his dad saw it. The new Joshua Logan is going to see for the first time, something he has wanted more than anything—just not at this price. The curse is not about balance. It takes and takes.
However, there was a mishap by a technician. His dad’s eyes and the killer’s eyes were dropped. Switched in error. Now, Josh has one of each.
The interesting twist is how he knows, or suspects. His mom says he owes it to his dad to be the best man he can. Was his dad a criminal as well?
The Doctor: Twenty-eight years of harvesting organs. For the last five years, a doctor has been harvesting them from the likes of Simon Bower.
Those killed in the commission of crime have had their names retroactively added to the database of organ donors whether they want to donate or not.
From a cabin in the woods, abduction, dogs, torture, blood, a woman, death. Josh begins seeing things. A nightmare or is he seeing things from the owner of his new eyes? Will his eyes and cellular memory give him two perspectives in order to solve a crime?
A vampire named Frederick in his books, to bullying, a partner in crime, danger, a serial killer, a girl named Ruby Carter, and a scar he has inherited. How many others are having weird dreams from their own donor?
Wow, Cleave knows how to create complex plot twists and intensity! Cellular memory takes on an evil twist (s) and no one does it better than Cleave. When the line (s) between good and evil are blurred.
The secrets of the past refuse to keep quiet in this razor-sharp,
unputdownable, taut thriller. Readers will be immersed until the final page while never trusting a surgeon again in this lifetime.
I am beginning to suspect Paul Cleave/Stephen King may be long lost, brothers.
Looking forward to someone picking up his Cleave’s books for the wide screen. I want a front row seat! Also how about Cleave for a guest appearance on Younger (TV series) with Atria.
A special thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an early reading copy. Once again, top book list for the year.
Review Links:
Goodreads
Praise for A Killer Harvest:
"Starting with a macabre setup, Cleave keeps upping the stakes till any scrap of plausibility is left far behind and only an increasingly effective series of hair-raising thrills remains." (Kirkus Reviews)
“Edgar-finalist Cleave makes an implausible, but very creepy, premise work in this powerful, thought-provoking novel…impressive crime thriller." (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
“Cleave, a master of dark and compelling thrillers, puts a moral spin on this twisting, chilling tale with its disturbing finale.” (Booklist)
About the Author
Paul is an award winning author who often divides his time between his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where all his novels are set, and Europe, where none of his novels are set.
His works have been bestsellers that been translated into over a dozen languages and have sold over a million copies. He’s won the Ngaio Marsh Award, the Saint-Maur book festival’s crime novel of the year award, has been shortlisted for the Edgar and the Barry and the Ned Kelly.
When he’s not at home with the stereo cranked up loud and working on his next novel, he can normally be found on a tennis court, a golf course, or throwing a Frisbee somewhere. Trust No One, a stand-alone about a crime writer suffering from Alzheimer’s, is his latest novel. Read More
