Lockdown
By Laurie R. King
- Release Date: 2017-06-13
- Genre: Historical Mysteries
Description
A community comes together when threatened by someone with a thirst for revenge in this stunningly intricate, tautly plotted novel of rich psychological suspense from the New York Times bestselling author of the Mary Russell mysteries.
Career Day at Guadalupe Middle School: A day given to innocent hopes and youthful dreams. A day no one in attendance will ever forget.
A year ago, Principal Linda McDonald arrived at Guadalupe determined to overturn the school’s reputation for truancy, gang violence, and neglect. One of her initiatives is Career Day—bringing together children, teachers, and community presenters in a celebration of the future. But there are some in attendance who reject McDonald’s bright vision.
A principal with a secret. A husband with a murky past. A cop with too many questions. A kid under pressure to prove himself. A girl struggling to escape a mother’s history. A young basketball player with an affection for guns.
Even the school janitor has a story he dare not reveal.
But no one at the gathering anticipates the shocking turn of events that will transform a day of possibilities into an explosive confrontation.
Tense, poignant, and brilliantly paced, Laurie R. King’s novel charts compelling characters on a collision course—a chain of interactions that locks together hidden lives, troubling secrets, and the bravest impulses of the human heart.
Praise for Lockdown
“A fine thriller, as timely as it is gripping.”—Booklist (starred review)
“King delivers, providing both a drama-filled anatomy of the school and a chance for its community to show its best by the way it confronts the worst Career Day imaginable.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Lockdown [has] the tension of a ticking time bomb.”—San Jose Mercury News
“Dramatic . . . harrowing.”—Santa Cruz Sentinel
“King is a strong, purposeful writer with a keen eye for detail. . . . [This book earns] its page-turner status.”—The Stranger
“Keeps readers guessing to the very end.”—Charleston Currents
Reviews
Intense Thriller
4By pegg12Linda McDonald was well aware of the huge project she took on when she accepted the position at the Guadalupe Middle School. Gangs, violence, bullying, and drugs were the norm there. But after only a year as their principal, Linda had fallen in love with the students and could already see improvements in their schoolwork. Sure, Guadalupe Middle School still had problems, some of them weighed more heavily on her than others, such as, the missing eleven-year-old, and the student who was murdered. But, nothing prepared Linda McDonald for what she would face on Career Day. Sergeant Olivia Mendez, of San Felipe Police Department, was walking the school perimeter when she eyed Gordon, Linda McDonald’s husband. There was something mysterious and shady about Gordon. But until he gave her cause for real concern, she wouldn't investigate. Olivia didn’t have many friends, and she was afraid that if she dug too deeply into Gordon’s past, she would lose Linda McDonald’s friendship. However, Olivia still planned on watching Gordon, closely, along with Tio, the janitor. There was something off about that man, also. He didn’t act like a janitor. Tio was hiding something, Olivia was certain of it. But, today she would concentrate on Career day. Olivia would make sure that everything went as smoothly and safely as possible. She was wrong though, very, very wrong. Lockdown is a fast-paced, intense, and gripping thriller. Once I got to know the unique characters in this complex story, I couldn’t put it down. Thank you, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy!
