A Deadly Influence
A Deadly Influence (Abby Mullen Thrillers #1)
By: Mike Omer
Which is more dangerous— the influence of a cult or being a social media influencer?
A Deadly Influence weaves these two powers together in a chilling thriller about a kidnapping and what it takes to get him back.
This was a well-written and suspenseful story. I thought I had the abductor figured out, but I was wrong. BUT based on the last few sentences of the book, I was actually right just in a different way. It ends on a cliffhanger setting up book two. So I’ll have to read that one now.
It includes quite a bit of negotiating strategy. You will probably finish the book feeling like you could most certainly negotiate yourself out of a hostage situation! (But let’s not do anything stupid.)
I also want to commend the author for good, creative, realistic, and at times (properly) funny writing and dialogue.
“He was actually a softhearted kitten trapped in a the body of a nineties-movie action hero.”
“They should insist all prospective negotiators have kids. Nothing prepared you better for crisis management.”
Very relatable, Mike Omer. Well. Mostly relatable. The characters eat Chick-Fil-A and one eats her sandwich with ranch dressing. This is a trajesty. I mean ranch is one of the main food groups, but must we write a character who hates Chick-Fil-A sauce??
The main character, Abby Mullen, is a hostage negotiator for the NYPD. Her life has been shaped by the traumatic experience she had growing up in a cult… I mean… “Christian community”. It’s stupid they call it that. (Why do all the cults always choose the Bible to pretend to care about. Choose a different religion psychos.)
Anyway. At the age of 7 Abby was caught up in a standoff between her cult and the police. It ended in a blazing fire with only 3 survivors- her and 2 other kids.
Her past comes back to haunt her years later as she is contacted by Eden, one of the other survivors, whose son, Nathan, was just kidnapped and ransomed for 5 million dollars.
This book is written in several third-person POVs. From the abductor’s chapters we gather that he has an obsession with Nathan’s older sister, Gabrielle, who is a popular social media influencer. (Sidenote: spellcheck says influencer isn’t a word— how has this not been added to the dictionary yet?) Several years prior Eden had joined and then later left a different cult. There are too many connections with the said cult to be a coincidence.
How is it all connected? Or is it? And how can Abby even access the answers she needs from a controlled community with a lot of secrets to keep? Time is running out.
I would recommend this book. It does have some swearing (1 f-word, 35 s-words) but it was moderate enough that I could read around it. It shapes up to be an interesting series with some good character dynamics and mysteries yet to reveal!
Books with cults are simultaneously infuriating and fascinating. I’m blown away by the ability for these insane places to exist and for people to get sucked in and stay in. It’s also very heartbreaking because you know these cults are out there and are ruining people’s lives. Having watched a good chunk of Leah Remini’s Scientology documentary, the many facets of cults displayed there show up here too. Which leads me to this quote:
“Because there was only one vaccination against cult recruitment—being on guard. And if you assumed you were already immune, if you underestimated cults, then you were at risk.”
Basically the bi-fold message of this book is: Don’t get recruited to a cult. And being popular on social media can be dangerous. So far I’ve managed to avoid both!
Stay safe out there!
If you like books with cults in them here are a few others I’ve read:
The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted & Rachelle Dekker
The Program (Tim Rackley #2) by Gregg Hurwitz
You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine MacKenzie
The Line Between by Tosca Lee
Mostly unrelated question: Does anyone else think this book cover image would have been a better option for The Forest of Vanishing Stars than the girl with the red coat?!
**Received a copy via Amazon First Reads**
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