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The Singular Menace #1
Uncaged
A New York Times bestseller!
John Sandford (bestelling author of the Lucas Davenport "Prey" novels) and Michele Cook debut a high-octane thriller series about a ruthless corporation, unspeakable experiments, and a fight to expose the truth.
Shay Remby arrives in Hollywood with $58 and a handmade knife, searching for her brother, Odin.
Odin’s a brilliant hacker but a bit of a loose cannon. He and a group of radical animal-rights activists hit a Singular Corp. research lab in Eugene, Oregon. The raid was a disaster, but Odin escaped with a set of highly encrypted flash drives and a post-surgical dog.
When Shay gets a frantic 3 a.m. phone call from Odin—talking about evidence of unspeakable experiments, and a ruthless corporation, and how he must hide—she’s concerned. When she gets a menacing visit from Singular’s security team, she knows: her brother’s a dead man walking.
What Singular doesn’t know—yet—is that 16-year-old Shay is every bit as ruthless as their security force, and she will burn Singular to the ground, if that’s what it takes to save her brother.
John Sandford (bestelling author of the Lucas Davenport "Prey" novels) and Michele Cook debut a high-octane thriller series about a ruthless corporation, unspeakable experiments, and a fight to expose the truth.
Shay Remby arrives in Hollywood with $58 and a handmade knife, searching for her brother, Odin.
Odin’s a brilliant hacker but a bit of a loose cannon. He and a group of radical animal-rights activists hit a Singular Corp. research lab in Eugene, Oregon. The raid was a disaster, but Odin escaped with a set of highly encrypted flash drives and a post-surgical dog.
When Shay gets a frantic 3 a.m. phone call from Odin—talking about evidence of unspeakable experiments, and a ruthless corporation, and how he must hide—she’s concerned. When she gets a menacing visit from Singular’s security team, she knows: her brother’s a dead man walking.
What Singular doesn’t know—yet—is that 16-year-old Shay is every bit as ruthless as their security force, and she will burn Singular to the ground, if that’s what it takes to save her brother.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
1744 people are currently reading
4107 people want to read
About the author
John Sandford
232 books9,614 followersJohn Sandford is the pen name of John Roswell Camp, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author known for his gripping thrillers and popular crime series. After earning degrees in history, literature, and journalism from the University of Iowa, Camp began his writing career as a reporter, first at The Miami Herald and later at The Saint Paul Pioneer Press, where he earned critical acclaim for in-depth series on Native American communities and American farm life. His work won him the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1986.
In 1989, Camp transitioned into fiction, publishing two novels: The Fool's Run under his real name and Rules of Prey under the pseudonym John Sandford. The latter launched the long-running “Prey” series, starring Lucas Davenport, a sharp, fearless investigator navigating politically sensitive crimes across Minnesota and beyond. The series grew to include spin-offs and crossovers, notably featuring characters like Virgil Flowers, a laid-back BCA agent with a sharp wit, and Letty Davenport, Lucas's equally determined daughter, who stars in her own series starting in 2022.
Sandford’s books have consistently appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, with over two dozen debuting at number one. Known for his dynamic storytelling, fast pacing, and keen attention to detail, Sandford combines his journalistic roots with a gift for character-driven narratives. He remains an avid reader and outdoorsman, and continues to write compelling fiction that resonates with readers who enjoy intelligent thrillers grounded in realism and driven by memorable protagonists.
In 1989, Camp transitioned into fiction, publishing two novels: The Fool's Run under his real name and Rules of Prey under the pseudonym John Sandford. The latter launched the long-running “Prey” series, starring Lucas Davenport, a sharp, fearless investigator navigating politically sensitive crimes across Minnesota and beyond. The series grew to include spin-offs and crossovers, notably featuring characters like Virgil Flowers, a laid-back BCA agent with a sharp wit, and Letty Davenport, Lucas's equally determined daughter, who stars in her own series starting in 2022.
Sandford’s books have consistently appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, with over two dozen debuting at number one. Known for his dynamic storytelling, fast pacing, and keen attention to detail, Sandford combines his journalistic roots with a gift for character-driven narratives. He remains an avid reader and outdoorsman, and continues to write compelling fiction that resonates with readers who enjoy intelligent thrillers grounded in realism and driven by memorable protagonists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 633 reviews
May 18, 2023
Not sure what I was expecting from my favorite author, but it wasn't this. Perhaps it was the cowriting, or another author's doings. Generous, 4 of 10 stars
May 26, 2020
Well this has been laying around on my "reading" shelf for a while as I haven't gotten around to reviewing it. That's because I never really got interested in it.
Yes we start out with a raid on a lab to raise awareness of animal experimentation...that goes very wrong. From there we do get chases, conspiracies and so on but for me it all dragged and left me wondering why I was putting my time into the book. Where the synopsis led me to expect an action adventure what I got (in the end) seemed to be more an introduction to the "coming installments" of the series.
So...a very lukewarm 2 stars. maybe you'll like it better than I did.
Yes we start out with a raid on a lab to raise awareness of animal experimentation...that goes very wrong. From there we do get chases, conspiracies and so on but for me it all dragged and left me wondering why I was putting my time into the book. Where the synopsis led me to expect an action adventure what I got (in the end) seemed to be more an introduction to the "coming installments" of the series.
So...a very lukewarm 2 stars. maybe you'll like it better than I did.
July 17, 2014
I always get a little nervous when my favorite authors step outside the series' for which, I already love them. I get it. I mean how many times can you write about the same characters without wanting to try something new, right? Still, when I heard that John Sandford was teaming up with Michelle Cook to write a YA book, I was worried. And frankly, my immediate thoughts were along the lines of: Why doesn't he just write an extra Prey novel or and extra Fucking Flowers novel this year?
Well. I love those series' and wouldn't have minded an extra book in either, but I'm happy to report that this new undertaking is absolutely top notch and after reading it, I'm happy that Sandford chose to branch out a bit and try something new because it was a really enjoyable read and it's one that fans of the Prey series and the Flowers series can get right on board with and enjoy.
Sandford and Cook write the antithesis of the modern YA novel. You'll find no elves, witches, vampires, magic or dystopian futures in this book. You'll see no love stories between sappy, dying cancer patients that are designed only to tug on your emotions. You'll get no adult fantasy of what a kid should be like and you'll get no condescending adults in children's bodies.
What you do get is that Sandford-style fast pace and snark, along with some incredible characters, each of whom is a slowly unwrapping mystery. At one point, the heroine, Shay, asks another character who seems to be helping without a reason, why he's doing it--why he's helping--and I wanted to stand and applaud. It was a minor detail, but it was a question that needed to be asked and so often in YA Fiction, those hard questions don't get asked. Those details are overlooked.
I don't typically do story summaries when writing reviews here because we all have access to the back of the jacket blurb and I feel it's a bit redundant, but I also know that a few of you aren't sure about following Sandford into the land of YA, so I'll give you a short one. It's an action/thriller about a brother and sister who find themselves on the wrong side of a very secretive corporation. It starts as an animal rights fight but becomes much more when it becomes apparent that the Singular Corp is doing heinous things with no regard for human life. Sandford & Cook expertly trap the siblings and put them in the crosshairs of the militant arm of this company and they won't stop until Shay and Odin are silenced.
That's all you get. To give away more would be to spoil the reading. Just take my word for it that this is a series well worth getting involved in and reading. I'm already anxiously awaiting Book 2. I may have started with a bit of hesitation, but I'm fully on board now and you will be too. Uncaged is an excellent book and a promising start to a series I can't wait to read. I recommend it fully and heartily.
Well. I love those series' and wouldn't have minded an extra book in either, but I'm happy to report that this new undertaking is absolutely top notch and after reading it, I'm happy that Sandford chose to branch out a bit and try something new because it was a really enjoyable read and it's one that fans of the Prey series and the Flowers series can get right on board with and enjoy.
Sandford and Cook write the antithesis of the modern YA novel. You'll find no elves, witches, vampires, magic or dystopian futures in this book. You'll see no love stories between sappy, dying cancer patients that are designed only to tug on your emotions. You'll get no adult fantasy of what a kid should be like and you'll get no condescending adults in children's bodies.
What you do get is that Sandford-style fast pace and snark, along with some incredible characters, each of whom is a slowly unwrapping mystery. At one point, the heroine, Shay, asks another character who seems to be helping without a reason, why he's doing it--why he's helping--and I wanted to stand and applaud. It was a minor detail, but it was a question that needed to be asked and so often in YA Fiction, those hard questions don't get asked. Those details are overlooked.
I don't typically do story summaries when writing reviews here because we all have access to the back of the jacket blurb and I feel it's a bit redundant, but I also know that a few of you aren't sure about following Sandford into the land of YA, so I'll give you a short one. It's an action/thriller about a brother and sister who find themselves on the wrong side of a very secretive corporation. It starts as an animal rights fight but becomes much more when it becomes apparent that the Singular Corp is doing heinous things with no regard for human life. Sandford & Cook expertly trap the siblings and put them in the crosshairs of the militant arm of this company and they won't stop until Shay and Odin are silenced.
That's all you get. To give away more would be to spoil the reading. Just take my word for it that this is a series well worth getting involved in and reading. I'm already anxiously awaiting Book 2. I may have started with a bit of hesitation, but I'm fully on board now and you will be too. Uncaged is an excellent book and a promising start to a series I can't wait to read. I recommend it fully and heartily.
December 19, 2017
What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be! I'm a major John Sandford fan but wasn't sure how a young adult version of his books would turn out. Though not as gritty as his Virgil Flowers or Lucas Davenport stories, there is still plenty of grit to go around. I listened to the audio book and the the narration is pretty good. The voices sound like they do for young children's cartoon TV programs. Yet she still conveys the story rather well.
The story starts off with a group of teenagers and young adults in an animal rights group raiding a lab that uses animals for testing and research. During their raid freeing animals from their cages, a computer whiz named Odin manages to capture some USB data storage sticks containing data about some of the company's "other" research. Odin also decides to take a dog which is a research subject. When Odin's sister, Shay, gets worried about her brother, she decides to try to find him.
In the search for Odin, Shay meets up with some other colorful characters--Twist, Cruz, Emily just to name a few.
If the reader overlooks the feasibility of a few things in the story, it is a thrilling and fun story full of twists and turns. The beginning I wasn't sure but quickly warmed up to the story, characters and plot. The story seemed a bit juvenile at first (after all this IS a YA book) but I got hooked nonetheless.
All in all, Uncaged is an interesting and entertaining read. I'm already well into the next book in the series--Outrage.
The story starts off with a group of teenagers and young adults in an animal rights group raiding a lab that uses animals for testing and research. During their raid freeing animals from their cages, a computer whiz named Odin manages to capture some USB data storage sticks containing data about some of the company's "other" research. Odin also decides to take a dog which is a research subject. When Odin's sister, Shay, gets worried about her brother, she decides to try to find him.
In the search for Odin, Shay meets up with some other colorful characters--Twist, Cruz, Emily just to name a few.
If the reader overlooks the feasibility of a few things in the story, it is a thrilling and fun story full of twists and turns. The beginning I wasn't sure but quickly warmed up to the story, characters and plot. The story seemed a bit juvenile at first (after all this IS a YA book) but I got hooked nonetheless.
All in all, Uncaged is an interesting and entertaining read. I'm already well into the next book in the series--Outrage.
July 15, 2014
Uncaged is a real thrill ride of a book. Once you start reading you'll find yourself immediately and completely immersed in the plot and unable to put the book down. It's not a short story, it's more than 400 pages long, but thanks to Sandford and Cook's captivating writing style, you'll be flipping through those 400 pages at a break-neck, finger-blistering pace. It's really a well-written, refreshingly bold, often times deeply disturbing, thought-provoking and intensely gripping novel, and I highly recommend picking it up.
Thanks to the intelligent plot line filled with relevant themes such as experimentation on animals, eco-activism, corruption and the never ending David-and-Goliath sort of battle against multi-million dollar corporations, this book reads more like an adult novel that your usual YA. I was completely unprepared for how much the descriptions of the experiments performed on animals would affect me. Not only was I emotionally invested in the story, I often felt physically ill, reading about the horrible abuse and cruelty. The way the story plays out leaves you satisfied, wanting more, but also feeling kind of dirty and in a need of a long, hot shower.
John Sandford is a well known bestselling author of numerous thrillers, and his skill in writing those is evident all throughout Uncaged. Together with Michele Cook, they have penned a really good, blood-pressure-spiking story. Being an animal lover through and through, I was especially affected by the subject matter and found myself completely engrossed in the plot line right from the very beginning.
This book has a strong cast of unique characters - characters that are not your usual cookie cut-outs YA heroes and heroines. They are more diverse, more convincing, more real than most of the YA characters out there. Odin is a computer whiz, a skilled hacker and an autistic animal-lover with a golden heart. He's a great character and I enjoyed the parts of the book revolving around him and his actions. Shay, his younger sister, is fierce, unstoppable, very brave and protective of her older brother. I really liked her, too. Their story was a heart-pounding and thrilling, but also quite moving, considering the lengths they'd go to help each other.
Overall, this was an awesome beginning to what promises to be the next hit YA-series, and I am definitely going to be reading the next books. In fact, I really can't wait for the next one to come out.
Thanks to the intelligent plot line filled with relevant themes such as experimentation on animals, eco-activism, corruption and the never ending David-and-Goliath sort of battle against multi-million dollar corporations, this book reads more like an adult novel that your usual YA. I was completely unprepared for how much the descriptions of the experiments performed on animals would affect me. Not only was I emotionally invested in the story, I often felt physically ill, reading about the horrible abuse and cruelty. The way the story plays out leaves you satisfied, wanting more, but also feeling kind of dirty and in a need of a long, hot shower.
John Sandford is a well known bestselling author of numerous thrillers, and his skill in writing those is evident all throughout Uncaged. Together with Michele Cook, they have penned a really good, blood-pressure-spiking story. Being an animal lover through and through, I was especially affected by the subject matter and found myself completely engrossed in the plot line right from the very beginning.
This book has a strong cast of unique characters - characters that are not your usual cookie cut-outs YA heroes and heroines. They are more diverse, more convincing, more real than most of the YA characters out there. Odin is a computer whiz, a skilled hacker and an autistic animal-lover with a golden heart. He's a great character and I enjoyed the parts of the book revolving around him and his actions. Shay, his younger sister, is fierce, unstoppable, very brave and protective of her older brother. I really liked her, too. Their story was a heart-pounding and thrilling, but also quite moving, considering the lengths they'd go to help each other.
Overall, this was an awesome beginning to what promises to be the next hit YA-series, and I am definitely going to be reading the next books. In fact, I really can't wait for the next one to come out.
October 8, 2018
Overall, it was a pretty good story, but it dragged at times & ended with a second book firmly in mind. Not really a cliff-hanger, but there is plenty more to come. If I'm not mistaken, it's a trilogy, but I'm not sure I really want to read further & I'm not sure why.
It's definitely a YA setting, but certainly not dumbed down a lot. Things go a little too well fairly often, but not all the time. Some bad things do happen to good people, but the bad guys are a little too bad, & the good ones too good - especially our heroine - typical of this sort of book. Long descriptions of every action. Maybe that's why it bored me. I really felt like skipping through the Hollywood sign segment. It was just too obvious how things would work out.
Anyway, it didn't blow a lot of wind up my skirt & I was kind of glad to come to the end. 2.5 stars rounded up.
It's definitely a YA setting, but certainly not dumbed down a lot. Things go a little too well fairly often, but not all the time. Some bad things do happen to good people, but the bad guys are a little too bad, & the good ones too good - especially our heroine - typical of this sort of book. Long descriptions of every action. Maybe that's why it bored me. I really felt like skipping through the Hollywood sign segment. It was just too obvious how things would work out.
Anyway, it didn't blow a lot of wind up my skirt & I was kind of glad to come to the end. 2.5 stars rounded up.
July 22, 2015
Review also appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7
Okay, so I read Uncaged by John Sandford because I had a copy of the sequel (which I didn't read) and I'm not going to lie, I was excited for this. Why? Because mystery/thrillers/action type books are totally a guilty pleasure for me.
While the beginning of Sandford's novel was interesting and had me admittedly hooked, I slowly started to lose interest. The book was winded and random and kind of boring in parts. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen so that the beginning would be explained. But nope. It wasn't until near the end where stuff started to happen and I honestly skimmed over a lot of it. I was bored and just wanted the whole thing to end.
But how does an intriguing book go so downhill for me? The protagonist and stretches of boring moments. Being a person who loves teen thrillers, I'm used to situations occurring frequently while the protagonist(s) tries to solve some mystery and/or get to the bottom of an issue. Uncaged just kind of sat there and stewed in its own promises until the fated moment.
Mainly, I just really, really disliked the protagonist. She was rude (how many times are you going to tell the people who are helping you EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T HAVE TO to shut up?), unappreciative, and I'm not going to lie, she didn't help matters when it came to her brother's troubles after the first third of the novel. I mean, you see people coming for him, yet you make him explain things to you when he could be getting away? Don't you guys have secure forms of communication where he can explain things there? Seriously (They do). Also, she was one of those protagonists that EVERY dude was like, "Whoa, she's hot!" I mean, a female character is of course allowed to be beautiful (both inside and out, or either or), but the reader doesn't need to be constantly reminded of how hot she is. Granted, it's her appeal that nearly gets her abducted at the beginning, but like the insta-love some of these male characters get for this girl simply because she's pretty is ridiculous. Especially when she's a bitch. And she has an unnecessary makeover at some point. JUST, WHY?!?!
Also, the dialogue. The formatting of it was really annoying and a little lazy. I mean, I get that there's a long interchange between two characters but writing colons for every character is unnecessary and frankly, a little offensive. If other writers can do dialogue without colons, then I'm sure you'll be okay. We don't need this:
Melissa said, "Hi."
I said, "Hi."
Melissa: "How are you?"
Me: "I'm fine."
If you continue writing in the pattern where Melissa (for example) speaks first followed by me, then you don't need the colons. Jeebs. Trust your readers to not get lost in the maze of your writing, please. I know everyone has their own style and that's cool, but this was excessive in this book. Colons were everywhere. It was like Attack of the Colons--coming to a theatre near you!
The best part of this book is the beginning (before we're introduced to the protagonist's personality), the dog, and the protagonist's brother. They're probably the main reason why I'm not giving this a one star rating.
Wow, haven't ranted like this in a while.
I don't know if I would recommend this book to anyone. I just felt so unamused by the whole thing. Every time the protagonist told someone to shut up, I wanted to slap her. I get that you're a toughened street kid, but when a guy just walks into the room and doesn't say anything, I don't think he deserves to be told to shut up. Especially when he's putting everything he loves in danger to help you.
Okay, I digressed again.
Happy reading!
Okay, so I read Uncaged by John Sandford because I had a copy of the sequel (which I didn't read) and I'm not going to lie, I was excited for this. Why? Because mystery/thrillers/action type books are totally a guilty pleasure for me.
While the beginning of Sandford's novel was interesting and had me admittedly hooked, I slowly started to lose interest. The book was winded and random and kind of boring in parts. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen so that the beginning would be explained. But nope. It wasn't until near the end where stuff started to happen and I honestly skimmed over a lot of it. I was bored and just wanted the whole thing to end.
But how does an intriguing book go so downhill for me? The protagonist and stretches of boring moments. Being a person who loves teen thrillers, I'm used to situations occurring frequently while the protagonist(s) tries to solve some mystery and/or get to the bottom of an issue. Uncaged just kind of sat there and stewed in its own promises until the fated moment.
Mainly, I just really, really disliked the protagonist. She was rude (how many times are you going to tell the people who are helping you EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T HAVE TO to shut up?), unappreciative, and I'm not going to lie, she didn't help matters when it came to her brother's troubles after the first third of the novel. I mean, you see people coming for him, yet you make him explain things to you when he could be getting away? Don't you guys have secure forms of communication where he can explain things there? Seriously (They do). Also, she was one of those protagonists that EVERY dude was like, "Whoa, she's hot!" I mean, a female character is of course allowed to be beautiful (both inside and out, or either or), but the reader doesn't need to be constantly reminded of how hot she is. Granted, it's her appeal that nearly gets her abducted at the beginning, but like the insta-love some of these male characters get for this girl simply because she's pretty is ridiculous. Especially when she's a bitch. And she has an unnecessary makeover at some point. JUST, WHY?!?!
Also, the dialogue. The formatting of it was really annoying and a little lazy. I mean, I get that there's a long interchange between two characters but writing colons for every character is unnecessary and frankly, a little offensive. If other writers can do dialogue without colons, then I'm sure you'll be okay. We don't need this:
Melissa said, "Hi."
I said, "Hi."
Melissa: "How are you?"
Me: "I'm fine."
If you continue writing in the pattern where Melissa (for example) speaks first followed by me, then you don't need the colons. Jeebs. Trust your readers to not get lost in the maze of your writing, please. I know everyone has their own style and that's cool, but this was excessive in this book. Colons were everywhere. It was like Attack of the Colons--coming to a theatre near you!
The best part of this book is the beginning (before we're introduced to the protagonist's personality), the dog, and the protagonist's brother. They're probably the main reason why I'm not giving this a one star rating.
Wow, haven't ranted like this in a while.
I don't know if I would recommend this book to anyone. I just felt so unamused by the whole thing. Every time the protagonist told someone to shut up, I wanted to slap her. I get that you're a toughened street kid, but when a guy just walks into the room and doesn't say anything, I don't think he deserves to be told to shut up. Especially when he's putting everything he loves in danger to help you.
Okay, I digressed again.
Happy reading!
July 10, 2014
I read anything by John Sandford so I was intrigued when I found out he had taken on a co-author and tried his hand at a young adult novel. Of course this stars all new characters, including Shay, a teen who is basically homeless along with her older brother. They fall into a fight against a corporation that not only tests its products on animals but humans as well. While I swear this reminded me of an old Dean Koontz I read decades ago with its race to take down a giant, evil entity with total disregard for human life, it also had Sandford's trademark interesting characters. A friend who read this objected to so many sections in an adult point of view in a YA thriller. I didn't mind since I read both adult and young adult fare. Bottom line--I enjoyed the book, will look for the sequel and liked the tension throughout. Twist, an artist who befriends Shay was a little too good to be true, but he definitely adds interest. I'll be interested to see what others think of this book. I almost gave it a four and a half.
June 16, 2014
Even though this novel is a young adult novel I think many adult readers will enjoy reading this series. I usually don't care too much for novels that get political or preachy about causes, they can alienate some readers including myself. This novel doesn't get too involved with advocating the politics of the rights groups, but allows enough to make a story that keeps you interest in seeing what happens to Shay, Odin, Twist and X.
I do hope to learn more about these characters along with Cruz and Cade as the series continues. The hardest part is wanting the next book before this first book has been released.
I do hope to learn more about these characters along with Cruz and Cade as the series continues. The hardest part is wanting the next book before this first book has been released.
August 10, 2015
That was a great book. Pretty long, not in like length but like reading it it took a long I felt. But yo that was great. The main character Shay was awesome and Twist seems soo badass. I also liked how there wasn't really a love interest, like there kind of is but it's not even a part of the story. It was basically Shay wanted to get her brother back by any needs necessary which means no time for love and it was great.
4/5
4/5
July 29, 2020
Starting a new written series, John Sandford is pulling out the stops and is trying his hand at this new series. I've read Lucas Davenport, Virgil Flowers, and now am giving Uncaged (The Singular Manace, #Davenport has a strong interest in reading, poetry, and war gaming. As the series develops, Davenport exhibits a number of anxiety disorders, including mood depression and chronic fear of flying on fixed-wing aircraft. Paradoxically, he is not afraid of helicopter flight. His best friend is Elle Krueger, a Catholic nun who is also a professor of psychology. Davenport often receives assistance from Krueger psychologically profiling criminals.
Davenport refers to himself as "mostly a Democrat." He has four children: Sarah (with reporter Jennifer Carey), Sam (with surgeon Weather Karkinnen), Letty (adopted after her mother was killed), and a newborn daughter, Gabrielle, with Weather.
"Prey" author John Sandford told The New York Post in June 2002 that he first thought of Davenport as a sociopath: "He had a problem with women. Even when he was in a relationship, he'd [have an affair with] some [other] women. But then he changed, mellowed out ... . I want him to have a happy ending. I don't want him to wind up a bitter, lonely guy."
In September 2004, he told the Budapest newspaper Vasárnapi Hírek: "I've always thought of him as a kind of sociopath who is slightly warped. Of course, Davenport changed a lot throughout the stories, he became calmer. . . ." Later, the promiscuous young Davenport was presented as a married man because "I wanted to show that Davenport is capable of love and he doesn't just collect women, like in the beginning." Both statements appear in the www.johnsandford.org website.1) a try.
Shay Renby arrives in Hollywood with $58 and a handmade knife. She's got to find her brother before Singular does....
Odin's a brilliant hacker but a bit of a loose cannon. He and a group of radical animal rights activists hit a Singular Corporation research lab. The raid was a disaster, but Odin escaped with a set of highly encrypted flash drives and a post-surgical dog.
When Shay gets a frantic 3 a.m. phone call from Odin — talking about evidence of unspeakable experiments, and a ruthless corporation, and how he must hide — she's concerned. When she gets a menacing visit from Singular's security team, she knows: her brother's a dead man walking.
What Singular doesn't know — yet — is that 16-year-old Shay is every bit as ruthless as their security force, and she will burn Singular to the ground, if that's what it takes to save her brother...
Lucas Davenport pursues a prolific serial killer who has gone undetected for years in the newest nail-biter by #1 New York Times-bestselling author John Sandford.
Clayton Deese looks like a small-time criminal, muscle for hire when his loan shark boss needs to teach someone a lesson. Now, seven months after a job that went south and landed him in jail, Deese has skipped out on bail, and the U.S. Marshals come looking for him. They don't much care about a low-level guy — it's his boss they want — but Deese might be their best chance to bring down the whole operation.
Then, they step onto a dirt trail behind Deese's rural Louisiana cabin and find a jungle full of graves.
Now Lucas Davenport is on the trail of a serial killer who has been operating for years without notice. His quarry is ruthless, and — as Davenport will come to find — full of surprises...
WOW, Interesting start for this new series. I'm sure based on passed history that this
Davenport refers to himself as "mostly a Democrat." He has four children: Sarah (with reporter Jennifer Carey), Sam (with surgeon Weather Karkinnen), Letty (adopted after her mother was killed), and a newborn daughter, Gabrielle, with Weather.
"Prey" author John Sandford told The New York Post in June 2002 that he first thought of Davenport as a sociopath: "He had a problem with women. Even when he was in a relationship, he'd [have an affair with] some [other] women. But then he changed, mellowed out ... . I want him to have a happy ending. I don't want him to wind up a bitter, lonely guy."
In September 2004, he told the Budapest newspaper Vasárnapi Hírek: "I've always thought of him as a kind of sociopath who is slightly warped. Of course, Davenport changed a lot throughout the stories, he became calmer. . . ." Later, the promiscuous young Davenport was presented as a married man because "I wanted to show that Davenport is capable of love and he doesn't just collect women, like in the beginning." Both statements appear in the www.johnsandford.org website.1) a try.
Shay Renby arrives in Hollywood with $58 and a handmade knife. She's got to find her brother before Singular does....
Odin's a brilliant hacker but a bit of a loose cannon. He and a group of radical animal rights activists hit a Singular Corporation research lab. The raid was a disaster, but Odin escaped with a set of highly encrypted flash drives and a post-surgical dog.
When Shay gets a frantic 3 a.m. phone call from Odin — talking about evidence of unspeakable experiments, and a ruthless corporation, and how he must hide — she's concerned. When she gets a menacing visit from Singular's security team, she knows: her brother's a dead man walking.
What Singular doesn't know — yet — is that 16-year-old Shay is every bit as ruthless as their security force, and she will burn Singular to the ground, if that's what it takes to save her brother...
Lucas Davenport pursues a prolific serial killer who has gone undetected for years in the newest nail-biter by #1 New York Times-bestselling author John Sandford.
Clayton Deese looks like a small-time criminal, muscle for hire when his loan shark boss needs to teach someone a lesson. Now, seven months after a job that went south and landed him in jail, Deese has skipped out on bail, and the U.S. Marshals come looking for him. They don't much care about a low-level guy — it's his boss they want — but Deese might be their best chance to bring down the whole operation.
Then, they step onto a dirt trail behind Deese's rural Louisiana cabin and find a jungle full of graves.
Now Lucas Davenport is on the trail of a serial killer who has been operating for years without notice. His quarry is ruthless, and — as Davenport will come to find — full of surprises...
WOW, Interesting start for this new series. I'm sure based on passed history that this
July 23, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
February 28, 2025
Such a gripping plot, very hard to put down.
October 16, 2017
This is the first book in this series and the only one I have read. I really enjoyed it. John Sanford and Michelle Cook do a good job the plot is interesting and it is a fun read.
September 4, 2019
This appears to be John Sandford's dive into Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz and Robin Cook territory and I must say he didn't do a bad job :) A very fast paced action packed novel starring the younger generation. It was a grim reminder that the people who are fight our wars are YOUNG men and women...
Of course it leaves us hanging and can't wait to read the next one in this series.
Of course it leaves us hanging and can't wait to read the next one in this series.
June 13, 2014
A grabber of a prologue in this series-starter has our heroine, Shay Remby, changing her looks and preparing for danger in a seedy hotel room. Then, we flash back to a raid on an animal laboratory in which her brother, Odin, was involved. The action is non-stop; several characters are intriguing; the eco-activism is (or could be) refreshing. Except for the often-confusing plot, the book is an easy read, written with rapid-fire sentences and ample dialogue. I will probably suggest it to reluctant readers who might appreciate a thriller with fast pacing with something of an animal-rights, anti-establishment story line.
Unfortunately, I hesitate to describe it as a “story line,” because the plot careens around, touching many topics of interest (teen homelessness, immigration issues, animal rights, flawed foster care) but not landing long enough to develop them. The writing is choppy and often seems to introduce and abandon characters, places, and character traits purely for plot convenience.
Character development is scanty and inconsistent. Odin is autistic, but we learn little more about his particular condition than that he has mad computer skills and modest social ones. Another character, Cruz, lives in the shelter for homeless teens that Shay’s champion, eccentric artist Twist, runs. Not a fleshed-out character, Cruz has tattoos and can turn on a “cholo” accent at will. Do I sense some stereotyping here?
The environmental activists seem passionate in Chapter One, risking arrest and even bodily harm--but when we encounter them again later in the book, they’ve become dullards who play mindless video games and quickly give up on their cause and their comrade. By then, the animal rights angle has devolved to the main characters’ loyalty to one sympathetic dog which was an experimental subject.
I hope that subsequent installments in The Singular Menace series will keep the spunky heroine and the curiously fascinating Twist while putting some literary meat on the bones of the issues Uncaged brings up.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reading e-copy.
Unfortunately, I hesitate to describe it as a “story line,” because the plot careens around, touching many topics of interest (teen homelessness, immigration issues, animal rights, flawed foster care) but not landing long enough to develop them. The writing is choppy and often seems to introduce and abandon characters, places, and character traits purely for plot convenience.
Character development is scanty and inconsistent. Odin is autistic, but we learn little more about his particular condition than that he has mad computer skills and modest social ones. Another character, Cruz, lives in the shelter for homeless teens that Shay’s champion, eccentric artist Twist, runs. Not a fleshed-out character, Cruz has tattoos and can turn on a “cholo” accent at will. Do I sense some stereotyping here?
The environmental activists seem passionate in Chapter One, risking arrest and even bodily harm--but when we encounter them again later in the book, they’ve become dullards who play mindless video games and quickly give up on their cause and their comrade. By then, the animal rights angle has devolved to the main characters’ loyalty to one sympathetic dog which was an experimental subject.
I hope that subsequent installments in The Singular Menace series will keep the spunky heroine and the curiously fascinating Twist while putting some literary meat on the bones of the issues Uncaged brings up.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reading e-copy.
September 14, 2014
3.5 stars -- While entirely too long, UNCAGED was nonetheless a competent YA thriller.
The story is touched off by a lab break-in conducted by alleged animal rights activists, which is what originally got me interested in this book. While the experiments being done on the animals are gruesome and obviously based upon some real research protocols, the activists don't come off that well in the book. (That said, the research company turns out to be far, far worse, and is the principal villain.) The activists seem to be mainly serving themselves, and simply dump the suffering animals out of their cages into the lab building--which further dooms the creatures, as they are quickly recaught by the scientists.
While the author clearly drew inspiration upon the "animal liberation" laboratory raids of the 1980s, the point of the real-life incidents was to get animals out of the lab and into "safe houses." Sandford's activists explicitly denounce liberating the animals, and one is saved only by accident.
However, UNCAGED explores issues that few mainstream readers often consider--vivisection and research ethics, as well as industry PR tactics, so perhaps some teens will be inspired to look closer into the real-life issues that inspired this book.
The story is touched off by a lab break-in conducted by alleged animal rights activists, which is what originally got me interested in this book. While the experiments being done on the animals are gruesome and obviously based upon some real research protocols, the activists don't come off that well in the book. (That said, the research company turns out to be far, far worse, and is the principal villain.) The activists seem to be mainly serving themselves, and simply dump the suffering animals out of their cages into the lab building--which further dooms the creatures, as they are quickly recaught by the scientists.
While the author clearly drew inspiration upon the "animal liberation" laboratory raids of the 1980s, the point of the real-life incidents was to get animals out of the lab and into "safe houses." Sandford's activists explicitly denounce liberating the animals, and one is saved only by accident.
However, UNCAGED explores issues that few mainstream readers often consider--vivisection and research ethics, as well as industry PR tactics, so perhaps some teens will be inspired to look closer into the real-life issues that inspired this book.
August 17, 2014
This is the first book in this young, adult series. This book is a nice start to this series. I would have rated this book better if the plot/storyline had not jumped around as much. It was like the two authors had all these ideas in their head and they could not decide what to edit so they added them all to the story. For example there was the whole animal science experiment that Singular Corp was doing, the teen homelessness (which I did not see where this really had anything to do with the story line, ok so some of the teens who help Shay are homeless not a big deal), immigration activism rights, etc. If there had been just the one topic at hand, then it would have been better. Also, it did read like a first book. It seemed like it needed to be fleshed out a little more. However the book did end on a high note. A nice lead into the next one. Which I will probably check out the next book.
December 16, 2014
My star rating: Probably a 4.75 - but it deserves a round up not a round down =)
Plot: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World: 4/5
Romance: NA
Enjoyment level: 5/5 stars
Once upon a time I read John Sandfords' adult novels and thoroughly enjoyed them. This is his first YA novel and I have to say I think he and Michelle Cook did a fantastic job. It was very difficult to tell this was written by two people. I loved the style of writing - I could tell that this was a more 'adult' writer of the YA genre.
The pacing was a little slow to start, but once it got going there was no turning back. Some have said this was a little long and I can see why they might say that but my ONLY disappointment is I have to wait so long for the next in the series.
A great thriller with a bit of a sci-fi flavour. Highly recommended.
Plot: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World: 4/5
Romance: NA
Enjoyment level: 5/5 stars
Once upon a time I read John Sandfords' adult novels and thoroughly enjoyed them. This is his first YA novel and I have to say I think he and Michelle Cook did a fantastic job. It was very difficult to tell this was written by two people. I loved the style of writing - I could tell that this was a more 'adult' writer of the YA genre.
The pacing was a little slow to start, but once it got going there was no turning back. Some have said this was a little long and I can see why they might say that but my ONLY disappointment is I have to wait so long for the next in the series.
A great thriller with a bit of a sci-fi flavour. Highly recommended.
May 19, 2018
This is not the John Sanford I am used to reading so rated it a 3. It was still a good book but very different from his original writings. A group of young animal right believers and things going even further than anyone would ever have thought. A lot of intrigue, excitement and unusual human bonding.
November 21, 2018
.
Uncaged: The Singular Menace, Book 1
•by John Sandford & Michele Cook
Begins with Shay Remby cutting her long, lovely, red hair and dying it black, along with the dog's hair in preparation for going on the run. This is also how the novel ends after things went wrong for Shay's group (her just rescued brother Odin, X the dog, the Asian girl with wires protruding from her shaved head, Twist and fellow conspirators Cade and Cruz) all currently hiding out in a hotel room, deciding what to do next.
A ridiculous story that tends to promote environmental terrorism, graffiti art, support for illegal aliens, mockery of LA's DA and portrays law & order (ICE) as Nazism. Even with the leftist nonsense it's mostly an interesting story.
Odin (nearly 18) and his sister Shay (sixteen) have been raised in the foster care system for maybe 7 years, ever since their grandma died. Their parents died in accidents some years before that.
Odin, a hacker extraordinaire and a bit autistic, has been seduced by his insincere girlfriend Rachel and by his love of animals, to join her animal-rights terrorist group, Storm. They're using Odin for his hacker talent. The group of 12 (mostly teenagers and a 23 year-old leader Ethan) broke into the Singular corporation's research lab near Eugene, Oregon. They smashed the labs, loosed rats, mice, rhesus monkeys, etc, stole thumb drive files and captured on video what the scientists have been doing to the animals.
An insider accomplice claimed the lab is trying to make robots out of living creatures and maybe using people as well. On the way out Odin rescues a convalescing dog with a mysterious eye patch (X). Investigators Marcus West and Cherry from Singular question Shay about her brother's whereabouts. She lies.
West lost his legs in the war and has been equipped with high-tech, brain-controlled prosthetics (bionic legs). A number of other Singular agents have also been turned into bionic men (The 10 million dollar man). The corporation's endeavor seems to be high-tech prosthetics, but also mind control, transferring thoughts to another's brain and creating a robotic human that can maybe last in perpetuity. It's a challenging task costing the lives of innumerable animal and human experimental subjects and requiring great secrecy.
Wanting to rescue her naive brother from the eco-terrorist group, Shay runs away from her foster home and makes her way to LA / Hollywood, the last location she has for Odin.
In Hollywood Shay runs into unsavory characters who prey on runaways. She's rescued by Twist, a wealthy gallery artist (and a subversive political street artist) who runs a safehouse hotel for troubled teens. Being a rock climber, Shay agrees to help Twist & crew hang a giant banner off the side of a building. It's a naked caricature of the new female district attorney wearing a swastika and pointing a gun at a helpless illegal alien. Twist apparently opposes enforcing immigration law.
News footage of Shay repelling off the roof gets her noticed by the Singular goons, who are hunting the Storm raiders, Odin and the stolen dog. A nearby pod of beached whales is sure to attract Odin and that's where Shay finally finds him (at the beach) and the Singular security team follows.
Shay's brother gives her the dog, the bag of stolen thumb drives and instructions. When bionic West races towards them, Odin and girlfriend Rachel take off, but a van of agents kidnap Odin. Rachel also tazed West, short-circuiting his bionic legs and leaving him writhing in pain. Shay helps him.
Shay and crew threaten to post the damming thumb drive video files on the web if Odin isn't released. Investigator West learns of his corporation's evil ways and joins Shay's team. Together they storm the remote corporate prison to rescue Odin who's been beaten and waterboarded. There are also numerous Asians (maybe North Koreans?) being held in the jail as well--human test subjects.
In addition to her brother they only have time to rescue one Asian girl. Their new friend West is shot and must be left behind, he's then murdered by Thorne as part of the cover up--the cops have been called. Sync, Thorne & Harmon, the big wigs, spin a story for damage control.
The rescue team gets away and rendezvous at a motel. Shay obtains a bolt cutter to remove the locks & chain binding the Asian girl.
Shay's new plan: Revenge.
.
Mostly interesting, but at times suffers from slow, plodding preparation and excessive detail. For example: "hijacking" the Hollywood sign with a gigantic, illuminated banner MINDKILL.NET to let everyone know where to see videos exposing Singular's illegal human experiments. If the authors were also trying to show what a difficult, costly and time-consuming task this would be, they succeeded--it took a lot of story time.
X the dog is also bionic, has enhanced hind legs, a special artificial eye and a charging port in his skull to keep him fully powered.
The Singular Menace series:
(Young adult audience)
1. ● Uncaged (2014)
2. Outrage (2015)
3. Rampage (2016)
..
Uncaged: The Singular Menace, Book 1
•by John Sandford & Michele Cook
Begins with Shay Remby cutting her long, lovely, red hair and dying it black, along with the dog's hair in preparation for going on the run. This is also how the novel ends after things went wrong for Shay's group (her just rescued brother Odin, X the dog, the Asian girl with wires protruding from her shaved head, Twist and fellow conspirators Cade and Cruz) all currently hiding out in a hotel room, deciding what to do next.
A ridiculous story that tends to promote environmental terrorism, graffiti art, support for illegal aliens, mockery of LA's DA and portrays law & order (ICE) as Nazism. Even with the leftist nonsense it's mostly an interesting story.
Odin (nearly 18) and his sister Shay (sixteen) have been raised in the foster care system for maybe 7 years, ever since their grandma died. Their parents died in accidents some years before that.
Odin, a hacker extraordinaire and a bit autistic, has been seduced by his insincere girlfriend Rachel and by his love of animals, to join her animal-rights terrorist group, Storm. They're using Odin for his hacker talent. The group of 12 (mostly teenagers and a 23 year-old leader Ethan) broke into the Singular corporation's research lab near Eugene, Oregon. They smashed the labs, loosed rats, mice, rhesus monkeys, etc, stole thumb drive files and captured on video what the scientists have been doing to the animals.
An insider accomplice claimed the lab is trying to make robots out of living creatures and maybe using people as well. On the way out Odin rescues a convalescing dog with a mysterious eye patch (X). Investigators Marcus West and Cherry from Singular question Shay about her brother's whereabouts. She lies.
West lost his legs in the war and has been equipped with high-tech, brain-controlled prosthetics (bionic legs). A number of other Singular agents have also been turned into bionic men (The 10 million dollar man). The corporation's endeavor seems to be high-tech prosthetics, but also mind control, transferring thoughts to another's brain and creating a robotic human that can maybe last in perpetuity. It's a challenging task costing the lives of innumerable animal and human experimental subjects and requiring great secrecy.
Wanting to rescue her naive brother from the eco-terrorist group, Shay runs away from her foster home and makes her way to LA / Hollywood, the last location she has for Odin.
In Hollywood Shay runs into unsavory characters who prey on runaways. She's rescued by Twist, a wealthy gallery artist (and a subversive political street artist) who runs a safehouse hotel for troubled teens. Being a rock climber, Shay agrees to help Twist & crew hang a giant banner off the side of a building. It's a naked caricature of the new female district attorney wearing a swastika and pointing a gun at a helpless illegal alien. Twist apparently opposes enforcing immigration law.
News footage of Shay repelling off the roof gets her noticed by the Singular goons, who are hunting the Storm raiders, Odin and the stolen dog. A nearby pod of beached whales is sure to attract Odin and that's where Shay finally finds him (at the beach) and the Singular security team follows.
Shay's brother gives her the dog, the bag of stolen thumb drives and instructions. When bionic West races towards them, Odin and girlfriend Rachel take off, but a van of agents kidnap Odin. Rachel also tazed West, short-circuiting his bionic legs and leaving him writhing in pain. Shay helps him.
Shay and crew threaten to post the damming thumb drive video files on the web if Odin isn't released. Investigator West learns of his corporation's evil ways and joins Shay's team. Together they storm the remote corporate prison to rescue Odin who's been beaten and waterboarded. There are also numerous Asians (maybe North Koreans?) being held in the jail as well--human test subjects.
In addition to her brother they only have time to rescue one Asian girl. Their new friend West is shot and must be left behind, he's then murdered by Thorne as part of the cover up--the cops have been called. Sync, Thorne & Harmon, the big wigs, spin a story for damage control.
The rescue team gets away and rendezvous at a motel. Shay obtains a bolt cutter to remove the locks & chain binding the Asian girl.
Shay's new plan: Revenge.
.
Mostly interesting, but at times suffers from slow, plodding preparation and excessive detail. For example: "hijacking" the Hollywood sign with a gigantic, illuminated banner MINDKILL.NET to let everyone know where to see videos exposing Singular's illegal human experiments. If the authors were also trying to show what a difficult, costly and time-consuming task this would be, they succeeded--it took a lot of story time.
X the dog is also bionic, has enhanced hind legs, a special artificial eye and a charging port in his skull to keep him fully powered.
The Singular Menace series:
(Young adult audience)
1. ● Uncaged (2014)
2. Outrage (2015)
3. Rampage (2016)
..
April 7, 2018
I'm sorry, this is the only way I can summarize this book: Odin and his activist friends raid a lab that tests on animals. They take files of sensitive data that contains videos of ???. Now they are on the run from the shady corporation, Singular. Odin's little sister, Shay is on the run to find her brother who is on the run. We meet Twist who is a cool character because...because he is I guess. Shay goes to live in Twists hotel where we meet a cast of misfit kids that are never explored. Political Activism Art makes Shay sorta famous. Let's go randomly save the Whales! What's this... Odin is saving the whales too! Forget about the whales forever, Odin is kidnapped and now Shay has a dog and the files. The dogs mysteriousness is explored for a chapter and then whatever. Here are some shady corporation characters doing shady things like waterboarding because no one can know the truth about their testing which is ????. Shay opens one of the videos that her brother made a copy of and finds... strange things that aren't fully explained. Twist, Shay and the gang bargain for her brother and then when demands aren't met, Political Activism Art happens again and they release a video which makes nothing happen. Stuff happens...the end?
This book feels like two authors wrote it. This book was so disjointed.
Characters and plots are constantly introduced and then dropped throughout the whole thing. I didn't know what to focus on.
Oh and I liked that random information was dropped so flippantly throughout the book. For example: big bad Singular dudes nonchalantly say something like "oh their mom worked for Singular and then died...but anyways...". I'm assuming this probable critical plot point will be explored/explained in the sequel...but it was so random. And it happened a lot- like The Singularity was brought up briefly and then dropped. Pretty much nothing and no one was really explained. Like, I get wanting to make people read the rest of the series and stopping on a cliffhanger or whatever...but you can't just answer NOTHING and drop little tidbits like that expecting me to maybe remember it and be blown away when it comes back up again.
I don't know if I will keep reading the series...but knowing me and my trash habits I probably will.
This book feels like two authors wrote it. This book was so disjointed.
Characters and plots are constantly introduced and then dropped throughout the whole thing. I didn't know what to focus on.
Oh and I liked that random information was dropped so flippantly throughout the book. For example: big bad Singular dudes nonchalantly say something like "oh their mom worked for Singular and then died...but anyways...". I'm assuming this probable critical plot point will be explored/explained in the sequel...but it was so random. And it happened a lot- like The Singularity was brought up briefly and then dropped. Pretty much nothing and no one was really explained. Like, I get wanting to make people read the rest of the series and stopping on a cliffhanger or whatever...but you can't just answer NOTHING and drop little tidbits like that expecting me to maybe remember it and be blown away when it comes back up again.
I don't know if I will keep reading the series...but knowing me and my trash habits I probably will.
June 18, 2025
Uncaged
Uncaged by John Sanford was a good book and I will give the second book in the series a try, this book has it's issues just like most books do but I would recommend.
Pros:
1. Strong start: The book kicks off fast. The action and pacing pull you in right away, making it easy to get invested.
2. Solid characters: Most of the main characters are well-written. You get a clear picture of who they are and what drives them. They feel real, even if you don’t always agree with their choices.
3. Good setup for a series: The ending picks up the pace again and does a good job setting the stage for the next book. It leaves you curious about what’s going to happen next.
Cons:
1. Middle gets slow: After the fast start, the story loses momentum in the middle. It feels like it stalls before picking up again at the end.
2. Frustrating main character: The female lead can be hard to like. She’s often rude or dismissive to people who are clearly trying to help her. It’s hard to understand why others keep supporting her, which makes some of the story feel forced or unrealistic.
Uncaged by John Sanford was a good book and I will give the second book in the series a try, this book has it's issues just like most books do but I would recommend.
Pros:
1. Strong start: The book kicks off fast. The action and pacing pull you in right away, making it easy to get invested.
2. Solid characters: Most of the main characters are well-written. You get a clear picture of who they are and what drives them. They feel real, even if you don’t always agree with their choices.
3. Good setup for a series: The ending picks up the pace again and does a good job setting the stage for the next book. It leaves you curious about what’s going to happen next.
Cons:
1. Middle gets slow: After the fast start, the story loses momentum in the middle. It feels like it stalls before picking up again at the end.
2. Frustrating main character: The female lead can be hard to like. She’s often rude or dismissive to people who are clearly trying to help her. It’s hard to understand why others keep supporting her, which makes some of the story feel forced or unrealistic.
April 10, 2019
Shay is a teenage girl that has been run through the foster system time and time again. She has lost contact with her brother, Odin, who has gone missing. Finally he contacts her, needing her help. He is a hacker and has targeted a group that does awful experimentation on animals, and now he is in danger. The pair get involved with an independently wealthy street artist and activist and plan to take down the company, but the company is out for blood.
This is an interesting book about activism that is just a bit too fantastical to be remotely realistic, but it is still interesting and entertaining. It kept me gripped up until the end and left me wanting more and rooting for our heroes. I was honestly kind of stressed on their behalf at times, which was interesting.
This is an interesting book about activism that is just a bit too fantastical to be remotely realistic, but it is still interesting and entertaining. It kept me gripped up until the end and left me wanting more and rooting for our heroes. I was honestly kind of stressed on their behalf at times, which was interesting.
July 7, 2018
Sandford and Cook are real life husband and wife having known each other for many years from when they both worked at The Pioneer Press in Minnesota. Sandford stepped out of his element, adult crime fiction to pen this novel along with Cook in the genre of Young Adult fiction and gave us a new heroine in Shay Renby. As a teen and a foster child Shay joins her brother, Odin challenge The Singular Corporation, a company engaged in animal and human experimentation and they don't mind cutting corners or breaking laws to achieve their goals.
This book was followed with Outrage and Rampage and all three were high quality tales, believable and filled with drama that doesn't lower itself to melodrama.
This is, as mentioned, a young adult book but like other well written YA novels I found it a good, interesting read. It doesn't look like Sandford and Cook will continue stores with Shay Renby though the ending of Rampage leaves open a good opportunity for that. If they don't write more that would be our loss.
This book was followed with Outrage and Rampage and all three were high quality tales, believable and filled with drama that doesn't lower itself to melodrama.
This is, as mentioned, a young adult book but like other well written YA novels I found it a good, interesting read. It doesn't look like Sandford and Cook will continue stores with Shay Renby though the ending of Rampage leaves open a good opportunity for that. If they don't write more that would be our loss.
January 2, 2022
I bemoan the reality that young adult means dummy downed. I tried to finish this book but was unable to as it insulted my intelligence again and again. Not the way the world really is, which even in fiction should reflect life as we know it.
May 15, 2019
Kinda like Maxium Ride series.
January 14, 2021
DNF at 30%
Had an interesting premise but for some reason couldn't hold my attention. It still had some interesting parts so I might try to pick it up later when I'm in the mood for it.
Had an interesting premise but for some reason couldn't hold my attention. It still had some interesting parts so I might try to pick it up later when I'm in the mood for it.
March 3, 2025
Quick read
The story line is a little unbelievable but great characters and interesting relationships. I have enjoyed reading Sandford’s many books.
The story line is a little unbelievable but great characters and interesting relationships. I have enjoyed reading Sandford’s many books.
April 21, 2025
Fast paced thriller, I will definitely read more of this series. Compelling characters and an all too believable corporation doing unthinkable experiments.
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