Final Notice

(2 customer reviews)

Description

What would you do if you knew – for certain – that you had one week to live? Some would get their legal affairs in order. Others would contact family, friends, lovers, ex-lovers. Some might take a trip or make an exceptional donation. Still others might clean the house and do the laundry. And some…might kill.

The year is the very near future. A brilliant young doctor and mathematician, Vijay Patel, has invented a new health/sport watch that monitors blood chemistry so accurately, it can actually predict when someone will die – within 10, 20, or 30 days. The intention of this “Final Notice”, as it is called, is to allow people to get their affairs in order and reach out to loved ones before it’s too late. But when those notified have easy access to a gun, the result is sometimes lethal for more than just the watch-owner.

These are the stories of several people who receive their Final Notice and their very different reactions…including a desire to get revenge with impunity. They range from an 89-year-old resident in a retirement home to a U.S. Senator…from a benevolent widow to a crass tycoon to a noted climate change scientist. But in this fresh, fast-paced thriller, their stories are all set against the all-too-recognizable backdrop of a guns-gone-wild America, and the relentless push by the NRA and their surrogate politicians to make guns even easier to acquire.

Their stories are also connected by the involvement of several likeable protagonists. These include: The inventor of the watch…the FBI agent charged with stopping the killings…and a recently retired, middle-class couple, Vince and Trudi Fuller, with their brave immigrant friends and Miles, a very endearing Corgi.

Laced with satirical humor and likeable protagonists, Final Notice is both timely and important. And, despite the somewhat “sci-fi” premise of the watch, it provides a very realistic reflection of American society and the many problems we face today.

 

2 reviews for Final Notice

  1. Norma Miles

    “More gun sales, more shootings.”
    The near future, and the NRA have a new promotion to boost gun sales: a 20℅ discount for Senior Citizens, to ensure they say, that they are not bullied or left unnoticed. The over 60s have also been targeted to trial a new sports watch with a difference: it can so closely monitor the wearer’s bloods and other medical markers, it can accurately predict the day of death from between 10 and 30 days before the event. It is believed to have good commercial value, but first it needs to be thoroughly tested. The story covers several of those selected to wear them and covers the unexpected complication that some people, especially those with access to guns, decide to revenge themselves on receiving their final notice, knowing there cannot be any retribution.I

    Interesting idea and characters, but, with the exception of the main husband and wife team of Vince and Trudy, most remain fairly two dimensional despite the occasional naturalistic conversation. It does, however, raise major issues in both the political field and, in particular, over the gun lobby.

    After a good start, the book does become rather plodding: more an ideas book than a thriller, but nevertheless interesting, and narration by Chris Kaprowski certainly helps it along. Always clear and with good intonation and without any fireworks, his is a nice, steady performance. My thanks to the rights holder of Final Notice, who, at my request freely gifted me with a complimentary copy. There is a second book in this series, Final Act, and an excerpt is included at the end of the book as is also a short song by Jackie Morris which should appeal to folk music fans

  2. Laura Rose

    This was my first experience with Van Fleisher’s work and I enjoyed it immensely. I was drawn by the descriptive words in the book’s blurb of political satire, but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I found a book that was well researched with many interesting facts presented in a way that engaged and kept my interest. I liked the way the author took so many characters’ stories and interweaved them in a way that produced a cohesive story that was both entertaining and thought provoking. Chris Koprowski’s narration was awesome adding more enjoyment to the story. I requested this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.

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