Red Lotus (Bohjalian) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[T]errific…. What to withhold, what to reveal, when to dole out information and in what manner—these are among the hardest decisions for an author to make in any thriller, particularly one with this many moving parts. Bohjalian strikes a fine balance between disclosure and secrecy…. [He] is a pleasure to read. He writes muscular, clear, propulsive sentences…. As suspenseful as it is, The Red Lotus is also unexpectedly moving—about friendship, about the connections between people and, most of all, about the love of parents for children and of children for parents. Bohjalian is a writer with a big heart and deep compassion for his characters.
Sarah Lyall - New York Times Book Review


[W]ritten through the alternate perspectives of a number of well-drawn characters…. The… hunches of Alexis and her allies propel her closer to the truth… [but] deductive reasoning can take you only so far in a thriller as full of surprises as this one. Those who… [relish] sudden shocks and well-timed twists… should be well-pleased by his latest book, whose unexpected revelations extend to the final sentence.
Wall Street Joiurnal


[R]eaders who crave suspense will get it, along with a grim chill…. They will get, as well, a resolution that swiftly unsnarls the many narrative threads, metes out punishments to the evil and (mostly) spares the good…. Bohjalian’s focus on current problems in his novels is admirable, and in this case feels prescient; but the villains in The Red Lotus are such sociopaths, and some of the plot twists so farfetched, that the specter of biological warfare begins to feel improbable instead of truly threatening.
Washington Post


[An] intricately plotted thriller…. Each character, including secondary players, is carefully drawn, and Bohjalian keeps the tension high all the way to the surprising finale. Bohjalian’s many fans and newcomers alike will be satisfied.
Publishers Weekly


Bohjalian reinvents himself with each new novel, and… he's at it again. Here, ER doctor Alexis falls for Austin…, and six months later they're taking a bicycle trip through Vietnam.… Then he vanishes, leaving Alexis wondering how much danger she's in.
Library Journal


[A] breathless thriller…. Abetted by shifting points of view, seemingly disparate elements eventually converge to create a burgeoning sense of dread.… [With] tantalizing questions…, Bohjalian manages to keep us guessing and turning pages until the very end
Kirkus Reviews