Even before the reader meets upstanding Mark Greenley, former star college athlete and current dedicated paramedic and Little League coach, a murky opening chapter titled The Librarian introduces two blind men in a vaguely described room full of files that are labeled in braille, whose contents aren’t in braille—so the men can retrieve the files, and put them away, but not read them. The novel then proceeds in short, dialogue-heavy scenes that aim to build suspense and gradually coalesce into a single dark picture. Mark has received a letter about a small sports scholarship, even though he graduated from college several years ago. When he goes to the address listed on the letter to return the check, instead of finding the small nonprofit office that he expected, he’s surprised to see the extravagant headquarters of Summit Strategies. Moving forward, Mayne introduces a large cast of characters with phonically balanced names—Tru Feingold, Blaise Cutler, Nathan Morris—and diverse agendas. Suffice it to say the scholarship is a ruse and that Mark is drawn into the proverbial web of secrets and potential danger involving a mysterious island; his father, Max Lightman, whom he doesn’t know much about; a drowned brother he knew nothing about; and, perhaps most serious of all, the particulars of his own life. All the pieces of this thriller feel familiar, but Mayne shuffles them adroitly. The short, titled chapters stokes anticipation and introduce a welcome strain of irony. But in light of all this woolgathering, is the reveal up to the foreshadowing?
