THE LIST by Steve Berry

4 stars

A totally immersive crime thriller that at the outset seems obvious until devious twists appear that leave you guessing. A trio of good old boys who run a self-insured papermill in Geogia come up with a dastardly plot to get rid of expensive retirees and employees who either have high health bills or expensive claims against the company: they kill them. Named the Priority Program, targets for assignation are picked based the highest cost to the company. Once identified, the head of Security and independently hired killers stage deaths that appear natural: from heart attacks and accidental deaths to suicides.

This has all been neatly covered up, until super-smart attorney Brent Walker is hired from the Atlanta D.A.’s office to become assistant general counsel. Brent is long standing friends with Hank Reed, who heads up the engineer’s union and who has been immersed tense negotiations as the three unions’ five-year contacts are due to expire.

Hank, while snooping around in the computer systems to get intel on the company’s union position stumbles across a list of 8 number digits: presumably social security numbers. He brings Brent in to help him investigate. The trio of owners panic and turn Brent and Hank into Priority targets. They run for their lives, trying desperately to figure out and expose what’s going on. Turns out the company’s malfeasance runs far deeper than the Priority Program and it’s engaging to try to figure out all that’s going on.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.