Publishers Weekly
03/11/2024
Mukherjee strays from his Wyndham & Banerjee historical series to deliver a cunning standalone rooted in contemporary America’s fractured political landscape. After a bloody bombing in a Los Angeles mall, FBI agent Shreya Mistry identifies a young Muslim woman as the culprit. A group calling themselves the Sons of the Caliphate claim responsibility, threatening future attacks. With mere days left in a neck-and-neck presidential race between a right-wing ideologue and the country’s Democratic vice president, a resurgence of Islamist terrorism could tip the balance. After Shreya uncovers the L.A. bomber’s connection to a small town outside of Portland, Ore., she teams up with fellow FBI agent Susan Kramer, and the pair discover another potential bomber on the loose: Aliyah Khan, a young British woman radicalized by her sister’s death during a political protest. Meanwhile, Aliyah’s father, Sajid, heads to Oregon from London to stop her from carrying out the will of Miriam, a charismatic “soldier masquerading as messiah,” whose deadly—though opaque—mission seems poised to topple the upper echelons of U.S. government and law enforcement. The diverse, well-drawn cast, clever investigative work, and breakneck pacing easily carry readers through the novel’s many-tentacled plot. With this pulse-pounding thriller, Mukherjee proves he’s just as good at mining the present for suspense as the past. Agent: Sam Copeland, RCW Literary. (May)
From the Publisher
"Hunted is a damn exciting read. It's also a brave book. Nothing quite like it has been published before."—James Patterson
“A pretty much flawless thriller, Hunted works on every level imaginable. Terrific characters are subtly and mercilessly pushed along by a plot as propulsive as it is constantly surprising.”—Lee Child
"Tense, twisty, and full of heartstoppingly real characters, Hunted will keep you guessing until the very end."—Ruth Ware, bestselling author of Zero Days
"An exciting, dark and kinetic thriller from one of our greatest crime fiction talents, Hunted is a must-read.”—Adrian McKinty, bestselling author of The Chain and The Island
“Abir Mukherjee's change of gear has produced a masterclass in how to write intelligent suspense fiction. Hunted is an absolute banger.”—Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses
"An irresistible blend of high-octane thriller plot, nuanced characterization and smart writing. Not to be missed!"—Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
"A rip-roaring, bang-up-to-date political thriller that grabs you from the first pages and never lets go. Twists you won't see coming, nail-biting suspense and finely drawn characters that will linger long after reading. And at the heart of this book is a father battling to save his family. Unmissable."—Steve Cavanagh, bestselling author of Thirteen
“This irresistible spiderweb of twisting fates moves seamlessly from the personal to the global…. Mukherjee has put the world in a book and I dare anyone to put it down. Stunning.”—Janice Hallett, internationally bestselling author of The Appeal
“Mukherjee deftly weaves the personal and political, subverting expectations, while taking the reader on a rollercoaster journey of emotions in this tense and brilliant thriller.”—Ayisha Malik, author of Sophia Khan is Not Obliged
“Chillingly plausible. A high-octane, high-adrenaline thriller where global politics lights a fuse under family life.”—Erin Kelly, bestselling author of The Skeleton Key and The House of Mirrors
"A firecracker of fiction. Incendiary, devastating, wildly exciting. Strap yourself in and brace for the ride."—Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of We Begin at the End
"Hunted marks Mukherjee's first stand-alone novel after the popular and critically acclaimed Wyndham & Banerjee Mysteries, and fans of those historical mysteries probably wont be disappointed by the author's turn to contemporary thrillers. Even if the book treads on familiar territory, Mukherjee proves he has more than enough talent, compassion and insight to tell a compelling, unique story."—E.A. Aymar, Washington Post
"You don't so much read the 400 pages of this novel as tear through them on an exhilarating adrenaline rush. Mukherjee packs in all the tricks and tropes we come to expect in a thriller but renders them tighter and sharper: The pace is more propulsive, the cliff-hangers more suspenseful and the twists more surprising."—Malcolm Forbes, Star Tribune
"Mukherjee knows how to marshal his talents as a seasoned mystery writer and bring them to bear on a narrative of this scope. His prose is sharp, brisk and moves at an appropriately breakneck pace, delivering the goods for anyone who’s looking for something that rockets them along with tight plotting and juicy twists. But that plotting, solid though it is, is not what really makes Hunted work. . .Hunted is, at its core, a book about people who feel like the systems around them have let them down, and how they each respond to that disappointment. It’s a story of regrets, retribution and redemption, set within a truly epic thriller."—Matthew Jackson, BookPage
"This novel will make you shudder. It’s taut, credible, and scary."—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED
"The diverse, well-drawn cast, clever investigative work, and breakneck pacing easily carry readers through the novel's many-tentacled plot. With this pulse-pounding thriller, Mukherjee proves he's just as good at mining the present for suspense as the past." —Publishers Weekly
"Mukherjee, author of the acclaimed Wyndham & Banerjee Raj-era thrillers, wields streamlined, powerful writing here, cleverly concealing the terrorists’ ideology to spotlight the growing threat of polarization."—Christine Tran, Booklist
Library Journal
★ 04/01/2024
"Wyndham & Banerjee Mysteries" series author Mukherjee's stand-alone is a winning narrative that explores not only the danger of terrorist actions but also the complex motives behind such drastic acts. The novel begins with a bang and continues in a similar dramatic fashion. Yasmin trusted Jack when he told her that the bomb he was planting in a shopping mall wouldn't hurt innocent people, but the resulting carnage is horrendous and leaves even FBI agent Shreya Mistry aghast. Shreya ventures into the unstable mall and uncovers clues to the possible identities of bombers. While she pursues leads and irritates her supervisors, Sajid Khan, the father of a suspected terrorist, is abducted and brutally interrogated in London; his captors demand to know where his daughter is. Meanwhile, Greg, a wounded veteran and ex-convict, has gotten involved with a group of people plotting actions that will have grave implications for the country and the entire world. The story unfolds through the perspectives of law enforcement, the burgeoning terrorists, and the family members caught up in a domestic manhunt. VERDICT Mukherjee approaches terrorism and terrorist actors with a view that is more nuanced than cut-and-dried.—Philip Zozzaro
