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Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips

Thriller

Fierce Kingdom

by Gin Phillips

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Quick take

The air crackles with malevolence and unbearable tension, as even the zoo animals, locked in their cages, sense the approaching violence.

Synopsis

An electrifying novel about the primal and unyielding bond between a mother and her son, and the lengths she’ll go to protect him.

The zoo is nearly empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the last few moments of playtime. They are happy, and the day has been close to perfect. But what Joan sees as she hustles her son toward the exit gate minutes before closing time sends her sprinting back into the zoo, her child in her arms. And for the next three hours—the entire scope of the novel—she keeps on running.

Joan’s intimate knowledge of her son and of the zoo itself—the hidden pathways and under-renovation exhibits, the best spots on the carousel and overstocked snack machines—is all that keeps them a step ahead of danger.

A masterful thrill ride and an exploration of motherhood itself—from its tender moments of grace to its savage power—_Fierce Kingdom_ asks where the boundary is between our animal instinct to survive and our human duty to protect one another. For whom should a mother risk her life?

Free sample

Fierce Kingdom

For a long while Joan has managed to balance on the balls of her bare feet, knees bent, skirt skimming the dirt. But now her thighs are giving out, so she puts a hand down and eases onto the sand. Something jabs at her hip bone. She reaches underneath her leg and fishes out a small plastic spear—no longer than a finger—and it is no surprise, because she is always finding tiny weapons in unexpected places. "Did you lose a spear?" she asks. "Or is this one a scepter?" Lincoln does not answer her, although he takes the piece of plastic from her open hand. He apparently has been waiting for her lap to become available—he backs up, settling himself comfortably on her thighs, not a speck of sand on him. He has a fastidiousness about him; he never did like painting. "Do you want a nose, Mommy?" he asks. "I have a nose," she says. "Do you want an extra one?'" "Who wouldn't?" His dark curls need to be cut again, and he swipes them off his forehead. The leaves float down around them. The wooden roof, propped up on rough, round timber, shades them completely, but beyond it, the gray gravel is patterned with sunlight and shadows, shifting as the wind blows through the trees. "Where are you getting these extra noses?" she asks. "The nose store.'"

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Why I love it

Fight or flight. Rage or relief. A good suspense novel evokes our most primitive emotions. The adrenaline spikes as we desperately need to know what happens next. And if the book is really good, time spent in the grip of mounting fear pays off with an explosive and cathartic ending.

Fierce Kingdom delivers a level of pure fear that I hadn’t felt in ages. It’s the story of Joan, a mother who spends an afternoon with her four-year-old son at their local zoo. What could go wrong? A lot, as it turns out.

The most dangerous creatures in the zoo, of course, are not the animals locked in their cages but the people who visit them. And as daylight begins to fade away, trouble arrives—and Joan will seek somewhere, anywhere, to hide. The air crackles with malevolence and unbearable tension, as even the zoo animals, trapped in captivity, sense the approaching violence.

What will Joan do to protect her son? Will she sacrifice herself for him? Or vice versa? What would we do in a similar situation? Of course the zoo is the perfect literal and metaphorical place to explore these questions. When primal fears take over, how far can we be pushed before we lose our humanity and act solely on instinct?

Sharp, pointed, precise— Fierce Kingdom inhabits the true feeling of real time. In fact, the entire story takes place during exactly 3 hours and 10 minutes. Decisions arrive quickly—or unbearably slowly. Hours rush by and then seconds stretch out. Catharsis arrives and the payoff is brilliant, yes. But this novel continues to haunt me. And it will haunt you, too.

Member ratings (4,250)

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View all
The Boyfriend
The Last One at the Wedding
Sleep Tight
First Lie Wins
House of Glass
Middle of the Night
Listen for the Lie
A Talent for Murder
Beautiful Ugly
Someone in the Attic
One Perfect Couple
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Kill for Me, Kill for You
Bad Tourists
Murder Road
Daughter of Mine
The Fury
The Other Mothers
When I’m Dead
The Soulmate
What Lies in the Woods
She Started It
The Only One Left
Dark Corners
Blacktop Wasteland
All the Dangerous Things
The Only Survivors
The Broken Girls
The Family Game
The Push
We Were Never Here
Things We Do in the Dark
The Golden Couple
The Stranger Upstairs
Gone Tonight
Too Good to Be True
The Last Word
You Are Not Alone
Rock Paper Scissors
Not a Happy Family
A Flicker in the Dark
Reckless Girls
The House Across the Lake
The Last Thing He Told Me
The Maidens
Everything We Didn't Say
The Paris Apartment
You're Invited
The Last Party
Dark Places
Pieces of Her
The Wife Between Us
Sharp Objects
None of This Is True
The Silent Patient
The Other Woman
Necessary People
The Family Upstairs
The Night Swim
Girl A
The Hunting Wives
Just Another Missing Person
First Born
The Lies I Tell
Breathless