"In the Wrong Hands" by Avi Domoshevizki* Review

I received this complimentary book in exchange for an honest review. This review was also posted as a customer review on Amazon.

In the Wrong Hands by Avi Domoshevizki follows the mystery that unfolds when a geneticist is brutally attacked in what the police assume is a mugging gone south. When Dr. Ronnie Saar, the CEO of the company at which the geneticist works, discovers that his colleague had in fact been attacked for confidential company information he was carrying on his person, he enlists the help of Gadi Abutbul, a private investigator and his friend, to get to the bottom of who was behind the attack. Because the stolen information contains groundbreaking findings that can be used for good or otherwise, Ronnie and Gadi are determined to make sure that the information doesn't end up in the wrong hands.

This book captivated me from the very beginning with its intriguing prologue. Opening in media res, the prologue walked me through a seemingly crucial piece of the book without giving too much away. I was immediately drawn. I wanted--no, I needed--to know how the characters ended up in that situation.

As I progressed through the chapters, I was drawn into the book more and more because each of the chapters introduced a new character into the fold. Even though Domoshevizki did a fantastic job of getting us invested in the characters so early on, I was skeptical about this setup at first because it got to a point where there were too many characters to keep track of. However, the setup ended up working very well because each chapter presents a snapshot of the main storyline from the different characters' perspectives, and it soon dawned on me that these seemingly separate characters and their seemingly disparate lives were in fact connected in the most unexpected ways. It felt like a true murder mystery in the sense that I, along with the characters, started to connect the dots and see the full picture.

The only weakness of the book is the awkward interactions among the characters. Domoshevizki created very real, very deep, fully-formed characters, but once these characters start interacting with one another, it feels slightly cringy. Perhaps Domoshevizki's knack for descriptive writing is as much a strength as it is a weakness. The interactions just don't seem very natural.

With that being said, I still rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The book markets itself as science fiction, but if you're a fan of thrillers that keep you on your toes and you enjoy being blindsided by unexpected twists and turns, In the Wrong Hands will not disappoint.