Steven Gould
Reflex (2004)
Author: Steven Gould
Genre (and subgenre): Science Fiction/Suspense
Plot Summary:
The only known human with the ability to teleport, Davy Rice, is kidnapped while meeting with his contact from the NSA. He is captured by a group named Bochstettler and Associates. They are hired to carry out top secret jobs for wealthy, influential, well-connected individuals. They employ a scientist to implant an electrical device into his body that can be triggered to make him violently ill and use it to try to condition him to do their bidding. His wife, Millie, starts her own search for him when it becomes apparent that the NSA investigation is compromised by leaks. While searching for Davy, Millie discovers she too has developed the ability to teleport. There are few people that Millie feels that she can truly trust, but she encounters several people that Davy helped in the past, including refugees from Chiapas and a schizophrenic homeless woman, that assist her in her investigation. SPOILER: After assisting his captors with one job, Davy refuses to participate in any more of their operations and teleports two of their agents to a sinkhole in the desert. Just before he and a friend face torture to reveal the agents’ location, Millie, having discovered where he is being kept, teleports and transports him to safety.
Geographical Setting: There are multiple settings, but most of the action takes place in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Martha’s Vineyard, and Washington, D.C.
Time Period: Present Day
Series: This book is a sequel to a novel called Jumper
Appeal Characteristics:
Non-literary; fast-paced; action oriented; real places for settings; characters face ethical dilemmas regarding use of their teleportation ability but the tone of book is not overly serious; chapters alternate between describing Davy’s life in captivity and Millie’s investigation which increases feeling of building suspense throughout the novel; chapters often end with a cliff-hanger type situations
Red Flags: Brief sexuality (captor tries to seduce Davy); descriptions of torture and beatings (Davy must clean up his own bodily fluids after they make him sick)
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