Review by Lisa19643 -- Final Notice by Van Fleisher

[Lisa19643]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Final Notice" by Van Fleisher.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Final Notice held my attention from beginning to end as I anticipated what the peace-loving main characters – Vince and Trudi Fuller – might do after one of them receives notice that death was less than 30 days away. The author explores the unknowns of how people would react to receiving such dire news. Would they react positively by getting their affairs in order and reconciling with loved ones, or would they react in fury by seeking vengeance without fear of retribution?


In a sense, author Van Fleisher, dove fleetingly into the core of human nature, but without an in-depth exploration based on psychology, sociology, history, or religion. He left the reader to fill in the blanks of what might lurk within themselves and every human being when pushed to the edge.


The book reminded me of a war-gaming scenario the military might use to prepare for an enemy with a new weapons system. The book provides some scenarios that might occur if the National Rifle Association (NRA) were to give discounts to seniors for gun purchases at the time when a new smart watch hits the market that could predict the wearer’s impending death from a week to 30 days, depending on the setting. Final Notice spends the most time exploring “what if?” regarding the worst-case scenario of seniors going on shooting rampages to get revenge with impunity.


The book is set in Pasadena, California, and centered on the main characters of Vince Fuller, who just turned 70, and his wife, Trudi. They have a Corgi named Miles who also played prominently in the story. A young punk in a shopping mall knocked Vince down at the beginning of the story, which hurt his pride more than his body. The incident caused him to pay attention to news reports about the NRA providing senior discounts for guns, and of seniors shooting others without apparent motive. Vince was drawn into the national narrative.


Vince heard the NRA director on a news program say, “If more old timers packed heat, it might make thugs think twice before bullying them.” Vince struggled with whether to get a gun himself. The discussion touched on the national debate about whether to arm teachers in public schools as a deterrent or provide other security measures. Coincidental events made owning a gun more attractive to Vince and Trudi, but the question remained, would they be able to pull the trigger on bullies who were harassing them? The answer was revealed later in the book.


Vince later admitted to himself that he had “succumbed to the notion of fear, of powerlessness, and of the idea that a gun was the answer. That was why a million seniors had answered the call: The call to arms…”


A counterargument to the NRA’s is wrapped in a quote from their retired police officer friend, Reuben, when he said: “I really didn’t assume that everyone had a gun… That change in assumption has created…a change in the way police go about our jobs and interact with people. We now assume everyone is armed and this escalates the interaction. …when you are on high alert to keep from getting shot, mistakes happen...”


The author soon revealed a subplot centered on a company in Quincy, Massachusetts, called VitalTech. The company created the ultimate health watch called the VT2, which can predict a person’s impending death. The company’s Chief Executive Officer and founder, Vijay Patel, apparently had a conscience, but not strong enough to pull the watch from the market after the pilot testing revealed complications. The reader finds out facts and figures about the VT2 from the scenes with the VitalTech employees, but Vince and Trudi, and the FBI, are unaware of this information. I tend to lose interest in books when I know more than the main characters know, but the build-up to the climax kept me reading.


I liked the character development the most in this book. The characters were interesting and plausible. I felt like I knew them and was right there with them as they walked their dog, Miles, visited a gun show, or had problems and issues that built up toward the climax of the conflict. I also liked the introduction of other characters who wore the VT2 watch in the form of stand-alone short stories. This added color and interest to the plot.


What I liked least were the dinner parties that included one long monologue from Vince, the main character, which sounded like a political editorial. I liked the introduction of the FBI agent, Zoe Brouet, but I wished the plot had included more of her investigation from the beginning and revealed clues through her, but the readers knew more than the FBI. I also enjoyed the character Matt Harper, the reporter from The Boston Globe, who used some tricks of the trade to obtain more details about the VT2.


I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars because I enjoyed reading it, but I was too aware of the author’s political subtext showing the value of immigrants and of gun control to give it a fourth star. Although I personally share many of those beliefs the author showcased in the book, I found myself chuckling or rolling my eyes at how forcefully the subtext beliefs were pushed in some places. I laughed out-loud when I read the author’s play-on-words that changed Breitbart News to “BrightFahrt, the neo-Nazi site.” The message was like a slap to the face rather than a spine-tingling, subtle realization that a masterpiece novel by John Steinbeck or Ernest Hemingway might evoke.


I thought to myself several times that someone with ultra-conservative political beliefs would have stopped reading the book at this point. For those readers with a similar bent as the author’s and kept reading, the author would be “preaching to the choir.” I would give it four stars if the book had greater objectivity from the narrator and a less-obvious message that allowed the readers to draw their own conclusions.


I would recommend Final Notice for adults who like a good adventure story, enjoy imagining futuristic technology, and appreciate picturing what they would do if they knew the day they were going to die. I wouldn’t recommend this book to children. Adults who want to explore the topical issues of gun rights and gun control in the United States might also enjoy this yarn, but not if the reader is an avid supporter of the NRA. Readers who think about the ethical implications of genetic testing and modern technology that can predict health issues might also find the story thought-provoking.

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Final Notice
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Like Lisa19643's review? Post a comment saying so!

[GianKosi77]

You raised such a critical question that how will one react to such a dire news. I look forward to read this thriller.

[Nedbrian]

I felt the suspense just by reading your review and I'm getting this book already. I wondered what could give him such notice. Could it be cancer ? Oh, well, I just have to find out already. Thank you for your amazing review.