Review of Final Notice

[Donna Walker]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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Final Notice by Van Fleisher is a political thriller fiction novel that asks the audience a very intriguing question: "What Would You Do If You Knew—For Certain—That You Had 10 Days To Live?"

The novel explores this with multiple character stories that are all interlinked. Retirees Trudy and Vince have never owned a gun. Vince keeps seeing ads from the NRA for discount weapons for pensioners. The story starts with him being the victim of an attack in a parking lot. A couple of weeks later, while walking his dog in the evening, another much larger, aggressive dog attacks them. Both Vince and Miles, his adorable corgi, are bitten and injured. Miles was so badly injured that he almost died in this horrific incident. He and his wife decide that it's a good idea to be able to protect themselves and start the process to become new gun owners.

The other side to this story is that of Dr. Vijay Patel and his team at VitalTech. He is a brilliant doctor and athlete with a passion for technology, and he develops a smart watch called the VT2 with the company VitalTech. This smartwatch is so advanced that it can read the smallest changes in one's biochemistry and is actually able to predict the exact day that you are going to die. The setting can be set to 30 days, 20 days, or 10 days for the wearer to receive what they call the "Final Notice." The VT2 is now in trial stages. Vijay Patel and his team are seeing an unforseen problem arise with the watch. Unfortunately, this problem is not technological; it is related to users that have received a "Final Notice" and the actions that they have subsequently carried out. Mostly murder and suicide. The Final Notice, as the function is called, was designed to help users settle their affairs and be given the chance to say goodbye to their loved ones, but it appears that it has a more sinister affect on some people. The ability to commit murder with impunity being one of them. The FBI gets involved, and it's up to Agent Zoe Brouet to get to the bottom of this. Could Vital-Tech be liable for what their users do after receiving a Final Notice? How is this any different from a doctor telling you that your disease is terminal and you only have days or weeks to live?

I did slightly dislike how the novel turned into a fact and statistics book instead of focusing on and developing the characters of Trudy and Vince and their friends, all of whom are from immigrant families. I found their individual stories a little underdeveloped. I can see how Fleisher chose to include valuable members of society from immigrant families to highlight that minority groups are constantly dealing with prejudice due to race, regardless of their social standing and benefit to society. Vince himself experiences prejudice due to his age. On the negative side, it all seems a little contrite and convenient how each couple in the book highlighted a specific prejudice. None of these storylines were expanded upon.

I would recommend Final Notice to lovers of political thrillers. If you would describe yourself as a techie or are interested in the role AI and technology will play in our future, you will probably enjoy this read too. Politically, those on the far right of the scale may not enjoy the book's anti-gun theme. In fact, I would suggest that they avoid it completely. I don't think that the book explored both sides of the argument equally and that the final consensus was that easy access to guns was to blame for the senseless killings. The NRA spokesperson on TV was openly mocked for his lack of empathy towards the families of victims of gun crime, and the NRA in general was seen as a heartless association that pays politicians off to get carte blanche to do whatever they like and get pro-gun laws passed with ease. I can certainly see this book being a catalyst for a couple of heated political discussions within households.

This book is exceptionally edited, and I am happy to award it 4 out of 5 stars. I deduct one star because I really feel that there could have been so much more character development that would have really enhanced the story. A little too much emphasis was placed on the political element and the tech company rather than the people involved in the dramatic events that continued to happen throughout the book.

Due to the violent content, such as school shootings and scenes of murder and suicide, and the profanity used, I would say that this book is not appropriate for younger readers.

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Final Notice
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[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

While I dislike the idea that there's a technology that will know when exactly a person gonna die, I don't take it as impossible because our innovations are booming and on high now, so I think this will gonna happen a hundred years from now or even lesser. I like your review, detailed and interesting!

[Smrithi Arun]

the novel turned into a fact and statistics book instead of focusing on and developing the characters

It makes so much sense now. When I first sampled the book, contemplating whether to review it or not, I didn't find a story as such. It just felt like I was reading about incidents including gun violence from Vance's point of view. There were a lot of guns involved for my taste, which is why I ultimately decided not to review it.

Your detailed review gave me further insight into the book. Thanks for that!

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

I totally agree with the character's development. I think the overall idea is good and thought-provoking but it was not executed in the best way. Would you read the sequel?

[Donna Walker]

I totally agree with the character's development. I think the overall idea is good and thought-provoking but it was not executed in the best way. Would you read the sequel?

That's an interesting question. Is there a sequel? I don't believe that I would read it.

[Donna Walker]

the novel turned into a fact and statistics book instead of focusing on and developing the characters

It makes so much sense now. When I first sampled the book, contemplating whether to review it or not, I didn't find a story as such. It just felt like I was reading about incidents including gun violence from Vance's point of view. There were a lot of guns involved for my taste, which is why I ultimately decided not to review it.

Your detailed review gave me further insight into the book. Thanks for that!

You are welcome. I'm with you on the guns. Being English, I do not understand the American obsession with guns, and I've spent most of my life living stateside.