I haven’t read Blood Web, the first installment in the Caitlin Diggs series, but that didn’t keep me from following the plot of
Extreme Liquidation with no problem. Although Starta alludes to Book One at times, often to demonstrate more of FBI Agent Caitlin Diggs’
psychic gifts from the past, you won’t be lost, for it’s to embellish the storyline in Book Two. Therefore, it’s easy to catch the gist of what
happened before and to understand Book Two more thoroughly. I won’t go into precisely what they are or how items like a crystal and a robe can both
aid and mislead federal agent Caitlin Diggs, but suffice it to say, that their roles, as McGuffins of sorts, are well thought out and believable in a
willing suspension of disbelief/belief kind of way.
The meaning of the title, Extreme Liquidation, is fully revealed on p. 112, but to avoid a spoiler alert, I’ll just say that it refers to the
evil plot of Aleister Crowley, reincarnated into another male character, to exterminate all humankind for his own selfish gain. Furthermore,
reincarnation also plays a part in one of the female character’s lives, as she was also a former deity in the past; in fact, that revelation caused me
to gasp out loud while reading. Yes, it’s that good!
The character development is great. And, I particularly enjoy a novel with a strong female protagonist; in this case, Caitlin Diggs. Plus, another
female character is played by a cat named Celeste. She’s no ordinary cat; she actually aids Caitlin and her sister throughout the novel in various
ways. In addition, the relationship between Caitlin and her sister, Tara, is well-developed, and the blossoming romantic relationship between
Caitlin and Ross Fisher is believable.
There are a lot of cutting edge scientific facts mixed with fiction in this novel of 204 pages, but Starta does a great job of keeping even former
English majors like myself, who steered clear of science as much as was possible, up to speed with easy-to-understand explanations. Moreover, his use
of cutting-edge scientific facts, blended with his fiction so seamlessly, makes this supernatural/psychological thriller very believable. I could
easily see this novel being adapted for a screen of some kind, perhaps in a television format like Fringe. For example, a couple of the topics
covered are psychotropic drug development and schizaphysiology. Best of all, there’s a sense of continuity by connecting the past to the present and
future through sacred geometry.
