The Legacy of Molly Southbourne

February 7, 2022
Arthur C. Clarke Award winner Thompson’s third Molly Southbourne novel (after The Survival of Molly Southbourne) is a crisp, gritty tale at the intersection of horror, sci-fi, and crime fiction. When Dumfries car salesman Noel Berg is murdered, retired operative Myke is recruited to track down the molly—a deadly doppelgänger of the original Molly Southbourne—who is believed to have committed the crime. The case is complicated by the introduction of Tamara Koleosho, a martial artist who also has doppelgängers, and Myke’s violation of her agreement terms when she sets fire to buildings housing molly cadavers. Though the novel’s alternating perspectives can be disorienting, the action scenes are hard-hitting and adrenaline-stimulating, and serve as the most powerful and immersive parts of the novel. While the culminating twist isn’t mind-blowing, it does raise some intriguing questions. Newcomers won’t want to start with this one, but series readers and lovers of strong female characters will be pleased.

March 25, 2022
Molly Southbourne (last seen in The Survival of Molly Southbourne, 2019) is learning to live with her siblings--fellow duplicates, really--and integrate as best she can into society. She wants to break the violent cycle and live in peace with her sisters. They're able to manage together, supporting one other, and even visit a therapist for group sessions. But there are grisly murders occurring in random small towns--someone is embarking on a violent killing spree, and it looks to be another rogue molly. Myke is a former spy who is recruited to investigate the murders, and she is especially well qualified, as she is intimately familiar with the killer. Other old friends surface, as Tamara and her duplicates are recruited as well, and it's a race to see who finds the mollies first. Things come to a head with the novella alarmingly close to the end. Just when readers think they'll have to wait for another installment, Thompson sews things up nicely. Burning questions from the first two novellas in the Molly Southbourne series are put to rest, and readers won't want to put this one down.

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