Keep Calm Book Review

Way back in 2015, I picked up a free review copy of a book called Keep Calm by Mike Binder at BookExpo/BookCon. Originally published by Henry Holt and Co. in 2016, the novel sat on my to-read shelf because at the time I was pregnant, and then I had a baby, and I just didn't have time to read. 

So now here we are in 2024, and I've just finished the book. And it was... not worth the wait.

I liked the premise of the book. An American in London is framed for the attempted murder of the Prime Minister. The main characters are the American, Adam Tatum; the young police inspector Davina Steel; and the second-in-command Georgina Turnbull. It's the kind of idea that would make for a thrilling movie, and the author actually was a screenwriter, director, and actor. 

But screenwriting is different than book writing. 

I knew what Binder was trying to do, and I kept reading the book because I did want to know how it was all going to end. But the execution of the novel was just meh. I didn't like much of the dialogue, especially when the author tried to write in the voice of kids. Just not super believable. And there was a relationship in the novel that I wasn't buying. More editing was needed. Perhaps this novel would have worked better as a screenplay.