“Codex” by Lisa Towles

Codex

Lisa Towles
Indies United Publishing House, LLC (2024)
ISBN: 978-1644567128
Reviewed by Justin Gaynor for Reader Views (04/2024)

In “Codex,” author Lisa Towles has created a world.  Not a world I’d want to live in, necessarily, but a frighteningly plausible world in which greed, secrecy and even mind control rule our lives.  Maybe it’s so convincing because every page seems horribly plausible.  Plausible, but surprising – when was the last time a washed-up drunk cornered you in a bar and ended the festivities by handing you the keys to his helicopter?   And that wasn’t even the biggest surprise in this gem of a thriller.

The book is primarily set in Half Moon Bay, a pretty little Northern California beach town just a short drive from this reviewer’s home.  It’s an interesting place – while driving through the canyon that connects the coast to San Francisco Airport, you could almost be in New England, with tidy farmhouses, picket fences and bright orange pumpkins decorating the fields in autumn.  Strawberry fields and pastures surround the few streets of town, bordered on the west by a big marina and a couple of jetties.  Sleepy, you know?   Except in winter, when the legendary surf spot’s Mavericks start breaking with 40-foot waves. Hundreds of adrenaline-crazed surfers descend on the town, braving the cold water, teeming with sharp rocks and great white sharks, hoping to catch the ride of a lifetime.

Much of the malfeasance attributed to great white sharks is the work of bull sharks, which are nearly as large and much more aggressive.  In fact, bull sharks have the highest level of testosterone in the animal kingdom, making them fearless and ferocious.   The creature with the second highest level of testosterone may be Angus Mariner, the narrator of this book.   And with all the forces aligned against him, he needs every drop he can get.  He may be lacking in charm, but his basic human decency, sense of justice, and – yes – fearless ferocity means he has a small but loyal crew of people to help him erase some nasty characters from the world.

His quest is complex, and the complexity grows chapter by chapter.   Luckily, Towles manages to make everything clear while still effectively conveying Angus’ confusion about who is doing what, and why.  The degree to which Towles inhabits the mind of a grieving, clever and relentless ex-Feeb is impressive.   (I will note, however, that those poufy, frilly things women use to cover their torsos are called “shirts” in Guyland, and under no circumstances will the word “blouse” cross the lips of men like these.) 

Along the way, Angus meets a sharp and committed journalist named Michael Wise, who’s following the same story for reasons of his own.   Watching these two move from deep suspicion of one another to trusting partners generates warmth.  Other alliances form – some helpful, some not.   Towles keeps us guessing.

In the end, all the plot threads are sewn up in satisfactory fashion.  I recommend reading “Codex” by Lisa Towles on vacation, because once you start, you’re going to be up all night.