
The idea that the world’s population was out of control and needed to be dealt with by intervention was something first postulated by Thomas Robert Malthus in 1798. In Malthus Revisited: The Cup of Wrath by Lin Wilder, a madman has made the determination that Malthus was right and is determined to destroy most of the earth’s population, using an air-borne disease to create a pandemic. Dr Lindsey McCall and her ex-policeman husband Rich are called in by a collection of international law enforcement agencies to help find this madman and neutralise both him and his maniacal plan to destroy most of the earth’s population. Lindsey has just been reunited with the daughter she gave birth to eighteen years ago, but who had been adopted by her best friend at the time. LJ and her College room-mate the autistic and gifted Morgan join her “new” parents in this out and out thriller. Throw in some supernatural happenings and the adventure begins.
Lin Wilder’s thriller Malthus Revisited: The Cup of Wrath is a solid, fast-paced thriller that will certainly keep you on the edge of your seats for the entire breakneck ride. I understand this is the fourth book in the Dr McCall thriller series, so fans of that will undoubtedly find their favourite characters here and enjoy them. There was also a supernatural, quasi-religious tinge to the story, which elevated it above your standard spy/special forces thriller. The action was full-on, although the scenes jumped sometimes disconcertingly at times as did the perspectives. That having been said, it was a very easy read and one I had some difficulty putting down at times. For me, the best and most interesting character was the young Autistic girl Morgan. She had some unique talents and a fascinating character that could have been even deeper delved into. I hope Wilder plans to include this character in future Dr McCall thrillers as I feel there is much more yet to be unearthed and learnt from young Morgan. Joseph Cain, the assassin, turned hero, was also a fascinating study in the two sides of evil and good. The overarching theme being, nobody is irredeemable. All in all, a good, solid, and, at times, spectacular thriller.
