I had such mixed feelings about this book! I love that it is not another Man Called Ove where the quirky child cheers up the grumpy older person. Definitely not this book. I was intrigued by the mysterious Maggie even if might be the "bad guy" but the evil Otto was not to my taste.

COVID has spread around the world and eight-something-year-old Maggie Burkhardt escapes from her hotel in Switzerland to the Royal Luxor in Egypt. Maggie narrates this story of psychological suspense and her reliability is suspect from the start. Her satisfying life of routines is interrupted by the arrival of 8-year-old Otto Seeger and his mother, Tessa, whose father and husband is not with them. Soon Maggie and Otto are engaged in a lethal game, and as the world spins out of shape, so, too does Maggie's. Christopher Bollen's novel is enhanced by Maggi-Meg Reed's expert narration and will appeal to readers of psychological suspense.

Oh, my! I have no idea what I have just listened to. Definitely dark, often crazy, sometimes funny, and impossible to quit listening to. A psychological thriller unlike anything I have ever read. A meddlesome 81-year-old woman who has an unstoppable urge to “help” people she thinks are troubled meets her match with an 8-year-old little boy who could be compared to Patty McCormick in the Bad Seed. Together they wreak Havoc upon each other and the guests and staff at the once opulent hotel in Luxor Egypt where they have gathered to escape Covid lockdowns in their home countries. You will not soon forget Maggie Burkhardt, or the ending!

Title: Havoc
Author: Christophen Bollen
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Maggie-Meg Reed
Publisher: Harper Audio
Genre: Mystery
Audiobook Release Date: December 3, 2024
My Rating: 4.4
Pages 256

Maggie Burkhardt a compulsive fixer is eighty-one years old and is a 'longhauler' at the Royal Karnak - A longhauler is someone who live at the hotel for months- this hotel has several as the time period is during Covid).
It seems there was a murder suicide at the hotel where she stayed in Switzerland. (Not sure of Maggie’s involvement while there.)
Additionally Maggie had a wonderful marriage with Peter. She is still grieving his death as well as the death of their daughter Julia.

Maggie is usually the first at breakfast. One morning she notices a young mother accompanied by a young boy. The woman appears to be unhappy.
Since Maggie ‘the fixer’ is eager to help she befriends the mother Tess as well as her eight year-old son Otto. Tess welcomes Maggie, but Otto is more of a challenge.

The blurb mentions “The Bad Seed and yes Otto reminded me of Patty McCormick’s character in the late 50’s movie “The Bad Seed”. However, he also seems like a young Jacob from William Landay’s book "Defending Jacob" .
You probably know the Jacob book - but might be too young to remember the classic psychological horror thriller “The Bad Seed”, which
features a mother who begins to suspect that her seemingly sweet and innocent eight-year-old daughter, Rhoda Penmark, is responsible for
some very bad things.

Maggie is a very interesting character. She kept me wondering as well as worrying about what she is going to do next.
I went into this without having a clue what to expect. Story starts out sane and normal with Maggie wanting to help Tess.
However there is tension building between young Otto and Maggie.
I didn’t know what to expect from either one of them.
As a thriller fan I know to expect a “The Big Reveal”.
I try to keep my mind open as to what the surprise might be - I wasn’t close!!! The ending is a bit OTT but on the whole it was an entertaining read!

Maggie-Meg Reed is a fantastic narrator. Her performance of ALL the characters is excellent!

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for December 3, 2024.