DIVISIBLE MAN - THIRTEEN MOONS
An Editor’s Pick by Booklife from Publishers Weekly - “A book of outstanding quality.”
“Five Stars!” —Readers’ Favorite
The Bottom Line: A smart, fearless thriller with a shocking twist. Thirteen books into the series, Seaborne is still firing on all cylinders. DIVISIBLE MAN – THIRTEEN MOONS begins as armed intruders enter Will Stewart’s hotel room. Startled while taking a shower, he survives thanks to his ability to vanish on command. Now hidden but helpless, he watches, floating in the nude as they decide to take everything he has (including his clothes and the keys to his plane). As they leave, Will overhears one of them deliver a chilling order: “Find this guy and finish him.” Meanwhile, teenager Baxter Gaffney, daughter of wealthy attorney Caroline Gaffney, has vanished after leaving a high-end behavioral camp for troubled teens. Will’s partner Andy, who is on maternity leave while expecting her and Will’s first child, decides to investigate the matter as a favor. In the book’s emotional highpoint, the case soon puts Andy, and the unborn child, in mortal danger. As for the crime at hand, has Baxter been kidnapped for ransom? Or has she been identified as a high-functioning, neurologically divergent asset, taken to be analyzed or tested by a shadowy government agency? Thankfully, no – Seaborne’s story doesn't go anywhere near well-worn thriller tropes. As always, Will's superpowers come in handy during the investigation, but you’ll never see Seaborne’s shockingly great reveal coming. Elsewhere, a certain private security firm turns out to be one of Seaborne’s most intriguing inventions yet. FBI special agent Leslie Carson-Pelham discovers that the organization, named after one of Caesar’s Roman legions, has a curious connection to the Gaffney family. It’s an organization that will go to any length – including murder, blackmail and planting false evidence of digital crimes – to get what they want. Series fans will cheer the return of Cassidy Evelyn Page (a.k.a. “Pidge”), Will’s former student. She's now chief pilot for Essex County Air Service. Judging by how much she relishes defying orders not to land at a certain airport, and the sheer joy she takes in destroying a Porsche with a handgun, she can safely be called a loose cannon. Fortunately for the Stewarts, she’s utterly loyal, all of which makes for several unforgettable action scenes. As with all the books in the series, THIRTEEN MOONS can be easily enjoyed as a stand alone. — BesThrillers.com
“I indulged in the exhilarating ascent,” says Will Stewart, hero and narrator, as he takes flight in this thirteenth entry in Seaborne’s Divisible Man series. Will’s moment of indulgence is brief, as Seaborne’s storytelling surges ahead with Will and his police officer wife, Andy, looking into the disappearance of a rich New York girl sent to a “very private, very exclusive, very hush-hush teen counseling camp” in Michigan. But it’s the kind of humanizing detail—and invitation to relish the undiminished cool factor of the premise—that keeps the Divisible Man fresh. How many other thirteenth books in a tech-thriller series find so much excitement, possibility, and pleasure in their setups? Thirteen Moons is also unusually inviting to new readers, as its early pages swiftly re-establish that Will, a Midwestern pilot and husband, acquired mysterious powers over a dozen books ago: he can vanish; he can somehow turn off his own gravity and then, with a clever battery-powered rig, propel himself into the air; and in some cases, he seems to have the power to heal. Andy—who warns Will that he’s too reckless about using his powers where others might see—is on maternity leave but still eager to help those who need it. Soon, the loving couple find themselves plotting the extraction of a woman held captive by a bruiser Will calls “King Kong.” The stakes turn urgently personal, though, when Andy’s life is put on the line. Since their warm, witty banter powers the series, Seaborne doesn’t need to slow down the story to develop pathos. Instead, as Will, his foulmouthed pal Pidge, and FBI Special Agent Leslie Carson-Pelham work to uncover a strange conspiracy tied to a billionaire, Andy’s absence ratchets up the tension. “Dimples seeded a smile,” Seaborne writes, describing a marital chat with the same crisp power he brings to the tense interrogations, showdowns, and flights that keep the pages turning. As always, Will is relatable—helping out a suicidal stranger at Ace Hardware; popping by Walgreens for batteries before a thrilling flight above Manhattan—and the supporting cast is often hilarious. One highlight: the of-the-moment news that the FBI, under a new president, is now run by an online furniture entrepreneur known as “Big Rog.”
Takeaway: Stellar entry in this exciting yet humane tech thriller series. — Booklife from Publisher’s Weekly
Five Stars * * * * *
DIVISIBLE MAN – THIRTEEN MOONS by Howard Seaborne delivers another unforgettable entry in the Divisible Man series, a thrilling blend of high-concept crime fiction and irresistible character dynamics. What begins as a routine investigation quickly turns lethal, plunging Will Stewart and his fierce, clever partner Andy into a tangled mystery with national implications. Seaborne has a talent for making the extraordinary feel grounded in reality and this latest installment shows him at his most daring and inventive yet.
Author Howard Seaborne has such a flair for character development, and the strength of the Divisible Man series lies in its core ensemble, who are so loyal, flawed, and wildly entertaining. As Will, Earl Jackson, and the unpredictable Pidge piece together an impossible puzzle, readers are treated to rapid-fire dialogue, high-stakes tension, and moments of emotional honesty that ground the action in something you can really get to grips with. The context and information that’s delivered to enrich this mystery is always done with naturalistic dialogue rather than chunky prose, so we see everything laid out and can follow the investigation with the characters, making us even more invested. This is a novel that doesn't just continue the series, but elevates it, proving once again that Seaborne knows how to mix genre thrills with heart and humor in a way few authors can. Overall, Thirteen Moons is highly recommended as an exhilarating read for fans of crime fiction with a speculative edge, and I absolutely loved every moment of it. — Reader’s Favorite