THE LUPIN PROJECT
BY ALLAN LEVERONE
PUBLISHED BY SILVER SHAMROCK PUBLISHING
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 2020
The Lupin Project strikes me as the kind of novel you’d find in the Action & Adventure section, alongside series including The Executioner and Doc Savage. You know the ones I mean – they’re mass market paperbacks that come out consistently for a quick devour and shot of excitement, and sometimes include a # by their title. And seeing that Leverone is an established author already, maybe this is the section he can usually be located in; when I search his name, the book covers I am shown look, more or less, the type.
I start with all this because some may go into this story thinking it’s a horror novel, given its publisher and the wolves on the cover. However, any horror vibes that exist in this story aren’t utalized beyond the opening scene involving the two teenagers making out in the woods. That being said, if you want a quick action story that moves smoothly and provides the classic research-facility-in-the-woods-surrounding-a-small-town backdrop, then this novel might just be what you’re looking for to pass the time this weekend.
The Lupin Project mainly follows a high school girl and the brother of her now-dead boyfriend. Together, they try to expose and survive the corruption taking place in their small town, where a research facility is experimenting with the conditioning and command of wolves. There is definitely the potential here to do something crazy – like releasing the wolves on an unsuspecting population during the snowstorm – but that doesn’t happen. Instead, your focus is on the chase. An angry colonel runs the facility and he’s looking to close loose ends.
The chase is fun. It’s not overly exciting or full of action, but enjoyable enough that I read this book in about a day. Even when things weren’t developing the way I wanted, I was still interested in seeing how things were concluded. I think, more than anything, I just expected something much different.
**
Highlights: Good pacing … good writing … suspenseful … left open for a sequel
Shadows: Anticlimactic ending for several characters … the wolves go largely unused throughout the novel
For fans of: Suspense novels … scientific experiments and government agencies taking things too far … small town settings
Takeaway: Though I wouldn’t personally classify this as a horror novel in any way, The Lupin Project is well-paced and enjoyable. It just lacks depth and misses out on some wonderful opportunities to go wild.
Would I read this author again? Yes
AIDEN MERCHANT 
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