The Registration

Madison’s debut starts with an intriguing premise—in a near-future dystopian world, the government has deemed it legal for all citizens to commit one murder, so long as they have Registered their victim and kill them within 14 days. If they don’t succeed, the intended victim is safe, unless they are targeted during the next Registration period. Lynell Mize is standing in line, ready to Register her stepfather, when she hears a stranger Registering her instead. Panicked, she leaves the line and runs away, later discovering that multiple people have Registered her. Lynell embarks on a heart-pounding escape and discovers that there is more behind the Registration than she could have imagined. The story is compelling, if sometimes repetitive and implausible, but narrator Kathleen McInerney’s performance unfortunately does little to enhance the text. McInerney employs an oddly paced, somewhat halting delivery which is distinct enough that it might pull listeners out of the story. Additionally, her voicing of Lynell makes her seem whiny and unsympathetic.