Veterans Day Message: What Am I Thankful For?

What Am I Thankful For?

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.

On a 560-foot American-built stealth war machine.

That’s when I knew. 

Right there. 

Right then.

__

When you go to sea on a submarine...you are constantly at war. 
___

Salt water is corrosive, especially for a steel boat full of pipes, valves, and all kinds of sensitive equipment. 

Things break. 

It might be something minimal.

It might be the only thing onboard that does its job. 

You work with people, from recent high-school graduates to the senior enlisted advisors. 

It is paramount they know what to do when things break.

__

You depend on every single man and woman onboard to do their job so that when you get a chance to rest, you can do it peacefully. 
__

I slept about 10 feet from the rocket boosters on 44-foot-tall ICBM’s. 

The ones that would make Hiroshima and Nagasaki look like child’s play. 

Every deployment, every time I laid my head down in my coffin rack, I told myself,  “yea they’re not that big.”

I could hear a slight moving-water sound right outside the ship's hull. 

Hundreds of feet deep, it’s calming, soothing in fact. 

The rack fan constantly blew cold air over me as I slept. 

It was expected.

So much so that every time we lost power,  I would wake immediately. 
__

Even at home, years later, if I were asleep and my wife turned off the ceiling fan, I’d wake immediately to combat a casualty.
__

What really got me. 

It was something so simple. 

Not the massive engineering that it took to take a ship displacing over 18,000 tons to submerge and safely surface whenever we needed.

It wasn’t the fact that we harnessed nuclear fission and put it in a metal basket, turned it into propulsion for sustained operation. 

It wasn’t the fact that we took sea water, broke it down into hydrogen and oxygen and created breathing air or fresh water for drinking and showering. 

__

It was standing in the sail, next to the Officer of the Deck, the topside lookout, and two buddies from our divisions. 
__

Staring at the black night sky in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean dotted with stars so bright and clear.

I will never forget them. 

The moon's glow off the rising and falling crests of the relentless sea. 

The dolphins jumping in front of the bow. 

__

It was knowing that I had made something of myself. I had made my parents proud. I had safely defended our country. I provided for my wife and only daughter (at the time). Two-time girl dad here. 
__

I tempted fate time and time again with some of the best people the United States has to offer. 

Those who lost family members in battle. 

Those who were first generation service members. 

People of all races. 

People from New York, California, Texas, and some who immigrated from other countries. 

Americans. 

All of them. 

__

This Veterans Day, I am thankful for:
__

Their service. 

Their dedication. 

Their friendship. 

Their sacrifices.

Their devotion to our beautifully imperfect country.

The experience that allowed me to see the part of myself that mattered the most.

__

We were just one small thread of the fabric that is sewn into the stars and stripes on that flag. 
__

That’s when I knew. 

Right there. 

Right then.

On a 560-feet American built stealth war machine.

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

The Last Protector By Simon Gervais

last-protecor-simon-gervais-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

Following the stellar thrillers that have featured Mike Walton and Pierce Hunt, Simon Gervais is back with The Last Protector and Former Air Force Combat Rescue Officer and Secret Service Special Agent Clayton White. Gervais is one of my favorite authors today. He delivers time and time again with great writing, creative and intense action, and impressive characters. If you have never read anything by Gervais then you are severely missing out on some fun and entertaining adventures. 

Clayton White, the son of a prominent JSOC Brigadier General, sees his time in the military end and then transitions to the Secret Service. While we meet Clayton and learn of the physical battles he faces following being wounded in combat, you see his relationship develop with the daughter of the current Vice President elect. After the loss of his father who is also deployed in a combat zone, the lies and deceit grow fast and deep. Veronica, his girlfriend, is also on the edge of releasing an electronic application to enable worldwide satellite views of archeology excavation, while bad actors are trying to prevent the unearthing of damning evidence. 

White is a character that you can only root for, he’s got the deck stacked against him, and he’s about to start kicking ass. The Last Protector has deceit and lies, love and loss, and death. It has it all. Gervais is at his best, producing high-octane deceptive writing at its finest. The characters that he has brought to us have always been nothing but the best of the best, and Clayton White is just another example of his great work. The Last Protector is an outstanding series debut that needs to be on everyone’s must read list. I can’t wait to see what Gervais has in store for Clayton White in the future as the stage is set for nothing but greatness.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Last Protector
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Killer In The Snow By Alex Pine

killer-in-snow-alex-pine-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

I am new to the murder-mystery genre, but, as they toe the line between thriller and true mystery, I have started to try more and more. Recently, Alex Pine’s James Walker follow-up was available for a look, and I am glad I didn’t pass this up. There is just enough chaos to drive you crazy and more than enough intrigue to keep you asking, “what in the hell is going on?”

Robert Bateman is a troubled farmer with great debt, mainly due to his gambling habits, on the way home to Oaktree Farm. When he returns, his world completely changes. Oaktree Farm has its secrets. More than two decades ago, Simon and Amanda Roth met a grizzly death there that was ruled a murder-suicide. Megan, the Roth’s daughter, disappeared the same night. 

Detective James Walker and his partner Detective Jessica Abbott are on the case and endure car chases, shootings, and enough bad guys with secrets to keep you glued to the pages.

Pine’s ability to keep multiple storylines going all at once and keep them separate is phenomenal. The Killer in the Snow is dark, gruesome, and will make you question everything about everyone you have ever known. How dark are their secrets?


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Killer In The Snow
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Better Off Dead By Lee Child And Andrew Child

better-off-dead-andrew-child-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

From the pages written by Child to the big screen starring A-list actors, the Reacher storyline has been filled with amazing detail and controlled chaos. Reacher has always been an unstoppable force for good that everyone can appreciate, besides the criminals and bad guys. Picking up after The Sentinel, written with his brother Andrew Child, Jack Reacher is back in another flawless mission in Better Off Dead

Reacher is on the road again and we know he’s going to run into trouble at some point because of his free-spirited lifestyle...it doesn’t take long. Reacher finds himself stumbling upon a creepily uneasy situation with a damaged vehicle and an unconscious woman. As he starts to assess the situation, she draws a gun and the fun begins. 

This is where we meet Michaela Fenton, the determined and concerned sister of her criminally involved brother. As the story takes shape and major players are introduced, the pair of Reacher and Fenton search for her brother and the people behind the corruption at hand. The trip takes them through run down hotels, back roads and to another country. After miles and miles, they reach one of the most secure bad guy hideouts ever and are on the hunt for the mastermind behind Fenton’s brother’s demise. 

The legend of Jack Reacher continues in this epic battle of good versus evil. Showing the strengths and weaknesses of Jack Reacher and how he’s able to slow things down, deliver righteousness, and be the violence when needed.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Better Off Dead
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Gated Prey By Lee Goldberg

gated-prey-lee-goldberg-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

Eve Ronin is someone I never had the pleasure of meeting until Lee Goldberg dropped this fast-paced, go get ‘em adventure in Gated Prey. This is the third installment of Goldberg’s Ronin series and I am kicking myself for not having read them before and letting the first couple slip through the cracks.

Eve Ronin is a top-notch police investigator who you meet in an extremely unusual situation as she and her partner (Duncan Pavone) are on the hunt for the perps of high-end home burglaries. Just as the operation is getting hot and heavy, the investigators’ plan goes sideways. A couple of dead bad guys and a slaughtered Bentley later the case is seemingly solved. As if crime never sleeps, Ronin is forced into another case trying to determine what happened when a mother has a dead newborn in her arms in another gated community. 

Eve Ronin is the perfect example of the law enforcement personnel you want to investigate the atrocities that are committed in your community. Goldberg finds the perfect balance of treachery and resolve in the strong female character of Eve Ronin. She is a force to be reckoned with that all criminals will hate to come face to face with and one that is deserved of the big screen. Goldberg's writing makes for an amazingly easy read and plays out just like the Hollywood we all know and hear about in real life.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Gated Prey
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Lion's Paw By Stephen England

This was one of my first Stephen England reads and I was not disappointed. You can tell from the start that there was a lot of research and dedication put into this piece of work. He has some great scene creation ability and is someone that you will. 

Russia has a brand-new toy, the Su-57, named correctly by NATO as the ‘Felon’. A new stealth airplane that could turn the tides of war with ease and terrifying precision. ‘The Lion of God’ David Shafron, the Mossad directors right hand man, meets with American CIA chief of station Paul Kiefer regarding the use of these planes in the Syrian conflict. America among other countries has been known to conduct proxy wars or employ the use of other governments or factions to take care of their dirty work. While Shafron isn’t keen on sending his men into the battle on Syrian ground, the networking and windfall that could be garnered from the mission is too much to let pass by. Mohamed Taferi, one of Shafron’s star operators, is tasked with infiltrating the Syrian conflict to help gain support to help destroy the planes and steal vital information. As Taferi works his way into the battle, posing as a financier of greater loyalty to the brotherhood and cause, he must constantly watch his back and play nice. When the chips fall right, the group plans an attack on the Russian base at Khmeimim in which the goal is in sight. 

England hits on major points in day-to-day common news feeds, leaning on dysfunctional governments and countries partnering with allies to unite for common good. He also shows the good and bad of every relationship formed and the saying goes keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Savage bloodthirsty humans, desolate areas far from home, and the most chilling undercover job ever makes the story happen fast. England continues the Shadow Warriors series with overwhelming success and a fantastic win in the war on terrorism.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Lion’s Paw
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

State Of Terror By Louise Penny And Hillary Rodham Clinton

I’ve been struggling with this State of Terror review by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and New York Times bestseller Louise Penny. If you put politics aside, this one was a fun read.  

Secretary of State Ellen Adams is in a position no one ever anticipated. Working for a rival politician wasn’t her idea of fun. The saying “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” was never more relevant as Adams serves in President-elect Douglas Williams administration. As the disheveled, never prim and proper Adams travels the world performing her duties, bombs start going off in London, Paris, and Frankfurt. 

At the State Department desk of Anahita Dahir, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, a random and anonymous message comes across with vital information. This information leads to an international finger pointing escapade that ends with a few missing dirty bombs supposedly in the United States. As the pieces start to fall in line, while tackling seemingly overwhelming odds, Adams and her team of crack shot intelligence personnel are working every bit of information to determine who is behind the insurrection. 

Clinton and Penny team up to deliver a thriller that showcases the true human spirit and dedication to country, while utilizing the current American political climate.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase State Of Terror
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Wilkes Insurrection By Robbie Bach

wilkes-insurrection-robbie-bach-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

Former Microsoft Xbox executive Robbie Bach is now dipping his hand into fiction with the October 2021 release of The Wilkes Insurrection. Bach leans heavily on the civic issues currently plaguing the United States to create intrigue while keeping you on your toes throughout.

The Wilkes Insurrection follows Air Force Reserve Officer Tamika Smith and her journey following a terrible airliner crash on Offutt Air Force base in Omaha, Nebraska. While combing through the wreckage Smith makes an astonishing discovery in the form of a single survivor, who was thrown from the plane. What ensues is a huge media firestorm where Smith is hailed as a hero for saving the life of John Humboldt. Tamika is forced to navigate the resulting fame as horrific terrorist attacks continue across the country. 

While there is pain and resentment in some of the relationships that are formed, there are the happenstance meetings that forge lifelong friendships and dedication for others. Bach also shows how Smith’s past has shaped her future and how the limelight can be used for good. While the authorities are searching for the people responsible for the heinous actions that are taking American lives, the web is being spun that ties all the major characters together.

Bach hits all the current talking points in America using political division and racial disparity while trying to show the true spirit of humanity, one that sees no difference in race, sex, or religion. The mission is simple: treat people the way you would want to be treated, even though it can be difficult. Bach unites people through adversity and delivers an edge of your seat ride that is extremely uplifting. Perseverance and one strong willed woman highlight the best of America in this great debut.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Wilkes Insurrection
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Wolf Point By Ian K. Smith

wolf-point-ian-k-smith-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

Ashe Cayne, a larger-than-life character who is extremely likeable, is not your average private investigator, he is a well-educated former Chicago PD detective with a golf addiction.

Cayne has been employed by the family of a prominent Chicago area education board president with political ties, who committed suicide almost two years ago. The family doesn’t believe the police report and are convinced someone murdered him. Cayne uses all available resources, investigates all angles, and doesn’t stop searching for the truth. 

Cayne’s tactics are very fluid as he likes to go with the flow and strike while the iron is hot. I love his demeanor as he isn’t a perfect character, but he has brilliant insight while still evaluating his shortfalls.

Smith nails the storyline, and the team he assembles around Cayne are top-notch characters. He does a phenomenal job ensuring that the ending isn’t all laid out for everyone to see and had me wowed all the way through. Ashe Cayne is part Evan Smoak (Gregg Hurwitz) and part John Corey (Nelson DeMille) all while being dangerous, witty, and charming...never underestimate him.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Wolf Point
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Enemy At The Gates By Kyle Mills

enemy-at-gates-kyle-mills-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

Mitch Rapp has been a top-tier American asset from the beginning in American Assassin to the latest adventure in Total Power. He’s done everything from stopping biological attacks, preventing dirty bombs from being detonated, to trying to get the power back on after a computer hack turned America dark. What if the battle that he now faces is one that is not external to the United States, but from the very people he has fought with and for over the years? What if the people he depends on are working against him?

Following Rapp’s adventures and lethality in Total Power, Miss has him on the verge of taking a much-needed vacation, one where he’s away from everything, relaxing with Claudia and Anna in South Africa. Mitch is immediately pulled into a foray of epic proportions to protect one of the brightest minds on Earth along with the richest man on the planet/. While Irene Kennedy and Mike Nash continue to work with the newly minted administration, Rapp is forced to up his game and use unusual tactics to ensure the safety and security of some of the most important people to humankind. Scott Coleman and the crew at Seal Demolition are back doing what they do best but a little extra kickass from Mitch is always better. 

Buckle up, Mitch Rapp has never been so ruthless and lethal. Mills delivers unimaginable twists and turns in this instant Mitch Rapp classic. Mills has been able to continue the legacy that Vince Flynn established by allowing Rapp to age and endure the more common life changes as he continues to protect America. Enemy at the Gates is an impressive story of perseverance and dedication as Rapp forgoes the pleasantries and gets straight to killing, and I love it!


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Enemy At The Gates
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Last Target Standing By Jason Kasper

last-target-standing-jason-kasper-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

Jason Kasper dropped a must read right in my lap with The Enemies of My Country. The characters were great and worthy of a follow up. His next Shadow Strike series adventure, Last Target Standing, releases September 14, and I was floored at the movie-quality story in this CIA revenge thriller. 

The storyline is top notch, building off the great start of The Enemies of My Country. The team is back and raring to go, personal relationships are built, bets are wagered, and lies are told all in the name of the American people. The group is dead set on revenge for the atrocities that were dealt in the first adventure. 

In Last Target Standing, we catch up with David Rivers, former Green Beret turned CIA Special Activities operative that is on the hunt in a country far from home. After missing the initial LZ on an infill into a country they shouldn’t be in, David ‘Suicide Actual’ (callsign) and team are immediately placed in a bind. Of course, things don’t go to plan. 

Kasper has a good thing going and the writing keeps you engaged from the start. I had no problem staying glued to the pages on this one. The characters are robust enough to find some you like, or don’t. The villains are vile, while being savvy. The interaction between the top levels of government and boots on the ground are amazing, it’s like you get a little into each of their heads, wishing you could make the decisions yourself. This is a fast-paced guns blazing retribution tour, and you will love it.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Last Target Standing
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena By K. R. Paul

area-athena-kr-paul-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

I’ve always been a huge fan of military and political thrillers set in modern times, but I also enjoy a science fiction/fantasy blend from time to time. And then KR Paul goes and drops this fantastic sci-fi/military blend thriller that keeps the pages turning quickly. I believe that the two have been mostly different from one another for much of the thriller genre. 

‘Athena’, aka Valerie Hall, is on the mend, recovering from the gunshot wound she sustained from a recent Jump while capturing a rogue Russian General. Following an extremely violent and death-defying ambush while on patrol in Syria, United States Marine Staff Sergeant Murphy Hawkins and his team are instantaneously moved from one location to another. But how? And why? The latest Pantheon member to join, although unbeknownst to himself, is Sergeant Murphy Hawkins. Hawkins along with his military working dog Zora in tow, are an offensive and tactically minded pair for the legally defensive in organization. It seems like the weird voodoo that surrounds ‘Ares’ (Sgt. Hawkins) is constantly evolving and growing by the minute. The relationships between main characters grow and fade, but also take some of the more bizarre twists I think I have ever seen. But wait, there is more. Murders, terrorist bombings, corrupt officials (where have we seen this before?). 

Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena provides some of the most fun and terrifying scenes I have ever read. The constant back and forth between characters creates relationship animosity and builds the bonds between some. I have always enjoyed the authentic military reads in the thriller genre and was hesitant to see how the military vibe was going to be affected with the science fiction element. Paul delivers a futuristic soldier sci-fi thriller that is absolutely fantastic. Hawkins and Hall are tremendous and formidable characters that are destined for greatness at the Pantheon.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Amazon

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Dark Intercept By Andrews & Wilson

dark-intercept-andrews-wilsonl-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

This Andrews and Wilson Shepherds series debut is the very definition of good versus evil. Navy SEAL Senior Chief Jedidiah Johnson, a man with an intentionally forgotten past is on the verge of retirement as a door kicking terrorist hunter when everything changes. 

Retirement from twenty years of military service is something that everyone looks forward to who has spent time in the military. Not needing to jump into a career right away and finding your own niche with your free time was the plan until a young woman is kidnapped, and she is part of a family that he knows well. Being drawn back to the place where he grew up, with friends he hasn’t talked to in decades, family he hasn’t spoken to in a while, and at a place where his life was changed by a freak encounter with something that is not of this world, you can bet he isn’t excited about the trip.

This debut is dark and thorough, and as a faith-based thriller, it has the competitive juices to compete with A&W’s amazing Tier One series. The faith portion of this thriller is not an overpowering in your face religious service, it’s about how your faith can empower you and give you the strength to accomplish things that you might not have thought possible. The action is good, support characters are complex enough and intriguing enough to aid the story and create conflict as well. If you’re looking for something a little less hard hitting than the Tier One series but with the clever and dynamic writing from A&W give this one a try!


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Dark Intercept
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Island By Ben Coes

Finally, Rob Tacoma and Dewey Andreas are back. It has been three years since we have had the pleasure of following Dewey on his kickass adventures. We left Dewey in 2018 in Bloody Sunday on a race against time and the North Korean regime and their nuclear ambitions. While Andreas has had some difficult times in his past, specifically losing his wife and son which seems like decades ago, then the loss of his fiancé some years later, he still operates with extreme dedication and fierceness. He has lived a life of service to the United States and absolutely has lost some of the most important things in his life while doing it. Maybe this is where things start to turn around for him. 

An island is typically thought of with grand picturesque views, clear water, maybe even white sandy beaches, but The Island is far from that. Dewey has been sent to faraway lands, stolen nuclear weapons, even had a deadly virus inserted in him. Why would he continue to operate at the tempo that he has? The battle rages furiously while Dewey and a couple other tier one operators are pushed to their brink trying to prevent the assassination of the most important figurehead in America and preventing the greatest financial collapse of all time. Meeting a pretty lady is always a nice break from the killing and mayhem that follows this cool operator. Dewey gets the opportunity to meet this cool former MI6 intelligence agent who might be the greatest distraction he could as for, but with knowing his past he has difficult decisions to make. 

Coes delivers an unbelievably dark and bloody game of survival for one of the best characters in the thriller world. The ability to showcase an authentic Dewey battling violent extremists in an all-out war zone in downtown America shows the versatility in Andreas’s talents and skills. The Island is very cinematic from page one and is a brutal roller coaster ride that deserves a shot at the big screen. 


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Island
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Assassin's Dawn By Ward Larsen

assassins-dawn-ward-larsen-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

One of the most dangerous tools that the Israeli government can use is back at it again in this quick-paced hard-hitting novella. David Slaton is a certified badass from the grips and imagination of Ward Larsen and this hits the bullseye without any question.

Slaton is on a standard clandestine mission, one that you could see the Mossad trying to pull off because they are one of the world's most sly agencies. Things immediately go sideways after a botched prostitution adventure for enemy player number one. Long lost enemy number two turns up near the location of enemy number one. Looks like a clean-cut case of get the bad guy, but it could not be further from the truth. The intrigue heats up, action comes to a crescendo, and Slaton is left doing what he does best, dealing death.

Larsen is a tremendous author and after having a minute to soak up this incredible read, I have decided that he is very underappreciated and underrated. I could not put this book down and it was done in two hours. That is it. There is no argument needed. He has delivered a classic good versus evil afternoon read that will leave you ready for more David Slaton.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Assassin’s Dawn
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Black Ice By Brad Thor

black-ice-brad-thro-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

If you’re a trained killer, with the background of Scot Harvath, you’re always going to finish a mission, no matter the cost. Even if it requires an Arctic collaborative mission that leaves you on your own in a foreign land without your typical support?  

Scot Harvath has rarely faltered in hunting down some of the world’s most lethal monsters, but his “summer of fun” in Norway goes sideways when the man he killed years before shows his face. Harvath was trying to get away on a summer sabbatical with his Norwegian lady friend Solvi when life goes from zero to sixty quickly. Solvi and Harvath are thrown into a critical high-stakes adventure to stop some of the world's most sensitive electronic hardware from being used against the United States. Thor creates a modern-day thriller that rivals the American hunt for the Enigma machine during World War II.

Black Ice hits hard right from the start and the intrigue constantly builds, with a life or death case that puts a whole country in jeopardy. Thor shows Harvath’s multifaceted talents and skills, as his character grows professionally and personally. Black Ice offers cutting-edge action and an innovative storyline that competes with current headlines.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Black Ice
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Razorblade Tears By S.A. Cosby

razorblade-tears-sa-cosby-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

After the amazing debut that Cosby dropped in 2020 in Blacktop Wasteland, I was curious as to how this was going to stack up against it. I should have never questioned Cosby’s ability to create a story worthy of the New York Times Bestsellers list as this is an amazing sophomore release. 

Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee Jenkins could not have been any more different. One is a former convicted felon turned lawn maintenance company owner and the other is a run down on his luck hillbilly criminal with an alcohol problem. They are forced to earn each other’s friendship on the path to finding the truth to what happened to their sons. There is no amount of pain and heartache these two are willing to endure to find those responsible and I absolutely loved it!

Cosby delivers another truly authentic and violent story about life that will leave you crying, and wishing you were fighting with Ike and Buddy Lee. The language is harsh, just like life has treated the men in this adventure. The violence is unbelievable and justified, sparing no one from the wrath of two fathers hell bent on justice. The story follows a trend that is common in America in contemporary times, one that needs to be challenged and righted, as the people that are being attacked, verbally and physically daily because of differences. Cosby brings a lot of emotion, offensive and defensive, enabling every reader to feel the mayhem, the hate, and most importantly the love that every man should have for one another.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Razorblade Tears
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Falling By T.J. Newman

t-j-newman-falling-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

As a pilot would you crash your plane to save your family, or let them perish while you attempt to save the people on your flight? Think you could make that decision?  

In her buzz-worthy debut novel, T.J. Newman crafts a breakneck speed, hair raising, roller coaster ride of a story.

Newman provides clever character introductions, while developing a high-stakes narrative with timely placed flashbacks. It’s obvious Newman’s 10 years in the airline industry provided plenty of time to think of ways flights could go sideways. That time was well spent as Falling is terrifying.

With a plausible and believable story of a plane flight from hell, Newman’s debut novel has the potential to be on the NYT bestseller list. Preorder this book now, as it will wow and stun you with its detailed and ruthless storytelling!



Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Falling
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Sleeping Bear By Connor Sullivan

connot-sullivan-sleeping-bear-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

How would you react if your daughter were to go missing? How would you react knowing that there is a trend of people that have gone missing from the area she would have been visiting? This story followed the path of a tragedy struck family, the Gale’s, who have been dealt blows left and right for years. They are a strong willed, dedicated group from Montana that have been taught how to take care of themselves. 

This debut from Sullivan is an absolute pace-setting jaw-dropper from beginning to end. Sullivan hooks you right from the beginning, getting you emotionally attached and invested into Cassie Gale’s character. From there on you are in for a story of retribution and dedication from an All-American family. There is a mysterious aura that follows the Gale’s, like they almost are not who they seem to be. It could not be further from the truth, as you walk side-by-side with Cassie as she tries to find a little bit of reality in the life that she has been dealt. Sullivan uses a very carefully crafted story that is extremely engaging and heart pounding. I found myself reading way too fast more than a few times, just to see what happens next. It wasn’t that I wasn’t immersed, I felt like I was watching a movie, I felt the scenes, the locations that I have never actually been to, and the fear, excitement, and unknown was just dripping from the pages. Sullivan provides a fresh face to the thriller genre with this adrenaline fueled debut that I have no doubt every thriller fan will love.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Sleeping Bear
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Shadow Masters By J.T. Patten

j-t-patten-shadow-masters-best-thriller-books-chris-miller.jpg

“People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” George Orwell supposedly said that. Doesn’t that make you feel safe? What about those rough men? Who is protecting their families and what happens when people do harm to those at home?

In Shadow Masters: Reloaded, J.T. Patten introduces you to Sean Havens, one of those shadow players who works for the government, or so he thinks. Life changes for him quickly as his family is turned upside down while he is away on “business.” Havens returns home immediately upon finding out that his family has been attacked, while he is worlds away creating chaos. Patten has Havens battling relentlessly to find the truth that is buried in the darkness that continues to follow him.

Death is delivered frequently and brutally in this dark and violent story. Shadow Masters: Reloaded is filled with impressive characters, breathtaking action, and heaps of twists and turns to keep you glued until the end. Patten leaves nothing to the imagination as his writing continues to grow in this fast-paced thriller.


Follow Chris on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Shadow Masters
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Amazon

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen