Meet BTB Reviewer Kashif Hussain

 
 

Background: Reading has morphed from a hobby into an addiction - no complaints there. When I'm not reading, I'm usually wondering what next cool thing I can try in the world of advancing technology. But I'm always thinking about what's my next book. Thriller is my favorite genre, but I dabble in other genres too.

Go-To Author: Mark Greaney - there's no doubt that if you're itching for a great story that packs supreme action and high stakes, you can’t go wrong with Greaney. His Gray Man books are some of the most phenomenal action thrillers you’ll read and he continues to outdo himself and stay with the new trends in the thrillerverse.

Author People Should Discover: Jethro Wegener - he made his debut splash quite recently with a black protagonist in the racial tensions of 60's and 70's who embodies the physicality of Reacher with a lot more violence and witty one-liners. Wegener knows how to keep you hooked and entertained and sometimes, that's the best thing you need after a long hard day.


Book You Would Recommend From 2024: Burn Out by Joshua Hood - an epic and grounded story of a smokejumper who comes upon a devious conspiracy in the heat of a dangerous fire spreading across the mountains of California’s notorious Emerald Triangle. It’s a thrilling experience to dive into the shoes of the protagonist as he battles man and nature!

Most-Anticipated Book Of 2025: Famous by Blake Crouch. Crouch's mind-bending tales are riveting to say the least and I am ready to have my reality shattered by his latest take on how we perceive our world vs how it actually may be.

Favorite Local Bookstore: Barnes and Noble at Firewheel Town Center; great selection of books and delicious cookies.

Favorite Charities: Miracle Foundation is an international nonprofit organization for children. Focused on orphans in need and partnered with over 300 orphanages in India.

Follow Kashif on Twitter Facebook and Instagram or contact him via the site.

View Kashif’s Latest Reviews (book pub. dates)

Where the Road Ends by Brian Freeman (10/6/26)
What They Did by Rio Youers (8/18/26)
The Most Dangerous Game by Jack Murphy (6/9/26)
The Fourth Option by Jack Carr and M.P. Woodward (5/12/26)
Beggars Will Ride by Nate Granzow (4/30/26)
The Council by Matthew Betley (4/28/26)
The Girls in the Dark by Robert Swartwood (4/24/26)
Hunting Ground by Andrew Warren (4/16/26)
None Witness by JT Patten (3/31/26)
The Survivor by Andrew Reid (3/24/26)
The Dark Time by Nick Petrie (3/10/26)
Beirut Extraction by Nick Irving (2/20/26)
The Hard Line by Mark Greaney (2/17/26)
Murder at 30,000 Feet by Susan Walter (2/17/26)
They'll Take Everything by C.H. Connor (2/16/26)
Underdogs by Stephen Leather (2/12/26)
Cold Zero by Brad Thor & Ward Larsen (2/10/26)
Antihero By Gregg Hurwitz (2/10/26)
Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbo (2/3/26)
The Asset by Mike Lawson (2/3/26)
The Bourne Revenge by Brian Freeman (1/20/26)
Godfall by Van Jensen (1/13/26)
A Spy Inside the Castle by M.B. Courtenay (12/9/25)
Dead Ringer by Chris Hauty (12/2/25)
NYPD Red 8: The 11:59 Bomber by Marshall Karp (11/25/25)
The Second Son by Simon Gervais & Ryan Steck (11/11/25)
White Tiger by Andrew Warren (11/6/25)
Simultaneous by Eric Heisserer (10/28/25)
The Tin Men by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille (10/28/25)
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly (10/21/25)
The Southern Trust Conspiracy by Patrick Weill (10/17/25)
Blood Rival by Jake Arnott (10/14/25)
Cry Havoc by Jack Carr (10/7/25)
Denied Access by Don Bentley (9/30/25)
Sideshow by Stephen England (9/24/25)
Red Tide by M.P. Woodward (9/23/25)
Deadly Mistake by Rob Sinclair (9/17/25)
The Final Score by Don Winslow (9/16/25)
Sidewinder by Andrew Warren & Ross Sidor (9/15/25)
Kill Code by Alex Shaw (8/9/25)
The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (8/5/25)
Departure 37 by Scott Carson (8/5/25)
Last Chance by Stephen Leather (7/31/25)
Fade In by Kyle Mills (7/29/25)
The Confessions by Paul Bradley Carr (7/22/25)
An Even Chance of Violence by Jethro Wegener (7/18/25)
The Twilight Town By Terrence McCauley (7/15/25)
Supreme Justice by Eric Bishop (7/15/25)
Ghost Cell by Zac Topping (7/15/25)
The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos (7/8/25)
The Elias Enigma by Simon Gervais (7/8/25)
Welcome to Cottonmouth by Jay S. Bell (7/8/25)
Edge of Honor by Brad Thor (7/1/25)
The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart (6/24/25)
Dead Reckoning by Rob Sinclair (6/23/25)
Blunt Force by Aiden Bailey (6/15/25)
Blood Feud by Martin Rooney (6/3/25)
The Palace of Sinners and Saints by Ammar Merchant (5/20/25)
Tom Clancy's Line of Demarcation by M.P. Woodward (5/20/25)
Tokyo Black by Andrew Warren (5/6/25)
Shot Clock by Andrew Bourelle (5/6/25)
A Thousand Natural Shocks by Omar Hussain (5/6/25)
The Ratcatcher of Berlin by James Stejskal (4/28/25)
Nightshade by Michael Connelly (4/28/25)
Rogue Frontier by Jason Kasper (4/15/25)
Senseless by Ronald Malfi (4/15/25)
The Price of Everything by Jon McGoran (4/8/25)
Hard Town by Adam Plantinga (4/8/25)
Deadly Vision by T.D. Severin (3/6/25)
The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff (3/4/25)
Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski (3/11/25)
Don't Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp (3/4/25)
Wolf Six by Alex Shaw (2/27/25)
Midnight Black by Mark Greaney (2/18/25)
Cold Hit by Cole Chase (2/14/25)
The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey (2/11/25)
Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz (2/11/25)
Blood Ties by Jo Nesbø (2/11/25)
All The Time by Lincoln James (2/1/25)
The Oligarch's Daughter by Joseph Finder (1/28/25)
The Mailman by Andrew Welsh-Huggins (1/28/25)
Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (1/28/25)
Shock Front by Aiden L. Bailey (1/19/25)
Caribbean Harvest by Steve Stratton (1/14/25)
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Vendetta by Brian Freeman (1/14/25)
Babylon Will Rise by Eric Bishop (12/5/24)
Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy (12/3/24)
Nobody's Hero by M.W. Craven (12/3/24)
New Beginning by Lukas Walker (11/19/24)
Hotel Lucky Seven by Kōtarō Isaka (11/19/24)
The Collaborators by Michael Idov (11/19/24)
Tokyo Swindlers by Ko Shinjo (11/12/24)
Origin Story by A.M. Adair (10/22/24)
Run by Blake Crouch (10/22/24)
Warlord Actual by Aiden Bailey (10/6/24)
The Elias Network by Simon Gervais (10/1/24)
Break Every Rule by Brian Freeman (9/10/24)
Capture or Kill by Don Bentley`(9/3/24)
The Accomplice by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Aaron Philip Clark (9/3/24)
An Honorable Assassin by Steve Hamilton (8/27/24)
Enemy of the State by Robert Swartwood (8/20/24)
Worth Killing For by Max Luther (8/15/24)
Burn Out by Joshua Hood (8/13/24)
Shadow of Doubt by Brad Thor (8/6/24)
Double Threat by Patrick Weill (8/1/24)
In Any Lifetime by Marc Guggenheim (8/1/24)
The Recruiter by Gregg Podolski (7/23/24)
Shades of Mercy By Bruce Borgos (7/16/24)
The Bang Bang Sisters by Rio Youers (7/16/24)
The Bourne Shadow by Brian Freeman (7/16/24)
Cage of Traitors By Aiden L Bailey (7/11/24)
The Tennessee Killers by Jethro Wegener (7/2/24)
Sentinel by Mark Greaney (6/25/24)
Standing Strong by Stephen Leather (6/20/24)
Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr (6/18/24)
Breach of Trust by Eric P. Bishop (6/18/24)
Ghost Jumper by A. A. Warren (6/11/24)
A Warrior's Path by Steve Stratton (6/11/24)
A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson (6/11/24)
Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart (6/11/24)
The Devil's Fortress by Dale Brown (5/28/24)
If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay (05/28/24)
Act of Defiance by Andrews and Wilson (5/21/24)
A Spy Like Me by Kim Sherwood (4/23/24)
Catchpenny by Charlie Huston (4/9/24)
Mal Goes to War by Edward Ashton (4/9/24)
Day of Wrath by Matthew Cricchio (4/8/24)
Deep Cover by Aiden Bailey (4/7/24)
Guns and Almond Milk by Mustafa Marwan (4/2/24)
4 Minutes by Andrews & Wilson (4/2/24)
City in Ruins by Don Winslow (04/2/24)
Lethal Horizon by Jason Kasper (3/26/24)
Lethal Action by Andrew Warren & Aiden Bailey (3/19/24)
Cape Rage by Ron Corbett (3/19/24)
On the Run by Max Luther (3/14/24)
To Kill a Shadow By Julia Castleton (3/2/24)
Outlaw by Jack Stewart (2/20/24)
The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney (2/20/24)
Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz (2/13/24)
Crosshairs by James Patterson and James O. Born (2/12/24)
Black Cordite, White Snow by Nate Granzow (2/11/24)
The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes (2/6/24)
The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie (2/6/24)
The Trigger Man by Aiden Bailey (1/31/24)
The Mountain King by Anders de la Motte (1/30/24)
The Ascent by Adam Plantinga (1/2/24)
The Girl Beyond Forever by Adam Loxwood (12/12/23)
Shadowfast Trilogy (Metal Lies) by Cole Chase (12/12/23)
Night Owl by Andrew Mayne (12/1/23)
Assassin's Mark by Ward Larsen (11/28/23)
Unknown Rider by Jack Stewart (11/21/23)
The Warmaker by Benjamin Spada (11/15/23)
The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak (11/14/23)
The Doomsday Code by Sara Yager (11/14/23)
Devil's Own Day by Joe Goldberg (11/14/23)
Perfect Shot by Steve Urszenyi (11/14/23)
A New Game by A.M. Adair (10/27/23)
Baltic Black Ops By Stephen Leather (10/26/23)
The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child (10/24/23)
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett (10/24/23)
Blood Lines by Nelson DeMille & Alex DeMille (10/10/23)
The Defector by Chris Hadfield (10/10/23)
Ransomed Daughter by Eric Bishop (10/10/23)
The Last Guardian by Simon Gervais (10/10/23)
Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver (10/5/23)
The Night House by Jo Nesbo (10/3/23)
Moscow X by David McCloskey (10/3/23)
Dead Hand by James Stejskal (9/21/23)
The Traitor by Ava Glass (9/19/23)
The Exploit by Daniel Scanlon (9/14/23)
The Belgrade Conspiracy by Jason Kasper (9/12/23)
Code Red by Kyle Mills (9/12/23)
77 North by D. L. Marshall (9/7/23)
Tom Clancy's Weapons Grade by Don Bentley (9/5/23)
White Fire by Adam Hamdy (8/31/23)
Shadow Sanction by Steve Stratton (8/30/23)
The Killing Room by Robert Swartwood (8/22/23)
Fadeaway Joe by Hugh Lessig (8/22/23)
What Still Burns by Elle Grawl (8/15/23)
The Last One by Will Dean (8/8/23)
Deadlock by James Byrne (8/8/23)
The Sandbox by Andrews and Wilson (7/25/23)
The Bourne Defiance by Brian Freeman (7/25/23)
Dead Fall by Brad Thor (7/25/23)
Clean Kill by Stephen Leather (7/20/23)
The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos (7/18/23)
Sleepless City by Reed Farrel Coleman (7/11/23)
Fearless by M. W. Craven (7/11/23)
Soon Dies the Day by Stephen England (6/30/23)
The Guardian by Joshua Hood (6/27/23)
Disarm by Lukas Walker (6/23/23)
Shrouded in Darkness by Charles Hack (6/23/23)
The Eden Initiative by David Scott (6/15/23)
Inside Threat by Matthew Quirk (6/13/23)
What Remains by Wendy Walker (6/13/23)
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (6/6/23)
Endless Vessel by Charles Soule (6/6/23)
Six Bullets to a Man by Jethro Wegener (6/2/23)
The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (5/30/23)
Weapons of Opportunity by Dale Brown (5/30/23)
Triggers by Stephen Leather (5/28/23)
Dark Horizon by James Swallow (5/25/23)
Flash Point by Don Bentley (5/23/23)
The Last Songbird by Daniel Weizmann (5/23/23)
The Devil You Know by Chris Hauty (5/23/23)
Dead Drop by M.P Woodward (5/23/23)
Only the Dead by Jack Carr (5/16/23)
Forgotten War by Don Bentley (4/25/23)
City of Dreams by Don Winslow (4/18/23)
The Instructor by T.R. Hendricks (4/11/23)
Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood (4/11/23)
Blind Spots by Thomas Mullen (4/4/23)
The Guilty One by Bill Schweigart (3/21/23)
Robert Ludlum's The Treadstone Rendition by Joshua Hood (3/16/23)
Wolf Trap by Connor Sullivan (3/14/23)
Deep Fake by Ward Larsen (3/14/23)
Beast Three Six by Jason Kasper (3/14/23)
Red London by Alma Katsu (3/14/23)
Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton (3/14/23)
The Mazatlan Showdown by Patrick Weill (3/13/23)
What Have We Done by Alex Finlay (3/7/23)
Death Watch by Stona Fitch (3/2/23)
The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson (2/28/23)
Net Force: Moving Target by Jerome Preisler (2/21/23)
Dempsey by Andrews & Wilson (2/21/23)
Burner by Mark Greaney (2/21/23)
Black Wolf by Kathleen Kent (2/14/23)
The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz (2/14/23)
The Bullet Garden by Stephen Hunter (1/24/23)
Shadow State by Andy McNab (1/5/23)
Still Standing by Stephen Leather (1/5/23)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Dragonfire by James Swallow (1/3/23)
Murder Book By Thomas Perry (1/3/23)
Amok by Barry Eisler (12/6/22)
Red Winter by Marc Cameron (12/6/22)
Judas 62 by Charles Cumming (12/6/22)
One of Those Faces by Elle Grawl (12/1/22)
Rio Grande Night by Stephen Leather (11/27/22)
NYPD Red 7: Murder Sorority by Marshall Karp (11/22/22)
Little Black Crimes by Nathaniel Blackhelm (11/20/22)
Whispers of a Gypsy by JT Patten (11/18/22)
Rebellious Son by Joe Goldberg (11/15/22)
The Survivor by Simon Conway (11/3/22)
No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child (10/25/22)
The Blackbriar Genesis by Simon Gervais (10/18/22)
The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy (10/11/22)
The Furies by John Connolly (9/27/22)
Oath of Loyalty by Kyle Mills (9/13/22)
Blowback by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois (9/12/22)
The Hacker by Daniel Scanlan (9/1/22)
Kingdom of Spies by Bevan G. Roberts (9/1/22)
Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger (8/23/22)
Narco Assassins by Jason Kasper (8/23/22)
Out of the Blue by M.M. Harrold 8/20/22
Firestorm by Taylor Moore (8/16/22)
Dark Harvest by Will Jordan (8/16/22)
The Titan Protocol by David Scott (8/16/22)
Heat 2 by Meg Gardiner & Michael Mann (8/9/22)
The Last Sentinel by Simon Gervais (8/9/22)
The Neighborhood by Matthew Betley (8/9/22)
I Will Kill You by Halo Scot (8/8/22)
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (8/6/22)
A Simple Choice by David Pepper (8/2/22)
Alias Emma by Ava Glass (8/2/22)
FNG by Benjamin Spada (7/31/22)
The Bourne Sacrifice by Brian Freeman (7/26/22)
The Nameless Height by J.D. Narramore (7/21/22)
Dirty War by Stephen Leather (7/21/22)
The It Girl by Ruth Ware (7/12/22)
The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci (7/12/22)
Dark Objects by Simon Toyne (7/12/22)
Upgrade by Blake Crouch (7/12/22)
Into the Darkness by Charles Hack (7/8/22)
Rising Tiger by Brad Thor (7/5/22)
Armored by Mark Greaney (7/5/22)
Outside by Ragnar Jonasson (6/28/22)
China Hand by Scott Spacek (6/21/22)
Shadow Tier by Steve Stratton (6/14/22)
Cold Fear by Brandon Webb & John David Mann (6/7/22)
Zero Hour by Don Bentley (6/7/22)
Snowstorm in August by Marshall Karp (6/7/22)
Sons of Valor II: Violence of Action by Andrews and Wilson (6/7/22)
The Gatekeeper by James Byrne (6/7/22)
It Dies with You by Scott Blackburn (6/7/22)
The Handler by M.P. Woodward (5/31/22)
Airside James Swallow by (5/26/22)
In the Blood by Jack Carr (5/17/22)
The Island by Adrian McKinty (5/17/22)
With Prejudice by Robin Peguero (5/17/22)
Countdown To Midnight By Dale Brown (5/17/22)
Child Zero by Chris Holm, out on (5/10/22)
Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour by Mike Lupica (5/3/22)
The 13th Hour: Chaos by Richard Doetsch (5/3/22)
Storm Rising by Chris Hauty (5/3/22)
Hostile Intent by Don Bentley (5/3/22)
City on Fire by Don Winslow (4/26/22)
Cold Snap by Marc Cameron (4/26/22)
The Sweet Goodbye By Ron Corbett (4/19/22)
The Investigator by John Sanford (4/12/22)
Assassin's Edge by Ward Larsen (4/12/22)
Standing Alone by Stephen Leather (4/5/22)
Dark Angel by Andrews & Wilson (4/5/22)
The Treadstone Transgression by Joshua Hood (4/5/22)
Watch Dogs: Stars & Stripes by Sean Grigsby & Stewart Hotston (4/1/22)
Wild Card by Stephen England (3/18/22)
Shadow War by A.M. Adair (3/15/22)
Shadows Reel by C.J. Box (3/8/22)
The Baja Directive by Craig Hooper (3/4/22)
Splinter Cell: Firewall by James Swallow (3/1/22)
The Night Shift by Alex Finlay (3/01/22)
Grim Measures by David Darling (2/27/22)
Those Who Hunt Wolves by Harrison Taylor (2/22/22)
No Second Chances by Rio Youres (2/22/22)
Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett (2/22/22)
Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton (2/15/22)
Margaret Truman's Murder at the CDC by Jon Land (2/15/22)
Sierra Six by Mark Greaney (2/15/22)
City of the Dead by Jonathan Kellerman (2/8/22)
Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz (2/8/22)
Restitution by John A. Daly (2/8/22)
The Moscow Protocol by Terrance McCauley (2/2/22)
Code Green by Andrew Warren (1/25/22)
Road of Bones by Christopher Golden (1/25/22)
Undermoney by Jay Newman (1/25/22)
Targeted by Stephen Hunter (1/18/22)
The Runaway by Nick Petrie (1/18/22)
End of Days by Brad Taylor (1/11/22)
Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins (1/11/22)
Box 88 by Charles Cumming (1/11/22)
Insurrection Day by Chris Hauty (1/4/22)
Covert Kill by Jason Kasper (12/21/21)
Rogue Asset by Brian Andrews and Jeffery Wilson (12/7/21)
48 Hours to Kill by Andrew Bourelle (12/07/21)
Sea Hawke by Ted Bell (12/7/21)
Sympathy for the Devil by Terrence McCauley 12/01/21
A Time to Kill by Kronos Ananthsimha (11/23/21)
Twentymile by C. Matthew Smith (11/19/21)
Project Icarus by RD Shah (11/18/21)
A Shot to Kill by Kronos Ananthsimha (11/16/21)
Chain of Command by Marc Cameron (11/16/21)
The Body Man by Eric P. Bishop (11/11/21)
Game On by Janet Evanovich (11/02/21)
The Last Protector by Simon Gervais (11/1/21)
Her Name is Knight by Yasmin Angoe (11/1/21)
The Nameless Ones by John Connolly (10/26/21)
Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child (10/26/2021)
Security Day by Matt Cricchio (10/17/21)
The Lion's Paw by Stephen England (10/15/21)
The Kill Box by Rip Rawlings (10/5/21)
Appointment in Tehran by James Stejskal (10/01/21)
A Time for Monsters by Gareth Worthington (9/28/21)
Whitesands by Johann Thorsson (9/26/21)
Enemy at the Gates by Kyle Mills (9/14/21)
Last Target Standing by Jason Kasper (9/14/21)
KGB Banker by William McCormick (9/10/21)
Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena by K. R. Paul (9/9/21)
Left for Dead by Sean Parnell (9/7/21)
The Island by Ben Coes (8/17/21)
Down Range by Taylor Moore (8/3/21)
Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka (8/3/21)
Assassin's Dawn by Ward Larsen (8/2/21)
The Bourne Treachery by Brian Freeman (7/27/21)
Traitors by Alex Shaw (7/23/21)
Black Ice by Brad Thor (7/20/21)
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (7/6/21)
Falling by T.J. Newman (7/6/21)
Sleeping Bear by Connor Sullivan (7/6/21)
Shadow Masters by J.T. Patten (7/4/21)
The Impostor by David Temple (7/1/21)
Stealth Attack by John Gilstrap (6/29/21)
Cthulhu Reloaded by David Conyers (6/24/21)
Shadow Target by David Ricciardi (6/15/21)
The Tipping Point by David Darling (6/15/21)
Sons of Valor by Andrews & Wilson (6/8/21)
Target Acquired by Don Bentley (6/8/21)
The Spy Devils by Joe Goldberg (5/26/21)
Warshot by Don Keith and George Wallace (5/25/21)
A Hostile State by Adrian Magson (5/4/21)
Bone Rattle by Marc Cameron (4/27/21)
Red Wolves by Adam Hamdy (4/15/2021)
The Devil’s Hand by Jack Carr (4/13/21)
A Dangerous Freedom by John Ruane (3/31/21)
Renegade by Rob Sinclair (3/30/21)
The Bounty by Janet Evanovich (3/23/21)
Red Widow by Alma Katsu (3/23/21)
Nemesis by Anthony Riches (3/4/21)
Czar of England by Ian Kharitonov (3/3/21)
The Outside Man by Don Bentley (3/2/21)
Family Business by J.J. Fauser (2/28/2021)
All Fall Down by James Brabazon (2/18/21)
Relentless by Mark Greaney (2/16/21)
The Treadstone Exile by Joshua Hood (2/2/21)
Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz (1/26/21)
The Enemies Of My Country by Jason Kasper (1/15/21)
Savage Road by Chris Hauty (1/5/21)
The Deeper Shadow by A.M. Adair (11/30/20)
Drone Strike by David Austin (11/25/20)
Time to Hunt by Simon Gervais (11/10/20)
The Sentinel by Andrew Child (10/27/20)
Get Idiota by Nate Granzow (10/1/20)
The Hidden Vector by Matthew Snyder (9/28/20)
Total Power by Kyle Mills (9/15/20)
Rogue State by Ross Sidor (8/24/20)
The Buffalo Pilot by Lawrence A. Colby (8/21/20)
Assassin's Strike by Ward Larsen (8/18/20)
The Stranger by Simon Conway (8/13/20)
The Bourne Evolution by Brian Freeman (7/28/20)
Near Dark by Brad Thor (7/21/20)
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (7/14/20)
All The Good Men by Craig N. Hooper (6/17/20)
Rogue by James Swallow (5/28/20)
Broken by Don Winslow (4/7/2020)
Curse the Day by Judith O'Reilly (4/2/20)
One Minute Out by Mark Greaney (2/18/20)
Black 13 by Adam Hamdy (1/23/20)
The Treadstone Resurrection by Joshua Hood (9/17/19)
Presence of Mine Enemies by Stephen England (8/15/2019)
Shadow by James Swallow (5/3/19)
The Break Line by James Brabazon (1/29/19)
Fault Lines by Steven Hildreth Jr. (1/7/19)
Kill for Me by Tom Wood (11/6/18)
Into The Black Nowhere By Meg Gardiner (1/30/18)
Freefall by Adam Hamdy (11/2/17)
The Pendulum by Adam Handy (11/3/16)
Rules for Revenge by Ian Graham (10/2/16)
Raven One by Kevin Miller (8/15/15)
No Tomorrow by Tom Wood (9/02/14)
The Son by Jo Nesbo (5/13/14)
The Cleaner by Mark Dawson (1/3/14)
Veil Of Civility by Ian Graham (4/17/13)
Threat Vector by Tom Clancy-Mark Greaney (12/04/12)
Pandora's Grave by Stephen England (7/29/11)
The Ghosts of Belfast By Stuart Neville (10/1/09)
Veterans Day by Jack Stewart (querying author)
Desperate Pursuit by Kerry Frey (querying author)

Where The Road Ends By Brian Freeman

I came to know of Brian Freeman through his rejuvenation of Jason Bourne as a modern kickass protagonist. He’s done a fantastic job with the series, but perhaps what surprised me more was just how excellent he is at crafting smart crime thrillers with memorable characters. This I came to know with Where The Road Ends.

Jonathan Stride’s partner, Maggie Bei responds to shots fired at a renowned Judge’s house. Maggie ends up taking the life of the intruder. Trying to clear his partner’s actions, Stride finds out there was no evidence of the murder weapon on the intruder. Now having to deal with a political backlash, he must also find who killed the Judge and his wife and for what reason, leading him down a dark and perilous path.

Brian Freeman masters the art of creating and expanding upon compelling human characters that feel like people you can look up to, yet at the same time feel flawed. From the very first chapter, there’s an air of mystery and suspenseful horror that felt very surprising to experience in a thriller. Combining an on-the-grounds investigative detective narrative with a surreal mystical and darkness that is most commonly found in Stephen King-esque stories, I found Where The Road Ends to be an enthralling read. The thrills just keep on adding with each new chapter as the investigation unravels with finesse and apt suspense.

Where The Road Ends is a mysterious and suspenseful work of masterful storytelling that leaves no stone unturned and gives you the best of horror and thriller in one.

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What They Did By Rio Youers

Rio Youers is no stranger to crafting bold and emotionally charged thrillers with palpable tension and highly realistic characters with whom you become wholly invested by the time you finish the book. What They Did is a somber tale of how life has its own designs for you that lead you down a path you couldn’t have imagined.

Carly Rivers and Dana Lee share a secret that binds them forever. They were the bestest of friends and even as they drifted apart over the years, the secret sits there like a skeleton in the closet, just waiting to be revealed. When Dana’s son falls in with the wrong crowd, she turns back to Carly who herself has a place within the dark underbelly world of crime and violence. When heads finally butt and tensions burst, it’s a fight to the death for all, and the secret comes back yearning for resolution.

What They Did is a powerhouse suspense-filled thriller that boasts two of the most compelling female main characters I’ve read this year. I love the unflinching and raw portrayal of violence and brutality. It’s impressive how Youers keeps a running momentum in the present day storyline Dana, her kid, and Carly while unveiling just the right context of the past to help readers believe in Dana and Carly’s bond over the traumatic secret that sits between them silent and watchful. The deliberate nature of each chapter in the narrative is nothing less than a stroke of genius where everything falls so neatly into place at the end, all the building blocks so intricately set for a powerful payoff both emotionally and intellectually for readers. 

It’s essentially two great stories in one book. You’ve got the relationship between Dana and Carly, and then there’s Dana’s son, Anthony. His devastatingly engaging story arc serves as a testament to Rio Youers’s ability to craft meaningful and real-life-like stories where you can sense the destruction coming in through the traits and actions of his characters yet you can’t look away. It goes a long way to comment on our destructive nature to spiral even when there’s help available. 

What They Did is an excellent dramatic representation of life shaping you in its own unique and exciting if sometimes unorthodox ways. From the childhood bond of the two leading characters to the coming of age story of a young man falling head first into a pile of wrong decisions, it’s a story you won’t soon forget. 

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The Most Dangerous Game By Jack Murphy

The Most Dangerous Man is an intense and action-packed goodness that holds its own with the best in the genre. 

US Army Ranger Staff Sgt. Jeremy Lopez is one of the best players in the field when it comes to reconnaissance and lethal combat. He’s doing covert missions in North Africa when he meets a woman who slips something more potent in his drink than what he was expecting. Now waking up in the wild, he finds out he has been chosen to be hunted by a group of sociopathic millionaires and billionaires who have grown tired of the legal pleasures of life and have now turned to hunting the most dangerous game there is, an Army Ranger. With no support but his own wits and training, Lopez must outwit and out-kill his captors and save a fellow comrade who’s held hostage by the same hunters.

I was immediately captivated by the high stakes of the narrative and Jack Murphy’s lean and mean writing that added an extra oomph to the already action-packed ride. Lopez’s introduction as a kickass character takes off superbly with an action sequence that not only showcases his superior-than-most skill set but also his humanity to protect his brothers in arms. This also sets the stage for a brilliantly violent and unpredictable hunt where we see Lopez take every opportunity to turn the hunters into the hunted in spectacular fashion that took me back to the iconic writing of David Morrell’s First Blood. The action hits hard and crisp with fiery intensity that gets your heart racing and giddy with excitement. The momentum stays strong throughout the story once it sets up the bad guys, holding your attention fully till the last showdown where the hows and whys tie up neatly for a satisfying payoff.

The Most Dangerous Man is a kinetic and stellar action-packed thrill ride to the finish with an eye for details that would appease the most hardcore of readers who appreciate that extra attention to combat and firearms. 

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The Fourth Option By Jack Carr and M.P. Woodward

Jack Carr and M.P. Woodward are a dangerously dynamic duo in their collaboration in The Fourth Option. You get the action of gritty military thrillers in an urban setting with smart and hardcore storytelling reminiscent of old vigilante thrillers that remain our favorites to this day.

Former Navy SEAL and CIA ground branch operative Chris Walker is a man on his last legs, broken down by the horrors of the wars he has faced and disillusioned by the institutional discrimination, he’s about to end his life as he gets the most important call of his life, a call that gives him purpose; his best friend’s wife needs his help. She’s lost her son to the opioid crisis, or so it seems. When all roads to justice close down, Walker must be brave enough to take the fight to the institution that has taken innocent lives under a grand conspiracy that threatens anyone who looks too closely into it.

The Fourth Option benefits immensely from Carr’s tactical ability to craft kinetic and explosive action sequences. There’s a whole bunch of them with Chris Walker tearing down the city to get to the bad guys, and each sequence trumps the one before. At the same time, we see M.P. Woodward’s charisma seep into the narrative as Chris deals with foes of dubious statuses as much as he deals with his own self-image. Chris is a warrior with the mind of a philosopher. His personal anecdotes through his quest for justice help elevate both the protagonist and the narrative with well-timed and compelling reflections of what it means to be a man of violence. It’s perhaps this quality that best exemplifies the unique nature of the book as a standout thriller.

The Fourth Option is a riveting tale of revenge and violence with a remarkable protagonist who can certainly lead his own series and the story works just as well as a standalone as it does to launch a new name. Jack Carr and M.P. Woodward are rockstars on their own and a force to be reckoned with as a team. 

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Beggars Will Ride By Nate Granzow

Nate Granzow’s books are some of the most unhinged, human, and entertaining thrillers that I’ve read. He speaks to the reader unencumbered by limiting genres, packing his stories with drama, action and great characters that become your friends and enemies for real.

Bringing back the Kristofferson brothers, Niklas and Kessler, Granzow takes the readers back to the prohibition era. Niklas and Kessler may have had their share of violence and bloodshed, but they’re pulled back into the fold once more when they’re double crossed by the Pig’s Eye Syndicate. As they’re hunted down by their adversaries, the Kristofferson brothers are gonna have to take the fight to their enemy’s doorstep brutally and quickly while dodging a dogged police officer hot on their tails.

Granzow adds a mix of dark humor, feral action and unpredictable twists and turns that lead our characters into places we just don’t see until it’s too late. The 1920’s come to life with Granzow’s lifelike descriptions that add to the elegance of the narrative, along with some cool shootouts with ingenious weaponry of the past. The lean, character-focused storytelling makes Beggars will Ride an unputdownable read from start to finish with a combination of mystery and action.

Beggars will Ride is a terrific break from the usual stories in the genre, emphasizing great writing and complex but fun scenarios that make this a memorable read. The ending takes your breath away with its spectacular twist.

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The Council By Matthew Betley

Matthew Betley marks a triumphant return to the thrillerverse with a bonafide action-packed narrative built on an emotionally charged character-driven arc in The Council.

To the regular joes and janes, Owen Pierce is a damn-good lawyer. But what hides beneath the veneer is a man who understands that the law itself sometimes doesn’t give justice. So he spends his remaining hours as a member of The Council, an organization that trains and deploys assassins for the greater good, or so it seems. When a mission pits Owen against the last person he expected to fight, he begins to see that The Council has its own blinders that are more sinister than anything he’s stopped so far. Feeling betrayed, Owen will scorch Earth to exact retribution, and save the free world while he’s at it.

I picked up The Council knowing next to nothing about the book. All I read was Matthew Betley’s name and that was enough to get me to try. This is perhaps the best book of 2026 I’ve read yet and we haven’t even reached the year. This statement may sound bold but it’s backed up by logic and pure adrenaline-fun that Betley excels at infusing into his stories. The Council boasts some of the most vivid and cinematically engaging action sequences rocking tactical and technical authenticity in every single page. Whether it’s a fight between a katana and a knife, a brazen heavy machine gun shootout, or a calculated clearing of hostile quarters with CQB, Betley goes solid on all kills.

The action works as great as it does because of the underlying foundation, which in this case are the characters. Owen Pierce and his team reflect  on the best of us, as flawed and broken as they are, because they do what’s right even when the easiest path is to avoid what’s right. This moral compass helps install a strong bond between you and the characters without any drag in its connection. The story is direct, unflinching, and raw in its depiction of trauma and pain that molds our heroes into the warriors they become. Owen Pierce and his team became instant new favorites before I even finished the whole book.

The Council is a riveting roller-coaster thriller bursting with awesome and memorable action sequences and taut plotting connected together with a strong emotional undercurrent that serves as the bedrock for this adventure. I can’t wait to see this take off into a multi-book series and even a movie/tv-show. It’s that superb. 

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The Girls In The Dark By Avery Bishop

Avery Bishop crafts a dark and mesmerizing story that showcases both the best and worst in humanity. The Girls in the Dark is a gripping tale of abuse, violence, and secrets that will leave you breathless at the end.

Megan Hadley is a survivor. She and her sister Allison were abducted and tortured by a serial killer who targets twins. Megan lived to tell the tale of how she escaped the clutches of evil. But as famous as she’s gotten, she’s caught the eye of her past. Is Allison really gone, or is she coming back to air the dirty secret that has made Megan so famous?

The narrative seeps into your bones with its eerie and sinister twists and turns. It’s crazy genius how Bishop makes the narrative feel off-center, making you wonder just what it is that feels wrong, and it only builds more and more with each new revelation until a major breakthrough. The horror and trauma are presented with its due respect, raw and powerful but not overly graphic; strengthening the core of the narrative without weighing down on you.

The winding path to the truth is far more rewarding when experienced with as little insight into the plot as possible. The Girls in the Dark stands out as one of the darkest and bestest dramatic thrillers in recent memory.

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Hunting Ground By Andrew Warren

Hunting Ground is an all-you-want buffet of action and suspense with Thomas Caine embodying the vibe of modern-day James Bond adventures with the panache and wit of old school charm. 

Thomas Caine has a one-too-many close-calls on his latest mission that makes him wonder if he should hang up the guns and live a calmer life. His dreams come crashing down as an attack by a white supremacist group hits close to home, attacking his loved ones and causing a fatal injury. Harboring a thirst for vengeance and spurred on by the dangerous notion of more attacks happening across the United States, Caine takes up arms to stop the violence, by inflicting even more pain on those who harmed him first.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Andrew Warren knows best how to craft cinematic and bond-esque action sequences. From the opening salvo of gravity defying and hardcore shootout turned fisticuffs turned motorcycle chase on a train, there’s plenty to go around. And this is just the opening sequence. Warren keeps you on the edge of your seat with tremendous energy and exciting pacing that never lets up. 

Caine’s personal life also spirals as we see him in a vulnerable state wanting to give up his guns but he’s pulled back in and he’s mad about it. His personal journey is well-planned and executed, not just an afterthought to the pumping action. I can’t wait to see where he goes next in his odyssey.

Hunting Ground is a calculated and enthralling action ride with all the cinematic flavors of action you’d like to see on the big screen as well as in the pages of a riveting thriller.

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None Witness By JT Patten

JT Patten constantly ups his game and he branches out and scores big time with None Witness, an unexpectedly terrific thriller.

Killian Kane has a past. He grew up as a reluctant enforcer of the Chicago Outfit. A chance encounter lands him in the sights of a secretive organization; a Vatican-adjacent authority known only as the Resolution Office. They remake him as  a custodian, cleaning up the unforgivable messes. When a priest is brutally murdered in New York, Killian is tasked with investigating it. He soon follows the trial across multiple ritualistic murders, perpetuated by someone sharing a similar past who is hellbent to expose the dirty secrets of the Resolution Office. With time running out, Kane must face both the threat of the killer and his past that comes calling with vengeance. 

Patten is a master of dark, bold and gritty stories that cut through to the deepest levels of our psyche to give us the ultimate reading experience. His attention to detail towards building storied characters whose motivations and agendas stand above surface-level cliches go a long way to cement the story as a memorable tale through the darkest vestiges of humanity while simultaneously entertaining you with intrigue and well-timed action sequences that are earned through plotted storytelling. From the unpredictability of the main antagonist to the strong arc of the protagonist on his journey from a cleaner of messes to dealing brutal justice, every single chapter feels like a reward that keeps on giving. 

None Witness is an excellent thriller that stands fresh and tall among its peers and adds subtle commentary of the world without bogging down the pacing. Be warned, the ending is going to break you. All the more reason to read it. 

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The Survivor By Andrew Reid

Andrew Reid’s The Survivor is a fast-paced twisty adventure with an intensity that rivals the best of the race-against-time stories.

A seemingly ordinary day in the subway goes horrendously wrong as a man’s past catches up to him. With an invisible but very real adversary threatening the safety of the others, the man must do whatever he’s told to do in order to keep his fellow passengers safe, realizing that the person on the other end of the line has something very sinister planned for him. Can he outwit the police and the nameless threat before he forfeits his life?

I am thoroughly impressed with how Reid sets this narrative almost completely in a single setting of a subway train yet never loses momentum in keeping readers engaged with a relentless barrage of oh-crap jaw-dropping reveals and an aura of terror that something wild and crazy might happen in the next page, which somehow ends up to be quite the prophecy as you read through the suspenseful story. Reid smartly weaves past and present day storylines together such that each chapter reveals a secret that makes you look at the characters differently. You could be rooting for a character one moment and then questioning all of their actions the next, and then swinging back and forth as the narrative peels off its layers for the final twist that really flips the story on its head. 

The Survivor is a delightfully engaging and intense thriller that delivers copious amounts of adrenaline straight to your bloodstream for a midnight hour reading rampage. Andrew Reid knows how to keep readers thoroughly engaged. 

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The Dark Time By Nick Petrie

Peter Ash and the gang face off their dangerous threat yet, a cult hellbent on bringing Armageddon to life in The Dark Time.

When Katelyn Thorsen, known as KT, receives a death threat, she knows it has something to do with her latest investigation into tech giants. What she doesn’t know is how quickly that threat rears its ugly face, until Peter Ash steps in to protect KT and her daughter and inserts himself into a dangerous position. As the gang tries to keep their charges alive, they dig deeper into the rabbit hole that has the potential to spell an end for the tech-powered world we’ve become so comfortable in. 

Nick Petrie rocks and rolls with this action-packed narrative as we see Peter, June, and Lewis unleash havoc on perhaps the most dangerous adversary they’ve faced yet. Even as a bonafide action thriller, The Dark Time is part commentary on our reliance on technology, part crime thriller, and all action from the get-go. Every chapter brews a fresh storm for the characters to evade or push through headfirst, and you never know what will happen in the next moment so you keep on flipping the pages. With such a cinematic tinge to the action and characters, The Dark Time reads fast and hard with no good place to rest, so you best keep on reading till the last page. 

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Beirut Extraction By Nick Irving

It’s a pleasure to read a spy thriller that highlights the grim and dangerous realities of the tradecraft with the no-nonsense demeanor of a well-informed and experienced scribe. 

When a senior Lebanese intelligence officer in Beirut looks for an out, British intelligence makes it their directive to get the man out, or ensure no one else can have him. In Beirut, a city bustling with activity of all sorts of enterprises, the net starts to shrink quicker than expected with options dwindling by the hour. A race to the asset ensues with operatives and civilians alike caught in the web.

Beirut Extraction feels like an official playbook of spies. The characters and challenges feel so real and ripe with intensity of the real world that it’s sometimes almost impossible to imagine this is a work of fiction. Perhaps it has seeds of reality. From the overall objective to the operational execution of the extraction and hiccups that plague the mission, the narrative benefits greatly from a realistic approach of multiple angles and characters whose paths entangle to form the full story.

Come for the highly detailed and realistic narrative and stay for the intense nail-biting action in Beirut Extraction.

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The Hard Line By Mark Greaney

The Hard Line is the answer to every Gray Man fan’s prayer that this series continue on for a long, long time. Mark Greaney refuels the saga with a new personal story for Court Gentry and an ending that merits a follow-up as great as this one.

The intelligence gathering apparatus of the United States falls under fire when attacks spawn up across the country targeting high value individuals. With a growing feeling that this is the work of a mole placed at a strategically sensitive position, Court’s boss, Matt Hanley, sets up a team to investigate and intervene where necessary to ferret out the leak. While Court is getting into battles on the urban streets, he has a bullseye on his back as he’s pursued by a legendary assassin who has a personal vendetta against The Gray Man. With walls closing in from all sides, can The Gray Man make it out unscathed before this life of violence takes yet another chip off his soul?

One of the most resonating features about The Gray Man is his surprising relatability with us normal folks. He gets frustrated, he swears, he tries his best when the odds are stacked against him. He also inspires when he goes the impossible at times. Mark Greaney captures lightning in a bottle once more with a plethora of kinetic and energetic action sequences that stand out in the series. These combat sequences not only emphasize Court’s prowess, but also highlight his vulnerability as a human who pushes himself farther than one is comfortable with, in the name of something bigger than himself.

Greaney doesn’t shy away from highlighting the moral quandary of the ugly business that The Gray Man is such a big part of; Killing. As readers, we get caught up in the hype of the action, never batting an eye on who’s on the receiving end of our hero’s violence. That’s what Greaney subtly calls out to with a narrative that pits Court against an assassin who faced a grievous loss at the hands of The Gray Man and is now out for blood. It’s the classic moral dilemma where you can’t fully support nor denounce either side, such is the strong and powerful characterization of each side. The conflict is a raw and emotionally charged reflection of what life amounts to, a commentary on the endless cycles of revenge and violence that can only end if both sides walk away. But can they do that with the losses they faced at the hands of each other? 

The Hard Line is a different breed of thrillers and it’s one that I am happy to read any given day. It’s got tons of gritty action, high stakes, and a personal touch that makes you appreciate literature in all its glory. Much like the last few Gray Man stories, this one ends on a cliffhanger, happily frustrating you that Greaney isn’t releasing two books at once. 

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Murder At 30,000 Feet By Susan Walter

Murder at 30,000 Feet reads like a spiritual successor of the OG whodunnits where the readers go through a plethora of clues and insights like a real life sleuth with some crafty twists in the mix that lead to a devastatingly satisfying resolution.

A Puerto Rico bound flight takes off with a packed flight thanks to a destination wedding and a basketball tournament. What starts off as a typical flight turns lethal when a passenger is found dead in the lavatory. What takes place is a suspenseful unraveling of secrets with a deep dive into different perspectives of diverse characters whose collective pasts and shameful skeletons in the closet all led to this fateful flight and the gruesome murder on it.

Susan Walter crafts a scintillating and dramatic narrative of high stakes yet grounded in the most primal and banal human emotions that drive the characters to embrace their secrets. Each perspective opens up an insight into the character, opening up like a Russian doll with one twist after another unfurling just when you think you’ve gotten the full gist of the story. The narrative structure took me to the Agatha Christie stories where readers get a sense of the full dilemma from the eyes of various characters, all of whom are so intricately tied to the plot that the finale is immensely satisfying. 

Tackling timely and compelling themes of human flaws and courage under fire with a tight setting in the air and a steady pacing that unfurls at the right time for the right impact, Murder at 30,000 Feet is a riveting and powerful story of love, violence, and a dark pursuit of justice. It’s going to stick with you long after you finish it.

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They'll Take Everything By C.H. Connor

They’ll Take Everything is a fantastic debut by C.H Connor who delves deep into the human psyche to deliver a haunting yet wholesome narrative about loss and grief with the fast-paced momentum of a bona-fide crime thriller.

David Dale is a man intimately familiar with tragedy following the untimely deaths of his wife and children. He’s haunted by the fact that it was his carelessness that led to their deaths. Channeling grief into opening a charity, he begins to feel things are finally looking up. But fate has other plans for him; he’s targeted for what seems to be an extortion attempt by a criminal syndicate. As David sinks deeper into the world of danger, he finds himself facing his past once more, when a secret about the horrible night his family died comes back from the grave. 

What struck me the most about this thriller was how personal and intimate this story becomes as it unveils. It starts off as a bit of a slow-burn as the author takes some time to introduce the protagonist and get readers acquainted with the broken character. It’s precisely this time spent with the protagonist that sets the stage for a riveting crime story that follows as David is targeted by a deranged and scary gangster whose unhinged nature genuinely makes you worried for David. 

The narrative also immensely benefits from David’s regular joe character as you truly feel worried for him. No combat skills, no hardened past, just a man who’s cornered and has to use his wits and allies to survive attacks. The action is gritty, raw, and hard-hitting for the very same reason.

They’ll Take Everything is an emotionally charged and powerful story that slowly gets you enveloped in its grip but once it does, the author takes you for a grand and unexpected journey with an ending that will shock you. I would absolutely read what C.H Connor puts out next.

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The Asset By Mike Lawson

The Asset is a cerebral and simmering political-espionage thriller that’ll shock you with how dark and disturbing it progressively gets until the shocking finale.

Political researcher and savvy investigator Joe DeMarco can dig up dirt in the cleanest of corners. So it’s a no-brainer for the former Speaker of the House to enlist his services in verifying the news that Lydia Chang, the wife of one of his biggest rivals, might be working undercover as a Chinese agent. Not wanting to overplay his hand, the Speaker needs concrete proof and DeMarco is put on the job. Not only does DeMarco have to outsmart the intelligence agencies acting aggressively in their goal to corrupt the American government, but also the source of the intelligence who may have some very unsettling secrets of her own. 

Lawson creates palpable tension in his narrative with a supreme emphasis on realistic tradecraft and scenarios where outthinking your opponent for a win-win scenario is more interesting than any kinetic and guns-blazing situation. The lack of traditional action opens the door to old-school intelligence gathering and intense banter between characters, all in various shades of grayscale moralities, that benefit this narrative immensely. Every dialogue and exchange adds to the unraveling of the major plot secret by secret until the last shoe drops and a race to the finish line ensues to find out the fates of the characters. 

The Asset is an exciting old-school thriller with lots of political intrigue and sleuthing that takes you back to the classic detective tales.

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Wolf Hour By Jo Nesbo

Jo Nesbo writes his magnum opus with an emotionally powerful and immensely twisty thriller that will leave you speechless by the end. 

A sniper takes out a small-time crook in Minneapolis and vanishes into thin air. With leads drying out, Detective Bob Oz takes an interest in the case. His unorthodox methods give him the best chance at catching his man, but will he be able to see the killer coming at him before it’s too late?

The synopsis is best left as vague as possible because Jo Nesbo hits you with many right-hook twists and turns you’ll best enjoy as you discover along the pages. The narrative dives into the all-too-relatable themes of pain, suffering, and longing which elevate the characters up from your standard ones to an unpredictable and dangerous avenue where you find yourself even rooting for the killer at times. Jo Nesbo keeps you mesmerized with one tantalizing twist after another as the detective puts his mind to the case with cool discoveries and sometimes dangerous mistakes that hit the readers as much as the characters right in the gut with the full weight of a freight train. Just when you get cocky you’ve gotten the story nailed down, it takes a sharp gasp-worthy turn towards a path you hadn’t anticipated. 

Wolf Hour is masterful storytelling propelled by intelligent design and smartly-timed revelations that flip the narrative on its head multiple times until you’re holding onto your seat for dear life, so make sure you’re sitting comfortably while reading. 

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The Bourne Revenge By Brian Freeman

Writing a legacy character is a tough cookie, especially with how far you can take the origin story and make something meaningful and special out of what fans already know and love without veering too far from the established lore. I was delighted to read The Bourne Revenge, for it adds an exciting paradigm to Bourne’s memory loss without taking away from what the fans appreciate about the whole series.

Jason Bourne is on the mend from his last misadventure, a dangerous reckoning that cost him his love and his hope. With revenge on his mind against the cabal that pulled the strings, he sets off on a mission to investigate a hazy memory in his past where he supposedly went toe to toe with some of the most lethal operatives. When that investigation leads him to a woman who suffered the same fate of a wiped memory, Bourne begins to realize that the reason for his memory loss may not be as much of a coincidence as he had chalked up. 

Brian Freeman brings the heat in this latest Jason Bourne thriller. It’s packed with vivid and immersive action sequences that simply ooze adrenaline right into your bloodstream as you’re reading through cinematic car chases, shootouts, and furious fisticuffs. The pacing is stupendously addictive; I tried hard to keep this book going for more than a day but I’d finished it before I knew it. 

Revealing a backstory that tied so well with Bourne’s past adds a personal core to the narrative, where Freeman retains the authenticity of the original lore but adds a crafty twist that respects and builds upon what the fans love and want more of. The strong character development shaped by years of betrayals, losses, and an indomitable spirit of fortitude keeps Jason Bourne a very relevant and powerful figure in the thriller community. The Bourne Revenge goes a long way to show that Brian Freeman not only continues the legacy of Robert Ludlum but matches up to the same quality and authenticity in more ways than one. For those who prefer some good tunes with their reads, Moby’s Extreme Ways hits extra-special with the closing chapter. You’re welcome! 

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Purchase The Bourne Revenge
(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

Underdogs By Stephen Leather

Underdogs is Stephen Leather at his finest with a fresh change of style with fast-paced and technically engaging action. 

Andy Bird is a man living the harsh streets of London as a homeless man. One look at him wouldn’t give you the full picture, but he’s Andy “Deadman” Bird, an ex-SAS veteran who lost his hearing on a mission gone haywire. Unable to adjust to life back home, he finds himself in an undesirable place but he’s got his dog, Tyrone with him. As fate would have it, it’s on the streets of London that he witnesses a murder that starts a chain reaction with trained killers and cops alike hunting Andy and Tyrone. They may be underdogs, but that’s their speciality.

Stephen Leather raises the bar on crafting a distinctive protagonist in Andy Bird. Even as a deaf protagonist, Andy not only learns to rise up to the challenge but also shows us that there’s nothing we can’t succeed at if we’re willing to go the extra mile. The unorthodox challenge of a deaf character trying to dodge bullets and close encounters when every sound matters adds a crispy layer of excitement and anticipation to the action in Underdogs. Andy’s bond with Tyrone also adds with an emotional driving force to elevate the storytelling from a straight-forward action thriller to a compelling thriller that keeps you hooked with tenacity. 

It wouldn’t be a Stephen Leather story without kickass action, high stakes, and nail-biting excitement. Underdogs delivers on all with flying colors and then some. As soon as you start your journey with Underdogs, you’re only going to put it down once you’ve run out of pages to flip.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Underdogs
(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

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