Shadow Tier By Steve Stratton

Shadow Tier is a solid action thriller that takes readers on a vicious journey of gut-wrenching loss and action-packed retribution with a new take on the war on drugs.

Steve Stratton debuts Lance Wolf, a trained operative good with both tech and guns. When his parents are brutally gunned down by cartel members working for El Chapo, Wolf vows to utilize his military skills to use against the murderers of his parents. What follows is literally non-stop action with detailed weaponry and tactics as Wolf goes rogue with a team of soldiers operating under the radar to wreak havoc on the cartel on both sides of the border.

The characters are established in a relatable manner for readers to either root for or against, depending on their allegiances. Stratton drives the story with Wolf’s emotions at the loss of his parents and the contemplation of whether he has looked too long in the dark abyss, giving realistic gravitas to the idea of vengeance. Even the typical bad guys are imbued with layers of resonating traits that differentiate the story from a simple shoot-em-up narrative.

As mentioned, there is no shortage of well-executed action sequences throughout the narrative. Wolf utilizes a myriad of weaponry ranging from suppressed Russian pistols to M4 rifles on his unsanctioned path for revenge. The shootouts will catch you off-guard at times in ambush scenarios where Wolf and his team have to think on their feet to fight back. The author displays keen knowledge of military tactics and shootout techniques which color the sequences highly realistic. 

Shadow Tier tackles a largely unexplored territory of the thriller genre, the drug arena, albeit in a slightly different manner. Ordinarily, you don’t get to read a protagonist on a mission to capture/kill El Chapo in every action thriller. The story ends with the promise of more to come and further exciting developments to take place, and I am very excited to see where Stratton takes the characters next.

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Cold Fear By Brandon Webb & John David Man

I’m a sucker for Nordic icy thrillers that leave me in hauntingly somber thoughts for at least a few days and that is exactly what Cold Fear is about. It is everything I expect to read in sophisticated, gritty, and smart storytelling. 

On a cold Sunday morning, a young woman’s body is discovered underneath a frozen pond in the relatively crime-free Iceland. Detective Krista Kristjánsdóttir has a killer instinct for foul play involved, especially when the body suddenly disappears. At the same time, deadly Navy Seal, Finn, is out in Iceland to get some answers from his former teammates who hold a key to his past that he can’t remember. Hunted by a deranged contract killer and embroiled in a dark murder investigation, Finn must step lightly on thin ice, lest he make a fatal mistake.

Brandon Webb and John David Mann make a killer dynamic duo when it comes to writing as one unified form. The elegance with which the chapters flow is commendable to say the least. Rarely have I read a narrative that juggles this many different POVs so interestingly. There are no fillers in this thriller. From the investigative angle of Krista to the personal vendetta spotlight on Finn, the story progresses swiftly and smartly. Pay attention to the dialogues; a lot of key details are conveyed that help you crack the case as you marvel at Finn’s ingenuity to connect the dots through a haze of information, a trait remarkably similar to Jack Reacher’s high functioning reasoning mind with a new flavor.

I wasn’t sure about whether to expect action, but I needn’t have worried. Finn faces off against a vicious SEAL-turned-contract killer in brutal and aggressive action sequences. Shootouts, creative weaponry, and straight up no-holds barred hand to hand combat explode in a volcanic fury of emotions. 

I quite enjoyed Iceland as described in Cold Fear. Reading through the descriptions invoke each and every scene vividly in your mind so much so that you can feel the chilly breezes on your face. It’s evident the authors paid a great deal of attention to making the chilly Iceland a living breathing character as opposed to a simple backdrop for the story. The historical tidbits conveyed enthusiastically through energetic dialogues stay with you and compel you to add Iceland to your vacation list, minus the whole murder part.

Cold Fear is a remarkable blend of action and police procedural that highlights its characters and their distinctive personalities as they go about their own ways to crack the case, both with brain and brawn.

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Zero Hour By Don Bentley

Don Bentley continues his winning streak of stupendously thrilling adventures in the Clancy-verse. His take on Jack Ryan Jr. is peak entertainment and keeps you on the edge of your seat for the whole duration of the book.

This time we see Ryan Jr. in South Korea where he stumbles upon a plot by North Korean officials to wage war against its neighbor. With help from unlikely sources including two hilariously witty Special Forces operators, Ryan Jr. must protect a Campus asset and follow the breadcrumbs to uncover a devastating new weapon before Zero Hour approaches and kicks off the next major world conflict.

Ryan Jr. continues to evolve under the expert tutelage of Bentley’s meticulous writing with a distinctive charm that radiates freshness and excitement. His evolution reaches new levels due to Bentley’s well-placed patches of dark and sinister experiences that add to the gravitas of the scenario’s plausibility without taking away from the levity of the hysterical banters between characters in otherwise serious moments. 

The story comes locked and loaded with adrenaline-pumping action sequences ranging in diversity from stunning feats of aerial maneuverability in Apache gunships to good ol’ shootouts and martial arts as Jack Ryan Jr. takes a plethora of headshots with his MP5 and kicks butt with expert ease. Don Bentley writes vivid scenes of combat on all mediums that walk you through the high-octane situations with pitch perfect clarity almost as if you were honing your warrior senses to take out your enemies.

At the same time, the narrative also sheds light on a political conflict usually overshadowed in the thrillerverse. With all the focus going on Russian and Middle-Eastern conflicts, Zero Hour is a fresh change of scenery with the Korean backdrop. Not only does the story awaken a curiosity to find out more on that frontier, but it also keeps things unpredictable which immensely helps the narrative from going stale.

High on action and laughs in the midst of sheer chaos, Don Bentley’s Zero Hour is a no-brainer pick when you want to kick back with hot cocoa and a light read that aptly balances both the suspension of disbelief and the necessity of pragmatism.

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Snowstorm In August By Marshall Karp

Snowstorm in August couples the charm of an unflinching true-crime narrative with an ambitious new vision of America’s war on drugs unlike anything you’ve read or watched before. 

NYPD captain Danny Corcoran seeks to live a life full of danger and adrenaline after the untimely death of his wife. With a burning desire and motivation to protect his city from all sorts of threats, a syndicate of billionaires recruit him under the secret charter of taking the fight to America’s enemies when a vicious drug lord blankets the vibrant city of New York with bags of cocaine to suffocate and kill hundreds of people. Danny must put his tenacity and his skills to the mettle as he recruits and leads his team of cops and informants up against crime kingpins before more innocent lives are claimed.

Keeping a slick and smart approach to revamping the battle between law enforcements and the cartel, Marshall Karp grounds you in place with a smartly twisting and realistic turn of events. Terrifically fleshed-out characters with relatable dilemmas and personalities encourage you to feel the terrifying and heart-pounding situations with passion and vigor as the narrative takes you on a roller-coaster ride of gut-wrenching losses and roaring victories.

Snowstorm in August emphasizes a character-driven storyline with a distinctive non-fiction writing style, sporting a first person POV account with keen knowledge of the bigger picture. The action is crisp but with potential for improvement in terms of pacing and exploring the combat in a more detailed manner. I simply can’t wait to read more stories with the extraordinary characters Karp has debuted in this extremely enthralling and suspenseful smash-hit!

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Sons of Valor II: Violence Of Action By Andrews & Wilson

Sons of Valor II: Violence of Action is a hardcore action-embroiled narrative that is right up your alley if you can’t get enough of patriotic and tough characters wreaking havoc on bad guys.  Andrews and Wilson continue the lore of the brand-new Tier One team as they face a major threat that hits close to home.

Tier One leader Keith ‘Chunk’ Redman leads his tough as nails brothers and sisters in arms on a global manhunt from the war zone of Iraq to the modern landscape of Dubai chasing a formidable sniper with deadly plans for American soldiers. The narrative ushers in the age of psychological ops against American soldiers in Middle East by a new splinter group of terrorists with tremendous resources and diabolical agendas. 

Sons of Valor II comes equipped with the gritty adrenaline-pumping firefights and explosions that are guaranteed to keep the fans of the Tier One books entertained. The final showdown features a nail-biting game of snipers as they try to outshoot and outmaneuver each other to get the upper hand in a battle to the death. The hardcore action keeps the spotlight on the heroes with their tactical ingenuity and calm nerves under fire, invoking an awe-inspiring sentiment for the men and women battling such scenarios. 

With meticulous research into cultural and religious norms, characters with strong potential, and solid action, Andrews and Wilson expand the Tier One universe with an exciting story that sets up ominous future conflicts with the big baddie as well as crossovers with our favorite OG Team Ember.

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The Gatekeeper By James Byrne

A totally unexpected thriller with hearty amounts of subtle humor and brutal action introducing a wisecracking protagonist who would give Jack Reacher a run for his money when it comes to beating down racists with over-powered fists.

Dez Limerick is a man of mystery. A mercenary of sorts with specialized skills as a “gatekeeper”;  accessing even the most secure of locations, and an enigmatic past. Retiring in California, Dez is an amateur musician working gigs when he thwarts an organized team of trained operatives attempting to kidnap a woman whose father happens to be the CEO of a major military contractor. Taking out the team with a fire ax in smooth combat, Dez becomes embroiled in a major conspiracy with Neo-Nazis planning the most brazen coup with global political consequences. 

A newcomer in the thriller genre, Dez Limerick is far distinct from the usual silent-type protagonists. He’s as quippy as he is dangerous, disarming his opponents with wisecracks that have you laughing out loud before he busts out violent chops in a flurry of devastating punches and kicks, bending limbs in ways they were never meant to be bent. Described as a barrel-chested man with ridiculously big hands, his fight moves are reminiscent of Jack Reacher’s style; hitting once and hitting hard to drive home his articulation. The fight sequences keep a realistic bearing considering Dez’s physique and refrain from painting him with an all-invincible brushstroke. Dez’s mental acuity adds a cool layer to the combat sequences as he fashions the most banal and unexpected items into the deadliest weapons.  

As a character of English origins, his unorthodox dialect flows off with a tinge of proper humor as could be expected when American characters are dumbfounded by Dez’s use of English expressions not commonly used stateside. As such, the interactions between characters are refreshingly witty and exciting. Limerick’s character development is top-notch with a balanced focus on his empathy as a protagonist in tandem with his inclination to step into physical conflicts in the name of justice. 

The white-supremacist angle of the story is handled with a keen eye on today’s headlines without rehashing something already explored before. The conspiracy catapults Dez and readers alike on a wild roller coaster ride akin to a Guy Ritchie movie. Unyielding in its grip with plot twists and turns that turn the whole narrative on its head just when you think you’ve finally figured out what’s to come next. 

The Gatekeeper is a fresh hit debut of a hilariously charming hero with a mean uppercut dishing out justice in the most spectacularly creative ways. This action-packed thriller needs to be on your radar for 2022.

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It Dies With You By Scott Blackburn

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It Dies with You is a delightfully gritty southern crime thriller that drives home an optimistic message of finding your purpose in the unlikeliest of places.

Written in the first person POV narrative-style, the story infuses readers with 29-year-old Hudson Miller, a former boxing champion and now part-time bouncer and bartender. Working his way back to a boxing career after suspension, his world is turned upside down when his estranged father is murdered, surprisingly bequeathing Hudson with his dad’s junkyard business. Begrudgingly, Hudson steps into his childhood town to take reins of the sinking business, teaming up with his father’s trusted employee and Vietnam vet, Charlie Shoaf. Soon after, a body is unearthed at the junkyard. Is it linked to the murder of Hudson’s father? To uncover a sinister conspiracy hiding in the shadows of a town with skeletons in every other closet, Hudson, Charlie, and a tenacious teenager named Lucy will search for answers, woefully unaware of the dangers that lay on that road.

Scott Blackburn’s straight-forward and constantly engaging writing style help keep a consistent reading pace as the suspense builds up smoothly without rushing any important character or plot developments. The essence of the story are the charming characters whom you can believe and root for when their actions turn a shade or two of despair in ugly situations. The Southern small-town vibe is captured vividly along with the modern landscape of ripped-from-news topics like police brutality and immigration.

If you’re looking for an old-school good vs evil tale of retribution in a crooked town from the lures of old westerns, It Dies with You is a highly enjoyable debut that marks Scott Blackburn in the list of brand-new authors to keep an eye out for.

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Airside By James Swallow

James Swallow changes up his writing style with a relentless story of an ordinary man caught up in a high stakes situation that could cost him his life and everything he holds dear. Airside is THE thriller to read when you’re bored out of your mind and you wish you had an exciting story to let your imagination run wild.

Airside tells the story of Kevin Tyler, an engineer who has just been dealt a devastating business blow and is returning home empty-handed from Germany. His bad-luck becomes more apparent when he’s kicked off a flight and has to wait for a dangerous storm to pass. A chance encounter drops a bag full of money in his lap and as conflicted as he is, he does what any desperate man would; he takes it. Little does he know the money is part of a sinister conspiracy involving a despicable war criminal who will stop at nothing to get the money, even if it means killing Kevin’s loved ones. What follows is pure mayhem at a mostly deserted airport.

While most of James Swallow’s books are espionage laden narratives with tons of cinematic action, Airside hits much closer to home as the focus this time is on a character who could be anyone of us; no fancy gadgets, no spycraft training, and no global conspiracy. Just a man trying to deal with the crappy cards life hands out at times. The elegance of the story is that it’s delightfully and anxiously easy to see ourselves projected onto Kevin as a person trying to do right by his family under terrible conditions. Even the action sequences reflect Kevin’s uninitiated mindset towards violence as he gets beaten up more than he kicks back, but when he does, he packs the feral nature of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

At the same time, James Swallow paints a brutal but multi-layered canvas of bad guys and gals in the story, presenting most of them as pure evil while giving some a hint of redemption to be fleshed out properly as the story progresses. 

Airside is equal parts grounded and fantastic, indulging the story of a common man caught in extraordinary circumstances. A highly enjoyable and quick read for you to breeze through while waiting at the airport lounge for your flight.   

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The Handler By M.P. Woodward

The Handler is a special new addition to the Thrillerverse. Not only is it written with a deft keenness for realistic dialogues and terrifyingly enthralling action but it also presents a truly memorable assortment of characters on both sides of a conflict that wonderfully highlights personal motivations and egos above the basic geopolitical climate. 

John Dale is a veteran CIA case officer, who upon escaping imprisonment and torture at the hands of enemy combatants, is suspended from the service on account of potentially treasonous behavior. After a short time of seclusion, he’s called back into the fold by his ex-wife and former handler, Meredith, to extract an Iranian asset working to subterfuge Iran’s nuclear efforts. From US to India to Iran, John races against time to take control of the escalating situation while evading Russian operatives hot on his tail. 

From the very first page, the story simmers with grounded and empathetic tones as it sets up strong and original characters. M.P. Woodward invokes a brilliant aura of exciting adventure surrounded by tense moments of conspiratorial actions and situations that keep you on the edge of your seats. There are genuine surprises and twists throughout the story that shock the narrative to its core. This is enabled by Woodward’s impressive and solid writing chops. His vast expertise in shadowy intelligence goes a long way to ground the story with necessary details to require minimal suspension of belief in even the wildest moments. 

Speaking of wild moments, The Handler has its fair share of high-powered and gritty-to-the-bone action sequences. John Dale isn’t simply a former intelligence officer; in addition to running assets, he’s trained in the deadly and formidable arts of long distance as well as close quarters combat. There’s no way you won’t feel the intensity of the gunshots and the punches and kicks.

At its core, The Handler is ultimately a conflict of man rather than nations. M.P. Woodward delightfully syncs up the story with ripped-from-the-news headlines but emphasizes the focus on plausibly flawed human beings that elevate the stakes and soul of the narrative. Out of all the upcoming books I have read for the year, this one may very well be THE hottest debut and it most certainly belongs in the Thillerverse Hall of Fame!

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In The Blood By Jack Carr

In The Blood is definitely my favorite James Reece thriller yet. Jack Carr steps outside the comfort zone to propel his protagonist to a whole other ballgame in the modern Thrillerverse.

James Reece’s personal vendetta against the infamous Syrian sniper, Nizar Kattan, finally brings the two bloodlust warriors together for a battle to the death. Reece’s enemies perpetrate a bold and terrifying act of terrorism to lure him out of America and into the sniper’s scope. However, Reece has some neat tricks up his sleeve. With the help of a top-secret Artificial Intelligence program, Reece brings out the big guns to hunt down his friend’s killer and avenge him. The path to vengeance is rarely as straightforward, and Jack Carr aptly explores this sentiment with proper attention.

In The Blood is one for action aficionados as Jack Carr packs more smooth shootouts and tense fisticuffs than in the previous installments of the James Reece series. High on technical tidbits about various weaponry, the writing is reminiscent of Tom Clancy’s masterful work that gelled detail-oriented storytelling with high octane action. Carr also places a strong emphasis on rounding out more fleshed and vivid characters to lead the swift action sequences with a heart and soul to fully cement readers’ emotional investments. Simply put, there is no shortage of Reece being a straight up beast in this one.

Jack Carr brings a fresh change of pace and narrative with the addition of an advanced artificial intelligence to aid Reece in his mission. With a healthy blend of practical AI progress and wishful thinking for the near future, Carr explains the technology with beautiful elegance that appeals to the brainy nerds as much as it does to the uninitiated. It is evident that this will become a bigger element in the next Reece thriller, especially with the unthinkable game-changing cliffhanger ending that no one will see coming.

I cannot wait to see where the story goes next. Jack Carr has officially put his hero in the most uncharted territory and if In The Blood is any indication, my expectations have skyrocketed exponentially. It matches up to The Terminal List with its action-heavy carnage and its ingenious twists and turns. 

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The Island By Adrian McKinty

Adrian McKinty knows how to freak readers out while still entertaining them in a bold and adventurous story that is The Island. 

The narrative sees a family of four taking a trip to Australia where they’re lured to an island to see the local wildlife. What starts off as an innocent family picnic abruptly goes south when an accident brings the family to the inhabitants of the island, who are keen to get rid of the family for seemingly encroaching on their property. The family quickly gets enveloped in a game of survival in one of the most disturbing and engaging stories yet.

Heather Baxter is a strong and inspirational protagonist who takes front and center stage in this fight for survival as she takes care of her angry and rebellious step children while maneuvering through death traps and violent islanders aiming to do unspeakable horrors to her family. Adrian McKinty wastes no time in setting the perilous stage to deliver the maximum horror in such a situation. Her transformation from a subdued mother to a take-charge and action-oriented warrior is delightful to read. Her emotional turmoil is still preserved, simmering under the surface, brought out at the right moments of emotional reconciliation and rehabilitation. 

The essence of chaos runs freely throughout the story, giving off a Mad Max vibe as the action ramps up with scarce ammunition and weaponry, allowing the characters to ration supplies and develop ingenious traps to trap and kill each other. 

The Island is a superb thriller to lose yourself in as it jolts you along for a wild and disturbing journey through a terrifying scenario. There aren’t a lot of moments for deep character reflections but that might just be in keeping with the adrenaline-coursing chapters that are guaranteed to be as riveting as they are dark. 

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With Prejudice By Robin Peguero

With Prejudice is not your run-of-the-mill courtroom thriller. It’s deeply unsettling and dark in the most gripping fashion with twists that take your breath away.

Robin Peguero brings us a trial like no other. A young girl is brutally murdered and a suspect is in custody. The majority of the conflict takes place in the courtroom as shrewd lawyers attack each other’s arguments with fervent dialogues and tightly wound nerves. Every single moment is filled with tense energy coiling up by each subsequent page. The flawed and twisted characters add to the vicious unpredictability of the narrative. It’s not a straightforward matter of good vs evil, but a very realistic yarn with gray moral areas that speak to us unabashed and unfiltered. The narrative wonderfully explores the conflicts and predicaments jurors, judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys face when it comes to deciding the fate of the defendant, giving us an insightful peek at the American justice system with all its pros and cons in the modern age of racial bias and discrimination. Ultimately, the story leaves us with an important question to ponder: How far does ambition for victory go before it poisons the pursuit for justice?

With Prejudice is one of the wittiest thrillers in recent years, peeling layers and layers of the human psyche with the goal of presenting a fully fleshed out written narrative that feels authentic and timely. A quick word of caution, the ending is not one you expect from a traditional story. This will haunt you for days to come as you try to wrap your mind around the unexpected turn of events in the final act of the story. I loved it all the more for ending on a high note of breaking away from tradition; I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if this was based on a real case.

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Countdown To Midnight By Dale Brown

Dale Brown strikes again with an energetic and adventurous thriller that catapults readers into high adrenaline rush of Clive Cussler’s Hollywood-styled explosive scenarios without venturing too far off technical and tactical authenticity.

Countdown to Midnight evolves Nick Flynn from a former Air Force captain to a budding spy working for a clandestine organization, Four, comprised of retired intelligence members from different nations with the singular goal of maintaining peace. On his first official mission, Flynn’s contact is assassinated and Flynn is caught in a web of shadows and conspiracies pointing to an alliance between Iran and Russia with an enigmatic goal. Flynn and his teammates must uncover the true nature of the bold threat before its fruition.

Nick Flynn is a throwback to the earlier devil-may-care protagonists, with a continuous dose of adrenaline coursing through his veins as he undertakes bold combat maneuvers and tactics from skiing under sniper fire to infiltrating an enemy ship in heavy storm with experimental wingsuits.

The action hits fast and hard as Flynn runs and guns with his Glock 19 and his wits on all sorts of vehicles. One notable bike chase has Flynn zooming past flying bullets as he navigates through enemy lines. Dale Brown keeps the momentum rolling constantly with no slow moments.

Along with the action, Dale Brown enumerates a remarkable roster of characters alongside Nick Flynn that compliment Flynn’s character development as well as stand equally strong on their own merits. The seeds planted through numerous conversations and events promise ambitious plans for this brand-new series that’s quickly ramping up to be a breakout hit.

Countdown to Midnight is high octane entertainment concocted with a tasty recipe for big-screen action extravaganza and enthralling storytelling that brings a fresh change to a familiar concept. 

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Child Zero By Chris Holm

Chris Holm writes a lean and fresh narrative that feels too terrifyingly real in the post COVID surge era. Child Zero is a book you can’t bring yourself to put down once you’ve turned the first page.

Chris Holm paints a grim picture of the world after mutated bacterial infections cause havoc all over the globe, rendering all antibiotics useless against diseases. New York City has been split apart into quarantined shantytowns with heightened surveillance after a deadly biological attack. When a mass-murder brings Detectives Jacob Gibson and Amira Hassan into a collision course with a mysterious young boy chased by armored mercenaries, there are questions that need answering and mysteries that need solving. 

Chris Holm’s stunning creativity dazzles and mesmerizes with wonderfully relatable and somber characters paired with fascinatingly dark concepts of modern day big-brother surveillance in a blend of fast-paced storytelling and hard-hitting action. The thought-provokingly vivid protagonists and antagonists naturally steer you to invest strong emotional ties and stakes as the story meanders through excitingly unpredictable twists and turns, keeping you on the edge of your seat wondering if the next move might be your favorite character’s last. 

Child Zero had been on my radar for quite a while and it was worth every bit of the wait. If you’re like me and can’t get enough of grounded and profoundly impacting stories with memorable characters and gut-wrenching emotional punches, Child Zero needs to be in your pre-order list the moment you finish reading this sentence.

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Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour By Mike Lupica

Robert B Parker’s Revenge Tour is the kind of crime thriller you’d like to read when you want to lighten your mood with quippy characters and a 70’s PI vibe beautifully adapted to the modern-day setting.

PI Sunny Randall is roped into a deadly conspiracy when her friend is targeted by a mysterious assailant who has accused her of plagiarizing the story that catapulted her into literary stardom. Sunny must sleuth her way through the conspiracy as dirty secrets unearth and threaten to turn her relationships upside down. 

Mike Lupica does a fantastic job writing Sunny Randall as a witty and badass PI, doing away with most cliches normally associated with female characters in similar adventurous thrillers. Her hilarious banters with fleshed out and larger than life characters make for a compelling read even before the engaging mystery kicks off. The PI angle is superbly interwoven into the narrative, capturing the grimy but classy grittiness of the dangers that come with shady underworld bad guys. The perfect sister companion in tone for the Spencer books, who himself makes a cameo with fan-favorite Hawk.

Churning a realistic tale of secrets and betrayals, Mike Lupica keeps you on your toes with well-timed and well-executed twists thrown into the batter of lovable characters full of sarcasm and bright jokes in Revenge Tour. Fans of old school crime thrillers will eat this up like the delicious treat it is.

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The 13th Hour: Chaos By Richard Doetsch

The 13th Hour: Chaos is a time-bending adventure of epic proportions and scary consequences. Strap in for a journey through time like never before.

Richard Doetsch writes a compelling protagonist, Nick Quinn, who is forced to face his worst nightmare of losing his family in a terrorist attack. Just before he himself is killed, a dying friend hands over a powerful device disguised as an antique watch, one that has the ability to alter the past. Through the watch, Nick finds himself with the tremendous power of going back in time. At the top of each hour, the watch sends him back two hours to live one hour again. Nick must use this asymmetrical weapon to uncover the plans of the bad guys before the 13th Hour in reverse, after which Nick will be stuck in time going forward again.

I haven’t read a race against time this intense. Richard Doetsch fuses sci-fi and traditional thriller genres in an innovative and fresh style to appeal to even the most hardcore readers of either genres. The narrative carries a tangible emotional weight with respect to Nick’s predicament of saving his family from a despicable tragedy without an air-tight plan. Each chapter adds a new layer of twists and turns to the bigger picture, gently adding to the tangle of webs of secrets and conspiracies until the apex moment when all cards are on the table for the major reveal.

With such an intense plot comes equally intense and fast-paced action sequences as Nick gets into armed skirmishes with trained killers and assassins. There’s a sense of unbridled mortal danger to each action sequence as Richard Doetsch stays away from safety nets to deliver some truly shocking moments. 

The 13th Hour: Chaos is the right pick for thriller aficionados with a preference for quirky and peculiar conspiracies in a fresh setting.

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Storm Rising By Chris Hauty

Storm Rising is hands down the best Hayley Chill thriller so far. Chris Hauty dazzles readers with an ambitious story and prophetic writing that propels the series to a whole new level of awesomeness and badassery.

Dealing with the harrowing discovery about her father at the end of Savage Road, Hayley Chill breaks apart from her life at the White House. However, a burning desire to know more about her father’s secrets pulls her into a conspiracy that threatens to shake the foundation of America on its head in a bizarrely plausible scenario. Putting her patriotic duty above all else, Hayley dives head first into the storm to find answers before all hell breaks loose.

Hayley Chill is a bona-fide legend this time around. Chris Hauty spares no expense when it comes to developing his protagonist as a clinically detached warrior yet with fascinating inklings of warmth lurking beneath the emotional armor. Hayley faces quite a few personal and unexpected dilemmas in addition to cracking down on racists that provide a much-needed platform for stupendous character growth and maturity. 

It comes as no surprise that Chris Hauty packs tremendous surprises and twists in his books but Storm Rising elevates the trend with quite few of the most haunting and darkest turns yet that hit you out of nowhere and leave you with a scary chill (pun rightfully intended). The meandering plot is accompanied with its fair share of knuckle-blustering and .45 caliber heavy action sequences. The climactic shootout is expertly crafted and vividly described in an utmost immersive experience with a keen eye for weapons descriptions down to the smooth and crisp trigger pull as Hayley engages her adversaries with her War Hawk pistol.

Storm Rising is one of the best thrillers you’ll read this year and that’s an unassailable fact. Chris Hauty’s distinctive writing style makes for a memorable read as he expertly zooms in and out of the different POVs without cluttering the chain of events, giving the sense of a screenwriting-like style of narrative. If you only read a handful of books this year, you need to make sure this is included in your list.

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Hostile Intent By Don Bentley

Hostile Intent makes you wonder if Don Bentley possesses the supernatural ability to predict the future; writing about the Ukraine vs Russia conflict before it blew up in the news takes away any doubts about the sheer meticulousness of his research and awareness of the situation to be able to predict 10 moves ahead.

After the events of The Outside Man, Matt Drake is settling back into a predictable rhythm with his wife, Laila, when a walk-in at CIA’s station in Vienna asks for Drake by name. Rushing to Vienna, Drake gets caught up in a Russia-sanctioned operation to invade Ukraine. At the same time, a Ukrainian militia gets their hands on a nuke that they wish to hang over NATO’s head for protection against Russia. As tempers flair and the battle lines are drawn, Drake must establish new alliances alongside his best friend Frodo to stop World War 3 before it starts.

Don Bentley’s darkly hilarious prose is one to marvel at. Bentley nails the essence of highlighting Drake’s witty sense of humor in grave situations while maintaining a somber tone and a fast pace. The rich characterization and world-building details invoke a majestic sense of being present in the moment with Drake as opposed to simply reading it. With the glorious setting of Vienna, Bentley digs deep into the old school cold-war espionage vibes of nebulous treaties and a consistent mood of distrust between spies. Matt Drake’s expertise at running and handling assets is given its due spotlight, adding to Drake’s cerebral versatility.

Hostile Intent is a treat for action aficionados. The moment Drake steps in Vienna, he starts running and gunning throughout the streets and murky apartments. High speed car chases and John Wick style gun-fu and close quarter combat are present in copious amounts throughout the narrative, written with finesse and a clear objective to make reader-visualization as stark and clear as possible to provide high doses of adrenaline and entertainment.

Don Bentley has bested himself this time as Hostile Intent blows past the high standards of the previous two Matt Drake books. With a supremely timely geopolitical climate and tremendous stakes of the narrative, Hostile Intent has reserved a spot in the listing for the year’s most entertaining thrillers.

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Cold Snap By Marc Cameron

Marc Cameron bats a homerun and raises the bar for all future crime-investigation thrillers with Cold Snap. It roared past all my expectations, ticking each box I had in mind for what constitutes a truly engaging and riveting reading experience.

Cameron seamlessly balances quite a few subplots, tied together by an invisible thread that tugs and unveils at the most opportune moment for the biggest shock and awe blindside. Arliss Cutter and his loyal and feral deputy Lola Teariki stumble across a serial killer whose calling card is a body part of his victims spread across the town. While the investigation is technically outside the purview of Alaska Fugitive Task Force, Lola follows the investigation with newcomer Officer Joe Bill Bracket while Arliss is tasked with a fugitive transport. The two seemingly unconnected events come together in the most unexpected of ways to create a darkly disturbing narrative that you simply can’t tear yourself away from. 

Cold Snap reads like a gritty Nordic crime thriller with its wintery sinister aura but with a faster pace of investigation along with well-timed and well-executed action to keep you burning the midnight oil. Marc Cameron must base his characters on real-life personalities, otherwise it would be hard to explain how they seem so lifelike and engaging with palpable tension and chemistry sparkling all around.  Keeping Arliss Cutter’s combat training in perspective, Cameron writes authentically vicious action sequences conveyed with shivering cold intensity and sheer raw power of the blows and lead. Rarely are shootouts and fisticuffs so well written in crime-investigative thrillers.

Cold Snap’s captivatingly magnetic nature grounds you in place as you read through the unfolding mystery and horror of the revelations. This is Marc Cameron at his finest yet. 

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The Sweet Goodbye By Ron Corbett

The Sweet Goodbye is a wonderfully well-written and engaging story emphasizing the capability of humans to cross all sorts of moral lines for love.  Ron Corbett impresses and dazzles with a grounded crime thriller that leaves a lasting impression.

Danny Barrett is an undercover cop sent to North Maine Woods to investigate and uncover a small family-run lumber company dabbling in illegal activities with a high payday. As soon as Barrett steps foot in the town, bodies start piling up and leads start getting buried. Danny Barrett must work quickly to expose the culprits in a crooked family while preserving his cover before he is exposed.

Ron Corbett creates a captivating whodunnit narrative where you can’t be too sure who is the real mastermind. Clues point to one explanation while the truth is a lot less straightforward. There is a hint of danger emanating through the pages almost immediately from the beginning, with Corbett’s masterful descriptions of tense moods and characters that feel quite real and lend credence to the plausibility of the events in the story. Danny Barrett is a mix of brains and brawn with a fascinating offset in his characterization; he excels at undercover work because he finds it easy to deceive and betray, adding a psychological angle to his foundation that makes him all the more interesting to read as the events considerably shake him up.

The Sweet Goodbye is an excellent pick for readers who like their thrillers with a sprinkle of unpredictable drama and a lot of suspense with captivating heroes and villains at the heart of the story.

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

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Murder By The Book
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