The Mailman By Andrew Welsh-Huggins

We’ve come across action icons with seemingly banal titles such as The Beekeeper, The Transporter, and now we’ve got The Mailman. But this is not your average mailman. So strap in for a world of action and suspense that serves as the debut for a new hero in the thrillerverse.

Mercury Carter is a man who takes his job very seriously. He delivers his packages come hell or high water. It’s on one of his deliveries where he comes across the intended recipient and her family under threat by a syndicate of criminals. What starts off as a normal delivery turns into a violent and brutal chase to hunt down the criminals and make his delivery to the person who’s being held by folks who severely underestimate Mercury Carter.

Andrew Welsh-Huggins writes an enthralling story that takes a lot of detours, albeit very intriguing and captivating, with a simple premise. It’s this ingenuity that hooks you in more than anything else. The narrative starts off as something you might have read a couple of times but within a few pages you’re treated to novel executions of the genre tropes, keeping what works best and innovating what must be challenged to keep the story and characters interesting. Case in point, Mercury Carter. He’s badass but his demeanor is caused by trauma that the author wonderfully teases with suspense to keep you guessing for the full picture. 

Combining action with old school detective work, The Mailman is a memorable read with exciting twists and turns that will make you want to read more of Mercury Carter even before you’ve finished with this book. It’s fresh, fun, and an excellent addition to the armada of action heroes in thrillers. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Mailman
(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

Dead Money By Jakob Kerr

Dead Money is a taut corporate-espionage thriller that dives into the murky world of Silicon Valley where competition can get a little too cutthroat for comfort. 

Jacob Kerr takes us deep into the trenches of the digital frontier where up and coming technology is created by most passionate and at times secretive minds. Mackenzie Clyde is a fixer of the highest caliber who knows exactly how to make deals happen. When a hotshot billionaire CEO is murdered, Mackenzie’s boss puts her to work uncovering the secrets behind the scenes for until the murder is solved and the murderer found, there are billions in investments - all of it frozen. Luckily, high-stakes corporate investigations and takeovers are where Mackenzie shines the brightest. 

It’s hard to fathom that Dead Money is Kerr’s debut. Kerr weaves a complex tale of nebulous characters, jarring twists, and exciting developments that give you a masterclass in the R&D projects in Silicon Valley and the extent to which power can drive passionate people into committing actions that outsiders can’t comprehend. Mackenzie Clyde is a fascinating character who doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve. Instead, Kerr carefully unravels the layers of her psyche bit by bit much like Mackenzie uncovers the secrets behind the murder, painting a vivid picture with each brushstroke until we finally get the truth behind both Mackenzie’s past and the gruesome murder that she investigates. 

Dead Money sinks its talons in you and captures your attention completely as you follow the characters along in a whodunit suspenseful tale where, through stellar writing and meaningful dialogue, you’re kept in the dark as to who you can really trust and if there’s really such a thing as black and white in a world filled with personal ambitions and aspirations. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Dead Money
(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

Shock Front By Aiden L. Bailey

Aiden Bailey takes his explosive series to South Asia with a barrage of cinematic action sequences and a conspiracy tying together multiple entities from recent headlines.

Shock Front takes CIA operative Mark Pierce, codenamed Trigger Man, to India and Pakistan as he steps in to extract a high value asset targeted by Pakistan’s FIA and a paramilitary group vying to capture the asset holding sensitive information pertinent to a dangerous mission taking place in Russia. It’s a melting pot of dangerous characters and Mark Pierce is caught in the eye of the storm. But that’s where Pierce works best.

The narrative catapults readers straight into choppy waters as Pierce guns his way into the first chapter. Bailey’s research of the locales make for a truly engaging and consuming read as you follow Pierce through the streets and slums of India bustling with chaotic life, being both a blessing and curse for Pierce to work his way through bullets and explosions in shanty towns and on top of mining trucks. If that does not whet your appetite enough, Pierce also faces off against komodo dragons before an explosive action packed finale that will satisfy both hardcore thriller fans and casual readers looking for a cool action thriller to devour.

Shock Front is a terrific spy thriller that superbly balances the fine line of gritty realism with escapist fun. On one hand you’ve got characters and situations that mirror real world espionage crises, complemented by a protagonist who takes the fight to the bad guys in cool fashion with his trusty Glock 19 like a modern day Western. Aiden Bailey keeps elevating the Trigger Man series to new heights of awesomeness.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Shock Front
(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

Caribbean Harvest By Steve Stratton

Steve Stratton packs heavy artillery and killer moves in his new action-packed and riveting adventure, Caribbean Harvest. 

The infamous drug lord, El Chapo, has set his sights on transforming the tropical island of Cuba into a hub for opium production. With US elections also on the horizon, the President believes capturing El Chapo will help solidify his next term. This leaves Wolf and Parker with a tight time bound mission to infiltrate Cuba and capture El Chapo before he succeeds in terraforming Cuba into the next Afghanistan. With twists and turns at every nook, this mission will cost them dearly.

Stratton blends the best of military and law enforcement techniques and styles to present a grounded narrative that puts you right in the hot seat with tons of action sequences and close calls for a bolstering adrenaline shot to the heart. It reminded me of the movie Sicario where I first felt that awe of realism and the grander picture of the drug trade. Stratton evokes the same grandiose feeling but in his own signature style of wittiness and intensity, nudging you along page after page to find out just how it all goes down. Lance Bear Wolf continues to be a force to be reckoned with, distinctive and formidable without losing the essence of a warrior with a heart of gold.

Caribbean Harvest is bold, vicious, and compelling in its mission to educate and entertain you without any lulls. It’s meticulously crafted to hold your attention and engage all your senses as Stratton takes you on a dangerous and exciting mission. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Caribbean Harvest
(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

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Vendetta By Brian Freeman

The Bourne Vendetta is a slick and sexy action-packed rampage that’s gonna give you all the adrenaline boost you need to get through the day.

When a hacked database causes intelligence communities to be upended due to highly sensitive operations being made clear to unsavory parties all over the world, a mission is put together to quickly seal the leak. With all major players vying to get their hands on the hacked files, the new head of Treadstone brings Jason Bourne into the fold once again on a time sensitive mission to either retrieve the files or destroy them before they continue to exchange hands across multiple syndicates and organizations that leave the intelligence agencies at the mercies of those powerful entities. But it’s not just Bourne on the hunt for the files. He’s going to meet his past head-on in more ways than one before he can finish his mission.

Even though the mystique about Bourne’s past has largely been diminished due to the previous books, Brian Freeman does a stellar job of steering the series to new directions and locations by evolving Bourne as a character beyond his past. Not only is Bourne evolving but so are his opponents. Techno-savvy bad guys make the playing field difficult for Jason Bourne’s gun-toting style, leading him to play it more with brains than brawn. That’s not to say that Freeman doesn’t write some really cool moments set to the beat of guns blazing and bones crunching. The action is plentiful and highly entertaining with a gravitas we appreciate in spy action thrillers. 

As Jason Bourne makes peace with his old relationships and takes a bold new step into the future, I can’t help but get excited to see where Jason Bourne is headed next and Freeman continues to show his awesome storytelling expertise in crafting taut and thrilling stories that bridge the gap between old school readers and modern fans of the revitalized Jason Bourne.

Purchase The Bourne Vendetta
(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

Babylon Will Rise By Eric Bishop

Eric Bishop continues to elevate his craft as a budding master in the thrillerverse, ramping up both the action and the stakes in this thrilling and fast-paced adventure that will have you cheering when you read the cinematic action sequences propelled by awesome heroes.

Babylon Will Rise brings to the imaginations a harrowing scenario that we hope never comes to fruition. In the height of the gulf war, two nuclear warheads were stolen from the US arsenal. What’s even troubling is that these weapons of mass destruction surface up in the hands of an arms dealer looking to auction them off. With the stability of the world at the brink of collapse, The Omega Group is sanctioned to ensure the weapons are safeguarded. Led by the charismatic and grounded Troy Evans and joined by a new enigmatic member, the team will dive into a dangerous mission where the enemy doesn’t play by the rules.

Bishop kicks off the narrative with authenticity and gravitas that’s seldom found in modern thrillers. The ambitious scale hits off with a spark and you’re entranced by the tactical and technical aspects that truly augment the storytelling experience. Bishop balances the grim nature of the mission with subtle levity between the team that works doubly to set a strong foundation of teamwork and camaraderie which in turn develop a strong bond between the characters and the readers. The action requires a bit of patience to arrive but once it kicks off, you’re strapped in for good. Not that you wouldn’t be on the edge of your seat even while the story develops, but the heart-thumping action cements the deal.

It’s clear as a bright summer day that Bishop has great plans for his characters. His ability to interweave characters from his other books into a shared space without taking away from the independence of the story must be applauded and appreciated. For fans of The Body Man, there’s a treat in this for you. For those who are diving into this book first, you’ll want to check out the full scope of Eric Bishop’s amazing work.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Babylon Will Rise
(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

Deadbeat By Adam Hamdy

Adam Hamdy has a terrific way with words and prose that makes every story of his feel somehow so relatable and raw yet polished. Deadbeat takes this irony to the next level with a somber and powerfully thrilling narrative that not only cuts down to the chilly souls of characters, but also creates an attachment that just doesn’t come along very often.

Peyton Collard is a broken man whose life spiraled after a tragic car accident. He spends his days and nights trying to make something of his life but ends up getting bogged down by his own limiting self. It’s only when a large sum of money comes his way that propels him to take the opportunity. Only catch? He has to kill people. Initially chalking it up as vigilante justice, he soon discovers there’s a hidden tangent to his targets and he finds himself on a collision course with uncomfortable truths about both his victims and himself.

From the get-go, you’re uncomfortable with how to feel about the protagonist. He’s a blubbering mess who makes the wrong decisions and falls into a loop of misery. You’re compelled to hope for goodness in him, yet at the same time you somewhat despise what he becomes. At the same time, Hamdy subtly challenges the readers to wonder what we’d do if we were in the protagonist’s shoes. It’s a complex multifaceted narrative that keeps the focus on the protagonist so we feel bonded to him, for better or for worse. The relationship that’s forged with Peyton is built on clever storytelling augmented with realistic dilemmas in a wild situation where the character does everything you’d expect a normal person to do, a man who does not have any of the action-chops or cool antics, but is utterly motivated to do right by his family. 

Yet with such a heavy atmosphere of a somber story, Hamdy infuses the narrative with a fast-pace that doesn’t waste time propelling the protagonist into a thrilling road through the gates of hell. The suspense is laid on thick and the meandering road to the truth is filled with blistering twists that will leave you horrified and satisfied with the ultimate finale. 

Deadbeat is a subtle masterpiece that latches onto you with its symbiotic ideas and its resonating nature. Before you know it, you’re aiding and abetting the protagonist in the art of murder. But legally you’re off the hook so it’s all hunky dory without the grim weight of regret and guilt that Peyton ultimately has to grapple with. It’s one of the finest books I’ve read this year. Not surprising however, since it is indeed Adam Hamdy at the helm of this amazing experience.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Deadbeat
(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

Nobody's Hero By M.W. Craven

Nobody’s Hero is a worthy follow-up to M.W. Craven’s gritty and badass introduction to Ben Koenig. Koenig is a long way from hunting down dangerous criminals as head of the US Marshal’s elite Special Operations Group. Where the first book introduced the man who feels no fear, Nobody’s Hero shows how far the bad guys can push our hero until he cracks.

A brazen murder and abduction on the streets of London in broad daylight opens a Pandora’s box of secrets shrouded in layers of deception and subterfuge. What’s more troubling is a list of names on which the final name is Ben Koenig. Even more troubling is that Koenig can’t seem to understand why his name would be placed with strangers. It’s only when he remembers a mysterious woman whom he helped disappear that he realizes whatever has her resurfacing can only spell doom for thousands if not millions of people.

M.W. Craven has put forth a rising star in the thrillerverse with his unflappable protagonist who genuinely unsettles you, not by any measure of scrupulous characteristics but by his medical affliction that leaves him processing fear in a way most people can’t understand. It’s this drive that leads him to do some pretty cool action sequences, albeit they’re lingering on suicidal. Not only does M.W. Craven nail the intense kinetic combat but he also finds a way to instill traces of fear in a man to whom that notion has become foreign. Topping this with callbacks to famous action movies, jaw-dropping twists, and a final death that is so gruesome yet badass you can’t help but read it and play it back in your head with unaltered admiration and horror, this book is a sure-shot high-class entertainer.

Buckle up, get your snacks ready, and get comfy with this fast-paced thriller that has everything you’d want to read in a dark and gritty story laced with apprehensions about just how wild the protagonist can get before tipping over the line. Nobody’s Hero is a fun read through and through. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Nobody's Hero
(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

New Beginning By Lukas Walker

Lukas Walker follows up his debut with an even bigger and more explosive sequel boasting gritty combat and high tension.

Hot on trial of a Swiss banker who brokered a transaction of illegal shipment of AI chips, Army Special Forces veteran Chris Harding and his team of covert FBI operatives are targeted by corrupt private military contractors to cover up a major conspiracy tracing to a world dominion plan linked to a social media app that shows how truly vulnerable we are. What follows is bloody rampage and riveting action that’s both gritty and awesome. 

Lukas Walker crafts a terrific hardcore action narrative that works to both entertain and educate us about the ramping technological advancements of artificial intelligence and its applications. The story flows with supreme suspense and you’re hanging onto every word to just prolong the experience because you just don’t wish for it to end. At the same time, Walker puts up some of the most cinematic action in recent thrillers that makes it all the more exciting.

Walker also sidesteps the formulaic antagonists for the most part to create a fresh atmosphere of villainous characters and motivations. My only nitpick exists for the climactic action sequence which surely hits hard but ultimately leverages the genre saturated villains that don’t entirely fit the very distinctive tone Walker set for most of this awesome thriller. That being said, the nebulous ending definitely promises even greater dangerous and more exciting turns. 

New Beginning takes you for a fantastic adventure rife with action and suspense on a global scale. Lukas Walker shows no signs of slowing down and it’s a great indicator of all the amazing things one can expect from his entertaining narratives.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase New Beginning
(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

Hotel Lucky Seven By Kōtarō Isaka

Hotel Lucky Seven boasts the witty charm of Kōtarō Isaka in sticky situations with tons of accidental action and bloodshed when none of the characters intend to get into any violent trouble to begin with. What follows is a series of hilarious accidents that continue to cascade into even more troubling situations that keep you hooked on with utter ease.

Underworld operative Ladybug is known to get into skirmishes that simultaneously make him both lucky and unlucky but certainly don’t make it easy for him to do simple jobs. He’s assigned yet another task to simply deliver a painting to a man in a hotel room. Ofcourse, things with Ladybug are rarely easy and before he knows it, he’s suckered into a fight where the hotel room guy ends up dead. This sets off a chain of events that are both hilarious and intense with one twisty development after another.

Kōtarō Isaka continues his trademark style of infusing fast and furious action with sly laughs and an ingenuous narrative that peels off its layers at the opportune moments, ultimately resolving with a sense of profound pleasure of having read such a smart and engaging thriller that caters to its readers with the mental exercise we crave as we escape into the world of thrillers. Isaka does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the characters to the point that even the most gruesome characters in the story feel more human than evil incarnate, making the action all the more impactful and the ending all the more bittersweet as you reach the inevitable conclusion.

With multiple characters and subplots tangled together in a single setting and a single night, Kōtarō Isaka keeps the storyline taut and tingling with quiet energy that vibrates until it bursts with enthusiastic vigor as assassins clash, cause silly mistakes, and reap the philosophical consequences of their actions. Hotel Lucky Seven is a thriller you’ll want to see made into a movie in the same vein as Isaka’s Bullet Train.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

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

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

The Collaborators By Michael Idov

The Collaborators is a bona-fide deep-in-your-veins espionage thriller that captures the essence of the trade without compromising the adrenaline-rush of high-stakes fast-paced writing.

When CIA officer Ari Falk’s Russian asset is pulled off a passenger plane in a brazen act of horror, he realizes the shadowy world of spycraft is resorting to Moscow Rules once again, so there begins Falk’s rogue mission outside of the sanctioned parameters to investigate the mysterious circumstances behind his asset’s capture. On the path to retribution and justice, he meets Maya Chou, an LA heiress who’s on her own mission to discover more about her father after his disappearance. Pretty soon, a picture begins to form where the answers lie within a tangled web of secrets and betrayals that unveil with a bang.

Michael Idov embraces the best of espionage stories; the unpredictability, volatility, cerebral complexity, and a sharp element of danger that amps up the stakes like nothing else. It’s absolutely a love child of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses and Jason Matthews’ Red Sparrow but also a distinctive entity with immersive action where it fits the realistic component of the narrative, and engaging characters who feel relatable as they battle their inner demons in addition to the warring geopolitical escalations hidden behind carefully constructed facades by the powers that be. 

The Collaborators is a great read to get your brain juices flowing and an absolute delight for spy fans who take their adventures with a healthy dose of realism and detailed tradecraft. I am so excited to read more from Michael Idov. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Collaborators
(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

Tokyo Swindlers By Ko Shinjo

Tokyo Swindlers takes you deep into the world of financial underworld in Japan led by a very knowledgeable and creative author who knows how to build a realistic tale without compromising momentum.

Takumi is a man riddled with all sorts of sadness and depression ever since he lost his family to a fire. When he partners up with a team of real-estate swindlers, that’s when he feels the most alive. But in his quest for a renewed meaning of life through a dangerous life of crime, he crosses paths with Detective Katsu. In the midst of the cat and mouse chase, both the detective and the swindler will find their paths entwined and a dangerous link to their pasts. 

Ko Shinjo creates a visceral and subtle world of violence and trauma that lays underneath the veneer of niceties. His depiction of trauma both unsettles you and fills you with hope for a better future. The emotional core is the strongest driver of the narrative and it works in tandem with the element of unpredictability and danger lurking just around the corner. I really enjoyed the diverse range of characters, each unique and engaging in their own ways. They all pitch in to make this story memorable and fun so much so that you don’t really want to part ways by the end.

Tokyo Swindlers is a very grounded and subtle narrative about human nature but coated with crime and thrills, a quintessential Japanese quality when it comes to storytelling. It will stay with you for quite a while.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Tokyo Swindlers
(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

Origin Story By A.M. Adair

A.M. Adair’s espionage action thrillers are already renowned in the thrillerverse but now she’s made a great splash in the vigilante-justice genre with her new thriller, Origin Story.

Elyse Tyson wakes up in prison, confused and scared because she can’t remember anything. A woman who lost her memory in a violent assault by other prisoners. Her history suggests that she’s a serial killer who has hunted down the scum of the earth. Not only does she now have to convince those running the show that she’s not faking her amnesia, she must quickly understand why she did what she did before she’s sentenced to death, by law or by criminals sharing space with her in prison. 

Adair paints a harrowing picture of a woman who crosses all barriers to get her revenge. This picture is beautifully obscured under layers of suspense, psychology, paranoia, and wild twists that keep this story firing on all cylinders, shaking with energy about who Elyse really is and all that she has done. It’s not often we get a protagonist who’s deemed a psychopath but Adair weaves a fascinating yarn with Elyse as an unhinged woman on a killing spree. We get glimpses of her past but it’s not until the finale that we get sucker-punched by a reveal that finally connects the dots.  It’s brutal, raw, and powerful in its aggression-filled essence.

If you’re seeking an escape into a violent story filled with action and constant twists that make it impossible to turn yourself away from the book, A.M. Adair’s Origin Story is the best choice you can make and it will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book at least twice. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Origin Story
(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

Run By Blake Crouch

Blake Crouch packs a powerhouse haymaker of suspense, action, and bone-chilling horror all in a fast-paced narrative that sinks its talons into you from the very first page.

Imagine seeing a natural phenomenon in the sky, and the next thing you know, you’re consumed by a force you can’t comprehend that’s trying to get you to kill those around you. Imagine being trapped in that hell, trying to rescue your family from the horrors and violence spilling around, targeting you. That’s the hell Jack Colclough tries to escape with his family. The question is, how far can he make it when he’s put on the targeted list by the rage-fueled public consumed by the phenomenon?

True to the Crouch trademark style of crafting adrenaline-soaking thrillers, Run takes you on a dangerous journey across America as Jake and his family try to find safe haven. The narrative never lets up its streamlined pace as the Colclough family runs into one armed skirmish after another, with some really awesome gunplay and chase sequences that add a new dimension to the sci-fi horror thriller.

The most exciting part of Run however is the horror and trepidation that seeps out of the pages as Crouch reveals bit by bit through world-building elements how such a terrifying event came to pass, and you’re left with chills in the middle of the night, but you still won’t put the book down because the story keeps evolving into grander exploration until the breathtaking finale that forces you to finally put the book down for a second and think of all that’s happened, before you conclude with the epilogue.

It’s one of my favorite thrillers by Blake Crouch with an emotionally charged core augmented by high-stakes high-stress narrative, gritty action, and a WTF plot that seems more and more plausible given how much we don’t know about what the universe holds and what our minds perceive deep within the hidden psyches.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Run
(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

Warlord Actual By Aiden Bailey

Warlord Actual reads like a dark and gritty Mission Impossible movie packed with just as much action and thrills if not more. Aiden Bailey keeps his aim true and straight on the bullseye.

Mark Pierce lives his life dangerously on the brink of chaos as he battles terrorists, spymasters, and powerful cabals. He can trust only a handful of people, particularly his handler, Mackenzie Summerfield. But when she’s kidnapped by a sinister organization with global reach, Pierce is caught between a rock and a hard place; save Mackenzie by handing over the locations of four nuclear suitcase bombs and plunge the world into chaos, or subject his handler to a world of pain and gruesome torture. The Trigger Man has his work cut out for him, but he’s CIA’s top operative for good reason.

Bailey fleshes out this narrative masterfully to give the readers a genuine sense of dread and panic at Pierce’s predicament. Not only is Bailey’s rendition of a shadowy sinister organization creepy and disturbing but it also creates that need for Pierce to be the hero he is, creating somewhat of a philosophical cycle of good folks needing to step up to battle evil. As Pierce battles his adversaries with guns and fists, the action ramps up with both high-quality cinematic depictions of said-combat and the emotional stakes that bring a somber taste of reality in between the chaos of gunfights. The twists are deft and classy enough to make you push back your clocks just so you can squeeze in more reading time to see how Pierce gets through these challenges. 

Warlord Actual is a terrific entry in the Trigger Man series and it not only encapsulates all that made Trigger Man stand out in the first place but also builds upon how he continues to be a distinctive hero in the modern thrillerverse.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

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

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

The Elias Network By Simon Gervais

Simon Gervais is one of the most prolific authors in the thrillerverse with a lot of great thrillers under his belt, but The Elias Network is my favorite work of his by far. If you want a sophisticated and cool-as-cucumber espionage thriller with lots and lots of shootouts, then rest assured, Gervais hits the bullseye with this awesome beginning of a new series.

Caspian Anderson leads a double life. To most, he’s a boring translator for the United Nations. But underneath this carefully constructed facade is his reality as an elite assassin tasked to eradicate all threats to American interests as part of Onyx, a black program within the Department of Homeland Security. Not a stranger to taking out hits on individuals across the globe, he’s sent on a mission to Switzerland where he stumbles upon a web of conspiracies that trace back to high level political officials, people he had sworn to kill for. Shaken by this new reality, Caspian must hit back hard and fast to push his new foes back on the rope, while his girlfriend, who’s beginning to slowly see through his boring cover, shocks Caspian with some nifty secrets of her own.

Gervais doesn’t waste any time getting to the hard-boiled action in this narrative, one of the many things that instantly hooked me onto this incredible thriller. It’s a fast-paced spy thriller that takes the age-old adage of a spy burned by his own, and adds spicy new twists and turns to the story with a memorable roster of characters and engaging descriptions of exciting spycraft and action set to the backdrop of exotic locations. It certainly invokes a little bit of Mr and Mrs Smith vibe as neither Caspian nor his girlfriend, Liesel Bergmann, have the slightest bit of clue about each other’s personal lives, until it all comes together with shocking turns and bullet casings. The fact that you have no clear indication of where the story’s leading and how Caspian’s next encounter will turn out means you’re at the Gervais’ mercy as he takes you for a splendid adventure.

The Elias Network is a refreshing tale in that it does not simply take stereotypes as facts in painting friends and enemies, but rather dissects individuals to paint them as realistic beings with character developments and underlying values and motivations that lead to intriguing plot points as opposed to cliched good guys and bad guys. The core concept of a lone operative operating in the shadows still holds a certain charm to it and Gervais puts his own cool spin on the narrative for a highly entertaining narrative. The Elias Network is fun, sexy, and spurred on by breakneck pacing as it introduces a charismatic protagonist who you’ll want more as soon as you hit the final page. I sure can’t wait to read more of Caspian Anderson take on his opponents like a total badass. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Elias Network
(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

Break Every Rule By Brian Freeman

Break Every Rule is by far Brian Freeman’s finest work. His attention to crafting a supremely compelling thriller with high levels of energy is one that can’t be underestimated, and this may be his darkest thriller yet.

Tommy Miller is a married man living out a quiet life in Florida with his wife and young daughter. He’s happy to be away from a life of violence where he excelled at killing. He’s done everything to ensure his past can’t catch up to him, but he doesn’t realize his wife has a complicated past too, one that may have caught up to her and brought to port the storms of his past as well. To save his family, Tommy must step once again into the world of darkness and violence as he hunts down those who kidnapped his wife and daughter. Can he survive the twists and turns in addition to the constant danger of running into vicious enemies and the police officers searching for him? That’s for you to find out in this incredibly addictive narrative as Tommy realizes he must break every rule to save his family.

Brian Freeman adds a little bit of all his previous works in this thriller, blending them together with a novel protagonist and a gritty storyline that’s part espionage, part crime, and all-awesome. Tommy Miller is a fascinating protagonist whose vulnerability is matched by his badass-ness as he employs his trade of violence on his personal mission for justice. Freeman takes a steady approach in unspooling Miller’s past throughout the narrative, keeping the pace brisk and engaging as the story zooms forward with well-placed breakpoints to help readers absorb all that happens, and at the same time, keeping them hooked with a frenzy of racing thoughts and mind-boggling twists. The entire narrative packs a mean punch of high suspense as Miller digs into the mysterious circumstances regarding his family’s disappearance, spiraling down a dangerous rabbit hole where you feel for Miller’s plight as uncomfortable truths come to light. Freeman excels at sowing discord in the reader’s mind with each revelation, all plotted intricately with the purpose of keeping everyone on their toes.

In addition to the fast-paced narrative, Freeman keeps the thriller rife with action set-pieces that are cinematically appealing and tactically appeasing. There are plenty of shootouts and fisticuffs to keep the action-seeking folks happy with a keen sense of authentic weaponry and combat sequences. 

Break Every Rule is a terrific action and suspenseful thriller that beckons every bit of your emotional investment in the outcome and characters you genuinely care.  With an ambitious story, unrelenting plot twists, fast-paced action, and a resonating protagonist, you’d do well to keep this thriller at the top of your TBR pile. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Break Every Rule
(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

Capture Or Kill By Don Bentley

Mitch Rapp has come a long way over the decades, evolved through the years along with the readers as the political dynamics of the world changed hands and control. Now it’s Don Bentley’s turn at the helm as he takes a crack at embodying Rapp and all that has become iconic in the Mitch Rapp saga and it’s an interesting take.

Capture or Kill sees Mitch Rapp in 2011, juggling two vital roles as a reconnaissance agent for confirming Bin Laden’s presence in his Abbottabad compound as well as being lead on uncovering an Iranian plot to undermine American interests. It may seem a tad bit too much for one person but not for the legendary Mitch Rapp.

Don Bentley adds his own flair to the Mitch Rapp series with a focus on military/special operations operators’ banters and military-grade action sequences that we’ve enjoyed immensely in Bentley’s Matt Drake and Jack Ryan Jr. stories. Rapp and his trusty Glock rock the pages right out of the hardcover spine, along with Bentley trademarked helicopter sequences that put you right in the cockpits in low terrains covered by gunfire.

It’s a smart move to have Capture or Kill set in between previous books to help Bentley get his grip on such an iconic character. Rapp in Capture or Kill is badass and undeterred in his mission to kill bad guys. It’s not as much of an espionage novel as one might expect but it works as an extremely exciting standalone story of sorts with familiar faces and a monumental plot that stems right from our memories and news headlines fresh in our minds from a decade ago. I am excited to see Bentley’s integration with Rapp as a family man and an intelligence operative, which I am confident will be a delight to read.

Capture or Kill is an extremely entertaining Mitch Rapp story and Bentley certainly nails the high-octane nature of an action-packed extravaganza. Rapp is certainly back fresher than ever with his tough guy persona and don’t-mess-with-me attitude that reflects the days of Vince Flynn’s writings.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

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

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

The Accomplice By Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson & Aaron Philip Clark

It wasn’t on my bingo card to experience a terrific collaboration between Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and award-winning mystery writer Aaron Philip Clark, but it’s always nice to be surprised with early Christmas. The Accomplice packs fresh blood and an energy that you can’t get enough of.

Texas Ranger Nia Adams is no stranger to guns blazing and bullets blazing over her head as she takes down bad guys. But Nia is butting heads against Desmond Bell this time. Desmond is a Vietnam vet turned thief who has his eyes on stealing the secrets of the wealthy family in the country, Duchamps, secrets they would prefer to remain buried. As the bodies start piling, Nia must quickly realize that this investigation requires her to step outside the bounds of political influence and work her way to the heart of the conspiracy as Desmond works his way through deplorable skeletons hiding in Duchamps’ closet.

Just from the way Jackson and Clark open up the narrative to the readers in the first few pages, one can’t help but enjoy the novel execution of a hard-boiled tale with characters that leap right out of the pages to play out their parts right in front of you, propelled by vivid sceneries, whether it’s the blood-pumping action sequences or the dramatic revelations that give you pause in this thriller. Nia and Desmond don’t form the typical duo of cop and criminal but their paths entwine in the most interesting of ways that have long-lasting impact for an ambitious narrative that spans decades. It’s a supercharged narrative that balances outburst of emotions, violence of action, and thoughtful twists in the story that helps the book stand out from others in the same genre. 

There’s an intriguing perspective towards world-building in this thriller, imbuing the narrative with a historical context that not only makes for a fascinating background but also adds another dimension to Desmond’s character that’s not just a cocky thief. Similar developments occur for Nia throughout the story as we’re not told why she’s a badass but we are shown through acts of determination and courage in the face of adversity how Nia Adams truly is one Texas Ranger you do not want to mess with.

The Accomplice is one of the most intriguing and well-rounded thrillers you’ll read this year. You’ve got pulse-pounding shootouts, incredible protagonists you’ll miss parting ways with, and a conspiracy that keeps you flipping the pages until the last one where you’re left flabbergasted at the WTF ending. If you’re keen to read a crime thriller with generous servings of action and suspense in a riveting execution. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Accomplice
(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

An Honorable Assassin By Steve Hamilton

An Honorable Assassin is a sophisticated assassin-centric thriller packing suave action and glamorous set pieces in exotic locations not explored much in thrillers today.

Nick Mason is a man of lethal talents and a conscience. After leaving prison, his new-found freedom from the law and a Chicago crime boss seems to be cut short as he’s spirited by a shadowy organization to Jakarta as part of a team to assassinate an international fugitive, Hashim Baya—otherwise known as the Crocodile. What Mason doesn’t know is that there’s an Interpol agent also hot on the trail of Baya, seeking to settle a personal score against the criminal. When the two worlds collide, it’s one riveting chapter after another.

Steve Hamilton evokes such vivid strokes of imaginations when he describes the beautiful and exuberant settings in South East Asia, Singapore in particular where a breathtaking sequence in casino feels straight out of a Bond novel, followed by break-neck action on land and sea that’s both tactically and technically fulfilling for thriller fans who admire weaponry in proper form and execution. It’s a genuine action thriller that packs both brawn and heart.

Speaking of heart, what helps An Honorable Assassin live up to its name is its star, Nick Mason. Even when wrapped up in a dangerous mission in a foreign land, Mason finds himself in a precarious position to save a young girl he doesn’t even know properly from a life of abuse and servitude. His noble quest that continues in between the violent and gruesome hunt for his target goes a long way in establishing Mason as a hitman you’d love to have on your side. 

The story is grand, immersive, with characters dressed to the nines and adrenaline pumping action. Even though I hadn’t read the previous Nick Mason thrillers beforehand, I was easily hooked onto Hamilton’s prose that makes all that happens in this narrative palpable with energy and enthusiasm. You’re going to zoom to the ending even as you try to slow down, but the action and twists keep beckoning you to read just one more page and then you’re down the rabbit hole. The ending certainly opens the floor for great follow-up stories with Mason and a new ally trying to uncover who is behind the scenes pulling the strings on a horrifyingly global level.

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase An Honorable Assassin
(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

Meet The Review Team