Blue Fire By John Gilstrap

Set in a dystopian post-nuclear apocalyptic world, Blue Fire is a tale of overcoming adversity, necessity as the mother of invention, and coming together as a community.  It forces you to ask uncomfortable questions and face inconvenient truths about how far you’d go to ensure your own survival in a severely resource constrained environment.  In doing so, John Gilstrap has delivered a novel that is equal parts entertainment, survival guide and an introspective thought exercise.  

Blue Fire picks up several weeks after Hell Day, a nuclear world war that came and went with just enough warning to sequester the United States Congress in a secret government facility.  Former West Virginian congressional representative and doomsday prepper Victoria Emerson, who refused to enter that facility without her kids, is now the de facto mayor of a town called Ortho where she is doing her best to rebuild a fair and just civilization.  As word spreads about this town’s enviable resources and organized society, they become a target of a group of Army National Guardsmen and the violent recruits they pick up along the way.  As a result, Vicky and this small town are put to the test to see if their training and resolve will hold up under the onslaught of an armed attack by a determined and well-organized enemy.  Nothing less than the survival of all citizens of Ortho hangs in the balance.  Failure is not an option.  

Blue Fire offers a bevy of intense moments, uncertain outcomes, and fierce action sure to please any thriller fan.  It’s full of suspense and every single character faces mortal danger.  And the development of each character is fantastic, allowing you to feel the emotional toll of what everyone is going through and understand the difficult choices they face at every turn…even if you thankfully don’t have the personal experience of what it’s like to live in the Stone Age-like environment that follows a nuclear war. 

Additionally, while you don’t have to read Crimson Phoenix, the first book in this series, to understand and enjoy Blue Fire, it does help to read this young series in order if you want to get the full picture of Hell Day and the immediate aftermath of the war.  But don’t let that deter you from jumping into the series with Blue Fire because it stands on its own merit by providing enough backstory to get caught up and fully engaged in these characters' struggle for survival and attempt to rebuild society.  

If you’re a fan of dystopian novels, action packed thrillers or just plain old good writing, then Blue Fire is for you. John Gilstrap is onto something great with this series and it’s the perfect time to get stuck in.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Blue Fire
(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

Beneath The Stairs By Jennifer Fawcett

A creepy and frightening debut by Jennifer Fawcett, Beneath The Stairs is a classic horror tale guaranteed to freak you the hell out.  If you can sleep after reading this book, you’re a braver person than I.  

As kids, Clare and Abby find the Octagon House, an old, dilapidated house in the woods of their hometown in Upstate New York.  The site of a gruesome murder that took the lives of a woman and her two daughters, this house is the stuff of rumor and legend and best left alone.  However, the two best friends can’t help themselves and enter the premises, only to run from the house screaming after seeing and hearing something in the basement that changes them forever.  20 years later, Clare finds out Abby has returned to the Octagon House to attempt suicide and is now in a coma.  Clare, who has been experiencing nightmares and is still inexplicably drawn to the house, returns to her hometown to help Abby and maybe in the process get over her own trauma so that she can finally find peace and live the life she has long desired.  

Beneath The Stairs brilliantly plays upon the fears that many people have growing up – dark woods, unnerving basements, haunted homes and scary local folklore tales.  It bounces around from present day to different points in the past to give the reader a glimpse into all relevant events, slowly revealing historical pieces of information critical to unraveling the mystery.  And it continuously ratchets up the nail-biting tension until the terrifying pants-pissing dénouement that will have you seeking the comfort of a well-lit and highly populated space.  In fact, I may or may not have run up the stairs from my basement at one point while reading this book.  

Which leads me to this statement of caution.  Do not read Beneath The Stairs alone, in the dark, in the woods, in a basement, or in an old and/or possibly haunted house.  That’ll only amp up the terror to horrific levels given reading it in broad daylight and around other people will already scare the bejeezus out of you.  You have been warned!  Good luck.

---

Purchase Beneath The Stairs
(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 Paradox Hotel By Rob Hart

Blending greed and murder with the specter and consequences of time travel, The Paradox Hotel is a pulse-pounding, mind-twisting Sci-Fi thriller of the first order.  Rob Hart delivers a compelling and cerebral story that probes several deep topics – the moral ambiguity and governance of time travel, the intersection of money and politics, and a person’s journey through the stages of grief and self-introspection. 

The year is 2072 and January Cole, a former agent of the Time Enforcement Agency, is in charge of security at The Paradox Hotel.  Yet this is no traditional hotel.  Guests are dressed in the garb of bygone time periods and awaiting their flights at the nearby Einstein Intercentury Timeport, a time travel port that sends those with means back to witness historic events.  And if keeping the time traveling guests safe wasn’t hard enough, the US government has made the controversial decision to sell the Timeport and hotel to help with rising financial issues, making the facilities and the trillionaires who have come to bid on them major targets.  On top of this, January is suffering from a condition that gives her flashes of the future and reliving moments from her past that randomly occur while she’s trying to keep everyone safe.  Oh, and there’s one other little thing – she’s investigating a murder in the hotel but no one else can see the body or the crime scene.  Time is of the essence to find the murderer and figure out who’s trying to sabotage the sale…or reality as we know it might be irreparably changed. 

There are 3 aspects of The Paradox Hotel that hooked me and wouldn’t let me put the book down. First is the time travel aspect.  Rob Hart does a fantastic job of creating a world in which time travel exists, explains the technical aspects in a way that even a dummy like me can understand, makes it a critical aspect of the story from multiple angles and does all this while making it seem completely realistic and plausible.  Second is the crime and investigation aspect.  Looking beyond the time travel, we have an old-fashioned story of disgustingly rich people with hidden agendas vying to buy an extremely valuable property and they will do anything and everything to win…including sabotage and murder.  Which creates the main plotline of an investigation with multiple twists and turns with danger around every corner, not knowing who you can trust and an outcome that is most certainly in doubt until the end.  All hallmarks of a great detective thriller.

But the third aspect is possibly my favorite, which is the curious case of January Cole.  She is an exceptional, yet deeply flawed hero that you want to root for while also wanting to wring her neck.  She is fighting her own demons while trying to do her job and solve complex problems.  She lashes out at people who want to help her, using dark humor as a defense mechanism which serves to push these people away just when she needs them the most.  She’s trying to process her own grief and figure out how to become a better person while trying to not lose a grip on the good memories she had before tragedy befell her.  And she’s facing declining health that doesn’t look to have a happy ending.   All these things are incredibly relatable, make her human and easy to connect with despite her extraordinary intellect and talents.  

Simply put, I loved this book! It’s a fascinating and possibly realistic look at the future of our society. You don’t have to be a sci-fi wonk to enjoy The Paradox Hotel. If you like good murder mysteries and detective stories, then The Paradox Hotel is right in your wheelhouse. I wouldn’t call myself a big sci-fi reader, but this book really hit the spot. I got the same feeling of contentment after finishing it as I did after reading Andy Weir’s books. As such, I expect The Paradox Hotel will be a huge hit with both sci-fi fans and thriller fans alike.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Paradox Hotel
(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

Sierra Six By Mark Greaney

Sierra Six is the early leader in the clubhouse for the best thriller of 2022 and it will take something incredibly special to surpass it.  Mark Greaney has delivered one hell of a book that instantly becomes my all-time favorite in the already magnificent Gray Man series.  It’s perfection!

Fans of the series already know that Court Gentry is a bad ass mofo with an unmatched, somewhat superhuman skillset that allows him to operate solo and dispatch bad guys as if it’s a walk in the park.  And while readers have been given glimpses into his past throughout the prior ten books, we’ve never heard the complete story of how Gentry became Sierra Six and operated as part of an elite CIA Ground Branch paramilitary team.  Until now.  And holy hell is it a spectacular story. 

Court Gentry is hired to do a simple job – infiltrate the Turkish embassy in Algeria and plant a small device that will allow his client to eavesdrop on cell phone calls made in the vicinity.  However, nothing is ever easy for the Gray Man and as the operation goes sideways, Court comes face to face with a ghost, someone he thought has been dead for 12 years.  Cue the flashback to a dozen years ago, when Gentry was being integrated into Golf Sierra, a CIA action team on the hunt for a terrorist mastermind with visions of changing the political and military landscape of South Asia.  The events of that time left an indelible mark on Gentry and now that this long-thought dead terrorist has reappeared, the Grey Man will do whatever it takes to finally put this son-of-a-bitch six feet underground where he belongs.

The brilliance of Sierra Six is that it’s like 2 amazing novels under one cover.  Mark Greaney flawlessly switches back and forth between present day and flashbacks to 12 years ago in a way that does multiple things at the same time.  First, it provides insight into Court Gentry’s past and his evolution as an operator.  Second, it seamlessly draws parallels and connections between events a dozen years apart that enhance both storylines and provide depth that a single timeline wouldn’t be able to achieve.  Third, it provides tremendous character development for Gentry by allowing us to witness a journey that makes him a little more human through mistakes and emotions that we didn’t know were possible for him.  And finally, it reminds us how lethally awesome and relentless the Gray Man truly is. 

When I read a book, I’m looking for three things – entertainment, something fresh and to feel an emotional connection to the characters.  This book nails all three. Sierra Six is simply stupendous!  It’s so freaking unbelievably great.  And while it’s been obvious for a long time that Mark Greaney is inarguably one of the best authors in the genre, Sierra Six elevates him to a higher plane of thriller existence that few authors are able to achieve in their lifetimes.  

Bravo Mr. Greaney.  Thank you for the gift of this incredible novel.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Sierra Six
(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

Dark Horse By Gregg Hurwitz

An emotionally complicated story interspersed with amazing bursts of incredible violence, Dark Horse is a dramatic soul searching, ass kicking journey with depth, heart, and lots of dead bodies.  Simply put…this book is my jam!

When Evan Smoak was taken from the orphanage and turned into Orphan X, his mentor Jack Johns taught Evan many critical lessons.  But maybe the most important was that the hard part wasn’t being a killer.  The hard part is staying human.  And that has never been more evident than in the pages of Dark Horse, where Evan takes on a mission unlike any other that tests his humanity and moral compass.  

A teenage girl has been kidnapped by a brutal Mexican drug cartel and her father begs The Nowhere Man to help get her back.  However, this father is no saint.  In fact, he’s a bad man who runs his own drug operation in Texas, though bad is relative and as Isaac Hayes once sang, “he’s a complicated man.”  But the daughter is an innocent who is in mortal danger at the hands of a psychopath and his band of murderous men.  So Evan accepts the mission and must figure out a way to infiltrate the cartel to save the girl.  Meanwhile Evan’s personal life is in disarray – he’s rebuilding his penthouse, fighting with Joey and things get even complicated with Mia.  All which challenge the seventh commandment: One mission at a time.  If he’s able to survive the physical and emotional danger swirling around him, he will become the poster child for the old saying “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

The central theme of this book is a deep dive into self-exploration in search of redemption.  For a drug lord, it’s figuring out how far he’s willing to go to save his daughter.  Is he willing to burn his empire to the ground to save his own flesh and blood?  And for Evan, it’s the continuation of a journey to make amends for all the killing he’s done in the past, seeking to determine if he’s worthy of, and able to have, meaningful personal relationships.  Can he operate if he allows himself to connect with other people and therefore has something to lose?  But conversely if he eschews those relationships, will he be able to remain human?  It’s an emotional roller coaster with depth that will have you alternating between tears and fist pumps.

As much as I enjoyed Dark Horse and love the entire Orphan X series, I have a bone to pick with Gregg Hurwitz.  These cliffhangers are killing me!  I was hoping that the explosive ending of Prodigal Son allowed him to scratch that cliffhanger itch and this time the book would finish with everything cleanly wrapped up.  Wrong!  Boy, I was so terribly misguided to believe that would be the case.  Because this time, the diabolical Mr. Hurwitz leaves us with multiple cliffhangers.  That’s right.  Not one, not two, but three huge storylines for which we now must wait another year to find out what happens.  Which reminds me of a couple of quotes:

“Life is pain.” – Dread Pirate Roberts

“The waiting.  Always the waiting.” – Gabriel Allon

Of course, I say all this tongue in cheek.  I will gladly wait as long as it takes to find out what happens next.  Because it means we’re getting more Evan Smoak and whatever Gregg Hurwitz has in store for him and the other characters promises to be glorious.  

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Dark Horse
(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

Undermoney By Jay Newman

Yes!  A story for us few and proud financial wonks.  A book that actually allows me to leverage my Finance MBA for more than just building spreadsheets.  Thank you, Jay Newman!  Undermoney is an elaborately detailed, ambitious financial and political thriller the likes we haven’t seen before despite it being about something as old as time itself – the pursuit of money and power.  

It’s impossible to sum up Undermoney’s intricate plotlines and international intrigue in a simple paragraph.  There’s a lot going on, starting with a group of American soldiers who steal a couple of billion dollars during the Iraq war as part of a long game to eventually install one of their own in the Oval Office and reshape American politics.  Then there’s an insanely and inexplicably successful trillion-dollar hedge fund led by an enigmatic genius financial mind that is not only getting insider information but actually manipulating world events and profiting from the global financial market responses.  Oh, and there’s the private Russian military company that has its hands in everything from money laundering to fighting Putin’s wars by proxy.  And if that wasn’t enough, there’s an organization behind the scenes that seems to be pulling all the strings without consequence.  Throw in a little money laundering, kompromat and death and this book has a little bit of everything that you could possibly want in a thriller with no less than the future of the world at stake.  

While there’s a healthy dose of financial operations and market maneuvering that will appeal to those working on Wall Street and/or those in possession of an advanced degree in finance, Jay Newman does a good job keeping it simple for all to follow.  And thankfully that stuff isn’t the main focus of the book.  Instead, Undermoney spends the majority of time providing an infuriating look at the rich and powerful not only playing by a different set of rules, but manipulating momentous world events for their own personal financial profit.  The big question you have to ask yourself as you read Undermoney is whether this is really fiction or actually a non-fiction account of a secret cabal of billionaires, politicians and financiers who are influencing the world order and getting rich at the expense of the rest of us suckers.  Because everything in this book feels incredibly realistic to the point that if it’s not already happening then it’s just a matter of time.

I’m fascinated to see where Jay Newman takes this story next as it has the makings of an epic trilogy that blurs the lines between fact and fiction.  Undermoney isn’t to be missed, especially by fans of highly detailed, realistic thrillers the likes of Jason Matthews and Don Winslow.  It has the potential to be that special. 

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Undermoney
(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 Runaway By Nick Petrie

Peter Ash is back in a big way!  Nick Petrie delivers another brilliant character-driven novel in The Runaway, a modern tale of genuine altruism vs. unadulterated malevolence violently battling for the soul of a young woman on the brink.  This excellent thriller sucks you in early and never lets up, continuing one of the best and most underrated series in the thriller genre today.  

Peter Ash is driving his old green 1968 Chevy pickup from Oregon to Wisconsin when he comes across a damsel in distress on a gravel road in the middle of Nebraska.  Being the kind of guy he is, Peter doesn’t hesitate to offer a ride to the young pregnant woman.  However, he learns the situation is more complex than just a broken-down vehicle and quickly finds himself trapped between two cars of armed men with his only means of escape diving off a bluff and into the ice-cold river below.  After the harrowing escape, Peter can’t just go on his merry way.  Drawn to danger like a moth to a flame, Peter continuously – and willingly, almost gleefully – puts himself in harm's way to rescue the woman from the clutches of a brilliantly evil man.  Even with help from June and Lewis, it’s a fight Peter might not survive but one his moral compass and propensity for violence will not let him shy away from.

The Runaway is bursting with all the things that fans love about Nick Petrie’s books.  First, Peter Ash is once again driven to do the right thing, attempting to save someone stuck in a threatening circumstance while simultaneously engaging in perilous conflict with a cunning foe just to feel alive.  Next, the antagonist is one bad hombre with genius tendencies that allow him to outsmart his opponent and set traps left and right, creating one difficult test after another for our hero to overcome.  Then there’s June Cassidy and Lewis.  While they don’t feature prominently in the entirety of the book, they arrive with no questions asked and a flourish of expletives to help Peter do what he needs to do.  Which is why they are two of my favorite supporting characters of all time!  Lastly, this novel is superbly written and an absolute joy to read due to pacing that continually ratchets up the intensity and puts every single character in the crosshairs.  You can barely catch your breath, let alone put this book down. 

Seven books into this special series, The Runaway confirms what we already knew: Nick Petrie is one of the best in the business at developing compelling characters and delivering exhilarating stories that resonate with readers.  He’s got a gift with the pen and we’re all the lucky recipients.  Long live Peter Ash, June Cassidy and Lewis.  May they wreak havoc and save the day for many years to come.  

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Runaway
(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

Targeted By Stephen Hunter

Stephen Hunter once again shows why he’s revered by other thriller writers and why his books are automatic must reads.  Targeted is well-written with pacing that continuously builds tension before the pressure becomes too much and explodes in an action-packed, satisfyingly violent conclusion.  

Targeted features 3 storylines that converge into a singular novel.  First, there’s the political grandstanding storyline that subpoenas Bob Lee Swagger to testify and defend his actions in front of a congressional committee hellbent on making him the bad guy.  Second, there’s the Chechen crime family storyline that starts by trying to rip off the Russians and turns into a hostage situation with the congressional committee mentioned previously.  And third, there’s the Revolutionary War flashback storyline that provides insight into Swagger’s lineage and ties into the political nonsense he’s forced to deal with.  Rest assured that while this might have you scratching your head in confusion, it works quite well, especially once the storylines come together about halfway through the book.  At that point of convergence, everything becomes clear and the book really accelerates in pace, setting up a race to the finish that puts everyone in the crosshairs.

One aspect of Targeted that should be celebrated is the fact that despite Bob Lee Swagger being in his mid-70’s, he’s still sharp as a tack and taking the fight to the enemy both physically and mentally.  He’s forced to play political mind games during this traveshamockery of a hearing and then go kinetic when the timing is right to go after the hostage takers.  We can debate how realistic this is, but that’s not the point.  It’s just cool to have a thriller that features an old dude kicking ass.  In most instances, long running series are trying to figure out how to transition tier one operators from the field to a supervisory/planning/consulting type of role.  But not here.  Not in this series.  Bob Lee Swagger is going to keep swinging until death finally calls his number.  And that’s awesomely unique in the genre. 

Oh yeah, one last thing.  The bad guys are equal parts terrifying and hilarious in an 80’s action movie kind of way. I’m not sure how Stephen Hunter pulls that off, but it’s spectacular.  Really adds to the entertainment level of an already fun, fast-paced read.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Targeted
(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

End Of Days By Brad Taylor

Brad Taylor continues his hot streak of compelling geopolitical thrillers with End of Days, an all too realistic story that combines theology, history and Middle Eastern politics with crazy bad guys and bursts of violent action.  

Pike and Jennifer are a week away from getting married when their preparation is interrupted by a plea from their friends Aaron and Shoshana to help them track down the killer of the former head of Mossad.  In fact, there’s a string of murders being claimed by an Iranian backed terrorist group called Keta’ib Hezbollah that has the hawks in Israel and the United States ready to go to war with Iran.  But Shoshana’s eerily accurate sixth sense tells her there’s more to the story and someone else is behind the killings with an end game that’s bigger than they realize.  Pushing the Taskforce charter to the limits and beyond, Pike and Jennifer team up with their Israeli counterparts to chase leads in the Middle East, ultimately attempting to track down and thwart a group of rogue operators calling themselves “The Turtles” before they start World War III.

End of Days is chock full of international intrigue and a captivating plot that constantly builds tension, propelling the story forward with enough doubt to the outcome to make it anxiety-inducing for the reader.  And while there’s not as much pure action as some of the early books in the series, it’s more than made up for with a suspenseful race-to-the finish storyline that grabs you early and doesn’t let go.  On top of that, the character development of both the new and old characters is top notch, providing interesting backstories for the bad guys while showing the maturation of those we’ve come to know and love…Pike and Shoshana in particular.  All of which shows Brad Taylor’s continued growth and development into a complete, world class thriller author who seamlessly blends spy, military and political plotlines into one gripping novel. 

Fans of the genre know that Brad Taylor always delivers, and End of Days is no exception. This is a must read that will help you properly kick off 2022 in style. Pick up a copy in January and join Pike, Jennifer and team race to save the world from starting a catastrophic war.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase End Of Days
BUY A SIGNED FIRST EDITION FROM VJ BOOKS

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

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

Insurrection Day By Chris Hauty

Fast-paced, action-packed and including trademark game-changing twists, Insurrection Day is a hard-hitting Hayley Chill novella from the creative mind of Chris Hauty.

Insurrection Day is a fictionalized account of what happened on January 6, 2020 at the United States Capitol.  It takes real events, adjusts the timing to happen after Savage Road, and thrusts Hayley Chill in the middle of the action.  Her never ending sense of duty leads her to take on those who breached the Capitol, to protect and evacuate the Senate majority leader, and to chase down stolen congressional property taken by a trio of insurrectionists, who seem to be on a different level than the others roaming the halls.  The action is unrelenting and fierce as Hayley literally shoots it out with the thieves in an attempt to reclaim what was stolen in a failure-is-not-an-option effort to protect important secrets of the United States government.  

It’s important to go into this novella understanding that it takes the very public events of January 6 and turns them into a Hayley Chill story with a twist.  Which is to say that your mindset will significantly impact your perspective of this novel.  If you can put that aside and focus on the story itself, you will find this is an unputdownable thriller that doesn’t let you catch your breath for a second and further increases your admiration for Hayley Chill’s exceptional courage and abilities.  

Insurrection Day proves yet again that Chris Hauty is one hell of a storyteller and that Hayley Chill is one of the best, toughest and smartest protagonists in the genre.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Reckless Girls By Rachel Hawkins

A tale of hidden agendas, devious behavior and complicated relationships set on a mysterious island paradise in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Reckless Girls is a suspense-filled thriller as sharp as a machete.  Rachel Hawkins delivers a compelling tale filled with intrigue and mayhem that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Lux McAllister has had a rough go of things in her young life.  Her parents divorced, her mother got sick, and she had to drop out of college to wait tables in a restaurant to support her mom.  But just when she’s at her lowest she meets gorgeous and wealthy Nico, who invites her to move to Maui with him before they set off on a sailing adventure.  However, things don’t quite go as planned until Brittany and Amma come into their lives and pay them to charter their boat on an adventure to Meroe Island.  Upon arrival at this isolated island, they find they’re not alone but quickly strike up a friendship with Jake and Eliza, a couple who also wanted to travel off the beaten path.  But things get complicated when a sketchy individual arrives on the island.  All of a sudden, the mood shifts.  Bad choices are made, motives are questioned, hard truths come to the surface and paradise suddenly doesn’t look and feel that great.  Now, it’s a question of survival for the inhabitants of Meroe Island and it’s not guaranteed everyone will leave alive. 

Reckless Girls hooks you from the very first sentence and doesn’t let go until you mutter “oh shit” at the end.  Rachel Hawkins does a brilliant job of storytelling by interspersing flashbacks in between present-day events, which results in revealing one puzzle piece at a time of background information until the full picture reveals itself with a big bang.  It’s an ambitious novel, with twists and turns and a slow drip of critical realizations at just the right times, that keeps the reader engaged and obsessed with finding out what happens next.  It’s unputdownable and easy to devour in one sitting.

Do yourselves a favor and pick up a copy of Reckless Girls upon release in January 2022.  Then find a comfortable spot for 4-5 hours and dive in.  It’s a fantastic thriller with which to kick off the new year.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Reckless Girls
(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 Maid By Nita Prose

The Maid is a special, emotional murder mystery that must be included in any discussion about the best debut thrillers in 2022. It's a fantastic unputdownable novel, featuring an amazing main character, that sets up long term residency in your brain and refuses to leave. 

This story told from the perspective of Molly Gray, a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel.  Molly the Maid is peculiar, socially awkward and, while the book never explicitly states it, probably somewhere on the Autism spectrum and a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Which makes her a target of ridicule from other employees despite her complete dedication to the hotel and her job.  But Molly just keeps making her rounds cleaning rooms better than anyone and trying to be the best employee she can. Until one day she goes to clean the room of a VIP and finds that man lying dead in the bed.  Suddenly Molly is accused of a host of unsavory charges, including murder. Is she being set up as a patsy by her unscrupulous coworkers? Or could she have actually done the deed and is more than meets the eye?

The Maid, like many of the best books out there, brings out a host of emotions while making the reader think about life beyond the pages.  This is primarily due to the uniqueness of Molly, a main character the likes of which we've never seen in a Thriller.  She's poor, on her own, likely special needs and yet highly functional.  But because of her differences she is victimized and taken advantage of by others who see her as less than them. However, they couldn't be more wrong as Molly is the best of us and is more than others give her credit for. Which makes her incredibly empathetic and fills you with a raging desire to reach through the pages and beat the crap out of these bullying assholes who manipulate her before then enveloping her in a tight embrace and telling her everything will be ok. Because there's very few things more disgusting in life than people making fun of those who are different. F*ck those people!

Then again, there's an air of mystery surrounding Molly which makes you wonder if you really know her at all to the point that you must consider until the end if she is capable of nefarious intent.  And if she is - if she did something bad - will you be able to confront your feelings and determine that she be held responsible?  Or will you justify her actions due to the protective feelings you've built for Molly and hope she finds a happy ending?

I absolutely loved The Maid and urge fans of crime and psychological thrillers to pick up a copy when it becomes available. I promise that you have never read anything quite like this book. It's phenomenal!

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Maid
(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

Covert Kill By Jason Kasper

An intense, intricate and ingenious military thriller, Covert Kill moves with the speed of a runaway freight train and packs an equally powerful punch.  It’s another excellent novel by Jason Kasper, who’s absolutely crushing this young series.

Following the explosive events of Last Target Standing, David Rivers and his team of deniable and expendable CIA contractors are sent to Nigeria to follow the trail of those responsible for the July 4th attack on the United States.  While in country, several American citizens are kidnapped by Boko Haram and held for ransom.  The US government will do anything for the safe return of the Americans being held captive, so despite a very narrowly defined charter for David and his team they’re turned loose to track down those responsible and help bring these folks home.  During this daring mission filled with improvisation and danger, they uncover a vast conspiracy that ties to their initial reason for being there in the first place.   Now the only question is whether the team will survive long enough to continue their original mission.  

There’s a lot to like about this book.  First, it’s jam packed with action.  The team is always on the move and bullets fly seemingly everywhere they go.  Second, not everyone sees eye to eye the whole time.  Which I find refreshing because it gets boring when everyone agrees all the time.  Plus, this way you learn more about what makes each character tick.  Third, the settings around Nigeria are not ones I recall experiencing in a military thriller and it adds another dimension to the already interesting storyline.  Finally, it’s jam packed with action.  Have I mentioned that before?  Because it’s the truth.

If Jason Kasper isn’t yet on your radar, you need to fix that immediately.  He writes highly entertaining, fast-paced military thrillers with strong action sequences that get your blood pumping.  This series has legs and is now entrenched on my must-read list going forward.  It should be on yours as well.  

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Covert 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

Sea Hawke By Ted Bell

Another smashing tale in the Alexander Hawke series! Sea Hawke is equal parts awesome and outlandish, capturing the spirit of the best 007 stories and then taking it up a notch.  It’s wildly entertaining.  

Lord Alex Hawke takes delivery of Sea Hawke, the world’s premier and possibly most expensive sailing yacht that doubles as a fortified warship with an armament that rivals any naval battleship.  For her maiden voyage, Hawke has decided to take 6 months to sail around the world to bond with his son Alexi and impart worldly wisdom on the young lad.  However, the trip has an ulterior motive at the behest of MI-6.  Communist states are attempting to form an alliance and must be stopped or WWIII is a distinct possibility.  So Hawke, his crew, and usual suspects including Pelham, Stokely Jones, Chief Inspector Congreve, Harry Brock, Thunder and Lightning and the like are thrust into the middle of world changing events, including stopping a coup d’état in Cuba and crashing a secret summit deep in the Amazon.  It’s a treacherous adventure on the high seas with nothing short of the fate of the world at stake.  

Ted Bell has a pleasantly unique writing style that’s hard to define and can take a few chapters to get used to, but it’s effective due to witty dialogue and clashes between titillating characters within a tremendously enthralling plot set in exotic locales.  In addition, the inclusion of real-life individuals such as Vladimir Putin and Elon Musk add playful realism to a story, that while plausible, is also quite mad (in a good way).

All told, Sea Hawke is another enjoyable romp around the globe with Lord Hawke and friends. A delightful mashup of James Bond, Captain Jack Sparrow, Richard Branson and the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World, Alex Hawke is the most interesting protagonist in the thriller genre today and this book is a lot of fun!

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Sea Hawke
(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 Body Man By Eric P. Bishop

Eric Bishop delivers a decidedly compelling debut novel with The Body Man.  I demolished it over a short 2-day period, propelled by various plot lines that urged me to pursue the denouement where everything would connect and the truth would be revealed.  It’s an entertaining, twisting thriller that deserves to be published and read by the masses. 

This book has great potential for a long-running series with characters that can continue to develop while unraveling nefarious plots and facing off against the powerful forces of evil.  The two main characters, FBI veteran Agent Eli Payne and fresh-out-of-Quantico probationary agent Kat Stone, succeed as an emerging partnership with witty banter and the ability to play off each other’s strengths.  The Body Man only scratches the surface of these two agents, and I anticipate there is a lot of depth to their backstories that I’m excited to see divulged in subsequent books.  

They say you make your own luck, and I have no doubt Mr. Bishop is working his ass off to do just that.  All he needs is a publishing house to see the passion and desire of this budding author and give him a chance.  I believe it’ll be a win/win/win for the publisher, the author and readers when that comes to fruition.  

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Body Man
(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 Unquiet Genius By Glenn Dyer

It’s late-1942 and WWII is raging with the Allies and Germany desperately and furiously working to be the first to develop the atomic bomb and take control of the war.  Meanwhile a brilliant physicist thought long dead by suicide is discovered by a plumber hiding out in an Italian monastery.  Word gets out, which kicks off an amazing race between the Germans, Americans, British, Russians, Italians and even the neutral Vatican, to be the first to find this genius who can single handedly turn the tide of the atomic arms race.  Enter Conor Thorn, a former US Navy man turned covert operative with the United States OSS.  Conor, with help from some of his friends, undertakes this dangerous mission to find the physicist and bring him to the Allied side.  However, finding this genius is only half the battle.  Convincing him to help build a weapon of mass destruction is another story altogether.

As a big fan of WWII non-fiction, The Unquiet Genius resonated deeply with me to the point where this book reads more like historical fiction than straight thriller.  That being said, it’s still quite an action-packed, thrilling race-to-the-finish novel with serious consequences and enough twists and turns to sow doubt into the mind of the reader as to how this episode will conclude.  Add in some really interesting characters – including a Nazi that you just can’t wait to see him get what’s coming to him - sharp dialogue, solid spy craft and a romantic relationship with an uncertain future, and you have all the makings of an enjoyable page turning novel that’s hard to put down.  

Also, The Unquiet Genius has the added benefit of making you ponder morals and ethics during wartime.  The reader finds themselves in the position of the Italian Physicist, trying to come to terms with if they should play a role in developing the atomic bomb.  If it ends the war and saves hundreds of thousands of lives, but at the expense of killing thousands of people, is it worth it?  Is it the ethical thing to do?  Or is it better to sit it out and let things happen without being involved?  Hard questions to answer for someone on how they should or should not use their intelligence and knowledge to impact the war.

The Unquiet Genius is a well-written, suspenseful and deeply researched thriller that thrusts you into the atomic arms race during the critical days of WWII. You’ll find yourself deeply invested in the mission, urging the Allies forward to beat the Nazi’s and Russians to the punch. Buckle up and get ready for the ride.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

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

Amazon

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

Her Name Is Knight By Yasmin Angoe

Yasmin Angoe bursts onto the thriller scene with the release of her emotional, intense and unputdownable debut novel Her Name is Knight.  It’s powerful and visceral, packing a brutal punch that sticks with you long after completion.  And you don’t just read this book, you experience it with mind and soul.

Her Name is Knight features Nena Knight, a deadly assassin for a clandestine organization called the Tribe with the charter to fight for the betterment of the African continent and people.  Nena is a trained professional and executes those marked for “dispatch” with cool detachment that belies her inner turmoil. You see, Nena has survived unimaginable pain and suffering from her childhood to get where she is today.  The only solace is thinking that those responsible have paid with their lives.  But when the past re-enters her life unexpectedly, Nena understandably leverages old emotions to guide her decision making in a primal need to get revenge.  In the process, it puts those closest to her in mortal danger and Nena must rise up, overcome her triggers and once and for all put the past behind her…and six feet underground.   

How do I love Her Name Is Knight, let me count the ways…

One:  Great books make the reader feel something and Her Name Is Knight is so chock full of overwhelming emotion that it’s hard to even describe the feeling of reading this book.  What Nena goes through in her childhood induces fury, sorrow, angst, anguish, frustration, disgust and a sense of deep unfairness.  But as fate intervenes and gives her a chance at a better life those feeling morph into hope and rooting hard for Nena to be victorious while simultaneously praying there’s a scorching pit in hell reserved for the monsters who have hurt her.

Two:  Her Name is Knight has two parallel storylines – Before and After – delineated by a major event in Nena’s life.  And in a stroke of literary genius, the Before is written in the first person from Nena’s perspective and the After is in the third person. Which makes total sense based on the events in each part of the story, helping the reader to feel the immensely personal struggle Nena endures before her life changes and heads in a different direction.

Three:  This book moves at a breakneck speed, building tension until it explodes with hardcore action sequences.  That pacing and suspense makes it impossible to put down, yearning to know what will happen next.  In fact, I lost quite a bit of sleep reading Her Name Is Knight.  Which is possibly the best compliment/endorsement I can give because when you get lost in the pages and only realize how late it is once you finish the book, that’s the hallmark of a killer read.

Four:  I’m a sucker for a strong female protagonist and Nena Knight is Strong with a capital S!  To survive what she went through as a teenager to become a badass assassin with robust morals and values is incredible.  I cannot wait to see what she does next!

I could go on and on about this book, but I’ll sum up by saying it’s simply fantastic!  A must read by thriller fans.  Yasmin Angoe has the goods and this series has immense potential.  I’m eager to see what’s in store next for Nena Knight and if subsequent books are as good as this first one…look out!  Because we’ll be looking at the next big star in the genre.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Her Name Is Knight
(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 Last Protector By Simon Gervais

On the heels of the exceptional Pierce Hunt trilogy, the venerable Simon Gervias kicks off a new series with The Last Protector and thriller fans will certainly want to grab a copy ASAP.  It’s got everything you could possibly want in a top-notch thriller – conspiracy, deceit, world-changing technology, mercenaries, family, love, a badass protagonist, smarmy bad guys, a plethora of ass kicking and killing…and a French sommelier.  

Meet Clayton White.  Clay is a former Air Force Combat Rescue Officer and current Secret Service Special Agent in charge of the protection team for Veronica Hammond, a world-class archeologist, daughter of the Vice-President Elect and childhood friend who also happens to be a woman he’s desperately in love with despite knowing it will likely crater his career.  When he thwarts an attack on his principal/lover, Clay starts digging to find out who would want to kill Veronica and what possible motivation they might have.  Subsequent events put him on the path to getting vengeance, but much is revealed along the way that put old allies in a different light and unveil that his father’s untimely death in Afghanistan 6 years ago was more than it originally seemed.

Clayton White is a lead character you can root for, ruled by his heart and sense for right vs. wrong.  He’s willing to go out on a limb for those he cares for, even if it puts him in an untenable situation.  Plus, with his tier one skillset he can really bring the pain to the enemy in a number of ways.  And with this book ending with this mission wrapped up nicely but with some unresolved issues remaining, there are numerous avenues for this series to take going forward.  An exciting proposition that has me drooling with anticipation for the next installment in 2022.

Once again, Simon Gervais delivers a well-written, fast-paced and action-packed novel that you can’t put down, cementing him in the top tier of writers in the genre today.  Anything he writes is in the “must-read” category and this book is no exception.  Pick up a copy this November and move it to the top of your TBR pile.  You can thank me later. 

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

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

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

Gated Prey By Lee Goldberg

Violent crimes and desperate criminals and homicide detectives, oh my!  Lee Goldberg delivers an intriguing, fast-paced, satisfying novel in Gated Prey, the third installment in the Eve Ronin series.  

Eve Ronin, and her lovable Ding Dong consuming partner/sensei Duncan Pavone, are leading a sting operation to catch the culprits of a string of violent robberies in high income neighborhoods.  While their efforts are successful, the unexpected deadly outcome leaves a lot to be desired and is impossible for someone as doggedly relentless as Eve to call the case closed and let it go.  As the investigation ensues and Ronin/Pavone catch another brutal case, Eve once again ignores the advice from her veteran partner and goes full bore in the close-minded pursuit of justice ahead of her own wellbeing, putting herself in the crosshairs of those she’s pursuing as well as those in the Sheriff’s department who want nothing more than to see her fail…or worse. 

Gated Prey focuses on developing Eve as a homicide investigator with incredible determination and natural instincts.  Which is a refreshing change of pace after the prior novel concentrated, too much in my opinion, on her family pushing her to explore Hollywood options to tell her story and cash in on her fame.  While this book does continue to move the ball forward on the Hollywood angle, it’s done so as a smartly crafted and small sub-plot that fits nicely within the main story.  This allows for a return for what made the first book in the series so enjoyable – following a strong, but inexperienced and flawed female protagonist kick ass and stop at nothing to get justice.  Eve’s still a stubborn, hard-headed, single-minded pain in the ass whose methods pisses off just about everyone she encounters, but there’s no denying that she cares about the victims and gets results.  And maybe there’s a tiny glimmer of hope for her to find balance in her life that will allow her to maintain her effectiveness and keep her from burning out.

This is a series to keep an eye on if you’re a fan of police procedurals, formidable female characters, and stories with great pacing. You can jump in on any book, though reading it from the beginning will add depth and understanding. There are a lot of directions Lee Goldberg can go with the characters and storylines after the events of Gated Prey, so I suspect we’ll enjoy following Eve’s career for a long time to come.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

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

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

I Know You By Claire McGowan

A cleverly designed and well executed thriller, I Know You will keep you on the edge of your seat until the truth is finally revealed.  Claire McGowan delivers a strong and intriguing novel that makes you feel the pain and desperation of being accused of crimes you didn’t commit.

Rachel Caldwell is walking her dog when she stumbles across a dead body in the woods near her home in the British Lake District.  While most people would call the police, Rachel’s first instinct is to run away as fast as she can.  You see, last time she was found at the scene with dead bodies she was accused and convicted of murdering 3 members of the Safran family for whom she nannied, incarcerated on death row for several years before being exonerated and released.  And once the victim is identified, Anna, the estranged wife of her current boyfriend, realizes her instinct was correct since she’s now the prime suspect.  Trying to keep her past from coming to light, thinking it’ll make her look even guiltier than the police already believe given the mounting evidence pointing at her, Rachel must figure out on her own what happened to keep herself out of prison once again.  

There are two aspects to I Know You that work really well.  First, it’s how the story goes back and forth between current day and flashbacks.  This approach allows for a slow drip of clarity, doling out puzzle pieces one at a time to build suspense while you build your own hypotheses.  Which leads to the second great aspect of keeping you guessing all the way until the end.  Even when you think you’ve figured it out, the book offers new information that seeds doubt in your mind, leading you to flip flop on your opinion multiple times for who killed Ana and what happened in the Safran home 20 years ago.  So even if you actually do figure it out early on in the book, you won’t be sure until the end.  It plays games with your mind and makes you question what’s right in front of you.  A great trait of a solid murder mystery.

---

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase I Know You
(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