The Neighborhood By Matthew Betley

Matthew Betley is back in a big way with The Neighborhood, an action-packed, bloody, highly immersive thriller that is guaranteed to elicit fist-pumps and gasps from readers as they progress through this entertaining novel.

Hidden Refuge is a safe and idyllic suburban neighborhood filled with big homes, each on 2 acres of land and inhabited by wealthy residents.  However, their world gets turned upside down when law enforcement personnel show up in the middle of the night, asking the residents to evacuate due to a chemical spill a few miles away.  However, there is no chemical spill and these are not police officers.  This is a band of violent and highly capable mercenaries who will stop at nothing to retrieve an item hidden somewhere in this neighborhood.  Prepared with a solid plan and thinking this operation will be in and out, they didn’t account for Zack Chambers, a man with a certain set of skills from his former life.  And Zack is highly motivated to protect his neighbors at all costs, ruthlessly taking the flight to the enemy with some unlikely allies.  Because this time, it’s personal!

The Neighborhood is a summer blockbuster movie waiting to happen.  It’s got everything you’d expect from a cinematic thrill ride.  Tons of action and bloodshed.  A psychotic megalomaniac bad guy who thinks he’s smarter than everyone, leading a band of trigger-happy mercenaries in it for the money.  A suburban family man who thought he left his past behind, only to be thrust into a situation he didn’t want but finding it invigorates him and allows him to address some unfinished business.  Improbable heroes stepping up and finding strength they didn’t know they possessed.  Young love blossoming under intense circumstances.  Acts of courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good.  Big blindsiding twists.  A satisfying conclusion to the siege.  And the door being left ever so slightly ajar for a sequel.  What more could you possibly want?

The result is The Neighborhood containing all the makings of the classic action flicks from the 80’s and 90’s.  Think Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Under Siege and The Rock.  Which is totally awesome and highly enjoyable, speaking as someone who grew up with those movies.  Big Props to Matthew Betley for crafting a fun, edge-of-your-seat thriller with a likable protagonist you can’t help but stand up and cheer for as he brings the fight to the detestable bad guys.  A very enjoyable experience!

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Tessa Goes Down By Jason Bovberg

I’m tempted to say Tessa Goes Down is – to paraphrase the fictitious movie Rochelle, Rochelle from Seinfeld – a young girl’s strange, erotic journey from Malvado to Decatur.  But it is so much more than that.  It’s a dark, carnal, and vicious tale of drugs, arson, murder and money.  It’s a multifaceted account about resiliency, retribution, following your own moral code/belief system and clamoring for a better life.  And perhaps most of all, it’s an epic love story filled with lust, arousal, animalistic sex and finding your soulmate in the unlikeliest of circumstances.  This thriller truly has it all!

Tessa Rae Jayne is on the run for the Mexican border to escape the consequences of her actions against a gang of sinister men in her hometown.  Almost to her destination in the far reaches of Texas, she runs into Floyd Tillman Weathers, a mysterious and handsome man with his own secrets…and a bag full of money.  Making an instant connection, the two find themselves intimately intertwined in more ways than one, leading to an adventure that they hope will result in finding freedom and building a life together.  But danger lurks around every corner and it’s damn near impossible to outrun your past.  So Tessa and Floyd are forced to make a decision deeply rooted in the human condition – fight or flight?  Their choice will set them on a path that will alter their lives forever.

This novel is unadulterated noir from start to finish and it’s fantastic. Tessa and Floyd are both flawed characters who are put through multiple trials of moral ambiguity.  They must make decisions that they believe are justifiable in the heat of the moment but still contain malice and go against most people’s views of conventional and acceptable societal norms.  With nothing less than survival at stake, it’s up to the reader to determine if their actions are defensible and if they have enough redeeming qualities to deserve forgiveness for their actions, past and present.  Can you root for these two young wayward individuals to find their happily ever after, considering their conduct along the way?  Does true love conquer all?  These are questions every reader will be faced with and forced to answer, and I know which way I’m leaning (hint: I just might be a romantic underneath all this cynicism, sarcasm and hair).

If you (1) are a fan of gritty, suspenseful, dark crime novels, (2) believe in fate and (3) are a sucker for love, then Tessa Goes Down is the perfect book for you.  But even if you only check one of the three boxes, this book is still an excellent escapade worth taking.  Because Jason Bovberg delivers a tremendous reading experience that will leave you breathless and reeling, contemplating the journey, the destination and the multiple meanings of the title long after you close the back cover. 

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The New Neighbor By Karen Cleveland

The New Neighbor screams forward with a manic anxiety-inducing pace that ratchets up the intensity until the sweet release of the explosive, revealing ending.  Karen Cleveland once again leverages her insider knowledge of the intelligence community to craft a spy vs. spy counterintelligence gem of a thriller that will grab ahold of you early and play with your emotions throughout.  

From the outside looking in, Beth Bradford seemingly has everything going her way.  She lives in a wonderful suburban cul-de-sac with her family, has great relationships with her neighbors and has an important job at Langley.  However, things unravel quickly when her youngest son leaves for college, quickly followed by her husband leaving her and the CIA putting her out to pasture with an assignment to teach new analysis rather than chase an Iranian asset hellbent on hacking into the CIA network to access invaluable intelligence.  But Beth isn’t going to give up chasing this spy after pouring her heart and soul into this case for the past couple of years.  And as she progresses on her unauthorized investigation, she starts uncovering secrets that have her seeing her neighbors in a different light.  Is she finally onto something that will crack the case?  Or is she manifesting things that aren’t real as a result of all the major life changes she’s experiencing?  Ignoring the increasingly dangerous threats, as well as enduring former colleagues looking at her with pity, Beth has no choice but to take this investigation all the way in an attempt to save the CIA from a catastrophic and unrecoverable network breach.  She just hopes it’s not too late. 

A quick and entertaining read, The New Neighbor does a wonderful job of hooking readers early through Beth’s emotional trifecta of becoming an empty nester, moving out of the home she raised her children in, and watching her husband of 20+ years walk away from their marriage.  It then pulls you in deeper by casting suspicion on nearly everyone Beth knows and watching in frustration as she tries in vain to get others to believe what she’s uncovered, only to be stonewalled at every turn by people who should trust her and have her back.  So, while parts of the plot are slightly unbelievable and it might be relatively easy to guess ahead of time who’s compromised and how the story is going to end, this book still packs an enjoyable punch through sheer intensity and wanting to see Beth proven correct so she can tell all the haters to suck it!

Fans of espionage and counterintelligence thrillers should get their hands on The New Neighbor and buckle up for the ride. Because it’s a fun read that you can knock out in a weekend. And given the way this book ended, it’s set up to become a trilogy or series if Karen Cleveland so desires. And I hope she does because I would love to see what happens next.

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The Last Paladin By P.T. Deutermann

If you ever dreamed about what it would feel like to hunt enemy submarines during WWII, look no further.  The Last Paladin puts you directly in the middle of the action in a realistic, awe-inspiring, and thrilling tale of anti-submarine warfare.  But hold onto your ass because this mission is not for the faint at heart.

Based on the true story of a Buckley-class destroyer escort’s exploits in World War II, The Last Paladin puts you directly alongside the USS Holland’s CO and XO as they lead the ship on a mission to do what they do best: seek and destroy enemy submarines.  After plying their trade in the North Atlantic against German U-boats, the USS Holland has been ordered to the Pacific theater but receives a less than welcoming reception and is subsequently banished on a solo mission.  Their orders: to expose a rumored thousand-mile picket line of Japanese submarines serving as an early warning service for an impending US fleet invasion of Saipan.  Despite command’s minimal expectations of success, the USS Holland takes the mission seriously and maybe a little bit personally.  Behind the stellar leadership of the CO and XO, this little destroyer escort becomes legendary for their bravery, ingenuity and unprecedented results that had a critical impact on the war.  

Authenticity leaps off the pages of The Last Paladin.  The terminology, the action, the ship’s maneuvers, the weapon functionality, and more are all spot on, making you feel like you’ve a commissioned officer in the US Navy and the USS Holland is yours to command.  You feel the movement of the ship in the waves, the blasts of the depth charges and hedgehog detonations, the pride of the sailors in their accomplishments, and the exhaustion of everyone onboard brought on by being on a 24/7 war footing.  In short, you feel like you were actually there and experienced first-hand everything the crew of this amazing ship went through.

Additionally, this book will teach you something about great leadership.  The CO and XO demonstrate this in spades.  They way they operate together to make decisions, gain the respect of the crew, know when to defer to others and how they keep morale up is something to behold.  There are a ton of great takeaways that us civilians can leverage in our daily lives to become better leaders at home, at work and in our communities.

There’s a reason P.T. Deutermann is the master of naval thrillers.  Start with his two-and-a-half decades in the US Navy, conclude with his tremendous storytelling ability, and throw in a whole lot of knowledge and talent in between.  All of it is front and center in The Last Paladin, one hell of a naval warfare story that military thriller and non-fiction fans alike will thoroughly enjoy.

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Things We Do In The Dark By Jennifer Hillier

Featuring perhaps the greatest opening sentence in the modern history of the written word, Things We Do In The Dark is a brilliantly constructed thriller featuring murder, abuse, blackmail, and deception.  Jennifer Hillier has delivered another fantastic and unputdownable novel filled with secrets, scheming, suspense and surprises.

Paris Peralta is in a lot of trouble.  Her famous comedian husband is dead and she’s found covered in his blood holding a straight razor in the same room as the body.  Arrested and charged with murder, you’d think that would be the worst thing she’s facing. But the thing is, Paris has a secret past she wants to keep hidden and the media attention threatens all she’s done to build a new life for herself.   Meanwhile, Ruby Reyes is about to be paroled after spending 25-years in prison for murder and she knows exactly who Paris is and what she’s done in her past.  So while Paris is facing murder charges and would love to keep past history dead and buried, she must face everything head on once and for all if she wants to remain free from prison…and her past.

This is a well-crafted thriller due to two reasons: storytelling and characters.  The premise might not be super original – someone running from their past hopes it won’t catch up to them when something bad happens in the new life they’ve created – but the flow, the flashbacks, the emotions it elicits and the slow drip of information are done in a perfect and precise manner to keep you suspicious of multiple characters and their motivations.  And these characters…whoa baby.  They’re all flawed individuals with remarkable backstories, some of which will hit you in the feels.  They’ve been tested and have experienced personal pain yet hold out hope for the better life they seek and feel they deserve.  And that “better life” isn’t clean and pure in everyone’s case.  Which means you’ll support some characters while hoping others go to hell in a handcart.  Especially Ruby.  She’s a first-class grade A narcissistic bitch who deserves a one-way express ticket to hell.  But holy crap is she a fantastically conceived character in a book filled with complex, well-structured individuals. 

Jennifer Hillier proves again that she is one hell of a thriller author and that readers should have her on “automatic read” status anytime she releases a new book.  So make sure Things We Do In The Dark is on your TBR list and preorder a copy from your favorite bookstore. It’s most excellent and not to be missed. 

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We Lie Here By Rachel Howzell Hall

Everyone knows a family that has crazy drama and more than a few secrets.  It could even be your own relatives.  But let me tell you something.  No family has as much drama, or are hiding as many secrets, as the Gibson’s from Palmdale, California.  I’m talking next level stuff.  Rachel Howzell Hall takes family drama to the extreme in We Lie Here, a psychological mystery that boils the brain and has more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco.  It’s a fast-paced, suspenseful, dramatic thriller that begs to be consumed quickly with a relentless desire to learn the truth.  

Yara Gibson has come home to Palmdale to throw her parents a 20th anniversary party.  However, she would rather be anywhere but here.  Between her increased asthma attacks from the climate and dealing with her overbearing mother Barbara, this is not a stress-free vacation.  On top of everything going on, Yara receives a text from an unknown number stating the individual possesses life changing information and needs to urgently meet.  But before Yara can get the information, this person winds up dead.  Oh, and the individual is her mother’s cousin, whom she’s never met.  Anxiety levels immediately increase and Yara starts to dig into her family’s past, finding things that don’t add up and put her in growing danger.  But Yara won’t stop until she learns the truth.  A truth that will change things forever.  

To say We Lie Here keeps the reader guessing is a gross understatement.  It literally takes until the final chapter for the big reveal.  Meanwhile, you’re constantly evaluating the actions of each character, wondering what they’re capable of and questioning their motives.  Who’s lying?  What are they hiding?  Are things as they seem?  Is someone pulling the strings from behind the curtain?  Who’s capable of murder?  All great queries that you’ll change your mind on numerous times throughout the story.  And even if you think you’ve correctly guessed the answers to these questions, you won’t have strong conviction until the end because Rachel Howzell Hall introduces plenty of reasonable doubt to all your theories.

Kudos to Rachel Howzell Hall for crafting this intricate, anxious, winding tale centered on family drama.  While I certainly hope the vast majority of people haven’t experienced this level of family dysfunction, everyone can easily find a way to relate with interesting family dynamics.  Which makes it easy to connect with certain characters, building hopes in the reader for what they want to see happen to/for certain individuals.  And you’ll just have to read all the way through to see if those hopes become a reality. 

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Armored By Mark Greaney

With the intensity level dialed up to an 11, Armored is a thriller that reads like a hit summer blockbuster film.  Mark Greaney has absolutely and unsurprisingly nailed the start of a new series with a smart, capable and determined, yet imperfect, protagonist that you root for with all your heart to succeed.  

Josh Duffy is a mall cop trying to make ends meet and support his family.  But he’s more than meets the eye.  Previously he served in the Army and then as a close protection agent and elite operator, until a mission went bad in Lebanon and he lost his lower left leg saving one of his protectees.  So when he bumps into an old friend who gives him an opportunity to get back into the game, he jumps at the chance to see some action and make serious money he desperately needs.  The only catch is that he’s joining a private military contractor that has a less-than-stellar reputation.  But Josh needs the money and he signs on for a mission deep into Mexican cartel country to protect government and United Nations officials attempting to negotiate a peace.  There’s no chance this will be a walk in the park.  The only question is how bad it will be and if Josh and his fellow operators survive the inevitable violence.

There are numerous features that make Armored a hell of a read.  The military weapons, gear, vehicles and tactics come across as impressively authentic.  The Sierra Madre Mountains acts as its own character, providing an unforgiving locale with danger lurking around every turn, peak and valley.  The characters – whether it’s Duffy, the other contract operators, the delegation they’re charged to protect, the cartel leadership and sicarios, and others – are expertly crafted and developed to fit the story flawlessly.  The plot is powerfully treacherous, driving anxiety through the roof and testing the characters in incredible ways.  And the writing is sublime, hiding motives until the perfect time to reveal game-changing twists that increase your desire for certain characters to be victorious while simultaneously praying for others to face an imminent and permanent demise.  It’s straight non-stop action with no let up, providing hours of high-speed entertainment.

Mark Greaney is one of the absolute best in the business, so it’s expected that everything he writes will be pure gold.  However unfair it is to assume greatness will be attained with every novel, it’s a product of his own consistent success and ability to raise the bar time and time again.  Incredibly, Greaney unflinchingly continues to produce banger after banger after banger.  I don’t know how he does it, but thriller fans are the great beneficiaries.  And Armored is the latest gift he’s given to us readers. 

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Rising Tiger By Brad Thor

Gripping, action-packed and containing a fresh storyline/setting that you can’t help but think is a geopolitical prediction of the future, Rising Tiger is a humorous yet deadly serious thriller featuring an unleashed Scot Harvath on the warpath.  Brad Thor has once again used his incredible knowledge, research and understanding of the world landscape to craft an extraordinary novel that I certainly wouldn’t be shocked to learn is closer to reality than one might expect. 

An American diplomat on a secret mission to India is murdered and Scot Harvath is tasked with the investigation.  Harvath teams up with Vijay, a streetwise, wisecracking retired Indian law enforcement officer who works for the US Embassy, to navigate the seedy underbelly of India’s criminal element in search of answers.  Along the way they cross paths with the beautiful and brilliant Asha, a rising star for India’s vaunted foreign intelligence agency RAW, who is on the hunt for those responsible for downing a military helicopter and also for an attempt on her life.  Are these isolated incidents or do they have connections that tie to increasing hostilities from a certain neighboring country?  Together, the three will have to act fast to uncover the answers they seek, get revenge for their fallen compatriots and thwart a potential war with global implications.  

Using India as the backdrop for this story and the context behind it are both brilliant choices by Thor.  In a time where many thrillers are reigniting the cold war narratives between the US and Russia, Rising Tiger offers something different.  It still contains the exceptional tradecraft, witty sarcasm and colorful characters you expect from a Brad Thor novel, but it also offers up a fresh take on the geopolitical landscape with a setting that provides an incredible range of locations, from luxurious hotels to dangerous slums, in which Harvath can operate.

And let’s take a moment to talk about the characters.  You know what badassery to expect from Scot Harvath, so that’s not a surprise.  But Vijay and Asha in particular are exquisitely developed and perfectly compliment Harvath in every way.  Their exchanges are witty and contain dark humor that match the situations they find themselves in.  They possess intelligence, tenacity, honed skillsets and just enough crazy to make them critically good at their jobs. And they possess courage and heart in abundance, making it easy to root for them to emerge unscathed from malevolent situations.  

None of this is a surprise to fans of Brad Thor’s work.  He delivers year after year and has constructed another wonderfully entertaining novel, the result of a simple, yet flawlessly executed formula:  take an unexpected setting and add in well-crafted characters, a fresh storyline and constant no holds barred action.  Simply put, the master has done it again.  Rising Tiger is fantastic!

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First Born By Will Dean

With an intriguing plot, identical twins and idiosyncratic behavior, First Born is a top-notch psychological murder mystery with blindsiding twists that hit you in the face like a coin-filled sock.  Will Dean has produced an absorbing thriller guaranteed to keep you hanging on every word and action, where nearly everyone is a viable suspect with motive to commit murder.

First Born follows the peculiar, risk-averse and routine-driven Molly Raven as she travels to New York upon learning of her identical sister Katie’s death.  When the police deem it a homicide, Molly starts her own investigation by diving into the world her adventurous and extroverted sister inhabited.  Molly quickly finds herself outside her comfort zone and feeling lost without her other half, yet continues to push forward to help the police find the culprit and put them behind bars.  But as answers start to present themselves, it becomes apparent that Katie wasn’t the person Molly believed her to be.  And like her monozygotic twin, Molly may have a few secrets of her own.

Will Dean has once again delivered a dark, twisted and slow-burning thriller that will bust your brain trying to figure things out.  It’s filled with intricate character development.  From the twins to their parents, the suspects, and even the guy selling smoothies out of a roadside cart, each person that graces the pages of First Born adds depth and value to the story via their well-crafted backgrounds and motivations.  Throw in some seriously big reveals along the way and the result is a glorious character-driven thriller that keeps readers guessing while also cheering for the demise of certain individuals due to their unscrupulous actions.  

I’ve quickly become a fan of Will Dean’s writing.  Last year with The Last Thing To Burn and this year with First Born, he’s provided two compelling yet different thrillers that show his versatility within the genre.  His character development is superb, his writing style is effortlessly engaging and his signature ability to string readers along until dropping game-changing twists is world-class.  I can’t wait to see what explodes out of his diabolical mind next.

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Outside By Ragnar Jonasson

Tense, chilling and filled with suspense, Outside is one hell of a messed-up story about survival in the harsh elements of a remorseless terrain as well as from dangerous secrets that find the light of day.   Ragnar Jonasson has delivered a layered and unrelenting thriller that contains a slow but constant drip of “oh shit” moments, giving readers no choice but to keep turning pages with an urgent desperation to find out how the story ends.

Four friends set off on a hunting trip in the Icelandic highlands when the weather turns against them and they’re stuck in an unforgiving blizzard.  Fortunately, they are able to find emergency shelter in a small cabin.  But it turns out they’re not alone.  And perhaps even more frightening, dark secrets start coming to light that threaten to tear them apart.  So while they are safe from the elements for the moment, they might not be safe from each other.  And one thing is for certain.  They’re not all coming out of this alive.  

In a well-conceived and perfectly executed concept, Jonasson tells this story chapter by chapter from the point of view of one of the four friends.  He progresses the story seamlessly while lending a different voice and perspective to each chapter.  This technique is highly effective as it shows the thought processes and increasing anxiety each one of them is going through.  Which significantly ratchets up the suspense and tension felt by the reader.  

Additionally, the inhospitable environment that is Iceland in the winter brings an added dimension to Outside, almost as if the setting is its own character.  You don’t just read about the icy wind, the harsh conditions, the inability to see farther than a few feet in front of you, or the distressing feeling of being stuck in a blizzard.  You experience them as if you’re there right beside the characters.  You involuntarily shiver from the cold being described on the page, even if you’re sitting in your temperature-controlled home, office or favorite reading location.

Outside will leave you reaching for a warm blanket and a mug filled with a steaming hot beverage, wondering how you would react if thrust into this situation and pondering if your own friends are hiding massive secrets from you.  It’s a mind-bending mystery that burrows inside your head and sets up shop, refusing to leave even when you’ve finished the book.  If you want an intense and fucked up story, look no further.

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Lethal Game By John Gilstrap

Containing ceaseless violence that elicits a strong desire for vengeance, Lethal Game is an excellently crafted book that will really piss you off before you fist pump in triumph.  John Gilstrap has delivered another winning novel in the Jonathan Grave series, filled with action and emotion that hits hard and never relents.

The team at Security Solutions find themselves in the crosshairs of would-be assassins.  Jonathan Grave and Boxers are targeted during a hunting trip to Montana while Gail Bonneville and Venice Alexander fight for their lives back home in Fisherman’s Cove, Virginia.  While dodging bullets the team must figure out who is behind the attack, which is no easy task given the very long list of enemies they have made over years and years of covert operations.  As they figure out who’s pulling the strings and why, these special-ops veterans transition from defense to offense to take the fight right to the enemy.  Which is bad news for the bad guys.  Because the Security Solutions team is the best there is and they always get their man.

The best thrillers evoke an emotional reaction to the events unfolding in the story and Lethal Game has this in spades.  The ruthless brutality of the lead assassin, the vicious attacks on the good guys, targeting a beloved elderly character, children in harms way and more all conjure intense feelings of anger, disgust, contempt and wanting revenge.  There are times I had to put the book down and take a few deep breaths to calm myself before I could continue.  That’s the hallmark of a very good thriller.

After fourteen books in this series, it’s abundantly clear that John Gilstrap has mastered the creation of fast-paced, action-packed, highly entertaining military style thrillers.  Each book is non-stop from start to finish and guaranteed to be an enjoyable experience.  One of the more underrated and engaging thriller series in print today.  If you haven’t read one of the Jonathan Grave novels, you’re missing out.  But the good news is that Lethal Game is a great place to start!

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The Falcon By Isabella Maldonado

The Falcon is an intense and distressing thriller packed with excitement, action, investigative brilliance and stomach-churning crimes.  Featuring a strong Latina female protagonist leading a manhunt to stop a vile sociopath, this novel will have you screaming at the good guys/gals to find the bad guy and end him ASAP.

A sexual predator is snatching female co-eds off the campus of a prestigious university in Phoenix and a special FBI unit is called in to help identify the culprit to put a stop to his heinous activities before more victims show up dead.  For Special Agent Nina Guerrera, this case is personal in more ways than one and she will stop at nothing to bring the perpetrator to justice.  But she’ll need to conquer her own fears and personal history, remaining focused and objective, in order to do her job well enough to end this psychopath’s reign of terror. 

Now three books deep, this series is seriously underrated.  The character development is strong, the villains are revolting and the storylines are anxiety-inducing and fist-clenching.  Nina Guerrera is a tough, yet flawed protagonist that you want to root for and the FBI team she’s a part of compliments here well with their admirable skills and passion.  And the way Isabella Maldonado crafts the story makes it incredibly difficult to put the book down due to the intensity and knowledge that twists are imminently incoming. 

Fans of serial killer, crime thrillers and novels starring bad ass women should absolutely read The Falcon.  It’s engaging, enraging and enthralling.  As is the whole series.  Now’s a great time to get into this series because Nina Guerrera is here to stay, both in print and in an upcoming Netflix movie featuring Jennifer Lopez.  Don’t miss out!

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Movieland By Lee Goldberg

Murder, politics and deception in the heart of Hollywood…oh my!  Movieland brings the heat and packs a punch like a shotgun blast to the face.   

A camper is killed and another injured in a shooting within Malibu Creek State Park, a location famous for the setting of many Hollywood movie productions.  Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan “Donuts” Pavone of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department pick up the case, with Duncan believing this is just the latest in a series of shooting incidents going back over a year.  However, politics being what they are, the powers that be refuse to admit there’s a connection and try to make this go away quietly.  But they still underestimate Eve’s dogged pursuit of justice and not letting anything stand in her way.  With her partner’s help, Eve continues her investigation and puts herself in the crosshairs once again.  Eschewing personal safety, she will not stop until the perpetrator is brought to account for his or her violent actions.    

Movieland continues the solid Eve Ronin series, now four books deep and finding its legs with another entertaining storyline, heinous crime and twisting investigation.  Eve continues to be developed as the headline character, though she’s still hardheaded and lacks the self-awareness to realize her approach makes her a target.  But you can see the potential for her to turn the corner as events unfold at the end of this novel.  Which I hope she does because at times she can be quite unlikeable and hard to root for despite her persistence.  However, she’s balanced out by her immensely likable partner Duncan who does a great job being Eve’s mentor, providing praise or the hard criticism of her performance when appropriate.  The pairing works very well to both toe the line of the department’s policies and challenge the status quo.  Add in a cast of characters who all add their unique personalities and perspectives, and you get a page-turning story that grabs your attention early and doesn’t let go until the case is solved.   

But perhaps the best part of the book is the inclusion of Councilman Netter as an important character in the plot, being mentioned something like 117 times throughout the novel.  I won’t say what happens to him, but fellow Best Thriller Books reviewers will probably tell you he deserves any harm that might befall him.  And even though Councilman Netter has a different first name than mine, I’m going to assume the character is named after me and claim my 15 minutes of fame.  Thank you, Lee Goldberg!  The check is in the mail :)

If you are a fan of strong female protagonists and haven’t discovered the Eve Ronin series, Movieland is a great place to jump in.  Page-turning plots, good characters, interesting crimes and more, all with the backdrop of Hollywood as a supporting character.  Check it out!

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The Local By Joey Hartstone

The very definition of a page turning novel, The Local combines the intensity of a murder trial with the fresh and unique angle of patent law to craft a marvelous and intense entry into the legal thriller genre.  It’s a cracking debut by Joey Hartstone, who like Chris Hauty is making the transition from Hollywood screenwriter to thriller novelist look way too easy.  

Welcome to Marshall, Texas, the patent lawsuit capital of the United States.  And here in the Eastern District of Texas, when you file or face a patent lawsuit, you need local council to give you an edge with the local jury.  James Euchre is the finest patent lawyer in town and the guy you want on your side when millions of dollars are at risk.  Euchre’s new client is Amir Zawar, a west coast tech genius who is facing a suit he believes is fruitless, which leads him to lose his cool at the preliminary hearing and threaten the judge while being restrained by the bailiffs.  So when that judge is murdered later that night, all signs point to this outsider as the clear suspect.  Amir is steadfast in his innocence and persuades Euchre to defend him despite his lack of experience with criminal law.  Euchre agrees because the Judge was his mentor and he wants to be a part of finding the truth behind who killed his friend, even if it’s his client.  The stakes are high and emotions are running hot with the truth hard to pin down.  It’s up to Euchre and his small but mighty legal team to get to the truth and ensure the right murderer is brought to justice.  

The Local is a top-notch legal thriller with a similar feel to some of the big names in the genre - Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer, John Grisham’s Jake Brigance and John Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy series.  It’s engaging, suspenseful and full of twists and turns.  It has a driven, intelligent, underestimated lawyer who doesn’t shy away from taking risks or letting the case become personal.  He also has a brilliant and funny investigator with a great nickname based on her former athletic prowess.  And lastly, it has wonderfully crafted courtroom drama with a prosecutor for whom there’s no love lost for Euchre.  Put it all together with the unique spin of patent law and it’s one of the most entertaining legal novels I’ve read in recent years.

I’m not sure if this is the start of a new series or if Hartstone will write standalone novels.  But what I do know is that this guy tells a hell of a story and you can sign me up right now to read whatever he writes next.  Don’t miss this book. I expect it to be mentioned among the best debut thrillers of the year.  

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Shadow Tier By Steve Stratton

Steve Stratton delivers a fast-paced, anything-goes revenge thriller with non-stop action that transports the reader back to the brutal drug wars of the late-90s.  

In Mr. Stratton’s debut Novel Shadow Tier, we’re introduced to Lance Wolf, an experienced military operator and strategist who immediately suffers tragic personal loss at the hands of the Sinaloa Cartel.  Rather than grieve the loss of those close to him, Wolf goes on the offensive, bringing his immense skill set, impressive array of colleagues, and relentless desire for retribution to bear against El Chapo and the Cortes family. Despite danger around every corner, Wolf will stop at nothing and risk everything to bring the fight to the cartel’s front door and obtain the vengeance he so desperately craves with every fiber of his being.  

There’s a lot to like about Shadow Tier.  First, setting the book in 1998 and bringing in El Chapo as a character are smart choices that differentiate this book from the many thrillers that take place in present time.  If you follow the news and are of a certain age (like me), then you’ll likely know ahead of time how the El Chapo storyline is going to play out.  But that just adds to the intrigue as you try to piece together the whole story.  Second, the pace is unforgiving and ruthless, where literally anything and everything will happen at a moment’s notice.  Especially when you least expect it.  And finally, the character development brings depth to every person who graces the pages of this novel. Each character is put through personal trials, must decide who they can trust, and is forced to evaluate their actions and relationships along the way. 

All told, Shadow Tier is the birth of a new elite black ops unit worth following.  The action sequences are solid, the character development on point, and the twists come fast and furious.  Mr. Stratton does an effective job of telling a compelling story, creating characters you want to follow, and wrapping up this initial installment of a broader story while showing a clear, high potential path forward for this series with limitless possibilities.  

If you’re a fan of the Don Winslow Cartel trilogy, this is the book for you. 

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Red Warning By Matthew Quirk

World War III hangs in the balance in Matthew Quirk’s Red Warning, a modern take on cold war doomsday scenarios, filled with an edge of your seat pursuit of the truth while trying to stop unimaginable loss of human life.  

CIA agent Sam Hudson is licking his wounds and recovering from a clandestine operation gone wrong, when he finds himself in the middle of a terror attack near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.  Any thoughts of this being a case of wrong place/wrong time quickly vanish due to a phone call he receives saying that the blood is on his hands.  Sam has a gut feel that this is the work of a Russian agent he’s dedicated his career to taking down and he won’t let anything stand in his way of finally getting his man.  Not the suspension from his job, suspicion that he’s somehow involved nor having no one he can trust will keep him from successfully capturing or ending the life of the operative named Konstantin.  With help from fellow CIA officer Emily Pierce, they must uncover and thwart the nefarious plot before it’s too late.  Otherwise, all out war between the United States and Russia is an absolute certainty.

Red Warning has a few key things going for it as a solid espionage/action novel.  First, it keeps you guessing deep into the story regarding who is involved in the operation.  Is it just the Russian spy and his team, is there an American traitor aiding and abetting, or is Sam even involved somehow?  The only way to find out is to get to the end of the book.  Second, the book contains fast pacing combined with an intricate plot that engages the reader throughout.  Third, the Russian’s planned attack is scary and realistic which adds to the intensity of the hunt.  And finally, this novel contains a strong female character in Emily Pierce.  She may be riding a desk inside Russia House at the CIA, but she is a certifiable badass with a big pair of metaphorical balls.

Matthew Quirk continues his streak of delivering intriguing spy novels that are engaging and entertaining.  If you’re a kid of the Cold War era, or just like a good US vs. Russia storyline, then pick up a copy of Red Warning and enjoy!

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Zero Hour By Don Bentley

Bulging with pulsating action, anxiety-inducing drama and exhilarating military operations, Tom Clancy Zero Hour offers a complete package of thrilling entertainment with a terrifyingly realistic scenario that should scare the crap out of everyone.  Don Bentley delivers another fantastic entry into the Jack Ryan, Jr. universe, keeping the Tom Clancy legacy alive and thriving with his fresh, no-holds barred, action-packed approach to the series.

Jack Ryan, Jr. and Lisanne Robertson are in Seoul, South Korea to interview a potential asset for the Campus when, as usual, trouble finds Junior in the form of a wave of violent attacks in the city.  After convincing John Clark to let him lead an operation to figure out who’s behind the hostile acts, Jack goes on the offensive with the help of a mysterious source, a couple of Green Beret snipers, a team of Navy SEALs and a bevy of hotshot Army helicopter pilots in a resolute effort to stop all-out war from breaking out, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people, and consuming the Korean peninsula.  

While the entire book is excellent, there are a few aspects of Zero Hour that really stand out.  First, Don Bentley’s signature of putting his characters through hell is once again prevalent throughout.  Jack doesn’t make it a handful of pages before being in the blast radius of a VBIED…and that’s just the beginning.  He’s tested physically, mentally and emotionally throughout the story with his wellbeing at risk and safety absolutely uncertain.  

Second, while North Korea has increasingly been the antagonists in thrillers the past several years, usually it’s in regard to direct conflict against the United States.  So having the plot focus on the Korean peninsula and the prospect of war between North and South was a slight, yet bold, change of pace that works very well.  

And last but not least, perhaps the most intriguing part of Zero Hour is how Don puts you in the cockpit of an Apache in a way not before seen in fiction.  Makes sense given Don’s prior occupation flying the celebrated attack helicopter, but it’s one amazingly extraordinary thing to fly them and another thing entirely to describe it in a way that makes the reader feel like they are in the middle of the action.  But he pulls it off perfectly.  Don flawless execution and attention to detail in writing these scenes leaves me in awe of the sheer amount of intelligence, multi-tasking ability and poise it takes to successfully pilot an Apache.  Respect!

Another impressive book by an impressive writer and induvial.  I’d say Don Bentley is a rising star, but that’s no longer accurate because he’s already right there with the best in the genre. Whether it’s writing in the Clancy universe or his brilliant Matt Drake series, Don can be counted on to bring the heat with everything he writes and has reached “automatic must read” status for thriller fans.  

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

Chunk, Heels and the rest of the Tier One Navy SEALs are back in Sons of Valor II: Violence of Action, another killer military thriller that brings forth the trademark Andrews & Wilson action, violence and sarcasm we know and love.  

Picking up after the events of the first Sons of Valor, Chunk and team are in hot pursuit of any leads that will help them dismantle the al Qadar terrorist network when a SEAL on another team is killed in an ambush by a sniper.  Rumor has it the trigger-puller is none other than the infamous Lion of Ramadi who terrorized the American military during the Iraq War.  To make matters worse, details of the kill are posted online to taunt the American operators and strike fear in the hearts of their families.  This modern evolution of the battle space seems to signal an escalation of hostilities and that something big is on the horizon.  But Chunk and team are not ones to let the fight come to them.  They mount up and pursue their enemy with a dogged persistence and a no holds barred mentality that puts them on the path to stomping out the threat and getting vengeance for their fallen brother.  And this time, it’s personal!

I don’t know how they keep doing it, but Andrews & Wilson deliver yet again.  Sons of Valor II is non-stop, balls-to-the-wall action that starts with anxiety levels at a 10 out of 10 and builds from there.  The military operations are realistic, the intelligence gathering impressive and the banter uber-sarcastic (I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t).  Throw in some intense sniper vs. sniper engagements and the enemy bringing the fight to the home front, and you have a recipe for a nail-biting, suspenseful thriller that will have you sweating out the outcome and gasping for air.  

Sons of Valor II makes it two hits out of two in this new spinoff of the Tier One series.  A great addition to the Andrews & Wilson military thriller collection.  And for longtime fans, it offers up some neat surprises that are sure to please.  Chunk, Heals and the guys are here to stay and I can’t wait to see what shenanigans they get into next.  

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It Dies With You By Scott Blackburn

A gritty story about small town living and finding yourself, while reckoning with complicated familial relationships, It Dies With You is a gratifying debut novel from Scott Blackburn that that explores important life lessons such as tenaciously pursuing the truth, discovering your purpose, and that friendship transcends age when forged through shared experiences.  

Hudson Miller is a down-on-his luck boxer and bouncer/bartender who’s near broke and crashing at a friend’s apartment when he finds out his estranged father has been murdered.  Hudson has no love lost for his father and is shocked to hear he’s inherited some rental properties and a salvage yard.  With few prospects for making money, Hudson moves back to his small hometown of Flint Creek to take over the family business.  While getting the lay of the land, a gruesome discovery at the salvage yard leads Hudson to team up with Charlie, a grumpy employee/Vietnam veteran, and Lucy, a teenage girl searching for her missing brother.  Together, this unlikely trio will band together to investigate what happened to Hudson’s dad and Lucy’s brother, letting nothing stand in their way to discover the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice.  

Fans of southern crime thrillers will want to run out and preorder a copy of It Dies With You. It’s well-written with solid pacing, good character development and a satisfying ending. An enjoyable reading experience all around. And I recommend you add Scott Blackburn on your list of authors to follow because he’s got the goods to keep producing compelling novels with characters you want to root for.

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Cold Fear By Brandon Webb & John David Mann

An intriguing, multi-layered, cerebral whodunit with bursts of vicious action, Cold Fear brings murder and mayhem – violently erupting like a volcano – to the idyllic, picturesque, and peaceful capital of Iceland.  The writing duo of Brandon Webb and John David Mann deliver another compelling and fast-paced thriller filled with stimulating characters, captivating mysteries, riveting action and fascinating outcomes.

Finn travels to Iceland on the hunt for members of his former Navy SEAL unit in a desperate attempt to figure out what happened on a mission in Yemen that left him disgraced, his best friend dead and innocents murdered.  While his usually flawless memory has little recollection of the events that night, his powers of observation and investigation are still strong.  In the process of putting these elite skills to use, he is drawn to an investigation into the mysterious death of a woman found under the frozen surface of a lake, surreptitiously assisting a brilliant Icelandic detective while trying to convince her he’s not a suspect.  And then more bodies start to drop in a place renowned for its lack of violent crime.  Turns out, Finn isn’t the only one on the hunt.  A dangerous contract killer is out to silence Finn before he can find the truth.  Will Finn be able to clear his name and fulfill his personal mission find those responsible for the reprehensible actions in Yemen and hold them to account?  Or will he be silenced before the truth can be made public?

At its heart, Cold Fear is a character driven novel.  It starts with Finn, an enigmatic man with a strong moral code and innate curiosity that leads him to want to help others, even when it takes him away from his primary focus.  He can’t help himself.  He’s drawn to service and it’s in his nature to solve mysteries by leveraging his training to bring answers to those who seek them.  Then there’s Detective Krista Kristjánsdóttir, a formidable and brilliant woman who uses a combination of experience, intuition and an unrelenting pursuit of justice to move an investigation forward despite facing monumental challenges.  She’s incredibly impressive and one of the top female characters I’ve read recently.  Next we have Boone, a former Navy SEAL and hyperaware, immoral psychopath on a mix of pharmaceuticals that make him immensely dangerous to anyone and everyone he encounters.  This dude is crazy and capable, a dangerous combination.  And finally, there are several wonderfully developed supporting characters that add so much to the story through their appearance and personalities.  It’s a cast of characters that bring a perfect balance to this story.

I’m immensely impressed with Brandon Webb and John David Mann.  The transition from writing non-fiction to fiction is not an easy one to pull off, yet two books into this series it’s clear they have conquered this feat with aplomb.  Steel Fear was a blindsiding hit for me last year and Cold Fear is a pleasant surprise as a wonderfully satisfying sequel.  When the third book in this burgeoning series is released next year, I will not be shocked at how good it is.  Because it’s clear, without a shadow of a doubt, that these guys have the goods to deliver distinctive, top-notch thrillers year in and year out.  Now’s the time to get into this series because it’s about to take off!

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