Hollow Beasts By Alisa Lynn Valdés

Hollow Beasts is a moving yet disturbing novel that takes dead aim at the current state of this country’s political divisiveness, racism, xenophobia, and threat of domestic terrorism.  Alisa Lynn Valdés has constructed a compelling novel that is part commentary on today’s society and part emotional seesaw, switching back and forth seamlessly between touching and enraging moments.

After the untimely death of her husband, Jodi Luna leaves behind her life as a poetry professor in Boston to return home to Northern New Mexico with her teenage daughter for a fresh start.  Now a rookie game warden taking over for her beloved uncle, Jodi is barely into her first solo week on the job when she is thrust into investigating the discovery of a severed hand with a weird symbol branded on it.  When another severed body part with the same symbol is discovered by sheriff’s deputy Ashley Romero, they join forces to fight what they determine to be a white supremacist terrorist organization living in the San Isidro National Forest, kidnapping women of color and hunting them for sport.  As the situation unfolds, it gets extremely personal for Jodi in more ways than one, calling on every ounce of mental, emotional, and physical strength she possesses to take down these evil people and kick start the next phase of her life.

It’d be an understatement to say that Hollow Beasts will make you feel your feelings.  It is quite stirring, crafted in a way to touch all points of the emotional spectrum.  You’ll feel sympathy and concern one moment, anger and disgust the next, then fear and stress, followed by admiration and contentment.  Through this cyclone of emotion, the characters’ depth is displayed, and their motivations made clear, which creates a connection with the reader.  Some in a way that makes you want to give them a hug or a high five, others in a way that makes you pray they get a one-way ticket to hell.  Kudos to Ms. Valdés for creating a story with captivating characters and gripping plotlines that pull on your heart strings while simultaneously putting a fire in your belly.

On a personal note, having lived in New Mexico for ~6 years, the descriptions of the terrain, the people and the cuisine brought back many fond memories of my time in the Land of Enchantment.  It’s a wonderful place with a beautiful culture and delicious food.  In fact, the inclusion of posole, carne asada burritos, rellenos, red and green chile, and more in the story made my mouth water and have stoked an already growing yearning to return on a visit to relive those delightful years and satisfy this craving for the outrageously tasty food the state has to offer.  All of this is to say that Ms. Valdés descriptions of all things New Mexico are spot on and will resonate with anyone who has had the pleasure to spend time there.

Hollow Beasts is the start of a series worth keeping an eye on.  Jodi Luna is a strong female protagonist with a sound moral compass, but with a new line of work to learn and emotional wounds in need of healing.  And with the inclusion of several interesting supporting characters, a gorgeous and spacious setting, and an unlimited number of potential storylines, it’ll be intriguing to see what comes next.  

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The Guilty One By Bill Schweigart

Featuring gruesome murders, a high body count and a serial killer on the loose, The Guilty One is one hell of a suspenseful, dark and twisty story.  Just the way I like it!  Bill Schweigart’s evil genius is on full display in this book, one that captures your attention early and keeps a tight death grip on you throughout.

Detective Cal Farrell is a hero in Alexandria, Virginia for his role in thwarting an active shooter situation 6 months ago.  Only he doesn’t remember everything from that day and that leads to others questioning his actions and his rapid ascent from patrol officer to detective.  However, while out on a run he discovers a dead body hanging incredibly high in a tree over the trail, soon followed by other victims of what appears to be a serial killer.  Cal gets involved in the investigation as the bodies pile up, sharing insights and angles that others aren’t thinking of, resulting in suspicions being cast in his direction.  With his history of missing memories, could he be involved in these grisly murders in some way and not know it?  Or is someone setting him up to be the patsy?  If Cal can’t figure out the truth and who he can trust, he will swiftly go from hero to goat…and a maximum-security prison cell for life.   

The Guilty One represents a departure from Bill’s monster-laden Fatal Folklore Trilogy and his humorous, melodious and uplifting serialized novel Running Light, but one he pulls off with aplomb due to his superior intelligence and sexual magnetism.  Ok maybe that last part is a bit of a stretch, but regardless of your take on the state of Bill’s mental capacity and physical attractiveness (and I know people are lining up around the block to weigh in on this topic), The Guilty One is undeniably superb. It contains a flawed but willing protagonist that you want to believe in and root for.  The story is crafted to sow enough doubt to keep readers guessing on who’s behind the murders deep into the book.  The conduct of several characters will engage readers at an emotional level by eliciting a strong, passionate response to their behavior.  And if that’s not enough, it concludes with a wonderfully psychotic flourish that will have you exclaiming, “Oh shit!”  

On a more serious note, The Guilty One takes on complex topics by exploring mental health and the human response to traumatic experiences through the events and characters in the story.  As a result, this book has depth that goes beyond entertainment and into the realm of realism and relatability.  Because we’ve all faced challenges in our lives and/or know people close to us who have had to overcome difficult situations.  Which means we understand that everyone responds differently and therefore it puts the actions of these characters into a context that we can empathize with. Except for the serial killer.  Hopefully we all don’t have the type of experience that allows us to empathize with that person.  

All of which goes to say that of all the thrillers I’ve read this year, The Guilty One is definitely one of them.  I kid, I kid.  It’s a thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed.  Dark and twisted but with enough humor – and a little love – to strike a good balance that keeps readers engrossed and entertained.  Additionally, it left me wanting more (in a good way) with Cal being a character that people will rally behind and whose development has just begun with a limitless number of stories that can be told with him as the lead protagonist.  So if Bill can please hurry up and write a sequel to turn this into a series, I would be greatly appreciative.  Because I would love to see what happens next.

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I Will Find You By Harlan Coben

Pulse-pounding, heart-thumping and anxiety-inducing, I Will Find You takes you on a thrilling journey with an escaped convict hellbent on proving his innocence and regaining the life he has lost.  Harlen Coben has crafted a supremely exciting and entertaining novel that starts with a parent's worst nightmare, continues with a parent's love as the driving force to achieve the impossible, and ends with a parent’s satisfaction of succeeding in doing anything for your child. 

David Burroughs is serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his three-year-old son Matthew.  Convicted despite protestations of his innocence, he accepts his incarceration as punishment for not protecting his son.  Five years into his imprisonment he gets a surprise visit from Rachel, his former sister-in-law, with a shocking revelation that Matthew might in fact still be alive.  She shows a picture of an eight-year-old boy at an amusement park that has the same distinctive birthmark that Matthew had.  

Now David is convinced his son is alive – as crazy as that sounds – and another boy was murdered in his place to frame him.  Which kicks off a hasty plan to escape from prison and stop at nothing to get his son back.

I Will Find You propels forward with an unrelenting storyline that twists and turns multiple times, compelling the reader to continue at a lightning-fast pace in order to find out what happens next.  Is David really innocent?  Is Matthew really alive?  If the answer is yes to those two questions, who is behind this dastardly plot to kidnap a kid and frame his father for murder?  And will we get a resolution to these questions or will law enforcement catch David before he can get to the truth?  These questions burrow in your brain, with the writing of Harlan Coben sowing doubt into your thoughts throughout but forcing you onward because you just must know how this will end.

Additionally, what makes this book so damn enjoyable are the fabulous characters.  Beyond David’s despair and then desperation, there’s Rachel’s quest for redemption, Cheryl’s (David’s ex-wife) struggle to rebuild her life, the FBI agent's quirky yet incredibly competent approach to tracking down David, and more.  Every character brings depth and value to the story, engaging the reader further and dragging them into this world where you’re rooting for a convicted killer to succeed in his mission for truth.

I Will Find You is a fantastic character-driven novel with a killer plot that sinks its hooks into the reader early and does not let go.  Harlan Coben is one of the best in the business and he proves it once again with this absorbing, exhilarating and intriguing story.

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Deep Fake By Ward Larsen

The love child of the film The Manchurian Candidate and Nelson DeMille’s novel The Charm School, Deep Fake is a psychological thriller born of classic espionage infiltration operations from the cold war era.  Ward Larsen delivers a fabulous novel featuring a blisteringly fast pace, strong female characters, invasive government technology, and an enduring covert operation audaciously attempting to rewrite the established world order.  It’s fantastic, edge of your seat, make you sweat stuff that will have you screaming at the characters to move quicker to save the day, save themselves and save the country.

Bryce Ridgeway is an Army Ranger vet who now serves the people of Virginia as their congressman.  But his military training has never left him and when he witnesses suspicious behavior by an individual at a Veterans Day political event, he acts fast and stops a terrorist attack from taking out several members of Congress.  Hailed as a hero and with video of the incident going viral, Bryce’s life changes instantly and the Republican party seizes his rising star by kicking off a campaign to make him the next President of the United States.  But his wife Sarah starts noticing little things that seem off about Bryce.  He’s more forgetful than usual, doesn’t recognize a few people right away and in general isn’t acting like his normal self.  At first, she thinks it’s a result of the combat trauma he’s experienced.  Then she thinks he’s having an affair.  But only after enlisting the help of her brilliant tech friend Claire to dig into Bryce’s recent movements does something more diabolical seem to be at play.  Now it’s up to Sarah and Claire to uncover the truth and save the nation from unimaginable harm.

As a child of the cold war era, Deep Fake evoked deep nostalgic feelings from growing up in the 80’s during the tension-filled years before the fall of the Iron Curtain.  It brought back memories of reading stories in the newspaper about the US and Russia constantly trying to outmaneuver each other.  And it reminded me of reading The Charm School, a literary espionage masterpiece that forever hooked me on thrillers.  Which all goes to say that if a novel can stir up all these feelings and experiences from years ago, it is nothing short of an expertly crafted thriller that is firing on all cylinders and connecting with readers on a deep level.  Grade A stuff from Ward Larsen that should be on every thriller fan’s TBR pile.

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Red London By Alma Katsu

An intense and engaging edge-of-your-seat thriller, Red London is an uber-realistic espionage tale that feels ripped from the headlines.  Alma Katsu leverages her extraordinary national security experience to deliver a spy novel that puts you in the middle of an operation with vital global implications.  It’ll have you sweating out every action, every conversation and every move until the final page is turned.  

CIA agent Lyndsey Duncan is in London on a new assignment to handle Russian asset and war criminal Dmitri Tarasenko, when MI6 (and an old flame) asks for her help on another case involving Russian Oligarch Mikhail Rotenberg whose home was just attacked.  Lyndsey goes undercover to befriend Rotenberg’s wife Emily to find out who might be behind this suspicious attack and what they are after.  Entering a den of mistrust, subterfuge and danger, Lyndsey has her hands full successfully completing her mission and not blowing her cover.  With time running out and Mikhail in the Kremlin’s crosshairs, Lyndsey will have to go all-in and take necessary but perilous risks to ensure the CIA and MI6 get come out ahead in this battle between geopolitical superpowers.  

Crafted with extreme care for details big and small, Red London isn’t about non-stop violence with guns blazing in the streets for 300 pages (though it has its share of heart-pounding action).  Rather, this book takes the time to properly set up the operation, to cultivate sources, to conduct proper research, and to establish critical decision points before taking the next step…presumably like a real-life espionage operation.  It puts you in the head of an undercover agent, giving a glimpse into the crucial moments and split-second judgment calls they need to make while in stressful situations.  And there’s no rulebook or certainty of outcome to guide them.  All in all, it’s quite fascinating!

Espionage thriller fans will want to get their hands on this book ASAP upon release.  Kudos to Alma Katsu for a stellar story that is captivating, exciting and mentally stimulating from start to finish.  

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Wolf Trap By Connor Sullivan

Wolf Trap is fucking spectacular!  It’s wonderfully written with pacing that ratchets up the intensity and anxiety to near unbearable levels until it quite literally explodes with violence and the big reveal.  Barry Award winner Connor Sullivan has struck gold again, delivering an incredibly brilliant thriller that will make your jaw drop while muttering “holy shit” over and over.

President Angela Buchanan is on the precipice of realizing a lifelong dream with the monumental Global Green Accord days away from being signed by leaders around the world, which would pledge to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and world powers become carbon neutral in short order.  With unlikely allies by her side, everything she believes in and has sacrificed for is within reach…until the world’s newest clean-energy reactors melt down in a cataclysmic event broadcast live for all to see.  With sabotage the likely culprit and a wide-sweeping conspiracy threatening to kick start World War III, it’s up to a secret faction of leaders, analysts and operators to identify the culprits and put a stop to the diabolical scheme before it’s too late.  

Filled with intricate deceptions, secretive plots and conniving cabalists, this book has all the makings of a conspiracy theorists’ wet dream.  On the flip side, it contains men and women who buck the bureaucracy and won’t rest until they thwart the evildoers' plans.  It’s powerful conspiratorial efforts vs. formidable clandestine operations going head-to-head, with nothing short of the established global world order and the fate of the planet at stake.  Throw in a stirring redemption story for good measure and Wolf Trap cements itself as THE espionage thriller of 2022. 

Connor Sullivan is only two thrillers into his young career, yet he is already loudly and definitively announcing his arrival on the scene as someone who threatens to be mentioned with the all-time greats.  It’s early days, but if he continues to deliver books as brilliant as Sleeping Bear and Wolf Trap for the next decade, he’ll be poised to threaten the likes of Le Carré, Clancy, Silva and Flynn for a spot on the Mount Rushmore of espionage thriller authors.  

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The Golden Spoon By Jessa Maxwell

The Golden Spoon is a captivating character-driven story that will make your mouth water and your heart shudder.  Jessa Maxwell has perfectly combined a dash of reality cooking show, a pinch of murder mystery and a smidgen of eccentric personalities to deliver a scrumptious tale sure to please every palate.  

Six new contestants arrive at Grafton Manor, ancestral home of celebrity chef Betsy Martin, to start filming the latest season of the hit show Bake Week.  The beloved competition is known as fun, uplifting and entertaining, but everything is not as it seems on TV.  Betsy is chagrined to share hosting duties for the first time with another television chef with whom she doesn’t get along.  The contestants make suspicious mistakes with their bakes, bringing sabotage into question.  The grounds of this venerable estate hold dark secrets from the past that can’t stay hidden forever.  And to top it off, a dead body is discovered before the competition can conclude.  With everyone a suspect and hidden agendas coming to light, this season of Bake Week will serve up more than delectable pies and cakes…it’ll dish up a delicious murder mystery. 

While The Golden Spoon can hold its own just based on the twists and turns of the murder mystery and the competitive nature of the baking contest, it’s the characters that really make the book sizzle.  Each member of the diverse cast brings something unique to the table and, as you would expect from people entering a television reality show, they have an agenda they wish to pursue that goes beyond just being named the best baker.  Whether they are trying to find themselves, seeking closure from events long ago, want to become a celebrity, need to satisfy their OCD or are attempting to gain/retain power, each person’s actions will put them either in conflict with or in alignment with others.  Which leads to intriguing storylines that keep you guessing throughout.  And as an added bonus, it demonstrates that people of different backgrounds and dispositions, who might not normally get along, can find common ground in the right setting.

It’s not often that a murder mystery can be described as delightful, but it’s an apt description of The Golden Spoon.  It has more than its fair share of dark and anxiety-inducing moments, but in the end there’s something uplifting and satisfying about the journey these characters go through and the destination at which they arrive.  In fact, it’s a bit like a beautiful and tasty cake.  The process may be messy, frustrating and require hard work, but it’s totally worth it when finished and you savor the lusciousness on your tastebuds.   

Kudos to Jess Maxwell for crafting a thriller that is entertaining to read while making you salivate for baked goods.  I recommend at least a muffin, donut or tart be within arms reach when you pick up this book.  It would make for a pleasant paring.  

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It's One Of Us By J.T. Ellison

It’s One of Us is a suspenseful, emotional, and twisting roller coaster murder mystery wrapped within the sensitive – and potentially triggering – topic of infertility.  JT Ellison has smashed a home run with her latest thriller, expertly blending her usual brilliant storytelling and tremendous pacing with her own personal experience to craft one hell of a memorable novel. 

The body of a missing woman is found in a Nashville area lake, with DNA evidence pointing to the son of Park Bender.  However, his wife Olivia has been unable to get pregnant, suffering through multiple rounds of IVF and subsequent miscarriages.  This starts a cascade of secrets coming to light, starting with Park’s confession that he donated to a sperm bank years ago.  As the murder investigation continues, Park’s past is put under the microscope and each revelation is more shocking than the last.  Olivia is furious, heartbroken and trying to come to terms with the likely end of their marriage.  But Park isn’t the only one with a dark past…

It’s One of Us is a complex tapestry featuring intriguing and cagey characters within a multi-layered story, yet it’s simple to follow and seamlessly comes together to deliver quite a powerful punch.  Every character is hiding something, every relationship is complicated, and every action is steeped in self-serving motivations.  And each chapter completed increases the drama, introduces a new twist and sends the reader deeper down the rabbit hole.  Making it near impossible to stop reading, detesting the idea of delaying the satisfaction of learning the full truth.  Which, by the way, isn’t fully revealed until the very last page.

It's impossible to overstate how much I enjoyed this book.  I’ve been a fan of JT Ellison’s prior work, but It’s One of Us reaches a whole new level.  There’s a level of subject matter authority and emotional authenticity in this story that is hard to achieve but brings so much depth and quality to the characters and story. Which is likely a result of the personal nature of the infertility storyline (which is addressed in the author’s note at the end).  To that, I say thank you to JT Ellison for pulling from her painful experiences to deliver such a captivating and stirring story.

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Dempsey By Andrews & Wilson

Audacious, tenacious, dramatic and tense, Dempsey has everything readers could ever want in a military/spy thriller.  Andrews & Wilson demonstrate once again why they are the best tandem writing team in the business, crafting a timely, action-packed and anxiety-inducing novel that tests the hero in incredible ways.

John Dempsey is performing a deep cover operation in the heart of Russia that will take him from a notorious prison to the Bolshoi theatre and require him to collaborate with his most hated enemy to pull off a brazen mission.  Meanwhile his Ember teammates believe Dempsey is dead and are mourning the loss of their leader while still being tasked with critical operations.  The latest of which is to hunt down a suspected Zeta member, which turns into much more than initially expected.  Both Dempsey and his Ember team are unaware of what the other is up to, but their interests will eventually converge and culminate in either a world changing action or the beginning of World War III.

This novel shows Dempsey in a way that we’ve never seen before and severely tests the old adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”  Dempsey commits to going through hell to properly set up this mission that only the US Vice President knows about, meaning he’s without a safety net and must rely on his wits and training to pull this off in enemy territory.  And then when he’s got all the proper individuals lined up to support this ridiculous and potentially suicidal operation, he then must trust and rely on the head of the Zetas organization – his sworn enemy who’s killed fellow Ember operators – to be his ally and co-conspirator.  All of which tests Dempsey’s limits for suffering, operating, and willingness to do everything and anything necessary to prevail in his assignment.  As a result, Dempsey puts everything on the line for the greater good with less support than he’s ever had and no guarantees of a positive result.  He will either triumph or perish based on his abilities alone.  But if he is successful, he will become larger than life and secure a more peaceful world for those who inhabit it.  

Andrews & Wilson keep churning out winner after winner and Dempsey is no exception.  It’s a fantastic edition to their Tier One universe and one that ties up a major storyline while setting up the series for a bright future.

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White Smoke By John Gilstrap

What happens when the world is turned upside down overnight, technology no longer works, and every thought and action is all about simply surviving?  White Smoke delves into these questions in a novel with action, death and intrigue around every corner.  John Gilstrap delivers another thoughtful novel in this blossoming series that simultaneously feels distant to reality yet too close to comfort given the state of today’s world.

The surviving citizens of the United States are still adjusting to nuclear Armageddon.  Looking for blood from those who led to this catastrophic event, congressional politicians and the President of the United States are imprisoned and awaiting trial for their actions.  Held captive by a merciless group of men that have seized power, the President sends a messenger for Victoria Emerson, a former congresswoman who is doing her small part to pull society back together.  The request is anything but simple: travel to where her former colleagues are being held and preside over a fair trial.  Despite living within and leading a safe, burgeoning, functioning society, Victoria will risk everything to rise to the call of duty.  Why would she leave the safe haven she’s helped create, travel through dangerous lands where people are desperate and trigger happy, and arrive at a location where people will likely want her dead?  Because she might be the only person left who can bring peace, law and order back to the country.   

White Smoke is another compelling and thought-provoking novel, the third in this series.  It forces you to contemplate your preparedness for a catastrophic event that removes all comforts of modern life and eliminates the functionality of electronic devices.  It shows how quickly society can devolve, ushering in a panicked desperation for people whose only concern is survival and changing behavioral norms overnight to adapt to a new reality.  How would you fare in this instance?  Would you be willing to kill for food?  Shelter?  Weapons?  Could you do it if your life depended on it?

Additionally, there’s a lot of great leadership lessons in this book.  Victoria role models good leadership and Roger Parsons, the head of the murderous band holding the politicians for trial, is a cautionary tale on the impact of poor leadership.  Victoria shoulders the burden of leadership, understands the impact she has on others, and makes decisions that are intended for the greater good.  In fact, she’s put in conflict several times between her commitment and sense of duty to the community versus the safety and well-being of her own family.  And Roger learns that ruling by fear with an iron fist can backfire and put you in a perilous position.  Witnessing this dichotomy certainly makes you reflect on your values, how you would respond in these situations and the importance of good leadership.

For those looking for a book about a post-apocalyptic world that contains plenty of action and makes you think, White Smoke is right in your wheelhouse.  Kudos to John Gilstrap on another well-crafted novel!

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Burner By Mark Greaney

Celebrate!  The Gray Man is back in another action-packed, smashing adventure that moves with the rapid pace and tension of an out-of-control high-speed train.  Mark Greaney’s Burner is another reminder of the sheer awesomeness and lethality the Gray Man exudes and perpetrates.  

Alex Velesky, a Ukrainian employed at a Swiss bank, is on the run.  He’s being hunted by the Russians and the CIA for what’s in his possession – financial transaction information that highlights dirty money flowing from Russia to the west.  This data has the potential to do tremendous harm to Russian leadership…as well as American recipients of these funds.  Overmatched and on the precipice of capture, he needs all the help he can get to remain among the living.  Enter Zoya Zakharova and Court Gentry, each involved in the action but from different sides, unaware of the other’s involvement.  But when they come together with different agendas, they’ll have to figure out how to work together to keep this asset alive long enough to unveil a massive conspiracy and bring down some powerful individuals.  

There are a few things that really stand out and make Burner the latest home run in the Gray Man series.  First, the story is timely with a Ukraine vs. Russia plotline.  There’s a tremendous contrast between a nightmare scenario with the world being willing to overlook Russia’s horrendous transgressions in the name of financial greed versus a dream scenario where the Russians financial apparatus is brought to light and holds them accountable for the evil they have wrought.  Second, all the settings are fantastic but none more brilliant than on a speeding train through Europe with killers all over the place.  The confined space with nowhere to go ratchets up the intensity and action to near unbearable levels and will leave you shook.  Third, the mental states and relationship between Court and Zoya shows that even the most hardcore covert operatives have feelings and a desire for something more out of life.  And maybe, just maybe, they can find some peace and happiness on their own terms.  At least until more bad guys need killing.

A blockbuster of a thriller, Burner will leave you breathless, alternating between fist pumping and pounding your fist on the table in anger, and ultimately rooting for love.  Because nothing says love like financial transactions and shootouts with a high body count.

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The Writing Retreat By Julia Bartz

The Writing Retreat is a wonderfully deranged page-turning psychological thriller with horror, supernatural and sexual elements tantalizingly sprinkled in throughout.  Suspenseful, haunting and enslaving, it gripped me early like a demonic possession and refused to let go until the final page – and figurative exorcism – were concluded.  

Alex is having a rough go of things.  Her job is unfulfilling, she’s battling a long bout of writer’s block and she’s having trouble getting over her best friend severing their relationship.  But things seem to be looking up when she is given an opportunity of a lifetime to join a writing retreat run by her literary hero, Roza Vallo.  Jumping on the opportunity, she arrives at Roza’s estate where she will work with and live alongside with 4 other women – including her ex-best friend Wren – as they all compete to win a million-dollar publishing deal.  However, this writing retreat is anything but normal.  Roza plays weird games with the women, Wren is messing with Alex’s head, strange things occur on the estate and then one of the writers goes missing.  Sensing malevolent forces at play, Alex goes on the offensive to figure out what’s happening.  But she may have bitten off more than she can chew and by the time she realizes what she’s up against, it might be too late.

It’s a bold move to write a novel about…writing a novel.  But it works exceedingly well in The Writing Retreat because of the character-driven nature of the story.  Yes, there are parts of this book that highlight the writing process and excerpts from the book that Alex is writing (which are well done to move the story forward).  But the focus of the book is on the relationships between various characters.  Alex and Wren’s complicated backstory and the uneasy state of their present proximity provide a good deal of captivating drama, but it doesn’t end there.  Putting 5 women in close quarters, having them compete against one another for a publishing deal and the admiration of their god-like hero Roza, and having Roza’s “process” for the writers be anything but conventional, ensures there’s never a dull moment and propels the story forward with various subplots, relationship theatrics, jealous moments and desperate situations.  Add in hidden agendas, dangerous secrets, terrorizing actions and a sexual encounter with a supernatural being and you get a novel that is as unique as it is entrancing.  

I promise that you’ve never read anything quite like The Writing Retreat.  It’s got me shook in the best of ways.  Julia Bartz’s debut novel is incredibly well done and one that I won’t soon forget.  

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The Last Orphan By Gregg Hurwitz

What’s sure to be the perfect Valentine’s Day present for the thriller fan in your life, The Last Orphan is a magnificent novel that exceptionally blends full-throttle action with an epic battle of wits and a healthy dose of emotional awakenings.  Gregg Hurwitz’s eighth Orphan X novel is absolutely special and possibly my favorite in the series to date. 

The unthinkable happens when Evan Smoak, aka Orphan X, is unable to evade and escape an army of federal agents hellbent on capturing him and holding him accountable for his extrajudicial activities as The Nowhere Man.  After rendition to a black site, he comes face to face via video chat with the President of the United States who offers Evan a deal to maintain his freedom.  All he must do is kill a billionaire genius who might be the most powerful and dangerous man on the planet.  Accept and execute the mission, and he’s a free man with the caveat that he must stop being The Nowhere Man.  Decline the mission, and the full weight and power of the United States government will be brought down upon him.  But Evan takes orders from no one, and he lives by a code that compels him to only use his skills against those harming others and getting away with egregious breaches of the law.  Now Evan must decide if this person fits that profile and should be killed, or if not, stick to his personal ideology and face the wrath of the President.

Evan Smoak’s continued personal evolution is on full display in The Last Orphan, adding depth and development to an already amazing protagonist and giving this novel a ton of heart.  Evan’s lethal skillset has not once been in question, but he’s also never been accused of having a high EQ.  However, over the past few novels in the series, readers have gotten glimpses of Evan developing feelings and attachments to individuals like Joey, Mia and Peter.  In The Last Orphan, those emotions grow at an exponential rate as we see Evan act in ways that don’t always line up with the Ten Commandments drilled into him by his handler/father figure Jack Johns.  He shows increasing vulnerability, caring and empathy towards others, including people he just met on this latest mission.  Will this emotional development hold him back or make him a better operator?  Time will tell, but Jack would be proud as he always said the hard part wasn’t turning Evan into a killer but keeping his humanity in the process.  

Beyond Evan’s growth as a human, The Last Orphan contains the hallmarks of a tremendous Orphan X thriller - amazing action sequences with shootouts, knife fights and martial arts beat downs, truly unlikeable bad guys deserving of an ass whooping, and the moral ambiguity of Evan’s actions.  Throw in an intriguing and enigmatic filthy rich megalomaniac and this novel has it all.  

Rarely do thrillers feature non-stop badassery while making you think and giving you the feels. The Last Orphan not only achieves this but does so in spectacular fashion.  It’s an astoundingly brilliant thriller.  A book that is tons of fun to read and stimulates your brain and heart.  It’s not to be missed!

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The Drift By C.J. Tudor

Captivating, provocative, and uber-tense, The Drift puts the reader in the middle of a realistic and vivid virus-ravaged humanity to ask tough questions that require introspection about moral codes, acceptable actions and if the ends justify the means.  CJ Tudor has constructed a foreboding and sober story that tunnels into your brain and sets up shop for the foreseeable future to make you confront inconvenient hypotheticals about how you’d act if put into these untenable situations.  

The Drift is told from the perspective of three individuals.  Hannah is trapped in a bus after it crashes in a snowstorm, tending to the wounded and banding together with several others to find a way out.  Meg is stuck in a cable car suspended high in the air with several strangers, little recollection of how she got there…and a dead body.  Carter resides in a ski chalet with a sketchy power situation and an even more fragile detente with the other inhabitants.  And each one of them is a piece of a larger puzzle where people will do anything – and I mean anything – necessary to survive in a dystopian pandemic-altered world.

The Drift is a fascinating tale about the breakdown of societal norms and the fight for survival.  It’s an exploration into individual motivations and how decision making is impacted when every moment delivers a new life-or-death crisis.  It raises the question of the sanctity of life and whether it’s worth continuing to exist when you and/or the world around you has irreparably changed and everything you care about is gone.  It also studies different reactions to grief and profound loss.  And all of this is wrapped up in a fast-moving psychological story with intriguing characters, a plot that keeps you guessing, and a body count that rivals any action thriller.  

It’s a truly thought-provoking, mentally stimulating, and gripping novel.  Give it a shot if you like to be challenged and entertained at the same time.

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The Devil's Ransom By Brad Taylor

A blisteringly fast-paced, ferociously intense and violent thriller, The Devil’s Ransom is Pike Logan at his absolute world-saving best.  Brad Taylor has gifted readers a classic Pike mission within a timely and modern storyline that will leave readers sweaty and trying to catch their breath.

With the United States pulling out of Afghanistan, a valuable local CIA asset is on the run and in need of assistance.  Luckily, Pike and Jennifer are in nearby Tajikistan as part of their cover as owners of Grolier Recovery Services and can support the extraction.  However, things go sideways quickly – as they usually do when Pike is involved.  The extraction is intercepted by a foreign adversary while at the same time the Taskforce’s technology is down as a result of a ransomware attack.  Now tasked with saving the asset and finding out who’s behind the cyberattack, Pike and his team dive headfirst into a situation that’s much larger and more critical than they initially understood.  With the clock ticking down, the United States desperately needs another dose of that famous Pike Logan magic to save the day before catastrophe strikes.  

The Devil’s Ransom doesn’t let up for a single second.  The chase is on from the very beginning and has several twists and turns along the way.  It features well-timed subjects such as cybersecurity, the US exit of Afghanistan, political divisiveness and the privatization of space travel, all interwoven into a compelling storyline with global ramifications that keeps you engaged and enraged.  And while there is an abundance of ass kicking and an anxiety-inducing race against time, this book has it’s share of emotional moments that remind us that these amazing tier one operators are human too.  

Brad Taylor has delivered another hit in this long-running amazing series.  After 17 books, this doesn’t come as a surprise but it’s still great to see.  Because there’s no better way to kick off each new year than with Pike, Jennifer, Knuckles and crew taking the fight to the enemy and protecting the United States from those who would do us harm.  

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The Bullet Garden By Stephen Hunter

An intense and mysterious historical thriller that keeps you guessing, The Bullet Garden is the perfect origin story for Earl Swagger.  Stephen Hunter puts you in the middle of a crucial WWII sniper hunt to witness Swagger’s genius on full display.

In the thick of WWII, shortly after D-Day, American soldiers are getting picked off one by one as enemy snipers ply their trade in France.  Knowing how critical it is to the war effort and to troop morale to put a stop to the killings, the OSS is tasked with figuring out what’s happening and putting and end to it.  Enter Earl Swagger, legendary war hero on loan from the Marines with orders to track down and kill the snipers.  Using his powerful observation skills, his experience and his leadership abilities, Earl will do anything and everything to successfully complete this critical mission.

The Bullet Garden combines several things I appreciate – WWII stories, historical fiction, and military thrillers – bringing all 3 together to form a brilliant story featuring an iconic character.  It’s multilayered with parallel plotlines, has characters you’ll love and others you’ll hate, has its share of emotional moments, doesn’t give anything away prematurely, and includes all the technical aspects of shooting and the weapons that go bang that you expect from a Stephen Hunter novel.  It’s smart and entertaining.  A true treat to long time fans but also a fantastic standalone novel for people to enjoy.   

Stephen Hunter is one of the best to ever do it and he brings the heat once again in The Bullet Garden. It’s a perfect blend of action, investigation, politics, military operations and espionage. A surefire hit with thriller fans young and old!

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Killer Story By Matt Witten

A no holds barred look at the current state of media and reporting in modern times, Killer Story is an engaging whodunit novel that will intrigue and infuriate you.  A car crash of a story that you can’t look away from as the investigation to find the killer unfolds.  

Petra Kovach is a newspaper reporter in Boston, trying to make a name for herself and find stability in a tough industry.  However, the paper is struggling and desperate to keep from being laid off yet again, she pitches a true crime story idea to her editor about an unsolved murder of Olivia “Livvy” Anderson, a young woman she knew and cared for until she was killed.  This being a very personal story for Petra, she will stop at nothing to find new clues, conduct an investigation and find the killer.  Fighting office politics, apathetic law enforcement, multiple suspects and her own code of ethics, Petra must constantly make decisions on how far she’s willing to go and how many people she’s willing to burn to get justice for Livvy…and to become famous for her reporting while driving millions of clicks to her written stories and podcast.

Matt Witten has achieved quite an interesting feat by making unlikeable characters sympathetic.  The main characters in this book are not good people.  They are constantly exercising poor judgment that show them to be unethical, conniving, self-centered and criminal, all while deluding themselves into thinking the ends justify the means as long as they solve Livvy’s murder.  However, despite wanting to smack some sense into these people, you still can find a way to understand their desperate behavior because we all know what it’s like to be ambitious about your career and/or struggle to deal with the loss of someone close to you.  So while the decisions these characters make – Petra, Natalie and Dave in particular – are frustrating at best and unforgivably despicable at worst, you keep reading with at least a little understanding of their predicament and a smidge of sympathetic hope that they will see the light, turn it around and do the right thing before they become completely unredeemable.  And if not, you want to be there to see them get what’s coming to them for their terrible actions.  

If you like true crime podcasts and books, then you need to pick up a copy of Killer Story.  This is right smack in the middle of your wheelhouse.  And if that’s not your jam, it’s still a compelling read for the suspense and spectacle of a solid murder mystery.  

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Everybody Knows By Jordan Harper

Explosive, powerful and darker than a black hole in deep space, Everybody Knows will put you in a choke hold and not let go until it’s probed the far reaches of your soul.  It’s a haunting, gritty, immaculately written tale that will leave you completely breathless and utterly thunderstruck.  Jordan Harper has crafted a brilliant masterpiece of crime noir that promises to live rent free in your brain for months after completion.  

Mae Pruett is a black-bag publicist, working to own the narrative and win in the court of public opinion for her rich and famous clients when they do something unsavory.  Chris Tamburro is a dirty ex-cop – and Mae’s ex-lover – who is a fixer/investigator for a lawyer who represents the same wealthy clientele as Mae’s PR firm.  They are just two of the many individuals who make up “The Beast,” the dark underbelly of Los Angeles that exists to serve and protect the interests and debauchery of the wealthy and powerful.  When Mae’s boss is gunned down in the streets of Beverly Hills on the eve of sharing a huge and potentially lucrative secret with her, Mae hooks up with Chris to investigate and unravel the mystery with the hopes of hitting it big.  But secrets like this are dangerous, with very influential people willing to do anything to keep them in the dark.  Mae and Chris might be in over their heads but if they play it smart, they just might find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Maybe even some redemption.  But only if they can survive “The Beast.”

Everybody Knows contains a sadly realistic storyline that not only feels ripped from the headlines, but also taps into the innate nature of humans to desire fame and fortune.  It’s these two features that make it relatable and allows the reader to make connections with characters with whom they wouldn’t normally associate or come into contact.  Which leads to what makes this novel special.  Mae and Chris are employed by the dark side of the celebrity industry with responsibilities that are slimy at best and despicable at worst, which should make them inherently loathsome and unredeemable.  In fact, the investigation they undertake is derived from hatching a get rich quick scheme that includes morally bankrupt motivations and possibly illegal activity. But as the story progresses, they are forced to face their actions and the people they have become, searching their souls to determine if they are so far gone and self-centered that it’s just about the money or if they can eschew a big payday in the name of doing what’s honorable and righteous.  And it’s through this self-reflection and their resulting behavior that Mae and Chris worm their way into your heart and have you hopeful for a happy ending you don’t think is possible, but think they probably deserve.  Because everyone loves a redemption story.  And that’s a big part why Everybody Knows is so phenomenal. 

This was my first Jordan Harper book, but on the basis of this story alone he has entered “must read” territory whenever he publishes a new novel.  It’s so damn good it’s ridiculous.  Do yourself a favor and kick off 2023 in style by getting a copy of Everybody Knows, finding a quiet spot and diving into this magnificent piece of literature.

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My Darkest Prayer By S.A. Cosby

Dark yet vivid.  Beautiful yet violent.  Powerful yet vulnerable.  My Darkest Prayer is a spectacularly constructed debut novel by the amazing S.A. Cosby. In a brilliant move by Flatiron to re-publish this wonderful debut novel after the critically acclaimed and universally loved Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears have taken the thriller genre by storm over the last few years, it provides S.A. Cosby fans – new and old alike – an opportunity to see where his literary genius all began.  

Whether down range as a Marine, serving his town as a sheriff’s deputy, or working at his cousin’s funeral home, Nathan Waymaker has been around bodies his whole adult life.  And given his service to this country and his hometown, Nathan is known as someone who can be relied on to help those in need.  So when a local minister is found dead and the church’s parishioners don’t feel like local law enforcement appropriately view the circumstances as suspicious, they ask Nathan to conduct an investigation.  Having firsthand experience as to the ineptitude of the local sheriff’s department, Nathan dives headfirst into the case and quickly finds himself immersed in a world of crime, corruption, gangsters, preachers and porn stars.  Using his experience, training, wits and well-honed skill set to maneuver through the dark underbelly of this small southern town, Nathan seeks to bring justice to those who deserve it, peace to those who seek it and maybe even find some redemption for himself along the way.  

My Darkest Prayer takes the reader on an emotional journey with a protagonist that you not only root for to be successful in the current investigation, but that you desperately hope will triumph in life.  It is filled with incredibly well-crafted characters – from the corrupt, to the criminals, to the holy, to the righteous to the ones just trying to get through life.  Some of whom check more than one of those boxes.  Combining these striking characters with exquisite prose, magnificent descriptions and impeccable storytelling results in one hell of a phenomenal novel. 

At this point if S.A. Cosby wrote and published a menu for Cracker Barrel, I’d be first in line to purchase a copy.  Everything he writes is pure gold and My Darkest Prayer is no exception.  A glorious novel by a master of his craft.

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A History Of Fear By Luke Dumas

Devilishly dark and fiendishly ferocious, A History Of Fear is a psychological/horror tale that immediately seizes your attention and takes you on a ride to hell and back.  Luke Dumas has crafted a killer debut novel that is one hell of a fascinating and unforgettable story. 

Grayson Hale, a young American pursuing his PhD in Scotland, was convicted of murdering one of his classmates and was serving a life sentence in prison.  While that is enough content to keep the tabloids going for months, his claim that the devil made him do it added fuel to the fire.  And when he’s found dead, hanging in his cell with strange markings on his body, the thirst for more info becomes insatiable.  Lucky for the public, a manuscript containing Grayson’s life story is found in his cell and promises to shed light on his childhood, his mental state, the crime he committed and his relationship with the so-called devil.  Now it’s up to one reporter to add context to the manuscript and publish the story for all to consume.  Then maybe the question of whether Grayson was insane or if he was telling the truth can finally be answered.  Regardless of the answer, one thing is for certain…the devil is front and center in the consciousness of the Scottish people.  

The way A History Of Fear is structured as a book within a book is incredibly well done and is what makes it so excellent.  It’s captivating to read the first-person account from Grayson Hale on his experience, with editorial notes added to share court proceedings, interview transcripts, psychological evaluations and academic research as a mechanism to provide context and other points of view.  This framework allows the reader to view the whole picture from various angles, rather than just take the convicted murderer’s word on what happened.  It adds credibility to a story that might be easy to dismiss initially as the ravings of a lunatic, making it – and Grayson – seem more rational and his actions more conceivable the more you read.  A clever approach by the author to explore the topic of the devil’s existence in an intelligent, contemplative and a realistic non-fantasy manner.

And one last thing – the ending of this book has me shook.  Like mouth agape muttering “holy shit!” several times kind of shook.  A blindsiding moment of pure genius that adds a whole other layer to the story.  A haymaker delivered with the last few keystrokes.  Bravo Luke Dumas!

A History Of Fear is the perfect novel for those who crave murder mysteries, psychological thrillers and horror stories. It blends all three into a phenomenal story that will burrow into your brain and set up shop for a few months. Which means maybe the greatest trick the devil ever pulled wasn’t convincing the world he didn’t exist, rather it was making sure we remember and fear his existence for all eternity.

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