Spirit Crossing By William By Kent Krueger

Poignant, spiritual and riveting, Spirit Crossing is an emotional story of love, loss, standing up for what you believe in and giving a voice to marginalized communities.  William Kent Krueger delivers once again, adding this reflective and touching story to the exquisite Cork O’Connor catalog.

Cork O’Connor’s seven-year-old grandson Waaboo finds a shallow grave containing a young Ojibwe woman.  But with the hunt for the missing teenage daughter of a local white politician capturing the attention of federal and state law enforcement, no one is willing to prioritize this case.  Except Cork, local sheriff Marsha Dross and the new Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police, which includes Waaboo’s father/Cork’s son-in-law.  As the investigation unfolds, a bigger plot comes into focus that connects the two cases as well as those of other missing young women.  Putting Cork and his family in the crosshairs of some very dangerous and desperate individuals who won’t hesitate to kill those who stand in their way. 

This 20th edition to the beautiful Cork O’Connor series is yet another masterclass in storytelling by William Kent Krueger.  He shines a spotlight on critical issues facing the Native community through the telling of a suspenseful fictional tale with beloved characters as the conduit.  Giving this novel a gravitas that many thrillers and mysteries cannot attain.  Because this isn’t just an entertaining book.  It’s an important story that draws attention to real problems facing an underrepresented community in this country. 

Spirit Crossing is also one hell of an engrossing story.  It’s got mystery, death, politics, legal maneuverings, visions, spiritual guidance, and blueberries.  It continues to highlight the wonderfully caring and action-oriented attributes of key characters like Cork and Henry Meloux, but it brings added focus to the development of others in Cork’s world, namely his family.  And as with every prior novel in this series, it will enlighten, infuriate and satisfy in equal measure.  You may also shed a tear or two or fifty.  All of which make for another beautiful reading experience in this phenomenal series. 

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I Need You To Read This By Jessa Maxwell

Suspenseful and engrossing, I Need You to Read This is a creepy yet satisfying murder mystery.  One that tackles difficult subjects while also eliciting nostalgia for newspapers and famous advice columnists.   A gripping and intense, yet easy to read and entertaining novel by Jessa Maxwell. 

Alex Marks lives in New York City and has a steady but boring job writing copy for a pharmaceutical company.  But after her hero, Dear Constance advice columnist Francis Keen, is murdered, she applies for and is hired to take over the weekly column.  As she dives into her dream job, she starts receiving threatening letters and noticing the strange behavior of the paper’s editor-in-chief as well as her assistant.  As she starts to investigate, she worries what she will find about her heroes and fears her own dark past will finally catch up with her, leading to a deadly outcome much like her predecessor.

The murder mystery on its own is engaging, grabbing your attention and propelling you through this book.  But the more intriguing aspect of I Need You to Read This are the themes of mistakes people make, how we avoid moving on from mistakes in a timely manner and therefore let them control our behavior, and that sometimes you need to reinvent yourself to find happiness.  This is what gives the characters in this story depth, especially Alex, and has you rooting for a successful outcome. 

Additionally, with the book centered around an advice column with the purpose to help people who are struggling, it’s a good reminder that everyone has something going on in their lives and that having empathy for others is a critical skill that we all need to exhibit on a more regular basis to make the world a better place. 

A mystery that entertains while also making you think about life.  Can’t go wrong with that combo. 

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The Rule Of Three By Sam Ripley

Suspenseful and unsettling, The Rule of Three will bend your mind into a plethora of shapes as you try to piece together this perplexing, mysterious and deadly puzzle.  Sam Ripley has crafted an intricate and completely engrossing tale that keeps you guessing until the very last page. 

Do you believe there is truth behind urban legends?  You might after reading this story, told from the perspective of three young women who believe with their entire being that they are going to die, having already buried their parents and lone siblings in prior three-year increments.  Now it’s their turn.  Is it a curse?  Is it a prophesy?  Is it something more sinister?  Is it just a coincidence?  You’ll have to read the first-person accounts of these women’s experiences to figure it out for yourself. 

The Rule of Three unapologetically fucks with your head for 320 pages.  It starts with the unique structure of each section sharing the unfiltered journal entries of the different women caught up in the deaths of their families and what it means for them.  But as the next woman picks up the thread to try to stop the chain of events that seem inevitable, doubt is sown about the veracity of events and individuals contained in the prior woman’s account.  Then various game changing occurrences and connections start showing up to throw a wrench in what you think you knew.  And just when it seems like everything has been figured out and wrapped up in an untidy bow…surprise!  You know nothing and learn there were clues all along that you missed.  Compelling you to go back and look again with mind blowing results.  It’s an exceptionally well thought-out and executed concept that provides hours of brain busting thrills and entertainment.

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Burn Out By Joshua Hood

Intense and explosive, Burn Out is a fiery, balls-to-the-wall action thriller that turns up the heat and gets your adrenaline pumping.  Josh Hood has delivered a heart-racing, harrowing and stimulating tale filled with danger, violence and perseverance.

Mikey Boone is on the run from a Mexican drug cartel after being found to be a confidential informant for the DEA.  Despite a falling out years ago with his buddy Jake Slade, he has no one else to turn to and reaches out for help.  Slade is now a smokejumper and is in the middle of fighting a wildfire, intending to ignore his former friend’s call when the DEA agent running Boone explains the situation and asks for his help.  Slade agrees and sets off to find Boone, kicking off a deadly game of cat and mouse with a cartel hitman and his team of mercenaries who will eliminate anyone in their path.  Not knowing who to trust, Slade falls back on his considerable skillset and his moral code to see this through to the end.  Even if it kills him.

The non-stop action in Burn Out is enough to satisfy even the most hardcore of thriller junkies.  But there’s much more to this book than stalking enemies, gunfights, and fisticuffs.  It’s about redemption.  Finding a way to not have your sordid past define you, rather finding a new calling that does good for the world and starting fresh.  It’s about persistence.  Never quitting despite the odds against you, pushing your body to it’s physical and mental limits and staying in the fight.  It’s about following a code.  Never leaving a man behind, even if it’s a former friend who you haven’t talked to in years.  And yes, it’s also about vengeance.  Putting everything else to the side and raining down violence on those who would do unspeakable, viscous things to you and your friends. 

Exceedingly entertaining and jam packed with uncontainable energy, Burn Out is the high-octane, edge of your seat summer blockbuster you’ve been waiting for.  A cinematic story that’s easy to picture gracing the silver screen one day.

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The Brothers Kenney By Adam Mitzner

A twisting and turning murder mystery with heart, The Brothers Kenney offers up an unpredictable search for answers wrapped within a tale about ambition, failure, atonement, and family drama.  Adam Mitzner latest novel hits hard with emotion and life’s lessons while delivering a thrilling whodunit that’ll keep you guessing.

In the wake of a family tragedy, Sean Kenney returns to East Carlisle, New Jersey after a two-year absence, having fled after being overwhelmed by the failure to realize his only dream.  While trying to secure forgiveness from his family for his prior actions, Sean continues to struggle with the cause of his brother’s death and won’t stop investigating on his own despite the insistent pleas of his sister.  But despite his troubled past and the impact that had on the relationship with his family, Sean is convinced something more sinister is at play.  And he won’t stop until he proves his instincts are correct.  Even it if means burning down everything in his life that he’s desperately hoping to repair.

The Brothers Kenney is a book that’s more about family, dealing with failure and finding your purpose than it is about finding the truth behind a tragic death.  That’s not to say the investigation portion of the story takes a backseat, because it’s incredibly relevant to Sean’s soul searching and offers a highly intriguing, twisty, suspenseful and compelling mystery that keeps you on your toes and tugs at your emotions.  But at its core, this is a story about how you deal with disappointment and regret.  How you can move forward after being intensely focused on one goal for so long that you don’t know what to do next.  How resilience is a critical part of being human.  And how it’s never too late to seek forgiveness, find redemption and discover a new purpose for your life.  Lessons we can all relate to and reflect upon.

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Tom Clancy Shadow State By M.P. Woodward

M.P. Woodward comes screaming out of the gates with his first entry into the Clancy-verse.  Tom Clancy Shadow State is an explosive, sharp and savvy thriller that amplifies the tension through constantly escalating drama with life and death consequences around every turn.

Hendley Associates sends Jack Ryan Jr. on a white-side mission to Southeast Asia conduct financial due diligence for an acquisition of a company that extracts rare earth minerals and sells them to a critical defense contractor in the United States.  Finding irregularities in the documentation, Jack requests a trip to check out one of the mines and the company’s CEO takes him in his restored Vietnam War era helicopter.  En route, the helicopter experiences a catastrophic event and goes down.  Was it an accident or did someone bring it down on purpose.  Regardless, Jack finds himself on the run from a criminal gang that has ties to the Chinese MSS.  And there’s more than just his life at stake.

Tom Clancy Shadow State is an incredibly smart, intriguing, well-crafted thriller containing multiple layers.  While relatively straightforward with little deviation from the main storyline, it possesses an expanding depth as events progress.  Weaving a tangled web of deception, self-preservation, criminal activity and state sponsored covert action that ensnares all involved.  Propelling readers forward through game changing revelations in a beat the clock scenario that elevates the suspense to lofty levels.  It’s highly intense and immensely entertaining content that does a masterful job capturing the essence of these beloved characters within a fresh and thrilling tale. 

The Jack Jr. series is in great hands with M.P. Woodward and it’s exciting to think what journeys he will take us on next.

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The Chamber By Will Dean

Claustrophobic, distressing and psychologically unsettling, The Chamber is another gripping and fiercely intense thriller from the twisted mind of Will Dean.  It will test your nerves, send your heart racing and increase your anxiety in a way only the most vivid and suspenseful books can do.

Six veteran saturation divers are confined in a hyperbaric chamber, where they manage the dangerous environment by working shifts and breathing helium, fully aware that rapid decompression could be fatal.  Then their small fully contained world is rocked when one diver is discovered dead in his bunk.  With the job now cancelled, they face four days of decompression before they can safely exit.  When another diver dies, the pressure mounts, paranoia sets in, and tensions rise.  With no answers as to what is happening to them and no way out, survival becomes their focal point while trying to keep suspicion and exhaustion at bay.  And only by making it out alive will they be able to determine what really happened in the chamber.

The Chamber is a literal locked room mystery.  Six individuals locked in a cramped chamber they cannot exit.  Someone dies.  Who did it and how?  Is it someone on the inside and the others just missed it?  Is it a member of the crew on the outside that is manipulating the food and supplies passed through to them?  Is there something wrong with the environment that no one can pinpoint?  Or is it a tragic accident? 

Will Dean does a wonderful job of keeping readers guessing, throwing suspicion on every character throughout the story while ratcheting up the pressure as the clock slowly and painfully ticks downward to the time the hatch will be opened.  You’ll question their sanity, their motives, their history and how that affects their actions.  You’ll change your mind multiple times on who or what is responsible.  And all the while you’ll be holding your breath, sweating the outcome and feeling the pressure the characters are under.  Resulting in an enjoyably stressful reading experience.

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A World Of Hurt By Mindy Mejia

Filled with twists and turns, duplicity and miscalculations, A World of Hurt is a dark tale with emotional depth that will keep you guessing to the end.  Heart pumping, anxiety inducing and thought provoking stuff from Mindy Mejia.

Kara Johnson is on the run from law enforcement when a DEA agent catches up to her and offers her a deal – become an informant or go to prison for her role in an illegal drug operation.  Max Summerlin, the cop who made the biggest drug bust in Iowa history, joins a DEA task force set up to root out the remaining elements of the drug empire he disrupted.  But everyone involved has their secrets and their true agendas are unknown.  Now criminal and cop must work together to figure out the end game before they become the next victims of those lurking in the shadows who will do anything to come out on top.

The most compelling aspects of A World of Hurt both have to do with the characters actions in the story.  First, they all have an agenda and seem to be keeping secrets that once exposed have the potential to dramatically change events.  So trying to figure out each character’s agenda injects intrigue throughout the story.  Second, there’s a great bit of soul searching that occurs.  Especially with Kara and Max, who are both trying to figure out who they are and how to live their lives.  Kara is trying to reconcile how her dark past led to the death of her true love and whether she’s worthy of love again.  Max has prioritized work ahead of his family and friends and it’s putting a strain on his relationships that he must reckon with.  These are thoughts that are highly relatable and humanize characters with whom we may not have a ton in common with.  Then throw in car chases, gun battles, physical confrontations and a tad bit of poison and you’ve got a thriller with both action and depth that will keep you entertained to the end.

One last note – while A World of Hurt can be read as a standalone, it’s a better reading experience if you read To Catch a Storm first.  This second book in the series picks up right where the first one ends, so knowing what took place previously will allow you to seamlessly dive headfirst into this one. 

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Not What She Seems By Yasmin Angoe

Engaging and suspenseful, Not What She Seems is a pacy novel that propels readers forward with an urgent need for the truth to come to light.  After the brilliant Nena Knight trilogy, Yasmin Angoe has wonderfully crafted a completely different type of thriller that focuses on mysterious occurrences and family drama through a flawed but persistent protagonist.

Jacinda “Jac” Brodie has returned home to Brook Haven, South Carolina following the hospitalization of her beloved grandfather.  She hasn’t been back in years, having left after being blamed for the death of her father, the town’s beloved chief of police.  Coming home forces Jac to reconcile with her past while also reckoning with how her hometown has changed under the influence of a newcomer with visions of bringing Brook Haven into a prosperous future.  But something doesn’t sit right with Jac, leading her to investigate this new woman in town and how she might be involved in the growing suspiciousness surrounding her grandfather’s incident.  The more she digs, the more uncomfortable truths Jac will reveal…and the more danger she will find herself facing.

Lots of secrets, several hidden agendas, and plenty of drama with a capital D all spilling from characters you’ll either love or hate.  Injections of emotion and intrigue in equal measure throughout.  Wrapped up in a well-constructed story that has multiple moving parts and several twists to keep you guessing before it all seamlessly comes together in the end.  A book that will have you furiously flipping pages once it has fully seized your attention. 

Not What She Seems is another well-written, gripping novel by a fantastic storyteller.  Excited to see what Yasmin Angoe has up her sleeve for her next literary project.  Whatever it is, count me in.

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Bad River By Marc Cameron

Bad River might be the best one yet in this tremendous series by Marc Cameron.  It’s filled with tension and malice balanced with hope and love.  It’s dark but has heart.  A thriller that will keep you sweating in suspense with the exhilaration of the hunt.

After missing for 2 years, a teenager is found frozen to death in the ice cellar of a family home.  This wouldn’t normally come to the attention of US Marshall Arliss Cutter, but frozen along with the body are some unique fossils that tie the young girl to Arliss’ brother, who mysteriously died several years earlier.  Arliss has always believed his brother was murdered, and with this new clue he ramps up his investigation with help from a few trusted individuals.  As he gets closer to the truth, his family and friends are put in the crosshairs and Arliss himself will have to put himself in harm’s way to finally get the answers he so desperately desires.

Once again, Marc Cameron delivers an engaging and emotional story that is incredibly difficult to put down.  The compelling plot, the intensity increasing as events unfold, the further development of key characters and relationships, a cunning and malevolent bad guy, and the hope that the investigation into Arliss’ brother’s murder will finally be solved all play a big factor.  But perhaps the biggest reason is how Alaska and the unforgiving weather and wilderness continue to act as a major character in the story, allowing you to feel the environment in which the story takes place, enhancing the reading experience.  You feel this story.  The cold, the turbulence in little prop planes, the danger lurking from bears in the wild, the sheer vastness of the state, etc.  It all brings this thriller to another level.

Marc Cameron always delivers, and Bad River is no exception.  A great continuation of an incredibly entertaining and absorbing series.  Don’t miss it.

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The Bang-Bang Sisters By Rio Youers

Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll may be cool, but in The Bang-Bang Sisters it’s made apparent that weapons, death and rock ‘n roll generate the superior thriller novel.  Rio Youers has turned up the volume to eleven and delivered a headbanging, moshing, pulsating, melt your face off smash hit of a story. 

Brea, Jessie and Flo are the mighty trio making up a kick-ass rock band that excites and entertains crowds across the country.  But offstage they’re bad-ass vigilantes called the Bang-Bang Sisters, killing criminals who have escaped justice and have been marked for death by an underground hacker community known as The Trace.  After the final gig of their latest road trip, the sisters get a lead on a notorious serial killer in Reedsville, Alabama that is too enticing to ignore.  But once they get there, they’re ensnared in a trap by a local businessman/criminal hellbent on revenge, forced into a game where they have 48 hours to kill each other – only one of them can be left standing in the end – or their loved ones will be killed instead.  Beat up, dejected and with seemingly no way out, the three women reluctantly start playing the game.  But if a small sliver of an opportunity presents itself, rest assured the Bang-Bang sisters will seize upon it and won’t go down without one hell of a fight.

To best describe The Bang-Bang Sisters let’s look to rock lyrics for inspiration….

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now – it's just a Bang Bang sister about to turn you into worm food.  Ain't no doubt about it these ladies are doubly blessed, 'cause they are rock ‘n rollers and roaming vigilantes.  And gals like these, baby, they were born to run.  So when the going gets tough, the tough get going.  But while this game makes them afraid and petrified, they realize a need to find some kind of way outta here, figuring out along the way that freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose and that it’s better to burn out than to fade away.  They don’t wanna die, but if their tormentors get their way they’ll wish they’d never been born at all.  However they won’t stop believing.  Here they are and they will rock you like a hurricane.  And they will survive.  Because as long as they know how to love, they know they’ll stay alive.

The Bang-Bang Sisters is a symphony of violence and emotion.  A novel that totally rocks.  Action packed and filled with gut wrenching conflicts.  Dark and deep with tremendous characters.  A must-read thriller that upon cracking it open you’ll swear you hear a voice screaming for those about to rock, we salute you!

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Ladykiller By Katherine Wood

Sexy and sinister, deceptive and treacherous, Ladykiller will hook you with dramatic events before leaving it to your imagination to fill in the unresolved blanks.  Katherine Wood has crafted a consuming tale of murder, deceit and manipulation within the world of the rich and famous.

Gia is at her family’s estate in Greece with her new husband, preparing the home for sale in the wake of her father’s death.  Joined by other guests, everything is going well until tensions start to rise and Gia starts to wonder if the people around her are what they seem.  Then she no-shows a trip to Sweden to witness the Northern Lights with her brother Benny and her best friend Abby.  Meanwhile, Abby receives menacing emails that threaten to expose the truth of the trauma she and Gia experienced over a decade ago.  Putting that aside, Abby and Benny travel to Greece to locate Gia, but find the home deserted, except for a manuscript Gia has written about the past few months detailing the salacious story of the past few months.  Now searching for Gia’s whereabouts and with dark secrets spilling into the light, the only thing for certain is nothing will ever be the same for all involved.

Ladykiller juxtaposes hidden agendas and subterfuge from conniving individuals with the idyllic setting of a gorgeous home in the Greek islands.  Giving the reader a beautiful backdrop in which to watch rich people behaving badly with sex, violence, scams and secrets abound.  Indulgences for us normal folks to voyeuristically witness.  Allowing us a guilt-free pass to judge the actions of these well-developed and mysterious characters while playing detective to figure out who is ultimately going to come out unscathed.  And despite the conclusion of the story leaving several things unsettled, it’s still quite the entertaining, engaging and satisfying read. 

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Wilderness Reform By Matt Query and Harrison Query

Stand by Me crossed with Deliverance meets The Twilight Zone.  Wilderness Reform is an intriguing and entertaining blend of the mysterious and psychological combined with a dash of horror that keeps you guessing and makes you take a second, more curious look at those you pass on hiking trails through the woods and mountains.  Matt and Harrison Query have crafted an engaging story with compelling young characters pitted against an older malevolent force.

After being arrested for robbing a local store in Louisiana, Ben Thibodaux is sentenced by the juvenile court judge to attend a reform program for troubled teens in Montana.  The experience is intended to teach him life skills and instill discipline that will help him turn his life around.  Except Ben’s exceptional intelligence and powers of observation are screaming that something isn’t right about the camp, it’s counsellors or it’s leader.  As he learns about the other boys in his cabin and grows to trust them, he confides in them about the menacing danger he senses lurking in the shadows, and they determine making a run for it is their best option.  As they get closer to the truth and execute their escape plan, an unholy evil reveals itself and attempts to thwart them.  Which leaves the boys at a crossroads.  Do they continue to run and save themselves?  Or should they stay and fight to save others who might fall victim to this long-running wickedness?

Wilderness Reform has a little bit of everything.  Mysterious occurrences sprinkled within a setting of self-improvement and boys coming of age in a journey of self-discovery.  Alpha Individuals who are more than meets the eye and are engaged in high-level mind games with those of lesser intellect.  Patient storytelling that methodically sets the scene before unleashing surprising reveals and bursts of explosive violence.  Navigation of the natural world melded with the invasion of the supernatural.  All expertly interwoven into a well-executed tale that will have you muttering WTF to yourself on multiple occasions while simultaneously rooting for these young boys to prevail.

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Ember By Andrews & Wilson

Ember is an explosive and pulse-pounding thrill ride that revs up to full-throttle quickly and doesn’t let up for the duration.  An adrenaline-fueled adventure filled with direct action, deception and vengeance.  Another tier one banger of a story from Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson.

John Dempsey is back with Ember, recovering from his harrowing mission in Russia.  Meanwhile, Vice President Kelso Jarvis is mourning the loss of his mentor when someone takes a shot at the Israeli Prime Minister at the same time as a devastating terrorist attack occurs in India.  An Islamic terrorist organization known as al Ghadab claims responsibility for these attacks.  Now Jarvis turns to his old team, Ember, with tasking to hunt down the terrorist organization’s leader, Abu Musad Umar.  Sending John Dempsey and team to India to investigate the rising threat and prosecute those behind it with extreme prejudice.

There is a ton of weaponry, tactics, espionage and taking the fight to the bad guys, sure to excite and satiate any military thriller fan.  And it’s awesome!  But what takes Ember to another level are what I would call the character developmental parts of the story.  Jarvis saying goodbye to his mentor and stepping up for his country once again when called upon to do so.  Dempsey trying to find his place again with Ember and reconcile how he’s changed after his rough solo mission in Russia.  The return of a character long thought dead, one who has a complicated past with Dempsey.  And much more.  All of which add depth, emotion and heart to a story that brings the heat with violence and doling out death to the bad guys.  

In addition, Ember appears to be a transitional book that sets up a new story arc.  Suggesting Dempsey and team will be quite busy for the foreseeable future.  Paving the way for more bangers from the pen of Andrews and Wilson.  Great news for thriller fans. 

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Sentinel By Mark Greaney

Intense, propulsive and fueled by non-stop action, Sentinel is a cinematic nail-biting balls-to-the-wall thrill ride.  Mark Greaney only writes bangers, and this is just the latest example.

Ghana is the most stable democracy in Africa.  That is, until a Chinese MSS plot is launched to enact a coup using local rebels, jihadists and a band of ruthless mercenaries.  But what they didn’t count on was running into Josh Duffy, the newest member of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service team in country.  While attempting to thwart the initial stage of the attack and get his protectees out of the line of fire, he recognizes one of the mercs from his past.  Kicking off a personal battle that threatens everything Josh loves and requiring every bit of skill and operational intelligence he possesses to save the day…and his family. 

The star of this book is Josh Duffy, an accomplished and flawed man with combat experience that has left him with a prosthetic leg.  He is haunted by past missions but is able to put that aside to support his family and do his job at a high level.  And nothing less than his best will do in Sentinel given he’s up against a capable, motivated and unscrupulous enemy that’s part of an intricately planned operation with military, psychological and social media aspects designed to install a new leader of Ghana.  But as the old sayings go:  everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the mouth, and, the enemy gets a vote.  And in this case, Josh Duffy packs one hell of a punch and votes with extreme violence of action.

Combining a cunning plot with brilliantly constructed action-sequences, Sentinel is sure to thrill and delight military thriller fans.  Guaranteed to result in fist pumps, exclaiming “oh shit” and “hell yeah” multiple times, and leaving a satisfied smile on each reader’s face. 

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Don't Let The Devil Ride By Ace Atkins

Intense and engaging, thrilling and suspenseful, Don’t Let the Devil Ride is a smashingly entertaining dive into a dark underworld filled with secrets, greed and malefactors. 

Addison McKellar's world is turned upside down when her husband, Dean, abruptly disappears. Desperate for answers, she enlists the help of venerable Memphis PI Porter Hayes to uncover the truth. As they delve into Dean's secrets, they unravel a dangerous web of international intrigue involving mercenaries, celebrities, and impostors. With danger lurking around every corner and her family in the crosshairs, Addison teams with Porter in a race against time to find Dean and unravel a perilous plot before it's too late.

Ace Atkins latest novel will hook you early and captivate you with well-developed characters, infuriating moments, violence of action, and surprising twists.  You will be challenged to keep your cool as everything and everyone seems to conspire against Addison, a mother and a wife who grows stronger and more resilient as events unfold despite the odds stacked against her.  And you will be thoroughly enchanted by Porter Hayes, who reminds me of a cross between Spenser and Shaft.  Cool, connected and incredibly good at his job.  All of which is wrapped within a compelling southern noir story that is part mystery, part crime novel and part psychological thriller.  It’s a superb novel by a fantastic author who once again comes up aces with this new release. 

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Shadowheart By Meg Gardiner

Reading Shadowheart is not for the faint of heart. Expect frayed nerves, heart palpitations, a daisy chain of gut punches, sweating the ending and yelling at characters who can’t hear you. It’s a thriller that causes a reaction you feel throughout your body. Brilliant and chilling stuff from the marvelous Meg Gardiner.

FBI Special Agent Caitlin Hendrix is on the hunt to stop the Broken Heart Killer. This serial killer appears to be a copycat of Efrem Judah Goode, a man convicted of multiple murders and serving time in a Tennessee maximum security prison. The crimes and locations are very similar to the point where Hendrix wonders if there’s a connection and communication between the two. And she’s tasked with a clear mission – find the connection, stop the killings. Caught between a devious psychopath and a vicious UNSUB, this case will be anything but easy. But Hendrix will stop at nothing and risk everything to solve the case, hunt down the killer and put an end to the mayhem they have wrought.

The UNSUB novels constitute the best serial killer series in print today. Combining tremendous pacing with storytelling that will scare the ever-loving crap out of you – and featuring terrifying psychopathic killers that will cause you to have your head on a swivel anytime you leave the house – they will have you frightened of the dark and lead to questioning your sanity anytime you’re walking alone at night.

Shadowheart fits this to a T and is a superb continuation of the series after a three-year hiatus. Caitlin Hendrix continues to grow and evolve as a character while exhibiting incredible intellect and drive to relentlessly pursue and thwart a prodigious murderer. The plot is fantastic with The Silence of the Lambs vibes. Goode the Hanibal Lecter to Hendrix’s Clarise, the law enforcement officer needing the insight of a jailed sociopath convict to track down the new serial killer. And it works incredibly well, moving at the speed of light with tensions ratcheting up every single page until it explodes like a shotgun blast. It’s simply fantastic.

Meg Gardiner is an incredible writer and her talents are on full display in the remarkable Shadowheart. Don’t miss this book…but don’t read it in the dark. You have been warned.

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What Fire Brings By Rachel Howzell Hall

Twisting, anxiety-inducing and filled with misdirection, What Fire Brings will leave you sweaty and breathless on this decent into the abyss to find the truth. Rachel Howzell Hall skillfully pairs the suspense of a missing persons investigation with the intensity of an approaching wildfire to craft this tension-filled thriller where no one is who they seem.

Bailey Meadows is the new writer-in-residence at the home of best-selling thriller author Jack Beckham, where she’s expected to improve her craft while helping Jack write his next big hit. But Bailey is really a private investigator in training, searching for a missing woman who disappeared in the canyon around Jack’s property. As she conducts her search, she learns about other disappearances, weird occurrences and questionable characters that puts her on high alert. And as a roaring wildfire bears down on the estate, Bailey must quickly uncover the truth before she becomes the next victim.

This novel has a great premise – going undercover as a developing writer to find the truth about a woman who disappeared around the home of a famous writer. Going into the belly of the beast if you will. And it grows into something even more promising with the introduction of additional missing persons, a wildfire that threatens to cut the investigation short and the realization that each character has a hidden agenda. All of which gives What Fire Brings a sense of urgency and depth that engages the reader. It also results in a lot of moving parts, some of which will seem confusing. But choosing to stick with it is rewarded handsomely by the author with a fiery and explosive race to the finish that will rock your world.

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Assassins Anonymous By Rob Hart

What happens when you take Alcoholics Anonymous and breed it with John Wick? You get Assassins Anonymous, a clever tale about how hired guns go into recovery and support each other to rediscover their morality. Even when there are hoards of killers who want nothing more than to murder you right in the face.

Mark is a former hit man known to all as the Pale Horse, a name that strikes fear and reverence across the world. However, the toll that all the killing had taken on him became too much and he turned to a support group of former assassins to begin a 12-step program towards recovery. But this is not a job that you can quietly retire from, which Mark realizes the moment he’s engaged in a violent attack and fighting for his life. Now on the run, he must determine who’s after him, why they are chasing him and, in the process, not kill anyone and reset his recovery clock from almost one year since killing someone to zero. Which turns out to be a real disadvantage when the other side has guns, knives and goons ready to put you 6 feet underground. Regardless, he’s still the Pale Horse and can kick major ass when the occasion calls for it. And the occasion most definitely calls for it right now.

Assassins Anonymous is the most unique take on a hitman-centric thriller you have ever read. A thriller in which the killer refuses to kill. A crazy concept that works. Maybe because the incredible violence is counterbalanced with pensive exploration of a person’s humanity and capacity for change. And just because the reformed assassin doesn’t want to take more lives doesn’t mean there isn’t a smorgasbord of brutality and bloodshed. Au contraire mon frère. The action sequences are plentiful and glorious. With more than a few gut punches – literally and figuratively – to elicit emotion and keep you on your toes throughout the twisting story. Add in some humor and heart, and this novel delivers a compelling read that is much more than just an interesting premise.

Kudos to Rob Hart on taking a risk and providing an unusual spin into a well-defined genre. It pays off in a big way, delivering a book that is equal parts playful, vicious, and heartfelt. One not to be missed by thriller fans.

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Don't Ask, Don't Follow By Mary Keliikoa

Murder, intimidation and keeping secrets hidden take center stage in Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow, an investigative thriller that will keep you guessing before leaving you shook.  Mary Keliikoa has crafted an intense and twisty story in which no one can be trusted and the truth is hard to swallow. 

Beth Ralston is a paralegal at her father’s law firm.  During an office party, she finds her boss murdered in his office and a woman that looks like her sister Lindsay running away from the scene of the crime.  Shocked and awaiting the police to question her, Beth finds a message from her sister that states “Don’t ask. Don’t follow.”  But Beth isn’t one to sit idly by, especially when her sister is unreachable and in danger.  And as she investigates, dark secrets come to light, everyone she comes into contact becomes a target, and the truth about her own family threatens to rock her world.  But she won’t stop until she finds out what happened to her sister and takes down those responsible for the reprehensible plot she uncovers.  Even if it might kill her in the process.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow kicks off quickly with a murder in the first chapter, but then does an excellent job patiently and methodically building the investigation while maintaining a high degree of tension through casting doubt upon everyone and raising tons of questions.  But when the answers to those questions finally come…oh boy, look out!  Shocking truths and major twists hit you like a two by four to the face.  Making you wonder how Beth can ever pick up the pieces of the life she though she knew.  And making you think about your own family and what secrets they could be hiding.  Resulting in an entertaining, engaging, suspenseful and contemplative novel.

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