Meet BTB Reviewer Steve Thomas

Background: I live in Orlando and am happily married to my wonderful wife Mia. Sons Andrew and Jonathan are both in college (but graduating soon) and our daughter Samantha is married to Nick and they have our one and only (so far) granddaughter, Madison (4 months old). I am a retired Army Colonel after serving as an Armor officer for 30 years. I am now the director of sales for a large import company that specializes in bringing tasty food from the UK. I love to golf and try to swing my clubs at least once a week. But my all-time favorite hobby is reading. I have been a voracious reader since I was a child and have shelves filled with Thrillers and Historical Fiction.

Go-To Author: Extremely difficult to pin this to just one but Don Bentley has to be it for me. His Matt Drake series is superb and the work he did with the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr series found me unable to put them down (I bought the audiobooks books as to enjoy them a second time). I can’t wait to see what he does with the Mitch Rapp series. As much as I love Don’s work, it was hard to pick him over other favorites like Brad Taylor, Jack Carr, Mark Greaney, Mark Cameron, Ben Coes, Barry Eisler, Simon Gervais, Andrews & Wilson, Gregg Hurwitz and Brad Thor. I pre-order all of their books.

Author People Should Discover: Ryan Steck and Connor Sullivan. Both write thrillers that keep you up late at night trying to finish the chapter. Ryan did such a tremendous job as The Real Book Spy I was not surprised that he has such talent as a thriller author. And Connor Sullivan has writing skills that remind me of Nelson DeMille. These two authors can’t be missed.

Book You Would Recommend From 2023: Seriously? 2023 had so many books that were fantastic that it is an impossible take to narrow to just one. That said, Forgotten War by Don Bentley knocked me off my feet. The freshness of the subject (post-Afghanistan war) along with the depth of Don’s connection to the topic comes across in this Matt Drake thriller. If action-thriller is a genre that you enjoy/love, Forgotten War is a must read.

Most-Anticipated Book Of 2024: For me, I anticipate every book on my TBR pile next to my bedstand. But I couldn’t wait to read the latest in the Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz and Lone Wolf has not disappointed. Evan Smoak/Orphan X is a protagonist that answers he call with “do you need my help”… and Joey brings a chuckle regardless of the stress of the situation that Orphan X finds himself immersed in. And two of my other favorite authors that I have been waiting too long for are Ben Coes and Barry Eisler. Hope to see you both in the new releases soon!

Favorite Local/Indie Bookstore: The Book Dragon Shop. Fantastic service and selection. My go to when I need to find an autographed selection.

Favorite Charities: INUA Partners in Hope. My wife Mia and I sponsor and lead a golf tournament here in Orlando every year to raise money for this charity.

Follow Steve on Twitter or Instagram.

Meet The Review Team