Ashes To Ashes By Alan L. Lee

Ashes to Ashes is a streamlined thriller that is the perfect read for a long weekend. Including a high paced plot, full of mystery and intrigue, you will appreciate the increasing level of action throughout the book. The few momentary pauses in the danger come as a kindness, allowing the reader (and characters) to catch their breath.

When a mysterious man shows up at Nora Mossa’s table and informs her that she and her ex-lover are being targeted, she’s unsure of a lot of things... but not her next step. She must find Alex Koves. Unfortunately for her, the once-rising CIA star is AWOL and on the hunt to settle a score. 

After stumbling upon a sinister operation to sabotage a key nuclear treaty - and a plot to kill Alex and Nora for their meddling with Iran, Mossad operative Nathan Yadin, known to his fellow countrymen as The Devil, is forced to put aside his dream of disappearing forever to once again jump into a world of conspiracy, murder and secrets.

This is the second book in this series and I certainly will be going to pick up a copy of Sandstorm to see what happened to put this amusing cast of characters into the predicaments they find themselves in.

The one word I could use to describe this book is... fun. It’s just fun. Light on details in all the right places and heavy on action where it should be. There are no lengthy diatribes or bogged down over explanations of any kind. It’s an entertaining read that any espionage fan should pick up immediately.

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Chain Of Command By Marc Cameron

Chances are extremely high that if Marc Cameron is putting words on a page… I’m going to read that page. And once again… I’m happy that I did. The Tom Clancy legacy is alive and well in Chain of Command.

When a corrupt billionaire is hell bent on influencing American policy to enrich himself further, he employs a series of disinformation campaigns and then escalates into direct action against the President of the United States. The question is, how do you come at the most powerful (and protected) man in the world? The answer… is sideways. 

Chain of Command is a classic Clancy thriller with layer upon layer of plotlines, high stake consequences, and just the right amount of plausible audaciousness from our villains. Written in Cameron’s succinct and direct style, I absolutely flew through this book.  

An added bonus within the pages is the fact that The Campus is on the lookout for additional members. While we get to see our old friends, adding some new blood to the team is going to be interesting. This new character is one I’m going to look forward to reading about in the future.

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The Body Man By Eric P. Bishop

The Body Man is a fantastic thriller with tightly woven plotlines, intense action sequences, and solid political intrigue that gets topped off with the perfect amount of sarcastic dialogue. When this book gets published, it’s going to be a fan favorite and fly off the shelves.

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Her Name Is Knight By Yasmin Angoe

Her Name is Knight is as emotionally devastating as it is violent and action filled. While traditional thrillers tend to use emotional scenes to supplement or as filler between the physical action in a book, Yasmin Angoe decided to flip it. The mental anguish and anxiety on the pages propelled me through the story as much as, if not more than, the intense combat sequences.

Following Nena Knight; codename Echo, we see her as she fulfills her assassination duties for The Tribe, a secretive organization focused on the betterment and unification of African countries and the global diaspora. When the crosshairs of her sniper rifle fall on someone from her past, everything begins to unravel. A single decision brings a series of grave consequences, putting those most dear to her in imminent danger.

With a dual storyline (Before/After), readers are able to gain a better understanding of the horrors of Nena’s past and their direct influences on the woman she has become. The current version of Nena is a consummate professional and an opponent not to be underestimated. Just as we begin to appreciate her skills and demeanor, we are taken back to the Ghanaian village of her childhood and the brutality inflicted upon her there. With each trip between the past and present, another layer is revealed and the tension is heightened.

The importance and use of POV cannot be overstated in this novel. Yasmin’s use of both first and third person perspective is nothing short of brilliant. Using the third person Yasmin crafts fight scenes to rival the biggest names in the genre, while swapping over to first person in the retelling of Nena’s past, the direct connection to readers is cemented. The description and level of the brutal sexual assault and abuse she suffers was so intense I found myself having to pause and process the emotional bomb that had just gone off. These are some of the hardest hitting chapters I’ve ever read. The fantastic writing and importance of the topic will keep you flipping page after page.

In a pretty stacked field of debut novels in 2021, Her Name is Knight will be vying for top honors. With the structure in place for a variety of future stories featuring Nena, let us hope that there are many more books to come.

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The Last Protector By Simon Gervais

If there is one specific skill Simon Gervais has in regards to his writing, it is his ability to craft relatable, yet admirable protagonists. In The Last Protector he has done it again with Clayton White. Fans of Gervais’ previous work will once again be clawing to get their hands on this book.

Secret Service Special Agent White, formerly an air force combat rescue officer, finds himself in an impossible position; assigned to the protective detail for the love of his life… which happens to be the vice president-elect’s daughter. White’s occupation has forced their relationship to remain a secret, but when an attack nearly ends both their lives… the real danger begins.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the story was the exploration of satellite crowdsourcing technology and how it will expand areas of opportunity for some, while threatening the livelihoods and exposing previous crimes of others. Along with the tech angle, Simon uses a rarely talked about tool that “may or may not” have been employed by allied forces during the War on Terror. From these ideas, Simon weaves an emotional, engaging, and action packed thriller.

With how things ended, I cannot wait for book two in this series. Get on board now and thank me later.

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Gated Prey By Lee Goldberg

In Gated Prey Eve Ronin is back in full force, pitting her black and white worldview against the infinite shades of gray synonymous with Los Angeles county. 

In the third installment of this series, we see one of our favorite female protagonists continue to butt heads against the power structure and politics of the LASD. Despite being on the job for a limited time, Eve has proven herself a fast learner as she battles for survival both on the streets and inside the walls of the Sheriff’s Department. 

To put a stop to a series of violent home invasions within the gated communities of Calabasas,  Eve and her ‘oh so close to retirement’ partner Duncan Pavone set up a rather expensive undercover operation. Unfortunately it spills out into the street, endangers the general public and comes to a violent conclusion. When there is pressure from the top to call it a win and close the case, Eve pushes back as her intuition continues to tell her there is more to the story. What she lacks in experience as a detective, she makes up for in sheer will and doggedness. Her political savviness is also becoming finely tuned as she deftly maneuvers in and around the ambitions of the power players around her. 

In this book, Goldberg does a fantastic job of balancing the pacing and drama of a traditional police procedural, while also weaving in the subplot around a potential TV show of Eve’s life and her (in)famous rise. For me, the tv pilot situation moves the story along in this one compared to being a drag in the previous book Bone Canyon.

This is going to be a must read series for me year after year. Eve is such a badass character who will stop at nothing to see that justice is done. I particularly enjoyed seeing continued growth of her self awareness and willingness to take advice from the small group of trusted individuals she surrounds herself with.

I can’t wait to see where Lee takes this series. He has really developed a fantastic character and the craziness of Los Angeles and Hollywood should give him enough material to keep this series running for a long time.

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Surviving The Lion’s Den By Matt Scott

Surviving the Lion’s Den is an ambitious debut novel from Matt Scott. With a solid amount of action and rapid fire chapters, the pacing in this book will have you start and finish in the same weekend. 

After meeting with a Saudi ambassador, veteran CIA agent Tom Delang is kidnapped by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as part of a larger plan to destabilize the region and force the closure of an American naval base in Bahrain. Never one to attack directly, the Iranians also blackmail a powerful U.S. Senator with proof of a secret that she thought had been buried long ago.  

At the same time, Kirk Kurruthers finds his beloved grandfather murdered at his North Carolina home. With his last breath, the older man provides clues linking the family to the 1953 CIA coup and a single name. When Kirk flies to Iran to seek his revenge, it will take everything he can muster to accomplish his mission. With assistance from his in-country guide Farhad, the only question is will they make it out alive.

For me, this is a fun book that needs to be read with a certain level of suspended disbelief. Like reading a James Bond novel or watching a Fast and Furious movie, the action is entertaining… if not necessarily authentic. There are definitely some sequences that left me tilting my head a bit at their plausibility. Don’t get me wrong, they were cool scenes… but not completely realistic. If you’re looking for a gritty, true to life thriller then this book may not be for you. 

Surviving the Lion’s Den is a solid debut and I look forward to seeing what Scott has coming in the future.

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The Art Of Obsession By Lori Lacefield

In Art of Obsession, Lori Lacefield has crafted a book as relentless as her protagonist. Frankie Johnson isn’t your typical FBI agent and she’s not afraid to utilize every tool at her disposal. While everyone else is following procedure, she goes with her gut and gets results. While trouble seems to follow her around, Frankie doesn’t have it in her to back down. She’s going to do everything she can to bring the killer to justice, consequences be damned.

With chapters that fly by and no natural breakpoints, you will be flipping pages into the early hours of the morning. Whether it’s the physical danger, emotional turmoil, or psychological uncertainty… this book is tough to put down.

 In the second installment of the Frankie Johnson series, our favorite special agent is assigned to a case involving a surgically mutilated woman and a unique medical instrument. When Frankie realizes there is more to the case, taking the killer down before they can strike again is all that matters. The deeper she digs, the deeper she falls… both personally and professionally. While Frankie is no stranger to putting her life on the line, this case presents an entirely different set of danger.

The Art of Obsession is a work of art that combines some of my favorite subgenres.. Broad brushstrokes of a fast paced police procedural mixed in with swirls of psychological suspense, then finally some additional details of a medical thriller. It’s the perfect composition for fans of any type of thriller.

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The Lion’s Paw By Stephan England

In The Lion’s Paw by Stephen England, the newest Russian stealth fighters are deployed to Syria for field tests and the Israeli foreign intelligence agency cannot afford to pass up the opportunity to gather intel. David Shafron, former assassin and head of an elite group within Mossad, must send a man into the war torn country on a perilous mission to recover whatever data is possible.  

This is a relentless, edge of your seat reading experience. Blending some of the greatest attributes of a large scale warfare saga, with the deeply personal and perilous nature of a traditional operator novel, The Lion’s Paw is an absolute must read for fans of military thrillers. 

If the last couple paragraphs don’t get you excited to read this book, let me try and describe the scope and writing in a simple phrase… ‘Warheads on foreheads’. I know, it’s not what you’d expect a book to be characterized as, but hear me out and let me tell you why this is one of my favorite books of the year.

Warheads:
Most large scale warfare books devote most of the real estate on the page to explaining large scale concepts, such as the geopolitical consequences of any action, the struggle between global rivals, and to a more focused point, battlefield tactics and mission planning. England does this as well as any author in the game today. 

His effective and efficient descriptions of the insanely complex power balances and loyalties at play in Syria makes readers feel like they’re in a Reaper, soaring at 50,000 feet with a full view of the landscape below. With the parameters of the battlefield set, the pace of the writing rockets the reader like a hellfire missile from chapter to chapter. 

What is usually missing in similar books is personal investment in the characters down in the dirt and dust below. That is not an issue in The Lion’s Paw. The vast array of characters and motives fighting against one another is mindblowing… which leads me to the next part.

Foreheads:

On the opposite end of the spectrum, many military/operator books and series (some of which are my absolute favorites) tend to be light on the larger strategy and instead are hyper focused on an attachment to a single protagonist and the precarious situations they find themselves in. I would put England’s ability to craft compelling characters right up with my favorites in the genre. While there is an easy connection to Shafron and Mohamed Taferi, his Druze operative, England manages to make you, if not care about, at least understand and sympathize with almost every single character in the story. That is no easy task, especially when you consider he’s working with a cast of individuals including rebels and jihadist, spetnaz commanders and Assad regime special forces, and slew of bureaucrats and station chiefs. 

The motives and morals coming in infinite shades of gray, loyalties and alliances shifting like the sands blowing across war torn Syria, readers are given a front row seat the emotional and physical turmoil that comes from living in a constant state of danger. When the mortars are falling all around and the sound of incoming fire passes over your head, you sense it all… right up until a bullet hits a character you’ve come to care about right in the… you guessed it… forehead.

Make sure to check out my review of The Lion of God: Complete Trilogy and then go pickup a copy as well. This will give you an even greater appreciation for David Shafron and his actions.

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The Kill Box By Rip Rawlings

The Kill Box is a hard hitting military strategy masterclass in the form of a novel.  There are few writers, if any, in the game today that do a better job of explaining battlefield tactics in a more entertaining way than Rip Rawlings. 

This skill was on full display in Rip’s first novel ASSAULT BY FIRE and he took it to another level in the second installment. His combination of larger scale explanations coupled with subtle nuances as seen by an individual helps the reader recreate a complex scenario in their mind. Add that to the high intensity action and interpersonal dynamics within the platoon and you have a solid plan of attack to craft a hell of a thriller.

In The Kill Box we find our favorite Marine corps officer still battling in his own country, but behind enemy lines. Fighting against a Russian occupation force with dwindling supplies and support, Asher and his team utilize what they’ve learned fighting against insurgents overseas to turn the tables on their enemies. Despite heavy losses and a seemingly endless string of “bad luck” on the field of battle, Tyce continues to push the Russians back through superior tactics, intelligence, and a will to fight. When tasked with a critical mission by the Vice President himself, Tyce is forced to ask even more from the men and women he serves with. 

Rip has solidified himself as a must read author in the thriller genre and I cannot wait to see where this series goes next. With an almost endless supply of options, Rip can continue to let his creative juices flow and bring his vast experience and expertise to future books. The future is bright for both Tyce Asher and his creator.

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Damascus Station By David McCloskey

Damascus Station is one of the purest spy novels I’ve read this year. A volatile mix of traditional espionage plotlines intertwined with a modern level of action and violence that had me flipping pages until the early morning hours.

When it comes to high risk assignments, being a CIA case officer in Syria is near the top of the list. Sam Joseph is sent to Paris in order to recruit a government employee prior to beginning his assignment in Damascus. When the relationship between his beautiful asset crosses the professional lines, a series of betrayals, lies, and deaths follow. 

As a supporting cast of colorful characters assist Sam in his endeavor, Assad has his own spy hunter tasked with hunting down how his secret chemical weapon caches are being uncovered. In this do or die game of cat and mouse, there can be only one victor… but no one comes out unscathed.

If you are a fan of le Carre or Jason Matthews… David McCloskey’s books are going to become must reads.  

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A Violent Gospel By Mark Westmoreland

You ever just been mad after reading a book? Like… angry at the author? Angry at the story? Angry at the fact that upon completion you realized you were using an e-reader instead of holding a physical copy, which has prevented you from slamming the covers together with a mighty flourish and a sharp sigh of contentment?

Well… A Violent Gospel was so damn good, that it made me mad. All kidding aside, Mark Westmoreland has delivered a captivating novella with a full novel’s worth of risk, regret, and rambunctiousness. A pulse quickening read, full of God, guns, and grifters.

The story follows Georgia boys Mack and Marshall Dooley. A pair of brothers that can’t seem to catch a break, but seem hell bent on keep’n on until they do. When an opportunity to cash in goes awry, the boys find themselves in the hole… literally. Things just seem to go from bad to worse from there and the goal isn’t to get out ahead, but simply to survive.

The characters in the story were highly relatable for me, which made reading it like listening to a favorite story being retold between friends at the local dive bar. The Dooleys are the kind of guys I grew up with. The kind of guys that once they set to doing something, you find yourself rooting for their success, while at the same time involuntarily cocking your head slightly, half a smirk across your lips, and whispering to whomever might hear… “this is going to end badly, but it’s going to be hilarious”.

I feel that Westmoreland did an amazing job of highlighting the differences between and overlap of Southern and Appalachian culture through his setting descriptions. There are unique places where the cultures blend and they are ripe with interest and intrigue. From those special locales, drive one direction down the main road and you will find yourself in the South real quick, head the other way… you might as well be in a different country.

Westmoreland tapped into that and spun one hell of a yarn that fans of Southern crime fiction are going to love. The differences and mixture of the two cultures in “Tugalo County'' is highly realistic and I applaud Westmoreland for his attention to detail with regards to it.

It is my deepest hope that this is the first of many works from this author and I will be first in line to snag a copy of whatever comes next. Though if I have any say, I’d prefer a full novel… My gluttony for these stories knows no bounds.

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City On Fire By Don Winslow

Don Winslow is not an author one reads for simple entertainment. This is not a fun, light hearted beach read or some picks up and puts down over the course of a week. When a person opens one of Winslow’s books a silent, but binding contract is agreed upon. Don, as master of the universe held within the covers, takes up his role as tour guide, while the reader, whether knowingly or not, has agreed to be transported into the world so eloquently created on the page. 

The sites, the sensations, the smells are all spelled out in splendid detail and envelop the reader to the point where they need only to close their eyes to envision themselves as part of the story. They are there with the old man digging for clams along the shore line. They can feel the rough texture of goosebumps along a lover’s arm, raised in anticipation for the delight to come. They can smell the iron hanging heavy in the air, wafting off the blood pooling under their friend’s lifeless body. It is the simple act of opening the cover that makes the compact ironclad and in which Winslow has agreed to be our Homer, our Virgil, guiding us through the magnificent world of his creation.

In order to best summarize City on Fire I must paraphrase Bernard Knox; “Three thousand years have not changed the human condition in this respect. We are still lovers and victims of the will to violence…”

It is this most basic of human conditions that Winslow explores. With a nod to those most famous of epic poems, readers are transported, not to the ancient fields of Troy, rather to the foggy shores of Rhode Island in the mid 1980s. While a lasting and beneficial peace had been forged between the Italian and Irish mobs in Providence, it takes only a spark to start a fire that will burn down everything those involved have known. It just happens that this spark is a ravishing young woman who has no idea of the destruction she will bring.

There will always be great respect and veneration for those who live by moral codes. Traditionally in literature this is most often represented by a medieval knight on an Arthurian quest to save a damsel or right an injustice. It is with this built in understanding of an adherence to a ‘code’ that helps us, maybe not related to, but at least understand members of organized crime. By understanding the motivations of this cast of perfectly imperfect characters, we can sympathize with every impossible decision and the agonizingly disastrous ramifications that come from having to choose between a terrible or an even more terrible option. 

City on Fire is a spectacular opening salvo to what is sure to be a sweeping saga that only an author of Winslow’s extraordinary ability can produce. Tension and angst are palpable on every page as we follow an array of shady characters, each fully aware that death could, quite literally, be around the next corner. 

Waiting on the next installment of this series, City of Dreams, is going to be absolute torture. 

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Enemy At The Gates Review By Kyle Mills

Anyone who knows me is aware that I’m prone to using “colorful” language in any situation. Enemy at the Gates required people to “pardon my french” from amusement in Chapter 2, had me uttering foul phrases under my breath at the barbarism committed against innocent victims throughout, and at the end I was outright yelling profanities at the final twist. My child kept yelling “earmuffs” from the next room as I read the last few chapters. 

We find Mitch in an unusual situation after the events of Total Power. The lights are back on, the world is slowly returning to normal, and a new president has come to power in the White House. Mitch is unsure of his role in the administration and, even more surprisingly, unsure if he even wants a role. The allure of a quiet, calm life alongside Claudia and Anna is pulling him further and further away from the agency. When he finally reunites with his family in South Africa he expects to try and adjust to a normal existence. Irene Kennedy has other plans. She sets up a face to face meeting between Mitch and Nicholas Ward, the world’s first trillionaire. 

I can almost see Mitch playing the scene from The Godfather III in his head… “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”. Mitch, Scott Coleman, and company are tasked with tracking down the world’s leading virologist who is lost in the Ugandan jungle after an attack on their medical facility by a sadistic monster with a messiah complex. 

As far as books go, this one is simply fantastic. I mean it’s really REALLY good. We all know I’m a Mitch Rapp fanboy, but looking at this one objectively… IT IS AMAZING! I hate to keep saying this, but the insane number of great books in 2021 keeps making me do it… this is one of the best books I’ve read this year and potentially my favorite in the entire series.

I was in absolute suspense from the first to last page and was utterly devastated by the identity of the mole. With Kyle setting up a villain unlike Mitch has ever faced on the home front, the next few books are going to be absolutely wild. 

On a more personal note, I would like to opine a bit:
I cannot begin to fathom the difficulty of being tasked with continuing such an iconic series as the one Kyle Mills took over with Vince Flynn’s passing. In Mitch Rapp, I believe Flynn created the modern archetype for most thriller protagonists. The series also comes with a rather knowledgeable and particularly observant group of devoted readers. Calling the Rapp fanbase “rabid” is like saying Mitch is “ok” at killing Islamic terrorists. Over the previous six books, Mills has done a superb job of staying true to Vince’s original vision, while adding his own touch to each novel. 

I may be in the minority here, but upon Kyle taking over the mantle I did not expect simply a continuation of Flynn, rather at some point there would be a distinct blending of Vince’s action packed political narratives with the more conspiracy/espionage plots which made Kyle a fan favorite (and the right person to take over the series). There has always been a push and pull of those two competing forces and I have seen comments online regarding Red War saying that Kyle deviated a bit too far from a ‘typical’ Rapp book in that one. I even argued with my own superfan grandmother about it. While it may be true that it was not completely inline with previous books, Red War is still one of my favorites of the entire series (don’t worry I’m sure this will come up at some point on a 5 Angry Men segment). 

In Enemy at the Gates I believe Mills has struck the absolute perfect balance of what long time fans would expect from old school Mitch and Kyle’s own superb conspiratorial plotlines. I can see distinct fingerprints from two of the genre’s all time great authors and the book is the better for it.

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Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena By K. R. Paul

As a big Sci-Fi and Military Thriller fan, the premise for Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena was absolutely something that grabbed my interest. Based on the reviews from KR Paul’s first Pantheon book, I was really excited when I received an ARC for Pantheon 2. While you don’t have to read the first one, Paul does an excellent job of making you want to as she sheds light on past events.

Opening on a typical military scene of Marines patrolling in Syria, things quickly take a radical turn. With his men and service dog critically injured, Murphy Hawkins discovers he has a previously unknown power… teleportation. Shortly after (literally) popping up where he had never expected to, Hawkins is read in on the most secret of national security organizations. Limitless Logistics is no typical moving company and Murph is put through a bit of trial by fire under Limitless' second in command Valerie ‘Athena’ Hall. As he learns to control his new found power of ‘Jumping’, a larger threat to the nation looms.

.What I applaud Paul for is her unique view of ‘superpowers’ and what would happen if there was always a mental and physical cost for utilizing the unnatural skills.

Paul spends a large part of the book focused on character development and helping the reader understand the importance of the interpersonal relationships and their impact on the powers Pantheon members have. All of which leads up to an action packed finale. 

Capped off with a tense, emotional, and explosive finale, this genre bending book has the chance to attract a wide range of readers.

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Dark Intercept By Andrews & Wilson

There is no better writing duo in the genre today than Andrews & Wilson. Their Tier One series is an absolute favorite of mine and the new spin off series starting with Sons of Valor is every bit as good. When I found out they were starting yet another series, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. 

Dark Intercept focuses on recently retired Navy SEAL Jedidiah Johnson as he receives a frantic call from a former childhood friend whose daughter has just been kidnapped. For twenty years Jedidiah had avoided his hometown as best he could and the events that sparked his exodus. Upon returning, demons from his past begin to reemerge and he must rely on all of his military training and personal fortitude to overcome the obstacles that stand between him and the little girl. 

The emotions are raw, the relationships real, and the danger palpable. This is a book for thriller fans in general, not just military thriller fans. With components from multiple thriller subgenres, Andrews & Wilson have created an enjoyable read that had me rushing towards the last page.

Fans of The Blood Gospel trilogy by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell will absolutely love this series. 

On a personal note… I’ll be honest, I was a little hesitant when I saw the genre listed as ‘faith/christian’ thriller, but I’d read a cookbook from cover to cover if Andrews & Wilson are writing it. I have read other novels that have fallen under this general genre and basically felt like I was sitting through a slightly more exciting sermon than I would on a regular Sunday.  

This is NOT that.  

While faith certainly plays a part in this story, it is every bit a mainstream thriller that has supernatural components. There is nothing that overwhelms or takes away from enjoying the story. Call it faith based, call it supernatural, call it whatever you want… just don’t miss out on reading it.

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The Island By Ben Coes

Reading The Island is like taking a trip to Disneyland. Heart pounding action, high levels of anxiety, a constant sense of imminent danger, and at least someone in the group making smartass remarks. Basically… it is AWESOME. 

*The previous paragraph should make more sense when you read the book… which you should… as soon as humanly possible. 

The entire premise of a terrorist attack on NYC may seem a bit cliché, but Ben Coes absolutely blew me away with the scale, tactics, and believability of the attack on Manhattan and the UN. With a multi pronged attack, we are able to follow a trio of individual Tier One operators as they try to put a stop to the carnage in the streets.  

Coes’ main protagonist Dewey Andreas, along with fan favorite Rob Tacoma, and a surprising financial genius/NOC (didn’t see that coming) have to fight their way block by block to their designated targets, dodging Hezbollah shooters on what seems like almost every corner. 

If you are looking for a novel packed with violence, destruction, and an incredibly interesting plot… this is the book for you. I’ve read a fair amount of books this year and this is absolutely among the best of them. 

If I could pick one book in 2021 to instantly be made into a Hollywood blockbuster… this is it. 

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Down Range By Taylor Moore

Down Range has the pacing and intensity we’ve come to love in modern thrillers, combined with descriptive artistry and soul searching themes worthy of Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy.

The story follows DEA Agent Garrett Kohl after an incident in the mountains of Afghanistan to his childhood home in northwest Texas. He’s come back to his roots in search of solitude and safety, but he finds the plains and mesas he left to be anything but free of danger. Where once wild animals and the elements were the greatest threat to the people living in the area, a new type of predator has invaded and it will take every bit of Kohl’s training and grit to overcome it.

While the full tilt action scenes and gunfights are strategically placed, the unusual circumstances Garrett Kohl finds himself in propels the story forward with ease. It is anything but a simple “shoot ‘em up” storyline. Down Range includes well rounded characters and emotional touchpoints that even the most hardened of readers can relate to.

As I read through the pages, I found myself scribbling similar notes again and again. Words like.. nostalgia, longing, appreciation, and pride. These are not the usual emotional responses I have to reading modern thrillers. I found myself transported to my own childhood, my own familial relationships, and the feelings I have when returning home after being gone for so many years. It was a pleasant surprise to not only be entertained while reading, but to also have a deep connection to the characters and the setting.

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Assassin's Dawn By Ward Larsen

Assassin’s Dawn is a perfect single sitting read, with enough suspense, danger, and mystery to have you flipping page after page. When you come to the satisfying conclusion, you may just start it over from the beginning… it’s that good. In fact, the pacing and writing are so good that I was getting Daniel Silva vibes all over this novella.

While on a “routine” operation in Luxembourg to extract information from the laptop of a terrorist financier goes sideways, Slaton and his team are forced to exfil… but fate, and the possibility of revenge, don’t allow Slaton get too far. Signal intelligence indicates the man responsible for setting David on his path with Mossad is in the city. Orders or not, Slaton is going to do everything he can to track down his target.

This is the origin story that David Slaton deserved and fans of the series will absolutely love. In Slaton, Ward Larsen has developed one of the most interesting and enjoyable characters in the thriller genre today. To have a glimpse into his beginning is simply a treat to all thriller fans. Ward and the Slaton series should be a priority on anyone’s reading list.

For those of us who anxiously await Ward’s work each year, this novella is a perfect supplement to the series and gives you an even better understanding of what makes Mossad’s most lethal assassin tick.  If you’ve never read any of the Slaton series this is a brilliant place to start and will set you up nicely for the rest of the series… which you will binge on shortly after reading Assassin’s Dawn (don’t say I didn’t warn you). 

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Black Ice By Brad Thor

Brad Thor is one of those authors that I feel could drop a book every week and I’d still say it’s too long between releases. So to say I was excited to get my hands on Black Ice is an understatement.

After enduring some of the worst moments imaginable in the past few books, we find Scot Harvath on leave from the Carlton group, enjoying the Norweigan summer with Sølvi Kolstad, the Deputy Director at the Norwegian Intelligence Service. Harvath is torn between the peace and comfort he has found over the past few months with Sølvi and his job, really his calling, back in the US. As he tries to soak up the last few days of his time with her, someone from his past is spotted where they shouldn’t be… above ground. Scot is tasked with unraveling the mystery of how a man he personally killed is walking around and why specifically he’s doing so in Olso.

Black Ice is a riveting novel and the events are so timely that it seems like Thor can see into the future while the rest of us are just now catching up through current news stories. The real world dangers in the Arctic are deftly outlined and explained, though in a fictional form, but as I read today’s headlines I can picture Harvath plotting how to protect the US and our allies. 

This is the 20th installment of the Scot Harvath series and with each release Thor continues to evolve both his protagonist and the style of the series. Throughout the years, Scot has been known to find himself in… less than ideal situations. Many of the books are jam packed full of top notch action sequences that only a master of the genre like Thor can produce. Black Ice is not quite that style of book. The danger is very real, both to Scot personally and American interest in general, but there is more of a focus on the larger geopolitical aspects of the world Harvath occupies.

While there aren’t an overwhelming number of action scenes, there is more than enough intrigue, conspiratorial components, and emotional turmoil to keep readers flipping pages at a rapid rate. The introduction of some fantastic new supporting characters and a dive into Reed Carlton’s past really made this an enjoyable read. With all the uncertainty in Harvath’s life, I look forward to where Thor takes us in book #21.

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

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