Nemesis By Anthony Riches

Nemesis is a brutal mystique-laden revenge action thriller that packs sharp twists and badass action sequences written with an eye for accurate tactical and weaponry details to create a fantastic reading experience for readers.  For an author’s first foray into the action thriller genre, I was amazed by the superb action sequences that felt well suited for a big screen adaptation.

Nemesis introduces readers to Michael Bale, a Protective Command officer who is seeking revenge for the death of his sister, Katie, who died due to a drug overdose. Mickey Bale puts his formidable skillset to use on tearing down the drug kingpin of a vicious criminal, Joe Castagna, whose underlying had slipped Katie the wrong drug that led to her death. As Michael embarks on his revenge warpath, we learn he is being aided by a mysterious entity, code named Nemesis, who is providing Michael with the necessary information to take Joe down. While it might have seemed prudent to only keep the revenge till the drug dealer directly involved with Michael’s sister’s death, Joe Castagna is depicted as a vile character whose unchecked evil propels Michael to protect people and take on the bigger and more violent mission of ridding Joe once and for all. As he takes on the bad guys, the police close in on the armed professional who leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake. As Michael’s professional and personal lives clash, the question arises if Michael can escape both the police and Joe unscathed, or has he bitten off more than he can chew? 

Nemesis is a fantastic example of the crime genre infused with the tactics-and-details-focused action we read in espionage and military action thrillers. Michael Bale’s character is developed through his job and his vengeance more than anything else. His willingness to step into the harm’s way to take down evil men who prey on the innocent mirrors his job in Protection Command where he is assigned protection details to make sure his assignments are kept out of harm’s way, explaining his desire to go beyond simply assassinating the direct link to his sister’s death. I loved how he does not become a cliché in his warpath by questioning if he is too brutal to the monsters he goes after. He takes down the evil-doers proportionally in pain and agony to how the bad guys prey upon innocents. A protagonist with nerves of steel and willingness to bring justice.

The action is fast-paced and easy to visualize, thanks to the author’s vivid descriptions of the tactical movements of Michael Bale and his arsenal, including a Ruger .22, Glock 17 Gen 4, HK G36C, silenced MP5 and MP7, along with creative ways to inflict pain involving nasty alkaline burns. I was pleasantly surprised to see such fantastic hard-hitting action in a crime thriller. 

I enjoyed how Michael’s professional and personal violent endeavors intertwined, not in a big picture kind of manner, but in a rich world-building manner that allowed new characters and situations to develop and factor later into the story for a realistic vibe of the story where the experiences that aren’t directly related to the Michael’s private war on crime ended up helping him out of tight spots when you wouldn’t expect him to make it out. The author’s knowledge of Protection Command’s inside workings felt extremely well researched and interesting to read about and visualize how the brave men and women of the ‘Job’ put their lives on the line to protect those they are tasked with guarding. 

While I believe the character’s interactions can be made slightly better by incorporating more expressions for the characters, I found Nemesis to be an exciting and action-packed crime story that explores the criminal underworld of London in a violent fashion. The final mind-blowing twist ends the story on a high note as we finally find out who Nemesis is and what Nemesis’ grand plan has been for Michael Bale. I was way off course with my guess, and I commend the author for his crafty twists! It definitely has the potential to spawn off a badass action thriller series since the ending clearly charts the return of Michael Bale.

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Czar Of England By Ian Kharitonov

Czar of England is an incredibly exciting and informative thriller that broaches largely unexplored territory in thrillers, that is the rich and wild history of Russia that repeats itself in this wild narrative that I hadn’t expected to see in a thriller. It’s full of historical tidbits that feel very closely related to the story, grounded action interspersed throughout the plot, and two brothers who will do everything in power to seek revenge against the President of Russia for his crimes against his own country and people for power and wealth.  

As my first Ian Kharitonov novel, I wanted to go back and read the earlier books in the series because the characters felt so intriguing and the writing style of Mr. Kharitonov is captivating as he incorporates political and historical details about Russia that drive the plot further. 

Even though this is the sixth book in the Sokolov series, I had no trouble getting into the book. If anything, I want to read the earlier books just to see how the story evolved to this point. The narrative starts off with certain Russian officials being assassinated. That is when the Sokolov brothers, Eugene and Constantine, are introduced on their unforgiving mission to take down the Russian president’s regime as revenge for atrocities they have personally faced at the hands of the Kremlin. They find themselves caught in a plot against the Kremlin by a cabal hiding in the shadows who have grand plans against the Russian President, one that involves returning Russia to the era of monarchy. I wouldn’t have guessed this at all and I was blown away by the unique twists and turns throughout the story.

Where Constantine brings his literary expertise to the table, Eugene Sokolov brings combat expertise and driving skills to the dynamic duo.  The action is a great combination of well-executed hand-to-hand combat and shootouts with weaponry accurate to the gangs and forces utilizing the weapons. Seeing Sokolov deploy bone crunching marital arts techniques against his opponents and shredding the others with the Scorpion submachine gun in crisp and fast-paced sequences made my day. The descriptions of the exotic and sports cars revving at high speeds was a plus point as they became parts of the personalities of the characters driving them. 

I loved the bond between the Sokolov brothers; supportive while not above teasing each other. A real testament to the super character development augmented by natural dialogues and character interactions that felt realistic and imaginable without falling flat as corny.

While Russia is no stranger a topic in the thriller genre, Ian Kharitonov excels at presenting the very real issues plaguing the country with oligarchs and corrupt officials feeding off the resources for their own wealth, while giving a deeper insight into the ordinary people of Russia and their ideology shaped by the history that I believe a lot of people do not know a lot about. Topping off with two protagonists of Cossack roots and personal connections to Russia, the story felt powerful and invigorating that gelled geopolitics and personal motivations rather than a simple high-level view of nations. 

The narrative is closely connected to the previous books, just enough to get you excited to read them without making you feel lost in this one if you haven’t read them. I settled into the book without ever feeling clumsy with the story. I do want to see the beginning of the badass Eugene Sokolov. That being said, Constantine is also a sharp edge of the spear with his analytical thinking and acumen for historical details that help explain the reasoning for drastic measures in this book and foreshadowing of dire consequences.

Safe to say, I think Ian Kharitonov is an author thriller fans should check out immediately if they haven’t already. His writing is fresh, crisp, and extremely adventurous. The narrative feels to be straight out of the headlines with actual events and assassinations in recent history tying into the story. If you’re looking for a smart and slick action thriller that holds back no punches and makes you more knowledgeable about the Russian history, Czar of England is a superb pick! Be sure to catch up on the whole series in time for his next explosive thriller!

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The Outside Man By Don Bentley

The Outside Man is a gritty, brutal, badass, and compelling follow-up to Don Bentley’s superb debut, Without Sanction. It is twice as action-packed and twice as much packed with gut-wrenching twists and turns that sucker punch you in the best possible way.

The Outside Man starts off running as former DIA operative, Matt Drake, is ambushed by a group of highly trained operators in broad daylight on the streets of Austin, Texas. What results, is a spectacular combat sequence where Drake displays tactical acumen as he repels the ambush with his Glock 23 in a show of badass fashion. From that moment on, Drake and his partner, Frodo, work on figuring out the mysterious party behind the ambush on Drake, drudging up enemies from the past. The investigation by Drake results in more bloodshed and action sequences as Drake faces off against members of a sinister organization run by an Arab known only as The Devil. The Devil was also the foe that had sentenced Drake to death in the events of Without Sanction before Drake had miraculously survived his ordeal. With bad blood between the two characters, Drake takes up the task of finding The Devil and putting him down. Things become personal for Drake as he comes across betrayals and risks the well-being of people closest to him. The narrative takes a darker turn as Matt comes across a sex-trafficking ring run by The Devil. The darker turn in emotions bring about a stronger sense of responsibility for Drake and his friends to put an end to a despicable monster.

One of the many things that make The Outside Man an excellent thriller, is the constant feeling that nothing is what it seems. The Devil is ten steps ahead of Drake at every point, and when The Devil upsets the playing field with twists that even Drake couldn’t foresee, it makes the experience even better as the twists hit the reader like a freight train.

The first person POV from Matt Drake’s perspective is a clear winner. With Drake’s witty and somewhat dark humor in tight situations along with his vulnerable and raw thoughts, Matt Drake’s character development is taken a notch higher. Drake’s vulnerability and his tenacity to push through when odds are against him make him an even better protagonist than the one we saw in Without Sanction and that is a tall order. The focus on expressing situations from Drake’s POV helps with the twists and turns that readers won’t see coming because the POV is strictly Drake’.

The action sequences are written in a way that play on all sense of the reader to fully immerse the reader into the middle of the shootouts and the hand-to-hand combat sequences. Each sequence is tactically and technically sound and descriptive without overwhelming the reader with too many details. From weaponry to rappelling down an Osprey, Don Bentley displays all sorts of knowledge about the topic of being a believable badass.

The Outside Man is an adrenaline-pumping action thriller that starts off with a bang and goes for bigger bangs until the very end. I cannot recommend this action thriller enough, and the book further cements Matt Drake as a badass protagonist who can hold his own.

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Family Business By J.J. Fauser

Family Business articulates a grounded narrative of modern espionage by secretive non-state entities that officially do not exist but operate within the shadows, featuring a variety of fresh locations, realistic combat sequences, and a complex and unrelenting plot.

One of the unique aspects about Family Business is J.J. Fauser’s intriguing choice of using his own name for the protagonist in the first person POV, which creates an entertaining symbiosis of real and fiction as he undoubtedly draws upon his days in the field running and gunning. When the secretive spy organization known as EUSAOCT, Secret Agency against Organized Crime and Terrorism, comes across a report of an uptake in human and drugs trafficking originally discovered by the German Intelligence, J.J.’s team is tasked with unraveling the global thread of powerful individuals in charge of this immoral trafficking ring. The investigation leads J.J. and his team into mortal danger as they uncover a conspiracy that ultimately leads back to the White House.

J.J. Fauser tackles the long-asked question of addressing coronavirus in thrillers with a straightforward approach that works terrifically for thrillers; basing the story in reality. There are references to Covid-19 throughout the narrative but instead of rehashing the devastation of the virus, Fauser aptly incorporates the new norm of wearing masks, giving fist bumps over shaking hands, and addressing social distancing along with a few other aspects that become crucial for the plot, all of which give off the authentic feel which readers associate with timely thrillers. There is also a cool technothriller aspect to the story with the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence whose capabilities closely mirror those of AI today as the team utilizes its raw processing power to help connect the dots.

The fight sequences are written in keeping with the subtle nature of espionage where lethality is often discouraged to avoid the headlines. That being said, there are plenty of fisticuffs and a handful of shootouts where absolutely necessary, all executed in a manner that exudes the author’s familiarity with brutal violence.

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All Fall Down (Arkhangel) By James Brabazon

Arkhangel is one of 2021’s smartest and darkest action thrillers. James Brabazon sidesteps tropes to create genre-bending stories that you just can’t help but marvel at. 

Max McLean is a formidable assassin working deep in the dark for Her Majesty when he’s set up on an assassination mission. With his cover blown and deadly forces out to get him after he receives a mysterious message linked to his past, he must survive long enough to find out who sent him the message and who wants it bad enough to kill with impunity. 

Arkhangel truly deserves to be described as action-packed; there are cinematic shootouts and brutal hand-to-hand combat sequences in almost every other chapter. Along with the sheer quantity of action, each shootout and fisticuff is smart and efficient. Brabazon nails the nitty gritty technical and tactical details, especially ones that many action thrillers skip to achieve Hollywood style over realism, adding to the authenticity of Max McLean as a world-class operative and assassin.  

Arkhangel offers more than just relentless and stellar action. James Brabazon highlights the perils of running and gunning in today’s clandestine climate as Max’s enemies are not as easy to identify as they would have been in the old days. No flags or outdated ideologies to advance, rather a rat-race for technological advancement that will alter the course of humanity. Brabazon’s explanations of quantum computing and algorithms are some of the best I’ve ever come across as a computer science major; pulling in the readers gradually with technical terms and then overlaying with simple descriptions to help even the most non-technological reader understand what is what as he blends currently science-fiction elements with modern computer industry to create an overall grounded and stimulating narrative that will have you looking up quantum computing even before you’re doing reading.

Max McLean is a newcomer to the assassin sub genre but in no way a novice. The extremely fun first-person POV thoroughly explores McLean’s dark psyche as a weathered assassin who has to make calculated calls in the field while holding onto his humanity. With great sarcastic timing sense and continuous character development over the course of the narrative, he is one of the most distinguishable and root-able assassins.

Arkhangel is truly a must-read for all thriller fans, especially if you’re looking for something new to freshen things up. It checks all the boxes for an extraordinary thriller and then further explores new avenues that will leave you wanting more of this maverick assassin. Keep in mind, the ending isn’t a simple through-and-through, it will tinker with your mind, as great thrillers must.

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Relentless By Mark Greaney

Relentless is the perfect word for this action-laden espionage thriller that reads like a cold war story of the present-day geopolitical climate with grand stakes. Gray Man is better than ever despite being in the most vulnerable position. With a fresh take on Middle-Eastern politics and classic espionage vibe of tales of Berlin, Court Gentry is in for a rough journey against multiple assassins, drones, and a ruthless mastermind who happens to be the head of the intelligence of UAE and its crown prince. 

After the violent ending of One Minute Out, Court Gentry is convalescing with treatment for bone infection and sharp deep knife wounds, when he is called upon by Matthew Hanley, his handler at CIA off-books Poison Apple project, to uncover the mystery behind an intelligence community operative thought to be dead but very much alive in South America. This constitutes a pattern of supposedly dead intelligence agents who are working for a new and private intelligence organization whose origins and loyalties are unknown and sinister. With Zack Hightower having been captured on an exfiltration mission, and Zoya Zakharova deep undercover working this mystery from a different angle, Court Gentry, The Gray Man, operating at half his efficiency, is reinstated back into the field to get to the heart of this intelligence nightmare. 

Without giving away too much, this Gray Man adventure has more elements of classic espionage with more spy tradecraft and powerful entities planning political domination through shrewd and plot-twisty measures than the previous Gray Man books. Relentless has become my favorite Gray Man thriller yet, an accomplishment that is no easy feat. The narrative is developed not in a straightforward stretch but through winding twists in the story that will require you to flex your brain like in a good old fashioned espionage story with different perspectives of events that help paint the bigger picture. 

You cannot have a Gray Man story without badass action. Relentless continues the tradition of pulse-pounding and creative action sequences that are second to none. From visceral and detailed shootouts to extremely well-choreographed close quarter combat, Mark Greaney creates a symphony of badass action shootouts and fisticuffs that hold you in the moment. While a sucker for Glock 19, Court also uses a .22 suppressed Walther and a HK VP9 this time around and stacks up body count no less than as he does with his trusty Glock 9mm. I loved how different situations in combat called for different weapons and caliber, augmenting the realistic tone of the combat. The grand action-packed finale is unlike anything you will have read before, and just when you catch a breath of fresh air, you will find out there is more to worry about. Even with a fever and bone infection, Gentry is a lethal and relentless killing machine who has to contend with skilled assassins who are in much better physical health than Gentry.

Court Gentry is vulnerable this time around like we have never seen him before. Court is indeed in love with Zoya Zakharova, something he is neither good at experiencing nor expressing. We see Court and Zoya try to make up for lost time and even though there is some mistrust between them, they form a formidable duo with sparkling chemistry that made me want to see them together more often. At the same time, we also see Court in less-than-optimal condition. There are occurrences where the situation clearly demonstrates just how much out of depth Court is when operating in high stress situations and his body cannot cope. Court still kicks ass and shoots bad guys in the head, just with a lot more body ache and high fever and bleeding wounds.  However, he understands the need to have backup this time around, and this is where Zack Hightower comes in. With friendly banter and an easygoing bond between the two, Court and Zack make a superb duo as both wisecrackers and ass kickers. 

Relentless is undoubtedly going to be in the top 5 books of 2021 and I cannot wait to see where Mark Greaney takes Court Gentry next. The last few pages of the book will shake things up for Court Gentry just when he was settling back in. There are no safety nets in Relentless and the scope is bigger than any Gray Man story yet. Court Gentry is a relentless badass!

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The Treadstone Exile By Joshua Hood

If John Wick ever existed in a book, he’d be Adam Hayes. The Treadstone Exile is a beast of an action thriller, ramping up badass shootouts and hand-to-hand combat in wonderful detail that will please every single action thriller fan out there. You will not go more than a few pages before Adam Hayes takes down his opponents in spectacularly vivid and gruesome shootouts with a myriad of weaponry ranging from 1911 and Beretta 92fs to HK416 and 12-gauge shotgun. This is an action-fest for hardcore readers.

The Treadstone Exile picks up Adam Hayes, a former Treadstone operative on the run after assassinating a US Senator, living life in the shadows after being declared persona non grata. Trying to curb the bloodlust inside him programmed by the scientists in charge of the Treadstone program, he is helping out an NGO in Africa with medication and supplies. His righteous mission puts him right in the middle of a power play of a private intelligence group, a nuisance that Hayes steps willingly into to save the life of a young woman. As Hayes is trying to survive motorcycle chases, brazen ambushes, and petty street crime, the powers that be in Washington D.C put a bullseye on Hayes to cover up the dark history of Treadstone once and for all, sending a highly trained operative out to do the job. The chaos makes for a fun and amped up read when Hayes is dishing out punishment so frequently with so many different antagonists. That chaos however does not make things murky, as the author does a great job of keeping the narrative easy to understand while pumping up the adrenaline more and more.

The highlight of The Treadstone Exile for me was the action. Shootouts and knife fights filled with great tactical and environmental detail to visualize the scenes properly and easily, you will not tire of Adam Hayes kicking ass. At the same time, Hayes is shown to be very much human, compassionate for his wife and kid who he hasn’t seen in a while, curbing his bloodlust to be more than the lethal killing machine he was molded into, and an older man in a world of violence where those in his line of work are generally younger than him. His interactions with his wife, while limited in this book, are still presented with an emotional layer that lets readers know he is more than a cold-blooded killer. I was rooting for him to get back to his family to a life of tranquility. After the violent events of The Treadstone Resurrection, Hayes is trying to put the genie back in the bottle and take a less violent path in life, though that plan backfires spectacularly. We see Hayes falter with an assassin younger and faster than him, but we also see Hayes go to town on the guy with the experience and the training he has received. With so many close calls, the action feels intense and fun, especially with Hayes’s witty remarks and quips in the face of danger. While Adam Hayes is his own character, fans of the original Robert Ludlum series will be able to feel the nostalgia at times, especially when the voice in Hayes’s head guides him to survival and violent retribution, much like it did for Jason Bourne, a byproduct of the Treadstone program. 

I loved the setting of the book. Keeping most of the action in lawless regions of Africa gives Adam Hayes the freedom to wreak havoc without worrying too much about the cops and the law. With such brutal and frequent action, the lawless locale suited the dangerous situations Adam Hayes finds himself in. The locations do span to Washington D.C and Spain, the latter featuring a badass action sequence involving Hayes and his STI Staccato XC. The ending definitely hints at more exotic and exciting locations in the next adventure by Joshua Hood. 

The best advice I can give based on my intense and captivating reading experience of this book, one I devoured in a day, is READ IT! It’s an absolute treat for hardcore action thriller fans and it doesn’t miss the aim of being a fun, fast-paced, adventurous, action-packed escape. 

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Prodigal Son By Gregg Hurwitz

Prodigal Son is an action thriller that truly raises the standards for what encompasses a spectacular action-fest read with such a deeply resonating emotional core. It knocks out of the park all the previous Orphan X novels (no small feat) and establishes itself as THE BEST ORPHAN X NOVEL YET.

The storyline picks up with the shocking revelation at the end of Into The Fire where Evan Smoak gets a call from his mother. A mother he didn’t know he had. Meanwhile, following the events of Into The Fire, Evan Smoak is trying to adjust to a life outside of being The Nowhere Man. Trying to gain some semblance of a normal life and relationships. However, a sinister and dangerous plot involving drones being programmed to make ethical decisions on their own in terms of taking out targets without any human intervention or observation spins a web of a narrative that ends up becoming intimately personal for Evan Smoak, a narrative that digs deep down into Evan’s past as a little boy at the orphanage, and the ripple effects of his childhood extending to present day with some very startling discoveries about his real family, revelations that will surely leave you breathless while they hit like a freight train. The story is tied together with a component of a new danger in the form of self-thinking drones unlike anything Evan has ever faced before, mixing it with a gut-wrenchingly emotional story of family and decisions about responsibilities, making Evan face his deepest desires, taking readers on a journey of Evan’s emotional turmoil under the façade of coolness that Orphan X is known for.

The action, as ever, is absolutely praise-worthy with regards to interesting weapons details and vivid action sequences that are as fast-paced as they are brutal in nature. The finely described ARES 1911 pistol, Evan’s choice of weapon, is imbued somewhat with a sense of intimacy with descriptions about the weapon frame, bullet cartridges, and features such as slide locks and reloading techniques that give readers a great insight into just how deadly proficient Evan Smoak is with a weapon. The action sequences themselves are written with the beauty of allowing visualization of each and every move of Evan Smoak in tactical combat whether it is him breaking a guy’s spinal cord with a flashlight or shooting his opponents while taking a hostile as human shield.

There is also a focus on technological tidbits in this thriller, given that the book pertains to drones, and the technology described in the book is done so in layman terms, which if familiar to readers will jar their memories immediately, and if not familiar to readers, will explain promptly enough to take away any feelings of disarray with the narrative.

The relationship between Evan and Joey, a teenage former member of the Orphan program, is explored further beautifully, as Joey tries to become used to the life of a normal teenage girl, with Evan trying to work through his feelings of protectiveness for Joey. Their banters are warm and hilarious and it adds another level of emotional depth to the story.

Prodigal Son features enigmatic adversaries, both as brains and brawns, with brutal and unforgiving natures that make this arguably the most dangerous outing for Orphan X. Tech guru, murderous siblings, and microdrones capable of locking onto targets and not relenting until the target is destroyed. With a heart-pounding cliffhanger just when things start to seem happy again rocks the entire reading experience to the level of sheer excitement. A must read for action thriller fans for what will be one of the best reads of 2021 without any misgivings about this statement.

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The Enemies Of My Country By Jason Kasper

Ever wondered how an action thriller novel would be that is a cross of the badass shootouts from The Expendables, the high-tech mercenary group from 6 Underground, and a disavowed team operating against both the enemy and the allies on a time crunch to prevent a catastrophe of humongous destruction at the same time of Mission Impossible? That’s the beauty of The Enemies of My Country by Jason Kasper. 

The Enemies of My Country features a high precision low footprint group of ex-mercenaries now working as an unofficial scalpel for the CIA with the unique mindset of focusing on new and budding terrorists and bad guys that have the potential to be the next bin laden, so they can stop the threat there and then. This team is lead by David Rivers, the lead badass protagonist. Even though I have not read the previous David Rivers books, I had no trouble slipping into gear with this adrenaline action fest. The first chapter itself opens with a barrage of Barrett M107 .50 cal rounds coupled with the HK 417’s 7.62 mm rounds as David Rivers and his team try to ambush a target on their hit list. The ambush doesn’t go as planned and the target narrowly escapes. The team later gathers intelligence of a massive missile strike planned against an unknown target in the US on the 4th of July by the Chinese Uyghur dissident who is waging war against the western world with the help of ISIS.  The plot thickens further when David Rivers’ family is somehow tied into the plot, allowing readers to witness a feral and ungodly rage born out of the necessity to protect his family, a choice that may very well be against his directives as a contractor for the CIA. One thing was for certain, until the very last assault from the team, I had no clue what was going to happen. The plot unwound and twisted so well that I could only guess and fail at predicting what would happen next.

The firepower in this action thriller is massive. There are brutal, fast-paced, and extremely well executed action sequences that feel like set pieces out of the Expendables movies with violence and bloodshed without caution. The weaponry and tactical details are well defined to augment the visualization of the shootouts. Every team member is given his due spotlight in the war zones without distracting from the environment of the action.

Even though I jumped into the book without possessing any background knowledge of the characters, I was able to get a great sense of what drives each character to do what they do. It’s uncanny for a character to be so well written that you can pick a later book in the series and still gel with the character.  Each team member fulfills a unique role in the team dynamic, some as basic as the medic, and some as controversial as a somewhat broken moral compass who advocates the team to put aside any concepts of nobility towards their enemies and fight dirty, serving the dark tone of the narrative where the lines blur easily. You always have that sense of unease where a character may cross a line one too far. The writing style is reminiscent of that of Brad Taylor’s Pike Logan series as the first person POV on David switches to third person POV when focusing on other characters. The switch seems seamless and helps to develop the characters rather than focusing solely on one character’s development. 

The antagonist of the story was nt clearly defined or developed in the narrative. However, I feel this to be more of an active decision on the author’s part to keep the mystery going behind the actual benefactor and mastermind of the attack to be perpetrated by the antagonist in this story since there are clues dropped throughout the story where characters mention there has to be a mastermind behind the antagonist who is pulling the strings. I would love to see this mystery uncovered in future action thrillers. 

Authentically described shootouts coupled with fast-paced narrative and a badass and instantly likable legion of shooters and operators make for one of the best action-packed reads you must read in 2021.  I highly enjoyed The Enemies of My Country by Jason Kasper and I am intrigued to check out prior books by him.

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Savage Road By Chris Hauty

Savage Road is a well-planned and well-executed conspiracy thriller with copious amounts of shocking and game-changing twists at every plot turn. A worthy successor to Deep State, Savage Road will keep you hooked onto the book with the riveting plot, exciting espionage, unpredictable game-changing twists, intriguing characters with shadowy agendas, and a protagonist who’s equally as smart as she is badass!

Savage Road is the story of modern day warfare. A war not fought among clearly stated nations with nuclear weapons and other conventional weapons, but among shadowy entities with a greater weapon; computer code. Coding and programming play vital roles in this narrative, as the antagonist wrecks havoc on American lives through smartly written and dangerously executed computer code, made possible due to shocking and scary vulnerabilities in public utilities.

Hayley Chill is now working as a full time staffer at White House, secretly managing the Russian mole she turned as an asset against the Russians, the President of the United States. As the string of computer exploits bring about deaths and destructions with no clear attribution but lots of heated debates pointing fingers to Russia, it’s up to Hayley Chill and her fellow Deeper State operative, April Wu, to find the hacker and put an end to his shenanigans before the next unthinkable act occurs. The copious amounts of unpredictable and excellently jaw-dropping twists and turns are second to none.

While the narrative isn’t exactly action packed, the author still showcases Hayley Chill’s readiness towards violence in a showcase of after effects of Chill’s brutal antics. There is one badass hand to hand combat sequence where Chill takes on a Cuban operative, only armed with a fist full of keys utilized in fashion that will make the action fans and fanatics giddy.

Hayley Chill continues to shine as a strong, independent character whose emotional vulnerabilities and demons are explored, especially when she has a personal and unresolved trauma from her past in this storyline. Her cool under fire, and calm demeanor are ever present, but so is the rage bubbling underneath her calm façade. It’s a fascinating perspective that is a treat for the readers. Her banter with April Wu, her Deeper State somewhat reluctant peer, is a great one, with lots of witty exchanges and some profound emotional growth in the relationship between the two characters. I would definitely love to see more of April Wu in the future.

Savage Road is an unpredictable, fast-paced, character and plot driven thriller with lots of computer science and computer engineering tidbits that have been researched thoroughly enough to make a computer science undergrad like me relate to the programming aspects and the vulnerabilities of the systems. The what if scenarios brought to life in the events of the book are hauntingly eerie to imagine, and reaffirm the need to have people like Hayley Chill watching out for us. Hayley Chill is here to stay for good. A must-read thriller, with a hopeful positive aftermath of COVID to lift our spirits up.

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The Deeper Shadow By A.M. Adair

The Deeper Shadow is a violent espionage narrative with a lethal and unhinged female operative as the protagonist chasing down some unsavory characters linked to Daesh. From the very beginning, the story embraces a dark tone with the focus on Elle Anderson, who recently escaped captivity and torture at the hands of a terrorist. Even though her body recovers fairly quickly, the mental scars haunt her throughout the story, adding unpredictability to an already volatile and unorthodox Elle on a mission she may not be fully prepared for.

The narrative keeps the spotlight on Elle, allowing readers to gel with the character not only in terms of her background but also with her thought processes and her trauma which elevate the gravitas of what she has been through as well as the uncertainty of what she will go through in The Deeper Shadow. It’s refreshing to read new badass female operatives who take the fight to the bad guys. Elle is well-versed in hand-to-hand combat and firearms as demonstrated extremely well by A.M. Adair in crisp and grounded action sequences. 

I enjoyed the singular focus on one baddie in this narrative instead of Elle rushing through targets on her list. A.M. Adair utilizes the singular focus to shed insightful details of undercover work, no doubt mirroring her own experiences. It also allowed for deeper character developments on both sides of the coin leading to shocking twists and turns.

The ending is literally explosive with a badass action sequence, ending on a cliffhanger that promises lots more action and retribution in Elle Anderson’s next outing. If you’re a fan of Red Sparrow and Atomic Blonde, The Deeper Shadow is a fantastic fusion of the two.

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Drone Strike By David Austin

I went into Drone Strike with high expectations, and I was extremely pleased by the end. With a realistic, contemporary, and adrenaline pumping threat scenario centered around the horrific idea of a weapons-capable UAV done hijacked by an enemy state with a nefarious agenda that goes beyond simply reverse engineering the UAV, the high stakes up-shift the action, the characters, and the thrills. Couple the narrative with a kickass protagonist that is Joe Matthews, and you have a must-read action thriller.

I enjoy how the story picks up not too far after the events of the first book, so that the events of the first book still resonate within both the readers and the characters, and continue to evolve the characters with the horrifying events of the first book in a humbling manner. The prospect of Russia, a country without any weapons-capable UAVs daringly hacking and hijacking a US Reaper drone with a sinister purpose to turn the middle eastern nations and the entire world against America while deepening Russian roots into the Middle East feels like not too far-fetched. It is a bold plan, and so is its undertaking, making for an unpredictable and exciting read. The elements of Protective outfits, as the one Joe Matthews leads, for case officers of CIA as well as diplomatic members and foreign assets are written with the finesse that comes from strong research and first-hand experiences. The research into Drone capabilities and the technology behind the drones of different countries adds to the plausibility of the bold narrative of the book as well as engages readers with interesting bits of information for general knowledge of the current geopolitical situations and drone technology.

After Tehran’s Vengeance, I was looking forward to high quality action sequences, and those were exactly what were delivered. The book offers shootouts and hand-to-hand combat involving technically and tactically sound sequences written with the vigor of capturing the chaotic and dangerous crux of firefights and close quarters combat. Joe Matthews is as lethal with his bare hands as he is with his Glock 19 and HK 416. Each member of Joe Matthews’ outfit felt well described and imbued with distinctive personalities that made it easy for me to relate to the characters. Each team member holds his/her weight in the narrative. From the very first brutal shootout, it is clear that no one is safe in a firefight, lending to the unpredictability of the entire narrative.

One of the best things about Drone Strike is how easy and natural it feels to read through the book. The sentences are written with an ease about them, written in a way that one can read through them fast while keeping track of everything that happens in the story.

Drone Strike is not a simple action thriller. The emotions run high in the story, with the idea of members of Protective Outfits putting their lives on the lines to protect their principles conveyed in such a heartfelt manner that one can not help but be one with the characters and admire the bravery of real-life members of Protective outfits.

Drone Strike kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I would describe Drone Strike as an action-packed, geopolitical, character-driven, audacious and contemporary narrative thriller that does not let up for even a little bit. This is a book that must be read only when the plans for the next few days are cleared out, because it would be impossible to put the book down. I tried to evaluate anything that I felt could be done better with the book, but I came up empty. Drone Strike is as great an action thriller with a fantastic protagonist and superb storyline as a thriller can get.

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Time To Hunt By Simon Gervais

Time To Hunt is NOT a book one can miss on. Despite my best efforts to savor the book at a leisurely pace, the fast pace and non-stop high adrenaline shootouts and brutal hand to hand combat had me hooked in tight. Not just the action, but also the constant jaw dropping twists and lack of security for almost all involved characters had me turning pages to find out what would happen next.

The story picks up right after the cliffhanger of Trained To Hunt, with Hunt deciding to undertake a CIA operation to rescue his friend, Charlie Henican, who was kidnapped by Turkish authorities while on mission to find and kill Jorge Ramirez, the antagonist from Trained To Hunt who had a big hand in killing many young athletes in US through a supply of lethal amphetamines. However, the mission is not as straightforward as it may seem, with unexpected betrayals and moles within the mission that create confusion and a smoke screen through which Hunt has to navigate to get to the heart of the conspiracy while Hunt has to decide who he can trust. I would talk more about the entertaining and exciting plot, but that would spoil the fun of unexpected twists and turns in the book. I will say this, it is the ingenuity of the author to have one of the moles’ character develop in a manner that it isn’t as black and white of a decision to label the mole as an evil character, not only for the readers but also for Hunt and his team.

The action is top-notch with accurate and descriptive weaponry in shootouts and high visual appeal in the way the sequences are written so much so that the reader feels right in the middle of the shootouts and fisticuffs. One of the major accomplishments in the action sequences is the infusion of emotions into the action. Hunt and Ramirez exchange blows and shots on more than one occasion and the author does an excellent job of setting up the appropriate tension between the two adversaries and how that anger seeps into the action sequences involving the two of them, making for highly cinematic showdowns.

Another great idea explored in the book is Hunt’s vulnerability as an aging operator. With all the shootouts and brutal combat he is involved in, the book dawns on his thoughts of his own mortality as the events beg the question of how long his body and mind can keep taking the punishment before he cracks. It’s an intriguing idea and its execution paints Hunt as a grounded protagonist.

The locations in Time to Hunt are of global scale, including locales such as The Bahamas, Turkey, and Switzerland. I enjoyed the change in locations from the previous novels and it added to the exotic and dangerous narrative of Time to Hunt with a touch of espionage and spy thriller vibes.

Time to Hunt is hands down one of the best books of 2020, and continues to elevate Pierce Hunt higher in the list of the best characters in the genre. With an exciting and twists filled plot, riveting action, interesting and enjoyable characters, this is a clear winner! A must-read in every sense.

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The Sentinel By Andrew Child

It is said a Jack Reacher book is sold worldwide every 9 seconds. It’s not a stretch to believe, given the tremendous love for Lee Child’s crisp prose and ingenious sleuthing stories set in grim towns that make for a chilly ambiance. Going into the book with high hopes for excellence, The Sentinel still managed to blast through my sky high expectations with a wonderfully fast but not rushed pace, killer dialogues especially for Reacher, extremely fun action sequences tailored for Reacher’s huge physique, and a highly captivating plot with big twists and turns. 

Jack Reacher hitches a ride to a small town in central Tennessee where he finds an IT specialist walking into an ambush. In typical Reacher fashion, he jumps in to save the innocent man and later learns about the sinister agenda brewing in the town involving Nazis, Russian spies, and the US elections. In terms of the stakes, this is a far grander story than other Reacher stories, but still retains the grounded vibe of a story set in a small town, allowing Reacher the opportunity to wreak havoc on the bad guys without worrying about the big brother elements of a bigger urban city. 

The Sentinel is Andrew Child’s first take on Jack Reacher, taking over from his brother, Lee Child. For anyone uncertain about Reacher’s future, there is no cause for alarm. Andrew Child not only understands the foundations of what makes Jack Reacher so great, but adds a freshness to those traits. Reacher’s intimidating yet witty and elegant dialogues are delightful and in abundance. In contrast to some of the previous Reacher stories, there is a lot more action in The Sentinel, written in highly entertaining prose where Reacher goes through the bad guys like a knife through butter. Even with Reacher’s almost infallible combat moves, the narrative never loses momentum due to the cinematic nature of the fight scenes. The final sequence has Reacher fighting a grizzly Russian in an extremely well written street style brawl that shows why Reacher is a true badass.

The Sentinel is an extraordinary thriller that revitalizes Jack Reacher as a charismatic, witty, and dangerous protagonist. The narrative wastes no time in setting up and there is never a dull moment. A tremendous treat for longtime fans of the series as well as new readers. 

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The Hidden Vector By Mathew Snyder

The Hidden Vector is a fantastic fast-paced action-packed paranoia-inducing debut by Mathew Snyder. If you’ve been reading through a wordy book and you need a change of pace with a highly entertaining actioner, then this is the book for you. The action picks up literally just a few pages in, and continues to romp up as you go along for the ride. Shootouts, car chases, and hand-to-hand combat are all present in copious amounts for a guaranteed adrenaline-pumping experience that compliments a trust-no-one narrative which dives into one of our greatest fears of all time now; biological threats.

Without spoiling the crafty twists and turns of the narrative, readers are introduced to Ethan Pierce, a CIA targeting officer, who is tasked with investigating a downed passenger jet after it was hijacked by a Chechen group of armed combatants. Little does Ethan know; the bombing was a smokescreen for the kidnapping of an Iranian scientist who has the capability to manufacture the Marburg virus in an even more devastating fashion. Ethan has to investigate the disappearance of the scientist whilst dealing with the possibility that there is a mole within the CIA who is working with the mysterious group that is using the scientists for a nefarious bidding. The story is far from straightforward as it shifts with shocking twists and turns just when you think you’ve gotten the plot down. Unpredictability is a powerful tool that Snyder utilizes wonderfully in this debut.

The action is well-written and easy to read through with the right amount of description to help visualize the shootouts extremely well. Even though Ethan holds his ground admirably, he is not as trained as an operator as Mitch Rapp, Pike Logan, and Court Gentry. The vulnerability gives way to a keen sense of danger lurking around at every corner with the stark possibility that things may not work out as well as we hope, especially when he is battling an assassin who manages to overpower him considerably. It definitely paves a roadmap of character development for future books by Snyder.

Ethan Pierce is not a two-dimensional character, rather he has layers to his personality and trauma that may resonate with readers. I loved his emotional vulnerability that reminded me of the dire stakes of the story and the constant threats to Ethan in his investigation. It’s a trait I admire in characters and I enjoyed the book immensely because the protagonist didn’t seem infallible, but rather very human even as he survived countless shootouts.

I am very excited to read more of Ethan Pierce in the future and I am confident readers will enjoy The Hidden Vector immensely. I only wish I had read it sooner!

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Total Power By Kyle Mills (Vince Flynn)

Total Power was my most awaited action thriller of 2020, and I couldn’t have imagined it to be this spectacular. I burned through the pages in essentially one sitting and I have not done that for any book yet. The incredibly well-handled fast pace of the book deserves a one-sitting read.

Mitch Rapp books are no strangers to scaring readers with plausible horrific scenarios, some often taking shape in reality in some form or way (Lethal Agent and Coronavirus). What if this time around Mitch Rapp couldn’t stop the horrible event from happening? THAT is Total Power. The sheer brilliance of the story and the events that unfold are testament to Kyle Mills’ praiseworthy efforts to keep Mitch Rapp on the throne of the action thriller genre. Total Power involves a sinister plot to target the US power grids which end up plunging the entire country into darkness and utter chaos. Mitch Rapp operates in the dark quite literally this time around, no longer in the sun baked deserts of Middle East, but on his home turf in US. This time around Mitch Rapp can’t prevent the attack, but he must fix it. How he does it, is quite unconventional and an absolute mind-blowing experience to read. The mission parameters are unlike any before. The hiccups and difficulties in restoring the power of an entire country before it all implodes make Rapp's life all the more difficult.

Every time I read a Mitch Rapp book, I tell myself this is the most awesome Mitch Rapp can get. Total Power continues the tradition of dissuading me of this illusion. Total Power is all the evidence one needs to realize Mitch Rapp is still on top of the game. The action sequences are top-notch with adrenaline-inducing descriptions of the sequences and WOW factors throughout. Mitch Rapp is still just as lethal with his trusty suppressed Glock 19. There are moments of sheer awe where Rapp deals with his adversaries in some of the coolest and badass ways I have ever read.

One of the many enjoyable aspects of Total Power is the bond between Scott and Mitch. Total Power depicts their friendship and camaraderie wonderfully with great dialogues and conversations between the characters. Even with so many moving parts in the story, the interactions between Rapp and his allies make up a strong emotional anchor in a story about a wildly scary scenario.

The plot is an ingenious one with so many cogs working simultaneously to create the bigger picture. The cogs all connect as the pages fly by, combining each piece of the puzzle without overwhelming readers. The puzzle pieces are put together through a great combination of investigative works and careful deductions on the good guys’ part instead of convenient coincidences. The deductions and investigations allow for a great display of Mitch Rapp’s mental ingenuity in addition to his physical prowess and skills with firearms.

Total Power is undoubtedly a top contender for the best action thriller of 2020. The fast-pace, jarring narrative, heart-pumping action, sadistic plot, and legendary Mitch Rapp to put an end to the evil, all collectively make for an incredible read that will reverberate through the foreseeable future. Mitch Rapp is back and better than ever.

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Rogue State By Ross Sidor

In the saturated ocean of action thrillers, only a handful of gems hit the perfect mark right off the bat. Rogue State is one of these gems. Ross Sidor writes a gripping race-against-time espionage with high testosterone and nuclear weapons in the hands of egomaniacs. 

Rogue State continues the story of Avery, a formidable CIA contractor who lands head first in a dangerous scheme concocted by Saudi’s crown prince and an unhinged former Navy SEAL to import nuclear weapons from Pakistan against signed treaties and sanctions. Avery and his team are tasked to exotic and dangerous locations in the Middle East to extract a journalist with information that Saudi forces and mercenaries will kill to prevent from leaking. What seemingly appears to be a simple extraction turns complicated when the unhinged navy SEAL turns out to be someone whom Avery had crossed paths with in the past with disastrous results. Without spoiling the twists and turns, which are plentiful, there isn’t a single resting point for readers once they begin reading. 

The action is relentlessly paced in superb gunfights and hand-to-hand combat sequences expressed in perfect balance of weaponry details and execution. Each gunshot reverberates through the pages and each slice-and-dice of sharp knives and tomahawks may result in paper cuts as one flips the pages with high adrenaline. Ross Sidor does a superb job of displaying Avery’s finesse with all sorts of weapons as well as fisticuffs without making him less human, an element I find overlooked in quite a few other thrillers.  The climax sequence is a grand action set-piece with good guys chasing the bad guys in combat dune buggies packed with heavy weaponry in the Sudanese desert.

What shines brighter than both action and story is Ross Sidor’s dedicated and intensive research of the locales and subject matter, which adds a rare layer of strong credibility to the fantastic plot, bolstering the story with real world events and insights behind the scenes of nation states with fishy alliances without force feeding an outdated propaganda. Avery himself is as far from a trope as possible. His traits and drives are more relatable towards self-preservation not only for the body, but also for the soul. As a contractor, he fights not for a flag but for what is right, a distinction Sidor makes great use of by establishing Avery as a multi-layered character. 

Rogue State is a must-read for action thriller fans with a desire for smarter stories, bigger action, and unclichéd protagonists. If you haven’t read Ross Sidor, you’re missing out on one of the masters of geopolitical action thrillers. 

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The Buffalo Pilot By Lawrence A. Colby

The Buffalo Pilot is an intriguing tale of corruption and crime, set in the backdrop of politics and Jet fuel.

The story revolves around a congressman being blackmailed by a crime mob to close down a US Air Force Reserve base. With a sinister right hand of the congressman planning devastating means of making sure the base gets closed down, Ford Stevens and Charlie Stevens get wrapped up in a dangerous plot. Ford Stevens is the commander of the air refueling squadron at the base, with his younger brother Charlie joining the squadron to follow in his brother’s footsteps. Both brothers have their arcs in the book as the plot thickens.

As mentioned above, the narrative also runs on jet fuel, and as such, there is a good amount of technical details and inner workings pertaining to jet planes and refueling measures, as well as interesting flight sequences that give an insight into the smooth but at times dangerous functioning of huge refueling aircraft.

I enjoyed the focus on gritty crime vibe with the integration of politics and gangs. The right hand man of the congressman trying to shut the air base down, is definitely a stand-out character in terms of disturbing behavior and scary personality. An absolutely evil antagonist who gives a great challenge to the Stevens brothers.

I became quickly acquainted with the characters and invested emotionally in them, despite jumping in directly into the third book. The characters are fun to read, especially the Stevens brothers. Each brother has his own charisma, with Ford being more comfortable in his role as the commander of the squadron and Charlie learning to adapt to the demanding environment of the air base as well as learning to live up to the reputation of being Ford’s younger brother.

I believe the interactions between characters could have been a bit more natural in terms of dialogues. The dialogues felt fine in writing but not when being imagined as spoken words in the narrative.

The narrative does pack a gut-wrenching ending that had me shook as I read through it. While it does not have a strong emphasis on action, the story is a crime thriller at heart and the constant plot twists and turns add to the captivating vibe emanating from the book.

All in all, The Buffalo Pilot is a great crime thriller with lots of interesting tidbits about jets, and I enjoyed reading through the book.

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Assassin's Strike By Ward Larsen

Assassin’s Strike is what an action-espionage-thriller should be. With an engaging storyline, interesting characters, cinematic action sequences, and crisp chapters, there is no putting the book down until you’ve read the book.

Assassin’s Strike sees the return of David Slaton, a formidable and lethal assassin who is taking contracts for CIA in return for protection for his family. Slaton is no stranger to being tasked with taking out high-profile targets, only this time, his mission is to save his target. From herein begins the extraction of an interpreter for the Russian president, who has time sensitive information about a sinister biological attack. Without spoiling more, the narrative kicks into high gear, with Slaton on his own to extract the interpreter from hostile territory. From the very beginning, the book takes on an espionage and geopolitical tone with high accuracy. Every aspect of the book from the geopolitical relations, to the nitty gritty vibe of the streets and deserts of Syria and Sudan amongst other Middle Eastern cities, felt authentic and thoroughly researched. The tensions are kept on high, and the reader is kept glued to the book. Each moment in the book has significant consequences throughout the narrative. The build-up wastes no time in gripping the reader tight in its grasps.

David Slaton continues to evolve not only as a lethal operator, right up there with the likes of Mitch Rapp, Scot Harvath, and the Fraternity of badass heroes, but also as a complex and life-like character. The book asks and answers the burning question of Slaton’s psyche, why does he put himself in harm’s way even without being asked to, knowing he has the option to stay back with his family? The way his inner conflict is developed and resolved in the book is really enjoyable to read. Ofcourse, David Slaton thriller wouldn’t be one without some great action.

The action in Assassin’s Strike is worthy of David Slaton’s lethality. Slaton composes brilliant works of art with his personal favorite MP5. The shootouts and action sequences are realistically written and read like sequences in a big Hollywood production. Definitely some ingenious sequences handled superbly by the author. The climax is definitely going to have you panicking and biting your nails. Some of the best things about Assassin’s Strike, are the smart action sequences incorporating brand new never-seen-before technological advancements in the field for Slaton, as well as ingenuity on Slaton’s part where he works on the fly against all odds. These sequences not only make for a memorable read, but further establish Slaton as not only a formidable assassin, but also a brilliant tactician.

With a plot that packs some shocking twists and reveals about the antagonist and his grand plan with the usage of biological weapons, there is no shortage of WOW moments. I personally loved the short and crisp chapters, which made the read even more invigorating as I burned through the chapters wanting to read more and more without feeling overwhelmed. David Slaton is a protagonist capable of conveying strong feelings of emotions as well as terror and fear through his actions and words, as well as through his patient and tactical maneuvers.

I highly recommend reading Assassin’s Strike, it is one of the top reads of 2020 and it will please all action thriller fans with its smart plot, great characters, and fantastic action.

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The Stranger By Simon Conway

The Stranger is a gut-wrenchingly realistic tale of cutthroat espionage escapades of the modern world where immoral acts in the state of war have profound consequences that ripple throughout the world. Simon Conway throws caution to the wind as he writes depraved villains and struggling heroes, neither of which conform to stereotypes, along with scary situations that feel researched to the point that they seem highly believable. 

Jude Lyon, an MI6 agent, is unknowingly complicit in a dirty cover-up where an innocent Syrian is imprisoned for violent acts he did not commit. When the Syrian is broken out of prison, the intelligence members that perpetrated the cover-up task Jude with finding the prisoner discreetly by any means necessary, including liaising with shady characters in dangerous parts of the world. Racked with guilt over the idea of condemning an innocent man to torture, Jude veers off reservation to find out the truth about cover-up. What he finds may make him the ultimate target.

Simon Conway keeps readers unequivocally and completely immersed in the narrative with a plethora of uber-realistic characters and extremely shocking twists and turns that keep the ingenious story engaging throughout. His meticulous research into intelligence apparatuses adds to the realism of how global headlines transpire behind the scenes in different countries in sensible manner, a far cry from the naïve prospect of one man or woman gunning around the world with overplayed ideals. The mystique of the terrorists’ endgame perseveres until the very last moment, adding not only to the thrill of figuring out their plan, but also to the dreadful horror of the uncertainty of the events to follow. Jude Lyon’s frustration and inner turmoil are aptly highlighted to make him a relatable and sympathetic protagonist with a checkered past.

The Stranger is a smart thriller perfectly suited for readers who want something out of the box with their next book. I was hopelessly wrong with my prediction for its ending and I don’t come across too many thrillers that truly surprise me. Imagine a story in the vein of I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes but even scarier and twisted, and you get The Stranger.

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