Last Target Standing By Jason Kasper

Last Target Standing is a surprising treat for military action thriller fans best described as the much more realistic and interesting version of “The Expendables”, with constant shootouts and a one-setting premise utilized to near perfection by Jason Kasper.

After the events of The Enemies of My Country, a ragtag team of violently talented CIA contractors are on the bloodthirsty hunt for a person of interest who had concocted an attack on American soil on the 4th of July. Their mission takes them into the treacherous rugged mountains of China’s Xinjiang Province, an area filled with opium smugglers and Chinese secret agents. The story plays out entirely around the team’s insertion into the region and the subsequent mission that is plagued with the infamous Murphy’s Law as the team contends with twisty accidents and constant showdowns with enemy combatants, resulting in detailed adrenaline-pumping action sequences written with razor-sharp authenticity that is found only in the finest of action thrillers. 

Jason Kasper’s experiences as a former Green Beret immensely help to set a captivating tone for remarkable characters that fit the real-world modern-day escapades of deniable assets sent behind enemy lines. Far from cliched tropes, each member of the CIA contractor team is distinctive and extremely fun albeit dark to read. The narrative changes POV frequently between the different characters to help readers connect with each team member in a unique fashion. The dynamic nature of the team’s mission with utmost unpredictability hooks readers in from the very beginning.

With an arching storyline that is preserved to be told over multiple books, Last Target Standing entertains with high action and tense situations brimming with realistic challenges for the “good” guys to overcome, and a fascinating backdrop ripped right from the most current worldwide news.

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KGB Banker By William Burton McCormick And John Christmas

KGB Banker is a riveting and suspenseful story with a powerful message to do the right thing even when the odds are stacked against you. 

Financial executive Bob Vanags yearns to explore his heritage tracing back to the country of Latvia. He takes a job at the biggest bank in-country, enticed by the bank’s promise of cleaning up its public image. When he starts digging into the company’s history, he comes across dangerous revelations that mark him for death by shadowy killers and corrupt oligarchs in Moscow operating hand in hand with the bank. Bob and his son must uncover the conspiracy, working with a tenacious journalist who is as lethal as she is resourceful in chasing down leads for a killer story. With treacherous twists and turns, there is no moment to relax as William McCormick keeps the momentum racing.

There’s a strong sense of realism resonating from both the characters and how the story is framed. The inherent dangers of whistleblowing are highlighted without laying down any unbelievable safety nets. The narrative unwraps at a steady pace, spending appropriate time on explaining the motivations of the characters without lingering on any unnecessary points. The action picks up in the second half as the conspirators deem Bob a threat and take drastic measures to take him out of the picture.  The setting of Bob and his son on the run along with the journalist is imbued with striking visuals of Nordic locales where you can feel the chilly breeze in your hair as you read through the pages at breakneck pace.

For die-hard fans of conspiracy thrillers with plausible scenarios and appealing characters, KGB Banker is a must-read dose of high adrenaline in the world of financial empire.

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

Pantheon 2: Ares and Athena is a superb follow-up to KR Paul’s strong debut that incorporated cinematic science fiction elements into the modern day espionage-political setting. 

Set immediately after the events of the first book, Valerie Hall, AKA Athena, is recovering from a gunshot wound after encountering Russian operatives like her with the special ability to “jump” or teleport. At the same time, a tough-as-nails Marine Murphy Hawkins is pinned down by the enemy under heavy fire when the stress unlocks his latent ability to teleport his men to safety. With this new discovery, the Pantheon organization sets to work on molding the initially stubborn and not so likable character into an interesting and likable personality. While Pantheon is focused on the new recruit, a power-hungry senator with twisted views on national security hatches a plot with white supremacists to carry out terrorist attacks in an effort to increase defense funding, particularly to militarize Pantheon. Can Pantheon prevent the attack on innocents at the risk of exposing their true nature to the public? 

Paul offers gradual and impactful character development and a roller coaster of emotions. The novel builds a connection between readers and characters, so the gut-wrenching twists and the unforeseen ending hits hard.

An exquisite aspect of the Pantheon series that KR Paul has beefed up immensely in this sequel is the surprisingly grounded portrayal of the teleportation superpowers. Instead of making the superhuman characters immediately all powerful, KR Paul highlights the vulnerabilities that come with having the ability to go anywhere in the blink of an eye, particularly the extraordinary exertion on the body, while incrementally introducing further abilities to keep the ball rolling with exciting revelations and surprises as the Pantheon operators discover themselves in well-written emotional crises uniquely suited to each character’s predicaments.

Culminating in a game-changing emotionally intense finale, Pantheon 2 is a highly entertaining read that follows a great recipe for creating a grounded sci-fi military-styled thriller with roots for more grand action-packed showdowns in the future.  

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Left For Dead By Sean Parnell

Sean Parnell is no stranger to writing solid action sequences with gripping descriptions of explosive shootouts and terrifyingly bloody hand to hand combat. The action ramps up big time as Eric Steele is brought back into The Program, a covert outfit designed to operate in the shadows, to combat a Chinese threat against US interests. Unbeknownst to America, a fanatical Chinese Imperialist group plans to launch a false flag operation against US forces using a weaponized version of Covid-19 in order to start a war between the two countries. Eric Steele is ordered to go behind enemy lines to rescue a Chinese biological expert who has the necessary information to prevent another pandemic.

The well-written action is undoubtedly the highlight of the narrative. The relentless pace in the race against time situation causes the characters and the storyline to lack proper development; the characters felt a bit cliche at times, and the story could have been explored more in depth to create a more engaging villain and a stronger impression of dire stakes. 

Left for Dead is an action-packed experience that keeps the wheels turning for adrenaline fans, complimented by interesting twists that are sure to have profound effects for Steele in the future books.

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The Island By Ben Coes

The Island is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Ben Coes is back with an action-packed narrative that pulls back no punches and propels an insane number of slugs flying in all directions as Hezbollah executes an audacious plan to take out the US President by isolating the entire island of Manhattan while fulfilling another nefarious agenda that has catastrophic consequences for the world. Dewey Andreas is not alone this time, teaming up with a select few Tier One specified NOCs, including the fan favorite Rob Tacoma, to infiltrate the Hezbollah cordon and save the day. Imagine a rendition of Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn but on a wider scale with more action and an even more nefarious endgame. 

Ben Coes backs up the fictional aspects with the necessary facts about weapons, tactics, and technology to keep the scales from tipping too far into the region of unbelievable. There is no wasted moment in the story as each paragraph emphatically conveys the carnage and chaos of the attack.  The storyline feels fresh and does a good job of breaking out of the cliched trope while tackling the same subject matter by focusing more on the action and the psychological consequences of the bloodshed, highlighting a brilliant epiphany that rings a bell with today’s worldwide headlines.  

Dewey Andreas goes full Rambo and racks up a glorious body count with his MP7 and M1911.  The action sequences are some of the finest in the series, keeping the adrenaline high throughout with active as opposed to passive shootouts along with detailing the weaponry precisely for a vivid reader to thoroughly enjoy the relentless action. Even knowing that Dewey Andreas cannot die as he is the formidable protagonist, Ben Coes does a commendable job of making Andreas more human than superhuman as he bleeds, weakens, and slows down over time but still manages to persevere through his expert training and survival instincts. The action is made even better with the deadly quips we have come to expect from Dewey right before he shoots a bad guy in the head.

The Island is a smart narrative that stands out with gruesome action, brilliant plotting, and lively characters. I’d say it is my favorite Ben Coes book yet!

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Down Range By Taylor Moore

Down Range marks Taylor Moore’s fantastic debut in the thrillerverse with superb action sequences and a warm center around a chaotic turn of events that kick off in Afghanistan where Garrett Kohl, a kickass DEA undercover agent, surveils a drug operation. Under orders to not interfere, he disobeys his directives to save the life of a young boy running away from the drug runners. Now tasked with taking care of the boy to use as a witness for the horrific massacre of his family, Kohl takes the boy to Texas to keep an eye on him. When the Kohl family reunion unearths a dangerous link between the cartel and Kohl’s brother, Garrett searches for answers before the situation escalates beyond control.

Taylor Moore gives a brilliant insight into the lifestyle in the mountainous regions of Texas with characters and backstories befitting the Texan style. Horses, windmills, vast properties for the locals; I felt myself right there in the wilderness with Taylor Moore’s vivid writing.

The action hits fast and hard with well-written action sequences that pump you full of adrenaline.  The weaponry is given its due details without overwhelming the casual reader with too much information.  The cinematic nature of the action sequences, especially the final big shootout involving helicopter chases and relentless shootouts in the chilly blizzard, are prime for big screen adaptation. 

Taylor Moore’s efforts towards creating a likable and multi-layered protagonist to anchor the story pays off handsomely. Garrett Kohl is most aptly described as a unique modern-day gunslinger with a gentle demeanor that makes you root for him in both physical and emotional encounters. His gradually developing bond with the young boy from Afghanistan is beautifully heartfelt, exuding positive vibes towards the readers and making Down Range more than an ordinary action thriller. 

With such an exciting debut, Taylor Moore has made it clear that there is a new sheriff in town and it’s clear he has big plans to make Garrett Kohl a household name.

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Bullet Train By Kotaro Isaka

Bullet Train is the lovechild of Guy Ritchie’s multiple simultaneous character driven plotlines and Quentin Tarantino’s dark situational humor and gruesome violence. The entire narrative takes place onboard a Japanese bullet train, packing the story and action in one setting for a riveting experience. An ex-assassin boards the train to find a teenager who pushed his son off a roof. An unlucky assassin codenamed Ladybug has to steal a briefcase from a pair of assassins, Tangerine and Lemon, who are transporting the son of a known kingpin. What starts as a seemingly disconnected narrative starts to manifest into a brilliantly woven web of connected characters and motivations as the story progresses, mirroring the best of Guy Ritchie crime thrillers like Snatch, and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. 

The action is fast and dirty, with the assassins throwing quick jabs, elbows, and kicks at each other without drawing too much attention. This predicament creates hilarious situational humor where the assassins act more hastily and violent than suave and smooth, reminiscent of when things go south in Quentin Tarantino’s movies. One such instance is a fun hand-to-hand combat sequence where the assassins are seated in adjacent seats to attract less attention from the passengers. However, the book is more accurately geared towards mystery fans who appreciate jolting twists and turns that indeed hit like a bullet train. 

The essence of the book are the characters. Each of the assassins are fleshed out thoughtfully with multiple layers of character building. The standout character is the villain, a grim psychopathic teenager who tends to outwit the adults around him and force them to do his bidding. What could have been a laughable aspect of the story turned out to be quite dark as the narrative takes a deep dive into the mind of such a despicable and unsettling character and gives a contemplative insight into his motivations.

Bullet Train is a clever action/mystery thriller that is proof of the vast talent pool of thriller authors on an international scale.

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Assassin's Dawn By Ward Larsen

David Slaton is one of the best literary action heroes with a complex grip on traumatic emotions that drive him to gruesome violence. Assassin’s Dawn gives readers a better insight into his beginnings as a bloodthirsty Mossad assassin on the warpath for all those who had a hand in the murders of his wife and two-year old daughter. 

Taking place before David Slaton found himself in the frigid waters of Atlantic Ocean in Ward Larsen’s debut, Assassin’s Dawn details a much rawer side to him as he focuses solely on becoming the best assassin in order to exact his vengeance. Slaton is on a Mossad operation in Europe to surveil the brother of his family’s killer when the mission goes awry and the Mossad team has to exfiltrate. Not willing to let go of his target’s scent, Slaton hatches a bold and risky plan to land a devastating blow to the terrorist organization and follow through with his promise of vengeance.

Assassin’s Dawn shines with nail-biting tension, fast-paced action and an extremely satisfying and bloody finale. David Slaton was due a killer origin story and Ward Larsen delivers big time with a tremendously entertaining account of the mission that made David Slaton the Perfect Assassin.

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The Bourne Treachery By Brian Freeman

The Bourne Treachery is a superb fast-paced follow-up to the recently rebooted ‘The Bourne Evolution’ which came out last year. Jason Bourne felt more closely aligned with the killer we have come to love from Robert Ludlum’s original awe-inspiring trilogy. The profound twists throughout the story felt reminiscent of Robert Ludlum’s shock-and-awe style of writing and shook the entire narrative to its core. 

Jason Bourne goes after a notorious and enigmatic terrorist known to the intelligence community only as Lennon. With a penchant for John Lennon’s music along with twisted lust for violence, brainwashing, and staying anonymous, he proves to be just as great of a threat as Carlos The Jackal from Bourne’s past, if not greater. As Bourne fights his way out of sticky situations, he can’t shake the feeling Lennon is someone from his amnesia-stricken past. From the first chapter itself, there is a big showdown in the making with two lethal killers trying to outfox each other and share a past that Bourne may not remember until it is too late. 

The non-stop action is a mix of deathly fisticuffs and shootouts which continue to demonstrate Bourne’s badassery in high spirits from the Ludlum books. I did find the lack of descriptions for weapons to be a little out of character for Jason Bourne stories. Weapons help develop an action-icon just as much as any other personality trait. The nomenclature and descriptions of weapons also allow for a more realistic visualization of action sequences, an aspect the next Jason Bourne action thriller can immensely benefit from.

I loved that the story developed smoothly over the narrative, tying up the necessary events but leaving the larger mystery for the next book. Even decades later, Jason Bourne continues to be a must-read action-icon thanks to a much-needed rejuvenation by Brian Freeman. A wisdom nugget: read the last chapter while listening to Extreme Ways by Moby. You’re welcome!

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Traitors By Alex Shaw

Traitors is an undeniable summer blockbuster fueled by cinematic action sequences of the highest caliber and a badass female protagonist making her debut in stunningly brutal fashion. 

Alex Shaw is no stranger to writing gripping action-packed thrillers but Traitors may very well be his best work yet. A highly skilled assassin in a black ops French unit known as The Department, Sophie Racine receives a dossier to hunt down and assassinate a former French Legion who turned out to be a Russian sleeper agent. Racine enthusiastically undertakes the mission, driven by a scalding rage for her target with whom she has a personal score to settle. From the first page itself, Racine establishes herself as a bona fide expert in combat with pulse-pounding shootouts and hand-to-hand combat sequences that feel ripe for a big screen adaptation. As Racine races from France to a full-blown warzone in Ukraine where the Russian sleeper agent was located, she cannot help but wonder whether she is the hunter or the hunted as her foreboding sixth sense warns her of the dangers to come. 

From the moment she lands in Ukraine, she gets to work racking up her kill count relentlessly. Keeping that in mind, Alex Shaw does not portray Racine as indestructible. She bleeds and tires just as any operative would but her specialist skills, emotional strength, and tenacity differentiate her from the enemy combatants as she shoots first and true without succumbing to fear and chaos around her. The flashbacks served an essential role to help readers understand her hardened exterior that holds in a barrage of angry and bitter emotions waiting to overtake her. Alex Shaw nails the delicate art of writing a strong and bold female protagonist without sexualizing her to the point where her looks seem more essential than her skills in the field. 

On her mission, she comes across Aiden Snow, an ex-SAS operative who Alex Shaw’s fans will know very well. His directive is to rescue a British student who was abducted in a hate crime based on his ethnicity as a Pakistani. As their paths intertwine, Racine and Snow make an excellent duo with the right chemistry that is not rushed in a setting where the bullets flying around them are more pressing matters. Snow adds to the magnificent shootouts with his technical prowess with all sorts of weapons. And together they wreak havoc on the bad guys in the most enjoyable way.

Traitors is an absolute must-read powerhouse smash-hit and one of 2021’s very best. You simply cannot afford to sit this one out. The shocking twists-filled ending will have you desperate for the next Sophie Racine thriller!

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Black Ice By Brad Thor

Black Ice is one of Brad Thor’s finest thrillers, pumping fresh blood into the series with an ingeniously contemporary plot and huge character developments to materialize over the next few books. Scot Harvath is better than ever this time around. As Harvath vacations in Norway with his new girlfriend Sølvi, he comes across a man whom he was sure was dead. With a burning curiosity to get to the bottom of the unbelievable occurrence, Harvath pursues the suspect, only to get embroiled in a murky association forged between Russia and China over a dangerous piece of technology which may spell doom for America. An intriguing modernization of the Cold War.

Brad Thor brilliantly builds up the narrative with an anticipatory energy, revealing just a hint of what is to come without giving away the full picture. His smooth prose gently guides the reader through the events in the story without jumping around haphazardly. 

Black Ice is not an action-packed thriller for good reason as it invests more time on the sleuthing and espionage tradecraft elements which emphasize the need for discretionary measures to achieve goals over a brute guns-blazing approach. That being said, the shootouts are written superbly well with the accurate technical details. It is delightful to read Harvath exploring a previously dormant dark side to him with in-combat interrogation techniques that turn out to be highly effective due to the dark nature of the threats Harvath promises to go through with.

With huge developments for Harvath and Solvi’s relationship that signify Harvath’s personal character growth from Backlash and Near Dark, Black Ice balances both the thrills and the emotions, culminating in a deeply satisfying resolution while promising lots more of Harvath in the foreseeable future.

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Razorblade Tears By S.A. Cosby

Razorblade Tears is a rare gem of a thriller that packs equal heart and punch in a very relevant story for today’s social climate. S.A Cosby is admired for his ultra-realistic narratives with lifelike characters and dark situations that are just grim enough to be happening in our world as we read his books. Highlighting the social injustice faced by the LGBTQA community along with the racism felt among the black community, the story hits hard and true without pulling any punches. 

The narrative puts two fathers on a mission of vengeance when their sons are murdered. The police investigation yields no concrete leads and the trail leads cold. With a heavy heart full of guilt for both fathers who had shunned their sons for being gay, they vow to use their violent histories for good this one time and seek out their sons’ killer. Through the characters, one father being black and one white, S.A Cosby brilliantly highlights the social differences due to race. There is a strong bond between the two leads as I would liken to a good old fashioned cop buddy duo, starting off rocky but eventually finding a sure footing with great laughs and emotional bonding along the way. Even for readers without children, the mournful grief and regret the fathers feel for their kids flow out of the pages for a total immersive reading experience.

As the fathers look for their sons’ killer, they leave a trail of bloody corpses and bullet holes with fast-paced shootouts and vicious fisticuffs along with some very creative uses of machetes and tampers. Keeping true to the gritty and grounded feel of the story, the action is hard-hitting, and sweet and simple where the only rule is to punch first and punch hard.

The heart of the story lies with the characters. The character developments are spectacular and speak to all readers in an encouraging voice to be the best versions of themselves. It is a thriller but it is so much more than that. It has been a while since a story had me misty-eyed at the end, but there is a reason this book is called Razorblade Tears. Hours blurred together as the pages kept flying until the final page and I could not help but stay stunned for a good few minutes. Transcending genres, this is a mind-blowing book that simply must be read by all.

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Falling By T.J. Newman

Falling is a prime example of writing a nail-biting thriller without the shootouts and car chases mostly found in the best of the genre. Instead, readers are treated to an intense situation 35,000 feet in the air onboard a plane piloted by a man who has to choose between saving his family and saving the souls on board his aircraft. T.J. Newman spins a captivating yarn full of deeply grounded characters standing up to challenging dilemmas no reader would ever want to face. It isn’t often you see a debut novel written with such finesse as Falling.

One of my quicker reads, I finished Falling in two days. The story moves at a breakneck pace without faltering or dragging. There is always something happening that pushes the story forward. The driving forces of the narrative are the highly relatable characters. Each character feels like someone you may cross paths with without even realizing. It is only when the going gets tough and the situation takes a nosedive (pun-intended) that the characters are tested and their true natures revealed in displays of unflinching bravery ( or betrayal for some ). Even the antagonists are painted in a shade of gray rather than a simple ‘evil’ label. I felt for the bad guys just as I did for the good ones when Newman aptly highlights their painful desperation. This is the brilliance of Falling. Flashbacks and powerful dialogue are brilliantly used to convey the gravity of the hostile situation, always keeping readers on their toes to be prepared for anything to happen, much like how the characters in the story feel. 

I am glad I read Falling safely on ground and not in the air because I would have been a nervous wreck for the entire flight. Void of cliché agendas for bad guys and highly elaborate conspiracy stories, Falling opts for a character-driven escapade with a personal message for all readers in a race-against-time setting to drive home the gut-wrenching stakes of the narrative. It is only a matter of time before we see a big screen adaptation of this exquisite debut, so be sure to read it ASAP!

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Sleeping Bear By Connor Sullivan

Sleeping Bear surprises with its gripping and unpredictable storyline involving highly-relatable and despicable characters. It’s an excellent debut novel, with huge potential for more stories.

The thriller revolves around the eerie abductions of campers in Alaska, including Cassie Gale, an Army Veteran and graduate of Ranger School. Her father, sister, and brother-in-law set out to find her. Cassie’s abduction ties into a cold-war Russian experiment to mold warriors into feeling no remorse at the prospect of killing and her father’s mysterious past with Vladmir Putin’s mentor. The elements of espionage, sleuthing and nail-biting tension make this a nerve-wracking experience in a great way!

Sleeping Bear’s characters evoke emotions from sympathy to disgust. Cassie Gale is a badass with brains, brawn and a tragic backstory. With her father, you sense there’s more than what meets the eye and Sullivan’s depiction of his agony as he searches for his daughter resonates. Same goes for her sister and brother-in-law: invoking a strong sense of empathy for the family.  The opposite is true for the antagonists, as readers will dread them for their despicable and hauntingly-violent acts towards innocents. This creates a compelling juxtaposition, and a desperation for justice to be carried out.

The book is not too heavy on action, but the short and visceral action sequences include authentic weaponry details and crafty spy tools that feel straight out of the Mission Impossible movies. Sullivan mainly focuses on the cerebral components of the story, as the Gale family tries to save Cassie. 

With a cold-war linked narrative that includes unethical-human experiments, relatable heroes, despicable villains and great twists, Sleeping Bear is a remarkable debut and an absolute must-read. It’s absolutely a book worth losing a night’s sleep over.  I should know, since I stayed up all night to finish it!  

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Shadow Masters By J.T. Patten

Right off the bat, Shadow Masters is a dark and visceral story that requires you to take a deep cleansing hot shower afterwards to rid yourself of the flashing images of the worst of the humanity. If you think his Drake Woolf stories were dark, you’re in for a lesson. JT Patten takes you deep in the heart of the ugly, less glamorous side of espionage with fast-paced action, gut-wrenching scenes that may haunt you for a while, and highly realistic and flawed characters even when it comes to the protagonist. 

Sean Havens is off on a contracting mission in a third world country when his family is harmed by an unknown organization disguising itself as an ordinary criminal gang to throw off its scent for the investigating authorities. The story continues to push Havens in purgatory until he decides to take the law in his own hands and seek those who harmed his family. The nefarious organization behind it has big plans for Havens and if he wants to survive, he must outwit enemies who he may not even want to believe are his enemies. 

As a big fan of JT Patten’s Drake Woolf series, I knew I was in for a treat. The storytelling is meticulously detailed with pertinent information and subtle foreshadowing to keep the story pumping at full steam and the readers guessing furiously as to what can happen next, only to be amazed when the twists hit like a freight train. JT Patten’s expertise in the dark arts of espionage pays dividends in Sean Havens’ character development as a riveting operative trained expertly in both intel and kinetic operations that mirror real-world headlines. The bad guys are despicable and utterly evil, and you’ll cheer for Havens to exact his revenge in the most brutal fashion, which he most certainly will. The blood spatters right out of the pages.

The action hits fast and hard with vivid descriptions of hand-to-hand combat and fast-paced shootouts written with the principle of shoot first and shoot well. I wouldn’t want to mess with Sean Havens in any way whatsoever. The action serves not just to get the heart rates rising but also to showcase the pragmatic brutal environment of combat where decisions are made in a split second. You will shudder at some of the decisions Havens makes in the heat of combat.

Shadow Masters easily rattled my top thriller list long before I reached the last page. Espionage, action, drama; it adroitly balances all aspects of a profoundly captivating thriller. The ending jarred me because I was not expecting that cliffhanger! A thriller fan has not truly explored the genre if they haven’t read JT Patten.

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The Impostor By David Temple

The Impostor is an intense and bone-chilling narrative pitting a deranged serial killer against a determined detective who will spare no expense at catching the one who got away from her. Both sides try to outwit each other with matching fervor and grit to come out on the top. Will the detective catch the killer first or will the killer escape through her grasp one last time?

The opening chapter kicks off with a dark theme that chilled my bones, a feeling akin to when I watched Silence of the Lambs for the first time. Detective Pat Norelli is recuperating after a close call with a serial killer, colloquially known as The Poser, who had been operating in the Beverly Hills as a psychiatrist. In the events of the previous book, The Poser had fled before he could be arrested. Almost a year to that date, the showdown begins one last time where Norelli is motivated to bring The Poser down once and for all. The narrative gets darker as The Poser’s twisted attraction to Norelli is explored and its consequences as she goes on an international manhunt with a few allies. The first half is perhaps the strongest as the second half feels a bit uneven as multiple traps are set for The Poser but are half-heartedly dismissed in execution by Norelli herself. The good grace for The Poser’s evasion seems a bit undercooked but may make sense after a long thought. 

Even with an uneven second half, The Impostor is highly enjoyable due to its dark tone and a fulfilling resolution that ties up loose ends wonderfully. A great pick for fans of grim psychologically haunting stories.

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Stealth Attack By John Gilstrap

Stealth Attack is an exciting tale of brutal retribution packed with crisp action and a scary time crunch for the protagonists who have to utilize their espionage expertise to rescue two kids from being executed by cartel members. John Gilstrap launches the action almost immediately, wasting no time in setting up an intriguing chain of events that unravel smoothly and naturally. 

Even though this was my first Jonathan Grave thriller, the characters were developed with the right combination of intrigue and background that made it very easy to resonate with the personal stakes of the narrative. Grave and his team have a great dynamic with witty banters as well as heated arguments on the morality of actions in the heat of combat. The cartel members earn the title of proper villains with their inhumane violent and unpredictable actions that lend gravitas to the frightening predicament of the kidnapped youngsters. 

The crisp and authentically detailed action sequences power on at rocket-fast pace, keeping the readers hooked in for the well-placed headshots and body shots where necessary. The narrative is not extensively packed with action, but it is wisely utilized when the situation calls for violence against evil. 

Balancing a captivating story with exciting characters, Stealth Attack is a no-brainer choice for those seeking an easy read with a simple story and gritty action.

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Cthulhu Reloaded By David Conyers

Cthulhu Reloaded is one of the weirdest thrillers you will ever read. A mind-bending, time-traveling, non-linear, action-packed narrative combining elements of Cthulhu science fiction stories with those of espionage action. It may not be the most obvious pick for traditional thriller fans, but it is definitely worth branching out to. 

Major Harrison Peel of Australian Intelligence Agency thinks he has seen it all until he discovers the existence of sentient alien life on Earth. The narrative wastes no time in going full Christopher Nolan as multiple closely-linked plotlines happen simultaneously, sometimes in not so obvious ways and in different timelines as to require the full attention of the reader. The story packs quite a few scares particularly with horrifying descriptions of aliens that consume humans in haunting fashion. David Conyers takes a step forward in experimenting with the Cthulhu genre by interjecting spycraft in the narrative as the leading characters find themselves embroiled in conspiracies concocted by various -states-sponsored actors to acquire alien technology. The aliens themselves play into the espionage narrative in a rather interesting way which can only make sense once you read it for yourself.

Actions fans need not worry, there are copious amounts of grand action sequences where humans battle each other as well as the aliens with a fusillade of high caliber bullets. The shootouts are written with a keen eye for authentic weapons and tactics to catch the eyes of action aficionados. 

For thriller fans trying to expand their horizons with new genres, Cthulhu Reloaded is a brilliant choice.

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Shadow Target By David Ricciardi

Shadow Target is an adrenaline-rush that wastes no time in putting the protagonist in grave danger from the get-go.

Jake Keller, a CIA paramilitary officer, is onboard a plane heading for The Alps when the plane is shot down and Jake is the only survivor. Turns out, he was targeted by a Russian oligarch with a mysterious agenda and a mole within the CIA. As Jake flies off to London and France to get some much-needed assistance in figuring out who is gunning for him and why, there is no respite for him as he constantly fends off assassins in gun battles and mortal hand-to-hand combat. 

As with the previous Jake Keller thrillers, Shadow Target contains authentic and grounded action sequences that keep the heart rate high and the sleepiness far away. David Ricciardi keeps the story running at full steam with frequent shootouts and fisticuffs with just the right amount of detail to help readers visualize the action easily. 

Jake Keller’s character development is amazing in this thriller as we see Jake’s romantic interest play an important role in the narrative, not only for the story but also to further develop Jake as a vulnerable human being who is looking for a reason to keep fighting in a world where he has learned not to trust anyone.

With crisp writing and superb build-up of mystique for the mole and the grand plans of the organization targeting Jake, Shadow Target is an easy recommendation for readers looking for their next adrenaline fix. I found the culmination of the twists and turns to be a bit passive but I still enjoyed the book for what it is; a riveting action thriller from the first page to the very last. I cannot wait to see where David Ricciardi takes Jake Keller next on a mission.

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(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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Murder By The Book
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The Tipping Point By David Darling

The Tipping Point is a splendid suspenseful thriller fueled by a dark mystery and excellent twists to keep readers locked on. 

The story debuts Sergeant Noah Hunter of the Arrow Point Police Department whose investigations of grisly murders in his city paints a target on his back and those he loves. David Darling does a great job of keeping the suspense high with smart misdirection to keep the readers from grasping the twists too early. The small-town vibe coupled with the hair-raising details of crime scenes in the narrative invoke the gritty feeling of reading a scary story at 3 in the morning. Of course, it helps that the protagonist is a strong lead.

Noah Hunter is instantly likable, and his development persists throughout the story, paved by both positive and tragic experiences which make him relatable. Coupling his army experiences with his police investigative training, he is both the brains and the brawns depending on what the situation calls for. 

I could see this adapted into a fun movie down the line. The Tipping Point branches out to different subgenres thriller to cater to different kinds of readers and to keep building the momentum,starting off with an aura of dark crime mystery, delving into organized crime, and finally finishing with an exciting shootout with Glocks, Remingtons, and AR-15s. I am very excited for the next Noah Hunter book and I hope I don’t have to wait too long.

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Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

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

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen