The Lion's Paw By Stephen England

The Lion’s Paw is pulse-pounding storytelling at its finest. Stephen England’s meticulously researched action thriller puts characters front and center as they steer through the morally gray areas of an urban warzone.

Mossad Field Officer Mohamed Taferi is tasked with going behind enemy lines in the bullet-ridden heart of Syria to gather time-sensitive intelligence about Russia’s brand-new Su-57 stealth fighter deployed for field testing. Going undercover with jihadists to lead the mission against Russians, Taferi sets on his most dangerous mission yet, hunted by Russian Spetsnaz and Syrian Special Forces, with no true ally of his own. 

In true Stephen England fashion, the action in The Lion’s Paw is spectacular, constant, and authentic with the revitalization of guerrilla warfare pitting a rag-tag team of rebels against the technologically superior Russian BMPs and helicopter gunships. The low-key approach to warfare brings a refreshing twist to a genre dominated by high tech gadgets and weaponry, resulting in a beautiful cacophony of brutal and relentless violence befitting a violent conflict.

While the action is an important aspect of the thriller, the narrative never loses focus of the key element, the characters. Often, thrillers depicting large scale military conflicts tend to lose focus of the characters on the ground firing the shots. Stephen England cleverly avoids this pitfall and manages to create a multitude of characters, as alive and life-like as in the best of stories that stick with you long after you’re done reading them. There is a large variety of characters, from CIA and Mossad overseeing the operation all the way to the rebels and the Russians and Syrians, and yet each character shines in their roles with unique motivations that readers can relate to even for the vilest and most misguided of characters. 

The Lion’s Paw is a heartfelt story that addresses the gut-wrenching conflicts in Syria with a warm emotional core and heavy hitting action, the combination of which creates a rare gem that must be read at all costs.

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The Nameless Ones By John Connolly

The Nameless Ones was my first foray into the enchantingly dark writing of John Connolly. Jumping headfirst into the series without having read the previous books, I was highly impressed that I could easily connect with the characters and their emotions, undoubtedly the result of Connolly’s masterful and powerful narration that flowed elegantly from character to character.

The story opens up with a gory execution of a family by Serbian gangsters, the details of which will haunt a reader for days. With the butchered family being close acquaintances to the formidable assassin, Louis, he sets off on a rampage to track down and terminate the vicious criminals responsible for the atrocity with extreme prejudice, if only things would be that straightforward. The path to retribution is marked with numerous complications and unforeseen consequences that keep the late-night lamp burning. The narrative splits the focus between Louis on the hunt with his friends, and the bad guys feeling the noose tighten around their necks as they are hunted not only by Louis but by other more sinister parties, making for an edge-of-your-seats storytelling where it’s difficult if not impossible to predict what might happen next. The reader experience is augmented by not only the multi-layered present-day exploits but also real-life historical events that shed necessary world-building emphasis on the characters to coincide with their realistic albeit twisted motivations in the case of the bad guys. In addition to the white-knuckled revenge ride of grim proportions, there is an eerie supernatural element to the narrative that solidifies The Nameless Ones as a rare blend of thrillers that leave a lasting impression, especially once that last line hits you like a freight train.

A fresh change of pace and vibe from the usual thrillers, The Nameless Ones is guaranteed to keep you entertained and each succeeding chapter hooks you in stronger than the last.

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Appointment In Tehran By James Stejskal

Appointment in Tehran reads more like a very interesting factual account of a major geopolitical event for Americans rather than a fictional story. The backdrop for James Stejskal’s second novel in The Snake Eater series is the capture of the US Embassy in Tehran by local protestors. In response, US forces are authorized to undertake a quick mission to rescue the Americans trapped in the embassy with a slight twist. In the chaos of the embassy takeover, a Russian agent discovers the identity of a US operative responsible for a tactical nuke hidden in Tehran. Along with rescuing embassy hostages, the special Snake Eater members are tasked with infiltrating enemy lines and extracting the nuke before either Iranians or Russians capture and use it against America. 

The storyline moves quickly and crisply, introducing the characters with their specializations before getting into the heart of the operation. In keeping with the authentic tone of the story, the first half of the book is focused on realistic operational planning and firearms training. The emphasis on planning and training gets readers better acquainted with the characters before we see them in action against the Russians in a grand showdown with helicopter gunships and giant explosions as both Americans and Russians rush to get their hands on the nuke first. The action is saved for the later parts of the book as a tactical approach for tensions to simmer as US forces in Tehran evade adversaries often by the skin of their teeth in order to prevent their plans from being compromised.

With commendable emphasis on a realistic outlook on military operations, the one downside was that the characters were not fleshed out as well as they could have been. Apart from that, this thriller is sure to entertain fans who enjoy a realistic detailed-oriented account of planning and executing military operations.   

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A Time For Monsters By Gareth Worthington

A Time For Monsters is an incredibly dark and depraved story of a woman’s path to rid the world of abusive men by violent means. Gareth Worthington kicks off the narrative without wasting any time as readers are introduced to the main character, Reyna Blackburn, who in the first chapter is coolly admiring her handiwork of murdering an abusive husband at a crime scene. The grim introduction sets the darkly sinister vibe of the thriller. Soon enough, a weary detective is put on the hunt for Reyna who is known as The King Klubb Killer for bludgeoning the victims with a Kubb piece. What would have been a simple obstacle for Reyna to avoid turns personal when she learns about the detective’s dark past, setting her on a collision course from which she may not escape as unscathed as she had planned.

Worthington masterfully paces the story to smoothly explore both the past and the present for Reyna without losing momentum. It took me less than 12 hours to finish the book. A highly laudable component of the narrative is Worthington’s unfiltered exposition of the inexplicable torment that feels horrifyingly grounded in the current world with regards to domestic abuse. This insight helps with understanding the necessity of Reyna’s motivations and actions, giving you a front row seat into the mind of a killer. The flashbacks are just as essential for the nerve-wracking twists and turns as the author slowly unravels the entire plan that Reyna had concocted before setting on her path for retribution, never revealing enough to give away the full picture prematurely. The result is a highly satisfying albeit saddening resolution.

Nordic crime thrillers have a flair for the noir theme where characters are deeply flawed and broken which adds to the unpredictability of what the characters might do.  The cloudy and chilly setting of Oslo is perfect for a narrative as grim as A Time For Monsters. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I can definitely testify that this is a bonafide unique serial killer story, one where you root more for the killer than the cops for a change. A must-read, hands down!

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The Kill Box By Rip Rawlings

The Kill Box reads like a fascinating guidebook for war strategies of the modern century but with a cruel twist where the US forces are outgunned by the technologically superior Russians. H. Ripley Rawlings quickly sets the foreboding theme for the story in the beginning pages as an American patrolling force in the Russian Occupied West Virginia is quickly obliterated due to superior Air Force and a deadly sniper hell-bent on killing anyone who appears in her crosshairs. With a bigger plan in the works by Russian forces, it’s only a matter of time before Russia claims complete victory over America unless Lieutenant Colonel Tyce Asher can outthink the Russians and stop the complete invasion of his home.

The narrative includes some explosive skirmishes between the two opposing forces, written with the keen expertise of someone who has extensively studied all and implemented at least a few of the army techniques found in the story. The concept of a supercomputer being able to predict the outcome of battlefields is extremely cool and explored in a mythical fashion that’s all the more fun to think about. The Kill Box also introduces a femme fatale sniper who remains somewhat of an enigma throughout the narrative, perhaps to be explored more in the next installment. Her ruthlessness is matched only by her prowess behind a sniper rifle. Speaking of enigmas, there are quite a few in this narrative that come together to create a breathtaking cliffhanger. From mole hunts to supercomputer origins leading back to the Second World War, Rawlings has opened up a whole gate of potential goldmine for follow up stories.

Packed with gritty large-scale combat, entertaining characters, and lots of mysteries set up to be unfolded in the sequel, The Kill Box is a must-read for fans of hardcore military thrillers with chilling descriptions of battlefield carnage and all the emotional and physical baggage that follows.

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Whitesands By Johann Thorsson

Whitesands is a fascinating hybrid of genres combining the nitty gritty elements of a murder investigation thriller with the unsettling aura of horror and supernatural stories, resulting in a highly enjoyable narrative of realistic characters facing not-so-common demons.

Johann Thorsson’s debut novel introduces John Dark, a hardened world-weary detective obsessed with solving the biggest case of his life; the disappearance of his daughter. As the leads turn up dry for the next two years, he fights against the notion that he may never see his little girl again. He and his partner, Monique Moreno, are assigned to a homicide case where a husband has stabbed his wife to death. The only catch is, the husband has no recollection of ever doing it. Not so far away, a diagnosed schizophrenic, Daniel Hope, starts to see spirits of the departed. With a supernatural twist to the murder investigation, Dark and Hope’s paths cross and nothing will be the same for either of them. 

Johann Thorsson’s creative writing style is an absolute delight to read. With a strong understanding about his target audience, he skillfully balances grim characters with paranormal occurrences to drive the story with strong emotions written in beautiful fashion so much so that it seems somewhat plausible that love just might accomplish the impossible. The mystique behind the bigger picture is preserved until the very end for a quiet moment of shuddering contemplation where we realize the true culprit’s identity was hinted at all along. Whitesands is a building block to a much bigger overarching storyline and Johann Thorsson ensures that the ending does not wrap anything haphazardly but rather presents a sinister cliffhanger that left me speechless and desperate for the sequel.

Whitesands is perhaps best read in the darkness of the night when the moon shines the brightest and the imagination runs the wildest. With a cinematic vibe to the storytelling, I can easily imagine a tv show based on this impressive debut. This is certainly one of the best thrillers I have read this year and an excellent choice for those seeking a bone-chilling experience behind the safety of a book.

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City On Fire By Don Winslow

City on Fire is a tremendously captivating crime thriller that goes back to the days of Irish and Italian mobs in the 80s when the tempers were high and blood was in the air. Don Winslow kicks off his latest thriller with a beautifully described fleeting moment of peace and tranquility for the characters before a spark lights the fuse for a bloody war between the two crime syndicates in a desperate tug of war for power. Once you turn the first page, all bets are off.

Danny Ryan yearns for a better life than being a longshoreman and muscle for the Irish crime syndicate in Providence, Rhode Island. His grounded thoughts for self-actualization and freedom relate to the desire in every man and woman to reach out for something beyond what they settle for in absence of better opportunities. His seemingly mundane destiny takes a big detour when a woman upsets the thinly held peace between the Irish and the Italians, leading to a small scale tit-for-tat matched altercations that quickly escalate into an out-of-control conflict once the first body drops. There is simply no time to rest once bullets start flying and hits are sanctioned on both sides of the syndicate along with double crosses and corrupt police officials, the fusion of all elements creating a highly unstable and unpredictable powder keg of explosive events.

City on Fire’s macabre narrative owes its gut-wrenching brutality to the highly grounded and realistic characters who go through horrible situations. Don Winslow writes his stories and characters in shades of gray where battle rages between evil and lesser evil. Powerful and natural dialogues accompany believably selfish drives befitting imperfect characters, giving the story a distinctive non-fiction flavor. It appeals to fans of crime thrillers with corrupt souls and dark events as much as it appeals to anyone who simply picks up the book with no idea of what to expect; Don Winslow writes for the readers regardless of what genre one prefers. A magnificently horrifying thriller that ingeniously sets up a brand-new crime saga with scope and grit unparalleled by any other series except Don Winslow’s The Cartel trilogy.

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Enemy At The Gates By Kyle Mills

Enemy at the Gates is not only one of the best political espionage thrillers of the year, but also one of the most impactful Mitch Rapp stories to date. Kyle Mills continues to push Rapp out of his comfort zone in spectacularly grounded ways with uncharted territory in both personal and operational aspects. Once the first page is turned, there is no putting it down until the very last sentence leaves you heartbroken. 

Set months after Mitch Rapp saved America from the harsh events of Total Power, he is brought back into the fold when Irene Kennedy asks him to assist the world’s first trillionaire in rescuing a kidnapped American virologist whose pioneering work poses a threat to global pharmaceutical empires. Rapp undertakes the task in the beautifully badass fashion typical of the legendary protagonist. What was supposed to have been a simple rescue mission, cascades into a huge conspiracy with shifting allegiances and going straight up to the White House. With an old-fashioned mole hunt involving deceptive messages and staged events spearheaded by Mitch Rapp off the radar, the suspense keeps you reading well past midnight and long after the sunrise. Will Rapp be able to work his way up the conspiracy chain or is this enemy too powerful for Rapp’s own good?

The twists and turns keep coming at high speed but there is one particular twist that absolutely rocks the whole narrative off its hinges as Kyle Mills boldly sets up a deeply impacting storyline for the following books to continue, a fresh change from the previous just as excellent stories that were wrapped up in one book. Enemy at the Gates features a strong political backdrop reminiscent of Vince Flynn’s works, but this time Kyle Mills revitalizes the theme with a grander sinister agenda for The US President in tune with the current events, the likes of which have not been explored thoroughly in political thrillers today.  

The mole hunt also presented an enthralling and personal vibe that brought back the charm of old school misdirection with modern precedent in espionage.  Kyle Mills ages Rapp gracefully as an operative both physically and emotionally, not so abruptly as to suck the fun out of the creative action sequences but enough to see the cracks in Rapp’s demeanor as a weathered operative who has been living a perilous life of fake identities and burned friends for far too long, setting the roots for some unique follow-up stories. 

Enemy at the Gates is concrete proof of Kyle Mills’ ingenuity at keeping Mitch Rapp fresh and relevant so long into the running series. Mitch Rapp has been my hero from the moment I read American Assassin and I have nothing but immense gratitude for Kyle Mills for never letting me down as a huge fan. I can’t wait to read what Rapp does next.

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