In The Blood By Jack Carr

In The Blood is definitely my favorite James Reece thriller yet. Jack Carr steps outside the comfort zone to propel his protagonist to a whole other ballgame in the modern Thrillerverse.

James Reece’s personal vendetta against the infamous Syrian sniper, Nizar Kattan, finally brings the two bloodlust warriors together for a battle to the death. Reece’s enemies perpetrate a bold and terrifying act of terrorism to lure him out of America and into the sniper’s scope. However, Reece has some neat tricks up his sleeve. With the help of a top-secret Artificial Intelligence program, Reece brings out the big guns to hunt down his friend’s killer and avenge him. The path to vengeance is rarely as straightforward, and Jack Carr aptly explores this sentiment with proper attention.

In The Blood is one for action aficionados as Jack Carr packs more smooth shootouts and tense fisticuffs than in the previous installments of the James Reece series. High on technical tidbits about various weaponry, the writing is reminiscent of Tom Clancy’s masterful work that gelled detail-oriented storytelling with high octane action. Carr also places a strong emphasis on rounding out more fleshed and vivid characters to lead the swift action sequences with a heart and soul to fully cement readers’ emotional investments. Simply put, there is no shortage of Reece being a straight up beast in this one.

Jack Carr brings a fresh change of pace and narrative with the addition of an advanced artificial intelligence to aid Reece in his mission. With a healthy blend of practical AI progress and wishful thinking for the near future, Carr explains the technology with beautiful elegance that appeals to the brainy nerds as much as it does to the uninitiated. It is evident that this will become a bigger element in the next Reece thriller, especially with the unthinkable game-changing cliffhanger ending that no one will see coming.

I cannot wait to see where the story goes next. Jack Carr has officially put his hero in the most uncharted territory and if In The Blood is any indication, my expectations have skyrocketed exponentially. It matches up to The Terminal List with its action-heavy carnage and its ingenious twists and turns. 

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The Island By Adrian McKinty

Adrian McKinty knows how to freak readers out while still entertaining them in a bold and adventurous story that is The Island. 

The narrative sees a family of four taking a trip to Australia where they’re lured to an island to see the local wildlife. What starts off as an innocent family picnic abruptly goes south when an accident brings the family to the inhabitants of the island, who are keen to get rid of the family for seemingly encroaching on their property. The family quickly gets enveloped in a game of survival in one of the most disturbing and engaging stories yet.

Heather Baxter is a strong and inspirational protagonist who takes front and center stage in this fight for survival as she takes care of her angry and rebellious step children while maneuvering through death traps and violent islanders aiming to do unspeakable horrors to her family. Adrian McKinty wastes no time in setting the perilous stage to deliver the maximum horror in such a situation. Her transformation from a subdued mother to a take-charge and action-oriented warrior is delightful to read. Her emotional turmoil is still preserved, simmering under the surface, brought out at the right moments of emotional reconciliation and rehabilitation. 

The essence of chaos runs freely throughout the story, giving off a Mad Max vibe as the action ramps up with scarce ammunition and weaponry, allowing the characters to ration supplies and develop ingenious traps to trap and kill each other. 

The Island is a superb thriller to lose yourself in as it jolts you along for a wild and disturbing journey through a terrifying scenario. There aren’t a lot of moments for deep character reflections but that might just be in keeping with the adrenaline-coursing chapters that are guaranteed to be as riveting as they are dark. 

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With Prejudice By Robin Peguero

With Prejudice is not your run-of-the-mill courtroom thriller. It’s deeply unsettling and dark in the most gripping fashion with twists that take your breath away.

Robin Peguero brings us a trial like no other. A young girl is brutally murdered and a suspect is in custody. The majority of the conflict takes place in the courtroom as shrewd lawyers attack each other’s arguments with fervent dialogues and tightly wound nerves. Every single moment is filled with tense energy coiling up by each subsequent page. The flawed and twisted characters add to the vicious unpredictability of the narrative. It’s not a straightforward matter of good vs evil, but a very realistic yarn with gray moral areas that speak to us unabashed and unfiltered. The narrative wonderfully explores the conflicts and predicaments jurors, judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys face when it comes to deciding the fate of the defendant, giving us an insightful peek at the American justice system with all its pros and cons in the modern age of racial bias and discrimination. Ultimately, the story leaves us with an important question to ponder: How far does ambition for victory go before it poisons the pursuit for justice?

With Prejudice is one of the wittiest thrillers in recent years, peeling layers and layers of the human psyche with the goal of presenting a fully fleshed out written narrative that feels authentic and timely. A quick word of caution, the ending is not one you expect from a traditional story. This will haunt you for days to come as you try to wrap your mind around the unexpected turn of events in the final act of the story. I loved it all the more for ending on a high note of breaking away from tradition; I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if this was based on a real case.

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Countdown To Midnight By Dale Brown

Dale Brown strikes again with an energetic and adventurous thriller that catapults readers into high adrenaline rush of Clive Cussler’s Hollywood-styled explosive scenarios without venturing too far off technical and tactical authenticity.

Countdown to Midnight evolves Nick Flynn from a former Air Force captain to a budding spy working for a clandestine organization, Four, comprised of retired intelligence members from different nations with the singular goal of maintaining peace. On his first official mission, Flynn’s contact is assassinated and Flynn is caught in a web of shadows and conspiracies pointing to an alliance between Iran and Russia with an enigmatic goal. Flynn and his teammates must uncover the true nature of the bold threat before its fruition.

Nick Flynn is a throwback to the earlier devil-may-care protagonists, with a continuous dose of adrenaline coursing through his veins as he undertakes bold combat maneuvers and tactics from skiing under sniper fire to infiltrating an enemy ship in heavy storm with experimental wingsuits.

The action hits fast and hard as Flynn runs and guns with his Glock 19 and his wits on all sorts of vehicles. One notable bike chase has Flynn zooming past flying bullets as he navigates through enemy lines. Dale Brown keeps the momentum rolling constantly with no slow moments.

Along with the action, Dale Brown enumerates a remarkable roster of characters alongside Nick Flynn that compliment Flynn’s character development as well as stand equally strong on their own merits. The seeds planted through numerous conversations and events promise ambitious plans for this brand-new series that’s quickly ramping up to be a breakout hit.

Countdown to Midnight is high octane entertainment concocted with a tasty recipe for big-screen action extravaganza and enthralling storytelling that brings a fresh change to a familiar concept. 

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Child Zero By Chris Holm

Chris Holm writes a lean and fresh narrative that feels too terrifyingly real in the post COVID surge era. Child Zero is a book you can’t bring yourself to put down once you’ve turned the first page.

Chris Holm paints a grim picture of the world after mutated bacterial infections cause havoc all over the globe, rendering all antibiotics useless against diseases. New York City has been split apart into quarantined shantytowns with heightened surveillance after a deadly biological attack. When a mass-murder brings Detectives Jacob Gibson and Amira Hassan into a collision course with a mysterious young boy chased by armored mercenaries, there are questions that need answering and mysteries that need solving. 

Chris Holm’s stunning creativity dazzles and mesmerizes with wonderfully relatable and somber characters paired with fascinatingly dark concepts of modern day big-brother surveillance in a blend of fast-paced storytelling and hard-hitting action. The thought-provokingly vivid protagonists and antagonists naturally steer you to invest strong emotional ties and stakes as the story meanders through excitingly unpredictable twists and turns, keeping you on the edge of your seat wondering if the next move might be your favorite character’s last. 

Child Zero had been on my radar for quite a while and it was worth every bit of the wait. If you’re like me and can’t get enough of grounded and profoundly impacting stories with memorable characters and gut-wrenching emotional punches, Child Zero needs to be in your pre-order list the moment you finish reading this sentence.

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Robert B. Parker's Revenge Tour By Mike Lupica

Robert B Parker’s Revenge Tour is the kind of crime thriller you’d like to read when you want to lighten your mood with quippy characters and a 70’s PI vibe beautifully adapted to the modern-day setting.

PI Sunny Randall is roped into a deadly conspiracy when her friend is targeted by a mysterious assailant who has accused her of plagiarizing the story that catapulted her into literary stardom. Sunny must sleuth her way through the conspiracy as dirty secrets unearth and threaten to turn her relationships upside down. 

Mike Lupica does a fantastic job writing Sunny Randall as a witty and badass PI, doing away with most cliches normally associated with female characters in similar adventurous thrillers. Her hilarious banters with fleshed out and larger than life characters make for a compelling read even before the engaging mystery kicks off. The PI angle is superbly interwoven into the narrative, capturing the grimy but classy grittiness of the dangers that come with shady underworld bad guys. The perfect sister companion in tone for the Spencer books, who himself makes a cameo with fan-favorite Hawk.

Churning a realistic tale of secrets and betrayals, Mike Lupica keeps you on your toes with well-timed and well-executed twists thrown into the batter of lovable characters full of sarcasm and bright jokes in Revenge Tour. Fans of old school crime thrillers will eat this up like the delicious treat it is.

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The 13th Hour: Chaos By Richard Doetsch

The 13th Hour: Chaos is a time-bending adventure of epic proportions and scary consequences. Strap in for a journey through time like never before.

Richard Doetsch writes a compelling protagonist, Nick Quinn, who is forced to face his worst nightmare of losing his family in a terrorist attack. Just before he himself is killed, a dying friend hands over a powerful device disguised as an antique watch, one that has the ability to alter the past. Through the watch, Nick finds himself with the tremendous power of going back in time. At the top of each hour, the watch sends him back two hours to live one hour again. Nick must use this asymmetrical weapon to uncover the plans of the bad guys before the 13th Hour in reverse, after which Nick will be stuck in time going forward again.

I haven’t read a race against time this intense. Richard Doetsch fuses sci-fi and traditional thriller genres in an innovative and fresh style to appeal to even the most hardcore readers of either genres. The narrative carries a tangible emotional weight with respect to Nick’s predicament of saving his family from a despicable tragedy without an air-tight plan. Each chapter adds a new layer of twists and turns to the bigger picture, gently adding to the tangle of webs of secrets and conspiracies until the apex moment when all cards are on the table for the major reveal.

With such an intense plot comes equally intense and fast-paced action sequences as Nick gets into armed skirmishes with trained killers and assassins. There’s a sense of unbridled mortal danger to each action sequence as Richard Doetsch stays away from safety nets to deliver some truly shocking moments. 

The 13th Hour: Chaos is the right pick for thriller aficionados with a preference for quirky and peculiar conspiracies in a fresh setting.

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Storm Rising By Chris Hauty

Storm Rising is hands down the best Hayley Chill thriller so far. Chris Hauty dazzles readers with an ambitious story and prophetic writing that propels the series to a whole new level of awesomeness and badassery.

Dealing with the harrowing discovery about her father at the end of Savage Road, Hayley Chill breaks apart from her life at the White House. However, a burning desire to know more about her father’s secrets pulls her into a conspiracy that threatens to shake the foundation of America on its head in a bizarrely plausible scenario. Putting her patriotic duty above all else, Hayley dives head first into the storm to find answers before all hell breaks loose.

Hayley Chill is a bona-fide legend this time around. Chris Hauty spares no expense when it comes to developing his protagonist as a clinically detached warrior yet with fascinating inklings of warmth lurking beneath the emotional armor. Hayley faces quite a few personal and unexpected dilemmas in addition to cracking down on racists that provide a much-needed platform for stupendous character growth and maturity. 

It comes as no surprise that Chris Hauty packs tremendous surprises and twists in his books but Storm Rising elevates the trend with quite few of the most haunting and darkest turns yet that hit you out of nowhere and leave you with a scary chill (pun rightfully intended). The meandering plot is accompanied with its fair share of knuckle-blustering and .45 caliber heavy action sequences. The climactic shootout is expertly crafted and vividly described in an utmost immersive experience with a keen eye for weapons descriptions down to the smooth and crisp trigger pull as Hayley engages her adversaries with her War Hawk pistol.

Storm Rising is one of the best thrillers you’ll read this year and that’s an unassailable fact. Chris Hauty’s distinctive writing style makes for a memorable read as he expertly zooms in and out of the different POVs without cluttering the chain of events, giving the sense of a screenwriting-like style of narrative. If you only read a handful of books this year, you need to make sure this is included in your list.

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Hostile Intent By Don Bentley

Hostile Intent makes you wonder if Don Bentley possesses the supernatural ability to predict the future; writing about the Ukraine vs Russia conflict before it blew up in the news takes away any doubts about the sheer meticulousness of his research and awareness of the situation to be able to predict 10 moves ahead.

After the events of The Outside Man, Matt Drake is settling back into a predictable rhythm with his wife, Laila, when a walk-in at CIA’s station in Vienna asks for Drake by name. Rushing to Vienna, Drake gets caught up in a Russia-sanctioned operation to invade Ukraine. At the same time, a Ukrainian militia gets their hands on a nuke that they wish to hang over NATO’s head for protection against Russia. As tempers flair and the battle lines are drawn, Drake must establish new alliances alongside his best friend Frodo to stop World War 3 before it starts.

Don Bentley’s darkly hilarious prose is one to marvel at. Bentley nails the essence of highlighting Drake’s witty sense of humor in grave situations while maintaining a somber tone and a fast pace. The rich characterization and world-building details invoke a majestic sense of being present in the moment with Drake as opposed to simply reading it. With the glorious setting of Vienna, Bentley digs deep into the old school cold-war espionage vibes of nebulous treaties and a consistent mood of distrust between spies. Matt Drake’s expertise at running and handling assets is given its due spotlight, adding to Drake’s cerebral versatility.

Hostile Intent is a treat for action aficionados. The moment Drake steps in Vienna, he starts running and gunning throughout the streets and murky apartments. High speed car chases and John Wick style gun-fu and close quarter combat are present in copious amounts throughout the narrative, written with finesse and a clear objective to make reader-visualization as stark and clear as possible to provide high doses of adrenaline and entertainment.

Don Bentley has bested himself this time as Hostile Intent blows past the high standards of the previous two Matt Drake books. With a supremely timely geopolitical climate and tremendous stakes of the narrative, Hostile Intent has reserved a spot in the listing for the year’s most entertaining thrillers.

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Cold Snap By Marc Cameron

Marc Cameron bats a homerun and raises the bar for all future crime-investigation thrillers with Cold Snap. It roared past all my expectations, ticking each box I had in mind for what constitutes a truly engaging and riveting reading experience.

Cameron seamlessly balances quite a few subplots, tied together by an invisible thread that tugs and unveils at the most opportune moment for the biggest shock and awe blindside. Arliss Cutter and his loyal and feral deputy Lola Teariki stumble across a serial killer whose calling card is a body part of his victims spread across the town. While the investigation is technically outside the purview of Alaska Fugitive Task Force, Lola follows the investigation with newcomer Officer Joe Bill Bracket while Arliss is tasked with a fugitive transport. The two seemingly unconnected events come together in the most unexpected of ways to create a darkly disturbing narrative that you simply can’t tear yourself away from. 

Cold Snap reads like a gritty Nordic crime thriller with its wintery sinister aura but with a faster pace of investigation along with well-timed and well-executed action to keep you burning the midnight oil. Marc Cameron must base his characters on real-life personalities, otherwise it would be hard to explain how they seem so lifelike and engaging with palpable tension and chemistry sparkling all around.  Keeping Arliss Cutter’s combat training in perspective, Cameron writes authentically vicious action sequences conveyed with shivering cold intensity and sheer raw power of the blows and lead. Rarely are shootouts and fisticuffs so well written in crime-investigative thrillers.

Cold Snap’s captivatingly magnetic nature grounds you in place as you read through the unfolding mystery and horror of the revelations. This is Marc Cameron at his finest yet. 

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The Sweet Goodbye By Ron Corbett

The Sweet Goodbye is a wonderfully well-written and engaging story emphasizing the capability of humans to cross all sorts of moral lines for love.  Ron Corbett impresses and dazzles with a grounded crime thriller that leaves a lasting impression.

Danny Barrett is an undercover cop sent to North Maine Woods to investigate and uncover a small family-run lumber company dabbling in illegal activities with a high payday. As soon as Barrett steps foot in the town, bodies start piling up and leads start getting buried. Danny Barrett must work quickly to expose the culprits in a crooked family while preserving his cover before he is exposed.

Ron Corbett creates a captivating whodunnit narrative where you can’t be too sure who is the real mastermind. Clues point to one explanation while the truth is a lot less straightforward. There is a hint of danger emanating through the pages almost immediately from the beginning, with Corbett’s masterful descriptions of tense moods and characters that feel quite real and lend credence to the plausibility of the events in the story. Danny Barrett is a mix of brains and brawn with a fascinating offset in his characterization; he excels at undercover work because he finds it easy to deceive and betray, adding a psychological angle to his foundation that makes him all the more interesting to read as the events considerably shake him up.

The Sweet Goodbye is an excellent pick for readers who like their thrillers with a sprinkle of unpredictable drama and a lot of suspense with captivating heroes and villains at the heart of the story.

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The Investigator By John Sanford

Every now and then you come across a strikingly unique character who allures you into a memorable stay-up-all-night-reading experience. That’s how I feel about Letty Davenport from The Investigator. 

A 24-year-old investigator newly instated by The Department of Homeland Security, Letty is offered the job to suss out a series of oil thefts. She teams up with an ex-Army master sergeant, John Kaiser, on the journey down to Texas where she crosses paths with a political group on a mission to drive out immigrants in a brutal display of terror and hostility involving an audacious plan to invade and lock down a small city for a nefarious endgame.

A fun fact about Letty is that she’s a gun enthusiast, which means there’s an abundance of accurate weaponry details and cool shootouts as Letty and John run across dangerous folks with ARs and shotguns, mindful that the story is set in Texas after all. 

The story builds upon the current political landscape in a logical and genuine manner without picking favorites. The central focus of the narrative lies with its realistic characters on both ends of the good-evil spectrum. Letty personifies the best of the people in this particular situation, cognizant and understanding of the political divides while sticking to her firm belief in rational thinking.

The action takes some time to kick in, but John Sanford keeps the pace fast and furious with relentless sleuthing that leads to constant breaks in the investigation for Letty and John to follow; smart investigating to demonstrate Letty’s mental acumen before showcasing her fierce combative skills. 

John Sanford knows how to make quite an impression on the readers as he flickers the mood from light to heavy remarkably well. With a fierce and independent protagonist, and a dark ending that beckons a great continuation of this story, The Investigator is one of 2022’s surprises that you simply must explore. No two ways about it.

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Assassin's Edge By Ward Larsen

Assassin’s Edge strikes a superb balance between detail-oriented storytelling and character-driven action. Ward Larsen changes up the David Slaton formula in an interesting manner that felt fresh and captivating.

The story introduces a brand-new threat for David Slaton to face on a global scale. When a US reconnaissance aircraft is brought down without any telltale signs of a conventional weapon and a Mossad agent’s abduction from the field links to the crash, Slaton is called back to investigate these events and unveil the enigmatic conspirators before World War 3 breaks out. With personal stakes for Slaton, he must venture to ice-cold Arctic amongst other exotic locations to catch up to a nebulous organization known as The Trident. 

Ward Larsen has done more than just the due diligence with technical aspects of modern-day combat. His stellar and advanced descriptions of naval vessels and weaponry compel you to visualize the outstanding settings with all the glorious details. That is not to say the urban combat sequences are any less superb. David Slaton battles enemies in the unforgiving expanse of Arctic ice-lands just as swiftly as he takes down underworld gangsters in Albania, all the way to battling a homegrown threat in Israel while utilizing every weapon he can get his hands on.

In contrast to the previous David Slaton thrillers, Assassin’s Edge is a more cerebral and darker thriller as we get to witness more of Slaton’s mental acumen in sifting through hidden clues and realistically gut-wrenching deceptions in a more espionage-than-action narrative. The intimate details of conducting espionage operations with the surreptitious tradecraft add a gripping layer of authenticity to the events that make you forget this is a work of fiction. Ultimately, this was an excellent choice as the finale opens up a multitude of potentially long-lasting follow-up stories to explore the dire consequences of what follows in Assassin’s Edge. 

2022 is lining up with great hits for the thriller genre and Ward Larsen has cemented a top spot already with this riveting and spectacular spy thriller. It truly deserves to be read in one-sitting. 

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Standing Alone By Stephen Leather

Standing Alone is a great indication of Stephen Leather’s continued reign on the action-thriller genre even after so many books. This was my first book by the venerable author and it was a blast to read.

Standing Alone features an angry SAS killing machine, Matt Standing, who’s blackmailed by an intelligence operative to fly to US and assassinate a former SEAL turned hitman and once Standing’s friend. Reluctantly, Standing enters America and visits the last known location of his target, a small town near California, where he gets involved with potheads, Russian gangsters, and a sinister conspiracy linked directly to his target. 

Stephen Leather emphasizes the necessity of economy of words when expressing details and emotions in a manner that realistically conveys the gravitas of each scene without going over the top.  From realistic conversations to intense heart-pounding moments with necessary bouts of levity, Stephen Leather has a way with words that’s a beautiful balance between fast-paced and wonderfully expressive.

Coming to the action, Standing Alone features some of the most fun and explosive shootouts you’ll read. Matt Standing takes on violent mobsters and terrorists with swift double taps from his Glock 19. The finale feels like a supercharged John-Woo inspired action sequence with Standing dual wielding pistols and taking out bad guys in style. You could put cool techno music to the beat of the gunshots and it would play in sync.

The twists-filled ending presents numerous opportunities for exciting follow-up stories with a greater focus on espionage-laden narratives. I can’t wait to read more from Stephen Leather! 

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Dark Angel By Andrews & Wilson

Brian Andrews and Jeffery Wilson are no strangers to writing kickass military action thrillers brimming with real-operations-authenticity and keen imagination that’s not too far away from reality. Dark Angel marks a vastly different approach to traditional A&W stories with the inclusion of religious and supernatural elements.

Even though it is the second book in the Shepherd series, Dark Angel is essentially the origin story of Jedediah Johnson, who is invited to join the Shepherds organization, a tactical and spiritual warfare team to battle enemies of physical as well as supernatural dispositions through god-gifted abilities of special sights. When a former member of Shepherds organization and now satan’s dark angel is broken out of prison by an evil force to cause religious conflict between Muslims and Christians and usher in an age of darkness, Jed must lead his new command to stop the dark forces before their plan comes to fruition.

It’s easier said than done when Jed and his team have to fight through a horde of supernatural creatures that can’t be stopped with a few punches and scratches. The dynamic duo of Andrews and Wilson show off their action prowess with some hard-knuckled fisticuffs and aggressive shootouts with trendy and futuristic weaponry and tech right out of a Matthew Reilly book, setting the fierce and intense mood for the boiling narrative. 

The critical element of the story is the emphasis on faith and supernatural connections between characters that guide the heroes on the path to stopping the bad guys. It takes a while to get used to the spiritual vernacular if one’s not well versed with this niche genre but Andrews and Wilson keep the momentum flowing and the characters interesting for readers to follow easily. In the vein of Tier One and Sons of Valor books, a few subplots are introduced but left unresolved to be explored further in the future, keeping us on our toes as we excitedly await what befalls our brand-new team of spiritual warriors next. 

Dark Angel is a hopeful tale of the everlasting battle between good and evil, with a tantalizing fusion of religion and action that adds new twists to keep the fable burning bright. 

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The Treadstone Transgression By Joshua Hood

Joshua Hood energizes his action-heavy Treadstone series as he takes Adam Hayes on a wrecking-ball power-filled trajectory to Haiti for an asset extraction.

Recuperating from the wounds of the last book’s explosive finale, Adam Hayes is beginning to spend quality time with his family when his handler activates him once again to rescue an asset hunted by a corrupt CIA official and a cabal of global intelligence members using local Haitian resources as well as the Russia’s infamous Wagner group of mercenaries. After a jumpy landing, Hayes is thrust into a raging storm of bad intelligence and double crosses and he must fight his way out to survival in a slick and fun escapist storyline.

The Treadstone Transgression shines bright and loud with Joshua Hood’s highly imaginative action sequences. Brutal and sharp-detailed, each shootout and hand-to-hand combat sequence in the almost constant action narrative is a treat for adrenaline junkies who prefer visualizing the action in super crisp resolution, made possible by Hood’s smooth prose and profoundly accurate tactical and technical knowledge.  There is no shortage of tumultuous gunshots and vociferous explosions to keep the momentum rolling at high speed.

The action works extremely well because of the leading man. Adam Hayes is a fascinating hero with a troubled past as an assassin that sticks with him even in the present day in the form of a guiding voice in his head, a side effect from the medical experiments at Treadstone. A family man with hearts to mend and promises to live up to, Hayes’s vexing dilemma to choose between protecting his family and spending time with them hits a powerful keynote in the reader’s emotions that merits a strong attachment to Hayes’s actions and well-being even though he may very well be the unkillable terminator. 

The Treadstone Transgression is a stormy action-packed adventure with a dark protagonist and brutal action reminiscent of Netflix’s Extraction in terms of the stylish and unrelenting nature of the combat sequences. Joshua Hood revs up the RPMs in this fast and furious thriller. Buckle up!

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Watch Dogs: Stars & Stripes By Sean Grigsby & Stewart Hotston

Watch Dogs: Stars & Stripes is a fun-spirited adventurous thriller balanced skillfully with a serious subject matter and grave consequences. Aiden Pearce exudes a lot of Jack Reacher vibes as a deliverer of justice but with a mastery of technology that makes for some riveting action sequences and crafty moments.

Aiden Pearce, more popularly known as The Vigilante, prowls the shadows with his 1911 pistol and his smartphone with the power to hack into almost any software and use it to teach the corrupt individuals a smacking lesson. A secretive branch of US government enlists Pearce’s help, albeit reluctantly, to investigate the recent thefts of human-augmentation tools and put an end to the white supremacist group behind the attacks. Unable to say no to a righteous cause, Pearce and his handler/old friend Jordi Chin follow the clues all the way to the Oval Office where the leader of the white supremacist group aims to unleash the final horrific step of a diabolical plan.

Watch Dogs: Stars & Stripes is a continuation of Aiden Pearce’s origin story from the Watch Dogs video game. However, the authors ensure that even readers unfamiliar with the video game will be able to step into this tech-oriented narrative with a strong foundation of the past events and an even stronger anticipation of the unveiling of the smart and engaging new storyline. That being said, it is absolutely a huge treat for the video game fans as we read Aiden Pearce control cranes, vehicles, and all sorts of electronics in quick-witted fashion during shootouts with shotgun-arms against bulletproof chest augmentations and rpm-revving car chases to gain the upper hand in a show of cinematic and stunning action sequences on a grand scale. By the end, you’ll wish for a big budget movie to incorporate these scenes.

Aiden Pearce is a force to be reckoned with. His sly wittiness is matched evenly by his strong moral and emotional center which adds arresting gravitas to his personality. His allegiance to ethics above any institution makes him the kind of inspiring character that’s sorely needed today. The authors have done a splendid work of mapping his video game personality to an even more expansive and exhaustive platform in this thriller. 

Watch Dogs: Stars & Stripes is pure entertainment in the most exciting way possible. From ingenious and bizarre tech to a mind-boggling plot, this thriller is going to rock you on the highest setting.

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Wild Card By Stephen England

Wild Card belongs in the VIP portfolio of the thriller genre that exclusively caters to the most terrifying stories, made so by the uber-realistic story and characters that make you pause and wonder if you’re actually reading a factual account rather than fiction. Stephen England brings his A-game with a flashback story of Harry Nichols as he begins his descent into the pit of darkness that comes with the territory of fighting monsters in the abyss.

It’s 2007 in Germany and Harry Nichols is assigned to aid the capture and rendition of an asset who has fled from Turkey. What should have been a simple snatch and grab operation blows up into a much bigger mission as a terrorist plot is unveiled to strike at Americans. Against the ticking countdown to impending doom, Nichols must work with his German allies to stop the attack. Before the end of the plot, Nichols is further molded into the dark rule-breaking blue-eyed operator who we’ve come to love and fear.

While most of Stephen England’s stories pack copious amounts of hard-hitting action, Wild Card dials down on the combat and instead tunes into the desperation and tension of uncovering the full scope of the terrorist plot in a highly believable turn of events that will have you biting your nails to the stub while you wrack your brain in overdrive to predict the unpredictable; one of the trademark elements of a Stephen England story. Harry Nichols’s evolution is one of the most impactful and Wild Card indulges intriguing insights into his character as a relatively less weathered paramilitary officer hardened by the brutality and frustrated by the political bureaucracy that clogs the well-oiled machinery of operations. The despair and panic seep clean through the pages into the hearts and minds of the readers for a truly immersive read without pushing any bigoted or racist agendas, rather presenting thoroughly and respectfully researched characters and situations.

Wild Card is utterly brilliant and gripping to the very end, presenting itself as an excellent gateway into the riveting Shadow Warriors series. One of 2022’s most highly awaited books, standing up to high expectations and even surpassing them.

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Shadow War By A.M. Adair

A.M. Adair is back with another hot action ride, kicking off the narrative with a tense and adrenaline-pumping action sequence and setting a violent and gripping tone for the latest Elle Anderson thriller, Shadow War.

Set only a few minutes after the events of The Deeper Shadow, Elle Anderson is targeted by a hit squad on orders of a renegade former CIA officer with a vendetta against Elle. Cut off from official resources, she has only her team to rely on as she takes the fight to her enemy. Outgunned and outnumbered, Elle and her team have to utilize every bit of their training and skillset to come out on top in this suicide mission.

Elle Anderson is a certified badass and there’s no denying her profound impact in the thriller genre. A.M. Adair writes with an experienced hand of someone who has persevered through a plethora of tough situations as her protagonist does, both physically and emotionally. Elle Anderson’s journey as a weathered spy is not without the realistic depiction of the toll of violence on the human psyche regardless of how necessary it may be. Never during any part of the story did I feel Elle to be superhuman. That’s not to say the action sequences were anything less than fantastic. A.M. Adair elevates both the quality and quantity of cinematic and tactically impressive shootouts with cutting edge weaponry.

Shadow War is highly entertaining and utterly captivating with its smart plot and awesome characters, balancing fun with grounded emotional depth to create a memorable read. You’ll be hard pressed to keep your jaw from dropping.

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Shadows Reel By C.J. Box

C.J. Box’s latest Joe Pickett novel wades into the territory of abhorrent Nazi secrets paving a violent path for some unpalatable characters on a mission to contain those secrets. 

The Pickett family is getting ready to host their thanksgiving dinner when a brutal murder shakes up their quiet town once again. Joe Pickett’s tenacious nature to step out of his employment boundaries as Game Warden to investigate the murder pays off when Marybeth Pickett receives an anonymous donation of a Nazi memorabilia with photographs exposing a hidden conspiracy. Meanwhile, Nate Romanowski is hot on the trail of the man who attacked his wife and child and took his falcons from the events of the previous book. 

C.J. Box maintains the admirably relatable approach to writing Joe Pickett and his family. As Game Warden, Joe is not neither a spy nor an assassin; he has undoubtedly matured from his previous experiences but still retains the very human element that has made Joe Pickett an iconic and charming protagonist. Arguably the bigger star of this thriller is Marybeth as she plays the most prominent role in solving the murderous mystery, an unexpected but welcoming change. 

While Joe and his wife take up the cerebral aspect of the thriller, Nate’s hunt for his nemesis takes care of the action as he closes in on his nemesis who has a diabolical plan to cause chaos and unrest throughout the country by utilizing political rallies and divisions. 

Shadows Reel is a character-driven narrative with a simmering pace that develops the story gradually through character interactions, leading to a realistic final showdown that wraps up the plot neatly.

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Purchase Shadows Reel
(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

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