The Recruiter By Gregg Podolski

The Recruiter kicks off a storm in the thrillerverse as a debut with a charismatic protagonist who is more relatable than you might be comfortable with, given his dangerous and less than legal role as a criminal recruiter. Gregg Podolski knows how the game is played and writes it really intriguingly, especially for a debut.

Rick Carter is a man who deals with the most dangerous and lucrative killers. The caveat is that he only accepts the contracting responsibility for targets he deems would bring some semblance of justice to the society at large. When his hand is forced by a client to recruit killers for a job to monopolize the black market by dragging those he’s spent years trying to protect into the crosshairs, he must outsmart not only his new clients but also the most lethal assassins he has ever had to connect with clients in his career. He’s gonna have to step into the action himself this time.

Gregg Podolski kicks the high-octane storytelling off with a first-person perspective that helps to quickly and swiftly familiarize the readers with Rick Carter, the seemingly suave but tormented protagonist who lives a lonely existence. As he is forced to step up as a hero for his family, he goes from a guy you don’t know how to really feel about, to a guy you want to root for and embrace relating to. Action isn’t his forte but he must get his hands dirty this time. Carter gets into well-crafted skirmishes with allies he picks up on the way, adding a cinematic action flavor to the whole experience that fits well into the narrative of Carter picking up a few skills in hand-to-hand combat and firearms to fend off any double crosses in his line of business. Carter’s main weapon though is his intellect as a man who can discern patterns and read people well. His ingenuity in cracking down the leads as to the true identity and mission of his client are what is ultimately needed to bring the house of cards tumbling down. 

Podolski creates a rich new world of assassins and underworld in his debut, setting up a sequel with a cliffhanger that will hit you like a full bucket of frozen water. What captivated and enthralled me above all else is that ultimately, The Recruiter is a resonating narrative about how a man, plunged head first into a world of first-hand violence and chaos, must stay afloat to protect his family against all odds. By the ending, Carter will win your heart and your desire to keep reading more of his stories. I can’t wait to read what troubles Podolski puts him up against next. 

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Shades Of Mercy By Bruce Borgos

Bruce Borgos follows up his debut with yet another zinger of a thriller that thrusts his protagonist into the world of cartels and automated weapons in the usually quiet high desert of Nevada. It’s fast-paced, twisty, and highly entertaining.

Sheriff Porter Beck, leading his small cadre of police department, is faced with terrible tragedies as a growing number of people, including a childhood friend, is afflicted by a new strain of strong illegal opioids in his town. At the same time, another one of his friends is targeted by a military drone hacked by a skilled individual. As Porter investigates the two cases, he’s led to a teenager who may have had a hand in the hacking of the military drone. Only issue is, she’s locked up in the juvenile detention center with no access to computers. Digging deeper into the incongruity of the situation, Porter soon realizes there’s more sinister things at play and that it all ties together like nothing he could have expected.

For those who’ve read Borgos’ debut, The Bitter Past, Shades of Mercy has high expectations riding on it, rightfully so given how excellent the debut was. I can confirm that the expectations are indeed met in this riveting thriller with plenty of gunfire to go around and a lot of intriguing twists that keep readers and characters on their toes. Porter along with his sheriff department and his gung-ho sister make for a terrific combo in this great mixture of cutting-edge techno thriller, small-town crime-solving mystery, and a contemporary depiction of the war on drugs that continue to rage today. Borgos takes his time in developing the characters with each decision and action his characters engage in, elevating the relatability of the characters and making them come to life through vivid sceneries and descriptions. The suspense is wonderfully woven into the tapestry of violence and threat of impending doom. Whatever you do, you’ll find your mind wandering to the narrative, just compelled to finally see how it all comes together.

Shades of Mercy serves as concrete evidence that Borgos is here to stay in the thrillerverse with awesome stories that vividly capture life in a desert town with cool new scenarios and dangerous threats to keep the good guys and gals busy with action and suspense. 

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The Bang Bang Sisters By Rio Youers

Rio Youers rocks and rolls in this high-powered action-packed ride through grimy streets and hallways filled with dead bodies and bullets. The Bang Bang Sisters is what you get when you combine kickass characters with an equally badass setting all put on the stove at maximum heat to get all that kinetic energy zooming past you like angry hornets at a rave.

Brea, Jessie, and Flo spend their public lives in bars and stages rocking hard in their band. But what they don’t reveal is that they are skilled at more than just musical instruments. Each possesses unique skillsets in utilizing firearms, melee weapons, and even their bare fists and feet to clean the scum of the Earth. After a close call, they decide to take some time off, but the presence of a serial killer making headlines takes them to Reedsville, Alabama. However, it turns out to be a trap set by a dangerous sadistic mobster who has a personal ax to grind with the Bang Bang Sisters. Soon, they are caught in a dangerous game where the only way to live may be to kill each other.

Youers sets up an enthralling gauntlet for the heroines to battle, ramping up the anxiety, terror, and bloodshed as the sisters quickly get caught up in one twist after another. With a whole city as their playing ground, there is no shortage of gripping events and bolstering action as sisters have to fend off each other. What truly sets the dark and gritty tone of the narrative is the feeling of despair and helplessness that leaves the sisters open to desperate measures. It’s a thrilling adventure as we follow each of the three heroines try to outmaneuver not only each other but the vicious killers on their trail goading them on to kill each other for sport. The action sequences are vicious and breathtaking with a heavy toll on both the characters and readers, brilliantly showcasing Youers’ ability to evoke powerful emotions in his deeply personal storytelling.

The Bang Bang Sisters is an adrenaline-fueled battle royale tour de force with captivating protagonists who reflect the best of us in a twisted world. It is everything you want in a fast-paced thriller that sinks its talons into you for the whole intense ride.

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The Bourne Shadow By Brian Freeman

After the explosive finale of The Bourne Sacrifice, I was supremely excited for how Brian Freeman would continue the story of Jason Bourne in keeping with the high bar he set in his take on the character. I’m so happy to say that The Bourne Shadow not only matches up to the aforementioned high expectations but sets a new standard in the series for subsequent chapters to follow. If you think you know all there is about Jason Bourne, you really don’t.

Long before Bourne lost his memory, he was a talented but disaffected young man who went by the name of David Webb. When Bourne runs into a woman who recognizes him by his real name, he’s pulled into the far depths of his past, retracing his first ever mission as part of Treadstone. Fighting the pull of his memories along with numerous assassination attempts by a cabal of supremacists keen on silencing Bourne before he can work his way up the food chain and his memories, Bourne certainly has his work cut out for him.

Brian Freeman’s Bourne thrillers are packed with great action, and The Bourne Shadow continues that tradition with superb bone-crunching fisticuffs and thrilling shootouts. This time however we get a sense of Bourne’s vulnerabilities as we see him challenged like never before. It sets a more dangerous tone for the narrative as Bourne is caught in the headlights and barely manages to escape, often with help of new-found allies. While it doesn’t discredit Bourne’s prowess at handling combat, it does acknowledge his humanity and mortality with growing threats that catch both him and the readers off-guard.

I love how The Bourne Shadow feels like a smart cross between old-school pulpy thrillers and modern espionage and political thrillers. From exotic dangers and action to characters throwing us off with hidden agendas and twists that shake the whole narrative, it’s every bit as captivating as one would expect from a high caliber thriller with a fast pace and an interesting insight into Bourne’s past that shines an important light into his behaviors in the present. That’s some impressive character evolution by Brian Freeman.

If you’re keen to get your socks knocked off by a hardcore action thriller with one twist after another and incredible characters you won’t soon get your mind off of, The Bourne Shadow is a terrific choice. Of course, it’ll be infuriating to wait for the sequel after that intense climax that opens a whole Pandora’s Box for future stories featuring Jason Bourne.   

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Cage Of Traitors By Aiden L Bailey

Aiden Bailey takes his fan-favorite protagonist down a dark and violent rabbit hole of conspiracies, betrayal, and aggressive confusion that brings with it tinges of old-school Bourne but with all the fast-paced action-packed shenanigans that fans love to read in today‘s action thrillers.

Mark Pierce, codenamed Trigger Man, wakes up dazed in the driver’s seat of a beat up vehicle, pulse pounding, and bullets swirling all around. As strange as it sounds, it’s the least of his worries as he backpacks through Brazil with a woman he doesn’t know, and with a big target on his back that he can’t remember why is on him in the first place. Chaos ensues as Pierce battles in his most vulnerable state yet, but it’s Trigger Man after all and he’s gonna kick ass.

Bailey really hits the mark with Cage of Traitors as he writes his most violent, gruesome, and twisty thriller yet. The action’s bonkers in the best way with Pierce taking headshots and dodging bullets in one awesome action sequence after another, keeping the engine pumping with high revs. It’s not easy to craft a highly suspenseful narrative with a steady stream of gunfights and explosions as pacing usually becomes an issue, but Aiden Bailey superbly threads the needle and the result is a relentless action-packed espionage adventure that tackles all the necessary challenges for an extremely satisfying adrenaline-dose for thriller fans.

With the grand narrative constantly evolving through dark and unpredictable twists and turns, Aiden Bailey continues to morph the Trigger Man saga into one of the best espionage action series. Cage of Traitors ramps up the stakes for the protagonist and the series, taking it to higher and darker levels of awesomeness with moments that you won’t soon forget.

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The Tennessee Killers By Jethro Wegener

The Tennessee Killers is a wonderful reminder of how fun pulpy action thrillers can be with the right balance of action and dialogue in a swift execution by an author who gets the kind of buzz thriller fans crave on a Friday night.

Duke Gibbs is a force to be reckoned with. He has survived the killer jungles of Vietnam and he’s back home now. When he’s ambushed by two massive men, he finds himself catapulted into a web of chaos and destruction with shadowy webs weaving dangerous truths. In his quest for answers, he’s paired up with Friday Jones, a face from the past whose private investigation into her brother’s disappearance ties right into the heart of the mystery that Gibbs is delving deep into. Tearing apart Oldfield, Gibbs must uncover a despicable secret that traces all the way back to Washington.

Jethro Wegener capitalizes on the addictive adrenaline-rush of seeing a muscular protagonist tear down bad guys with bare hands, muscle cars, and all sorts of firearms. Gibbs resembles the free-spirited ass-kicking nature of Jack Reacher and similar characters, but is undoubtedly more gangster in his own right. He’s all for beating the crap out of racists and criminals and Jethro makes him look supremely cool with awesome and crisp action sequences that are sprinkled throughout the narrative, ensuring there’s no dull moment at all in the entire book. From start to finish, Jethro keeps you hooked with one bloody action sequence after another. All the action however serves to feed the story that’s dark, ambitious, and pulpy with a genuine 70’s vibe to it. You’re easily enchanted with the lively and engaging characters of Duke Gibbs and Friday Jones as they make a formidable duo with brawn and brain in uncovering the mystery while shooting whichever bad guy looks their way. It’s darn fun.

The Tennessee Killers is an action-ride that easily gets you into the groove of hardcore beatdowns and vicious villains that are matched by memorable protagonists in a grim tale with high stakes. Duke Gibbs continues to be a compelling protagonist and his kickass charisma is one to beat.

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Sentinel By Mark Greaney

Mark Greaney delivers a summer blockbuster action-packed thriller with all the adrenaline-booster shots you’ll need to keep you up for a whole day as you read Sentinel, unable to tear yourself away for even a second.

After the explosive events of Armored, Josh Duffy and his wife Nikki are now working together for the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service providing protection for diplomats in the field. When they’re posted together to Ghana to provide protection for an embassy personnel there to highlight American commitment to the construction of a new dam, they imagine a straightforward setting with their kids, almost like a short vacation for the family. But the brief tranquillity is shattered by a plan orchestrated by a Chinese spymaster to destroy the dam. Josh and his wife, Nicole, are caught up in the chaos of gunfire and explosions as he squares off against mercenaries, and a deadly foe from his past.

Mark Greaney has often likened his Gray Man protagonist to John McClane from the Die Hard series. Even though Josh Duffy is miles away from being anything like The Gray Man, Duffy is absolutely as John McClane as one can get in this action-packed outing. One of the many ways readers will resonate with Josh Duffy is that he’s someone ordinary folks can understand fundamentally. He’s a family man, and he can switch off to be at rest with his wife and kids. But when the going gets tough, Duffy can raise hell for his foes and he does so spectacularly in Sentinel. While it takes a bit to set the stage for the intense action-setting, once Duffy spots the threat , the narrative ratchets up in overdrive.

In true Greaney fashion, Sentinel is rife with detailed combat sequences augmented by technical details that bring the pages to life. Duffy shoots and punches and kicks and blows up his opponents in moments of sustained combat throughout the course of the story, each chapter tinged with anticipation of what twist would meet Duffy next as he wades his way through the storm of bullets.

It was a lot of fun to see Josh and his wife working together this time. Not only did it make for a few playful moments between the two, but it also amplified the stakes as Josh not only fought for his mission as a Special Agent of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, but he also fought as a husband and a man who would go to all lengths to protect his family.

Sentinel is an excellent addition to Mark Greaney’s saga of gritty, hard-hitting, timely, and action-packed thrillers and it’s one of the most entertaining thrillers you’re going to read this year. Think of Sentinel as this summer’s cinematic adventure with lots of action. I can’t wait to see where Greaney takes Josh Duffy next, but I’m sure it’s going to be a wild ride.

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Standing Strong By Stephen Leather

Stephen Leather sends his warriors on one of their most perilous missions yet. With the Ukrainian-Russian war machine churning more and more devastation, Leather puts readers in the hot seat as Matt Standing takes the fight to Russia’s forces.

Matt Standing and his team are attached to a strike team in Ukraine with the intention of helping the forces on the ground become familiar with new cutting-edge weaponry provided by the British. With tensions continuing to escalate, Standing and his team find themselves mired in firefights, double crosses, and drones swirling around. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a secret directive to their actions; assassinating the Russian president in what many others would consider to be a suicide mission. For Standing, it’s just another Tuesday.

Just from the setting, one can infer the action’s going to be firing all on cylinders and that inference is absolutely correct. Stephen Leather crafts his action sequences with a delicate balance of chaotic energy and tactical precision that play off each other in an exciting fashion. Standing is a one-man army whom you love to read kicking ass in tactically-authentic military-styled combat sequences.

At the same time, what I found most absorbing was how Stephen Leather factors in the on-going war-weary nature of this conflict. Far from being treated like a new development, this time we feel the weight of the war taking its toll on the characters and how the conflict has evolved since its inception, reflecting the current events with somber and impactful moments in the narrative that help the story stand out from being just another military action thriller.  

Standing Strong is packed with bold and gritty military standoffs, memorable characters, and exciting plot unraveling developments that unfold in the right flow to keep you hooked long past your bedtime.

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Red Sky Mourning By Jack Carr

Red Sky Mourning is a visceral reading experience apt for those who like their stories tinged with unbridled violence and an unrelenting protagonist.

A rogue Chinese submarine within striking distance of America, a Silicon Valley tech mogul fostering a new age of Artificial Intelligence, and a compromised politician close to the Oval Office, all are rising threats that create a troublesome storm for the United States of America. Its only hope lies with Alice, a quantum computer operating independently from the dark depths of the internet, and who only wishes to work with James Reece, dragging him into the gates of hell once again.

Jack Carr doubles down on the brutal action as James Reece is once again propelled by feral lust for blood after a personal attack that leaves his judgement racked with guilt and anger at those who wronged him. From vicious tomahawk action to crunchy firefights, there’s boatloads of tactical action for thriller fans.

Building on the AI knowledge from past few books, Carr continues to impress upon the readers the grand vision of quantum computing and its role in Artificial Intelligence in layman’s terms while keeping the thriller pumping with human elements and gritty tension, political and personal. The narrative is fueled by Reece’s demons even as the story goes for the big bucks of impending global conflict and James Bond-like threats with megalomanic villains who want to see the world burn at the expense of their bank accounts flourishing. It’s this streamlined focus that makes the experience personal and engaging while the technological and the political intrigue further augment the action-packed story. 

The ending definitely opens up new chapters for James Reece in an uncharted territory for this series. There seem to be no signs of Jack Carr pumping the brakes on this highly entertaining series of tactical thrillers.  

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Breach Of Trust By Eric P. Bishop

Eric Bishop levels up his game with a globe-trotting adventure that manages to feel both awe-inspiring and personal at the same time. It’s a wonderful combination that Eric Bishop has masterfully concocted in this highly anticipated sequel to his debut.

After the explosive and devastating events of The Body Man, Nick Jordan is back on his directive to protect the office of the President of The United States in any way necessary. The newly sworn in President will need Jordan as The Body Man more than ever now as he goes to war with The Sanctum, a ruthless international crime syndicate. When devastating events start to unfold, orchestrated by The Sanctum to create global unrest by attacking the President, it’s up to Nick Jordan and a handful of new allies who must unravel the threat of violence to stop an audacious attempt on the President’s life.

Adrenaline and suspense are injected straight into the pages in generous doses as the narrative sparks up conflict and chaos with a splendor that entertains you without a doubt. You’re hooked in for the ride as Jordan and his allies, members of Operation Red Star, are tasked specifically to take down the Sanctum and its nefarious tendrils sprouting around the world. Nick Jordan shares the spotlight with Luke Furey, an operator who’s brought into the fold once more to settle an old score with The Sanctum and to investigate a personal link that ties directly into the shadowy world of The Sanctum. Bishop ensures there are high levels of energy and activity happening in every chapter on every page so much so that you’re falling down the rabbit hole of flipping the pages without any real chances of putting the book down. The dark, somber tone is set pretty early on in the narrative and from there onwards it continues to navigate through intriguing characters and simmering tensions that ultimately give way to a devastating finale that highlight not just the grand scale of the action but also the very human costs of serving the most powerful members of the United States government. It’s a riveting blend of espionage and politics, harkening back to the cutthroat cloak-and-dagger thrillers of the early 2000’s era but infused with the modern threat of evolving technology and faceless threats with nefarious tactics. It’s these dangers that Eric Bishop effectively demonstrates through engaging characters and realistic scenarios.

Breach of Trust is a spectacle that thriller fans will appreciate immensely. Eric Bishop continues to impress us with insightful stories and exciting developments in the plot that make you want to read the next installment right after you finish this one. The awesome cliffhanger also adds to the growing anticipation for what will surely be another banger. 

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Ghost Jumper By A. A. Warren

Ghost Jumper is a summer sci-fi blockbuster that you’ll wish is adapted to the big screen because A.A Warren writes scenery and action of the highest cinematic quality.

Trev Corvus is Star League’s best pilot in the intergalactic war. He flies fast and he flies sharp. After a mission goes horribly wrong for Trev, he drops out and he becomes a Ghost Jumper, helping criminals escape the oppressive Trans-Corp Security Force. As he and his synthetic canine co-Pilot take to the skies on a new job, he finds himself double crossed and hunted by a powerful figure in the galaxy, and no matter how fast he flies, he can’t outrun the whole galaxy, or his past. 

Throughout Ghost Jumper, A.A Warren keeps the momentum bustling with awesome action sequences, whether it’s Trev flying a futuristic fighter jet in aerial combat, shooting down bad guys with cool weaponry, or throwing down with dangerous fisticuffs. The action hits hard with the right balance of vivid details to get the imagination flowing and a pedal to the metal pacing. The scale of the action is truly galactic as the adventure takes Trev across the stars to find out just how aggressive of an enemy he has made unwittingly in his latest enterprising quest. 

Even with such futuristic setting, Warren describes each encounter, character, place, and equipment with a grounded perspective that readers who may not even be fans of the sci-fi genre will easily grasp and enjoy the experience. The first person POV immensely helps readers seamlessly connect with this grand world down to the beings who still resonate with those around us. Trev’s witty humor and troubled past prove to be a powerful combo in creating a distinctive aura for him as a protagonist and as someone you’d want to follow into any crazy adventure imaginable.

The story feels like an incredible tapestry of multiple genres and plot lines that, thanks to Warren’s stellar writing, gel together nicely and confidently to give a riveting twisty narrative that adds to the incredible roster of characters and jaw-dropping action. It’s not a typical heavy-laden sci-fi tale, but it certainly seems inspired by the best and it’s channeled into creating a novel that will make your week if not your month a great one at that.

Ghost Jumper is a delightful action-packed adventure that feels like a cinematic journey through space with plenty of fun moments that are balanced by spine-tingling moments of horror and chaos, sprinkled with some wry humor to complete the full package. 

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A Warrior's Path By Steve Stratton

Steve Stratton deep-dives into the psyche of a formidable warrior who we’ve come to know and root for tremendously in the last few years. Lance Bear Wolf tore up the thriller scene in Stratton’s debut, Shadow Tier. With A Warrior’s Path, we get an intriguing and vulnerable insight into the Warrior Ethos that Wolf embraces so religiously. 

As a child, Lance Bear Wolf is troubled by the death of his father who succumbed to his fatal addiction to drugs. Hellbent on hunting down the man who supplied his father with the venom that tore his family apart, fate takes him from the Crow Reservation to dangerous and storied deployments in the US Army at the time of battling drug cartels as he comes face to face with all that it means to be a warrior in the face of adversity.

Stratton effectively dissects the power and influence of all the events and thoughts that differentiate Lance Bear Wolf from other characters in the thrillerverse. His culture, his home, his dark past, and his training, all are shown in the pages of this novella as building blocks of his structured and powerful personality. The first person POV works great in making this novella feel personal, not so much as putting readers in Lance Bear Wolf’s shoes but instead creating a memoir-like atmosphere that feels like Wolf himself is narrating his story to the readers, blurring the line between fiction and reality. It’s a line that Stratton walks like a funambulist, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they lose themselves in the intense combat sequences lined with detailed and controlled descriptions of violence that match the Wolf’s expertise in the art of death.

A Warrior’s Path is a powerfully personal journey of a man who realizes he must master his identity by walking through fire and testing his mettle like it’s never been tested before. It’s raw, engaging, and a treat for thriller fans who like their stories with a realistic undertone. 

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A Talent For Murder By Peter Swanson

A Talent for Murder is a psychologically dark narrative that’s equal parts thrilling and creepy. You’re going to feel that uneasiness under your skin while you’re driven to read through the unsettling story.

Martha Ratliff had made peace with the fact that she was cursed in love. She lived alone and was content with it until she met Alan. Against her own prejudices, she finds herself saying yes to Alan’s proposal and soon, they’re married and living a cozy life, albeit a bit distant. When Martha discovers a spot of dried blood on Alan’s shirts and a news clip stating a woman was killed at one of the conferences where Alan had been over a weekend, she can’t get out of her mind the possibility that her husband may be a killer. Her investigation leads her down a dark rabbit hole where more murders come up in all the areas Alan has frequented. Does she really know her husband, or is he hiding an ugly secret underneath the sweet divorcee facade? As Martha seeks the help of an old friend, it seems that the past may not be as distant as it may seem. 

Peter Swanson does a phenomenal work of creating a strong lingering aura of paranoia and fear in the subtle scenes he portrays between Martha and Alan, but all powerful in their underlying tension and subtext. There’s always this gnawing sense that what the clues may be hinting at isn’t what’s actually going on behind the scenes. It’s one of the rare suspenseful thrillers where finding out the secret of the killer doesn’t kill the intrigue, but amplifies all the actions that follow. Swanson is a master at eliciting genuine fear out of the reading folks with his twisty approaches to the mystery thriller genre and he makes sure to tick all the boxes that one wants ticked when picking up a fast-paced captivating and believable mystery in tune with all the quirks of our society. 

If you’re looking to be captivated by a tense mystery thriller that grabs your attention with its sinister theme and paranoia-inducing narrative due to the gritty realism of the characters and situations, A Talent for Murder is a great way to spend the weekend. 

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Assassins Anonymous By Rob Hart

Assassins Anonymous is the kind of thriller that unexpectedly drops in on you when you least expect it and by the end of it, you come out feeling more vulnerable to the beauty of human banality and the dangers that lurk out there. It’s a heavy read at times but one that is well-worth the intensity and emotional baggage that comes along with brutal action and strong storytelling.

Mark is a man trying to make amends for his previous life as a formidable killer-for-hire. He’s staying true to his commitment with a 12-step group of like-minded individuals who’ve forsaken the life of violence when he’s suddenly targeted by a rather vicious assailant, putting Mark right back in the very world he so desperately tried to escape. As he dons his dark persona, the ensuing complications aren’t just a matter of life and death, but it also becomes a battle for salvation of his soul and all that he has worked for since he gave up his guns and knives. When taking a non-lethal approach to his issues put him in much more danger, will he yield to the darkness of his prior life or will he persist for goodness even if it kills him?

Rob Hart masterfully weaves a narrative propelled by philosophical discourse and thoughtful concepts set in a world that is full of violence and chaos. This helps tremendously to set a brilliant pace, alternating between Mark’s point of view as a man struggling to hold onto his reformed spirit versus his desire to let his old vengeful spirit lay waste to all that stand in his way. For the first time in a long time, I actually rooted for a protagonist in a situation ripe for action to actually take the path of non-violence. Such is Hart’s ability to get the readers truly thinking and feeling for the situation as if it’s happening for real. It also becomes a real treat when we do see Mark having to put up a fight when his adversaries do not share the same moral principles as he does.

Assassins Anonymous is a heartfelt tale of violence and hope in a dark world with the promise of redemption for those who truly seek it. It’s a thriller, sure, but it’s also a reflection of human flaws and betterment when one strives to make the lives of others better by molding themselves first.

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The Devil's Fortress By Dale Brown

Want to take a break from the monotony of a hectic work week? You’ll find yourself in great action-packed company with Dale Brown’s latest action-frenzied thriller, The Devil’s Fortress. Pack your wingsuit because you’re going flying with this badass ride.

Nick Flynn and his team continue the clandestine mission of The Quartet Directorate in proactively taking out whatever threats arise to meet US interests, especially those with the backing of Russia’s authoritarian president. Raven Syndicate is back to face off against Flynn and his team, this time bringing with them a plan so diabolical that it will affect generations to come if the Quartet Directorate does not wipe out the threat instantly. With a do-or-die strategy, Flynn must storm the Devil’s fortress head on with every bit of firepower possible to destroy the threat once and for all. 

Dale Brown snipes his target of entertaining his readers big time with this action-packed fast-paced no-nonsense adrenaline rush of a thriller that not only emboldens the killer imagination of the bad guys but also bolsters all the fun and heart-pounding stunts the good guys undertake to meet the challenges. From the get-go, the narrative slows but a minutia to settle readers in before taking off at rocket speed with awesome military tech and cinematic shootouts that will play in your head over and over again as you read the pages. The added element of danger as Flynn and his team operate behind enemy lines keeps you nudged into your sofa as you flip the pages at a burning pace. 

The Devil’s Fortress is indubitably one of the prime examples of books that must be read in one-sitting quite simply because it never lets go of you. Bustling cinematic action with rip-roaring sequences and pedal-to-the-metal plotting, it doesn’t get better than this.

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If Something Happens To Me By Alex Finlay

If Something Happens to Me is suspense on steroids. Alex Finlay in his artistic style weaves an entangled web of parallel stories that tie together with a gravitas that takes your breath away.

Ryan Richardson is a young man haunted by memories of a terrible night where his girlfriend was snatched away in front of him. As he tries to get his life back together after that harrowing event, he finds himself back in that dreadful mystery when his girlfriend’s car is found with a note that says “If something happens to me” in his girlfriend’s writing. This is right when he runs into a face from his past, the face of the man who took his Ali away. Confounded by the turn of events, he picks up the web and starts untangling it, leading him to a Deputy Sheriff Poppy McGee who is working the new developments of the case, unaware that she’s bound to shake the skeletons in the closet in the small town. 

In true Alex Finlay fashion, the reader is taken along for the ride, bombarded by amazingly crafted and heart-stopping twists and turns that even if you predict before time will still give you pause to see come to fruition. It’s an absolute pleasure to read how Finlay takes parallel-running storylines and weaves a giant web of interconnected secrets that all tie together with a satisfying click. From the engaging characters to the fresh narrative with dark and intense energy, If Something Happens to Me is a nail-bitingly suspenseful thriller that checks off all the boxes a thriller fan wants in a well-written story with just the sweet spot between fast-paced and slow-burn pacing for a compelling read from start to finish. 

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Act Of Defiance By Andrews and Wilson

Act of Defiance is a genuinely worthy follow-up to the classic and revered submarine thriller that cemented Tom Clancy as one of the greatest thriller writers. To follow up such a tale 40 years later with an equally impressive and grand thriller is a task that may have been uneasy to think about, but falls perfectly within the wheelhouse of Andrews and Wilson’s dynamic duo.

When Russia’s deadliest submarine, the Belgorod, sneakily launches for a mission that isn’t gleaned cleanly from US intelligence reports, there’s a disturbance in the thinly held peace between the two nations. What makes for an even more disturbing situation is that this intelligence failure harkens back memories of an event where it all started, when a Soviet submarine codenamed, Red October embarked on a dangerous mission and caused a crisis which gave rise to the OG Clancy hero, a much younger Jack Ryan. Years later, Jack Ryan as the president of the United States must contemplate this new development, while making peace with the fact that his daughter, Lieutenant Katie Ryan, now faces the legacy of Red October.

One of the many captivating aspects of a Tom Clancy thriller is the grand scale with multiple events unfolding parallelly on various battlefronts. There was never any doubt with respect to the writing prowess of Andrews and Wilson to tackle this challenging aspect of keeping multiple plot points synchronized and entertaining at the same time, and as expected, they nail the high-tension high-caliber storytelling we’ve come to love in Clancyverse. Whether it’s operatives of The Campus leading their clandestine mission into Russia for intelligence, or Katie Ryan thrust into dangerous naval combat, the authors drum up a lot of intensity and enthusiasm for the narrative to keep readers buckled in for the whole narrative and before you know it, you’re already knee deep in the storyline.

Lieutenant Katie Ryan however takes the prize for me. Her character is superbly written with a strong foundation to her developments aided by astute and compelling characterization where she earns not only the respect of her superiors but also the admiration of readers with her straight-shooting attitude and inquisitive demeanor, much like her father’s character in the earlier books as an analyst. The authors made the right call with establishing Katie Ryan in a story that’s all about the legacy of Red October, not only in terms of the story, but also in terms of the history as Red October launched Jack Ryan as a household name, much like Act of Defiance will win over readers and compel you to want more of Katie Ryan in future stories. 

Act of Defiance is a terrific entry for Andrews and Wilson into the Clancyverse with their style of narrative and storytelling coming across as a natural fit for thrillers that are worthy of the Clancy estate.

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A Spy Like Me By Kim Sherwood

James Bond is back in a way I couldn’t have anticipated. Kim Sherwood expands the universe of the legendary 007 with modern heroes and threats alike, compounding the world of spycraft with grittiness second to none.

The story opens up with a devastating bomb blast in London, the saving grace being the quick work of Double Os on the scent of the sophisticated terrorists. Given carte Blanche to hunt down the enemy, MI6 agents Joseph Dryden, 004, and Conrad Harthrop-Vane, 000 are assigned to follow the money trail all over the globe, some places swarming with eccentric billionaires and some pulsing with violence. At the same time, Johanna Harwood, 003, is picking up James Bond’s trail as he disappeared at the hands of the insidious private military company Rattenfänger. As the investigations tighten the noose on the antagonists, it becomes harder to trust anyone, especially the Double O’s. After all, who else can pose a bigger threat than those trained to subvert the greatest of threats? 

A Spy Like Me is a terrific espionage narrative right off the bat. Sherwood tackles this grand worldwide conspiracy with both panache and an emotional rawness that works best in spy thrillers where you appreciate the fast-paced shiny cool spycraft as well as the high emotional stakes and broken souls that propel characters to step into the abyss in the first place. Each Double O is given their fair share of spotlight and each shines with unique flairs. Dodging bullets, treachery, and one pounding mystery after another, each Double O reaches a tipping point that drastically changes the playing field for all. Ultimately, Sherwood captures the entangled plotlines in a stupendous combination of emotion and action with the right balance between lethality and humanity in the protagonists to make you root for them as they wade in the seas of danger. 

A Spy Like Me is an enthralling spy narrative that beautifully inaugurates the spy-savvy world of Bond in today’s era of misinformation and societal unrest. To add even more flavor to the delicious main course, the story ends with a chilling cliffhanger. When I say the cliffhanger will shock you to your core, I mean that it truly will give you a buzz. Sherwood sure knows how to set up a daunting next chapter and it’s one that shakes the foundation of what we’ve expected from this new series.

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Catchpenny By Charlie Huston

Catchpenny is an intriguing blend of fantastical elements we’ve come to enjoy from the likes of Stephen King’s books along with a gritty insight into LA’s underworld of drugs, music, and dark arts. 

Sidney Catchpenny is a fascinating character. Sure he’s going through a depressive slump but what he can do is steal like none other. How’s that? Well, he can travel through mirrors. Life has a funny way of finding him when he’s down. Even without any desire to catch some new work, he’s sought out by a friend who leads him to a PI-styled adventure that ties in a video game threatening to cause havoc in the real world, a missing girl, lots of dark mojo conjured by dark magic, and a doomsday occult. It’s up to Catchpenny to navigate through the myriad of worlds coexisting with the surface world most of us never break past, until we do.

What charmed me immensely about Catchpenny is Charlie Huston’s breathtaking ability to craft an intricate story that somehow seems to flow effortlessly throughout the course of the book, everything seemingly unconnected at first but fitting perfectly with the right pieces of information that Sidney acquires through his private investigation. Huston’s depiction of a darker and yet more magical world running parallel to ours is creative, exciting and ingenious to the point that it’s much easier than you’d imagine to fall into this new world without even questioning how it would have come to be, simply adopting it as if taken for granted. 

Catchpenny is a story of love, trauma, and a quest to find one’s purpose that would resonate with readers of every genre. It’s got something for everyone. Sprinkling a warm story at its core with really awesome twists and old-school noir elements that will make you want to pick up a Raymond Chandler book again, Catchpenny is a fantastic all-round thriller with so much to offer. 

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Mal Goes To War By Edward Ashton

Edward Ashton tackles AI in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Mal Goes to War is a witty, hilarious, and thought-provoking insight into a possible future as glimpsed through the eyes of an AI entity.

Mal is an AI observer of a war between the bio-augmented Federals and the puritanical Humanists. Not much for playing an active role in the conflict, Mal spends his time in the infospace. When Humanists cut off access to his home while Mal is out looking for salvaging scraps from the battlefields, he finds himself stuck inside the body of a cyborg mercenary. Suddenly thrust into the battlelines while protecting a bio-enhanced girl, Mal will find out more about being human than he could have thought in his endless simulations.

What I found exhilarating about Edward Ashton’s latest technothriller was how he established AI’s as darkly humorous and at times straight-up horrifying beings, a notion that comes with the ability to outthink humans on a large scale. As much as it is a thriller with danger and intrigue, it is also a perspective on how much AIs may learn to emulate humans, with traits like greed and survival at all costs. With the added benefit of us readers being inside Mal’s head as he goes on a journey through the wastelands, the narrative gains that extra touch of blending the book’s reality with ours as Mal acts more and more human throughout the story. Ashton also breaks away from going into much technical detail about the AI, presenting Mal as a character more than a piece of code that mutated.

Mal Goes to War is an incredibly addictive read which thrills, excites and puts you in a thoughtful ponder with supreme ease through Ashton’s fast-paced writing and stimulating characters all packed between bouts of cool hacking sequences as well as violent shootouts.

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

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

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