Beggars Will Ride By Nate Granzow

Nate Granzow’s books are some of the most unhinged, human, and entertaining thrillers that I’ve read. He speaks to the reader unencumbered by limiting genres, packing his stories with drama, action and great characters that become your friends and enemies for real.

Bringing back the Kristofferson brothers, Niklas and Kessler, Granzow takes the readers back to the prohibition era. Niklas and Kessler may have had their share of violence and bloodshed, but they’re pulled back into the fold once more when they’re double crossed by the Pig’s Eye Syndicate. As they’re hunted down by their adversaries, the Kristofferson brothers are gonna have to take the fight to their enemy’s doorstep brutally and quickly while dodging a dogged police officer hot on their tails.

Granzow adds a mix of dark humor, feral action and unpredictable twists and turns that lead our characters into places we just don’t see until it’s too late. The 1920’s come to life with Granzow’s lifelike descriptions that add to the elegance of the narrative, along with some cool shootouts with ingenious weaponry of the past. The lean, character-focused storytelling makes Beggars will Ride an unputdownable read from start to finish with a combination of mystery and action.

Beggars will Ride is a terrific break from the usual stories in the genre, emphasizing great writing and complex but fun scenarios that make this a memorable read. The ending takes your breath away with its spectacular twist.

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The Council By Matthew Betley

Matthew Betley marks a triumphant return to the thrillerverse with a bonafide action-packed narrative built on an emotionally charged character-driven arc in The Council.

To the regular joes and janes, Owen Pierce is a damn-good lawyer. But what hides beneath the veneer is a man who understands that the law itself sometimes doesn’t give justice. So he spends his remaining hours as a member of The Council, an organization that trains and deploys assassins for the greater good, or so it seems. When a mission pits Owen against the last person he expected to fight, he begins to see that The Council has its own blinders that are more sinister than anything he’s stopped so far. Feeling betrayed, Owen will scorch Earth to exact retribution, and save the free world while he’s at it.

I picked up The Council knowing next to nothing about the book. All I read was Matthew Betley’s name and that was enough to get me to try. This is perhaps the best book of 2026 I’ve read yet and we haven’t even reached the year. This statement may sound bold but it’s backed up by logic and pure adrenaline-fun that Betley excels at infusing into his stories. The Council boasts some of the most vivid and cinematically engaging action sequences rocking tactical and technical authenticity in every single page. Whether it’s a fight between a katana and a knife, a brazen heavy machine gun shootout, or a calculated clearing of hostile quarters with CQB, Betley goes solid on all kills.

The action works as great as it does because of the underlying foundation, which in this case are the characters. Owen Pierce and his team reflect  on the best of us, as flawed and broken as they are, because they do what’s right even when the easiest path is to avoid what’s right. This moral compass helps install a strong bond between you and the characters without any drag in its connection. The story is direct, unflinching, and raw in its depiction of trauma and pain that molds our heroes into the warriors they become. Owen Pierce and his team became instant new favorites before I even finished the whole book.

The Council is a riveting roller-coaster thriller bursting with awesome and memorable action sequences and taut plotting connected together with a strong emotional undercurrent that serves as the bedrock for this adventure. I can’t wait to see this take off into a multi-book series and even a movie/tv-show. It’s that superb. 

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The Girls In The Dark By Avery Bishop

Avery Bishop crafts a dark and mesmerizing story that showcases both the best and worst in humanity. The Girls in the Dark is a gripping tale of abuse, violence, and secrets that will leave you breathless at the end.

Megan Hadley is a survivor. She and her sister Allison were abducted and tortured by a serial killer who targets twins. Megan lived to tell the tale of how she escaped the clutches of evil. But as famous as she’s gotten, she’s caught the eye of her past. Is Allison really gone, or is she coming back to air the dirty secret that has made Megan so famous?

The narrative seeps into your bones with its eerie and sinister twists and turns. It’s crazy genius how Bishop makes the narrative feel off-center, making you wonder just what it is that feels wrong, and it only builds more and more with each new revelation until a major breakthrough. The horror and trauma are presented with its due respect, raw and powerful but not overly graphic; strengthening the core of the narrative without weighing down on you.

The winding path to the truth is far more rewarding when experienced with as little insight into the plot as possible. The Girls in the Dark stands out as one of the darkest and bestest dramatic thrillers in recent memory.

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Hunting Ground By Andrew Warren

Hunting Ground is an all-you-want buffet of action and suspense with Thomas Caine embodying the vibe of modern-day James Bond adventures with the panache and wit of old school charm. 

Thomas Caine has a one-too-many close-calls on his latest mission that makes him wonder if he should hang up the guns and live a calmer life. His dreams come crashing down as an attack by a white supremacist group hits close to home, attacking his loved ones and causing a fatal injury. Harboring a thirst for vengeance and spurred on by the dangerous notion of more attacks happening across the United States, Caine takes up arms to stop the violence, by inflicting even more pain on those who harmed him first.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Andrew Warren knows best how to craft cinematic and bond-esque action sequences. From the opening salvo of gravity defying and hardcore shootout turned fisticuffs turned motorcycle chase on a train, there’s plenty to go around. And this is just the opening sequence. Warren keeps you on the edge of your seat with tremendous energy and exciting pacing that never lets up. 

Caine’s personal life also spirals as we see him in a vulnerable state wanting to give up his guns but he’s pulled back in and he’s mad about it. His personal journey is well-planned and executed, not just an afterthought to the pumping action. I can’t wait to see where he goes next in his odyssey.

Hunting Ground is a calculated and enthralling action ride with all the cinematic flavors of action you’d like to see on the big screen as well as in the pages of a riveting thriller.

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None Witness By JT Patten

JT Patten constantly ups his game and he branches out and scores big time with None Witness, an unexpectedly terrific thriller.

Killian Kane has a past. He grew up as a reluctant enforcer of the Chicago Outfit. A chance encounter lands him in the sights of a secretive organization; a Vatican-adjacent authority known only as the Resolution Office. They remake him as  a custodian, cleaning up the unforgivable messes. When a priest is brutally murdered in New York, Killian is tasked with investigating it. He soon follows the trial across multiple ritualistic murders, perpetuated by someone sharing a similar past who is hellbent to expose the dirty secrets of the Resolution Office. With time running out, Kane must face both the threat of the killer and his past that comes calling with vengeance. 

Patten is a master of dark, bold and gritty stories that cut through to the deepest levels of our psyche to give us the ultimate reading experience. His attention to detail towards building storied characters whose motivations and agendas stand above surface-level cliches go a long way to cement the story as a memorable tale through the darkest vestiges of humanity while simultaneously entertaining you with intrigue and well-timed action sequences that are earned through plotted storytelling. From the unpredictability of the main antagonist to the strong arc of the protagonist on his journey from a cleaner of messes to dealing brutal justice, every single chapter feels like a reward that keeps on giving. 

None Witness is an excellent thriller that stands fresh and tall among its peers and adds subtle commentary of the world without bogging down the pacing. Be warned, the ending is going to break you. All the more reason to read it. 

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The Survivor By Andrew Reid

Andrew Reid’s The Survivor is a fast-paced twisty adventure with an intensity that rivals the best of the race-against-time stories.

A seemingly ordinary day in the subway goes horrendously wrong as a man’s past catches up to him. With an invisible but very real adversary threatening the safety of the others, the man must do whatever he’s told to do in order to keep his fellow passengers safe, realizing that the person on the other end of the line has something very sinister planned for him. Can he outwit the police and the nameless threat before he forfeits his life?

I am thoroughly impressed with how Reid sets this narrative almost completely in a single setting of a subway train yet never loses momentum in keeping readers engaged with a relentless barrage of oh-crap jaw-dropping reveals and an aura of terror that something wild and crazy might happen in the next page, which somehow ends up to be quite the prophecy as you read through the suspenseful story. Reid smartly weaves past and present day storylines together such that each chapter reveals a secret that makes you look at the characters differently. You could be rooting for a character one moment and then questioning all of their actions the next, and then swinging back and forth as the narrative peels off its layers for the final twist that really flips the story on its head. 

The Survivor is a delightfully engaging and intense thriller that delivers copious amounts of adrenaline straight to your bloodstream for a midnight hour reading rampage. Andrew Reid knows how to keep readers thoroughly engaged. 

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The Dark Time By Nick Petrie

Peter Ash and the gang face off their dangerous threat yet, a cult hellbent on bringing Armageddon to life in The Dark Time.

When Katelyn Thorsen, known as KT, receives a death threat, she knows it has something to do with her latest investigation into tech giants. What she doesn’t know is how quickly that threat rears its ugly face, until Peter Ash steps in to protect KT and her daughter and inserts himself into a dangerous position. As the gang tries to keep their charges alive, they dig deeper into the rabbit hole that has the potential to spell an end for the tech-powered world we’ve become so comfortable in. 

Nick Petrie rocks and rolls with this action-packed narrative as we see Peter, June, and Lewis unleash havoc on perhaps the most dangerous adversary they’ve faced yet. Even as a bonafide action thriller, The Dark Time is part commentary on our reliance on technology, part crime thriller, and all action from the get-go. Every chapter brews a fresh storm for the characters to evade or push through headfirst, and you never know what will happen in the next moment so you keep on flipping the pages. With such a cinematic tinge to the action and characters, The Dark Time reads fast and hard with no good place to rest, so you best keep on reading till the last page. 

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Beirut Extraction By Nick Irving

It’s a pleasure to read a spy thriller that highlights the grim and dangerous realities of the tradecraft with the no-nonsense demeanor of a well-informed and experienced scribe. 

When a senior Lebanese intelligence officer in Beirut looks for an out, British intelligence makes it their directive to get the man out, or ensure no one else can have him. In Beirut, a city bustling with activity of all sorts of enterprises, the net starts to shrink quicker than expected with options dwindling by the hour. A race to the asset ensues with operatives and civilians alike caught in the web.

Beirut Extraction feels like an official playbook of spies. The characters and challenges feel so real and ripe with intensity of the real world that it’s sometimes almost impossible to imagine this is a work of fiction. Perhaps it has seeds of reality. From the overall objective to the operational execution of the extraction and hiccups that plague the mission, the narrative benefits greatly from a realistic approach of multiple angles and characters whose paths entangle to form the full story.

Come for the highly detailed and realistic narrative and stay for the intense nail-biting action in Beirut Extraction.

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The Hard Line By Mark Greaney

The Hard Line is the answer to every Gray Man fan’s prayer that this series continue on for a long, long time. Mark Greaney refuels the saga with a new personal story for Court Gentry and an ending that merits a follow-up as great as this one.

The intelligence gathering apparatus of the United States falls under fire when attacks spawn up across the country targeting high value individuals. With a growing feeling that this is the work of a mole placed at a strategically sensitive position, Court’s boss, Matt Hanley, sets up a team to investigate and intervene where necessary to ferret out the leak. While Court is getting into battles on the urban streets, he has a bullseye on his back as he’s pursued by a legendary assassin who has a personal vendetta against The Gray Man. With walls closing in from all sides, can The Gray Man make it out unscathed before this life of violence takes yet another chip off his soul?

One of the most resonating features about The Gray Man is his surprising relatability with us normal folks. He gets frustrated, he swears, he tries his best when the odds are stacked against him. He also inspires when he goes the impossible at times. Mark Greaney captures lightning in a bottle once more with a plethora of kinetic and energetic action sequences that stand out in the series. These combat sequences not only emphasize Court’s prowess, but also highlight his vulnerability as a human who pushes himself farther than one is comfortable with, in the name of something bigger than himself.

Greaney doesn’t shy away from highlighting the moral quandary of the ugly business that The Gray Man is such a big part of; Killing. As readers, we get caught up in the hype of the action, never batting an eye on who’s on the receiving end of our hero’s violence. That’s what Greaney subtly calls out to with a narrative that pits Court against an assassin who faced a grievous loss at the hands of The Gray Man and is now out for blood. It’s the classic moral dilemma where you can’t fully support nor denounce either side, such is the strong and powerful characterization of each side. The conflict is a raw and emotionally charged reflection of what life amounts to, a commentary on the endless cycles of revenge and violence that can only end if both sides walk away. But can they do that with the losses they faced at the hands of each other? 

The Hard Line is a different breed of thrillers and it’s one that I am happy to read any given day. It’s got tons of gritty action, high stakes, and a personal touch that makes you appreciate literature in all its glory. Much like the last few Gray Man stories, this one ends on a cliffhanger, happily frustrating you that Greaney isn’t releasing two books at once. 

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Murder At 30,000 Feet By Susan Walter

Murder at 30,000 Feet reads like a spiritual successor of the OG whodunnits where the readers go through a plethora of clues and insights like a real life sleuth with some crafty twists in the mix that lead to a devastatingly satisfying resolution.

A Puerto Rico bound flight takes off with a packed flight thanks to a destination wedding and a basketball tournament. What starts off as a typical flight turns lethal when a passenger is found dead in the lavatory. What takes place is a suspenseful unraveling of secrets with a deep dive into different perspectives of diverse characters whose collective pasts and shameful skeletons in the closet all led to this fateful flight and the gruesome murder on it.

Susan Walter crafts a scintillating and dramatic narrative of high stakes yet grounded in the most primal and banal human emotions that drive the characters to embrace their secrets. Each perspective opens up an insight into the character, opening up like a Russian doll with one twist after another unfurling just when you think you’ve gotten the full gist of the story. The narrative structure took me to the Agatha Christie stories where readers get a sense of the full dilemma from the eyes of various characters, all of whom are so intricately tied to the plot that the finale is immensely satisfying. 

Tackling timely and compelling themes of human flaws and courage under fire with a tight setting in the air and a steady pacing that unfurls at the right time for the right impact, Murder at 30,000 Feet is a riveting and powerful story of love, violence, and a dark pursuit of justice. It’s going to stick with you long after you finish it.

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They'll Take Everything By C.H. Connor

They’ll Take Everything is a fantastic debut by C.H Connor who delves deep into the human psyche to deliver a haunting yet wholesome narrative about loss and grief with the fast-paced momentum of a bona-fide crime thriller.

David Dale is a man intimately familiar with tragedy following the untimely deaths of his wife and children. He’s haunted by the fact that it was his carelessness that led to their deaths. Channeling grief into opening a charity, he begins to feel things are finally looking up. But fate has other plans for him; he’s targeted for what seems to be an extortion attempt by a criminal syndicate. As David sinks deeper into the world of danger, he finds himself facing his past once more, when a secret about the horrible night his family died comes back from the grave. 

What struck me the most about this thriller was how personal and intimate this story becomes as it unveils. It starts off as a bit of a slow-burn as the author takes some time to introduce the protagonist and get readers acquainted with the broken character. It’s precisely this time spent with the protagonist that sets the stage for a riveting crime story that follows as David is targeted by a deranged and scary gangster whose unhinged nature genuinely makes you worried for David. 

The narrative also immensely benefits from David’s regular joe character as you truly feel worried for him. No combat skills, no hardened past, just a man who’s cornered and has to use his wits and allies to survive attacks. The action is gritty, raw, and hard-hitting for the very same reason.

They’ll Take Everything is an emotionally charged and powerful story that slowly gets you enveloped in its grip but once it does, the author takes you for a grand and unexpected journey with an ending that will shock you. I would absolutely read what C.H Connor puts out next.

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The Asset By Mike Lawson

The Asset is a cerebral and simmering political-espionage thriller that’ll shock you with how dark and disturbing it progressively gets until the shocking finale.

Political researcher and savvy investigator Joe DeMarco can dig up dirt in the cleanest of corners. So it’s a no-brainer for the former Speaker of the House to enlist his services in verifying the news that Lydia Chang, the wife of one of his biggest rivals, might be working undercover as a Chinese agent. Not wanting to overplay his hand, the Speaker needs concrete proof and DeMarco is put on the job. Not only does DeMarco have to outsmart the intelligence agencies acting aggressively in their goal to corrupt the American government, but also the source of the intelligence who may have some very unsettling secrets of her own. 

Lawson creates palpable tension in his narrative with a supreme emphasis on realistic tradecraft and scenarios where outthinking your opponent for a win-win scenario is more interesting than any kinetic and guns-blazing situation. The lack of traditional action opens the door to old-school intelligence gathering and intense banter between characters, all in various shades of grayscale moralities, that benefit this narrative immensely. Every dialogue and exchange adds to the unraveling of the major plot secret by secret until the last shoe drops and a race to the finish line ensues to find out the fates of the characters. 

The Asset is an exciting old-school thriller with lots of political intrigue and sleuthing that takes you back to the classic detective tales.

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Wolf Hour By Jo Nesbo

Jo Nesbo writes his magnum opus with an emotionally powerful and immensely twisty thriller that will leave you speechless by the end. 

A sniper takes out a small-time crook in Minneapolis and vanishes into thin air. With leads drying out, Detective Bob Oz takes an interest in the case. His unorthodox methods give him the best chance at catching his man, but will he be able to see the killer coming at him before it’s too late?

The synopsis is best left as vague as possible because Jo Nesbo hits you with many right-hook twists and turns you’ll best enjoy as you discover along the pages. The narrative dives into the all-too-relatable themes of pain, suffering, and longing which elevate the characters up from your standard ones to an unpredictable and dangerous avenue where you find yourself even rooting for the killer at times. Jo Nesbo keeps you mesmerized with one tantalizing twist after another as the detective puts his mind to the case with cool discoveries and sometimes dangerous mistakes that hit the readers as much as the characters right in the gut with the full weight of a freight train. Just when you get cocky you’ve gotten the story nailed down, it takes a sharp gasp-worthy turn towards a path you hadn’t anticipated. 

Wolf Hour is masterful storytelling propelled by intelligent design and smartly-timed revelations that flip the narrative on its head multiple times until you’re holding onto your seat for dear life, so make sure you’re sitting comfortably while reading. 

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The Bourne Revenge By Brian Freeman

Writing a legacy character is a tough cookie, especially with how far you can take the origin story and make something meaningful and special out of what fans already know and love without veering too far from the established lore. I was delighted to read The Bourne Revenge, for it adds an exciting paradigm to Bourne’s memory loss without taking away from what the fans appreciate about the whole series.

Jason Bourne is on the mend from his last misadventure, a dangerous reckoning that cost him his love and his hope. With revenge on his mind against the cabal that pulled the strings, he sets off on a mission to investigate a hazy memory in his past where he supposedly went toe to toe with some of the most lethal operatives. When that investigation leads him to a woman who suffered the same fate of a wiped memory, Bourne begins to realize that the reason for his memory loss may not be as much of a coincidence as he had chalked up. 

Brian Freeman brings the heat in this latest Jason Bourne thriller. It’s packed with vivid and immersive action sequences that simply ooze adrenaline right into your bloodstream as you’re reading through cinematic car chases, shootouts, and furious fisticuffs. The pacing is stupendously addictive; I tried hard to keep this book going for more than a day but I’d finished it before I knew it. 

Revealing a backstory that tied so well with Bourne’s past adds a personal core to the narrative, where Freeman retains the authenticity of the original lore but adds a crafty twist that respects and builds upon what the fans love and want more of. The strong character development shaped by years of betrayals, losses, and an indomitable spirit of fortitude keeps Jason Bourne a very relevant and powerful figure in the thriller community. The Bourne Revenge goes a long way to show that Brian Freeman not only continues the legacy of Robert Ludlum but matches up to the same quality and authenticity in more ways than one. For those who prefer some good tunes with their reads, Moby’s Extreme Ways hits extra-special with the closing chapter. You’re welcome! 

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Underdogs By Stephen Leather

Underdogs is Stephen Leather at his finest with a fresh change of style with fast-paced and technically engaging action. 

Andy Bird is a man living the harsh streets of London as a homeless man. One look at him wouldn’t give you the full picture, but he’s Andy “Deadman” Bird, an ex-SAS veteran who lost his hearing on a mission gone haywire. Unable to adjust to life back home, he finds himself in an undesirable place but he’s got his dog, Tyrone with him. As fate would have it, it’s on the streets of London that he witnesses a murder that starts a chain reaction with trained killers and cops alike hunting Andy and Tyrone. They may be underdogs, but that’s their speciality.

Stephen Leather raises the bar on crafting a distinctive protagonist in Andy Bird. Even as a deaf protagonist, Andy not only learns to rise up to the challenge but also shows us that there’s nothing we can’t succeed at if we’re willing to go the extra mile. The unorthodox challenge of a deaf character trying to dodge bullets and close encounters when every sound matters adds a crispy layer of excitement and anticipation to the action in Underdogs. Andy’s bond with Tyrone also adds with an emotional driving force to elevate the storytelling from a straight-forward action thriller to a compelling thriller that keeps you hooked with tenacity. 

It wouldn’t be a Stephen Leather story without kickass action, high stakes, and nail-biting excitement. Underdogs delivers on all with flying colors and then some. As soon as you start your journey with Underdogs, you’re only going to put it down once you’ve run out of pages to flip.

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Cold Zero By Brad Thor & Ward Larsen

Brad Thor and Ward Larsen write a high-stakes adventure in this freezing cold action-packed thriller.

Hemisphere Airlines Flight 777 is transporting a prototype for upsetting the world power with just a few keystrokes. With all eyes on this piece of tech, there’s no time for chances. When the jetliner is brought down by sabotage in the icy barren wasteland of the North Pole, the ball falls to C.I.A. operative Kasey Sheridan and First Officer Brett Sharpe to navigate their predicaments while trying to keep the prototype from falling into the hands of other nations highly interested in getting their hands on this dangerous piece of tech. 

Cold Zero has a special place on my shelves because it doesn’t shy away from being adventurous. You’ve got plane crashes, frigid temperatures, colliding submarines, high technology, and an unyielding race against time for survival where no one side can truly be trusted, all blended together to present a strong contender for the most memorable and fun-filled book of the year. Where Thor and Larsen shine together the most is having all of these elements work together in a way that feels plausible and pulse-pounding. It’s out there, but not so much that you believe it can’t happen at all. Crazier things have happened. The emphasis on developing Sheridan and Sharpe as relatable and authentic characters who give you a sense of inspiration for trying to beat such harsh odds compels you to read past your snack-time at work. It’s dangerous, but worth it. 

If you like the political intrigue of Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath books and Ward Larsen’s espionage, David Slaton series, you’re going to love Cold Zero. It’s the start of what I hope is a long running series and collaboration between two maestros of the thrillerverse.

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Antihero By Gregg Hurwitz

Antihero is perhaps the apt name for Gregg Hurwitz’s latest thriller as it dives into the darkest of topics that show us the man behind the legend.

When a helpless woman is kidnapped in broad daylight and assaulted, her case comes across Evan’s helpline. As Evan puts his skills to use, he becomes deeply acquainted with his charge, and uncomfortably grapples with his own sense of morality where his inner darkness threatens to lay waste to all those who transgressed with the attack. 

Antihero is as much a powerful character study as it is an action thriller that breaks down our hero into the darkest bits. Hurwitz does not shy away from the trauma and the aftermath of violence. Even more realistic is the chink in Evan’s armor where his rules and control fail to reign in the storm that rises over the violation of a human being. Far from being a man in control, Evan spirals into darkness and his fall and rise equally speak to the monumental strength that resides in us to combat evil without becoming evil ourselves. 

In addition to being an emotionally charged story, it packs hard-hitting action where Evan dishes out much-deserved justice to criminals and scums in brutal yet classy style. While it may not be the most action-packed entry in the series, it’s certainly one of the most gut-wrenchingly insightful and thought-provoking books in the genre that meets evil head-on with the strength and sophistication that surprises most if not all of us in our darkest moments. 

A brutal story of violence and trauma told expertly through different points of view with a powerful message that speaks to everyone, Antihero is a memorable thriller with tons of firepower and brute force. 

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Godfall By Van Jensen

When an alien ship crash lands in a small town, you’d think a story centered on a sheriff handling serial killings probably doesn’t seem like the most interesting bit. Godfall dispels that notion in the best possible way.

The question of whether we’re alone in this universe finally gets put to rest as what seems to be an asteroid on collision course with Earth turns out to be a 3-mile tall alien supposedly dead on arrival. The small quiet town of Little Springs, Nebraska, transforms into a hub of black suits and secrets creeping in from different parts of the country. This migration seems to also bring in a killer. It falls to Sheriff David Blunt to keep calm and carry on investigating a string of murders that hit close to home even when the whole world has drastically shifted with the arrival of something bigger than us. 

Van Jensen methodically builds a crisp and elegant narrative that organically grows with natural character developments and efficient storytelling without a wasted breath. From the alien to the murder mystery in the small town, I loved every aspect of the thriller. The mystery unravels at a breakneck pace for you to devour in just a few sittings. The small town setting makes the story all the more intimate where every character you come across may be hiding a secret, adding a layer of suspense and emotional weight to the already suspenseful and engaging story that leads neatly to a profoundly satisfying finale. There’s a message for the readers that perhaps hits the hardest now in this time of divisiveness and fear, and it’s this ultimate point that really helps Godfall stand out. 

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Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
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A Spy Inside The Castle By M.B. Courtenay

A Spy Inside The Castle is a fascinating espionage tale that blends gritty spycraft with a mystical twist and unrelenting suspense that doesn’t let up.

Ethan Briar is an intelligence analyst who finds himself embroiled in an absolute bonkers of a world dominion plan that involves a supercomputer with the capability to accurately predict the future. When Ethan comes face to face with an assassin with mythical specter-like reputation, he knows he must go down the rabbit hole, right to the Castlemartin Manor, where dangerous secrets isolated from the world are bursting to be revealed.

M.B Courtenay crafts one of the most interesting fusions I’ve read in the thriller genre. What starts off as a straight-shooting spy story takes abrupt and creative turns into the forays of science fiction and even fantastical elements that normally wouldn’t click so well. Except they do. The narrative boasts a cerebral tone that entices you to dig in with an overactive imagination to visualize this grand and complex story unfurling with elements beyond your standard expectations. The focused perspective on the protagonist helps instill in you the same sense of paranoia, dread, and awe that the character feels in the grand scheme of the narrative.

If you’re on the prowl for a slow-burn spy story with a unique pinch of mythical storytelling, A Spy Inside The Castle is the way to go. 

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Purchase A Spy Inside The Castle
(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

Dead Ringer By Chris Hauty

No one does conspiracy thrillers as hot and savvy as Chris Hauty. With a plethora of real-life history to draw from, Hauty infuses high adrenaline into a vivid journey all across the country to debunk possibly the darkest secret in American history. 

What do a disgraced Secret Service agent and a Jesuit Professor have in common? Not their personalities. But they do share a common goal when they’re both targeted by a cabal that has been operating in the shadows and pulling the strings in history without anyone being any wiser. But as the duo hone in on the truth, the cabal sends an assassin to silence them before they can shed light on a conspiracy that’s been haunting the American public since the assassination of JFK. 

Hauty brings his flair of creating the most intriguing twists and turns to this standalone adventure that catapults you right into the action before you can even utter “go”.  As the characters unearth the secrets of the past, Hauty puts you in the hot seat with them and you feel that raw excitement coursing through your veins trying to get to the bottom of some of the most burning questions if you’re a history buff. It gets difficult more times than one would like to differentiate fact from fiction. Such is the nuanced nature of Hauty’s approach to conspiracies that make more sense than you’d think. 

Hauty also diverges from his Hayley Chill’s series with Dead Ringer as he turns it into a buddy road trip adventure with two folks who aren’t each other’s greatest fans but learn to work together if they wish to survive. It’s endearing and fun to see their banter evolve over the pages and by the end, you feel like you’ve known them for way longer. 

Dead Ringer is the perfect book for you as a thriller fan and especially as a reader who likes thinking about crazy what-ifs. Just beware that Hauty makes them sound so plausible it’ll have you googling things just to distinguish fact from fiction, a winning factor for mystery thrillers. 

Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Dead Ringer
(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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