Meet BTB Reviewer Steve Netter

 
 

Background: Born and raised on the East Coast, I now live on the West Coast after stints in the Midwest and Southwest. Married for 20+ years with 2 kids nicknamed "The Clown Show." Huge sports fan, addicted to good food, appreciate live theatre and music, enjoy camping & hiking...oh yeah, I also love reading thrillers and military non-fiction.

Go-To Author: William Kent Krueger. His Cork O’Connor series is incredible. I started with Lightning Strike and then rapidly read the entire series. It’s a collection of great writing filled with suspense, emotion, wisdom and fantastic characters. Each book teaches me something, makes me think deeply about my own life and actions, and reading each one for the first time is like a spiritual experience. Then there’s William Kent Krueger’s standalone novels. Wow! They’re breathtaking literature. Can’t wait to see what comes next from this fantastic author.

Author People Should Discover: James Byrne. If you haven’t read the first two books in the Dez Limerick series (The Gatekeeper and Deadlock), you are missing out! Action packed with a sarcastic wise-cracking protagonist whose skillset is something to behold. Incredibly fun thrillers! And the third installment, Chain Reaction, was recently published. So now’s a great time to jump on board because this series is poised to explode.

Books You Would Recommend From 2024:
1. A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci. A profound, captivating and powerful story that elicits strong emotions.

2. Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger. A poignant, spiritual and riveting story of love, loss, and standing up for what you believe in.

3. The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie. An emotional and dark story story about trying to outrun your past and the strength of unconditional friendship.


Most-Anticipated Book Of 2025: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby. I love everything Cosby writes. Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears are two of my all-time favorite novels. I cannot wait to see what's in store for us with his new novel in 2025. Will not be surprised to see it win awards and appear on many best of the year lists.

Favorite Local/Indie Bookstore: Powell's in Portland, OR. One of my favorite things to do is to get lost for hours in the stacks at Powell's, checking out their amazing selection of books. It's one of the largest independent bookstores in the world, but more importantly it serves as my happy place.

Follow Steve on Twitter and Instagram or contact him via the site.


View Steve’s Latest Reviews (book pub. dates)
Dead Ringer by Chris Hauty (12/2/25)
Robert B. Parker's Showdown By Mike Lupica (11/25/25)
The Second Son by Simon Gervais & Ryan Steck (11/11/25)
The Adversary by Andrews & Wilson (11/4/25)
The Tin Men by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille (10/28/25)
The Tourists by Christopher Reich (10/14/25)
Fallen Star by Lee Goldberg (10/14/25)
Denied Access by Don Bentley (9/30/25)
The Persian by David McCloskey (9/30/25)
Final Strike by Jason Kasper (9/30/25)
Red Tide by M.P. Woodward (9/23/25)
The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia (9/16/25)
The Grave Artist by Jeffrey Deaver & Isabella Maldonado (9/9/25)
Crooks by Lou Berney (9/9/25)
Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity by M.P. Woodward (9/2/25)
Apostle's Cove by William Kent Krueger (9/2/25)
The Glass Man by Anders de la Motte (8/26/25)
Leverage by Amran Gowani (8/19/25)
The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (8/5/25)
Declared Hostile by Jack Stewart (8/5/25)
Departure 37 by Scott Carson (8/5/25)
The Devil's Advocate by Steve Cavanagh (8/5/25)
Dead Line by Marc Cameron (7/29/25)
Fade In by Kyle Mills (7/29/25)
Sons of Valor IV: False Flag by Andrews & Wilson (7/22/25)
The Elias Enigma by Simon Gervais (7/8/25)
Edge of Honor by Brad Thor (7/1/25)
The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart (6/24/25)
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (6/10/25)
The Palace of Sinners and Saints by Ammar Merchant (5/20/25)
Nightshade by Michael Connelly (5/20/25)
Kaua'i Storm by Tori Eldridge (5/20/25)
Tom Clancy Line of Demarcation by M.P. Woodward (5/20/25)
Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen (5/13/25)
Cold Burn by AJ Landau (4/29/25)
Into the Gray Zone by Brad Taylor (4/22/25)
Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg (4/22/25)
Strangers in Time by David Baldacci (4/15/25)
The Long-Ago Dead by Jason Bovberg (4/8/25)
The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose (4/8/25)
Gothictown by Emily Carpenter (3/25/25)
The Other People by C.B. Everett (3/25/25)
Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh (3/25/25)
The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen (3/18/25)
Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski (3/11/25)
Another Try by Gene Koon (3/10/25)
Midnight Black by Mark Greaney (2/18/25)
You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego (2/11/25)
Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz (2/11/25)
The Oligarch's Daughter by Joseph Finder (1/28/25)
Chain Reaction by James Byrne (1/28/25)
A Killer's Code by Isabella Maldonado (1/21/25)
Cross My Heart by Megan Collins (1/14/25)
Zulu Center by F.X. Regan (12/9/24)
Tom Clancy Defense Protocol by Andrews & Wilson (12/3/24)
Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy (12/3/24)
Robert B. Parker's Hot Property by Mike Lupica (11/26/24)
Bogey Spades by Jack Stewart (11/19/24)
The Last King of California By Jordan Harper (11/19/24)
Double Barrel Bluff by Lou Berney (11/5/24)
A Very Bad Thing by JT Ellison (11/1/2024)
Once Upon A Time in Boomville by Montana Kane (10/30/24)
The President's Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins (10/8/24)
Dark Space By Rob Hart & Alex Segura (10/8/24)
The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey (10/1/24)
The Elias Network by Simon Gervais (10/1/24)
Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg (9/17/24)
The Accomplice by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson & Aaron Philip Clark (9/3/24)
Capture or Kill by Don Bentley (9/3/24)
Fatal Intrusion by Jeffrey Dever & Isabella Maldonado (9/1/24)
An Honorable Assassin by Steve Hamilton (8/27/24)
Spirit Crossing by William by Kent Krueger (8/20/24)
Tom Clancy Shadow State by M.P. Woodward (8/20/24)
The Brothers Kenney by Adam Mitzner (8/13/24)
Burn Out By Joshua Hood (8/13/24)
I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell (8/13/24)
The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley (8/6/24)
The Chamber by Will Dean (8/6/24)
A World of Hurt by Mindy Mejia (8/6/24)
Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe (8/1/24)
Bad River by Marc Cameron (7/23/24)
The Bang-Bang Sisters by Rio Youers (7/16/24)
Ladykiller by Katherine Wood (7/9/24)
Wilderness Reform by Matt Query and Harrison Query (7/2/24)
Ember by Andrews & Wilson (7/2/24)
Sentinel by Mark Greaney (6/25/24)
Don't Let the Devil Ride By Ace Atkins (6/25/24)
Shadowheart by Meg Gardiner (6/18/24)
What Fire Brings by Rachel Howzell Hall (6/11/24)
Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart (6/11/24)
Don't Ask, Don't Follow by Mary Keliikoa (6/4/24)
If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay (5/28/24)
The Main Character by Jaclyn Goldis (5/28/24)
Double Tap by Cindy Dees (5/21/24)
Truth Truth Lie by Claire McGowan (5/21/24)
Tom Clancy Act of Defiance by Andrews & Wilson (5/21/24)
Think Twice by Harlan Coben (5/14/24)
Blood Red Summer by Eryk Pruitt (5/14/24)
The Instruments of Darkness by John Connolly (5/7/24)
Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett (4/30/24)
The Infiltrator by TR Hendricks (4/23/24)
Close to Death By Anthony Horowitz (4/16/24)
A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci (4/16/2024)
Blood Mountain by Alisa Lynn Valdes (4/16/24)
Day of Wrath by Matt Cricchio (4/8/24)
Four Minutes by Andrews & Wilson (4/2/24)
The Underhanded by Adam Sikes (4/2/24)
City in Ruins by Don Winslow (4/2/24)
Matterhorn by Christopher Reich (4/1/24)
A Forgotten Kill by Isabella Maldonado (3/26/24)
Lethal Horizon by Jason Kasper (3/26/24)
The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo (3/20/24)
Lilith by Eric Rickstad (3/19/24)
The Stars Turned Inside Out by Nova Jacobs (3/19/24)
Kill For Me, Kill For You By Steve Cavanagh (3/19/24)
What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan (3/5/24)
Outlaw by Jack Stewart (2/20/24)
The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney (2/20/24)
Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz (2/13/24)
The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes (2/6/24)
Past Crimes by Jason Pinter (2/6/24)
The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie (2/6/24)
Almost Surely Dead by Amina Akhtar (2/1/24)
The Mountain King by Anders de la Motte (1/30/24)
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (1/23/24)
Dead Man's Hand by Brad Taylor (1/23/24)
Dream Town by Lee Goldberg (1/16/24)
Northwoods by Amy Pease (1/9/24)
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins (1/9/24)
The Ascent by Adam Platinga (1/2/24)
Rosslyn Station by F.X. Regan (12/15/23)
Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust by Mike Lupica (11/28/23)
Assassin's Mark by Ward Larsen (11/28/23)
Tom Clancy Command and Control by Marc Cameron (11/21/23)
Unknown Rider by Jack Stewart (11/21/23)
The Warmaker by Benjamin Spada (11/15/23)
Devil's Own Day by Joe Goldberg (11/14/23)
The Great Gimmelmans by Lee Matthew Goldberg (11/14/23)
Calico by Lee Goldberg (11/7/23)
Sons of Valor III: War Machine by Andrews & Wilson (11/7/23)
The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen (11/1/23)
The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas (10/31/23)
Deadly Tides by Mary Keliikoa (10/24/23)
Ransomed Daughter by Eric Bishop (10/10/23)
Blood Lines by Nelson DeMille & Alex DeMille (10/10/23)
The Last Guardian by Simon Gervais (10/10/23)
Moscow X by David McCloskey (10/3/23)
Boom Days by Montana Kane (10/1/23)
Dark Ride by Lou Berney (9/19/23)
The Belgrade Conspiracy by Jason Kasper (9/12/23)
The Ninja's Oath by Tori Eldridge (9/12/23)
Code Red by Kyle Mills (9/12/23)
Tom Clancy's Weapons Grade by Don Bentley (9/5/23)
It Ends with Knight by Yasmin Angoe (9/5/23)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger (9/5/23)
Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg (9/1/23)
Ricochet by Taylor Moore (8/29/23)
Harm's Way by John Gilstrap (8/22/23)
Deadlock by James Byrne (8/8/23)
The Last One by Will Dean (8/8/23)
To Catch a Storm by Mindy Mejia (8/1/23)
Dead Fall by Brad Thor (7/25/23)
The Sandbox by Andrews & Wilson (7/25/23)
The Hunt by Kelly J. Ford (7/25/23)
Blind Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann (7/11/23)
Thicker Than Water by Megan Collins (7/11/23)
Soon Dies The Day by Stephen England (6/30/23)
Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie (6/27/23)
The Guardian by Joshua Hood (6/27/23)
The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon (6/20/23)
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni (6/13/23)
Inside Threat by Matthew Quirk (6/13/23)
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (6/6/23)
A Killer's Game by Isabella Maldonado (6/1/23)
Weapons of Opportunity by Dale Brown (5/30/23)
Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott (5/30/23)
Dead Drop by M.P. Woodward (5/23/23)
Second Shot by Cindy Dees (5/23/23)
The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis (5/23/23)
The Devil You Know by Chris Hauty (5/23/23)
Citizen Orlov by Jonathan Payne (5/23/23)
Only the Dead by Jack Carr (5/16/23)
The Libyan Diversion By Joel C. Rosenberg (5/16/23)
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin (5/2/23)
Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt (5/1/23)
Breakneck by Marc Cameron (4/25/23)
Forgotten War by Don Bentley (4/25/23)
Beast Three Six by Jason Kasper (4/25/23)
Simply Lies by David Baldacci (4/18/23)
City of Dreams by Don Winslow (4/18/23)
The Instructor by T.R. Hendricks (4/11/23)
Hollow Beasts by Alisa Lynn Valdés (4/1/23)
The Guilty One by Bill Schweigart (3/21/23)
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben (3/14/23)
Deep Fake by Ward Larsen (3/14/23)
Red London by Alma Katsu (3/14/23)
Wolf Trap by Connor Sullivan (3/14/23)
The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell (3/7/23)
It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison (2/21/23)
Dempsey by Andrews & Wilson (2/21/23)
White Smoke by John Gilstrap (2/21/23)
Burner by Mark Greaney (2/21/23)
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz (2/21/23)
The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz (2/14/23)
The Drift by C.J. Tudor (1/31/23)
The Devil's Ransom by Brad Taylor (1/24/23)
The Bullet Garden by Stephen Hunter (1/24/23)
Killer Story by Matt Witten (1/17/23)
Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper (1/10/23)
My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby (12/6/22)
A History Of Fear by Luke Dumas (12/6/22)
Red Winter by Marc Cameron (12/6/22)
Rebellious Son by Joe Goldberg (11/15/22)
Blue Like Me by Aaron Philip Clark (11/8/22)
No Plan B by Lee Child & Andrew Child 10/25/22
The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy (10/11/22)
The Maze by Nelson DeMille (10/11/22)
High Crimes by Montana Kane (10/1/22)
Treasure State By C.J. Box (9/27/22)
Landslide by Adam Sikes (9/20/22)
They Come At Knight by Yasmin Angoe (9/13/22)
Oath of Loyalty by Kyle Mills (9/13/22)
FNG by Benjamin Spada (9/6/22)
Other People's Secrets by Meredith Hambrock (9/6/22)
Kingdom Of Spies by Bevan G. Roberts (9/1/22)
Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford (9/1/22)
Narco Assassins by Jason Kasper (8/23/22)
Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger (8/23/22)
Firestorm by Taylor Moore (8/16/22)
Heat 2 by Meg Gardiner & Michael Mann (8/9/22)
The Last Sentinel By Simon Gervais (8/9/22)
The Neighborhood by Matthew Betley (8/9/22)
Tessa Goes Down by Jason Bovberg (8/2/22)
The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland (7/26/22)
The Last Paladin by P.T. Deutermann (7/19/22)
Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier (7/19/22)
We Lie Here by Rachel Howzell Hall (7/12/22)
Armored by Mark Greaney (7/5/22)
Rising Tiger by Brad Thor (7/5/22)
First Born by Will Dean (7/5/22)
Outside by Ragnar Jonasson (6/28/22)
Lethal Game by John Gilstrap (6/28/22)
The Falcon by Isabella Maldonado (6/28/22)
Movieland by Lee Goldberg (6/21/22)
The Local by Joey Hartstone (6/14/22)
Shadow Tier by Steve Stratton (6/14/22)
Red Warning by Matthew Quirk (6/7/22)
Zero Hour by Don Bentley (6/7/22)
Sons of Valor II: Violence of Action by Andrews & Wilson (6/7/22)
It Dies with You by Scott Blackburn (6/7/22)
Cold Fear by Brandon Webb & John David Mann (6/7/22)
The Handler by M.P. Woodward (5/31/2022)
In the Blood by Jack Carr (5/17/22)
The Island by Adrian McKinty (5/17/22)
The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan (5/10/22)
Hostile Intent by Don Bentley (5/3/22)
Storm Rising by Chris Hauty (5/3/22)
Cold Snap by Marc Cameron (4/26/22)
Assassin's Edge by Ward Larsen (4/12/22)
Ways to Die in Tokyo by Thomas Ran Garver (4/7/22)
The Fifth Bandit by Jason Kasper (4/5/22)
Dark Angel by Andrews & Wilson (4/5/22)
Once A Thief by Christopher Reich (4/5/22)
The Missing Piece by John Lescroart (3/29/22)
Wild Card by Stephen England (3/15/22)
Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett (3/8/22)
The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer (3/8/22)
Persian Tomcats by Mitchell Boling (3/1/22)
Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck (3/1/22)
Girl in Ice by Erica Ferencik (3/1/22)
No Second Chances by Rio Youers (2/22/22)
Blue Fire by John Gilstrap (2/22/22)
Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett (2/22/22)
The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart (2/22/22)
Sierra Six by Mark Greaney (2/15/22)
Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz (2/8/22)
Undermoney by Jay Newman (1/25/22)
The Runaway by Nick Petrie (1/18/22)
Targeted by Stephen Hunter (1/18/22)
End of Days by Brad Taylor (1/11/22)
Insurrection Day by Chris Hauty (1/4/22)
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins (1/4/22)
The Maid by Nita Prose (1/4/22)
Covert Kill by Jason Kasper (12/21/21)
Sea Hawke by Ted Bell (12/7/21)
The Body Man by Eric P. Bishop (11/11/21)
The Unquiet Genius by Glenn Dyer (11/8/21)
Her Name is Knight by Yasmin Angoe (11/1/21)
The Last Protector by Simon Gervais (11/1/21)
Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg (10/26/21)
I Know You by Claire McGowan (10/19/21)
Security Day by Matt Cricchio (10/17/21)
The Kill Box by Rip Rawlings (10/5/21)
Wolf Point by Ian K. Smith (10/5/21)
I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad (10/5/21)
Under Color of Law by Aaron Philip Clark (10/1/21)
City on Fire by Don Winslow (9/21/21)
Enemy at the Gates by Kyle Mills (9/14/21)
Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan (9/14/21)
Last Target Standing by Jason Kasper (9/14/21)
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell (9/7/21)
The Necklace by Matt Witten (9/7/21)
You Can Run by Karen Cleveland (8/31/21)
Lightning Strike By William Kent Krueger (8/24/21)
The Family Plot by Megan Collins (8/17/21)
The Island by Ben Coes (8/17/21)
A Different Dawn by Isabella Maldonado (8/10/21)
Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger (8/3/21)
Down Range by Taylor Moore (8/3/21)
Assassin's Dawn by Ward Larsen (8/2/21)
Loser Baby by Jason Bovberg (8/2/21)
False Witness by Karin Slaughter (7/20/21)
Black Ice by Brad Thor (7/20/21)
The Cellist by Daniel Silva (7/13/21)
Steel Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann (7/13/21)
Falling by T.J. Newman (7/6/21)
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (7/6/21)
Sleeping Bear by Connor Sullivan (7/6/21)
Survive the Night by Riley Sager (6/29/21)
Stealth Attack by John Gilstrap (6/29/21)
Sirens of Memory by Puja Guha (6/29/21)
Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza (6/22/21)
Bath Haus by PJ Vernon (6/15/21)
Shadow Target by David Ricciardi (6/15/21)
Target Acquired by Don Bentley (6/8/21)
Sons of Valor by Andrews & Wilson (6/8/21)
The Spy Devils by Joe Goldberg (5/26/21)
Arctic Storm Rising by Dale Brown (5/25/21)
Treason Flight by T.R. Matson (5/11/21)
Manistique by Craig Terlson (5/6/21)
Basil's War by Stephen Hunter (5/4/21)
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (5/4/21)
Six Weeks To Live by Catherine McKenzie (5/4/21)
Bone Rattle by Marc Cameron (4/27/21)
Sooley by John Grisham (4/27/21)
Judgment at Alcatraz by Dave Edlund (4/27/21)
A Gambling Man by David Baldacci (4/20/21)
The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean (4/20/21)
The Devil’s Hand by Jack Carr (4/13/21)
The Bounty by Janet Evanovich (3/23/21)
Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison (3/9/21)
The Beirut Protocol by Joel Rosenberg (3/9/21)
Win by Harlan Coben (3/6/21)
The Outside Man by Don Bentley (3/2/21)
Dark Sky by C.J. Box (3/2/21)
Crimson Phoenix by John Gilstrap (2/23/21)
Relentless by Mark Greaney (2/16/21)
The Unwilling by John Hart (2/2/21)
Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan (2/2/21)
Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz (1/26/21)
The Breaker by Nick Petrie (1/12/21)
Someone To Watch Over Me By Ace Atkins (Robert B. Parker) (1/12/21)
A Stranger at the Door by Jason Pinter (1/12/21)
Savage Road by Chris Hauty (1/5/21)
American Traitor by Brad Taylor (1/5/21)
Bone Canyon by Lee Goldberg (1/5/2021)
Black Irish Blues by Andrew Cotto (12/30/2020)
Drone Strike by David Austin (11/25/2020)
Time to Hunt by Simon Gervais (11/10/2020)
Assault by Fire by Rip Rawlings (9/29/2020)
Total Power by Kyle Mills (9/15/2020)
Assassin's Strike by Ward Larsen (8/18/2020)
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (7/14/2020)
The Order by Daniel Silva (7/9/2020)
The Silver Waterfall by Kevin Miller (6/4/2020)
Savage Son by Jack Carr (4/14/2020)
Strike Me Down by Mindy Mejia (4/7/2020)
The Dead Don't Sleep by Steven Max Russo (11/17/19)
Veterans Day by Jack Stewart (querying author)

Dead Ringer By Chris Hauty

Dead Ringer will scratch the conspiracy theory itch that resides inside all of us with a Da Vinci Code-esque quest for the truth with no less than history, cabals and zealous assassins standing in the way.  Chris Hauty has crafted a tale that blurs the lines between fact and fiction, adding fuel to the already decades-long smoldering fire of speculation regarding what happened at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963.

There are many conspiracy theories about who killed JFK.  Now, an unlikely pair – a disgraced former Secret Service agent and a Jesuit professor – are thrust together by the murder of a mutual acquaintance who’s dying act was to ask them to finish her investigation into JFK’s death.  Sending them on the hunt for evidence long ago hidden that can only be discovered by those who can decipher the riddles and codes that protect the potentially explosive information.  But the pair are not the only ones on the hunt.  A nefarious cabal will do anything to keep the truth from coming out…including dispatching assassins to take out anyone who gets too close to figuring out who was really behind the JFK hit.  It’s a race between the forces of good and evil…with a bombshell revelation waiting to be discovered.

Hauty once again shows his masterful skill at taking readers on a journey of discovery through the blending of authentic events with imaginative storytelling that makes you wonder what’s real versus what’s fantasy.  It’s done in such a way that everything feels plausible, including the trademark Hauty gigantic twist.  Keeping readers guessing and thinking, forming our own theories and predictions along the way.

The vehicle for this adventure is strong but flawed characters grappling with their parts in this grandiose odyssey.  And along the way they must overcome many roadblocks – including those who believe they serve a higher purpose which gives them a mandate to do whatever it takes to thwart their adversaries.  Resulting in testing our would-be heroes’ resolve and courage to continue when giving up and saving themselves would be the wise and easy decision.  But their commitment to the mission comes first and, in the end, they are rewarded with revelations about what happened in the past…as well as revealing the strength of their own character and purpose as they find redemption.

Dead Ringer is a fantastic historical fiction account of one of the biggest events in US history.  It’s sure to be a hit with history buffs, conspiracy nuts and anyone who likes a good, fast-paced story that distorts the border between the believable and the imagined. 

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Purchase Dead Ringer
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Barrington Books
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Robert B. Parker's Showdown By Mike Lupica

Suspenseful, honest, witty and engrossing, Robert B. Parker’s Showdown is a well-crafted modern take on this cherished five-decade long series.  Mike Lupica has given us another wonderful Spenser novel that provides new challenges for our old hero.  Delivering a thrilling no-nonsense detective story with the comforting dry humor and moral complexity readers have come to appreciate from our beloved Boston PI.

Spenser is pulled into a sensitive case by his friend and powerful attorney Rita Fiore.  Rita represents a young man whose mother was murdered and is now trying to find his birth father, with evidence pointing to controversial podcaster Vic Hale.  Given Hale’s anti-immigration position and the young man’s mother having entered the US illegally, this has the potential to be big news.  Especially with Hale about to sign a massive deal that will make some powerful people a lot of money.  Spenser, feeling responsibility to Hale’s father for having once saved his life, promises to take the investigation to wherever it may lead.  And despite death threats, shootouts and offers of big payoffs, he will not be deterred from finding out the truth. 

Showdown will appeal to long term fans of the series as well as those who are just looking for a good book to read.  It’s a timely story that features the ever-growing influence of podcasters while addressing several hot button topics such as immigration, money, power, and divisiveness within an investigation that includes paternity, murder, and capitalism.  It has it all!

And for those of us who have followed the series for decades, Showdown leans on a familiar formula of Spenser tackling a deadly serious case with his trademark sarcasm and playfulness to provide balance and entertainment.  Add in a healthy dose of Hawk, Susan Silverman, Rita and other long-time characters, and it feels more like visiting with old friends than reading a fictional book. 

No matter what your familiarity with Spenser and friends, Showdown is a book that provides entertainment while provoking thought.  Leading to a reading experience filled with juicy drama, amusement, reflection and fun within a thrilling package.

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The Second Son By Simon Gervais & Ryan Steck

The Second Son is an explosive rollercoaster thrill ride filled to the brim with haymakers and gut-punches.  Simon Gervais and Ryan Steck team up to deliver an action-packed, conspiracy-laden thriller that keeps you on edge throughout and leaves you reeling with an unbelievable ending.

Chase Burke is living a good and quiet life as a sommelier at a Michelin starred restaurant, trying to leave his checkered past behind him.  But that seems impossible after the death of his brother in a covert op, followed by the attempted kidnapping and murder of a US Congresswoman from his restaurant.  With the cops looking hard at his involvement in the potential abduction, Chase realizes his only option is to find out who’s pulling the strings in order to clear his name.  And while he can rely on his elite skillset from his military days to help him go on the offensive, he is wholly unprepared for the revelations he will uncover that rock his world. 

This book is all gas, no brakes.  The Second Son is non-stop action and suspense that creates a sense of urgency to find out what will happen next.  It doesn’t allow you to catch your breath for even one moment, and you’ll find your blood boiling and blood pressure rising on multiple occasions.  It also contains a fair bit of emotion through the exploration of family dynamics and the consequences of choices previously made.  All of which makes for a phenomenally crafted, brilliantly executed and well-rounded thriller.  One that absolutely needs to be inserted into everyone’s TBR pile come November. 

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The Adversary By Andrews & Wilson

The Adversary might be Andrews & Wilson’s best book to date, which isn’t something I say lightly given how many ridiculously good novels they’ve published.  But it’s true and, furthermore, this latest installment is without a doubt my favorite in the Tier One series.  It’s incredible and a strong contender for thriller of the year due to insane action sequences, psychological mindfuckery, and a ton of raw emotion within a brilliantly crafted story that vociferously screams “team and mission above self.”  A message we all benefit from hearing again.

John Dempsey and his Ember team are in Taiwan on their way to a meeting with a Taiwanese intelligence officer when it all goes sideways.  Their asset is killed, a member of the team gets seriously injured and Ember’s comms and cyber field agent is taken by Chinese operatives.  Putting Dempsy on the warpath, willing to do anything to get his teammate back before disappearing into mainland China forever.  With the help of a SEAL team in theatre for training exercises, Ember attempts a daring rescue mission to get their man back without kicking off WWIII.  And to make it more complicated, Dempsey’s son Jake Kemper – who thinks his dad, Jack Kemper, is dead – is a newly minted nugget on the SEAL team involved in the operation.  Making this a high stakes mission in more ways than one. 

If you’ve read the prior Tier One books before (and if you haven’t, what the hell are you waiting for?), then you know you’re in store for a nonstop, high-octane, action-packed ride that sets your hair on fire and drops you in the middle of life and death battles.  But there’s three things that elevate The Adversary into the rarified air of truly exceptional thrillers. 

First, witnessing Dempsey’s progeny, Jake Kemper, not only ascend to the SEAL teams but also show a bit of Dempsey in his decision making and bold actions is something to behold.  It’s the proverbial apple not falling far from the tree, but without the son having a chance to be molded and mentored by the father.  So, it’s also a study in nature versus nurture.

Second, the main antagonist will send shivers down your spine and cause a visceral reaction.  He has a calm, almost clinical demeanor that amplifies his evilness more than if he was an unhinged lunatic.  Instead, his words are simply a matter of fact, stating a chilling destiny you cannot run from, voicing unnerving promises that evoke a primal dread.  It’s quite unsettling.

Third, this story is overflowing with emotion.  Anger and love.  Desperation and hope.  Fear and joy.  Regret and pride.  Selfishness and selflessness.  Cruelty and kindness.  It’s all there, increasing the intensity of what these characters are experiencing.  Especially between father and son.  Creating strong emotional connections so that you don’t just read what they’re going through.  You will feel it in your soul. 

Do not miss The Adversary.  It’s one hell of a story that’s a must read for anyone calling themselves a thriller fan.  A heart-thumping, emotionally stirring and exhilarating tale that is so completely engrossing that everything around you will fade into the background.  One of the best books you’ll read this year.

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The Tin Men By Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille

The Tin Men is an intensely terrifying look at the future of warfare that will freak you the hell out.  This high-stakes, vivid and disquieting thriller will challenge your thought process on the use of AI and robots in the military setting, giving you consternation and a severe case of angina.  This novel is a gift from Alex DeMille and his late father, Nelson DeMille, offering one final, profound and entertaining story from the pen of the great literary master for readers to devour.

Army CID Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor are sent to investigate the death of a chief scientist who oversees a deep black war games program featuring a platoon of Army Rangers and a few dozen lethal autonomous weapons – aka killer robots.  Brodie and Taylor quickly ascertain that the situation they find themselves in is quickly deteriorating.  The Rangers are being pushed to the limits of their physical and psychological well-being, the robots are acting well beyond their supposed software limits, deception is rampant, and everyone is a suspect.  In the middle of the desert and without the ability to contact the outside world, Brodie and Taylor must not only determine who killed the scientist, but also find out who and what is behind this secret program.  Because if they are unsuccessful, everyone on this base will die and these next-gen weapons systems will be unstoppable.   

This is a military thriller wrapped inside a crime thriller with psychological thriller sprinkled on top.  It is suspenseful, tension-filled and jam packed with misdirection and unanswered questions that keep you guessing until the end when it explodes in ruthless violence.  It has fantastic characters, tests your views on morality, and moves at a breakneck pace.  It also really messes with your head and makes you desperately hope that our government isn’t actually working on a program like this.  Because if they are, no one is safe. 

The Tin Men is a relentless thrill ride.  Tight as a Terminator’s death grip, and just as impossible to escape.  A brilliantly constructed story that will increase your heart-rate and exercise your brain.

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The Tourists By Christopher Reich

The Tourists will have you on edge from start to finish with a suspenseful, pulse-pounding and timely story that plows ahead at breakneck speed.  Christopher Reich has delivered another thrilling and engaging novel filled with intrigue, emotion and action.

Mac Dekker is moments away from proposing to the love of his life, when she disappears from a Parisian restaurant without a trace.  But this is no ordinary couple.  Mac is a retired CIA Special Agent and Ava Attal was once a deadly Mossad operative.  Suspecting foul Play, Mac leverages his special skillset to track down anyone who might know what happened to Ava and to interrogate them for helpful information.  This leads to not only finding out where Ava is being held, but also that her abduction is part of a bigger operation involving a nuclear weapon that is to be imminently deployed by a ruthless Qatari prince to derail a monumental international treaty.  With the clock ticking down, it’s up to Mac to rescue the woman he loves, save the lives of thousands of innocent people and stop a catastrophic attack from irreversibly changing the world for the worse. 

This is just a good-old entertaining and intense race against the clock thriller with twists and turns thrown into the mix at perfect moments.  It features a highly skilled and reluctant thriller trying to save the woman he loves and, in the process, stop a devastating attack from occurring.  It contains a narcissistic, rich, power-hungry bad guy who is easy to hate.  And it focuses on the immensely complex topic of Middle Eastern geopolitics, where allies and enemies are not always what they seem.  All of which comes together masterfully to create a compelling, dramatic, and riveting tale sure to engage readers’ minds and pull on their heartstrings.

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Leverage By Amran Gowani

You don’t have to be a finance bro to enjoy the investment of your time in Leverage, a dark and droll tale about money and power with the focus on what some people are willing to do to attain them…and just how far people will go to protect both.  Amran Gowani crushes this debut novel with a deep dive into Wall Street depravity and ill-gotten gains, the corrupting influence of wealth, and the lucrative trafficking of illicit information.

Ali “Al” Jafar is a star at infamous hedge fund Prism Capital, when he loses $300M on one investment in a single day.  Instead of firing him, the firm’s founder decides to back Al into a corner with a ridiculous scenario – either Al makes back the $300M in 3 months or he will frame him for insider-trading and have him sent to prison.  Battling depression and desperation, Al gets involved with a shadowy figure named Simon, who is willing to sell the type of information that Al needs to make big moves in the market and save his own ass.  But when Al realizes that even succeeding at this insane game won’t truly set him free, he decides there’s only one thing he can do…turn the tables on his rich and powerful boss.

Gowani does a brilliant job of exploring the finance culture and its cutthroat nature while maintaining the humanity of some characters and highlighting how others sold their soul a long time ago.  Leverage entertains with stories of misconduct, debauchery and megalomaniacs, but balances those out with an examination of being the “other”, mental health challenges, and the dynamics of the different types of relationships in people’s lives.  Resulting in a story with depth that is equal parts crazy intense and quite profound.  Leaving a lasting impact, you’ll be ruminating on for days to come.

Additionally, while this book is a work of fiction, it will have you thinking more skeptically about wild swings in stock prices and if anyone is behind the scenes pulling the strings.  Doing what great novels do – blurring the lines between make-believe and the real world. 

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Red Tide By M.P. Woodward

Red Tide is an explosive, emotionally powerful, and frighteningly realistic military thriller that should alarm readers with how plausible its events feel.  Blending traditional warfare with innovative technologies, M.P. Woodward delivers an epic saga filled with strategy, combat, covert ops and heroic acts of valor.  It’s phenomenal!

China makes their move on Taiwan to secure the world’s most important semiconductor manufacturing factories and thwart a deal that would have sent the most advanced chips to the United States.  China goes a step further and lays claim to a large portion of the South Pacific, setting up a naval blockade and threatening action against anyone who approach them.  So, when a US Navy submarine pops up in Taiwanese waters, all hell breaks lose and kicks off naval and arial hostilities between the Americans and Chinese.  At the forefront of this conflict is retiring Rear Admiral Will Cole and his family of “fighting Coles” who all have a critical role to play in turning the tide of the war.  Because if they don’t succeed in destroying the Chinese fleet and retaking Taiwan, the world order will be changed forever. 

What makes Red Tide stand out versus other top-notch military thrillers is how multifaceted it is.  At its core this book is about a vicious and bloody war between world superpowers.  But it’s so much more than that.  First, it dives deep into economics by exploring the criticality of the semiconductor industry and the world’s ever-increasing demand for compute power and AI microprocessors, as well as examining how venture capital investments play a crucial role in defense programs and military innovation.  Second, it’s a study on knowing your opponent, avoiding being tethered to old ways of doing things, and how outside the box strategic thinking will keep you from being too predictable while giving you an edge against your adversary.   Third, it shows that everyone, no matter what their station in life, can make a difference and play a big part in achieving something extraordinary.  Whether you’re an admiral, active duty or reserve military, a military spouse, an investor, a private sector employee, a hospitality proprietor or a vacationing pensioner, every single one of us can help change the world if we speak up and act when we see something. 

All these concepts come together to add tremendous depth to a story filled with some of the best war gaming and hostilities you will come across, conducted by a masterfully crafted cast of characters who understand their mission with complete conviction and will not be deterred from victory.  Resulting in action that elicits a strong emotional response while you fervently root for a successful outcome, even while you intellectually understand not everyone will come through unscathed. 

This is THE military thriller of the year and storytelling at its finest.  Absolutely not to be missed by fans of the genre.  A brilliant piece of (hopefully) fiction from M.P. Woodward. 

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The Art Of A Lie By Laura Shepherd-Robinson

The Art of a Lie will keep you on your toes as you navigate the twists and turns of an intricate battle of wits between the sexes.  Larua Shepherd-Robinson’s tale of love, fortune, deceit and regret in 18th-century England is completely engrossing, seductively tantalizing and deliciously scandalous. 

Hannah Cole’s husband has been murdered, and she is struggling to keep her life from falling apart.  Her confectionary shop is barely making money, she’s in debt and unable to access her dead husband’s frozen funds, and the local magistrate considers her a prime suspect in her husband’s murder.  Enter William Devereux, a handsome and suave gentleman claiming to be a friend of Hannah’s late husband.  He steps in to help her with legal and business matters, giving Hannah hope for a prosperous future.  But not all is as it seems with William, and Hannah will have to figure out whether to follow her brain or her heart. With devastating consequences awaiting if she makes the wrong decision, Hannah must act carefully.

Thriller fans, don’t let the prospect of a drama set in 1700’s England keep you from picking up a copy of this book.  It’s charming, fast-paced and fascinating.  A crime novel disguised as a romance story that is more cons and mystery than it is love and lust.  The plot is fantastic, the writing superb and the uncertainty of the final outcome drives everything forward at top speed.  But it’s really about the characters.  Individuals who are so intriguing and engaging that you connect deeply with them and care about their fate, knowing they possess both good and bad intentions and continuously rooting for their better selves to prevail.  Rooting for love and redemption while fearing heartbreak and tragedy. 

The Art of a Lie is a suspenseful emotional rollercoaster that ropes you in and gives you a hell of a ride before leaving you spent in the end.  A tasty tale of love, loss, crime and cons.  It’s fantastic!

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Declared Hostile By Jack Stewart

Gripping, explosive and intricate, Declared Hostile gets your heart pumping with intense action sequences wrapped around a frightening scenario that will give you chills.  Jack Stewart has once again crafted a high-octane story that oozes authenticity in the sky and bleeds intrigue on the ground. 

NCIS Special Agent Emmy “Punky” King is doggedly investigating a conspiracy that possibly links Russian operatives with a curiously obscure corporation and the President of the United States.  Meanwhile, Colt Bancroft and his team are sent into Ukraine on a desperate mission to thwart the Russians from retrieving long lost suitcase nukes and selling them to terrorists.  Despite the distance between them, Punky and Colt’s missions are interconnected, and their success is critical to avoiding a catastrophic event from thrusting the world into disarray. 

Combining covert operations, conspiracies, compromised politicians, Russian aggression in Ukraine, and kinetic action featuring investigators, fighter pilots, and special forces into one exciting narrative results in one hell of a compelling novel.  The stage is patiently set, the characters developed with care, and every detail meticulously placed before a flood of action and anxiety propel the reader forward towards a payoff that’s both satisfying and exceptional.  It’s political/military thriller storytelling at its finest.

Jack Stewart’s fourth Battle Born book delivers the goods with another well-written, entertaining, been-there done-that legitimacy that thriller fans will love.

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Departure 37 By Scott Carson

Departure 37 reads like a spooky episode of The Twilight Zone.  Twisting and turning, exposing the audience to an extremely unsettling and improbable scenario that scares you enough to make you wonder if it’s more feasible than you realize.  Scott Carson has crafted a gripping, mysterious and chilling historical sci-fi novel that will leave you uneasy and reflective.  

Hundreds of commercial pilots receive calls from their mothers, begging them not to fly today.  While that’s concerning on its own, it’s even stranger considering that the mother’s deny making the calls…and some of the mothers are dead.  While the powers that be in the US government search for answers, a teenage girl in Maine finds a balloon at a famous B-52 crash site.  The balloon is carrying a strange note and an old watch that belonged to a brilliant physicist named Martin Hazelton, who worked on top secret projects for the US military over 60 years ago.  Now, everyone involved must play their part to figure out exactly what is going on…and stop a long dead cold war program from starting WWIII.

This story builds suspense and tension by moving between characters and timelines that are more than 6 decades apart.  With this approach, readers get a slow and steady drip of past and present information that converge at precisely the right time to illuminate the full truth and provide an emotional weight to what has transpired.  And while you’re trying to comprehend some crazy concepts you wouldn’t possibly imagine in your wildest dreams, you’re also feeling a strong connection to the tragic nature of almost every character contained within the pages of Departure 37. 

It’s a bit disorienting, but in the way that only good books can achieve by making you think and feel at the same time.  Especially if they leave you with a few questions in the end that keep you awake at night trying to parse out the answers.  And rest assured, Departure 37 will certainly stick with you long after you finish it. 

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Final Strike By Jason Kasper

Final Strike is timely, intense and devastating.  A thriller that makes you hold your breath, fearing the worst from start to finish.  Toying with your emotions through explosive action, high-stakes drama, relentless tension and gut-wrenching results.  Jason Kasper crushes this tenth edition of the Shadow Strike series with a story that will leave you in pieces. 

The CIA is disbanding Project Longwing, but first David Rivers and his team must infiltrate Iran to locate and take out the world’s most wanted terrorist.  The mission goes awry early with catastrophic consequences and requires Rivers and team to adapt on the fly, putting them in mortal danger and pushing them to their limits.  And in the process, they uncover a plot that is larger and more nefarious than their intelligence had suggested.  Requiring them to throw caution to the wind and make a desperate attempt to thwart these evil plans, understanding it likely means not all of them will make it out alive.  But this team has never played it safe and will go to extreme lengths to finish their mission.  No matter the cost. 

The timing for releasing this novel could not be more perfect.  It features several aspects of current events – Iran, terrorism, B-2 bombers and clandestine missions.  And while the storyline is not the exact same thing as what’s happening currently in the Middle East, it makes for a surreal and more vivid reading experience when you compare and contrast it to real life events happening in parallel.

Additionally, with this book potentially being the last in this great series, Kasper holds nothing back.  Testing the team like never before.  Slinging led with desperate abandon, defying orders more than normal and fighting like hell for their brothers.  It’s powerful stuff.  A journey into hell and back.  Certain to leave you shattered in the end.

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The Persian By David McCloskey

Thrillers don’t get timelier than The Persian, an intensely suspenseful high-stakes espionage chess match between the intelligence agencies of Israel and Iran.  David McCloskey delivers a dramatic and surreal reading experience during this movement in history, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if this story contains more fact than fiction.

Kamran Esfahani, a middling dentist in Stockholm, agrees to work with Israeli intelligence and returns to his home country of Iran, opening a dental clinic while secretly carrying out covert missions for the Mossad.  As his involvement deepens from moving weapons to orchestrating abductions, he walks an increasingly dangerous line.  After orchestrating a complicated recruitment of a woman with a vendetta against Israel, Kam gets exposed during a daring operation and is thrown into a notorious prison under the control of a ruthless figure known only as the General.  Now, after years of torment, Kam is forced to write a final confession.  But he’s still clinging to one buried truth.  One that he is prepared to take to his grave.

The Persian is a masterfully constructed espionage thriller.  The characters are fantastically crafted, the plot patiently developed, the tension consistently building, the little details perfectly placed and the ending befittingly emotional.  Despite the story starting with the knowledge that Kam is in an Iranian prison, there is so much of the story that needs to be revealed.  Taking readers on a journey that starts as a slow burn before accelerating to top speed and exploding with adrenaline-fueled action and emotional fallout.  And just when you think you know how the story ends…bam!  You’re hit upside the head with shocking revelations that leave you reeling.

This is another novel soaked in authenticity and dripping with realism from the pen of David McCloskey.  A fantastic and complex tale of violence, vengeance and the no holds barred world of international espionage.

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Fallen Star By Lee Goldberg

Fallen Star is the most fun you can have while being immersed in a murder investigation.  It’s a deadly serious and dangerous investigation juxtaposed with sarcasm, humor and tasty cuisine.  Lee Goldberg delivers once again, crafting an unputdownable police procedural containing wonderfully constructed characters engaged in deception and political maneuverings within a pulse-racing plot.

LASD homicide detectives Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan “Donuts” Pavone are called to Malibu to investigate a dead body found in a fifty-five-gallon drum on the beach.  They quickly recognize the victim as a key player in an ongoing bribery and corruption scandal involving local politicians and businessmen.  And if that’s not enough, a helicopter crashes on the hillside behind Eve’s home that is connected to both the corruption case and Eve’s past.  Leading Eve and Duncan on a twisting and turning investigation that will have far reaching ramifications.  Including putting Eve’s life in mortal danger.

All Lee Goldberg does is churn out exceedingly entertaining books that you plow through like Duncan Pavone at a Las Vegas buffet, leaving you full, satisfied and with a smile on your face upon completion.  Fallen Star is just the latest example.  It’s chock full of intrigue, politics, crime, shady characters, misdirection, investigative twists, ethical dilemmas, and food.  Oh, and Eve continuously ignoring the sage advice of her partner, Captain and everyone else around her, resulting in putting herself in harms way time and time again. But while her actions are questionable, her instincts are undeniable and she gets results.  Along with some scrapes and bruises.

This has been a fantastically fun series and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon.  It will be exciting to see where it goes next.  In the meantime, if you’re not already reading about Eve Ronin’s exploits with the LA Sherrif’’s department, you need to rectify that immediately.  And if you have, then do not miss this latest installment.  It’s excellent!

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Crooks By Lou Berney

Crooks is a riveting tale of a one-of-a-kind crime family’s forty-year run of corruption, scams, transgressions and business dealings.  Lou Berney delivers an extraordinary tale that is unlike anything you’ve ever read.  It’s engaging, sinful and wickedly entertaining.

This is the story of the Mercurio family.  The patriarch is Buddy, a Vegas mob guy, and the matriarch is Lillian, a charming woman with criminal proclivities of her own.  After fleeing Vegas to avoid their imminent demise, they surface in Oklahoma City and start a disco that seemingly prints money through legitimate and illegal activity.  And their five young children are all involved. Which sets each one off on a different path to either embrace or escape their family’s dark history.  Kicking off a trip through four decades that checks in on each member of the family at different times, showing how their past has shaped their future…for better or worse.

The structure of Crooks storytelling is fascinating.  It starts with the parents, then shows the family together in their early years, before transitioning to focus on each one of the kids individually at different points in time.  The story builds chronologically, but through the actions and exploits of each individual character before moving to the next one at a later date.  Allowing for a deep dive into each character, developing their story and showcasing their life choices without interruption or distraction from what the others are up to at that moment.  And while there is some overlap of the characters in some of the sections, this book can be viewed as 7 separate short stories that come together to form a complete novel through the common thread of exploring a single family’s life through the years. 

It’s a unique method to keep the intrigue levels high and to create a sense of urgency for the reader to want to move forward in order to learn each character’s story.  Kudos to Lou Berney for coming up with this concept and executing it so well.  It makes for an absorbing and exceedingly interesting reading experience.

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Apostle's Cove By William Kent Krueger

Poignant, evocative and completely engrossing, Apostle’s Cove is a corkscrewing mystery that will exercise your brain and stir your emotions.  William Kent Krueger has done it again, delivering another impressive and moving story in this incredible series.  From the littlest details to the big picture, everything is crafted with precision and purpose to achieve storytelling perfection.

Cork O’Connor receives a call from his son Stephen, who tells him that while working for a nonprofit dedicated to freeing wrongfully convicted prisoners, he has come across a murder case involving an Ojibwe man whom Cork helped imprison.  A man who now appears to be innocent.  Cork is compelled to reinvestigate the case but must do so without the help of the very convict he put away, who has found purpose and peace behind bars.  As he digs deeper, old feelings that something was always off about this case arise and are further stoked when he becomes a target by those in Tamarack County who want to leave the past buried.  However, Cork will not be deterred in his quest to find the truth and defend his honor as a law enforcement officer and as a person with a strong moral compass.  Even if there are others who would do him harm to keep him from finally figuring out what happened 25 years ago.

Apostle’s Cove is structured in two parts:  part one is an uninterrupted flashback to the crime and the initial investigation and part two is the current day reexamination of the case.  Which makes this feel like two stories in one book that each provide an undisturbed narrative of the events as they happened, rather than a slow drip of info that goes back and forth between past and present.  Both methods can work, but in this case, it was the perfect choice to grab the reader’s attention and hold it throughout, essentially having us ride shotgun during both investigations and asking us to continuously theorize what really happened and who was involved. 

And it is one hell of a well-written story that has everything you would expect from a Cork O’Connor novel.  Crime, investigations, a divided community across Native American and Caucasian lines, tremendous character development, dangerous situations, gruesome and lewd descriptions balanced out with moments of love and tenderness, and the truth finally revealing itself after a twisting and turning examination where Cork seeks the help and wisdom of others. 

And of course there’s a healthy dose of family, spirituality, emotion and life lessons that make your heart feel full and your soul feel free as you close the back cover.  Marking the twenty-first example of William Kent Kruger’s literary brilliance in telling Cork O’Connor’s stories.  And resulting in the annual confirmation that this is the best, and my favorite, series in print today.

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Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity By M.P. Woodward

Tom Clancy Terminal Velocity is all gas no breaks.  From the Pacific Northwest to the Indian subcontinent, the intrigue is high, the action is hot, and the consequences of mission failure are dire.  M.P. Woodward has delivered another absorbing Clancy-verse thriller, creating a sense of urgency to fly through each suspenseful page in a desperate attempt to see how it all unfolds. 

A wave of brutal killings across the U.S. leads the FBI to a startling connection: the victims were all tied to a past mission that crippled a dangerous terror group, the Umayyad Revolutionary Council. Now, a new leader has emerged, seeking revenge.  Director of National Intelligence Mary Pat Foley authorizes the Campus to strike. John Clark sends ex-Delta operative “Midas” Jankowski on a mission to eliminate the threat deep in the disputed hostile mountain territory of Kashmir.  But when the mission goes sideways, Jack Ryan Jr. must ditch the Indian wedding festivities he’s attending with his fiancée, cross the Himalayan wilderness with a battle tested Mujahadin fighter, save Midas and stop a global crisis before it ignites.

As you would expect, this latest Jack Ryan Jr novel is filled with kinetic action and covert ops that bring some of our all-time favorite characters into the mix to save the day…again.  But it also feels timely and relevant with the disputed region of Kashmir in play and how a terrorist organization can thrive in that environment to create chaos between India and Pakistan, as well as the rest of the world.  Throw in some relationship drama, deception, and life-or-death decision making and you’ll find yourself fully engaged and invested in the characters and the outcome.  And the ending leaves a bit of a cliffhanger that provides multiple avenues for the future direction and development of Jack Ryan Jr.  Leaving us readers eagerly awaiting the next book in the series and contemplating the many possibilities of what could happen next. 

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Murder By The Book
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The Grave Artist By Jeffrey Deaver & Isabella Maldonado

Captivating and intense, The Grave Artist is a suspenseful thriller that grips you by the collar and won’t let you breathe until it concludes.  Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado have crafted a second straight banger with great characters, a gripping plot, sinister mystery and emotional attachments.

A newlywed is found dead in what appears to be a tragic accident but later discovered to be the result of foul play.  As agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner Jake Heron investigate, they find other similar crimes that point to an intelligent and methodical serial killer at large.  Dubbing him the Honeymoon Killer, they find the killer revels in the grief of the survivors more so than in the murder itself.   Now, Sanchez and Heron must use every tool and resource at their disposal – blurring the lines of legality – to quickly determine who this individual is before more innocent people are targeted and killed. 

Fast-paced with no wasted movement, The Grave Artist moves with purpose towards the inevitable showdown between good and evil.  Even though the reader knows who the killer is early on, there is plenty of intrigue and twists to keep the story exciting and far from predictable.  The enjoyment is derived through the process of being on the hunt for a serial killer…and having a front row seat to the will they/won’t they romantic undertones of Sanchez and Heron’s relationship.  Throw in a sentient AI program that helps accelerate the investigation and you have a bit of everything you could want in a thriller.

The first two installments of this series have been action-packed, anxiety-inducing and fun as hell.  The result of two great authors teaming up to create something new and entertaining.  Don’t sleep on this series!

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Purchase The Grave Artist
(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

The Whisper Place By Mindy Mejia

 

The Whisper Place starts as a slow burn, constantly building pressure and intensity before erupting in a panic-induced race to the finish that will have you reading at warp speed with a frantic need to learn the outcome.  Mindy Mejia has crafted an emotionally gripping and severely unsettling thriller that will fray your nerves and exercise your heart. 

Charlie walks into the office of Celina Investigations and drops a large bundle of cash on the desk, asking Max Summerlin and Jonah Kendrick to find his missing girlfriend.  But there’s a catch – he doesn’t know her real name.  It’s the type of case that Max, a former police officer, and Jonah, a psychic detective, are perfectly suited to explore.  As they investigate and learn about the missing woman’s past, their concern and sense of urgency explode and create a desperate need to find her immediately.  Before it’s too late.

The third book in this series, The Whisper Place does a good job of continued character development to advance the narratives from the two prior books while also representing a good starting point for new readers to jump in.  It’s a thriller that thrives on the actions, emotions and relationships between the individuals in the story, using their relatability to build strong connections with the readers that gets them fully invested in the outcome.  So, when the story kicks into high gear, increasing the danger and the possibility of multiple characters not surviving, you’re all in and have a visceral need to rocket ahead to get to the conclusion.  Hoping for the best but fearing the worst.  A feeling that only the best thrillers can pull off.  And this thriller is one not to be missed.

Follow Steve on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase The Whisper Place
(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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