Three Hitmen And A Baby By Rob Hart

Three Hitmen and a Baby is the best reading experience you can have while watching assassins try not to kill anyone while simultaneously being out of their depth taking care of a little girl.  Rob Hart delivers another enjoyable, intriguing and unputdownable thriller that should not be missed.

One of the members of Assassins Anonymous, a recovery group for reformed killers, must go to LA to save her brother from a dangerous gang.  So she leaves her young girl with the other members who have offered to help.  But everything goes sideways when the girl gets a high fever and these elite hitters go to an urgent care facility, where the staff suspects the girl has been kidnapped.  Meanwhile, the leader of this chapter of Assassins Anonymous is summoned to pay a debt to the Russian mob, one that he has no intention of following through on.  Now on the run from the police, the Russians and every surveillance camera in New York, these former hitmen must keep their wits about them and figure out the right moves without throwing away the sobriety they work so hard to maintain.

This is such a fantastic and clever series.  Thrillers featuring assassins who won’t kill despite the temptation of taking the easy way out and using their lethal skillsets to get out of one jam after another.  But this unlikely family of killers in recovery continues to support each other and do what’s necessary to carry the day without intentionally leaving dead bodies in their wake.  And when someone dies during whatever situation they get themselves into, the self-reflection and conversation about whether or not it’s their fault is unique and refreshing in a genre filled with unrepentant operators and hitmen. 

In this latest installment, these deep, contemplative and deadly characters are put to the test in ways that challenge their commitment to the program at a higher level than they’ve experienced before.  With children and families in the mix, it would be simple start killing everything that stands in their way.  But they look for ways to reign victoriously with non-lethal means.  Making it harder on themselves, upping the intensity of operations and significantly increasing the likelihood of their own death.  Which makes for some fantastic reading.  Including some cool ass weaponry you won’t see in any other assassin-featured thriller.

With Three Hitmen and a Baby, Rob Hart delivers a third straight banger in this distinctive, entertaining and pulse-pounding series.  It’s well constructed, brilliantly executed, emotionally gripping, and fun as hell.  

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Murder By Design By Lee Goldberg

Murder by Design is original and fresh, amusing and cheeky, deadly and thrilling, and completely engrossing.  The kind of book that you read in one sitting, sleep be damned.  Because it’s so relentlessly entertaining and captivating that you cannot stop until you see how it all ends.  Lee Goldberg has outdone himself, delivering a murder mystery that demands to be read and will end up being ranked at the top of any serious list extolling the best books of 2026.

Edison Bixby is a brilliant Los Angeles detective with a 100% case closure rate…until his brash style pisses off the wrong crowd and gets him shot in the face.  Surviving the bullet, he now plies his trade as an insurance investigator who uses his knowledge of design principles to see the world in ways others cannot, resulting in solving crimes that the professionals miss.  But he still has a big mouth, exacerbated by a brain injury sustained in the shooting.  So his employer hires Wally Nash, a middling actor, to become Bixby’s assistant and keep him out of trouble.  Together, they get involved in several investigations, including what looks like a tragic accident in a shopping mall that leaves a woman dead.  But Bixby sees it differently, believing she was murdered.  Now Bixby and Nash must prove a theory no one believes.  Namely how a building can murder someone who appears to have simply fallen down a flight of stairs.

You won’t read a murder mystery that’s more fun, witty and clever than Lee Goldberg’s Murder by Design.  Fascinating characters, playful dialogue, well-executed points of view, and a completely different way of looking at murder investigations.  It’s suspenseful, intriguing and has a Holmes and Watson vibe to the Bixby/Nash relationship that can best be described as awesomely weird.  All coming together perfectly to create a memorable reading experience that, in a crowded genre filled with great mysteries, stands tall and offers something different.  It’s fantastic and once again highlights the amazing storytelling prowess of Lee Goldberg.  Do not miss this book!  It’s magnificent. 

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Storm Warning By James Byrne

James Byrne delivers another fantastically fun and enormously engaging Dez Limerick novel that has it all.  Packed with suspense, intrigue, every shade of violence, diabolical villains, and a wise-cracking, dangerously formidable hero that could go toe to toe with the best in the thriller genre.  Making Storm Warning one of the most entertaining and unputdownable thrillers of 2026.

A multinational scientific research facility in Canada has gone into lockdown and has no communications with the outside world.  Fearing foul play, the US Department of State asks Dez Limerick to lend his skills as a gatekeeper to join the FBI HRT on a trip to the facility to help them gain access and ascertain what has happened.  With one of Dez’s close friends trapped in the facility, he quickly agrees and sets off on a journey through harrowing storms, shadow organizations, murderous mercenaries and hidden enemies.  Nothing he can’t handle though.  It’s all in a day’s work for someone of Dez’s impressive skillset.

It's no secret that Dez Limerick ranks very high on my list of the best protagonists in the genre.  And he absolutely brings the goods in Storm Warning.  Opening doors, bashing heads and righting wrongs as only he can.  But while he’s the star of the show, he’s not the only draw.  Every character adds depth to a well-developed plot.  There’s an unassuming assassin with a mysterious past, mercenaries with a mean streak, a State Department official who is as good at poker as she is at diplomacy, and a pair of devious and depraved corporate executives who will stop at nothing to get what they want.  Throw them all together in the middle of a massive storm in a race against the clock and you get one hell of an explosive novel that overflows with action and viscousness. 

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Ironwood By Michael Connelly

Fast-paced, suspenseful and intense, Ironwood packs a powerful punch that will have you on the edge of your seat.  Michael Connelly demonstrates once again that he’s a master of his craft, delivering yet another fantastic crime thriller you can’t put down.

Catalina might be known as an island paradise, but they have a saying: little island, big crime.  And in the middle of it all is Detective Sargeant Stilwell, a former homicide detective exiled to Catalina as punishment for past conduct.  Now he’s in the middle of several major investigations.  The first involves a drug drop gone bad when his deputies are ambushed, killing one and permanently injuring the other.  The second is a cold case of a woman who went missing years ago on a hike and may be connected to a serial killer still at large.  Despite orders to stand down on the first investigation, Stilwell won’t stop until justice is done for his deputies.  And partnering with a detective overland on the cold case, he eschews all signs of personal danger to see those responsible are punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Ironwood is dripping with intrigue and mystery across multiple cases that keeps the relentless protagonist busy and on the move from start to finish.  But each investigation is different, providing a mechanism for character development that provides different insight per case into Stilwell’s moral code.  Showing the same resolve no matter the magnitude of the investigation, but the versatility to approach each in a different manner.   Which reminds you of another famous detective in Connelly’s catalog, where everyone counts or nobody counts. 

Well-written with great pacing that makes it an easy and gripping novel to read, Ironwood is a must-read for Connelly fans and anyone who loves a good crime thriller.  As an added bonus, it brilliantly progresses this budding series, finishing with a little cliffhanger that gives readers something to look forward to.

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Hawai'i Rage By Tori Eldridge

Hawai’i Rage is a crime novel wrapped within a love letter to Hawaiian culture and specifically the Hawaiian cowboy, known as Paniolo.  It’s dramatic, suspenseful, emotional and captivating.  Keeping you guessing while educating you on a side of Hawai’i that’s not on any tourist itinerary.  A brilliantly executed novel with heart that pours out from the soul of author Tori Eldridge.

Makalani Pahukula recently returned to her native Hawai’i after working at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.  Now an interpretive ranger for a national historic site, she’s desperate for a more active job and excess energy.  When her cousin-in-law offers her a chance to work on the family ranch, Makalani dives in headfirst.  Putting her right in the middle of family drama that includes a gruesome death and suspicious activity aimed at an 8-year-old kid with dreams of being the next in a long line of authentic Hawaiian cowboys.  Using her investigative and observational skills, Makalani finds her initial suspicions of foul play are warranted.  Giving her no choice but to follow the evidence to the end and bring justice to the culprits before anyone else is gravely hurt.  Or worse. 

The blending of family, culture and crime works incredibly well in Hawai’i Rage, seamlessly weaving all storylines into a single narrative that results in a reading experience that’s both suspenseful and hopeful.  The crimes and investigations exercise your brain the way all good thrillers do by having readers continuously trying to piece together each character’s agenda and motivations, leading to a guessing game of who’s “good” and who’s “bad” while knowing it’s not that simple.  But what takes the book to another level is that it’s also dripping with authenticity and constantly dropping knowledge that grows your understanding of what we typically think of as paradise, but is first and foremost the home to a historic culture and people with cherished traditions. 

A book that thrills and educates?  A story that appeals to both thriller fans and anthropologists?  Yes please and thank you!

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Rules Of Engagement By Ward Larsen

Fresh and suspenseful, Rules of Engagement has everything you’d expect from a classic Tom Clancy thriller: audacious schemes, international intrigue, conspiracies, violent action, and critical use of technology.  Ward Larsen’s first foray into the Clancy-verse is nothing short of phenomenal.  A brilliant combination of modernity and staying true to the history of this cherished series. 

Foul play is suspected when a plane carrying the US Secretary of Commerce crashes in Turkey.  President Jack Ryan wants answers and retribution if it’s found that a foreign power or terrorist organization was behind it.  With DNI Mary Pat Foley spearheading the investigation, both Ryan kids – Lt. Commander Katie Ryan and DIA cybersecurity expert Kyle Ryan – as well as John Clark and his Task Force 99 crew are thrust into the middle of the action.  What they uncover is a nefarious plot including a Swiss financier on the run, a Russian national with a band of mercenaries and a fleet of drones, and a conspiracy with designs on reshaping the world order.  Now it’s up to America’s finest to race against the clock and thwart an unmitigated disaster from occurring. 

Beyond the thrilling and absorbing plot, three things stand out to take Rules of Engagement to another level.  First, it’s the continued emersion of Katie and Kyle Ryan as part of this series.  While President Ryan continues to global political minefield with aplomb, there seems to be a bit of a passing of the torch to the next generation as they take on an increasingly important role in the series.  Second, the inclusion of advanced AI cyber capabilities, playing a critical role in solving the puzzle and directing assets into place to save the day, adds innovation that acts as another character and adds a modern, timely touch to the story.  Finally, and expected with Ward Larsen’s background, the aviation heroics entering the fray when the chips are down and the intensity is at its highest, will make you stand up and audibly cheer.

All told, it’s a triumphant Tom Clancy series debut for Ward Larsen that will greatly please long-term fans and entice casual thriller readers to pick up a copy as well. 

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Dirty 20 By Bill Schweigart

Dark and brutal, enchanting and immersive, Dirty 20 is a masterfully crafted crime/fantasy novel blend with a cutthroat game of loyalty, betrayal and survival at the center.  Bill Schweigart delivers an epic tale that combines the criminal underworld with role-playing games, resulting in a thriller that promises to be unlike anything else you’ve ever read. 

Tommy Fugue is the son of a mob boss and shows no interest in the family business.  But when his father forces him to spend his summer break from college figuring out how to launder money, he comes up with a fantasy game project he puts on FunFunder with the idea to submit pledges from accounts he controls using gift cards he purchases.  It’s a scheme with promise, except the world loves the game concept and suddenly there are pledges totaling $650k and climbing.  Now trying to create a legit game, forcing Tommy to follow through on something for the first time in his life, he must navigate a minefield of wise guys with a group of unique gamers forced on him by his father – a strip-club owner, a hit woman, a street capo with OCD and a stoner accountant.  As reality and fantasy converge, Tommy faces danger from inside and outside the family, forcing him to grow up in a hurry if he wants to successfully launch this game…and avoid being killed by his own father.

Dirty 20 is billed as The Sopranos meets Dungeons & Dragons, which is a perfect description of this book.  It dives deep into an organized crime family and what it takes to survive and thrive in that environment when the threat of pain and death hang over everything and everyone.  And it also does a fantastic job of developing the fantasy world of the game Tommy is developing, going into depth in a way that makes you want to play the game while recognizing the perilous parallels to the events the characters are experiencing in real time.  Merging these two concepts might sound strange, but it works exceedingly well.  Resulting in Dirty 20 feeling like two novels woven into one – a dark gangster crime thriller paired with a mythic fantasy novel. 

But it’s more than that.  At its core this is a coming-of-age story for young Tommy who’s at a crossroads in his life that forces him to choose between cowering from and kowtowing to his dominant father or deciding to get out and forge his own path.  Compelling him to see the world for what it is and find his place in it.  Ultimately pushing him to make the decision to step up and grow a pair of balls, so to speak.  All the while having to overcome obstacles placed in his way.  It’s a fun and treacherous journey to watch with a character that is easy to root for.

Filled with great characters, dark storylines, and shocking twists – of which there are several that will hit you like a pair of brass knuckles to the temple – Dirty 20 is a captivating and engaging novel you won’t be able to put down.  Bill Schwiegart knocks this one out of the park, further showcasing his literary versatility as he adds an epic fantasy and crime crossover thriller to his previous works in unfiltered dark crime and folklore-themed thrillers. 

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The Fourth Option By Jack Carr & MP Woodward

The Fourth Option is a gloriously unhinged rampage of violence and vigilante justice against greed and corruption, combined with suffering, loyalty and philosophical musings that add an unexpected level of contemplation, intellectualism and emotion to a story filled with death and destruction.  This collaboration between Jack Carr and M.P. Woodward is raw, savage, dark, and masterfully executed to balance viciousness with a flicker of buried humanity.

Former Navy SEAL and CIA ground branch operative Chris Walker is about to end his life in a VW van parked in the Pacific Northwest.  The only thing that stops him is a call from the widow of his teammate he lost in Afghanistan.  Feeling a sense of duty to his departed friend, he travels to New Orleans and starts investigating the suspicious death of the woman’s son.  Putting him in the middle of a conspiracy fueled by rich, powerful and dangerous individuals.  With local and federal law enforcement hot on his tail, Walker takes matters into his own hands, doling out justice with a bevy of bullets and explosions. 

This new partnership between Carr and Woodward highlights the strengths of each author.  Bringing together Carr’s tactical brilliance and ability to craft insanely intense action sequences with M.P. Woodward’s expertise from the intelligence analysis world and his ability to methodically develop storylines between explosions of violence.  Resulting in a high-octane, no holds barred, unapologetically brutal story that has copious amounts of bloodshed and barbarity combined with direction, purpose and reasoning that leaves readers highly satisfied upon conclusion. 

A must read for thriller fans, The Fourth Option is a juggernaut of vengeance and reckoning.  Relentless and ruthless from start to finish.

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51% By Matt Witten

If you ever wondered what a corporate-controlled dystopian future looks like, with everything from the streets to law enforcement privatized, then look no further than 51%.  A concerning and not totally implausible glimpse at a democracy-killing timeline if greed and power are left unchallenged.  Matt Witten has crafted a thrilling and entertaining story featuring a frightening world we better hope remains on the pages of a fictional novel.

In a near-future America where powerful corporations control nearly every aspect of society, including partial ownership of people, justice is just another commodity. When a young immigrant woman who is majority-owned by corporate syndicates is murdered, detective Juke O’Keefe and his partner Haylee Navarro begin investigating despite limited resources and little incentive from the system they serve. Their search for the killer draws them into the orbit of a resistance movement and uncovers a far-reaching plot that threatens what remains of personal freedom. To stop it, they must confront the powerful forces, and the ruthless AI, at the center of the syndicates’ control. 

51% is a book that contains multitudes, presenting multiple layers that are simultaneously entertaining and thought-provoking.  On one level, it’s a fast-paced crime novel featuring multiple suspects with a twisting-turning investigation, conflict between law enforcement agencies, an underground revolution and deep emotion stemming from complex personal circumstances.  But on a deeper level, it’s a profoundly unsettling look at a world where everything is up for sale and people are forced to make impossible choices between freedom and selling out to better or save their lives.  Resulting in an engaging and gripping story that gives you pause, makes you contemplate the future, and asks uncomfortable questions about how you would handle living in a commoditized society where you’re treated as an asset instead of a human.

Think Minority Report and Blade Runner meet Idiocracy.  A dystopian future world where surveillance, corporate authoritarianism and technological control enslave people to a system they have no choice but to submit to.  Except for a brave few who are willing to risk it all for the prospect of freedom.  Leading to a race against the clock with an inevitable showdown of the oppressed vs. the oppressor looming at the end. The only question is: can regular people with the motivation to challenge the system beat the all-powerful forces who run it?

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A Deadly Episode By Anthony Horowitz

A sharp and self-aware mystery, A Deadly Episode delivers clever twists, skewers the movie industry, and blurs the line between reality and fiction in a way only the most-engrossing stories can.  Anthony Horowitz once again does what he does best: craft an engaging, enjoyable and intriguing thriller that hooks you early and keeps you on your toes to the end.

A star is murdered on set for the film adaptation of The Word is Murder, the first book in the Hawthorne detective series.  Hawthorne in called in to investigate and Horowitz tags along to help and get material for another book in the series.  What they find is an unhappy cast and crew with a long list of suspects holding solid motives and having the means to pull off the crime.  Requiring Hawthorne’s intellect and powers of observation to sift through the clues and find the murderer.  All while dealing with a case that hits closer to home than any he’s had in his illustrious and controversial past. 

This series continues to deliver great stories with depth, emotion and suspense.  In A Deadly Episode, readers are treated to a twisty, turning investigation with so many suspects capable of the murder that it keeps you guessing to the very end.  But it also provides depth for the main characters, Horowitz and Hawthorne.  Horowitz shows more initiative to learn more about Hawthorne’s past and strikes out on his own more than before despite the possible consequences.  And through this, an old case of Hawthorne’s comes to light and brings with it a glimpse into his childhood, his softer side and a fallibility that isn’t always present.  This character development provides a great push forward for the series and, when combined with the great supporting cast and backstories, results in a highly entertaining murder mystery.

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The Council By Matthew Betley

Ruthless, lethal, and emotional, The Council will tug on your heartstrings while satisfying your thirst for bloodlust.  Matthew Betley is back with a merciless thriller filled with unbridled violence and charged feelings. 

The Council is a group of powerful Americans who influence events from the shadows, shaping the direction of the country.  How do they do this?  By recruiting skilled operators through emotional manipulation and visions of vengeance.  Now, one member of the Council wants to expand globally and resorts to unsavory methods to influence the upcoming vote.  But when one team of elite operators figures out the plan, they won’t stand by and let it happen.   Kicking off a deadly chess match that pits apex predators against each other in a battle to the death with absolute global power hanging in the balance.

This is a Thriller with a capital T.  Suspenseful, action-packed and bloody.  Filled from start to finish with intelligent tactics, deadly weapons and adrenaline-soaked brutality.  Which is awesome on its own.  But the juxtaposition of viciousness with raw sentiment takes the story to another level.  Featuring characters who showcase elite operational abilities on one page followed by learning about their devastating trauma on another.  Bringing morality front and center and asking the question: what would you do if presented with the opportunity to get retribution against someone who brought you unimaginable pain? 

Broken heroes, duplicitous power brokers, and psychopathic killers collide in a hurricane of combat and carnage.  Making The Council an engaging, enraging and entertaining character-driven tale containing everything a thriller fan could want in a book.

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A Violent Masterpiece By Jordan Harper

A Violent Masterpiece is a crime novel unlike anything you’ve ever read before.  Dark, wicked, sinful, and tragic, yet also bitterly hopeful and infused with the defiant fighting spirit of the underdog.  A journey to hell and back that leaves you feeling a mixture of dirty and clean, beat down and triumphant, melancholy and tranquil.  The emotional result of reading a noir masterpiece from the vivid mind of Jordan Harper. 

Los Angeles is a city on the edge.  A Hollywood celebrity is arrested on pedophilia charges.  Multiple young women are savagely murdered by the hand of a serial killer known as the LA Ripper.  Law enforcement is clearing out the homeless on the street.  And the elite and famous are seemingly above the law.  Through the haze of violence, drugs and depravity, three people – a live-streaming nightcrawler, a bus stop bench lawyer and an underground private concierge hostess – find each other and put their lives on the line to expose a conspiracy featuring the most rich and powerful men in the city.  Taking them on an epic journey from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to the dark underbelly of a city filled with incredible secrets and massive coverups.

Do yourself a favor and make sure you read this book, but don’t dive into the details of the plot before you open it.  Because it’s best to experience A Violent Masterpiece knowing as little as possible.  Experiencing it as if being on a voyeuristic ride-along where anything and everything might happen as you prowl the streets and dark rooms of a city on the brink.  Allowing for raw, unfiltered, visceral reactions to the volatile events contained in this story.  Living the book rather than reading it.  Letting it get under your skin and burrow into your brain.  Reeling and reveling in a primal world that you hope doesn’t really exist, but you suspect does to some degree. 

Another tape-measure home run of a novel by Jordan Harper.  Cementing him as one of the best to ever write LA crime noir.

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Shadow Strike By Brad Taylor

Shadow Strike comes in hot from the jump and keeps getting better and more intense as the pages fly by, watching a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game unfold with dire consequences hanging in the balance.  This is Brad Taylor at the height of his literary powers, delivering a masterfully crafted story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

A shadow group within the IRGC develops a brazen plot to strike both the Israelis and the Americans abroad, culminating with a catastrophic operation in the Middle East.  After facilitating the escape of the notorious terrorist known as the Ghost, they equip him with the resources to deliver a devastating blow to their shared enemies.  But Pike Logan and his Taskforce team are in play and on the hunt.  Having already captured the Ghost before, Pike might be the only person alive capable of stopping his plans and thwarting disaster.  But the clock is ticking.  Can Pike deliver his trademark magic yet again?  Or will time run out before he can save the day?

The 20th installment of the Pike Logan series has everything long-time fans, and thriller fans in general, could ever ask for.  Audacious and timely plot lines.  Well-developed characters.  High-octane action sequences with explosions of violence.  Strategic thinking from both sides trying to outwit one another.  Technology deployed in innovative ways.  Enemy misdirection. Pike and his Taskforce team taking risks and defying orders.  A reunion with a couple of fan favorite characters.  And a race to the finish with a thrilling conclusion.  All coming together brilliantly in a way that makes you hold your breath while you desperately read at increasing speeds to find out how things will end.

Shadow Strike is seriously good and highlights Pike at his best while also providing plenty of opportunity for the rest of the Taskforce team to shine.  It’s a fantastic novel that you can’t stop reading once you get going. 

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Blood Trail By Matt Query & Harrison Query

Violent, mysterious and completely engrossing, Blood Trail is a genre-bending tale that messes with your head and keeps you guessing to the very end.  The Query Brothers have crafted a thriller that won’t give you a moment’s peace until you figure out what the hell is going on.

Clark Rickert has had a long and illustrious career as a game warden in Montana but is plagued with a dark past that haunts him.  Now, he’s mysteriously chosen to join a federal task force that is so secretive that even the members of the team are not read in on everything.  Even more odd, Clark starts having visions that he doesn’t fully understand.  Until he finally makes sense of them and realizes his purpose is way beyond anything he could have imagined.  And despite being teamed up with the greatest operators known to man, it’s up to Clark alone to save the world from a darkness that would spread terror across the planet.

This book starts like a wilderness thriller with focus on a game warden chasing after a poacher.  Then it turns into a military thriller with tier one operators coming together to eliminate threats to national security.  Then it turns into a horror thriller filled with blood, guts, gore, and zombie-like cult followers.  Then it becomes a sci-fi thriller with a supernatural fight to the death between otherworldly beings.  And the crazy thing is it all works.  The story comes together in a way that ratchets up the tension, dripping pieces of information that forces you to keep going with a desperate need to figure things out, then exploding with insanely high levels of violence.  Leaving you wondering what it is you just finished reading, but knowing it was something epic. 

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Nothing Tastes As Good By Luke Dumas

Deliciously dark, rich and raw, savory and sinister, Nothing Tastes as Good is a spicy and disturbing tale that satisfies and unsettles in equal measure.  Luke Dumas has crafted a cerebral and deranged thriller that makes you think while turning your stomach.  You won’t be able to put it down until you’ve cleared your plate. 

Emmett Truesdale is unhappy.  He has a low-paying job that he hates, has no love life to speak of, and despite multiple efforts is unable to shed any of his 300+ pounds of body weight.  Desperate to change his life, he comes across an ad for a weight-loss drug clinical trial and signs up despite warnings from his best friend.  Amazingly the drug works exceedingly well and Emmett sheds pounds at an accelerated rate.  But there are some major side effects like blackouts and cravings.  And when people he knows start showing up dead, the victims of a cannibalistic murderer, Emmett starts to wonder if he’s responsible.  But now that people are treating him the way he’s always wanted to be treated – just because he’s thin – he’s unsure if he wants to know the truth. 

Nothing Tastes as Good is a mystery/horror thriller wrapped around exploration of serious issues such as obesity, eating disorders, abuse, trauma, mental health and addiction.  Those issues shape who Emmett is as a person and frame his desire to find his “true” self, an aspirational better and more successful person he believes he can become if he just loses weight.  But he learns that happiness is elusive and isn’t guaranteed, even if you’re achieving the goals you so desperately desired. 

However, don’t let those difficult topics scare you away from this book. Because there is plenty of tension, suspense, intrigue and murder to propel the story forward with a bloodthirsty appetite to learn the truth and find out what happens to Emmett in the end.  And as more is revealed and the big twist hits you like a sledgehammer to the gut, you’ll find your mouth agape and muttering expletives while you process the creepy and thrilling journey through hell that is Nothing Tastes as Good.

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Two Kinds Of Stranger By Steve Cavanagh

Intense, emotionally excruciating and ultimately satisfying, Two Kinds of Stranger is a masterful thriller that’s completely mental in the best of ways.  Steve Cavanagh continues his hot streak of publishing amazingly addictive legal thrillers and he should be talked about in the same stratosphere as John Grisham and Michael Connelly when it comes to the best of the best in the genre.

Eddie Flynn has been retained by a social media influencer to defend her in the murder trial of her husband and best friend, who she discovered were having an affair while live on TikTok.  Meanwhile, Flynn’s ex-wife and her husband are also accused of murder when an ex-con, who has been stalking them after losing out on a big payday, winds up dead.  Stretched thin professionally and emotionally, Eddie must reach deep into his bag of tricks, and rely on his highly capable team of investigators, advisor and law partner, to ensure his client and his family are rightfully found innocent and the real killer is brought to justice. 

This is another magnificently crafted story in the enthralling Eddie Flynn series, which has become one of my favorites in the legal/crime fiction genre for consistently delivering high intensity, gripping, twisting and satisfying tales with tremendous characters.  One reason is because in between the legal maneuverings and tension-filled action, readers are confronted with the imperfections of the US justice system and must face questions about the morality of operating in gray areas and/or stepping over the line in pursuit of a not-guilty verdict for an innocent individual on trial for their life.  Making these books as thought-provoking as they are stirring and entertaining. 

In Two Kinds of Stranger, there’s a clear line of demarcation between the good guy and the bad guys, but the sociopathic villains hold the cards, and everything points to them getting away with literal murder while innocent people are likely to be found guilty of crimes they didn’t commit.  This drives a level of emotional agony and torment that propels readers through the story at lightning speed while wondering how we’d cope with being in such an untenable, desperate situation.  Driving an overwhelming desire for Flynn to figure out how to win these cases.  So, while most of us would hopefully never be on trial for murder, we can still forge a deep connection with the characters because they too should not be in this position.  Which is gut-wrenching.  And that’s where the brilliance in this book, and every book in this series, lies.

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She Fell Away By Lenore Nash

Gripping, intense and packed with all the feels, She Fell Away takes you on a ride through the darkness to find the light.  Lenore Nash delivers a strong mystery with thrills and emotion that keeps you engrossed and hopeful from start to finish.

Lake Harlowe is the American Citizen Services officer at the US embassy in New Zealand.  Any desire for a quiet tour after a hard two years in Cambodia is shattered when an American citizen is found dead and another mysteriously vanishes.  As she continues to dig for answers and fight powerful forces, she must face her own traumatic experiences while trying to find a missing young woman with whom she feels a strong connection despite never having met.  Now Lake must summon the courage to overcome her painful past to get the results she’s obsessed with obtaining…and avoid the lethal danger lurking in the shadows. 

She Fell Away moves along at a strong pace with intrigue, uncertainty and the search for answers driving the story forward.   No one can be trusted with hidden agendas abound and motives abundant.  Keeping readers in suspense for much of the book until it all comes to a head in a violent conclusion.  Throw in characters you connect with and others you want to see get what’s coming to them, and you have a winning formula for a suspenseful thriller.

But the heart and soul of this book is exploring trauma and how music can play a role in expressing your feelings and healing from the bad events in your life.  And it’s through this exploration and the inclusion of original music lyrics that the book provides the wonderful message of finding your voice, being brave, and living your life without fear.  A fantastic reminder for all of us and one you don’t normally get in a thriller, taking She Fell Away to another level.

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The Dark Time By Nick Petrie

Propulsive, intense and anxiety-inducing, The Dark Time is a cautionary tale that will give you heart palpitations as violence explodes on seemingly every page.  Kudos to Nick Petrie for delivering a novel that is equally entertaining and contemplative, exploring how technology’s impact on society can have a range of consequences.

June Cassidy asks Peter Ash to check in on her friend in Seattle – a reporter who has received threats to back off a story she’s investigating.   Showing up in the nick of time, Peter thwarts a would-be killer and makes it his mission to protect the reporter and her daughter while also getting to the bottom of who is threatening her and why.  As he digs deeper, he finds himself going from one violent situation to another, all at the hands of a shadowy organization planning a major event that would send the country into utter chaos.  With help from June and his highly capable/dangerous friend Lewis, Peter puts his life on the line to stop this organization and its charismatic leader from successfully implementing their plan.  But this time, Peter might have bitten off more than he can chew.

You know that when you open a Peter Ash novel, it’ll be exciting, explosive and violent.  The Dark Time is no different, delivering on all fronts with a story that puts you on edge from the beginning and doesn’t let you breathe for a moment.  It also explores how the world is changing and how different sets of people view innovation differently.  Some embrace it, others are resentful of what it means for them personally.  Making this a timely book as AI explodes across the globe, leading to amazing capabilities while also threatening the livelihood of regular people.

Tackling this topic results in a book that goes well beyond a pulse-pounding thriller.  It’s a story that produces a dichotomy of having empathy for those who feel the world is passing them by while also having animosity towards the violent actions they are willing to undertake.  With an especially high level of loathing towards those leading the effort by preying on the misfortune and fears of others and willing to wreak havoc on innocent people. 

It's quite a fascinating and fantastic thriller.  A straightforward narrative with complex emotions, making it a book that’s as thought-provoking as it is thrilling.  And it has plenty of Peter Ash and Co. kicking ass and taking names.  Which always makes for an enjoyable investment of your time.   

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The Hard Line By Mark Greaney

Intense, bloody and emotionally charged, The Hard Line is a masterful continuation of the celebrated Gray Man series.  Filled with enough action, danger and death to choke a horse, it will pump adrenaline through your body, elevate your heart rate and make you sweat as you become fully invested in the outcome.  It’s another smash hit by the great Mark Greaney!

The United States intelligence community is under attack as a wave of assassinations take place.  Court Gentry is part of a deep black, sub-rosa direct-action team tasked by the CIA to investigate and determine who’s directing the attacks, and interdict multiple kill teams loose in the Washington DC area.  But that’s not all the Gray Man needs to be concerned with.  A renowned assassin codenamed Whetstone has come out of retirement for one more mission – to eliminate the man who killed his son.  Which just happens to be the fabled Gray Man.  Setting up a showdown of epic proportions. 

Greaney dials up the violence and tension to eleven right off the jump and keeps it there throughout this insanely engaging novel.  And while thriller junkies will flip head over heals for the action sequences, what makes The Hard Line so fantastic is how it highlights the relatability, vulnerability and moral compass of the great Gray Man and his colleagues.  Which is an incredible feat given that the vast majority of us are not world class assassins/operators, and yet the personal nature of storylines in this book humanizes the exceptionals and makes it quite easy for us commoners to empathize with. 

This novel has all the hallmarks of a best-selling thriller, and you won’t be able to put it down.  And when you finish it your mind will be blown, and you will be jonesing hard for the next Gray Man adventure.  Which is certain to be unhinged in the best way as Court Gentry is unleashed to do what he does best.  Put bodies in the ground.

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Cold Zero By Brad Thor & Ward Larsen

Take your anxiety medication before cracking open Cold Zero because Brad Thor and Ward Larsen have teamed up to create an icy and intense espionage and military thriller that will chill you to the bone.

CIA operative Kasey Sheridan is escorting a defecting Chinese scientist and his innovative technology to the United States when their plane goes down on an ice floe above the Arctic Circle.  Trapped and freezing, Kasey teams up with the plane’s first officer Brett Sharpe to take care of the survivors.  Meanwhile, as the Americans launch a rescue mission, the Chinese are racing to beat them to recover their stolen technology and traitorous scientist.  But they’re not alone.  A Russian submarine is in the area and decides to get in on the action as well.  Creating a race between the three superpowers that will decide the fate of the free world in one of the coldest, harshest places on the planet.

If you’ve ever wondered how World War III could start, look no further than Cold Zero.  A thriller that highlights how far world superpowers will go to gain a technological and military edge.  Set in one of the most inhospitable locations on Earth, Thor and Larsen take readers on a frigid and desperate journey to survive the elements and enemy factions to deliver game changing tech to the US and simultaneously deliver a decisive blow to their foes.  Featuring planes, submarines, special forces, and a polar bear or two, the tension never ebbs as every action has a counter action with the stakes continuously getting raised.  Your pulse doesn’t stand a chance of staying at normal levels as you get a front row seat to a race against the clock to secure world supremacy for the foreseeable future. 

It’s exciting, entertaining, heart-pounding, cold-blooded stuff from two of the best thriller writers in the business.

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

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

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