All The Sinners Bleed By S.A. Cosby

From the master of southern noir comes a raw and gritty tour de force which cements Cosby as one of the top writers penning novels today. All the Sinners Bleed is a harrowing tale encompassing all aspects of a fantastic thriller. 

Titus Crown is the sheriff of Charon County in Virginia. On the first anniversary of his hiring, his radio comes alive, and Titus has to respond to a shooting at a local school. After the shooting is done, Titus uncovers what could be a serial killer on the loose, and it’s up to him and his deputies to find them. Titus's darkest prayer is to stay alive along enough to catch the killer. 

Cosby weaves together a terrifying story with his fourth novel. With each book, we see Cosby getting better and better, whether it be his story-telling or his characters. Titus Crown is such an intriguing, dynamic character who is every bit as fallible as the rest of us, but his flaws make him that much more likable and believable. All the Sinners Bleed melts social issues, mysteries, and that 'Sit down, let me tell you a story' feeling together into a maelstrom of emotional musicality, with each character acting as a different string on the violin of this story - some being low and booming; others a harmonic.  

It's been quite some time since I read a book in 24 hours. I was reading this book while trying to cook dinner, while 'watching' my kid, at the drive-thru, everywhere. This book was a beautifully dark, serial killer crime novel, and I felt, in my bones, that this was paying homage to one of my all-time favorite novels, Dennis Lehane's Darkness, Take My Hand. No doubt, it is one of the best books of the year. 

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Small Mercies By Dennis Lehane

Small Mercies is a tour de force cementing Dennis Lehane as one of the top thriller writers of all time. Taking on race and poverty in South Boston the days approaching school busing, where white students were bussed to predominantly black schools and vice versa, Lehane approaches the situation through the eyes of Mary Pat Fennessy, a white, Irish mother of a high school student in "Southie".

In the summer of 1974, as the schools are about to start busing students across town, Mary Pat, a tough woman from Southie, wakes up one morning to find her daughter never returned the night before. That same night, a young black boy is killed after being struck by a subway. Mary Pat knows her daughter Jules isn't involved, but she starts hunting for her daughter. This inevitably leads her to Marty Butler, who is the chieftain of the Irish mob. He keeps Southie running smoothly, but is he involved?

Small Mercies is an emotional bulldozer. Mary Pat leaves no stone left unturned, no face left unpunched, no beehive hairdo left un-pulled, no box cutter left retracted.

Mary Pat is so very fallible. She's racist, angry, violent, dangerous, and impoverished, but at the same time, she doesn't want to be. She truly wants to be better, and the tensions and riots of the busing crisis only exacerbate it more.

In typical Dennis Lehane fashion, this novel leaves you thinking and musing on the story and characters. I've pondered what makes me love Lehane's books so much, what brings me back to them over and over again, what makes me read each book well over a dozen times and never tire of them, and I think Gregg Hurwtiz put it more succinctly than I ever could. He said, "You're rung out by the end...we inched out a 51% victory." I think this is such a great point. By the end of Small Mercies, you find yourself sometimes agreeing with the antagonist, and although the book wraps up nicely, with a "victory", you oft ask yourself, was all of that pain for the protagonist worth it. If I left you confused there, you best just read the book, and by the end, you'll understand why.

Small Mercies is one of my favorite books of 2023. It's a siren call to the readers, a book that you find impossible to put down, and a smash hit.

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Ozark Dogs By Eli Cranor

From the author of the stellar debut, Don't Know Tough, comes the second book by Eli Cranor - a raw, gritty, emotional story of a grandfather's attempt to save his granddaughter. Ozark Dogs is the quintessential southern noir thriller by one of the best in the business. 

Vietnam veteran Jeremiah Fitzjurls has taken care of his high school granddaughter Jo ever since her father, and his son, was sentenced to life in prison. With a deceased wife, Jeremiah tries his best to raise his granddaughter, while not have a maternal bone in his body. Battling with PTSD from the war, as well as a alcohol addiction, Jeremiah's worst fears come to fruition when one evening, Jo doesn't return home. As the search for her reaches into the depths of the Ozarks, Jeremiah's war comes home, as he would do anything to retrieve Jo. 

Eli Cranor has crafted another harrowing tale - replete with violence, love, heartache, the strength and bond of family, the things that tie us all together, loss, and triumph. I struggle to put into words how this book was - it was so incredibly emotional. I was thinking that I got way too invested in the characters, but it turns out, Cranor can just pen such interesting, intricate protagonists. Like Indiana Jones running from the boulder, this book was an avalanche of action. I was frequently blindsided by the twists & turns, constantly caught off-guard, and routinely stuck dangling from the cliffs that Cranor left me hanging on. The imagery and details felt raw and nuanced and done in only the way I've seen Cranor do.  

This thriller sub-genre of noir - southern noir in this case - is delivering some of my favorite novels in existence, and Cranor is a spearhead of the genre. With stories are both timely and timeless, Cranor delivers a Tyson-like fist to the face, with what is bound to be a contender for the BTB Book of the Year, with Ozark Dogs. 

Side note: It's rare that when an author narrates their own audiobook, and I find it enjoyable. I typically lean on the 'just leave it to the professionals' axiom when it comes to narrators. However, Cranor has narrated both of his books, and I am stunned at how phenomenal of a narrator he is. Bravo!

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The Sniper By Jim Lindsay

The Sniper is a brilliant biography of one of the greatest marksmen to ever walk the planet. A blend of coming-of-age, thriller, military history, and comedic tales, The Sniper perfectly weaves the story of Vietnam sniper Chuck Mawhinney in a fascinating read that will fly by as fast as a bullet out of a Remmington. 

This story kicks off with the one story I had heard about Mawhinney - in the Arizona Territory in Vietnam, on a peninsula in a river with dozens and dozens of Vietnamese soldiers wading across the river in his direction. From here, you get to learn about everything that led to this moment - from Mawhinney's childhood, to his tales of adolescence, his first kill in the Marines, and everything in between. Author Jim Lindsay dove deep into Mawhinney's life and recounts the moments with crystal clear clarity, bringing Mawhinney's life into a beaming spotlight. This novel has inklings of Lindsay's debut non-fiction novel, The Little Bastards, with hilarious childhood tales of small town living, but also blends the action of a modern military thriller. It is a book that has you nervous, laughing, astonished, and bewildered all within its pages. 

It's rare that I read a book in only a sitting or two anymore, but The Sniper was one of those books. I felt like I was sitting at the Idle Hour in Baker City right next to them, sipping Coors Light, enveloped by the stories. Lindsay made this book feel like you were in the room, talking with Mawhinney, right next to him, as he recounted his life story. A brilliant, fascinating, and real tale of heroism from one of the top marksmen to ever live.  

Epilogue from the reviewer: Sometime between 2016-2018, I was repairing computers in Corvallis, Oregon, and I received a phone call from a gentleman who needed some help with his computer. I went to his house, and upon entering, saw a giant poster board covered with sticky notes with different words or phrases on it. It was semi-obvious what it was about, as I saw phrases like "Chuck's childhood," "Vietnam," etc. I asked this man, Mr. Lindsay, about what he was working on - it was a book he was outlining about a man named Chuck Mawhinney. At the time, I had heard of Mawhinney from a documentary on the History Channel about snipers. Jim began to recount the novel, told me about Chuck, and I was fascinated. I was praying I would get to see this book on a shelf one day, as the story sounded incredibly interesting. I'm thankful that day has finally arrived, and I am grateful that I got the opportunity to give it a read.

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The Last Orphan By Gregg Hurwitz

Every year, one of my most anticipated novels is the newest installment in the Orphan X series, and each year, Hurwitz exceeds my expectations.

As we start off The Last Orphan, the United States government has located Evan Smoak (aka Orphan X), and they want him captured. Once they get their hands on him, what they ask is a little different than Smoak initially expected. They want him for a mission. This isn’t the standard call to 1-855-2-NOWHERE that Evan traditionally receives. The government wants him to eliminate Luke Devine, a billionaire mogul. Evan sets off on his mission, but as he uncovers secrets along the way, he must reevaluate his decisions.

The Last Orphan is another stellar thriller novel by one of the best in the business. Although I found myself yearning for the storyline between Mia and Evan, I found this novel to be everything that we’ve come to expect from Hurwitz. Hurwitz is a master of the writing craft, with the most brilliant prose, witty and intriguing dialogue, nonstop action that thriller fans will love, and possibly most importantly, a flawed character that is trying to find his place in the world. The Last Orphan is the perfect summation of everything you want in a thriller. Don’t miss out on one of the best series available.

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The Fear Of Winter By S.C. Sterling

Tom Floyd is a distraught parent after his daughter disappears on a cold night in December. His relationship is quickly falling apart, and Tom is worried he will never see his daughter again. Over a year after her disappearance, Tom hires PI Marshall York to try to find his daughter. As York digs, not only does evidence start emerging, but so do some deep, dark secrets.

The Fear of Winter is a dark, harrowing tale of desperation, longing, and pain. Sterling pulls at one of the most human threads - love. What you would do for love and where love can drive you. This book is a slow burn that digs its icy fingers around your wrist and refuses to let you go. You see a tale of family loss, how it destroys two parents and their relationship, and what lengths they will go to in order to get answers about their missing daughter. It's a mystery and thriller all tied into one genius novel.

This novel is a classic missing-persons thriller. I'm a huge fan of detective novels, and this one is right up there with some of the best. It's a perfect winter read that fans of Harlan Coben, Joe Nesbo, and Michael Connelly will love.

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Everybody Knows By Jordan Harper

Mae is a fixer. She’s a publicist for big names and is in charge of their secrets. She’s an intelligent powerhouse among the rich and famous. As she travels to meet her boss Dan, a day after he requests a meeting with her to disclose possibly a life-changing secret, he’s gunned down outside the restaurant where they are supposed to meet. The circumstances surrounding it are too coincidental for Mae, who is not one who leaves things to chance or coincidence. In a town where the words that go unsaid are the loudest, Mae decides to investigate the murder herself.

Everybody Knows is a brilliant piece of LA noir that takes you on to the sidewalks of Sunset Boulevard, the hills of West Hollywood, and inside the doors of the Chateau Marmont.

Harper is one of the best authors when it comes to developing characters, both likable and unlikable. The characters and story has 10,000 leagues of depth, and with how well Harper paint the picture of LA, you feel like you are living and breathing alongside Mae, Dan, and Chris. The emotions are palpable, and their anxiety will trigger your own.

If you aren’t reading Jordan Harper yet, his whole canon is stellar, but this is one of the best noir-style books I’ve ever read. It’s a mystery, drama, and thriller fused into one Louisville slugger that’ll hit you in the shins then kick you while you’re down, and I couldn’t have enjoyed the beatdown more.

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Blaze Me A Sun By Christoffer Carlsson

It's early in 1986 in Halland, Sweden, and a murderer is attacking young women. Police officer Sven Jörgensson retires from the police force, but he can't escape this case, even as his son Vidar joins the force and hunts for the killer as well. Decades later, Vidar is still uncovering new evidence that causes him to battle with some of the choices he and his father made years ago. 

This book is written quite differently than I am used to, more similar to an Anthony Horowitz style of writing, with the author bookending the novel. This book is so incredibly detailed, with amazingly interesting characters. It's a slow burning serial killer hunt which I came to found out is a fictional twist on the assassination of Sweden's PM in 1986. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I love this style of criminal procedural books. It was like the criminal version of an early John Grisham novel. It was so easy to get lost in the pages of this thriller that I completely lost track of time while reading it. It has a lot of moving parts and different characters, but it was deeply intriguing. This is a well developed, emotional piece of Nordic-noir (is that an actual genre or did I just invent it?). I've read a few of these, and they have been some of my favorite detective thrillers. 

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A History Of Fear By Luke Dumas

Twenty-five year old Grayson Hale brutally murdered a colleague at the University in Edinburgh. After being convicted, he commits suicide in his prison cell. All along, he proclaimed that his reasoning is quite simple - the devil made him do it.

Now dubbed The Devil’s Advocate, readers are taken on a journey down the rabbit hole of Hale’s journal entries (his manuscript), psychological profiles, therapy sessions, and family stories, as the motives behind Hale’s murders are slowly uncovered. You learn all about his childhood, his trauma, and everything leading up to the murder.

In this gritty, first-person narrative told through the eyes of Grayson Hale’s manuscript, Luke Dumas treats readers to a frightening, spine-tingling thriller guaranteed to make you stay up late reading. You ride along Hale’s psyche, deranged as it may sometimes seem, as he meets the devil in person.

I was locked in within the first few pages of this novel. It grabbed my attention fast and didn’t let go until the story was over. Fans of psychological thrillers will absolutely love A History of Fear. It’s a dark, tense read that will stick with you long after it’s over. Make sure you say your prayers tonight.

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The Other Side Of Night By Adam Hamdy

Oh lord. How do I write this review?

There isn’t much point in writing a summary since you can read that on Amazon, and who wants to just read a review that is the same as the book synopsis that’s posted everywhere? I digress.

I finally picked up this book, after it had been on my TBR pile for some time. Granted, as of late, with a new baby, I haven’t been able to read as much as I used to. That being said, I had finally heard the Best Thriller Books team talk enough about this book, so I moved it up to my next read. I had also read - both online and even on the back of the book jacket - that this book has quite the twist. Either way, I’m the ideal mystery/thriller reader, because I never see the twist coming. Like a lovesick teenager that can’t wrap my head around the fact that my girlfriend is swapping spit under the bleachers with the place kicker on the football team (my past self could’ve never got a girl that would’ve made out with a QB), I never see twists coming, even when I know they’re expected.  This book was just that. I dropped an f-bomb in front of my 6-month-old kid because it surprised me so much. Thanks Adam Hamdy. Now my girl is going to be busted swearing in Kindergarten, and I’m going to have to explain to the teacher that I read a book that blew my mind so much that I forgot she existed. Either way, this book is superb. It’s really hard to put into words what this book was. It was 40% thriller, 50% mystery, 10% some other stuff, but 100% ‘what the f***’.

You know how sometimes when you watch a movie in the theater that has some wild twist, and you spend all of the credits, the drive home, that evening, and the ensuing four years trying to figure out what the hell happened. That’s this book. It’s a phenomenal novel that I can’t recommend enough.

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The Furies By John Connolly

Each year when a new John Connolly novel drops, I get so excited. His new book is two short stories, that as usual, are terrifying but delicious.

Charlie Parker is arguably one of my favorite literary characters. He’s a detective up in Maine, and the world has broken him multiple times over, and Connolly continues to throw him into these creepy, supernatural situations and cases. Like a public washroom along the interstate, these novels are dark, scary, and unsettling. Connolly’s masterful prose that wisps readers through the pages, saddled alongside Parker as he bounces through the emotional turmoil that always seems to accompany him.

As per usual, Connolly’s writing style, characters, and intriguing stories suck a reader in, and you’ll soon find yourself lost in the pages of Parker’s world.

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Fields Of Fire By Ryan Steck

It’s always fun to read a new author’s debut novel and thoroughly enjoy it.

Ryan Steck’s debut novel features a new character to the thriller genre, Matthew Redd. After his unit is unexplainably killed, Redd is charged with treason, and as if things couldn’t get any worse, while in the brig, he gets a mysterious phone call from his father and subsequently heads for Montana.

I found this to be a fun, page-turning thriller. It is fully loaded with action from start to end, and having parts set in Montana makes it even more fun. This novel is like if CJ Box and Matt Betley had a baby. Other than being devilishly handsome, that baby would be Fields of Fire.

I’m always nervous about debut novels - it seems like they’re either a hit or fall flat, and there isn’t much middle ground. I think Fields of Fire is going to be a hit that fans of the thriller genre will quickly gravitate to and love. Steck’s Matthew Redd will be around for a long time, captivating readers with each page. Make sure you thriller readers grab yourself a copy of this one - you won’t regret it.

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The Hacker By Daniel Scanlan

A techno-thriller wrapped in science fiction, The Hacker is a fantastic cross-genre blast of action that will have readers begging for more.

This novel introduces FBI Special Agent Ericka Blackwood, who with all of her own flaws and foibles, is on the hunt for cybercriminals of all types - from those peddling drugs to the trafficking of humans. But once Blackwood crosses paths with a cybercriminal using a new form of VR technology which helps elevate criminality, she vows to capture the mastermind. Hiding behind the moniker of Dantalion - the arch-duke of Hell - he orchestrates others to carry out his bidding with this new technology.

As a security researcher in technology, this novel immediately piqued my interest, and it upheld every high expectation I had for it. Scanlan crafted an all-too-realistic thriller that transcends the genre and still keeps true to all of the technological terms, jargon, and possibilities. The Hacker will quickly become a leader in this subsection of the thriller genre - where Scanlan blends a dystopian science fiction with mystery and thrillers to create an amazing, fast-paced novel with never a dull moment. From the first chapter, I was locked into this phenomenal book. I will be certain to grab anything that Scanlan writes, and you should too.

In the age of social media, dark secrets, and technology comes a genre transcending novel of literal and literary crime and punishment. The Hacker is not a book to be missed and should immediately be at the top of your To Be Read pile.

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Heat 2 By Meg Gardiner & Michael Mann

Growing up on a farm, when I heard “really into heat,” I always assumed people were talking about letting the bulls out into the cow pasture, but once my friends open-hand slapped me upside the head and showed me the movie Heat, it all made much more sense. I’ve been really into Heat ever since.

Twenty-seven years after the movie dropped, Heat 2, the novel, is being released into the wild. Heat 2, written by director Michael Mann and the brilliant thriller writer Meg Gardiner, tracks many of the characters from the original movie both before and after the incidents that took place in the movie. Kicking off the book in the moments and days following the infamous LA shootout from the movie (spoiler alert if you’ve been living in a cave in Nova Scotia for the last three decades), Detective Vincent Hanna is on the hunt for the wounded Chris Shiherlis. Will he catch him?

This book brings back all of the memories I have from watching the movie. This novel is such a brilliant piece of fiction. I devoured it. I’ve been wearing a diaper for the last three days just so I wouldn’t need to take a break from reading it. With enough action to emulate the Playboy mansion, Mann and Gardiner have crafted the most realistic thriller I’ve ever read. When some authors try to write action scenes or realistic dialogue, it feels like they’re pushing a muffin through wicker furniture, but Mann and Gardiner crafted a stellar prequel/sequel with the chaos and intrigue of a prostate exam.

Like a donkey kick to my backside, this novel kicks ass. You can call me ol’ J Todd, because this is one of my favorite novels of the year. 

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The Neighborhood By Matthew Betley

One of my favorite authors returns with a high-action thriller, The Neighborhood, that will keep you reading late into the night until it’s over.

Zack Chambers lives in a suburb utopia called Hidden Refuge, but the neighborhood is turned upside down when the members of the area are asked to leave due to a chemical spill nearby. But when mercenaries show up instead to retrieve an item at one of Chamber’s neighbor’s homes, Chambers reacts in the best way he knows how, with unrelenting violence.

Betley has been known to craft high velocity, balls to the wall action scenes. He first introduced us to Logan West years ago, and he’s continued to wow his readers with ultra violence and flying bullets. The Neighborhood reads like a movie script, and Betley is the master at writing compelling characters and sequences of action that will have you flying through the pages. 

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Dirt Creek By Hayley Scrivenor

When 12-year-old Esther goes missing in the small town of Durton in Australia, her best friend Veronica “Ronnie” Thompson, who was the last to see her, tries to piece together what happened. There aren’t too many suspects in the small town, but as secrets of the community members starts getting revealed, it becomes more and more difficult for the detectives on the case to connect the dots.

Hayley Scrivenor crafts together an intriguing rural noir in her debut novel, where everybody is your neighbor, but everyone also has their secrets. A clever drama full of mystery and plot twist, Scrivenor weaves in poetic prose, captivating dialogue, and an interesting plot with lovable characters. If you’re a fan of rural noir, this is the book for you. This book is surely to be a hit this year. Go out and order it immediately. 

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It Dies With You By Scott Blackburn

Hudson Miller is a down-and-out boxer who is takes a job as a bouncer at a local, townie bar when he finds out his estranged father as been murdered. Very little is left to Hudson, except is father’s rentals and a salvage yard. With not much money left in his account, Hudson takes over the business up in Flint Creek, Michigan, but everything at the salvage yard isn't what it seems. Hudson teams up with a few others to make an unlikely trio to investigate what happened.

Scott Blackburn delivers a powerful debut thriller with It Dies With You. In this raw and gritty southern noir, Blackburn weaves together intriguing characters and elegant writing that hits you like a punch.  Blackburn should be an author that everyone picks up this summer. So far, this is my summer pick that any crime fiction fan will love.

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Assassin's Edge By Ward Larsen

David Slaton returns for the newest novel by thriller veteran Ward Larsen, with the lightning-fast pace and interesting characters we’ve come to know and love in Assassin's Edge.

In this newest Slaton adventure, three seemingly unrelated events trigger former Mossad agent David Slaton back into action, in an attempt to keep the planet from dropping into another World War. First, just off the coast of Russia, a US spy plane crashes, a Mossad agent is captured in the Middle East, and a US Naval vessel sinks between Europe and Asia. When questions are asked, the US and Israel call on Slaton to answer their questions.

In a book that seems all too realistic, Larsen toes the line between thriller and science fiction, introducing interesting weaponry and gizmos & gadgets that give Assassin’s Edge a unique, fun, and techno-thriller vibe. It is replete with the spy tradecraft that make it feel like a Silva novel, chopped up with Flynn-esque action, and in-depth knowledge around weapons and military tactics that rival Clancy. I am continually blown away by Larsen’s ability to pack so much action into one story. It’s a great military thriller novel that should be at the top of your 2022 reading list.

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The Paradox Hotel By Rob Hart

Set in the dystopian future of year 2072, Rob Hart delivers a fun, exciting novel, complete with time travel and confusion that will keep readers guessing until the end.

January Cole is the head of security at the Paradox Hotel. This hotel is anything but ordinary. In this hotel, you can travel back in time to any period of history. The catch? You have to have the money in order to pay for your trip. I think “anything but ordinary” is great tagline for this novel because January Cole is the same. Cole is ‘Unstuck’ - a term used to describe those who are not locked into or stuck in one moment in time. Throughout these three stages of being ‘Unstuck’, one can start by feeling deja vu. They can go as far as feeling they’re in a completely different moment entirely, then when returning to the true present, they realize no time has passed since slipping into this Unstuck period. Is it a little confusing at first? Yes. Did I do a horrible job explaining it? Definitely.

The books was phenomenal. I’m also a sucker for a good first-person POV story, and this was as well written of one as I’ve seen. This book is a murder mystery, but it also is infused with greed, money, politics, and everything in between. As with most sci-fi books I’ve read, it takes a little time to wrap your head around the universe the author created, but once you do, you’re in for a ride. This was as good as any sci-fi novel I’ve read and is definitely one of the books that I read the quickest this year. I thoroughly enjoyed Hart’s last novel, The Warehouse, and this one did not disappoint. If you’ve never ventured into the world of sci-fi, this would also be a great start. It’s a fantastic page-turning joy ride that is anything but ordinary.

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(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

Beneath The Stairs By Jennifer Fawcett

When Clare and Abby are kids, they go with their friends into the Octagon House. When they think they see something unexpected, they go back that night. Clare comes out unscathed, but Abby is changed forever.

Abby now lies in a coma, and everything traces back to the Octagon House. Clare is forced to revisit all of the hell that was visited on her when she was a child, and as she tries to unravel the mystery of how and why Abby is back in the hospital, the seams start to come undone.

In this spooky, scary thriller, Fawcett writes an intriguing, terrifying novel that will keep you up late at night. It’s an interesting twist on a modern day suspense thriller, with the story being told from many different points of view. The characters were dynamic with lots of depth who seemed to morph throughout the novel. This is a great novel for fans of Meg Gardiner or anyone who loves a classic suspense novel.

Follow Stuart on Twitter or contact him via the site.

Purchase Beneath The Stairs
(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

Meet The Review Team