Meet BTB Reviewer Teresa Brock

Background: If I'm on the rails, you should worry. I go through life with the best attitude loving every minute of it and trying to get as many books into my brain as possible. I truly love finding new authors and being a conduit of sorts to get their book babies into as many hands as possible.

Go-To Author: AI Finn, Kristin Hannah, Scott Turrow , Erik Larson, Dennis LeHane, Andrews & Wilson, Brad Thor, Jack Carr and Danielle Trussini.

Author People Should Discover: Michele Packard, Andrew Bridgeman, ME Proctor and Joshua Moehling.

Book You Would Recommend From 2024: Love You Till Tuesday by ME Proctor.

Most-Anticipated Book Of 2025: Nowhere by Allison Gunn: a horror author in a very male dominated genre - I am all about that. Robert Dugoni’s Hold Strong , Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz and Family Ties by Michele Packard.

Favorite Local/Indie Bookstore: Butcher Cabin Books in Louisville, Kentucky and A Likely Story in Midway, Kentucky. Both of these are in The Bluegrass State, locally owned and work with local authors and other businesses to support reading.

Favorite Charities: The Wounded Warrior Project.

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Scar the Sky by J. Todd Scott (9/9/25)View Teresa’s Latest Reviews (book pub. dates)

The Survivor by Andrew Reid (3/24/26)
Children of the Savage City by Elizabeth Heider (2/17/26)
Murder at 30,000 Feet by Susan Walter (2/17/26)
The Better Mother by Jennifer van der Kleut (2/10/26)
Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz (2/10/26)
Imposter by L. J. Ross (02/3/26)|
Detour by Jeff Rake & Rob Hart (1/26/26)
The Bourne Revenge by Brian Freeman (1/20/26)
Such Sheltered Lives by Alyssa Sheinmel (1/20/26)
Robber Barons by Rodger Carlyle (1/20/26)
Dead in the Water by John Marrs (1/20/26)
Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester (12/9/25)
Dead Ringer by Chris Hauty (12/2/25)
Executive Power by Andrews & Wilson (11/25/25)
Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino (11/25/25)
The Picasso Job by Avanti Centrae (11/18/25)
The Adversary by Andrews & Wilson (11/4/25)
The Secret Sand Circle By Christina M. Abt (11/3/25)
Trigger by Jennifer Stockdale (11/1/25)
The Mannequins by C. Toms-Arbel (10/31/25)
Remain by Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan (10/24/25)
The Midnight Knock By John Fram (10/21/25)
War on the Porch by Travis Davis (10/16/25)
The Gunman Jackson Swagger by Stephen Hunter (10/14/25)
The Gallery Assistant by Kate Belli (10/14/25)
The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis (10/7/25)
Keep this for Me by Jennifer Fawcett (10/7/25)
Cry Havoc by Jack Carr (10/7/25)
Victim #8 by Traci Hunter Abramson (10/7/25)
Silent Creek by Tony Wirt (10/7/25)
Photograph by Brian Freeman (10/07/25)
The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens (10/7/25)
Denied Access by Don Bentley (9/30/25)
The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia (9/16/25)
The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards (9/16/25)
Scar the Sky by J. Todd Scott (9/9/25)
Family Ties by Michele Packard (9/9/25)
The Quietist by Daniel David Gothard (9/2/25)
In Deadly Company by L. S. Stratton (9/2/25)
Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley (9/2/25)
Spider to the Fly by J. H. Markert (9/2/25)
8114 by Joshua Hull (8/26/25)
Leverage by Amran Gowani (8/19/25)
The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan (8/12/25)
The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd Robinson (8/5/25)
A Noble Sin by Andrew Bridgeman (8/5/25)
The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen (8/5/25)
The Ever End by Audrey Wilson (8/5/25)
Departure 37 by Scott Carson (8/5/25)
Fade In by Kyle Mills (7/29/25)
The Confessions by Paul Bradley Carr (7/22/25)
Blood and Treasure by Ryan Pote (7/22/25)
The Red Letter by Daniel G. Miller (7/22/25)
Whatever Kills the Pain by CW Blackwell (7/18/25)
Welcome to Cottonmouth by Jay S. Bell (7/8/25)
Remote: The Five by Eric Rickstad (7/8/25)
The White Crow by Michael Robotham (7/1/25)
Edge of Honor by Brad Thor (7/1/25)
Proof by Jon Cowan (6/24/25)
Gone Dark by Ryan Steck (6/17/25)
Of Flesh and Blood By Hunter Burke & N.L. Lavin (6/10/25)
Sister Butcher Sister by KD Aldyn (6/10/25)
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby (6/10/25)
Blood Feud by Martin Rooney (6/3/25)
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (6/3/25)
Be Mine by Lizzy Barber (5/27/25)
Tell Them You Lied by Laura Leffler (5/27/25)
Lay Your Armor Down by Micahel Farris Smith (5/27/25)
The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis (5/20/25)
The Palace of Sinners and Saints by Ammar Merchant (5/20/25)
Spontaneous Remission By Joel Shulkin (5/13/25)
Fog and Fury by Rachel Howzell Hall (5/13/25)
Marguerite by the Lake by Mary Dixie Carter (5/8/25)
No Man's Ghost by Jason Powell (5/6/25)
See How They Fall by Rachel Paris (04/29/25)
Bop City Swing by ME Proctor and Russell Thayer (4/22/25)
Vatican Daughter by Jonie Marie Iraci (4/15/25)
Streets of Nashville by Michael Amos Cody (4/15/25)
Remote: The Six by Eric Rickstad (4/8/25)
The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer (4/8/25)
Dark Rising by Andrews & Wilson (4/8/25)
Heartwood by Amity Gaige (4/1/25)
Flames of Deception by Travis Davis (3/25/25)
Gothictown by Emily Carpenter (3/25/25)
Nowhere by Allison Gunn by (03/25/25)
Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski (3/22/25)
The Buffalo Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (03/18/25)
Another Try by Gene Koon (3/10/25)
The Extraterrestrial Zoo by Samantha van Leer (3/4/25)
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica (3/4/25)
The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff (3/4/25)
Real Bad, Real Soon by Eric Beetner (2/25/25)
Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz (2/11/25)
Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker (2/11/25)
Dark Vector by Ward Larsen (2/4/25)
A Long Time Gone by Joshua Moehling (2/4/25)
The Department by Jacqueline Faber (2/4/25)
The Enigma Girl by Henry Porter (1/28/25)
At Dark I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca (1/28/25)
Penitence by Kristin Koval (1/28/25)
Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade (1/25/25)
The Spear and the Sentinel By J. L. Hancock (1/18/25)
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson (1/8/25)
The Dragon the Eagle and the Jaguar by Rodger Carlyle (01/14/25)
Assume Nothing by Joshua Corin (12/10/24)
The Good Bride by Jen Marie Wiggins (12/10/24)
Nobody's Hero by M.W. Craven (12/03/24)
Baker by Michele Packard (12/01/24)
The Egyptian Enigma by David Darling (11/26/24)
Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi (11/12/24)
Burn This Night by Alex Kenna (11/12/24)
The Lake of Lost Girls By Katherine Greene (11/5/24)
In Too Deep by Lee Child & Andrew Child (10/22/24)
Good Looking Ugly by Rob D. Smith (10/22/24)
Origin Story by A.M. Adair (10/22/24)
The Slate by Matthew Fitzsimmons (10/8/24)
Hometown Vendetta By Traci Hunter Abramson (10/1/24)
Somewhere by Matthew Reed Williams (10/10/24)
The President's Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins (10/8/24)
Not Yours to Keep by Zelly Ruskin (10/8/24)
Fortunate Son by Andrew Bridgeman (09/24/24)
Heroic Measures by Joel Shulkin (09/17/24)
The Bachelorette Party by Sandra Block (9/3/24)
Love You Till Tuesday by M. E. Proctor (08/12/24)
The Chamber by Will Dean (8/6/24)
The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley (8/6/24)
Homecoming Queen by Chad Boudreaux (8/6/24)
Stone Creek by Kate Brandes (8/6/24)
May the Wolf Die By Elizabeth Heider (7/2/24)
Tempest North by Rodger Carlyle (7/16/24)
Show Game by Steve Anderson (7/2/24)
The Midnight Rambler by Don Carr (6/20/24)
Three Burials by Anders Lustgarten (6/18/24)
Dreams in Incarceration by Cillian Dunne (6/18/24)
The Vixen Amber Halloway By Carol LaHines (6/11/24)
The King Street Affair by Jon Sealy (6/6/24)
Moneymaker by Josh Boldt (6/5/24)
A Better World by Sarah Langan (4/9/24)
Relentless by Michael Maloof (11/17/23)
The Hollywood Con Queen by Scott C. Johnson (6/6/23)

The Survivor By Andrew Reid

Told in alternating points of view, the story moves between Ben Cross—an anxious, seemingly unremarkable young man harboring lethal secrets from his past—and NYPD Transit Detective Kelly Hendricks, who is just as determined and dangerous in her pursuit of justice.

The Survivor by Andrew Reid is a white-knuckle thriller that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. Set almost entirely on a hijacked New York City subway train, the novel creates an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension that feels both cinematic and immediate. With each new car, the stakes rise, the body count climbs, and Ben Cross is pushed to his limits—not just physically, but emotionally. Reid’s ability to balance breathless action with psychological depth keeps the reader on edge, questioning not just who’s behind the terror, but how far one man will go to survive.

No matter how much time passes, the past doesn’t stay buried—it waits. And when it rises, it does so piece by piece like the delicate clicks of tumblers turning in a lock. A flash of memory here, a whispered lie there—each revelation falling into place with precision. Until, finally, with a deep metallic clunk, the last secret is exposed, and everything once hidden swings wide open.

This is a lean all the way in and hold the hell on kind of book.  

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Once Upon A Crime
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The Poisoned Pen

Children Of The Savage City By Elizabeth Heider

Children of the Savage City pulls you straight into its world and refuses to let your attention drift for a single moment.  Nikki Serafino is back in Naples working with the Phoenix Seven, the liaison group navigating the impossible space between the police and the US military, and while it is possible to read this as a standalone, you are only cheating yourself. This is book two, and the continuity between the stories is half the thrill, because every character carries history, every choice has weight, and every secret has its own echo. This time the death of a young woman inside the historic Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo spirals into something far darker, all while dangerous debts cling to both Nikki and Valerio like smoke. Then there is Beatrice, Nikki’s mother, and the long shadow cast by her death and the death of her brother Adriano. When Nikki’s father arrives asking for three names she never expected to hear, she knows the past is alive and kicking and not finished with any of them.  The way clues are dropped into place is masterful, like someone feeding you crumbs that you think you understand, until the final pages and one final clue is dangling in front you leaving you needing the next installment.

The multiple story lines in this book are incredible, but it is the texture of Naples that takes center stage. You feel the pulse of the city in its churches, its food, its traditions, and its fierce families who hold their love as tightly as their secrets. Yes, there are a lot of characters.  Get to know them. You need them. Every one of them. They move across both books with purpose and carry their own stories like they have lived there forever. Naples in this series is a maze of beauty and danger built on Il Sistema, the system that shapes its children from the moment they can walk. Crime and survival blur until the difference becomes almost philosophical. The beasts of Naples hunt anywhere they please. Churches. Alleys. Market squares. Homes. Young or old, innocent or guilty, no one is exempt. Cops can be bought. Judges can be bent. People with money can be just as dirty as those with nothing. Everyone needs something from someone else, and no one seems to know who sits at the top of this food chain or if that person even exists.

The plot moves like a chase from beginning to end because Nikki never gets a moment to breathe. She trusts almost no one and with good reason. Trouble loves her and follows her like a dark shadow. And Valerio, who continues to make me root for him at every turn, carries his own broken corners that make him both dangerous and deeply human. As the two of them work to uncover the truth behind the murder at Chiesa del Gesu Nuovo, their own pasts drag them into the underworld of Naples where survival is a skill and loyalty is currency. This story is dark, smart, and emotionally honest. It asks what power does to people and what people will do to protect whatever is left when power strips everything else away. It is atmospheric. It is character driven. It is crime fiction at its finest, and I will keep saying that until everyone listens. Clear your schedule.  Thank me later.

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Murder At 30,000 Feet By Susan Walter

I binge read Murder at 30,000 Feet last night and I have zero regrets. This is a high altitude whodunit with tension that never lets up. When Federal Air Marshal Carlos Renaldo boarded Flight 866 to San Juan, he didn’t expect anything more than a smooth flight. After all, in all his years on the job, no one had ever been in real danger. But this flight was different. A violent storm with a lightning strike that causes a power glitch and when the lights flickered back on one passenger was dead. And suddenly, the calm skies turned into a full-blown crime scene. 

This story moves fast and doesn’t waste a moment. There are so many intersecting threads and multiple narrators including a bridal party, a high school baseball team, solo travelers, and plenty of drama unfolding at 30,000 feet. As the clues come together and the chaos builds in the air, all signs begin to point to one big secret that started in the small town of Crestwood and the suspicious death of Matthew Kessler, a high school baseball player who died in a hit and run accident three years earlier. Everyone has something to lose, and no one is completely innocent

Murder at 30,000 feet  balances action and emotion. The story feels cinematic but still grounded in raw human fear and guilt. It’s more than a murder mystery; it's a collision of past and present, of lies that refuse to stay buried. It's a story of cause and effect and the impact of decisions made. Susan Walter has been, and will stay, on my radar; she knows exactly how to keep the tension tight, the story moving, and the reader hanging on every word until the wheels hit the runway.

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The Better Mother By Jennifer van der Kleut

This is madness, meticulously crafted. Twisted taunting and utterly intoxicating.

I had the chance to meet debut author Jennifer van der Kleut at Bouchercon this year in New Orleans, and when the opportunity came to read her first novel, The Better Mother, I jumped on it faster than my TBR pile could protest. The story follows Savannah Mitchell, who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after what was supposed to be a casual hookup. Enter Max’s ex, Madison. A charming, helpful, and just a little too eager to be involved. What starts as an uneasy truce between two women quickly unravels into a dizzying descent into obsession and control. It’s a slick, modern psychological thriller that digs into the dark side of motherhood, obsession, and the illusion of control.

I love it when an author can make me anxious in the best possible way. My eyes couldn't move fast enough across the page making it that I physically needed to know what happened next. The Better Mother delivers exactly that kind of high. It’s smart, unsettling, and eerily believable, the kind of psychological thriller that keeps you up way past your bedtime muttering, “just one more chapter.” Warning - for the love of your nerves, clear your schedule because you’re going to binge this in one sitting.

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Antihero By Gregg Hurwitz

Evan Smoak is many things—Orphan X, government-trained assassin, and to those who find his untraceable number, the Nowhere Man. Stolen from a foster home and forged into a weapon by a covert program that erased names and replaced them with letters, Evan became the perfect operative—silent, precise, unstoppable and living back Jack John’s 10 Commandments. But he walked away, turning his lethal skills toward a new mission: saving the helpless when no one else will. To the outside world, he’s just a ghost, but to the desperate, he’s a last chance. Always hunted, always alone, Evan lives by a strict code—protect the innocent, punish the guilty—no matter the cost.

In Antihero, Evan is challenged on so many levels.  He is still the smart ass, calculated, OCD, vodka drinking, magnet shirt wearing guy we love, but his feelings are a constant tug-of-war between isolation and connection, duty and humanity. He is deeply disciplined and controlled on the surface, but underneath he wrestles with loneliness, guilt, and the heavy weight of what he was trained to do. Evan is a man caught between two worlds: the weapon he was made to be and the human being he wants to become and after losing Tommy and watching Joey grow up, the unknown softer side (yeah I said softer)  of Evan is winning, and I am so here for it.

This mission just hits differently.  It is raw, real and relevant and is happening every single day in the world that we live in.  When Luke Devine calls for some help, Evan is put on track to find and help a young woman, Anca Dumitrescu, and American Romanian who had a seizure on a subway train.  She was taken, assaulted and abandoned.  Evan and Joey head to New York to find her, help Devine calm the hell down, and uncover a dirty wretched world that will simply turn your stomach knowing that crimes against the unwilling happen every single day.  Evan must balance mercy with vengeance per the request of the young woman who was defiled and abused yet finds the light even in the worst situations and that light is what Evan needs.

If you haven’t started the Orphan X series, stop everything and dive in—you won’t regret it.  The Nowhere Man, pulls you straight into the action and refuses to let you go, leaving you desperate for the next mission. Antihero might just be my favorite installment yet. Gregg Hurwitz crafts Evan with meticulous precision—every detail matters, from the smudge of bird droppings on a window, to the way Evan scans a room, to the quiet complexity of how he navigates the women in his life. It’s that level of detail that makes this story tangible, authentic and one I need to see on the big screen. And yes—he even gets a brand-new commandment. I cannot wait to see where it takes him next.

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Chapter 2 Books
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Once Upon A Crime
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The Poisoned Pen

Imposter By L. J. Ross

This was my first L.J. Ross book, and what an introduction. We meet Dr. Alexander Gregory, a forensic psychologist with a rare gift who can read the darkest corners of the human mind, a skill that makes him both brilliant and haunted. Gregory works with violent offenders, the kind of people most would rather forget, yet their thoughts and actions follow him long after the day is done. Beneath his calm professional exterior lies a man carrying secrets of his own, hidden deep for reasons we can only begin to guess.

The prologue sets the stage with a chilling tale of a mother with Munchausen Syndrome, seemingly killing her own children, though one survives. It is a disturbing and unforgettable opening that lingers as the story unfolds. Soon, Gregory is drawn into a small Irish community where a brutal murder has shattered the calm. His task is to unravel the mind of a killer hiding in plain sight. But as dreams bleed into reality and old wounds resurface, the truth becomes as elusive as the killer he is trying to profile.

Ross’s writing is taut and cinematic, almost claustrophobic in how it traps you inside this tight-knit community and keeps the list of suspects painfully close. Every page hums with tension, and just when you think you have found your footing, Ross tilts the ground beneath you. The ending lands with a sharp cliffhanger that leaves you desperate for the next installment. Impostor is dark, psychological, and utterly consuming.

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The Poisoned Pen

Detour By Jeff Rake & Rob Hart

I went into Detour completely blind because when Jeff Rake and Rob Hart team up, you just show up and buckle in. What I did not expect was the way this book grabbed my face, turned my head, and said “look closely,” only to twist everything in the final moments and leave my jaw on the floor. It feels like binge-watching your newest obsession right before a global shutdown, only to learn the next episode is delayed indefinitely. So here I am, sitting in the wreckage of my own brain, trying to piece together the shards of what I just read and wondering how I’m supposed to function until the next installment exists.

The setup already sounds like reality TV meets prestige sci-fi: three astronauts and three civilians get handpicked for a bold mission to Titan, Saturn’s famous moon, and the expectations are sky-high. Part of the goal is pure political theater.  Billionaire John Ward wants shiny “I care about the planet” points as a third-party presidential candidate, and part of it is a genuine Hail Mary for a dying Earth cooked crispy by climate change. The astronauts bring the skill, the civilians bring the chaos, and together they launch into a mission that is equal parts noble, messy, and deeply suspicious from the jump.

And then the book detonates. Explosions, betrayals, weirdness in deep space, and a return to Earth that feels like stepping into the uncanny valley with a badge and a pulse oximeter. The final twist is so bold, so unhinged, so absolutely “wait, WHAT?” that I had to sit there in silence like someone just unplugged me. Detour is fast, fun, stressful in the best way, and full of that serialized cliffhanger energy that demands a season two immediately. If you like your sci-fi thrillers with high stakes, political shade, and endings that leave dents in your soul, this book is going to break you — and you’ll thank it.

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Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

The Bourne Revenge By Brian Freeman

I have not dipped into the Bourne universe in a long while, so when this landed in my hands, I opened it with equal parts nostalgia and curiosity. It did not take long for me to slide right back into the chaos. Bourne is fresh off a mission and trying to pretend he is on vacation. His handler keeps telling him to relax and enjoy himself which is a hilarious suggestion for a man who cannot turn his brain off for five seconds. When a gorgeous importer crosses his path and an operative Treadstone has been chasing appears on the horizon you know this getaway is about to combust.

What pulled me in is how human Bourne feels in this round. He is not a stone-faced weapon. He is a man carrying the weight of every face he has ever put in the ground and he cannot shake it. His memory slips at the worst times yet his instincts remain sharp which creates this constant tension between what he knows and what he fears he might have forgotten. The details are razor clean too. When Fang threads the suppressor onto the barrel of a QSZ 92 pistol you can see it. You can hear it. It is that vivid. There is just enough drama and just enough heat to give the story a little James Bond shimmer without drowning out the grit.

The story brings modern espionage roaring in with AI databases, shadow warfare and Chinese intelligence networks all spinning around Bourne's fractured past. It adds a new dimension to a character who has survived decades of reinvention and still finds new ways to surprise us. The mix of espionage, memory loss, betrayal and identity crisis is sharp and addictive. This is the kind of book that reminded me of why Bourne became a legend in the first place. If you have been away from the series like I was this is your sign to jump back in. It is sleek, tense, emotional and impossible to walk away from.

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Once Upon A Crime
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The Poisoned Pen

Such Sheltered Lives By Alyssa Sheinmel

Such Sheltered Lives drops three wealthy strangers onto an isolated wellness retreat and then slowly peels back every layer they work so hard to hide. Amelia Blue Harris is the daughter of a rock legend and she is losing her fight with an eating disorder. Lord Edward of Essex arrives wrapped in the brittle confidence of a British aristocrat who is drowning in addiction. Florence Bloom is a pop star whose life has turned into a string of scandals she can no longer outrun. On the surface these guests have more money than I could ever imagine, yet their lives are filled with grief and trauma and choices that haunt them. Watching them land at Rushs Recovery with their secrets packed tighter than their suitcases is an instant pull.

The multiple points of view work beautifully because they let you slip into each character’s history and fear and motivation for getting out of this place as soon as possible. Their desperation is quiet at first, but it grows and you begin to understand why this retreat is not the safe bubble it pretends to be. There is also a separate thread that follows a body discovered on the island, and this entire community becomes a character of its own. The facility, the staff, the routines that look polished from afar all start to reveal something darker behind them. You feel the tension of a place that sells peace but survives on secrets.

Addiction, privilege, mental health, and generational trauma are explored with care and nuance, and the story moves with a confidence that makes the slow burn feel intentional. Then the last third of the book hits and everything tightens. The pace snaps forward and you realize you have been lulled into a false sense of calm right before the floor drops out. It is absorbing, unsettling, and surprisingly emotional, and despite the idea of a wealthy wellness retreat and days without responsibility - I was ready to get out of there too.

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Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Robber Barons By Rodger Carlyle

I have read every book Rodger Carlyle has written and have had the chance to meet and interview him, so I can tell you firsthand that his passion for storytelling runs deep. You can feel it in the pages, in the care he takes with research and historical accuracy, and in the vivid sense of time and place that he brings to life. Whether he is writing about the Gritt family or another era entirely, his love for history and the people who shaped it shines through.

Set in 1865, as the United States takes possession of Alaska, this story unfolds against a backdrop of unchecked greed and corruption. The Gritt brothers stand in stark contrast to the ruthless industrialists who descend on the territory to strip it of its riches, crushing small traders and exploiting Native communities. One brother runs steamboats on the Yukon while the other trades along Alaska’s southern coast, and both refuse to yield to men who would destroy everything for profit. The attention to real locations, historical context, and even the inclusion of a tribute to a true Alaskan, Old Joe, give the book an authenticity that pulls you completely into the frontier world.

What elevates this story even more are the people who fight beside the brothers; those you root for and trust. Danielle Post, a young attorney with grit and grace, and Belle Medev, an Alaskan native whose quiet strength and faith ground the story, bring balance and hope to a brutal time. The novel captures the heart of what made America’s expansion both inspiring and devastating. It reads like Ken Follett’s sweeping historical drama laced with the rugged soul of Louis L’Amour. From Alaska to Washington and beyond, this is a journey through courage, greed, and the enduring power of integrity.

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Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Dead In The Water By John Marrs

Dead in the Water by John Marrs drags you straight into the deep end of memory, obsession, and fear. When Damon nearly drowns after a reckless dare, his life flashes before his eyes, but when he comes back after the near-death experience, he brings with him an image of a person he does not recognize. A dead boy. An image that haunts him, that he can't shake and a truth he can’t remember. That missing moment becomes his obsession, pushing him to risk everything to relive death and uncover the secret buried in his past. The whole premise screams movie adaptation.  It is haunting, cinematic, and impossible to look away from.

John Marrs delivers exactly what readers want in a psychological thriller and then some. He hits hard with multiple points of view, short, punchy chapters, and a relentless pace that keeps you flipping pages long past midnight. The tension is razor-sharp, the writing electric, and the added touch of the paranormal is pure perfection. Marrs is a master of the unexpected.  Just when you think you’ve figured it out, he hits you with a twist that changes everything.

This story is gloriously unhinged, connecting characters across a lifetime in ways you’ll never see coming. It’s dark, it’s daring, and it digs deep into what our memories hide to keep us safe. Dead in the Water is not just a thriller—it’s a full-blown experience that proves why John Marrs remains one of the boldest voices in modern suspense.

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Dark Sisters By Kristi DeMeester

Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester completely consumed me from the first page. I went into this blind never having read anything by this author, but knew from the blurb it was for me. I found myself compulsively turning pages, unable to break away from its eerie pull. DeMeester’s mastery of atmosphere is undeniable — each scene pulses with tension, thick with dread, vivid locations and quiet fury. It’s not just that I couldn’t stop reading; it was that I didn’t want to.

The story unfolds through three distinct points of view across different timelines, covering multiple generations of women, each one deepening the emotional impact and adding layers to the mystery. The shifting narratives created a rhythm and keeping me fully immersed in each character’s world, and DeMeester handles the transitions with such precision that it never once pulled me out of the story. If anything, it made me more invested — eager to see how each thread would eventually weave together – and when it did – holy smokes.

And at the heart of it all are the women. Fierce, wounded, searching — each of the female protagonists had me in their corner from the beginning. Whether they were trapped in the grips of a suffocating cult or navigating who they are and what their purpose is, I rooted for them with everything I had. Their pain was palpable, but so was their strength, and watching them fight for autonomy, understanding, and connection was harrowing. Dark Sisters is dark gothic horror, yes — but it’s also a haunting story for women who refuse to disappear.

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Dead Ringer By Chris Hauty

If you have ever loved a larger than life conspiracy theory book, Dead Ringer by Chris Hauty is absolutely for you. It pulls you in from the first chapter and never lets go. The story takes real historical events and threads of truth about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and spins them into a high-octane pursuit for answers that stretches across the country, where danger hides behind every clue and every revelation propels you deeper into the chase.

I love the way this story weaves through true historical facts, real people, and plausible motives that connect key figures across decades and continents. The layers of history, politics, and religion are perfectly stacked, creating a relentless hunt that feels like running side by side with Joe Mingus, a fallen Secret Service agent, and Joseph Verdugo, a brilliant Jesuit professor with secrets of his own. Let’s not forget the assassin on a divine mission, the financier pulling the strings, and the political leader being molded to serve unseen powers. I cannot even begin to tell you how many rabbit holes I went down while reading this book — and that made the experience even more addictive.

And those letters underneath each chapter number? Did I try to decode them myself? Yes. Did I fail? Also yes. Will I keep trying? Again yes. That is the magic of Hauty’s storytelling — it does not just hand you the truth, it dares you to chase it. Every chapter hums with tension, every reveal cracks open a deeper mystery, and by the end you are left questioning how much of it might actually be real.

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Executive Power By Andrews & Wilson

From the first page this story throws you into the fire and never gives you a chance to look away. Kyle Ryan is the quiet genius of the family, a runner with a sharp mind who sees the world in numbers and probabilities. He is former Navy and now part of a small DIA team in Angola where a mission to intercept Chinese communications goes violently wrong. His team is attacked and wiped out in seconds and Kyle survives only by sheer instinct as he sprints through gunfire and dives through the embassy gates. It is a bold and breathless opener that sets the tone for everything that follows. Katie Ryan steps into the spotlight as well and she shines with power. She is brilliant, outgoing, analytical, and already a leader in the ONI. Watching the two youngest Ryans take center stage gives this book a new spark and a fresh angle that feels smart and long overdue.

From that moment forward the pace never lets up. The story becomes a relentless drive through kidnapping, torture, political hardball, covert intel work, and combat that is so realistic you can practically hear the radio chatter and feel the pressure of each decision. Kyle grows into his strength in a way that is incredibly satisfying. He finds his backbone and discovers that he is not the weak link but a force who never breaks under pressure. Katie is positioned for greatness and I am calling it now. She is presidential material. Their dynamic with the rest of the Ryan family adds emotional power to scenes that already feel cinematic. Jack Junior operates with trademark precision. Jack Senior stays in the background just enough to let his children rise. The balance is sharp, gutsy, and completely addictive.

This one hits every button I want in a modern thriller and somehow still gives me more. Andrews and Wilson deliver action that feels like live coverage and character moments that hit with real force. The realism of the procedures and the intensity of the setting make the entire book feel immersive. As this marks the final Ryan novel from this duo I am honestly going to miss their work. They are an automatic read for me. But what a way to exit. This book is fierce, bold, and easily one of the best books I have read this year. If you are a Ryanverse fan or just want a thriller that grabs you by the collar and does not let go, you absolutely need to read this.

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Best Offer Wins By Marisa Kashino

Marisa Kashino's Best Offer Wins is a darkly humorous debut that takes the soul-crushing chaos of the D.C. housing market and cranks it up into a wickedly fun, sometimes feral and compulsively readable ride.  At the center of it all is Margo Miyake, a thirty-something publicist whose life feels stalled until she sets her signs on the dream house she has to have.  But forget open houses and Zillow scrolling - Margo's obsession escalates fast and watching her spiral from stressed house-hunter to delightfully unhinged is equal parts shocking and delicious.  Kashino nails the balance of domestic suspense, mystery and perfectly timed humor pulling readers into a world where ambition, envy and desperation blue the line between relatable and downright terrifying.

What really seals the deal is Kashino’s voice—it’s sharp, fearless, and refreshingly unique. The author doesn't just give us a character in Margo - she gives us an unforgettable force of chaos who is off her rocker in the most entertaining way.  I found myself asking, what extremes would I go to if the house of my dreams was just out of reach.  (I wouldn't do what Margo did - maybe.) The tension ramps up, the plot escalates quickly and the humor makes the madness strangely palatable.  It's dark, twisty and impossible to put down.  Best Offer Wins is smart, sassy and downright addictive and Kashino proves she's an author to watch with this wildly entertaining debut.

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The Picasso Job By Avanti Centrae

The Picasso Job is book one in a brand new series from Avanti Centrae, and yet the players feel so familiar it’s as if they’ve stepped out of her previous worlds. I tried my darndest to connect them to the VanOps crew but no luck, though that same heartbeat of danger and intelligence is there. There’s a new player in the game now: Phoenix. And by the time you hit the last page, you’ll be ready to follow wherever this team goes next.

This is so much more than a cops and robbers thriller. A priceless Picasso painting has been stolen, and the notorious art thief Bijan Renoir Reza is locked away in Folsom State Prison. The feds think they’ve contained their problem, focused on Iran’s race toward nuclear capability, not a painting. But what if that masterpiece could bankroll the purchase of uranium? What if a single heist could fund catastrophe? When Reza gets wind of the plan, he knows he needs help and a way out. Enter Dakota Black, his cellmate so ordinary you can’t imagine how he ended up behind bars, and Winters, a man nursing a years-long vendetta. When the prison goes dark and chaos erupts, the three flee into a dangerous race for the Picasso, each driven by their own motives and an uneasy alliance that teeters between loyalty and betrayal.

FBI Agent Elizabeth Everett is the perfect counterbalance to their storm. Still reeling from the loss of her partner, she’s a sharp, determined agent with her own score to settle and nothing will stop her from finding Reza. Centrae threads the chase with her signature tension and moral complexity, weaving a story that asks not just who will survive, but what justice, freedom, and redemption truly cost. The Picasso Job is fast, clever, and cinematic . Firing on all cylinders, this is a fresh start to a series that promises even bigger things ahead.

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Trigger By Jennifer Stockdale

Trigger is not a book that tiptoes around its subject matter. It dives straight into the wreckage of memory, trauma, and the fragile trust we place in family. Jennifer Stockdale crafts a chilling and heartbreaking psychological thriller that asks what if the people who are supposed to protect you are also the ones rewriting your truth?

Told across two timelines, 1976 and 1982 - 1983, the story follows Dora Culligan, the youngest of five and the only girl in a wealthy, tightly controlled New England family. With four older brothers, Dora knows her place in the pecking order. Sometimes she is the tattletale, sometimes the baby who gets away with everything, and sometimes the one whose memories do not quite match what everyone else insists happened. But when one of her brothers, Tommy, dies by suicide, the family’s perfect façade fractures. Secrets start stacking up, each one heavier than the last, until the weight of them becomes suffocating. Years later, a song triggers a memory, and Dora begins to pull at the threads of a carefully constructed story, one her family has gone to great lengths to protect.

Trigger is raw and unnerving, exploring themes of suicide, family trauma, gaslighting, denial, lies, and the corrosive power of love twisted by control. Stockdale writes with precision and empathy, unspooling the tension slowly, allowing readers to feel Dora’s growing disorientation and dread. The alternating timelines build a steady rhythm of unease, and the sense of claustrophobia, emotional and physical, is relentless in the best possible way. This is a story about what we choose to remember, what we are forced to forget, and the haunting possibility that sometimes our minds are not the problem, our families are.

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The Secret Sand Circle By Christina M. Abt

Christina M. Abt asked me to read this novel, and I went into it completely blind, with no idea what kind of experience was waiting for me. What I found was a thoughtful and deeply emotional journey that unfolds through a dual timeline marked as “Then” and “Now,” each chapter stamped with the exact time of day. That structure pulls you through twenty-four hours of intense reflection while also reaching back into everything that shaped Dr. Juliet Olivia “Jo” Harkins. Jo is a psychologist who dedicates her life to survivors of abuse and trauma, and through her we meet five unforgettable patients—Solana, Aiysha, Tristan, Kit, and Constance—each trying to rise above circumstances they never deserved. The book handles difficult themes with incredible care, especially around memory, identity, and the long shadows cast by pain.

Everything about Jo is calm, measured, and intentional, from her therapeutic strategies to the soft edges of her personal habits. I loved how Abt slowly reveals Jo’s past in fragments—memories, reflections, the small turning points that pushed her toward this work. She is fully committed to her patients, researching the meaning behind their names, creating safe spaces for them, and offering a constant presence that never wavers. The therapeutic tool she developed, the Secret Sand Circle, is brilliant in its simplicity and symbolism. The idea that you can draw something in sand and also sweep it away becomes a powerful metaphor for healing, renewal, and release. As Jo guides her patients through their pain, she is quietly confronting her own trauma and limits. The question becomes: what is the personal cost of carrying so much for others?

By the end, this book left me thinking about how little we truly know about what others are carrying, and how much gentler the world would be if we remembered that. The gardening metaphors—seeds, soil, tending—fit beautifully with the way healing grows in unexpected places. The Secret Sand Circle is a reminder that holding everything in is often the worst choice we can make. Mental health matters, and the story honors the courage it takes to face what hurts. Read this one all the way to the end, and remember: whatever you are navigating, you do not walk through it alone.

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The Adversary By Andrews & Wilson

Andrews & Wilson prove once again why they are at the very top of the thriller game with The Adversary. You really need to read all of the Tier One books—and don’t forget the Sons of Valor series as well. I mean really, what are you waiting for? These two give readers everything we crave: jaw-dropping action, crossovers between series, deep-buried easter eggs, and subtle hints that pay off down the line. Nothing in their universe is ever throwaway—if you catch it once, odds are it will come back around.

To really appreciate this story, you need to understand Task Force EMBER. This isn’t a typical military unit; it’s an off-the-books counterterrorism task force born from tragedy, made up of former SEALs, spooks, and special operations veterans who fight the wars America can’t acknowledge. They are a deniable, black-ops unit operating in the shadows where the rules of war don’t apply—and The Adversary shows both the price and the necessity of their work. That cost hits hard here, as Jake Kemper finally uncovers the truth about his father and proves he has what it takes to carve his own path. There’s a deeper emotional core in this installment, layered over relentless tension, and it’s impossible not to hope we’ll see Jake and Jack side by side in future books.

Of course, Andrews & Wilson never neglect the action. The combat scenes here are sniping precision, brutal close-quarters, and high-tech chaos all rolled into one. Every firefight is written with explosive intensity and immersive realism. The Taiwan operation is a perfect example: claustrophobic, tactical, and spiraling out of control in a way that makes you read faster just to breathe again. The action is always thrilling, but what elevates it is the emotional weight—loyalty, sacrifice, survival. You feel every decision, every shot fired.

And then there’s Liu Shazi, the kind of antagonist who you just can’t shake. A former Snow Leopard turned MSS asset, he’s ruthless, cunning, and untethered by rules or loyalty. A lone wolf with the authority to command and the will to destroy, he’s both terrifying and fascinating. Shazi operates as though every boundary is his to break, which makes him deadly—but also sets the stage for his inevitable downfall.

The Adversary delivers everything that makes this series addictive: sharp authenticity, nonstop action, and a villain who gets under your skin. But it also deepens the emotional heart of the story, pulling secrets into the light and setting the stage for what’s next. It’s a relentless, pulse-pounding ride with real soul.

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