Lone Wolf By Gregg Hurwitz

Gregg Hurwitz puts Orphan X through an emotional wringer that genuinely shakes the usually unflappable protagonist to his core. Just when we think Evan Smoak has been through it all, Hurwitz rains supreme chaos over the brief tranquility that is scarcely associated with Smoak.

What starts off as a very banal mission for Orphan X, locating a runaway dog for his step brother's daughter, explodes into a whole different dimension when he’s caught in the crossfire of a sinisterly femme fatale working down her hit list. Putting his maxims in perspective, he doesn’t really need the victim to ask for his help, he steps in regardless, just as a good man would. But this all comes in the midst of an unraveling revelation and experience for Smoak that knocks him off his game. Can he recover fast enough to take down an Orphan-level threat?

Lone Wolf is another notch in Evan Smoak’s character development, this time as he struggles with his newfound family. The narrative serves as somewhat of a re-awakening of Orphan X as he does a timely evaluation of why he really does what he does. Gregg Hurwitz balances strong drama with just as strong action propelling the turn of events at high speed with brutal car chases and swift violence. Hurwitz also pairs up the fast-paced narrative with well-timed subtle humor and some rays of positivity that wonderfully lighten the mood at times when it’s beginning to get super grim.

Just when you reach the last page, exhilarated by the knuckle-busting action, Hurwitz introduces a delightfully clever cliffhanger and takes a huge gamble by pinning a fan-favorite character in Evan’s crosshairs. While the Orphan X books are wonderfully unpredictable, this twist takes the cake for the best and most distressing one yet. Even with the surplus of thrillers out next year, you can’t miss out on Lone Wolf. It’s a non-stop thrill ride and a powerful step in the right direction for Evan Smoak’s journey.

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Crosshairs By James Patterson and James O. Born

James Patterson and James O. Born strike again to thrill readers with a fast-paced extremely suspenseful story that kicks off with a bang and ends with one as well. Once the book’s got you in its crosshairs (pun warranted), there’s no escaping; you’re in for a roller coaster of a ride.

When a sniper employs deadly precision in dispatching seemingly unconnected civilians from a distance, Detective Michael Bennett is paired up on a time-sensitive investigation with Officer Rob Trilling, a former Army Ranger and sniper with NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit. As Bennet and Trilling chase leads, the latter seems to know a lot about the way the crimes were perpetrated. Experience with rifles or something more sinister? Detective Bennett must figure out if he can trust his new partner and how to stop the mysterious sniper from taking more lives.

Crosshairs is an uncannily simple and effective thriller in its mission to pack limitless amounts of suspense in its pages. Patterson and Born make sure readers are wracking their heads in anticipation of the grand reveal about the identity of the sniper, casting suspicion on many characters including the seemingly straight-shooting Rob Trilling. It’s this nail-biting intensity of the narrative that propels the story ahead at full speed. The dialogue is sprinkled with witty banter from Bennett as he brings a realistic tone to the grim tale, sidestepping the impossible to stay in the intersecting realms of plausible and entertaining.  Even if you haven’t followed Detective Bennett’s journey, you’ll easily gel with the easy-going characters and fast-paced investigation. 

Crosshairs is a gripping race against time narrative with bodies piling up faster than you can guess who the killer really is. It hits you fast and hard. 

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Black Cordite, White Snow By Nate Granzow

Black Cordite, White Snow is just what the doctor prescribed if you’re feeling restless for a remarkable crime thriller that is hilariously dark and captivating from the opening salvo of elegant prose that Nate Granzow has penned in his traditional style of facts interspersed in between a mesmerizing story.

In the chilly city of St. Paul, Minnesota, known to the criminal underworld as Crooks' Haven, Niklas and Kessler Kristofferson seek a fortune by offloading some of the most fearsome weaponry that had been witnessed with tremendous ardor by the soldiers on the battlefields of France. The two brothers, leveraging their expertise as military gunsmiths, know that the criminal enterprises in the city will pay top dollar for these weapons of destruction. But before they can get away with their riches, they will need to contend with unsavory characters of all disciplines, from double-crossing gangsters to corrupt police officers. Finding themselves in the crosshairs of one decent detective who has gotten a scent of the Danish brothers’ dangerous plan, the Kristofferson brothers must think and fight their way out of the tightening noose from all sides of the equation.

Nate Granzow excels at the art of blending fact with fiction to the point where it’s hard to clearly say which parts may indeed be fictional. He brings to life the detailed minutiae of life in the Prohibition Era from the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota, to the deep-reaching underworld that existed in those days, all with rooted characters who struggle with their varying shades of grey as they entangle with each other. Kristofferson brothers are so dynamically intriguing that I felt bad reaching the end of the book because it meant I’d have to wait a while before I could meet them again in their next chapter (fingers crossed). Granzow holds a steady hand on building the tension through the pages, keeping the conflicts simmering with veiled threats and hidden agendas until the climactic event where we see the brothers go to war with cool old-school weapons. The pace never lets up for you to feel anything but thoroughly invested and excited in finding out what happens at the end.

I never thought I’d say it but Granzow somehow makes me nostalgic for a time I had no inclination to go back to until I dove into Black Cordite, White Snow. It’s awesome in all ways but especially for reminding you that reading can be a lot of fun as well as intellectually stimulating.

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The Year Of The Locust By Terry Hayes

Terry Hayes has made us wait long enough for a grand narrative after his enticing debut, I Am Pilgrim. I will say that Hayes has endeavored to bring something different to the thrillerverse with The Year of the Locust. It’s a fresh and exciting epic story told across waves of time and destiny that is nothing like what one might expect.

Kane is a weathered asset in the Denied Access Area department of the CIA that operates in the shadows to safeguard American interests across the globe by whatever means necessary. He’s trained to go up against all odds and come out alive. When he’s sent to a desolate region bordering Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran to exfiltrate a source claiming to have vital information of a threat against the West, he is inexplicably tied to a showdown that will persist across time and all that we know to be possible.

The Year of the Locust is a prime example of Terry Hayes’ versatility in imagining and putting in words very different visuals of what a thriller can be. The narrative can’t be neatly categorized in just one bin for sub-thriller genres because it ripples across many. It kicks off with an espionage theme as we see Kane operating in enemy areas with his cool mission-impossible inspired weapons disguised as weathered equipment and before we know it, we’re entangled along with Kane on a personal calling that reaches out to him from beyond what we can comprehend, gelling philosophical conundrums with science-fiction elements on a race against time in more than just one way to stop a dangerous terrorist from unleashing a plague of biblical scale. Throughout all these developments, Hayes deftly drives the narrative with exciting twists and pushes Kane to his physical and psychological limits with cool bloody action and devastating consequences that hang in front of him if he fails in his mission. Normally there’s a disconnect when a narrative goes from grounded to fantastical but Hayes handles the jump masterfully and as a result, the story never loses its footing or heart.

The Year of the Locust was a decade in the making, but it was worth the wait. It has the ingredients of its predecessor, but with new spices ground deep into the bones of the book that make it just as memorable and awesome.

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The Price You Pay By Nick Petrie

Nick Petrie puts Peter Ash and his friends in a sticky situation as Lewis’s dangerous past comes back to haunt him and everyone in his orbit.

When Peter is roused from a peaceful slumber by his old friend Lewis, he couldn’t have imagined it would be for stopping criminals who crossed paths with Lewis and his team back in the day and are now out for blood after retrieving a book full of incriminating notes from a former partner of Lewis. This chain of events sets Peter and Lewis down a dangerous path that can only end in more bloodshed and a revelation that will give readers and fans pause in their judgments for the good and bad guys and gals alike.

What I appreciated tremendously about The Price You Pay is Petrie’s skillful handling of recompense and vengeance from both sides of the equation. The way Petrie frames the action beckons you to think deeply in the midst of bloody carnage and bullets blazing and rockets exploding. There’s a heavy gravitas to the consequences of every action, good and bad, that our favorite characters take and it’s the emphasis on repercussions that truly makes the narrative stand out as memorable not just in the series but in the thrillerverse as a whole. That’s not to take away from the superb action sequences in this entry, bursting with energy and tactical details that add to the much-appreciated visualization of the combat in crisp quality.

The Price You Pay is an exquisite way to kick off 2024, with some of the most-interesting characters you’ll read in the genre, as well as a memorable storyline and pulse-pounding action.

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The Trigger Man By Aiden Bailey

I love all works of Aiden Bailey for he pushes beyond the norms of thriller plots and characters to create divergent characters and fascinating stories set in the world we live in. That’s why when I came across his new work featuring an enigmatic assassin with a moral compass, I knew it would be a winner. The Trigger Man is exactly what you’d want to read when you pick up a thriller expecting copious doses of adrenaline to the drums of fast-paced car chases, shootouts, and explosions hitting you like one freight train after another. You won’t need caffeine to keep you up for it, The Trigger Man does that well enough on its own.

CIA operator Mark Pierce, codenamed Trigger Man, is hunting a despicable arms dealer across the Saharan desert when he stumbles upon a twisted conspiracy that not only pins Pierce and his handler in the bullseye but also traces back to a dark moment in their collective past. When a crazy religious fanatic and warlord is thrown into the mix along with shady mercenaries with a personal vendetta against Pierce, you’ve got the ingredients of a gritty adventure paced wonderfully to completely immerse you into a story that ensures you wouldn’t want to step off the ride at any point.

Bailey masterfully blends tactical action with grand set-pieces that remind you a bit of Cussler’s Sahara mixed with modern day emphasis on technical accuracy. From bullet-ridden car chases involving AK-47 drive-by style-shootings to cinematic battles in moving trucks, there’s a barrage of high-caliber action sequences to get your blood pumping and your energy levels higher than the clouds. It works so much better though because Bailey wisely invests in building up the characters behind the weapons to be quite life-like while still having the aspirational qualities of good men and women stuck in bad situations. The believability of characters doesn’t leave room for any distractions to ruin your reading experience. Pierce himself is an enigmatic character with origins unknown and his warrior-persona more human and vulnerable than one imagines in an action-heavy read. Not only does this make Pierce someone to resonate with, it makes for a compelling intrigue around his background which is bound to be explored bit by bit in the sequels.

If you’re a fan of The Gray Man, then get ready to love The Trigger Man. Intense action, mysterious hero, and twists after twists centered around a grim conspiracy will keep you enticed for what’s to follow, which I can assure you, is greatness.

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The Mountain King By Anders de la Motte

The Mountain King is an exotic atmospheric dark thriller that delves into the human psyche, while tackling the grim horrors that are ever present in this world.

Criminal inspector Leonore Asker is a tenacious dogged investigator who doesn’t rest until she’s caught her culprit. When she is relegated to the Department of Lost Souls—the unit for odd, cold cases in the midst of investigating a high profile kidnapping, some might think she is going to fade away into obscurity. But Asker has other plans. Perusing the old and banal cases, she finds a chilling link to the kidnapping case, and that it may not have been an isolated incident. The Mountain King has been busy.

Andres De La Motte’s riveting thriller keeps the mental cogs racing as you fly through the pages with utmost ease. Motte knows how to engage the readers with mysterious characters with shady pasts and unflinching horrors that exist in the shadows waiting to prey on the innocent. One couldn’t ask for a better protagonist to lead this intense story than Asker who immediately charms readers in a very unconventional manner. Her disturbing past gives way to her tenacity in protecting others from the evils of this world. It’s a delight watching her work the clues in the most unexpected places, like watching a master of a craft at work going through the motions with vigor and passion for the art. Asker puts up a much needed formidable challenge to the dangerous Mountain King, building up a superb showdown between light and dark.

If you’re itching for a dark investigative thriller that’ll haunt you for days to come, you can’t go wrong with The Mountain King. Packed with bursting intensity, solid characters, scary situations and one twist after another, it’s a great way to kick off 2024.

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The Ascent By Adam Plantinga

If you’re itching for a bloody action-packed jailbreak thriller with a protagonist best thought of as an even angrier Jason Statham, The Ascent is a book that needs to be on your watchlist for 2024.

Kurt Argento lived his life as a Detroit cop by the code of protecting innocents from the sick evil deeds mankind is capable of. When he steps in to protect a young girl from unspeakable horror, he goes up against a corrupt police officer in a small Missouri town. For his heroic deeds, he’s put in a maximum-security prison where Julie Wakefield, a grad student who happens to be the governor's daughter, is about to visit for a tour. That’s when a malfunction in the security system releases a horde of prisoners, pitting Argento against a ferocious bunch of intimates if he is to protect the innocents stuck inside hell on Earth.

The Ascent succeeds by a large margin when it comes to creating believable good and shocking evil, starting with the protagonist, Kurt Argento. He’s a bereaved man, running into dangerous situations with little that he has left in the world except for his moral compass that never lets him falter in the face of injustice. It would have been simple for him to become another Reacher-like character but Adam Plantinga imparts his expertise in law enforcement to create a grounded modern cop with a moral conviction to do good despite the enticing wickedness. His distinctively vulnerable badassery makes for a very exciting narrative.

While there’s a good bit of background to develop Argento, we perhaps know most about him during the jaw-dropping super-duper gritty action sequences that really put the hurt in each swing and kick. There’s plentiful action throughout as Argento blazes through the prison by punching, stabbing, and crunching whichever bad guy stands in his way and he does so in a quite believable fashion that by the end, you’re worried if he’ll indeed make it out alive or if it will be his last act of nobility to save the lives of innocents stuck in the mess. Argento fashions anything he gets his hands on into an effective weapon and it’s just too darn awesome to read.

If you’re looking for a righteous action-packed read with compelling characters and disturbing twists, The Ascent is one of the best thrillers you’ll read in 2024, no take backs. Adam Plantinga muscles into the thrillerverse next year with the grand promise of more captivating thrillers to follow after this hard-hitting and grounded narrative.

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The Girl Beyond Forever By Adam Loxwood

Adam Loxwood has concocted a sinisterly dark masterpiece thriller that just hit me out of nowhere like a bulldozer. From gritty action to immersive characters and complex relationships between them, The Girl Beyond Forever is a memorable reading experience.

Thomas Schafer is a broken man who is somehow still keeping himself together just long enough to discover what happened to his daughter after she was kidnapped from her room. Years have gone by and he has burned bridges with everyone who ever cared about him just so he can delve deeper into the darkness that awaits him at the center of the abyss. When another young girl is kidnapped in the same circumstances, Thomas must muster every last bit of his hope towards putting his brutal tactics to work and finally uncover what happened all those years ago that made him lose everything he ever cared about.

From the grounded noir elements to the mystical dark arts, The Girl Beyond Forever dips into various genres and meshes together a concoction that feels unique and engaging from the get-go. Whether it’s a brutally intense staircase fight sequence with axes and saws, or a car chase through the busy streets of London, or a very heartfelt tender moment of realization as Thomas spirals down a rabbit hole of madness and descent and all readers can do is grip the pages in sheer horror upon realizing he may have gone too far, the narrative gets you thinking and visualizing the events as if you’re following real characters and situations, as horrific as that may seem. Putting readers in the first-person perspective of such a tragic character is quite an awesome precedent for setting up a highly emotional tale of the lengths to which a parent can go to bring back their child. The dark arts and occult take care of that uneasiness you’ll feel in the night as you read this despite knowing it can be scary because you can’t bring yourself to detach from this rich world of storytelling Adam Loxwood has created with such poetic finesse.

The Girl Beyond Forever is a mesmerizing and beautifully haunting thriller steered by a powerful protagonist, brilliant pacing, bloody action, and emotional pith that injects every vein of this narrative with excellence. It’s one of the best books I’ve read of 2023 and I’m glad to be ending the year on such a high note.

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Shadowfast Trilogy (Metal Lies) By Cole Chase

***This is a review for the Shadowfast trilogy. The second book in the series will be published on 12/12***

Reading the grim side of espionage and thrillers can take a toll on you as you grapple with the darkness associated with heroes who navigate through the perilous missions often at the cost of losing someone or something precious to their soul. That’s why when I came across the Shadowfast series, I found myself deliriously enjoying the fast-paced and witty trilogy packed with badass action and cool characters. I also found myself with a surprising desire to capture the essence of the books by writing a series review. Each book ends on a cliffhanger that’s no ordinary cliffhanger as it leaves you wracked with nervous anticipation of what would happen not so far down the line but in the very next second. Another huge reason is that giving you a glimpse of book 2 would mean revealing what happened in book 1 and you wouldn’t want that.

Quinn Richards may come across as a rockstar in a metal band. That’d be a big mistake to those who underestimate him, for he and his team moonlight as a band to do something much more nefarious: pulling off heists and intricate cons in rather stylish ways. Things take a turn for the weird when he and his team are hired by a mysterious client to steal highly-guarded and encrypted data from a tech billionaire who may be planning to send America back to the Stone Age. Leave it to the Shadowfast team to take the fight to the enemy. From the opening chapter of the first book to the last page of the last book in the trilogy, this series reads like one giant thriller with a narrative that doesn’t break at all but rather does a barrel-roll just when you think the story would be resolved. You simply are compelled to read all these books one after the other.

The Shadowfast trilogy rocks hard with its roster of rockstars that each feel vibrant and rich with distinctive attributes and quirks that you easily fall in love with. The narrative has the ingenious and creative vibe of Mission Impossible movies where each character in the team shines in the spotlight at various moments and come together as a ragtag group to form bonds as strong as those of blood. This is important because the Shadowfast team can only trust themselves as they wade deep into treacherous waters on an international scale and dodge assassins, hacked automated cars, and contemplate buried secrets all while rocking the stage and taking down bad guys in cinematic action sequences laced with accurate technical details and filled with jaw-dropping moments and YEE-HAWS. You won’t look at Teslas and rock concerts the way you’ve been thinking of them after you’re done with these books.

Books 1 and 2 end on cliffhangers that will make you cancel all plans to read each of these books one after the other. I got lost in the charm of this trilogy, finishing it in 3 days. The books are relatively short, which make them perfect for binge-reading. The trilogy is one that’s designed especially to be read-together given that they cover an arching story that needs each of the three books to be read in the correct order for the best experiences. The Shadowfast trilogy is what happens when an author has fun writing a grand espionage story that delivers for fans seeking a cerebral narrative as much as it caters to readers looking for their next memorable action-packed read. As you’d expect, even the third book ends on a cliffhanger promising greater riches to be explored in the future. Start with Metal Spies, follow through the Metal Lies, and fasten your seatbelts for Metal Rise in this epically fun trilogy of action-packed thrillers.

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Night Owl By Andrew Mayne

Andrew Mayne breaks ground on a fantastic new series that shows tremendous promise. From the protagonist to the suspenseful action sequences, everything gels to give you a reading experience that is worth your weekend with a sleepless night or two in there. Night Owl is aptly named in the sense that you’ll become one as you flip the pages in a reading binge, unable to put the book down once you get started.

Brad Trasker is a man who has seen some crazy and gritty stuff go down in his life as a counterintelligence specialist. Now a retired man, things take a turn for him when he is invited to attend the launch of a next-generation aircraft by the CEO of the cutting-edge company. That’s when someone takes a shot at her and puts Trasker in the middle of a nefarious conspiracy that will require him to sharpen his spycraft once more to take the fight to the unseen enemy before he and his new employer are taken off the chessboard.

What took me by surprise was how refreshing and satisfying it felt to read about Brad Trasker as a protagonist who’s so easy to bond with and get behind as he uses his wits and experience to untangle the knot of conspiracy and espionage hiding behind the scenes. The emphasis of the narrative lays with Trasker unmasking the boogeyman with nothing but his ingenuity and doggedness and occasionally help from a very fun and interesting family member of the Trasker household. It’s a grounded investigative-espionage tale with twists and turns that keep you hooked in. Up till the very last moment you find yourself contemplating over and over again who to trust in the web of lies and deceits as Trasker digs deeper and finds himself embroiled with assassins and nasty corporate scandals originating at the highest order to gain monopoly over the next-gen air superiority.

Night Owl is a thriller that snuck up on me with its elegant charm and suave storytelling that keeps you locked-on to the pages. I am counting down impatiently to the sequel.

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Assassin's Mark By Ward Larsen

Ward Larsen takes the David Slaton saga to greater heights with Assassin’s Mark, boasting a grand conspiracy reaching the White House and a fast-paced action narrative that has Slaton questioning his orders and his future.

When the President of the United States is left in a coma after an audacious attempt on her life, the Vice President -and now acting president- aims to retaliate against the mysterious cabal known as The Trident. His ultimate weapon is David Slaton; a scalpel who has had previous encounters with The Trident and now holds the best chance to take the key members of the group out. What Slaton doesn’t bank on is another assassin working against him in accordance with a high-ranking member in the White House.

Larsen runs a tight ship with Assassin’s Mark as he expertly weaves a deeply engaging narrative together with explosive action and jaw-dropping uses of up-and-coming technology, putting a lot of hurdles for Slaton to overcome in his mission. Larsen elevates the quality of the action-packed storytelling with moral quandaries that give both Slaton and the readers pause as our assassin’s sniper reticle zeroes in on a target while the bells go off to warn that something isn’t what it seems to be.

It’s always a delight to read David Slaton’s latest adventure, because Ward Larsen always one-ups himself with dynamic situations and exciting new stories. Assassin’s Mark is an absolute beast of a thriller.

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Devil's Own Day By Joe Goldberg

Joe Goldberg brings forth the most dangerous and personal mission for our favorite Spy Devils in Devil’s Own Day.

As Bridger and the Spy Devils zero in on those that had murdered Bridger’s mentor and launched a devastating attack on the team, they quickly realize the overwhelming force of adversity in their way. It’s not just the Mexican cartel, the CIA, the Chinese government, or the Chinese drug lord with a vendetta against the Spy Devils, but it’s all of them trying to one-up the Devils. But The Spy Devils are trained to look danger in the eye. As deals are made and broken, the narrative keeps you on the edge of your seats as you wonder who’s double-crossing whom. Can Bridger seek vengeance without losing someone else dear to him?

Joe Goldberg yarns an incredible web of plots and subplots all connected through a narrative that traverses beautifully through each major event with unwavering precision and power of storytelling that keeps you mesmerized and inspired to keep on reading and finish the entire book in as close to a single-sitting as possible. The book opens with pulse-pounding action sequences and quickly sets the tone for what’s to come, interjecting strong emotions, complex loyalties, and charging twists and turns that leave no room for dullness. Whether it’s the Spy Devils taking on the bad guys with guns, batons, and other cool gadgets, the pace is breathlessly satisfying.

Devil’s Own Day is also a classic spy thriller at its core. Whether Goldberg is describing the power play of the CIA against the Devils or the mole hunt for the American spy in the Chinese government, the narrative is ripe with spycraft and sweating anxiety of cat-and-mouse spy chess games as we’ve come to enjoy in classic thrillers.

Buckle up and hold onto your hats as Joe Goldberg takes you on a wild ride through gunfire, stun batons and crazy explosive showdowns that will absolutely satiate your desire for some adrenaline, but will drive you crazy as you anxiously anticipate the next one. Devil’s Own Day is a winner!

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The Doomsday Code By Sara Yager

Sara Yager taps into a timely-rich explosion of AI and biotechnology with an intense narrative, a hopeful message, and a scary what-if scenario that begins to feel too real for comfort.

On the heels of a major breakthrough of a tech giant focusing on General Artificial Intelligence, the lead AI scientist is found down in mysterious circumstances. With the lab’s system breached, the controlled AI now has the potential to usher in a new age at the cost of destroying the current. Ex-NSA hacker Adrian Pryor is roped into helping the investigation to locate and contain the AI and uncover the identities of those who are planning to utilize the algorithm in accordance with dreams of a new machine-age.

The Doomsday Code is a riveting tale that’s right out of the current developments in the world of technology, echoing both the potential and the concerns of meshing AI and biotech to a point of singularity where humans can outlive their biological clock by serving an AI power. The cautionary tale is woven into the heart of the story with action and suspense to spice things up and a scoop of hope for a future that embraces AI as a tool more than a god. Sara Yager injects modern technology and innovation that a geek would gobble up and an uninitiated would be enthralled to pursue and catch up on.

Sara Yager does a tremendous job of laying out the cynical predicaments of nations aiming to monopolize the capabilities of AI to fit narratives that may not always be the best for mankind as a whole. It is then surprising when the story warps to a more positive glimmer of future for harmonic integration of AI with humanity, all stated adroitly and powerfully through characters that reflect the most flawed and relatable of humanity. The Doomsday Code is a wake-up call for regulations and proper usage of powerful new technology as much as it is an intense fast-paced thriller set in exotic locales. You’re going to want to read this ASAP.

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The Helsinki Affair By Anna Pitoniak

The Helsinki Affair is a beautiful blend of old-school and contemporary espionage, embracing the charm of classic spy stories while boasting a fast-paced structure that all but ensures that you do nothing but read and read and read until you’ve reached the last page.

When a Russian defector walks into the US Embassy in Italy and warns of an impending assassination of a US Senator, the general consensus is to send him out on his merry way. But CIA Officer Amanda Cole intuits an impending doom from the warning and sure enough, the Senator dies. Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Amanda becomes the lead on an investigation spanning decades into the past when notes from the late Senator contain the name of another CIA agent back before he retired, and that’s none other than Charlie Cole, Amanda’s father. Can Amanda connect the Kremlin conspiracy to the assassination and to her father, and more importantly, does she want to, when this puts everything she’s known at risk?

Anna Pitoniak has written a strong embodiment of female strength and intuition in the espionage genre unencumbered by filler romance. Amanda Cole is a terrific CIA officer whose analytical skills lead her to uncovering a bold conspiracy by Russian intelligence, putting her on a dangerous path that requires her to use all her wits. The wrench in her investigation is her father also plays a pivotal role in setting the tone of this story, continuously evolving with each chapter as the narrative switches between the past and the present to form the complete picture. The switching is done elegantly and doesn’t detract from the storytelling experience even a bit. You feel part of the intelligence apparatus in employing sneaky spycraft along with Amanda and her team.

The Helsinki Affair is an intelligent espionage thriller that will appease hardcore fans of spy stories as well as those more accustomed to the faster-paced modern narratives. There’s so much to enjoy, from the characters to their dilemmas, all tie in for a shocking finale.

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The Warmaker By Benjamin Spada

Benjamin Spada’s The Warmaker is a remarkable action-packed breath-taking narrative that guarantees a concentrated dose of adrenaline shot straight to the heart.

When a US Congressman suddenly combusts into flames in broad daylight, a thread of evidence points at dangerous and sophisticated weaponry working its way into hands of criminals and all sorts of bad guys. With no room for error, the United States employs the Black Spear organization to uncover the sinister forces working in the shadows to destabilize entire nation-states with bleeding-edge killing tools. It’s up to Cole West and his team of hardened operators to avert catastrophe. But before the end, West must answer a haunting question: how many people would he kill to stop a war?

The Warmaker reads like a big-scale cinematic action thriller reminiscent of Matthew Rielly’s action-packed wild rides with exotic weaponry and larger-than-life threats. Benjamin Spada keeps the pedal pressed firmly to the metal with gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, and cool chases. At the same time, Spada emphasizes the focus on character development of the protagonist, Cole West. As he goes through an unenviable and incredible journey in this narrative, one can’t help but wonder how will Spada top this one. However, I’m sure he will because I said the same thing about The Warmaker and it blew past the high expectations that Spada’s debut had set.

Come for the explosive action and stay for the moral quandary that is presented in The Warmaker, a fast-paced imagination of the scary idea of advanced cutting-edge weapons making their way into the hands of folks with agendas to rule the world by first destroying it.

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Unknown Rider By Jack Stewart

Unknown Rider is an adrenaline-filled debut worthy of blazing praise. From car chases to gunfights to aerial combat in state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets, Jack Stewart has concocted a fantastic cocktail of swirling action and espionage.

The last thing TOP GUN instructor Colt Bancroft had fathomed as he catapulted off in his F-35C Joint Strike Fighter plane was that a series of mysterious lights near his aircraft carrier will somehow lead to his jet becoming unresponsive, almost as if being remotely controlled by a hidden combatant. Barely surviving the ordeal, Colt finds himself targeted by enemy spies and assailants working with a traitor towards a horrifying end goal involving the latest US jets. Colt pairs up with NCIS Special Agent Emmy King as she investigates clues leading not only to the nifty espionage happening on US soil but also to a direct threat on Colt’s life.

Jack Stewart infuses the action with such crisp and energetic detail that whether Colt is pulling G’s in an F-35 fighter jet or if he’s taking out bad guys on ground, you experience it all in a spine-tingling sensation. The fighter jet sequence in the climax in particular is breathtakingly stunning as every move Colt makes in the cockpit oozes coolness and authenticity. A major reason why the action sequences feel particularly powerful is that Stewart takes the time to ground the narrative in real-time so that you’re not just along for the ride but you’re actively engaged in the character foundations so much so that you’re petrified of what may happen to them. Every character embraces a depth to their personalities and motivations unveiling in layers which work in tandem with the espionage-laden story. You become quickly invested in seeing through the mystery and suspense, which thankfully stays consistent to the last page, ending the thriller in a cliffhanger that will make it utterly hard for readers to wait until the next book in the series.

Unknown Rider combines well-crafted action on both ground and in the air with edge-of-your-seat thriller-pacing with a heroic protagonist who makes following along his journey so instinctive that you’ll be reaching the final page before you even know it. Jack Stewart is here to stay and slay! Don’t be surprised if you find out you’ve got jet fuel in your blood after finishing Unknown Rider..

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Perfect Shot By Steve Urszenyi

Steve Urszenyi storms the thrillerverse with a debut that brings incredible action, a memorable and powerful female protagonist, and a killer story that opens up a lot of doors for highly-anticipated future adventures.

Perfect Shot introduces us to Special Agent Alexandra Martel, a formidable and lethal Army sniper now utilizing her skills in service to the FBI for kinetic operations. When she learns of the suspicious circumstances regarding the death of an old friend and MI5 officer, she’s catapulted into the shadowy world of espionage where she’ll need to sharpen her spycraft in addition to employing deadly force. Pairing up with an enigmatic CIA operative who’s trying to recruit her for his team that responds to timely threats, Alex finds herself in a muddled battlefield where failing essentially means changing the world order for the worse.

It’s not often that the thriller begins with a bang and offers one of the most badass introductions in the thrillerverse as we get action in abundance while falling in love with the protagonist. Urszenyi masterfully packs action and storytelling into a taut and lean narrative that progresses the story through gritty combat in a manner that also builds up and offers insights into Alex’s character. It’s a tough line to walk but it’s one that Urszenyi masters much more confidently than one would expect from a debut author. There’s no dull moment to bog the story down as we get to experience the characters through their actions more than lengthy backstories. The cherry on top is the vibe of a globe-trotting adventure filled with suspense and danger and mystery as Alex has to fulfill her role as an FBI agent as well as her loyalty to an old friend. The well-timed twists and turns keep the narrative exciting and ultimately result in an intense finale with a new side to Alex to be explored in the upcoming books which are all but guaranteed with such stellar writing. Perfect Shot is named quite aptly in this case.

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Day Of Wrath By Matthew Cricchio

Day of Wrath is the perfect marriage of tactical action with a gritty crime narrative that slingshots the readers into a compelling emotional tale of vengeance and violence with shocking developments.

Readers are introduced to Caleb and Krissy Rhoades, slowly coming to terms with rifts in their marriage. Caleb is an ex-Marine trying to keep his struggling tactical training school from drowning in debt whereas Krissy has left her military life behind completely for a domestic but spotlight-life. It’s a slow-moving disaster but the intensity flares up when Krissy is viciously attacked. With police investigation leading to dead ends, Caleb and Krissy take matters into their own hands. Packing up on hardware and a hankering for vengeance, they set off on seemingly different paths but all clues lead them down the same dangerous road with tons of shootouts, explosions, and sheer death. What makes this even more treacherous is the constant uncertainty of whether they can even trust each other to begin with.

Matthew Cricchio’s amalgamation of the Rhoades’ tactical background in the military with familial relations to the crime family and a dangerous war spilling from the headlines taking place on US soil elevates the reading experience and breaks down the barriers of being restricted to a particular niche in the thriller genre. The narrative succeeds at entertaining the reader not just with its fast-paced nature as Caleb and Krissy investigate the crime unhindered by red-tape, but also by the emotional resonance of the helplessness the characters feel being stuck in precarious and distressing situations. It’s a multi-layered narrative that examines not just the breakdown of their marriage but also the revival of their spark as bullets fly and priorities become clearer in the finality of combat. The action is immersive, deliberate, and precise in the machinations of the weaponry and the characters that wield them. Cricchio puts you right in the hot seat as the Rhoades switch places from prey to hunter. All of this is spiced with doubts regarding the true intentions of the characters as they find each other in their crosshairs. 

Matthew Cricchio is a tremendous writer with an eye for grounding great stories in the modern-day era with raw emotional resonance and crisp combat, his prose building towards an explosive finale that will keep that action fanatic in you satisfied as much as the general reading spirit searching for an overwhelmingly satisfying read.

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A New Game By A.M. Adair

A New Game is a bloody-knuckled relentless action-heavy thriller that is easily the best and darkest Elle Anderson adventure yet. It’s vicious, emotionally-charged, and determined in its mission to grip you with its icy tendrils to hold you steadfast as you follow Elle and her team down a darker path than you could have anticipated.

After the events of Shadow War, we were relieved to know Elle survived the worst that was thrown at her. Little did we know all that she faced in the explosive finale damaged her big time. Now she runs and guns around under the veil of having died, taking assassination contracts to exact her own brand of justice. Undeterred by her vengeful spree, her team continues to search for her. It’s only when they catch up to her when they realize their Elle is a ticking time bomb and as she undertakes an undercover mission unofficially sanctioned by her boss, it may be sending her down a path that will destroy both her and her team.

A.M. Adair takes a meaningful approach to the evolution of her protagonist, validating her trauma with a darkness that reeks of unhinged rage and terror. Where Elle Anderson could easily have been a superhero-like assassin, Adair takes great pains to root Elle in the harsh reality of what happens when one looks into the abyss too long. This makes for a powerful narrative that doesn’t shy away from putting its characters into a truly uncomfortable arena and it’s one of the essential elements that make make A New Game my favorite book in the series so far.

It would not be fair if I didn’t praise the brutal action sequences in copious amounts throughout the narrative which go a long way in keeping all the cylinders firing. Elle is a one-woman army and she continues to get more and more badass and I dare say scary when she makes quick and frightening work of her enemies. From handling firearms to bashing enemies in close quarters, Elle’s combat techniques and skillset carry a genuine weight of authenticity.

A New Game is a fantastic shoot-em-up thriller that makes you excited for tons of gritty action to follow as Elle continues her vengeful rampage but also gives you pause with the emphasis Adair places on the price of violence and betrayals that come with living a life of shadows. Beware, the cliffhanger will make it super hard to await the sequel but I can tell it’ll be worth it based on everything Adair has set up.

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

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The Poisoned Pen

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