Reading Fanatic Reviews
ThrillersAldo by Betty Jean Craig
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Scribd, Smashwords, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Aldo*
Terrorism and Genetic Research
This book has so much going on! It is steeped in academia and germ-line genetic research. The author herself is a longtime professor at a university, so her insights into academic life ring true. At its core, this story is about who controls scientific research and to what end. It’s told in a very different way. It starts off as if it is a letter from the professor protagonist to her teenage son, but we actually see many perspectives, including the interactions of the Night Watch Facebook group that wants to make all genetic research, like the protagonist is working on, go away. There is plenty of suspense to keep the pages turning, and there is a hint of romance for those who like that in a thriller. The author seemed to have a good grasp of the science involved in this story. The characters aren’t super complex, but I find that acceptable in a thriller. I did find the switching back and forth between the Facebook posts and communications of the Night Watch and the narrative parts to be a little jarring, but the book was compelling enough that I wanted to see what happened next. If you enjoy thrillers that are strongly based in science (and especially genetics), you may very well enjoy this intriguing tale.
The Exodus Hour by Will Steadman
Available at Amazon only
NOT with Kindle Unlimited
The Exodus Hour*
Race Across Europe
The book starts with Brandt cooling his jets at home in the Bay Area when the Deke calls him about a new assignment. It’s supposed to be a relatively straightforward job, and he’ll be able to work with his girlfriend, Casey. But things, of course, can’t go easy in a spy thriller. Soon, they and those they are to protect are in danger and another agent is missing. What follows is a trans-European journey in an attempt to stay ahead of the killers who want to thwart their mission.
I really enjoyed the opening of this book where Brandt is just lying in bed wondering if that how it feels to be on a morgue slab! Perfect thought for a spy. While the officer didn’t spend much time in the San Francisco Bay Area, I loved that little bit about it because I grew up in that area. His description of the fogbank remaining over the ocean is one I remember seeing often. I like Brandt’s easygoing narrative perspective; his is an interesting head to be in, that’s for sure. The book felt a little slow right at the beginning, but as soon as they were in Europe, things heated up quickly, which is just the way it’s supposed to be in a good thriller. The pace was tight, making it a good page-turner, as I was curious to see where they would go next and what would show up to give them a problem. Both Brandt and Casey seem like real people, and I especially love their discussions about what all was going on.
The author’s writing style is very accessible and easy to read. He has a good balance between thoughts, dialogue, narrative, and action. If you enjoy spy thrillers with an element of terrorism as well as a Russian component, you might enjoy this page-turning read.
House of Scarabs by Hazel Longuet
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
House of Scarabs*
Immersive, Fast-Paced Read that Harkens Back to Ancient Egypt
Ben and Ellie have come to an out-of-the-way bookshop in a small town in England. After a pleasant time, as they’re walking out of the bookstore, they make accidental contact with a man coming in. Immediately, they seem to be transported far away in a strange sphere. They each receive an ancient Egyptian symbol and are then whisked away back to the present. A shadowy group of whom we know nothing seems to know that this has happened, even before the participants debrief, and mobilize to negate the group. Soon, Ben, Ellie, and Gerhardt are in a fight for their very lives that takes them from England to Egypt, all the while trying to understand what precisely has happened to them and what it means.
I read the prequel to this book first, Genesis. I really enjoyed immersing myself into a different and magical culture made real by descriptions of that very different world. The author pulled me into this book right away as well, even in the more familiar surrounding of a bookshop. She has a way of describing things that is very visual, so I can very plainly see both the usual and the unusual, yet the descriptions don’t seem over-wrought. Too often, I see writers who seem to use adjectives and adverbs as a crutch for not being able to find the right word, whereas this writer is able to choose words of all categories that are strong and make the world come alive for the reader with seeming ease. She is even able to make the more magical, otherworldly elements of this book seem wholly real.
This book is fast-paced, and oh, what a ride it is! I became absolutely immersed in its world and was loath to come out. I hope Ms. Longuet has a sequel up her sleeve; I will be one of the first in line to read it.
Wild Prey by Yossi Uzrad
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Wild Prey*
Cold Case Re-examined, with Historical Context
A park ranger in northern Israel finds a woman left for dead on the side of the road in a national park. She lives, but the police don’t figure out her attacker, and the case is dropped. When the park ranger’s finances are audited, he and the auditor discuss the case and wish to delve into it to see what they can figure out. They get involved in far more than they bargained for.
I’m not that familiar with the history of Israel. This is woven into the story–an integral part of it–and is almost as much of a character as the park ranger! I also learned some about the cultures of the Arab and Bedouin peoples. It was fascinating to have a fictional look at cultures I knew little about; nothing makes history come alive like living it through the eyes of fictional characters. The author writes well, with phrases that are evocative of time and place. The story pulled me right in. The characterization is deep. This definitely is a thriller–even if at times it is a little slow going–and I could understand why the park ranger couldn’t let this mysterious happening go.
If you are interested in a thriller that is a little different, you might enjoy this book.
Tesla by Jason Walker
Available at Amazon, Kobo, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson
Tesla*
Would There Be Danger If What Was Hidden Was Found
Starting with an interesting scene where are Tesla, Edison, and Mark Twain meet with a secret group high up in the relatively new Eiffel Tower, having been invited by Monsieur Eiffel himself. The Tesla story is juxtaposed with a more modern one based around a spy named Darren and his wife who work for a secret arm of the CIA, operating as agents for the shadow government. Darren comes across some old original notes of Tesla’s. What will he do with his findings? Will they put him and his family in danger?
This book is written in the present tense, and in general, I think that is an awkward way to write fiction. And unfortunately, in this case, sometimes the other tenses required to show proper sequence of time weren’t chosen correctly around the ubiquitous present tense; this is one of the pitfalls of using the present tense. That said, this was still an interesting read, making the reader of ponder what unknown knowledge might be hiding out there, who are keeping it secret, and what it could mean if it was known.
In just a total aside . . . Since Mark Twain was the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, I think it would have made an ironic twist to have the members of the secret committee him as Sam instead of Mark.
Two Spies Reach Out From the Grave by Chad Huskins
Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Two Spies Who Reach Out From the Grave*
A Gripping Spy Thriller That Is Hard to Put Down!
Immediately, the protagonist draws you into the story, as you see what he is thinking as he holds a gun on a man. Good guy or bad guy? We don’t know right away. We find out that it is Nathan Adamson, trained as a Navy SEAL and now part of the CIA’s special ops team. The book follows the twists and turns of Nathan’s work and his inner struggles (and, boy, does he have them!), but Nathan’s tale is woven with that of his mentor’s, a now 100-year-old woman who was a member of France’s WWII resistance and mother of the modern espionage in France. Unfortunately, both Sophia’s health and memory are fading. As she loses some memories, ghosts from her past reappear…not only disturbing her mind further…but in real life as well. It’s never over…until it’s over!
This book is exceptionally well written. I was drawn in right away; the descriptions of what Nathan was thinking and feeling in that first chapter was so intensely personal and so strong… I could almost feel the gun in my hand myself! The writing is tight–as one would hope from a spy thriller–but it has moments of beauty in its spareness, like when he described sunset, “A ribbon of fire ignites the eastern horizon.”
The pacing was perfect. I just wanted to keep going!
I did receive an ARC of this book, but this is my honest review…grab a copy if you like spy thrillers!
Blind Justice by Nathan Burrows
Blind Justice
Justice Not Just Blind…But Deaf & Unfeeling
The story starts with a bang, as the protagonist, Gareth, enters his new home for the next 15 years…a prison cell. In a flashback, the novel first outlines how he went from petty thief to convicted murderer, which starts as a tale of a man reforming his life of small-time crime after he meets the woman who will change everything. The author does a good job keeping us guessing throughout. We know there is going to be a murder…but who’s the victim? Is Gareth really innocent? While telling of the past, the author leaves crumbs of vague clues pointing toward the inevitable without giving it away, just enough to tantalize to keep the reader turning pages.
As the story progresses, one murder sparks another. While the perpetrator of the first one gets off nearly scot-free, the accused of the other (Gareth) is convicted. We know that justice was indeed blind in the former, and the bulk of the book details how it is true in the latter as well. Most of the book is what I would call courtroom drama with first preparation for and minute-by-minute coverage of Gareth’s retrial. The defense is brilliant and fantastic to watch unfold (especially as I am a long-time fan of Law & Order and other legal-type shows).
The author is great about giving details that pull you into this world. I loved the growing relationship between Gareth and his girl before everything goes wrong, which made the rest of the story so much more poignant. Gareth and Jennifer’s romance is slow and sweet, as he aspires to a girl whom he first saw as being way out of his league. He finally has it all when his world is ripped apart. Unusual for a thriller, I found this story to be emotionally gripping, too, on several levels.
There is a major twist at the very end when the real killer revealed. But it was a perfect and fitting end. Justice was blind, thank goodness, one last time.
If you like legal thrillers, this is well paced with twists and turns and people you’ve grown to care about, give this book a try.
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