Fatal Domain

Author: Steven James

Series: Travis Brock Thriller #2

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: April 9, 2024

Another fabulous thriller by Steven James that is full of intertwined moments making for a complex and amazing story.

Travis Brock works as a redactor at the Pentagon and with his eidetic memory he is able to remember everything he reads which makes him very valuable to the wrong people. Travis is still working on getting over the pain of his wife dying in the fire at their house that left him with burns on his body. When evidence surfaces that his wife might actually be alive and be the one behind the fire, Travis and his team are pulled into a bigger plot that could mean trouble for the whole country.

Steven James has been called a “Master Storyteller” for a reason. He has a way of crafting amazing stories that are twisted and full of puzzle pieces that all fit together nicely at the end for an amazing story. His stories are not the kind you can read haphazardly and not pay attention to every detail; you will definitely miss key details needed for the rest of the story. I love the way he drops crumbs throughout that may not make sense until you get to the end and when they fit together puts a smile on my face. James is the kind of author that as soon as I know he has a book coming out I am waiting by the mailbox for it to come in and start devouring the pages. I would recommend reading the first book in this series before starting this one for sure. Fans of Steven James and anyone who loves a good suspense book will not want to miss this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

2023 Top Suspense/Thriller Reads

With one more day until the end of the year, it seems that suspense should be the next category to tackle before we got to the best of the year! Here are the picks for 2023!

Top Pick: Broker of Likes by Steven James

It has been far too long since I have had a new Steven James novel in my hands. He is one of my very favorite thriller writers for so many reasons. He has a way of crafting characters that are amazing, relatable, and so fun to read about. The plot of this book had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning; so much tension on each page making it hard to put down until I knew if these characters were going to come out alright by the final pages.

Read the final review here.

Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is one of the best thriller writers around and this newest addition is further evidence of that. The characters and storyline flow freely with great tension that kept the pages flying and my attention until the last page.

Read the full review here.

The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

The Housemaid hooked my from page one and when I saw there was a second book with Millie I decided I had to get my hands on it. Freida McFadden is becoming a new favorite thriller writer for me. The way she can craft a story with such twists and turns that kept surprising me was amazing. So many books I read now-a-days are predictable and somewhat boring, that was not the case with these books.

Read the full review here.

The Coworker by Fried McFadden

Read the full review here.

One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni

Fans of the Crosswhite series will enjoy the back and forth banter between the two detectives and how they go about solving this cold case. I would highly recommend reading this series in order to get the most out of it. I will absolutely be reading as many Tracy Crosswhite stories as Dugoni will write.

Read the full review here.

The Coworker

Author: Freida McFadden

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Release Date: August 29, 2023

Another fantastic thriller from an author who is quickly becoming a favorite in our house.

Dawn Schiff is different and she is ok with that. Everyone at the office she works at keeps their distance even as Dawn works to get along with others. She is very structured in her routine, so when she doesn’t show up to work one morning her coworker, Natalie knows something is off. Natalie is top of the company in sales and has secrets of her own she would like to keep hidden. As she investigates the disappearance of Dawn, things get more and more complicated. It quickly turns into a game of cat and mouse that finds Natalie in the crosshairs as well.

I discovered Freida McFadden this year and have been grabbing all her books to go through. The Coworker is her traditional style of mystery and psychological suspense that readers will love. It doesn’t take long to get into these stories and once you are hooked there is no putting it down until the very last page. I absolutely loved the twists and turns throughout this one. McFadden goes about making these twists occur in such a natural manner. I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good thriller with lots of twists and turns.

The Last Thing He Told Me

Author: Laura Dave

Publisher: Marysue Rucci Books

Release Date: March 21, 2023

A gripping page-turner that shows the ugly truth that many go through in this life making for an engrossing read.

When Hannah Hall can’t reach her husband, Owen, she fears something is wrong. They have only been married a year and when a note arrives from Owen that says, “Protect her,” Hannah knows he means his sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Owen can’t be reached and the authorities are not looking for him. Hannah has no idea what is going on and her stepdaughter wants nothing to do with her. With every hour that goes by without a word from Owen, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. Hannah and Bailey must set their differences aside in order to figure out what is going on and be able to make a future they can live with.

I got this book after seeing the preview for the apple tv series that was going to be starting Jennifer Garner, who is one of my favorite actresses. I liked the way it looked and always enjoy reading a book that will then have a movie/show based on it. Overall, it took me a little bit longer to get through the book than I expected. The story was good but little nitpicky things throughout pulled me out of the story making it a slower read. The high points had to be the mystery and suspense of it all along with the characters, especially Hannah. What the novel lacks in certain areas it makes up for in others. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a good mystery while being able to look past the nitpicky parts that might bother others.

Falling

Author: T.J. Newman

Publisher: Avid Reader Plus

Release Date: July 6, 2021

One of the best fast action thrillers I’ve read all year! Guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seat.

When the pilot of a commercial flight going across the country finds out his family has been taken hostage by a group of terrorists and they insist he crash the plane or they will kill his family, things get interesting. The captain is torn between his family and all the souls trusted to his care; his flight attendant finds out what has happened and is entrusted with his helping stop the terrorist. With each passing page the captain and the terrorist come head-to-head in an explosive twist of an ending.

This book looked interesting from the first look and didn’t disappoint. I loved the fast pace and tension throughout. I was immediately drawn into the characters and what they were going through; the author did a fantastic job of creating a connection and making readers feel for what they were going through. Most of the time in stories like these, some of the characters are just annoying and a waste of space, but here I followed each character and was fully invested in the story and what was going to happen. I would recommend this story to anyone looking for a great thriller that is fast paced and full of thrills.

Malibu Burning

Author: Lee Goldberg

Series: Sharpe & Walker #1

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: September 1, 2023

An explosive thriller that was tightly written with a great cast of characters and an even better storyline!

Every year in Southern California, the Santa Ana winds appear affecting the area with high winds that make wildfires go crazy. One person that looks forward to these fires is Danny Cole, a master thief that takes advantage of the fires to pull off his crimes. This year’s fires are the worst ever and arson Investigator Walter Sharpe and his new partner Andrew Walker find evidence of fires being set intentionally and they are on the hunt to find out who and why.

Malibu Burning is the first book in a new series from an author that I have found I really enjoy. His writing is good with characters that I enjoy, I did not enjoy these characters as much as I did the Eve Ronin series, but they are still good. The back and forth between Sharpe and Walker to the Danny Cole point of view was a nice way to tell the story and really kept the pages turning. I thought the character development was very well written and one of the best aspects of the book. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy suspense and mystery.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Seven Dirty Secrets

Author: Natalie D. Richards

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: November 2, 2021

The more secrets uncovered, the more danger for them all. A very intense thriller that will keep you glued to the pages.

Cleo’s last year has been a hard one. When she receives a mysterious birthday scavenger hunt, she decides it is just what she needs. At first, she thinks her best friend or brother might have done it to cheer her up, but the more she looks into it things start to get freaky. Each new clue uncovered leads to her dead boyfriend who drowned a year ago on a trip with her and her friends. His death was shrouded in mystery and Cleo now thinks someone is coming after her because of it.

This book had all the right thrills and chills to keep me glued to the page. I especially loved the ending and the way it played out as the mystery unfolded. Cleo had a tough time and having to relive what she went through was written with all the right tension and moments of suspense. I particularly loved the way her brother and best friend were by her side to help her, and those relationships were used against her in the evil plot. I thought this was a very fast paced and well written book. I don’t know that I would agree with it being written for teenagers as it had a lot of mature themes, but for the more mature audience it would be a perfect read to keep them on the edge of their seats.

3 Days to Live

Author: James Patterson

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Release Date: February 14, 2023

3 new short stories full of suspense and thrills!

3 Days to Live – When a CIA agent and her newlywed husband are poisoned on their honeymoon, she has 3 days to figure out who wants her dead.

Women and Children First – When an Army Special Ops officer is told to either execute his entire family or they will be tortured and killed, he is torn between saving them or having to kill them himself.

The Housekeepers – A doctor finds out someone is targeting end of life patients and the Russians are involved. When the doctor ends up murdered, those that work for her end up trying to find those responsible and staying alive.

In usual James Patterson fashion, these stories read fast and take very little effort. James Patterson is the Number 1 selling author in the world for a reason, his books are fast reads that don’t take a lot of thought. These stories are each suspenseful in their own way with good characters and storylines. None of the stories tie in with the others and can be read independently of the others, so if you are looking for a story that flows through to the next this is not it. If you are a fan of James Patterson these will be fun reads for you.

One Last Kill

Author: Robert Dugoni

Series: Tracy Crosswhite #10

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Another Tracy Crosswhite edition that is sure to leave readers satisfied and yearning for more Tracy action!

Tracy Crosswhite oversees the cold case division for the Seattle Police department and has just been tasked with reopening the Route 99 serial killer case. It’s been three decades since the killer of thirteen women stopped killing and left no further clues. Now, Tracy is in charge of bringing closure to the families after all these years. With so many cases to investigate, she asks for help and gets it in the form of the former task force leader, her nemesis, Captain Johnny Nolasco. The two have always had a tense relationship and being forced to work together on the case he couldn’t solve makes Tracy an even deeper thorn in Nolasco’s side. As they start to investigate, a new body shows up with the same MO as the previous thirteen. Tracy and Nolasco must work together to find and stop Seattle’s old threat before he takes more lives.

This is the tenth book in the Tracy Crosswhite series and each time I enjoy seeing what case Tracy is going to have to solve and how the rest of the characters will be involved. The first book in the series is still my absolute favorite, not sure if any will ever top it. This book was fun though because we got to see a fun dynamic between Tracy and her captain who has always had it out for her. Having them work together on a case that has haunted him for years was a brilliant writing move by Dugoni. For me, Dugoni is one of the very best suspense thriller writers I have read, I know when I pick up one of his books I am going to enjoy the entire story.

The Spy Coast

Author: Tess Gerritsen

Series: The Martini Club #1

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: November 1, 2023

An unusual spy thriller that was fun and just the right group of eccentric characters and dangerous missions.

Maggie Bird left her life as a spy and found a quiet little village outside of Maine along with other former spies to enjoy their early retirement. All is going well until a body turns up on Maggie’s driveway and the message is clear, her old enemies haven’t forgotten about her. These retired spies may not be on the clock anymore, but they still have some tricks they can use to help save each other when danger looms ahead. The group must also work around local police chief Jo Thibodeau as she tries to investigate the dead body and what else Maggie and her group are up to. The more they investigate, the more danger they all find themselves in and it’s up to Maggie to try and save the life she has built.

I didn’t realize when I started this book that Gerritsen is the author of the Rizzolli and Isles series, which I love. As I read more, I realized the writing was familiar as I continued to fly through the pages. Maggie was a fun and different character, the way she was trying to enjoy a quiet retirement and yet it was not meant to be, made the story that much more enjoyable. There were lots of moments throughout that were enjoyable and the ending twists were very nice. This is the start of a new series by Gerritsen and I can’t wait to see what else the series brings about. This will be a fun read for anyone that enjoys espionage thrillers.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.