Nine Liars

Author: Maureen Johnson

Series: Truly Devious #5

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: December 27, 2022

When it clicks, it clicks; that’s how it works for Stevie Bell and that’s what works in these novels! This is a great addition to a fun-filled series. Loved every page!

Stevie Bell is taking her detective skills abroad to try and solve a murder mystery from the 90’s. Her boyfriend, David, has been studying in London and invites Stevie for a visit. When she arrives, she learns of a cold case from his friend Izzy whose aunt was there when two of her friends were murdered. In 1995, nine friends who met at Cambridge University go to a country house and play hide-and-seek leaving two of them murdered with an ax. No one was ever charged, and the friends went on with their lives until Stevie arrives and starts investigating. Things start to get intense as Stevie uncovers clues and the gang must keep in touch with Ellingham Academy to stay with the schedule that has been approved for them. As she gets closer to uncovering what really happened, things start to fall apart for Stevie and she doesn’t know what to do next.

Stevie Bell and the Truly Devious series gets better with each book. I have found myself loving the mysteries and fun dynamics of these stories. I have only one negative about these books, there is an aspect of LGBTQ throughout them all. As an adult reading these I can deal with but with this being marketed as young adult I don’t like that aspect advertised to younger readers. The story is fantastic, the characters are true to how I would see them acting in the progression of each book and the mysteries unfold beautifully. Not only is Stevie dealing with the case to solve but also trying to deal with the aspect of her boyfriend being in London and how things have changed in their time apart.

So many great aspects of this story that kept the pages turning quickly and hard to put down. Stevie Bell is the new age Nancy Drew and the cases she keeps coming across call to her and with the help of her friends she can help solve cases that no one else has been able to solve. My favorite thing about this series is the way they are so different from many of the other books I have read. So many books these days are a formula and the same old thing, these books are very different and entertaining. The story is mostly told from the point of view of Stevie but also at times shows what happened in the past, this back and forth helps with the story and for the reader to understand. I recommend this book to adult readers who love a good mystery with great characters and fun stories. I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Dark Fall

Authors: Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson

Series: The Shepherd Series #3

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: November 8, 2022

The powerhouse duo of Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson have done it again with Dark Fall! One of the most action-packed, adrenaline laced thrillers I have read this year.

The Shepherds are called in on a mission after a village in Peru is found in ashes leading them to question if it is from a human weapon or some higher power. Jedidiah Johnson is the leader of the group and as they head to investigate rumors of a new energy-based weapon, tensions mount as the weapon is unlike anything any of them have ever dealt with. The team heads to Hong Kong to try and find a scientist that helped create the weapon but what they learn from Dr. Zhao is that things are worse than they imagined.

Dark Fall is the third book in The Shepherd Series book and each time I pick one of these books up I shouldn’t be surprised by how amazing they are but am always blown away by the writing of Andrews and Wilson. The way these two come together to write these military thrillers keep me on the edge of my seat and up way past my bedtime. Jedidiah Johnson is the perfect protagonist to lead these stories. In a way he reminds me of Hondo from SWAT, or Gibbs from NCIS; a great leader and all-around fantastic character.

Each book in the series has proven to get better and better with more explosive plots, characters that pull at the heartstrings and so much more. This story had all the right points and the best tension I have read in a very long time with none of the normal drudgery that so many books have included lately. There was not a scene or chapter that didn’t feel right or pulled me out of the story. This is a very different kind of book than a lot out right now and I love the feel of the unknown coming from what is written within these pages. I recommend this book for fans of fast action, military, and supernatural thrillers. I do also recommend reading the whole series to get the most out of the story.

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

Big Bad

Author: Lily Anderson

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue

Release Date: September 27, 2022

Any fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer show will not want to miss this fun addition to the Buffyverse!

Sunnydale, California is home to the Hellmouth and the evil mayor has put up a sun-shade to make the town permanently dark for all the evil to run rampant in the newly named Demondale. Being Bad is now easier than ever. Most of the humans have left and those that remain try to either avoid the monsters or join them. Jonathan and Andrew are trying to work their way up the world of evil and end up needing the help of vengeance demon Anya who is looking for purpose. All their lives are turned upside down when Buffy the Vampire Slayer shows up ready to destroy all the evil in town. Jonathan, Andrew, and Anya work together with other demons in town including Angelus and Spike to stop the slayer before she can stop them.

It’s probably been fifteen years since I have sat and watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer but when I picked up this book and started reading all those hours watching came back to me. All the characters and storylines are a little different than the show and it was interesting seeing the characters in a different role. This is not a book with a ton of depth, but still enjoyable. I read this quickly and enjoyed the story taking me back to my younger days enjoying losing myself in some fun fantasy fiction that required nothing more or less from me. Anyone that has been a fan of Buffy and all that surrounds it will enjoy this novel.

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

What She Found

Author: Robert Dugoni

Series: Tracy Crosswhite #9

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: August 23, 2022

The next installment in the Tracy Crosswhite is another great read that fans of the series will love.

Now that she oversees the cold case division, Tracy Crosswhite just solved a major case and is looking to solve another. She is asked to investigate the disappearance of investigative reporter Lisa Childress who went missing almost 25 years ago. Lisa’s daughter, Anita, has asked Tracy to help find the truth no matter where it leads. As soon as Tracy starts digging into the past with this case, she finds evidence that proves there is much more to the case than anyone could have imagined. It doesn’t take long to figure out that Tracy is going to be pushed to her limit and her loyalties.

The Tracy Crosswhite series has been one of my favorites since the very first book. This newest edition was a fun look at Tracy in her new role overseeing the cold cases which brings her all the way back to the disappearance of her sister. Each of the characters in this series are great to see grow and develop. Traci is one of my all-time favorite female leads to read about. This book had a good premise, good characters, and an overall good flow, until the end, which felt a little rushed. It was the ending that should have played out but for this kind of novel it left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Dugoni is a fantastic writer but this addition to the series fell a little flat. I still give it at least 4 stars but it is hard for anything to stack up to My Sister’s Grave. I will for sure be reading the next in the series and recommend this to fans of the series and those that enjoy suspense thrillers.

Fields of Fire

Author: Ryan Steck

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: August 2, 2022

If you are a fan of military type thrillers, Fields of Fire will blow you away with the action, suspense and over the top drama in this fantastic debut by Ryan Steck!

Marine Raider Matthew Redd is heading to be deployed on a top-secret mission when he stops to help a stranded motorist on the side of the road only to wake up hours later missing the mission that his team is all been killed on. Now he is having to take a deal to leave the Corps to avoid being arrested for treason. It is the only life he has known and loved and now he must return to his home town in Montana when he receives a message from his adoptive father saying he might be in trouble. When he gets home, he is too late, his dad is dead and he is left with more questions than answers. The more he digs into it all, the harder it is to know who to trust and what has really been going on while he was away serving his country.

When I started reading Fields of Fire, I didn’t realize this was the first novel by Ryan Steck. For a debut novel, Steck did an outstanding job of creating characters and putting them in situations that kept me on the edge of my seat. Matthew Redd is a great main character with a lot of heart, hurt and determination to try and do what is right no matter what it costs him. For the longest time while reading this, I wasn’t sure where the story would end up, and by the time it all came together, I was able to connect the dots back to the beginning and it all fit together nicely. Each character had a purpose and was set in place at just the right time to move the story along at the right speed. As the story progressed, so did the tension; by about the halfway point I found myself unable to put the book down until I found out what was going to happen. This is set as the first in a series and I can’t wait to see what comes next for these characters. I recommend this book to anyone that loves a great suspense thriller with fun characters and the start of a new series.

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

Upgrade

Author: Blake Crouch

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Length: 352 Pages

Release Date: July 12, 2022

Blake Crouch never disappoints with his mind-bending thrillers!

Logan Ramsay works for the gene protection agency (GPA) to thwart the plans of scientists who intend to modify genes for personal gain. Logan’s mother was the matriarch of gene research and modification before her life’s work to end world hunger turned into the “Great Starvation” causing a sizeable part of the world’s population to die off. One night at a raid in Denver, he triggers an IED in a house’s basement that was packed with a gene modifier. At first everything comes back clean, but before long, Logan starts to notice that his intelligence is enhancing as is his body structure. Logan knows that if the GPA finds out that his genome has been modified, he will be isolated and studied until they are confident they can contain what he will become. But Logan also learns that what happened to him is just the first step in someone’s attempt to upgrade the human race so that they don’t face extinction in the future.

If you pick up a Blake Crouch book, you know that you are going to be in for a wild ride that will likely result in sleepless nights while reading the book and after reading the book because you keep thinking about it for months. Upgrade was no exception to his formula. However, he changed tactics a bit and strayed from his usual focus on quantum entanglement to human gene modification. He has also moved from being more current day to a time of a dystopian world after disasters.

If you’ve researched much into genetics, you will find quite a bit of the same acronyms show up in his book. Even if you haven’t, Crouch does a great job of giving readers just enough information to follow the technical jargon without having to have a biomedical degree just to keep up. He never gets into the weeds, but makes it feel like you are reading a medical thriller. The suspense is always top notch and its easy to connect with the main protagonist from the beginning. I always look forward to his books.

There is quite a bit of foul language (understandable from the characters) but doesn’t take away from the storyline at all. If you love suspense thrillers that will leave you thinking for weeks to months afterwards, Upgrade should be on your shelf!

Bullet Train

Author: Kotaro Isaka

Series: Hitman #2

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Release Date: August 3, 2021

In a read before you watch debate, this will be better than the movie!

Aboard the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Morioka, multiple assassins are traveling with different, seemingly unrelated agendas. Tangerine and Lemon have “rescued” a wealthy man’s son from a kidnapping and are making their way to deliver the boy and the ransom money that is housed in a suitcase. Nanao, referred to as ladybug for his unlucky, yet successful adventures, is working with his partner Maria on an assignment to grab a specific suitcase off the train, which just happens to be the same suitcase that Tangerine and Lemon are guarding. Kimura has boarded the train to avenge his young son’s accident by a teenager known as “the Prince.” But the Prince is more calculated and sadistic than anyone knows who is out to determine the boundaries that he can push. Could there be more assassins aboard that have even more agendas? What will happen when they finally realize that things might not be quite as unrelated as they seem?

I picked up a copy of this book when I saw that it was going to be a movie and I love to read it before I see it. Needless to say, this is an action-packed thriller from start to finish. There are so many twists and turns throughout the book that it made my head spin. There were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed: the banter between Lemon and Tangerine, the frustrations of Nanao, and Kimura’s parents were just the icing on the cake. It was easy to connect with certain characters and disdain for others, just as the reader intended. The fight scenes on the train were done very well and was completely believable.

There is quite a bit of strong language throughout the book, a lot of violence, and some disturbing thoughts and concepts by one of the characters, but still a great book. I recommend that those who love to compare books to movies check this out.

The Record Keeper

Author: Charles Martin

Series: Murphy Shepherd #3

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: July 5, 2022

An exciting conclusion to the Murphy Shepherd series that will have readers wanting to read the whole series again and again!

Murphy Shepherd has been in the shadows his whole career. He stays off the radar and rescues those who have been taken for human trafficking. To cope with all the things he has seen, he began writing stories about his adventures using the pen name David Bishop that have become some of the most sought-after books in the world. But he owes everything to his mentor, Bones. After his last mission to rescue his wife and children, he very nearly died at the hand of someone who looked eerily similar to his mentor. When Murphy learns the truth about the mystery man, he and Bones vow to stop at nothing to finally dismantle the trafficking empire and keep those who have been rescued safe. But when Bones is taken and used as ransom, Murphy has just discovered this will be the most difficult mission that he has been preparing for throughout his whole life without even knowing it!

The Record Keeper is the third and final book in the Murphy Shepherd series. This has been one of the most intense series that I’ve read over the last decade. Readers are pulled in quickly during the first book and it doesn’t let up until the end of the third. Whereas the first book is just setting the stage with a little bit of Murphy’s history, the second book really dives into his past and what made him into the man he is. The Record Keeper is more about the story of his mentor, Bones, and how the organization that he and Murphy work for came to be. Word of caution, this series and this book are not for the squeamish. This dives heavily into human trafficking and sexual abuse, particularly at those who seem to live just and righteous lives. However, there is also a humbling truth of forgiveness and leaving the ninety-nine to find the one, regardless of who that one might be.

I would love this to become a movie or miniseries, but who knows if it will. The writing is real, raw, and very emotional at times. The characters are easy to connect with and quickly make readers love or hate them. To get the most out of this book, I recommend that the full series be read in order as it follows a timeline and storyline that need to read to fully understand what is going on. Hands down one of my favorite books of the year!

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

Elysium Tide

Author: James R. Hannibal

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: June 7, 2022

A bit of a slow start, but when the story picks up speed, readers better be buckled up because it goes into overdrive!

Dr. Peter Chesterfield needs a break. He doesn’t want to take a break, but he is ordered by his boss to attend a medical symposium in Hawaii at the Elysium Grand hotel. Even while he is supposed to be on vacation, he ends up working when he pulls a woman from the water with a head injury. She ends up dying in his arms but whispers the word “hono” before dying. After her death, Peter teams up with local detective, Lisa Kealoha, to uncover the missing pieces to the case. Things take a turn for the unexpected the further into the case they go, and it isn’t long before they wind up in the crosshairs of some very dangerous men. Together they must try and solve the case before anyone else gets hurt, or worse.

Let me start with a confession, it took me over two weeks to read this book. Not because it wasn’t good, I just started it at a very busy time with lots going on and didn’t have much time to read. When I did read, I didn’t want to stop to do the other things I had to do. The story started a little slow but once it got going in really picked up the pace and held my interest the rest of the time. Peter and Lisa were great main characters, a little rough around the edges at times but had some great character growth and their dynamic when with each other was very well done. This was the second book in a row set in Hawaii I read by coincidence and this was by far the better of the two. I loved the beautiful setting, fast paced storyline, and fun characters. Even though it could have gone deeper into the Elysium aspect, I feel Hannibal did a great job with not going too far and losing the reader. My advice would be to pick this book up when you have plenty of time to devote to the story without interruptions. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy suspense, action and an overall great read.

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

No Small Target

Author: James Tyler Brooks

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: May 17, 2022

A fast paced thriller that blew me away by a debut author. No Small Target is one to add to the To Be Read pile for thriller fans!

Jack Case thought he had left Hawaii behind until he gets a call from Kamakoa, his closest friend asking for his help on a case. When he arrives, Kamakoa is missing and Jack is now in charge of finding him and stopping a traitor from selling defense secrets to North Korea. Being back in Hawaii is hard, but nothing could keep him from being there for the only family he has left. As the search continues for Kamakoe, Jack must figure out who he can trust and with every turn the stakes are higher as the threats to those around him continue to grow.

For No Small Target being a debut novel, I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Just knowing what the story was going to be about intrigued me and made me want to read it; suspense novels are my go-to and this one did not disappoint! Jack Case was a great protagonist that had me hooked from page one. He had a rough past that was unveiled little by little making it more interesting for me as the reader. Not only were the characters well written, but the story itself and the setting really transported me and kept me engaged the whole time. I was a little worried at first with it being set in Hawaii because a few books I have read recently have had characters from there and they have been over the top annoying, so I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case here and it wasn’t. This is the first in a new series and I can’t wait to see what else comes from James Tyler Brooks.

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