LETHAL AGENT (Mitch Rapp #18) is the fifth book by Kyle
Mills in the world of Mitch Rapp started by author Vince Flynn. Mr. Mills has
never disappointed me in his continued portrayal of Mitch and all the secondary
characters that continue to surround him. While I am always intrigued and drawn
into the chosen threat in each book, the thought of a bioterrorism attack has
always terrified me more than any other.
Mullah Sayid Halabi survived Mitch Rapp’s last attempt to
rid the world of the ISIS terrorist leader, while almost losing his own life in
the process.
Halabi is back and has learned a few things since his near
demise. Instead of and army of zealots, he now has a few well trained and
trusted men around him and on-line around the world. He has kidnapped two
doctors and a nurse from Doctors Without Borders who were fighting a virus
similar to SARS in a Yemen village. One of the doctors is a brilliant French
biochemist. Halabi releases a video to prove he is alive, has possession of the
doctors and to tell the world he now has the means to produce anthrax and
destroy the enemies of Allah.
As Mitch races against the clock to stop the terror plot, he
finds that everything they believe is a red herring. Halabi’s true plot could
end up destroying the America we know forever. And if that is not enough, at
home Halabi’s threat stokes a Republican Senator’s campaign of fear and
division to advance her campaign for President.
I read this book completely in one sitting! Mitch is a
darker, harder character working alone once again, but it is necessary for this
plot. As in all the books in this series the fight scenes are detailed and
realistic. Mr. Mills had me feeling the dread of the possibility of a
bioterrorism attack, anger at the political machinations in D.C. and
contemplating the ethical issues that arise in the dark world that Mitch and
all of his team dwell in.
This is another Mitch Rapp thriller that will leave you hyped,
scared, exhausted and very satisfied in the end!
Thanks very much to Atria and Simon and Schuster for allowing
me to be a Mitch Rapp Ambassador for another year and sending me an ARC of this
book before publication.
Today is my turn on the Blog Tour for DESERVE TO DIE by Miranda Rijks. This is a well written page turner and the second book by this author that I have read and enjoyed.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, the author’s bio and social media information and purchasing links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb:
Dom and Stacey have the perfect life. Until they meet Tamara. Brilliant, beautiful, she hides a horrifying secret. One that may destroy them all.
Happily married with two beautiful children, Dom and Stacey have it all. He runs a successful design agency, she is finding fame as an author of children’s books.
Everything is perfect. Until they meet Tamara.
Because Tamara is a woman with a plan. She executes it step by step – patient, systematic, methodical.
And as her plan unfolds, Dom and Stacey find their lives slipping out of control. Taking them from heaven into the deepest, darkest hell.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
DESERVE TO DIE by Miranda Rijks is a new domestic psychological
thriller. I read the mystery, “Fatal Fortune” by this author that I enjoyed so
I was excited to give this book a read. I was not disappointed.
Dom and Stacey are happily married with two children. Dom is
the head of a successful design agency and Stacey works from home writing and illustrating
children’s books. They are very happy.
It is a complete shock when the account executive of Dom’s
firm commits suicide and blames his unhappiness on his job. Conveniently, the
perfect replacement shows up for his job. Tamara is beautiful, classy and
highly motivated. She has a plan, not only for the company, but also for Dom
and Stacey.
As Tamara’s plan begins to unfold, the seeds of mistrust
between Dom and Stacey grow. Stacey is gas-lighted by Tamara as she moves to
replace her at Dom’s side and in her home.
The story is told in alternating chapters between Stacey and
Tamara. The pace increases as the story progresses and the tension escalates to
the point of not wanting to put the book down. All of the steps Tamara takes
really scared me because of how believable it was and how easily it was done. I
did have some difficulties with Dom and Stacey though. Dom switched sides a
little too quickly for me if they were as happy as it seemed and he even
believed Tamara over his two children. I liked that Stacey went for help when
needed, but she seemed completely incompetent when looking into Tamara’s
background. She worked at Dom’s company before their children and she is an author,
so I found it difficult to believe.
Overall this is an intense and well written domestic
psychological thriller. It is not unique, but it kept me turning the pages and
I was satisfied with the ending.
***
About Miranda Rijks:
Miranda Rijks is a writer of suspense
novels.
Miranda has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre.
She’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of
years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now
she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in Sussex,
England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.
Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so you can reach out to her at www.mirandarijks.com
How do you catch a killer who thinks murder
is art?
Michael Fisher sees himself as an artist
rather than a killer and poses his victims to resemble famous paintings.
Detective Nick Kelly is called to attend
the latest crime scene and finds himself at the centre of a media storm. But
while the rest of the police department feels under pressure, Nick relishes the
attention.
Karen Kelly, Nick’s soon to be ex-wife,
watches in horror as this brutal game of cat and mouse plays out. But Karen has
secrets of her own.
And when another body is found, Nick is disturbed to discover he knows the victim and things start to get a little too close to home.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars
THE ART OF MURDER by Rebecca Muddiman is a suspense/thriller
by a new to me author. Each chapter alternates between the perspectives of the
three main characters.
Detective Nick Kelly is on an NYPD team working the case of
an unknown serial killer who poses his victims to replicate famous paintings. As
the number of victims increases, the pressure is on from the media for more
information. Nick’s superior does not want the public to know how the victims
have been displayed, but Nick enjoys the spotlight and wants to release more
information.
Karen Kelly is cohabitating unharmoniously with Nick as they
wait for the court to decide which one of them gets their NYC apartment in
their divorce. Karen owns an independent bookstore which is struggling
financially and is generally unhappy with her life at this point in time. She
meets a nice man on her birthday while she is out on her own, but she had such
poor taste in picking Nick, she does not know if she can trust this charming
new man.
Michael Fisher wanted to be a famous artist. His father
belittled him and he dropped out of art school. Now he works on his personal
masterpieces to replicate famous master paintings to prove his talent to his
father and the world. The backdrops are painted, but the main figure is not. If
you are squandering your true talent, Michael will make a painting to feature
you.
I felt this book was predictable for about the first third of the story, but then the author does manage to insert a few curve balls that increase the suspense and pace. I enjoyed the serial killer in this book more than Nick and Karen. Nick is a narcissist in every sense of the word. Karen was a whiny wimp until the very end and I find it surprising that she even came through then, which somewhat limited the believability for me. This was a group of characters that I did not like, but the plot does have a few unique twists that carried me through to the end.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books for allowing me to read this eARC in advance of release.
***
Rebecca Muddiman was born and raised in the North East and worked in the
NHS for many years. She has published six crime novels – Stolen, Gone,
Tell Me Lies, Murder in Slow Motion, No Place Like Home, and The Art of
Murder. Stolen won a Northern Writers Award in 2010 and
the Northern Crime Competition in 2012. She is also a screenwriter and was
selected for the London Screenwriters Festival Talent Campus in 2016.
Most of her spare time is spent
re-watching Game of Thrones, trying
to learn Danish, and dealing with two unruly dogs. Sometimes all at the same
time.
THE REBOUND EFFECT by Linda Griffin is listed as a romantic
suspense. It is not a romance. This book is a domestic psychological thriller.
If considered in that genre, it is a high intensity read of a single mother on
the rebound and the new man who comes into her life while women are disappearing
in the area.
Teresa Lansing is a struggling single mother working as a
veterinary assistant in the small town of Cougar. She is doing the best she can
for herself and her six-year-old deaf son. Both are trying to get over the
recent break-up of Teresa and her fiancé after she found out he cheated.
While visiting her best-friend at her local family bar and
grill, Teresa is swept off her feet by Frank McAllister. Frank just moved to
Cougar four months ago. He is a cop and works on the S.W.A.T. team in the big
city near Cougar. Frank is handsome, charming and very sexy. Teresa and her
friend believe she has finally found a good man.
As the courtship progresses, Teresa at many times feels
overwhelmed by the fast pace Frank wants to set for the relationship. She tries
to draw some lines, but she always feels ungrateful for everything he is doing
for her and her son and lets Frank continue to have his way. While Frank is
pushing for a permanent commitment, Teresa’s former fiancé continues to try to
win her back.
While tensions rise between Teresa and Frank, the number of
missing women in the area also increases. Is Teresa safe or is she the next to
die?
Ms. Griffin’s characters are realistic and make you easily
understand how psychopaths and psychological abusers can overwhelm you. Yes,
there were times I wanted to smack Teresa in the head and tell her to wise up
and put her son first, but Frank knew how to tie them both together to get what
he wanted. The sense of danger and the high intensity of the emotions in this
book keep you turning the pages. As I wrote previous, this is a thriller and
not a romance. For me, a romance or romantic suspense must end with or be
leading to a HEA. The dating and sex in this book is not a romance.
If you are looking for a domestic psychological suspense, this is a fast paced, high intensity read.
THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper is a slow burn, atmospheric
murder mystery set in the unforgiving and remote Australian Outback.
The apparent suicide of Cameron Bright seems to be just
another tragedy in this family’s story. A well liked family man, no one can
understand why he would leave his well-stocked vehicle and walk to the
Stockman’s Grave in the deadly heat of the Outback summer to die.
When Nathan Bright meets his youngest brother Bub at the
fence-line between his and the family’s properties at the Stockman’s Grave to
recover his brother’s body, Nathan has more questions than answers. The local
police believe it is a suicide, but Nathan has trouble believing. He returns to
the family homestead to help, but the past returns to haunt him as well as the
secrets his brother was hiding.
As the family grieves, Nathan’s suspicion grows that there
may be a murderer among them.
This is one of those books you start and just fall into the
intrigue of the location and mystery. Ms. Harper’s description of the heat and
dry in the Outback in the summer pulls you in and makes you believe you can
feel the isolation and danger of the location for the families that live there.
My opinion of the point-of-view main character, Nathan changes continually with
each new family revelation Ms. Harper weaves into the story. The secondary
characters are all hiding their own secrets and add to the feeling of surprise
and dread with each revelation. The resolution of the mystery was a surprise I
did not see coming which makes this a truly memorable read.
Today is my turn on the Blog Tour for a new, emotional psychological thriller THE PERFECT BETRAYAL by Lauren North. It is always difficult to tell you about a thriller without giving away any spoilers, but in this type of thriller I always suspect everyone, even the narrator so I am not usually surprised. This ending has a twist that is SHOCKING!
Below in this Feature Post you will find a book blurb, my book review and author information and social media links.
You have to read this book!
***
Book Blurb:
After
the sudden death of her husband, Tess is drowning in grief.
All she has left is her son, Jamie, and she’ll do anything to
protect him – but she’s struggling to cope.
When
grief counsellor Shelley knocks on their door, everything
changes. Shelley is understanding and kind, and promises she can help Tess
through the hardest time of her life.
But when a string of unsettling events happens and questions arise over her husband’s death, Tess starts to suspect that Shelley may have an ulterior motive. Tess knows she must do everything she can to keep Jamie safe – but she’s at her most vulnerable, and that’s a dangerous place to be.
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE PERFECT BETRAYAL by Lauren North is a psychological
thriller by a new-to-me author that is absolutely perfect. This is the type of
thriller that makes you question everything everyone says and does, even the
narrator. When you believe everything is settled, keep reading. The ending is
so SHOCKING!
Tess is barely keeping herself and her seven year old son,
Jamie functioning after the death of her husband in a plane crash. Both are
depressed, angry and struggling to cope with everyday life and each other. Tess
is unwilling to ask for help from her extended family and she has never been
friendly with Ian, her husband’s brother.
Shelley is a grief counsellor assigned to help Tess. Shelley
lost her son to leukemia and believes her son would have looked just like Jamie
if he had lived. Tess and Shelley bond over Jamie and she seems to be helping
Tess to move on with her life. As much as Tess is friendly with Shelley, there
are times that Tess believes Shelley has ulterior motives.
Since Shelley and Ian have been around a series of
unsettling events have occurred that have Tess and those around her questioning
her improvement, but Tess believes Shelley and Ian have ulterior motives and
are scheming against her. Tess will do anything to keep Jamie safe, but will
pushing everyone away keep them safe?
To tell the truth, when I started this book, I thought it
was going to be another domestic psychological thriller that would be an
escape, but nothing new. I was SO WRONG! The depression and emotions are
heartbreaking. All of the characters’ motivations remain hidden throughout. The
ending had me in tears and shocked. Ms. North’s writing will pull you in, twist
you up and leave you questioning everything you just read. Tess is a character
that will stay with me for a long time.
I highly recommend this book!
***
About Lauren
North:
Lauren North writes
psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships
and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things
books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and
her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could
happen in every situation.
Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where
she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the
Suffolk countryside.
