Tag: #suspense

Book Review: Total Power by Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

TOTAL POWER (Mitch Rapp Book #19) by Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills is the latest thriller in the Mitch Rapp series and Kyle Mills continues to prove he was the right choice to take on this series after the death of Vince Flynn. The premise of the terror attack in this story is still theorized frequently and it is truly scary to picture the post-apocalyptic world in this book.

As Congress debates the perceived danger and the costs to fix and update the U.S. power grid, an expert in the field is shopping the destruction of that grid to our foreign adversaries. While he has the computer expertise, he needs some armed assistance on the ground in eliminating a few strategic power stations. When Mitch and his team are sent to intercept an international terrorist, they hope the plot is done, but it was only a decoy and the power grid goes off-line over the entire country on Christmas Eve.

Now as the government is in bunkers and the country begins to descend into anarchy as there is no longer a safety structure and it is every man for himself, Mitch and his team work to chase down the man responsible and get the codes that could begin to bring the power back on-line.

I could not put this new Mitch Rapp down! The premise is as realistic as it comes and having lived through the blackout of 2003, I could imagine each sequence of events occurring the longer the power was out. Mr. Mills research is evident throughout the story without it ever overpowering the action/thriller aspect of the story. All of the secondary characters play important roles in this story as they come together to survive the loss of power and work to navigate their new circumstances without all the state-of-the-art help that in one way or another relies on electrical power.

Mr. Mills has Mitch by the end of this book thinking several times about his future or lack thereof. He also shows Mitch becoming more comfortable with his family life and surrounding friends. Will Mitch eventually be able to retire with his loved ones or will he be taken out while once again protecting our freedom and way of life? I hope for the first with a new generation of protectors to take his place, but only Mr. Mills knows.

I highly recommend this action packed and thrilling new Mitch Rapp!

***

About the Author

Kyle Mills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty books, including the latest in Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series, Total Power.

Growing up in Oregon, Washington, DC, and London as a the son of an FBI agent, Kyle absorbed an enormous amount about the intelligence community, giving his novels their unique authenticity. He and his wife live in Wyoming where they spend their off hours mountain biking and backcountry skiing.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kylemills.com/

Facebook: https://www.kylemills.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyleMillsAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/76671.Kyle_Mills

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: How the Wired Weep by Ian Patrick

How the Wired Weep by Ian Patrick

#HowTheWiredWeep @IPatrick_Author @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the blog tour for this new dark and gritty British police procedural mystery HOW THE WIRED WEEP by Ian Patrick.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

The Wire crosses the pond.

Ed is a detective who handles informants. He recruits Ben, a young man, who is treading a dangerous path into the criminal underworld.

Ben’s unsure of where his loyalties lie. They have to find a way to work together despite their differences.

Both men are drawn into the world of Troy, a ruthless and brutal leader of an Organised Criminal Network.

Ben is torn between two worlds as he tries to walk the impossible line between criminality and helping Ed combat crime.


He lives in fear of discovery.


When your life is thrown upside down who do you turn to in order to survive?

Set against the backdrop of the 2012 Olympic Games, How the Wired Weep is a fast paced urban thriller where time is against both men as they attempt to serve their own agendas.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54166480-how-the-wired-weep

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HOW THE WIRED WEEP by Ian Patrick is a new standalone dark and gritty British police procedural mystery. It takes the reader into a mystery in the world of covert police operations and how they handle the safety and anonymity of their criminal informants.

DS Ed Hunter and his teammates handle police informants out of the Metropolitan Police headquarters. Ed loves his work, but it is a tricky business. The informants are criminals and Ed does have rules and laws to work by and must also let the informants know that they cannot break them either. One of Ed’s informants, Ben is being released from prison and Ed is eager to get him back out on the streets.

Ben, a young gang member and his family have a history of being on the wrong side of the law. He likes the easy money from being an informant, but Ed is afraid Ben will end up back in prison for not being able to follow his rules. Ed needs him though to get information from the inside on a new violent gang leader.

Ben becomes more frustrated, greedy and angry at being used. Ed sees Ben spiraling out of control as he returns to the streets. Will Ed be able to continue to get Ben to walk the line and see beyond the easiest and quickest means to an end?

This story pulls you in to the two main characters lives and makes you feel everything they do. Mr. Patrick’s writing invests you in the outcome for both as the story is told in chapters related by each character. This book depicts the dark, dirty despair of the urban criminal landscape, but also has moments of friendship and humor. This is an intense, realistic and powerful read.

I highly recommend this book as a crime read that is very different from the norm.

***

About the Author

Ian spent twenty-seven years in the Metropolitan police the majority as a Detective Sergeant within the Specialist Operations Command. He specialised in Child Protection and was part of a Major Investigation Team that targeted abusers and investigated the murder of children.

His last seven years were spent in the Covert Policing Command where he managed a specialist covert unit dedicated to the detection and disruption of organised criminal networks across London and the UK.


Rubicon, Stoned Love, and Fools Gold are published by Fahrenheit Press.

How the Wired Weep is a standalone novel.

Rubicon is in development with the BBC for a six part TV series.


He’s appeared at Bloody Scotland in 2018 as a spotlight author on the opening night with Val McDermid and Denise Mina.

Ian’s undertaken a mentorship with Write4Film Scotland and is developing a script for a short film. He’s also an ambassador for Muscular Dystrophy Scotland. He lives in Scotland where he divides his time between family, writing, reading and photography. 

You can follow Ian on his website https://www.ianpatrick.co.uk where you can subscribe to his newsletter and get updates on blogs, events and books.

Social Media Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/IPatrick_Author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IPatrickAuthor/

Website: https://www.ianpatrick.co.uk/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ian_patrick_author

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/332xpRm

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3jRISKb

Publishing Information

Published in paperback and digital formats on 30th June 2020

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Drop by Jacy Morris

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing on the Blackthorn Tours Blog Tour for a new unique post-apocalyptic horror/suspense book. My Feature Post and Book Review is for Jacy Morris’ THE DROP.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

How many hearts can a song touch? How many ears can it reach? How many people can it kill?

When popular boy band Whoa-Town releases their latest album, no one thinks anything of it. They certainly don’t think that the world will be changed forever. After an apocalyptic disease sweeps the world, it becomes clear that the music of this seemingly innocuous boy band had something to do with it, but how?

Katherine Maddox, her life irrevocably changed by a disease dubbed The Drop, sets out to find out how and why, to prevent something like The Drop from ever happening again.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53685550-the-drop

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE DROP by Jacy Morris is a new unique post-apocalyptic horror/suspense book. This new to me author grabbed my twisted-sense-of-humor interest with the premise of a boy band triggering a worldwide pandemic with drop of their new album and surprised me with a thought provoking, intense page turner that I found difficult to put down.

Katherine is a young journalist who is chasing the story of the origin of the Drop so that it can never happen again. Her investigation is laid out in a series of news reports, chatroom conversations, pod casts and in-person interviews.

The three time periods laid out in the book are post-Drop, pre-Drop and during the Drop. With the story investigated out of order to the events. While I normally find the out of order timeline difficult to follow, the author has laid each nugget of information to carry you through the different sections and build the tension and suspense in an easy to comprehend style.

This is a book that is difficult to give you any more information from it without giving away surprise twists that are learned throughout Katherine’s investigation. The ending left an impression and I believe everyone who reads this book will be sharing.

I highly recommend this story and I am looking forward to other readers opinions!

***

Author Bio

Jacy Morris is a Native American author born in 1979 in Virginia. He is a registered member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. At the age of ten he was transplanted to Portland, Oregon, where he developed a love for punk rock and horror movies, both of which tend to find their way into his writing. Under the pseudonym The Vocabulariast, he was the writer/owner/CEO of the website MovieCynics.com from 2007-2014. He graduated from Portland State University with a Masters in Education. He has been an English and social studies teacher in Portland, Oregon since 2005.

His first film, All Hell Breaks Loose has a cult following. His second film, entitled The Cemetery People is now in post-production.

He has written several books, including the “This Rotten World” series, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Killing the Cult, and “The Enemies of Our Ancestors” series. The Abbey was his first book under his real name. In between drinking beer and watching horror movies and hockey, he is currently working on the following books: An Unorthodox Cure, and the fourth chapter of This Rotten World.

Social Media Links

Website: https://jacymorris.com/Home

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jacy-Morris-110524983786893/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vocabulariast

Purchase Link

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Drop-Jacy-Morris/dp/1674417225

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Deadline by Geoff Major

Deadline by Geoff Major

#Deadline @GradusPrimus @ghpbooks @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi, everyone!

Today I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on this blog tour for DEADLINE by Geoff Major. This is an exciting new book by this debut author. I could not put it down and was completely shocked by the ending.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb:

Adam Ferranti was drinking away his waking hours, getting by in a regional newspaper in the North of England. An award-winning journalist, he moved to England to escape the media glare that followed his spectacular fall from grace at The Washington Post; only to be thrust back in it when a mysterious serial killer decides to make him his confidante.

DS Stephanie Walker is a successful member of the West Yorkshire Police force. Whilst she is tough and results-driven at work, with a fearsome reputation on the streets, she hides the domestic abuse she suffers at home.

She finds Ferranti exceptionally difficult to deal with, but he’s her only chance to stay close to what the elusive killer is planning next. Ferranti reluctantly complies with the Police, even though he is fighting his own personal demons, but when his best friend is murdered by the killer, it suddenly gets personal. And suddenly, no-one is quite who they seemed to be.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55168433-deadline

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLINE by Geoff Major is an exceptionally chilling serial killer/spy thriller/British police procedural/mystery/suspense/thriller mash-up. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, Mr. Major would throw in another plot twist or red herring that completely sent me in another direction and the ending shocked me!

Adam Ferranti had the story of his career at the Washington Post pulled out from under him and quashed by the FBI. After that disappointment he becomes a war correspondent in Afghanistan and then takes a position with the Yorkshire Post in England. Down and out, he suddenly begins to receive mysterious calls from a serial killer.

Detective Sergeant Stephanie Walker is a talented star at work, but abused by her husband in their home. DS Walker is in charge of the murder investigation, when Ferranti comes to the police station with his story of being contacted by a serial killer who has set them on a deadline until the next killing. At first the two butt heads, but eventually Stephanie starts to like and have feelings for Ferranti.

Stephanie is pulled from the case officially when her husband is considered a suspect. She continues to be updated by the DS Hobbs who replaced her and works the case with Ferranti. But nothing is as it seems with MI5, a U.S. Senator and long buried secrets about to emerge as well as a serial killer who continues on his deadline.

Clear some time because once you start this book you are not going to want to put it down. It starts out as a common serial killer investigation, but the plot quickly morphs into so much more. The characters are all fully fleshed and many have secrets that are revealed cleverly throughout the plot. The ending completely shocked me and I love when a story can do that to me. I was completely and pleasantly surprised by this debut author.

I highly recommend this book! This is a book you are going to want to get your hands on as soon as possible and I know everyone will be talking about it, especially the ending.

***

About the Author

A long time ago, Geoff Major had an idea for a story, whilst walking his girls to primary school. Two years ago, he decided he had the time and patience to try to write the story down. His wife was wholly supportive, so he turned from full-time to part-time for four months and now – 23 years after that idea first popped into his head – it has been published.

As a self-employed business consultant for 18 years and a fundraising adventurer for 10 years (including ski-trekking 50 miles, over 6 days and 6 nights, to the geographic North Pole), he now works for a debt charity whilst plotting his next three books

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GradusPrimus

Blog: https://lets-start-at-the-very-beginning.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primusgradus/

Purchase Links:

I will send the purchase links in a separate email as the book is not available for pre-order yet.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Blackthorn Book Tour for THE ANCESTOR by Lee Matthew Goldberg.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author;s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

A man wakes up in present-day Alaskan wilderness with no idea who he is, nothing on him save an empty journal with the date 1898 and a mirror. He sees another man  hunting nearby, astounded that they look exactly alike. After following this other man home, he witnesses a wife and child that brings forth a rush of memories of his own wife and child, except he’s certain they do not exist in modern times—but from his life in the late 1800s. After recalling his name is Wyatt, he worms his way into his doppelganger Travis Barlow’s life.

Memories become unearthed the more time he spends, making him believe that he’d been frozen after coming to Alaska during the Gold Rush and that Travis is his great-great grandson. Wyatt is certain gold still exists in the area and finding it with Travis will ingratiate himself to the family, especially with Travis’s wife Callie, once Wyatt falls in love.

This turns into a dangerous obsession affecting the Barlows and everyone in their small town, since Wyatt can’t be tamed until he also discovers the meaning of why he was able to be preserved on ice for over a century.

A meditation on love lost and unfulfilled dreams, The Ancestor is a thrilling page-turner in present day Alaska and a historical adventure about the perilous Gold Rush expeditions where prospectors left behind their lives for the promise of hope and a better future. The question remains whether it was all worth the sacrifice….

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54552798-the-ancestor

Purchase here: https://downandoutbooks.com/bookstore/goldberg-ancestor/

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE ANCESTOR by Lee Matthew Goldberg is a unique suspense/thriller that merges two timelines, the past and present in one family in small town Laner, Alaska. Mr. Goldberg has written a family saga about greed, jealousy, love, sacrifice, acceptance, friendship and being a part of a family.

A man wakes up emerging from the ice in Alaska. He has no memories, but he does have a journal which the year 1898 and a mirror. He hears shots and follows the sound to find two hunters and he is shocked to find that one appears to be his identical twin. He hides in their truck and peers through Travis Barlow, the hunter’s window of his home to see a woman and child. They begin to bring back memories of his own life and he remembers his name is Wyatt Barlow.

Wyatt realizes he has been frozen since his journey to Alaska during the gold rush. He is sure he found gold, but he does not remember where. Wyatt ingratiates himself with Travis, who he realizes is his great-great grandson. Wyatt wants the gold to help his current family, but he also has a dangerous obsession which will affect of the current generations of Barlows.

I enjoyed this book on so many levels. The writing is gritty and stark as the frozen landscape of Alaska. I was always waiting for the next twist in the plot as Wyatt learned more about present time and revealed more of his true self. The characters in this book are all fully fleshed and realistically portrayed. This suspense/thriller is an original story with plenty of drama and adventure.

I highly recommend this suspense/thriller by an author who never fails to give me a unique story.

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About the Author

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE DESIRE CARD, THE MENTOR, and SLOW DOWN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the 2018 Prix du Polar. The second book in the Desire Card series, PREY NO MORE, is forthcoming in 2020, along with his first Sci-Fi novel ORANGE CITY.

His new endeavor will be as the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe Press and Fringe Digital, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box.

His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests.

After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in the anthology DIRTY BOULEVARD, The Millions, Cagibi, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press and others. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City.

Social Media Links

Website – Leematthewgoldberg.com

FB – https://www.facebook.com/leemgol

IG – https://www.instagram.com/leematthewgoldberg/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/LeeMatthewG

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Saint Justice by Mike Grist

Saint Justice (A Christopher Wren Thriller #1) by Mike Grist

#SaintJustice #AChristopherWrenThriller @michaelgrist @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

Hi, everyone!

Today, I am excited to be on the Saint Justice Blog Tour. I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SAINT JUSTICE (Christopher Wren #1) by Mike Grist. I love reading action packed vigilante hero thrillers that let you cheer for no-holds-barred elimination of bad guys!

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Hundreds of human cages hidden in the desert. One man with nothing to lose.

Christopher Wren pulls off I-70 after three weeks on the road and walks into a biker bar in Price, Utah. An arbitrary decision he’s about to regret.

The bikers attack Wren, leave him for dead and steal his truck.

Now he’s going to get it back.

From a secure warehouse in the desert. Ringed with fences. Filled with human cages.

As Wren digs deeper, a dark national conspiracy unravels and the body count mounts, but one thing is for sure.

They picked the wrong guy to teach a lesson.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54148381-saint-justice

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

SAINT JUSTICE (Christopher Wren #1) by Mike Grist is the start of a new vigilante thriller series featuring an ex-CIA operative. I love these over-the-top, action packed vigilante thrillers especially when they give me a protagonist like Christopher Wren and escapism writing where evil always loses and I cannot put the book down.

The soon to be ex-CIA operative who goes by the name of Christopher Wren has been dismantling cults, cartels and corporate conspiracies all around the world. What the company did not know is that Wren had a kept a secret life outside of his job. While working cases for the government, Wren collected a vigilante army of his own called the Foundation.

Wren is looking for a fight and he finds it at a biker bar, but they are not an average club. The Vikings are a small part of a large chain in a human trafficking organization with ulterior motives. There is nothing more abhorrent to Wren than human trafficking. He calls for help from members of the Foundation and they come without hesitation.

As Wren works to uncover the leaders of the trafficking organization, he needs all the help he can get and he finds that this may be turn out to be his last fight.

I love this genre of thrillers. Yes, the protagonist can be so wounded there is no way he can plausibly continue on, but he does. And yes, the protagonist can get out of any situation to fight again, but that is what makes them so much fun. Christopher Wren, as other heroes such as Jack Reacher and John Wick, has a moral code that can step over the legal lines, but is always on the side of justice. And do not forget, there is always a tortured past or incident that sets them on their path and a terrible injustice that they must correct or stop.

Mr. Grist has written this type of genre book perfectly with a great balance of tortured protagonist and a fast-paced plot with plenty of action, weapons, and blood. I could not put it down and cannot wait for more adventures with Wren.

I highly recommend this vigilante thriller with a great, new protagonist – Christopher Wren!

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About the Author

Mike Grist is the British/American author of the Christopher Wren thriller series. For 11 years Mike lived in Tokyo, Japan, exploring and photographing the dark side of the city and the country: gangs, cults and abandonedplaces. Now he writes from London, UK, about rogue DELTA operator Christopher Wren – an anti-hero vigilante who uses his off-book team of ex-cons to bring brutal payback for dark crimes.

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelgrist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikegristauthor

Website: http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2XEWCiG

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/33Hdfyi

Audible: https://adbl.co/3kxKNoz

Publishing Information

Published in paperback, audio and digital formats on 10th June 2019