Thriller | Self-Publishing Review

Old Sins by Lynne Handy

Author Lynne Handy weaves a dark and stormy tale in Old Sins, the third ominously addictive novel in the Maria Pell Mystery Series.

Maria Pell once again finds her new home ominously plagued by death, which then draws her into the tangle of solving a spreading cliffside mystery. Despite being focused on summoning new words and poetic emotions in a much-needed cottage escape, Maria is pulled into the murder of a young woman, Bridget, which dredges up her own past trauma of discovering “Baby Doe.” What follows is an investigation of coincidence with diligence that would make Miss […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-23T09:19:28+02:00August 23rd, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Mystery, Thriller|

Review: A Disturbing Nature by Brian Lebeau

A deep, character-driven mystery, A Disturbing Nature by Brian LeBeau is a patient maze of a novel, leading readers on a grim journey through suspicion, murder, and obsession.

Mo is a quiet and mysterious young man with a mind that never caught up to his impressive size, and a lifetime of taunts and tragedies that never leave him. Even as he starts a new chapter at Bryant College as a groundskeeper, where for the first time “independence is not equated with exile,” the jagged pieces of his past are impossible to leave behind. Unfortunately, new surroundings don’t mean an end […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-05T05:38:04+02:00August 4th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Mystery, Thriller|

Bravely and Faithfully by Edward M. Hochsmann

A third high-seas thriller from the creative mind of Edward M. Hochsmann, Bravely and Faithfully adds stormy new flavor to his Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures series.

The fearless crew is tackling another covert mission near the Bahamas, in the aftermath of a violent storm, fresh off another heroic rescue. This time around, there is a new CO at the helm, and Captain Reardon’s introduction is a character shift that shakes up the bonds between crew members to keep the interpersonal dynamic fresh. Whether they are protecting the integrity of NASA rocket launches, intercepting high-payload drug drops, or acting as getaway […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-01T03:35:28+02:00August 1st, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Action and Adventure, Edward M. Hochsmann, Thriller|

Review: The Reluctant Assassin (The Covid Chronicles) by Peter Moore

The exceptional and exciting life of the mysterious Delphine continues in The Reluctant Assassin by Peter Moore, the closing tale of his ambitious series, The Covid Chronicles.

A great deal has changed since Delphine’s dramatic exit from the world of high-class escorts, including being a mother of twins, but intrigue inevitably follows in her footsteps. After innocently offering her info-extracting services to one of her closest friends – and one of the most powerful men in England – Delphine is triggered by her past trauma and finds herself on the guilty side of a corpse.

Her instincts for self-preservation […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-09-08T16:41:41+02:00July 13th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Peter Moore, Thriller|

Lucky Tom by Federico Muchnik

A crime thriller that feels ripped from the crises of today’s headlines, Lucky Tom by Federico Muchnik is a fast-moving and gritty peek into the streets.

The drug market in Boston is filling up with fentanyl, and bodies are beginning to drop on college campuses, bringing in Detective Del Vecchio to sniff out the murderous link in the chain. Lamont is a misguided young kid grief-stricken over his drug-sharing role in his own stepsister’s death. Tom is just an Uber driver who wants to make some extra cash dropping off deliveries for a slick French criminal named Francois Laax. Their […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-07-22T01:43:02+02:00July 5th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller|

Sealed With A Lie by Brett Monk & McKenna Langford

Brett Monk and McKenna Langford do not disappoint with the thrilling continuation of their Moms Who Lie series, Sealed with a Lie.

This installment delivers mystery and action in equal measure as the main characters must unravel family secrets and murderous plots, in an expertly crafted whodunnit. Driven by a cadre of fascinating characters, their backstories sometimes go back decades, impacting the events unfolding in this small town, with the narrative hopping from one point of view to another, which adds layer upon layer to the mystery.

Readers will be easily drawn into the many angles of this complex […]

SPR2023-01-09T14:27:35+02:00June 24th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Brett Monk, McKenna Langford, Mystery, Thriller|

Review: Back to Serve by CW3 Cesare Giannetti

Author and decorated veteran CW3 Cesare Giannetti U.S. Army (Ret.) draws readers into a fascinating crucible of loyalty, war, family, and self-determination in Back to Serve: Return of a Soldier.

Written as a fictional memoir of the similarly-named Captain Nico Corretti, the novel no doubt reflects the author’s own experience, but it is intriguingly woven together with the elements of a thriller. It is unusual for a military story to begin with the protagonist retiring from service, but Captain Corretti’s respite is short-lived, as his loyalty and willingness to sacrifice are endless. With a mother who died when he […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-08-16T11:34:04+02:00June 17th, 2022|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: CW3 Cesare Giannetti, Military, Thriller|

Caribbean Counterstrike by Edward M. Hochsmann

The USCG Kauai and its crew are back for another fast-paced thriller in Caribbean Counterstrike by Edward M. Hochsmann, the second installment of his Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures series.

Fresh off their lethal drug ring battle a few months earlier, the cutter has been quietly promoted to perform sensitive missions under the Director of National Intelligence, thanks to its elite crew. Their latest assignment brings them into even more dangerous waters, where they hunt down a murderous drug cartel boasting biochemical weapons, along with an international crime syndicate that knows how to hold a grudge. The rugged crew returns for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2022-06-08T06:49:18+02:00June 7th, 2022|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Action and Adventure, Edward M. Hochsmann, Thriller|