Thriller Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango by D.R. Berlin

An adrenaline-filled thriller of professional killers and family secrets, The Third Estate: Devil’s Tango by D.R. Berlin offers another twisted dose of conspiracy in the Third Estate series.

When a John Doe lands in the ER with a slug in his gut, Captain Sophie Allard does all she can to save him, but he seems far more interested in passing her a cryptic message about a top-secret dossier. It isn’t long before two assassins arrive at the hospital, determined to learn the man’s final words, even if that means dropping more bodies, potentially sabotaging Sophie’s nascent medical career. However, before […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-07-29T17:56:30+02:00July 28th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Poison Pill by Anthony Lee

A probing examination into the darker sides of health, Poison Pill by Anthony Lee is a fearless medical thriller told from inside the belly of the beast.

In a span of two days, Dr. Mark Lin is presented with a pair of enigmatic patients – Hector, a person far too young for kidney failure who potentially faces a lifetime of dialysis, and Robbie, a severely obese man with rapidly worsening COPD and no clear cause. In the first case, Dr. Lin suspects the root cause to be an energy and weight-loss supplement called Motileaf, while in the second, he worries […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-04-01T10:31:52+02:00March 31st, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Abbot Lane by Jim Layeux

A slow-burning drama that crackles with contemporary fears and timeless heroics, Abbot Lane by Jim Layeux is a forceful spy-vs-spy thriller.

An existential threat to America has been identified, and “a highly placed official within US intelligence is hellbent on destruction.” In order to prevent a global holy war, reluctant college student Jesse Carlton is recruited by an aging intelligence agent, Lee Tondar, who moonlights as a history professor at the secretive Grissim Institute.

Plunged overnight into the bewildering world of international espionage, Jesse is tasked with quietly investigating the flow and unprecedented censorship of intelligence reports to Tondar’s particular […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-03-31T14:13:58+02:00March 30th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Spy Thriller Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Houdini and Doyle: The Return of Jack by Leon Cygman

An untamed thriller that pits the bloodiest lore of England against a pair of legendary historical figures, Houdini and Doyle: The Return of Jack by Leon Cygman is an entrancing historical thriller.

Thirty-five years after Jack the Ripper’s murderous spree in the back alleys of Whitechapel, a vicious copycat emerges to continue his legacy of terror and gore. One of the city’s first female constables is on the case, along with DI Swanson and Chandler, but the investigation is further aided by two unlikely sleuths -legendary author Arthur Conan Doyle and the master of deception himself, Harry Houdini.

When Harry […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-03-24T10:59:32+02:00January 9th, 2026|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fantasy Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Lords of Sixty-Third Street by Edward Izzi

An urban crime thriller that pulls back the curtain on a perennial battlefield in Chicago, Lords of Sixty-Third Street by Edward Izzi is a riveting hunt for justice in a city where organized crime reaches every level of power.

Veteran reporter Larry McKay is ready for retirement, but the murder of his long-time friend and colleague at the Tribune drags him into a grisly world of the mob and blatant political corruption. As his investigation descends into the dark heart of the Windy City, he finds himself caught between the titular mobsters of the Chicago Outfit and a merciless street […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-12-12T11:06:36+02:00December 12th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: Where’s Jackson Pollock? by Jim Davidson

A casually hilarious caper through the dirty end of the art world, Where’s Jackson Pollock? by Jim Davidson delivers a twisted plot and a swirling cast of cutthroat characters.

Russell Henderson is a charming white-collar criminal in dire straits, and with his offshore accounts drying up, he decides to liquidate two of his unexpected assets – a Mark Rothko and a Jackson Pollock that have been hanging in his bedroom for years. Despite their decidedly sketchy origins, his ex-art dealer girlfriend, Victoria Scarsfield, offers to help him move the high-end art through her old stomping grounds of Richmond, Virginia, without […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2026-03-10T15:02:20+02:00December 9th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Blood on the Trailhead by Charlotte Zang & Alex J. Knudsen

A gripping third chapter of their Lost Grove Mystery series, Blood on the Trailhead by Charlotte Zang and Alex J. Knudsen weaves a modern gothic tapestry of supernatural suspense.

When a young boy is killed in an apparent animal attack at Devil’s Cradle State Park, the troubling case falls to Seth Wolfe, the newly promoted Chief of Police in the enigmatic town of Lost Grove. Given his recent experiences with the unnatural and the inhumane, the town sleuth suspects that there may be more to this tragic death, and possibly more bodies to come. A shadowy horror is stalking the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-11-06T11:15:38+02:00November 6th, 2025|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Horror Book Reviews, Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: $20,000 Under the Sea by Sam Locrian

An exceptional high-stakes drama on the high seas that brims with encroaching horror, $20,000 Under the Sea by Sam Locrian is a timely historical commentary and a masterclass in psychological suspense.

In this alternate historical timeline of 1920, an elite but odd cadre of unusual characters arrive on board The Prince’s Emblazoned, a luxury liner bound for adventure, with gambling on international waters, and a healthy dose of ulterior motives. The larger-than-life quartet of entangled protagonists is set to duke it out in a poker game, which includes a pot that may be big enough to die for. However, there […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2025-09-03T17:28:01+02:00August 4th, 2025|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|