Thriller | Self-Publishing Review

Review: The Nawie by Alex J. Knudsen

From the twisted depths of memory comes The Nawie, a haunting psychological thriller by author Alex J. Knudsen that will make you keep the lights on.

When Marcelina Bajorek and her boyfriend take a trip back to Poland to reconnect with her family, she has no idea what horrors from the past she is about to unleash. As Marcelina is soon to learn, secrets aren’t the only monstrous things left behind in her childhood.

The opening of this novel sets a tragic tone, with a mysterious midnight terror in rural Poland envisioned through the five-year-old eyes of Marcelina, on […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-11-21T08:01:06+02:00October 23rd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Horror, Thriller|

Review: Baturi by Matthew Stephen

In Baturi, author Matthew Stephen has created a remarkable work of fiction that draws directly on his own experiences in certain dark corners of the world in the 1980s. The level of authenticity and brutal honesty achieved by this author makes this book stand out, despite its potentially niche appeal.

Matthew Ferguson is stationed in northern Nigeria with the Volunteer Services as a teacher, having chosen to leave his life behind and disconnect from everything he has known. However, becoming entranced and then embroiled with another foreigner, and a strikingly beautiful one at that, sends him spiraling into an […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2023-02-08T10:43:11+02:00September 5th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: International Fiction, Thriller|

Deep Rough by Ray Keating

Whether it’s dodging bullets, doling out wisdom or dragging a bag of clubs around the links, Pastor Grant continues to be one of the most entertaining heroes in the political thrillers and suspense genre.

In Deep Rough, author Ray Keating drops his Swiss Army Knife in human form, Pastor Grant, into another nearly unbelievable mission. He is tasked with protecting the son of a controversial pastor in China; the only problem is that the son is an international golf star whose career is on the rise. With Chinese secret police and a whole cast of unsavory characters gunning for […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-08-29T05:13:17+02:00August 29th, 2019|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Ray Keating, Thriller|

Review: Chromatophobia by W.D. County

It feels like a struggle these days to find sci-fi or horror novels that don’t regurgitate old plot lines and rely on classic tropes to snag a bit of attention, but Chromatophobia, the new novel by author W.D. County, will cause fans of these genres to sit up and take notice.

After a childhood living on the edges, isolated by his grey vision of the world, Miles Reardon has found his sweet spot in the military, where he turns tragedy into triumph as a precise and renowned sniper. From the very first scene, readers are given an intense dive […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-05-20T05:17:13+02:00August 12th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Science Fiction, Thriller, W.D. County|

Review: The Scream Behind Her Smile by Athena Daniels

In The Scream Behind Her Smile, author Athena Daniels takes readers into the dark heart of emotional turmoil, and into the devastating picture of a toxic marriage, but also offers a slice of hope.

The novel centers around Claire, a woman who suffered too much at too young an age, and found herself locked in a loveless marriage following the loss of a child – a marriage where psychological manipulation and dangerous games were the norm. As Claire feels control in her life spinning away, she chooses to make a change, leaving Derek and his mistress behind. However, this […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-08-22T06:11:41+02:00July 17th, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Athena Daniels, Romance, Thriller|

Review: The Kurdish Episode by Joseph E. Fleckenstein

The Kurdish Episode by Joseph E. Fleckenstein is a sparkling example of the “everyman with a shadowy past” who proves his mettle. What begins as a simple, yet mysterious task for an everyman quickly swells into an emotional rollercoaster of love, loyalty, and the determination to survive.

Running a small gun shop in the backcountry of Pennsylvania is exactly the type of slowed-down life Sean McDougal is looking for after his recent tour in the Army. At least, that’s how he feels at first, but as the weeks run into months, his old hunger for action and adrenaline creeps to […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-08-13T10:37:43+02:00July 1st, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: International Thriller, Joseph E. Fleckenstein, Thriller|

Review: All the Big Ones Are Dead by Christopher A. Gray and Howard E. Carson

If we have learned one thing as a species, it is that evil can come in many forms, but the higher up the chain of criminality you go, the more things become interconnected in a murky, sinister web of corruption, greed, violence, and lies. In All the Big Ones Are Dead by the talented writing team of Christopher A. Gray and Howard E. Carson, the seedy underworld linked to the illegal animal trade is exposed in brilliant and disturbing detail.

When it comes to the illegal trade of ivory from elephant tusks and rhino horns, the first sin is the […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-06-24T10:06:56+02:00June 23rd, 2019|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Howard E. Carson, International Thriller, Thriller|

Review: Shattered Shield by Camden Mays

A story that could have been ripped from the headlines – or a heavily redacted report – Shattered Shield by Camden Mays is a riveting spy thriller that draws readers in with an intoxicating flood of action and suspense.

Cole Cameron is a leading character that you might recognize – a worn out government agent who is beginning to question his path in life, and may be dipping his fingers outside of the boundaries of the law. However, when real danger rears its head, he dives back into his duty, and his patriotic, heroic side wins out over the bitterness […]