Keep Your Friends Close

 In  this blog post, I reviewed Leah Konen’s Keep Your Friends Close. This thriller will keep you in suspense from start to finish. It would deliver you goosebumps and gasping breaths in every turned page. For Mary Haywood, all she wanted is to move to Old Forge New York with her young son Alex. But her husband George is making it difficult for her to do so with vile threats and intimidating tactics. But when she meets Willa, her looks could kill, they would be more than deceiving when she befriends her, and later learns who she was, when she discovered her husband’s dead body at her home. At first, she’s a prime suspect, but she didn’t know who would be vindictive to kill him in cold blood. She later becomes hesitant and doubts Willa after she ghosted her for a time. In the end, she later discovered the shocking truth on who killed him and why… that would leave you breathless.

This nitty-gritty dark thriller has all the right elements of a psychological thriller. It has plenty of shocking twists and turns to leave you second-guessing everything. I really cared about Mary and how she wanted freedom with her son. I remained on the fence about WIlla, since the novel is turned in her POV and WIlla’s, back and forth. I really liked the settings in New York near Woodstock that made it picturesque for the location. The theme is be careful what you wish for and to who to trust in the end.

If you like twisted thrillers with plenty of non-stop drama, and lots of intense suspense, Keep Your Friends Close will send you shivers. This is recommended for fans who read Mary Lubica, Erica Spindler, Shari LaPena, LIsa Jackson, and many others.

The Lying Club

    In this blog post, I reviewed Annie Ward’s The Lying Club. This compelling thriller will scintillate you and keep you enthralled on every page. It all started for Natalie Bellman, who worked as an administrative assistant in a prestigious private school called Falcon Academy near Denver Colorado, when she discovered a bloody dead body on the ground, and later interviewed by the local police.  There, she fell for the charms of the much-loved athletic Nicholas Maguire, who had her under his twisted spell of deceitful lies. For Brooke Elliman and Asha Wilson, these two soccer mom would do anything for their sophomoric daughters to get into the college of their dreams. But at what price, when they were all spellbound by Nicholas’s deceit, when he attempted to ruin their lives and tear them apart? They weren’t the only ones who had a bone to pick with them. Together, they joined forces and swapped stories about how they hated Nicholas Maguire by lying to the police and bonded as newfound friends in a secret conspirationship. 

This intriguing thriller will keep you at the edge of your seat. I cared for Asha, who was suspicious of her husband having an affair, and having her third child. I also cared for Natalie, who was duped by a cold-hearted snake, and Brooke Elliman, who wanted to do right for her ex-husband and her daughter.  I also liked how diverse it was, when Asha was an Indian-American character. I also liked how it talked about teen athleticism  and dealing with a bit of addiction abuse. The location of Falcon Valley, Colorado was perfect and cold for this chilling thriller with epic scenic settings. The theme of the story is looks could be deceiving when you should trust your gut. 

This captivating thriller is twisted and top-notch to keep you hooked from the first page. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no reason.  If you love compelling dark thrillers with heart-stopping twists and turns and plenty of dramatic suspense, grab a copy of the Lying Club today. his book is recommended for thriller fans who love Liane Moriarty’s One of Us is Lying and Jamie Lynn Hendrick’s It Could be Anyone.

The Cleaner

 In  this blog post, I review Mark Dawson’s The Cleaner, the first installment in the John Milton thriller series. This thriller is riveting and would leave you jumping out of your seat. It all started for John Milton, a M15 agent who had been assigned to kill people that caused threats to his government. But with one incident in France, it had changed things and left him a marked man to leave his former job by quitting. Then he met Sharon Warriner, a single mother, who needed someone to help her son Elijah. That’s when Milton came into the picture to help him stay away from drugs and gangs and to take upon boxing with his ally, Dennis Rutherford. He also fixed up a run-down home and became Elijah’s closest friend. But with a target on his back from his former employer and a gangster leader named Bizness, he needed to stay alive and watch his step until someone wanted him as a marked man on the run.

This heart-pounding thriller is well-written and scintillating with every twisted turned. I cared for Milton who wanted a clean slate and needed a break away from his former job, though it might not be so easy. We’ve gotten to know his softer side about helping Sharon and Elijah Warriner out, though he might’ve done more than ruffled a bunch of feathers.The location of London and its surrounding cities would take you places from crime-filled streets to the suburbs. The theme of the story is you can’t run or escape from your past, no matter how hard you tried.

This gripping thriller is off to the great start for this debut. I had no issues with this book. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no reason. If you love thrillers with an espionage angle with non-stop drama, plenty of action, and lots of shocking twists, you’ve love The Cleaner. It’s recommended for fans who love Lee Child’s Reacher and espionage thrillers.

Carolina Moonset

 

In this blog post, I reviewed Matt Goldman's Carolina Moonset. This captivating thriller speaks volume about families, the ties that binds us to them, and old secrets that lurked through the shadows. It all started for Joey Green, who flew to Beaufort, South Carolina, to visit his mother and his ailing father, Marshall. He's a middle-aged divorced father from Chicago and didn't know what to expect when he visited his father for a week. His father has been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, and during this trip, he had hallucinations from people in the past that were interconnected to Hammond Island, and the rich prominent people who owned that land. Joey also did expect to fall in love with his parents neighbor's only daughter Leela, who's also divorced, and had kids of her own. At first, they experimented with dating and unknown feelings for each other. When Thomas Hammond was shot in the thunderstorm, the Beaufort PD believe that Joey's dad did it due to long-stemmed hatred he had against them in the past. It was up to Joey and Leela to put together the pieces together in Beaufort and learn more of his father's secrets in the past. He had brought them together and temporarily split them apart to solve this puzzle. But when the week ends, they go their separate ways until they can be together again with a sweet ending.

This thriller tugs at your heart and kept me in suspended suspense. I cared for Joey who was there for his father and gave him piece of mind. And I thought that Leela was intriguing with her way of thinking to help him out.The scenic location of Beaufort, South Carolina, was mesmerizing for the setting to take place on the swamp and also in the small town. The dual themes of the story are cherish your loved ones when they need you the most and petty jealousy will find its way to sneak up to you for greed.

This fascinating thriller is wonderful and fascinated to read from start to finish. I had nothing to nitpick on this novel. I rated this book, five out of five stars, because it was well-written and has feature film potential. If you love heart-warming thrillers that deal with an unsolved mystery and family, check out Carolina Moonset today. This is recommended for those who loved great novels that's set in the south and has a little love story on the side.

Under Pressure

  In  this blog post, I reviewed Sara Driscoll’s Under Pressure,  the 6th installment in the FBI K-9 thriller series. This new thriller is riveting and compelling on every page from start to finish. For Meg Jennings, a former cop and K-9 dog handler, it was nothing but a routine search and rescue mission with her dog Hawk. While things were going good with her partner Todd Webb, a firefighter/paramedic, she received a call from her boss to go on a special assignment for the FBI. They needed her to trail an undercover agent named Finn Pierce who investigated an illegal diamond trade joint on in Philadelphia. Between her and her colleague Ryan and his dog Lacey, they did a practice trail without giving themselves and his location away after a couple of tries.  When they passed, they dealt with the real thing and real big-time danger dealing with the Philly crime family and their illegal crime operations in the city. When someone attacked her and the dog, it became personal. And when danger attacked her, it hit close to home when she fought for her life. When her sister’s partner go missing, it’s up to Meg and Hawk, Brian and Lacey to find him before it’s too late to save him.

This K-9 thriller is suspenseful and daring. I cared for Meg on how she cared for her sister and for her dog Hawk. I could see the passion in her eyes and why she loved her job as a SAR dog handler. I also cared for Brian, Webb, McCord, and Cara. They were a stellar cast of characters. Hawk and Lacey were amazing dogs who took care of her owners. The locations set in Philly, Washington D.C, and Virginia were picturesque with vivid scenic settings. The theme of the story is watch your step when trouble follows you home.

This twisted K-9 thriller is captivating and keeps you wanting to read more. I couldn’t find anything to nitpick on since I love dog-themed novels. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no reason. If you love K-9 thrillers with twists and turns with riveting non-stop action, plenty of dramatic suspense, and tons of drama, Under Pressure is right up your alley. This book is recommended for those who love Margaret Mizushima, dog-centric thrillers, and K-9/FBI thrillers and dramas.

Into the Sound

In this blog post, I reviewed Cara Reinard's Into the Sound.  this thrilling new thriller will leave you breathless and speechless by the time you finished reading. It all started for Holly Boswell, a housewife and doting mother of two sons, and a former journalist, when she received a call from her older sister Vivian in the midst of the storm. She dropped everything and rushed to find her missing at the marina when she was too late and called the cops to help search for her. But what can she do other than to confront her brother-in-law Clayton, a sleazy lawyer who helps the bad guys in court, as a prime suspect. But his house of cards is about to come crashing down at him like a domino effect when his hidden secrets came pouring out into the public. While the press focused their attention out on him, Holly looked for clues to discover more about her sister's disappearance and reflected to their emotional abusive childhood with their mother who played manipulative mind games with them for her studies, it might her take a look at her marriage with Mark and how he controlled her all the time. The closer the truth she would be to finding out if  Vivian was dead or alive, the more she learned about more secrets from her youth to shed a dark light into their relationship with a startling ending you would never believe.

This was a fantastic mind-blown psychological thriller that would knock your socks off.  I did feel sorry for Holly and Vivian who were dealt with a rough childhood and turbulent marriages with their husbands. They both needed a fresh start and a clean break from them. Their mother and Clay both gave me the creeps. My heart went out to both Vivian and Holly since I cared for them both. I loved the picturesque location of Long Island and the scenic location in Sayville, New York. The theme of the story is dark in nature and not to keep secrets that would keep back to haunt you later.

If you love heart-pounding, spine-tingling dark thrillers that would give you goosebumps with non-stop action, plenty of twisted action and suspense, and chills all over, pre-order Into the Sound now!

The Marriage Lie

 In this blog post, I reviewed Ali Mercer's the Marriage Lie. This riveting domestic suspense novel would leave you at the edge of your seat and hold your breath. What do you do when someone holds something over you? It all started for Stella Castle's 40th birthday when her husband treated her to a special dinner and gifted her to a home for where she lived alone. It caught her off guard when her husband wanted a divorce from her. If she didn't do what he wanted, he would reveal a terrible secret about their daughter's birth. With no where to turn, she went to her mother for advice. But she later learned that Rob was having an affair with someone else and carried his child. Was this some part of his midlife crisis to ditch her in the ditch? To protect this terrible secret, she would have to reach out to her younger sister Molly, who have been estranged from her family for years. When her mother passed away, she reached out to her sister before she left the funeral service. It only made her more determined to reconnect to her and to break free from Rob's dominating hold on her. Then, when her stepfather passed away shortly after her mother's death, she connected to Molly again and didn't show up for the service. In the end, Stella learned the shocking truth about her daughter and promised to protect her to the end, when they've both told Georgie a partial truth to satisfy her daughter's curiosity, and made their bond stronger than ever and better than before.

 This was a jaw-dropping domestic suspense thriller. I instantly cared for Stella, who was put into a difficult situation and tougher than a rock and a hard place. What was she to do to do his evil bidding and to do what he wants? She did what she wanted to do to break free and escape from his dominating ways to protect her daughter. It made me dislike Rob more and more until he'd gotten what he discovered. I loved the Fox Hill and other select locations in England that depicted the scenic settings so well with the ambiance for the story. The theme of the story is that blood is thicker than water and the ties that bind between family and dark secrets.

If you love gripping domestic suspense thrillers that would knock the pants off of you with non-stop action, dramatic suspense, shocking twist and turns, and chills all over, The Marriage Lie is the book for you.

Say Goodbye

In Lisa Gardner's Say Goodbye, the 6th installment in the Quincy and Rainie thriller series, she enthralled us and chilled us with this creepy and twisted thriller. For Agent Kimberly Quincy McCormack, she was five months pregnant with her first child with Mac, when there was an evil monster out there, preying on prostitutes and killing them. It all started with the disappearance and phone call from Ginny Jones. That's when she worked with GBI Agent Sal Martignetti on this most disturbing case, when Ginny was their informant and had preyed on them by helping Dinchara, a serial killer who looked like a spider himself. His backstory was creeper than before, when he was one of the missing and preyed upon. As they've gotten closer to identifying him, there was a link between then and now for one of their own, which a shocking and grim ending for sure.

This thriller most certainly gave me the creeps and a lot of chills. I would recommend it, if you have or haven't read her work before, especially reading the series in order, if not as stand-alone. I did care for Kimberly and Mac, even for Sal. I didn't like Ginny, Dinchara, or his boy minions as well. I had a liking for Rita, too. I loved the vast scenic locations in the Georgia area from the rural woods to Atlanta itself. This would give you chills, goosebumps, and a lot more in the end. Great drama with excellent suspense, intrigue, mystery and lots of non-stop action.

Before you say goodbye, give this book a try this summer!

Third Degree

In Greg Iles's Third Degree, he gave us another scintillating thriller that would chill you to the core. We meet with Laurel Shields, a special education teacher and mother of two, who found out she was  pregnant. The question was, she didn't know if it was her husband or her lover from her affair. When she came home from work, her husband was on the rampage and found out the truth, when things went bad to worse, and the shit had hit the fan, when secrets came out of the dark and into the light, when it was s a fight for survival for Laurel and her family. A thrill ride that lasted all day.

This was an excellent thriller that would leave you breathless and cold to the touch. This made me want to read all of his books, stand-alone or serial. I would recommend it, if you haven't read his book before. This was an excellent page-turner that would leave you guessing for more. I cared about Laurel and her plight, while the jury was still out on Warren. I loved the idealistic small town of Athens Point, Mississippi as the central location and settings for this novel. This would wheel you in with great drama, excellent suspense, non-stop action and intrigue.

Will you experience the third degree? If so, check it out today!