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Only the Dead by Jack Carr
Beware the Woman by Megan Abbot
Breakneck by Marc Cameron
Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon
The Magistrate by Brian Klingborg
The Long March Home by Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton
The Devil You Know by Chris Hauty
Cultured by D. P. Lyle
Only the Dead by Jack Carr

Only the Dead by Jack Carr

The terrific “Only the Dead”, Jack Carr’s sixth thriller to feature his Navy SEAL doppelganger James Reece, is his best one yet.

In large part, that’s because of the stakes, nothing less than global hegemony, are even higher than usual, and because Reece faces his biggest challenges yet. The book opens with him in solitary confinement, effectively stopping him from intervening—at least, that’s what the typically all-powerful conspirators think. Once Reece is free, all bets are off. At that point, we’re off on an international chase to prevent a shattering upheaval of the world order that would make Ian Fleming and James Bond himself proud.

“Only the Dead” features classic structure and plotting. David Morrell pretty much invented this particular thriller sub-genre with “First Blood,” and Carr’s latest goes that masterpiece’s theme of one-man-against-the-world one better by going global. Superb action, Ludlum-like intrigue, and le Carre-like duplicity make this a seminal thriller and a brilliant entry in a great series.


Beware the Woman by Megan Abbot

Beware the Woman by Megan Abbot

Megan Abbott is no stranger to the bestseller lists either for good reasons as well, all of which are on display in “Beware the Woman”.

Newlyweds and soon-to-be parents, Jacy and Jed couldn’t be happier. That is, until a trip to visit Jed’s father in his isolated, northern Michigan cabin. Things go askew when Jacy is struck by a mysterious illness that renders her housebound. From there, we’re treated to a series of occurrences that roil Jacy’s sensibility and leave her fearing that something may be very wrong that may threaten her pregnancy.

“Beware the Woman” is a superb psychological thriller in all respects, evoking comparisons to nightmarish tales by the likes of Lisa Gardner and Harlan Coben. But there are also echoes of Daphne du Maurier and even Stephen King here, with Lacy serving as a narrator whose reliability is in question.


Breakneck by Marc Cameron

Breakneck by Marc Cameron

Marc Cameron has fashioned a mindbender of a tale in “Breakneck”, a book both bracingly original and beautifully realized.

Our villains, appropriately enough, are murderous Russian mobsters who kill with impunity, well, because they can. So when they train their deadly sights on an American Supreme Court justice, it’s a good thing the stalwart U.S. Marshal team of Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki are on the job. The action is centered in Alaska, specifically the wilderness where Cutter takes refuge with that justice in tow as an army of Bratva killers follow their trail into the dangerous wild.

It’s a fascinating sociological phenomenon that the Russians, then Soviets, were the boogeymen of thriller fiction for decades before relinquishing that mantel to Islamic terrorists, just as they had seized it from the Nazis. Well, they’re back as the dominant bad guys in the genre, though seldom portrayed with the sharpness Cameron utilizes here. “Breakneck” races out of the gate and moves at breakneck speed all the way to the supremely effective climax. Not to be missed.


Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon

Killing Me by Michelle Gagnon

Michelle Gagnon’s “Killing Me,” (Putnam, 312 pages, $27.00) not only features one of the best titles of the year, it’s also the best serial killer entry of 2023 so far, even though Gagnon brings a surprisingly light touch to the subject matter.

Amber Jamison escapes the clutches of one serial killer, only to find her in the cross hairs of another, and this one just might be the most prolific ever, determined to make Amber the next notch on his belt. Staying ahead of him leads to an escape odyssey, filled with roguish, comically colorful characters all the way to a desolate, dilapidated motel that makes the Bates Motel look like a five-star.

With the laugh out loud “Killing Me,” Gagnon stakes her claim as the female Carl Hiaasen. The great thing about Hiaasen’s books is that they’re also solidly plotted, another distinction that Gagnon shares with him. The undercurrent of humor only adds to the entertainment value, making this as much fun as a book can be.


The Magistrate by Brian Klingborg

The Magistrate by Brian Klingborg

Brian Klingborg’s books featuring Inspector Lu Fei has quickly become one of the most exciting and original series going today, all the reasons for which are on keen display in “The Magistrate”.

Once again, the setting is China, specifically the northern part of the country which is Lu Fei’s jurisdiction as a Deputy Chief Inspector. This time out, the stalwart detective finds himself investigating a series of interconnected sordid events from political corruption, to a gangster’s murder, to human trafficking. Of course, in China rubbing powerful people the wrong way can get you killed or imprisoned. But that hasn’t stopped Lu Fei in the past and it’s not going to stop him now.

Not since Martin Cruz Smith introduced Arkady Renko in “Gorky Park” or Jane Tennison first appeared in “Prime Suspect,” has an author exhibited so much mastery of a foreign country and its justice system. That makes “The Magistrate” not only a superb, nail-biting and beautifully conceived mystery-thriller, but also a primer on the inner workings of Chinese government and civil society. An instant classic.


The Long March Home by Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton

The Long March Home by Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton

“The Long March Home” by Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton is one of those books that’s difficult to classify, which doesn’t diminish its brilliance even a little bit.

Historical tales are always a heavy lift for writers and readers, especially when they deal with a particularly regretful and tragic time. Such is the case with “The Long March Home,” thanks to the tale being centered on the brutal Bataan Death March. Good thing the storytelling is distinguished by its first-person narrator, Jimmy Propfield, who joins the Army in the early days of World War II, along with two close friends. The trio is together for that fateful march and in the quest for survival that follows, as we’re treated to a vivid and bracing take on a truly unthinkable experience.

Such heartbreaking tales of survival are normally better told in nonfiction. Not so here, thanks to the incredible job Lee and Brotherton have done in stitching their story together. “The Long March Home” reads like something from the pen of Ernest Hemingway or even Tim O’Brien (“The Things They Carried”). It’s not a book about war, so much as the strength and dignity of the human spirit. Superb in all respects.


The Devil You Know by Chris Hauty

The Devil You Know by Chris Hauty

Chris Hauty is back with his fourth book to feature the irrepressible Hayley Chill in “The Devil You Know”.

Chill, a former soldier and current White House staff troubleshooter, finds herself in beautiful Hawaii trying to save the life of a second Supreme Court justice. I say second because the first was murdered by a member of his security detail. Once in Maui, she contends with a busload of children who will be systematically murdered unless justice number two is served up on a platter. It falls on Hayley to figure out how to save the kids and the justice, even as she sorts through a moral quagmire in search of who’s behind the plot.

That’s a heavy burden to shoulder for a young woman with the same faults and foibles as everyone else. Chill’s beautifully drawn character highlights a terrific, riveting action thriller that leaves us thinking even as we’re turning the pages.


Cultured by D. P. Lyle

Cultured by D. P. Lyle

Jake Longly, former pro baseball player and current amateur sleuth, returns in wondrously entertaining fashion in D. P. Lyle’s “Cultured”.

Jake also owns a Gulf Shores, Alabama restaurant now and looks forward to a life running a business he loves right on a beach he loves just as much. That is, until he’s summoned by his private detective father to take up the search for a young woman who went missing from a cult-like resort owned by a billionaire who fancies himself beyond the law. The fun begins when Jake goes undercover into the world of the rich and richer where pretty much nothing is as it seems.

Six books in, this series only keeps getting bigger. Lyle again strikes the perfect tone for his story, a cross between John D. MacDonald and Carl Hiaasen. To that point, Jake has become Travis Magee with a lighter touch. “Cultured” shoots for the bull’s eye and hits it dead center.


Jon Land

Jon Land is the bestselling author over 25 novels. He graduated from Brown University in 1979 Phi Beta Kappa and Magna cum Laude and continues his association with Brown as an alumni advisor. Jon often bases his novels and scripts on extensive travel and research as well as a twenty-five year career in martial arts. He is an associate member of the US Special Forces and frequently volunteers in schools to help young people learn to enjoy the process of writing. Jon is the Vice-President of marketing of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and is often asked to speak on topics regarding writing and research. In addition to writing suspense/thrillers, Jon is also a screenwriter with his first film credit in 2005. Jon works with many industry professionals and has garnered the respect and friendship of many author-colleagues. He loves storytelling in all its forms. Jon currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island and loves hearing from his readers and aspiring writers.