⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I literally couldn’t put down City in Ruins. Don Winslow caps off both his Danny Ryan trilogy and his career with a knockout of a finale that’s equal parts brutal, beautiful, and heartbreaking. Former dockworker and Irish mob soldier Danny Ryan has transformed into a Las Vegas casino mogul, swimming in wealth and respectability. Life finally seems golden—he has a son he adores, a woman he might love, and enough money to last several lifetimes. But when Danny tries to buy a prime piece of real estate to build his dream resort, he stirs up a hornet’s nest of corrupt Vegas power brokers, a ruthless FBI agent bent on revenge, […]
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A Brilliant and Explosive Finale to the William Warwick Series
Jeffrey Archer ends his William Warwick saga with End Game, a masterful thriller set amid the tension and spectacle of London’s 2012 Olympic Games. When Britain wins the bid to host, the celebration is cut short by an international conspiracy to launch a devastating attack that could throw the world into chaos. Commander William Warwick and his Scotland Yard team must outthink a network of ruthless operatives in a race against time—from London’s crowded streets to the shadowy halls of power—to stop the assassin before the Games begin. Archer is in top form here, blending political intrigue, espionage, and human drama with his signature precision. The pacing is relentless, the […]
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Rapp in the Crosshairs of Love and War
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Denied Access wraps up the early Mitch Rapp arc with full force. We’re back to his rookie assassin days, right where Kill Shot left off. The CIA is wobbling after the fall of the Soviet Union, Congress is circling with budget scissors, and interim director Thomas Stansfield is trying to keep the whole agency from sliding into the ash heap. Meanwhile, a major Moscow sting has blown up in spectacular fashion, costing the CIA its most valuable Russian asset. And guess who gets called in to clean up the mess? But Rapp isn’t just fighting for the flag here. When his girlfriend Greta’s family is targeted and a chilling package arrives […]
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Dust, Secrets, and Stalled Dreams
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 Pay Dirt Road drops you into a small Texas town where the sun is relentless and everyone knows each other’s business. Annie McIntyre has come home after college with no real plan, which already feels like defeat. When a former coworker is murdered, she gets pulled into her grandfather’s private investigations work. The early chapters move slow, and some of the personal conflict feels cooked up just to keep the pot bubbling. But Samantha Jayne Allen’s writing gives the setting real texture. You can feel the heat, the empty fields, the heavy quiet. Annie’s struggles with identity, belonging, and disappointment feel real, which keeps […]
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Krueger at His Best in Apostle’s Cove
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ rounded up to 5 After reading all twenty installments of the Cork O’Connor series, I can honestly say Apostle’s Cove might be my favorite yet. William Kent Krueger has once again struck that perfect balance between taut suspense and heartfelt storytelling. When Cork’s son reopens a decades-old case—one Cork himself helped close—it forces father and son to confront guilt, justice, and the murky space between right and wrong. Krueger’s signature blend of mystery, spirituality, and small-town Minnesota atmosphere shines here. The northwoods come alive with his evocative prose, and the characters—flawed, loyal, and deeply human—carry the emotional weight of the story. The dual timeline keeps the tension sharp, revealing secrets one […]
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Frankie Elkin Takes the Heat in Tucson
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lisa Gardner’s Kiss Her Goodbye takes Frankie Elkin to Tucson, Arizona, where the desert heat is matched only by the chaos surrounding a missing Afghan refugee. Sabera Ahmadi vanished three weeks ago, leaving behind her young daughter and a husband who seems oddly unbothered. When Frankie starts digging, the case quickly turns into a tangled web of murder, espionage, and family secrets. Gardner’s trademark pacing and grit are here in full force, and parts of the story are as sharp and entertaining as ever. But the book also has its share of head-scratchers. Frankie’s hallucinations were overdone and distracting, pulling me out of the action rather than deepening her character. The […]
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Office Politics Turn Deadly in This Twisty Psychological Thriller
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Freida McFadden’s The Coworker takes a simple setup—a missing employee—and turns it into a devious psychological maze. Dawn Schiff is the office oddball: awkward, punctual to a fault, and obsessed with routines. When she suddenly vanishes, her bubbly coworker Natalie Farrell is the first to notice—and the first to realize something’s very wrong. As police and colleagues start digging, Natalie’s version of events begins to crack, and the truth becomes far murkier than anyone expected. McFadden keeps the tension high with alternating points of view and short, punchy chapters that make it nearly impossible to stop reading “just one more.” The twists land hard, especially the mid-book reveal that flips everything […]
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A Thrilling Ride with Fade In by Kyle Mills
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Kyle Mills delivers high-octane action, global stakes, and a protagonist who’s as broken as he is dangerous. In Fade In, ex-Navy SEAL Salam “Fade” al-Fayed wakes from a coma to find himself recruited by a shadowy billionaire-run outfit and thrown into a race against a viral catastrophe that could wipe out civilization. The pace is relentless, the action cinematic, and the villainy chilling. Mills adds emotional depth too—Fade’s inner turmoil and his willingness to keep walking into danger make him a fascinating hero. The writing is taut, the plot twists sharp, and the moral gray zones deliciously murky. On the downside, some of the side characters could’ve used more flesh, […]
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A Love of Books Amid War and Ideology
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars) Madrid, 1934. Bárbara, a young German woman fleeing the rise of Nazism, opens a small bookstore in Spain—a sanctuary for dreamers as political tensions mount. When the Spanish Civil War erupts, her bookshop becomes a fragile refuge for hope and love, even as hatred threatens to consume the country. Her passion for literature and her relationship with a young Republican keep her fighting for a future built on words instead of war. Mario Escobar’s research is excellent, and I appreciated the Spanish Civil War setting—a refreshing departure from the many WWII novels I’ve read. The story’s message about the power of books and human resilience is uplifting. […]
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Waves of Regret and Renewal: A Quiet, Haunting Debut
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Set against the mesmerizing Croatian coastline, Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje is a cinematic and emotionally resonant debut about love, loss, and the fragile nature of possibility. The novel follows Ivona, a woman whose life has stalled while her ex-husband, Vlaho, has moved on. Despite the passing years, she remains tethered to the past—until a new relationship forces her to confront what she’s lost, what she left behind, and what she might still reclaim. Hilje, writing in English as her second language, crafts prose that is crisp, atmospheric, and quietly powerful. The Croatian coast becomes more than a backdrop—it reflects Ivona’s inner tides of longing and regret. Reading it […]
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