Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

The Fracking War by Michael J Fitzgerald is an eco-political thriller. Jack Stafford has been in the reporting business for years. He leaves his job in California and goes back to his roots in New York, to The Horsehead Clarion where he got his first job working for Walter. Walter is still running the paper and he wants Jack to cover a column about hydro fracking. What starts out as a simple job reporting the facts takes an ugly turn when a group of protesters, who call themselves the Wolverines and have modeled themselves on the fictional story of The Monkey Wrench Gang, takes matter further than simple protesting. Jack follows the story, reporting on the problems caused by hydro fracking; the pollution to water, the illness and deaths to people, animals, and the inevitable increase in crime. The lies become more elaborate and the consequences more severe as Jack, with the help of Devon and Eli, pushes to get at the truth. Truth or fiction? You decide.

The Fracking War by Michael J Fitzgerald was one of the most gripping stories I have read in some time. This is a real human interest story, something so close to the truth that we should all be sitting up and taking notice. I loved the way that, although this is fiction, it is written as though the author were narrating a true series of events and that lent it an air of realism. I found the characters to be very well suited to the story and the plot was well laid out; it’s clear that a good deal of time and effort has gone into this book. I would urge anyone who has an interest in politics, human interest, ecology, and the environment to pick up this book – you won’t put it down until you’ve finished.

Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite

Emily Stone, former police officer, is a vigilante detective who spends her time hunting down serial killers, particularly those that prey on children. Because of her exceptional profiling skills, she and her partner-lover Rick have closed more serial cases than many seasoned homicide detectives. Her prolific profiling skills and outstanding forensic techniques, along with deductive crime scene investigations, have set her up as major thorn in the side of many serial killers.

This story opens with a vehicle pursuit that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. At the end of the chase, Emily learns the true identity of the killer and almost loses her life in the process. The killer decides to let her live, at least for a while. In this book, Emily and Rick (a former detective), are hunting the Tick-Tock Killer, a serial killer who targets children. The killer is mocking the authorities by telling them where he will dump the next body. This creates a heightened sense of urgency for everyone concerned. Can Emily find and stop him before another child becomes a victim…

The fast paced action and plot momentum keep the reader’s attention to the very end. Although this book is part of a series, there is an extensive back story that fills the reader in on why and how Emily has chosen to pursue this career. The author has created a strong female protagonist that shows strengths and weaknesses. Her characterization is well developed and the plotting is superior as well. I recommend this book for anyone that enjoys great, well-written thrillers.

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

A group of greedy active duty CIA operatives decides they want to cash out of government service by selling cutting edge technical secrets. They try to kidnap Leecy Granger, Ron and Valerie's daughter, as the first step in their plan. Boy, did they ever pick the wrong family. Meet the Grangers, a typical American family on the surface but so much more underneath. Ron is a quiet guy, a very likable husband and father. But Ron is also a former CIA agent, actually something of a legend at the agency, a one man kill squad. But wait, there's more, a lot more; his wife is even deadlier. This is the premise behind Blood Line by John J. Davis. I have to say Davis pulls this off brilliantly. I liked Ron but I was fascinated by his wife, Valerie. Valerie is a mom, businesswoman, devoted daughter and sister, and a former Mossad assassin. She is every bit as lethal as her husband and probably a little smarter.

Blood Lines is a quiet little gem of genius. I love espionage novels and I have read a lot of them, but I can assure you that I have never read a novel where the world of espionage is so smoothly blended with ordinary American family life. The genius of John J. Davis is that both facets of Ron and Valerie's characters are believable; the spy and the parent. Just as importantly for the reader, this family is very, very likable.

Reviewed by Eileen Johnson for Readers' Favorite

The 3rd Option by Ben Sharpton opens with Allan Chappel arriving at Inc. Ubator for a job interview with a long-time friend. All he knows about the company is that it is a medical think-tank that is doing cutting-edge research that promises to change the medical landscape. Allan tried the seminary as a young man but was disillusioned and left the ministry before taking his vows. He sees this potential job as a way to escape from a life that does not have much to offer him. As Allan arrives for his interview, the building is destroyed by a blast that kills everyone inside the building. Allan awakens in the hospital with a police inspector standing by his bed asking him why he was at the family planning clinic that day. As they talk, Allan begins to understand that he is a prime suspect in the bombing. After the inspector leaves, Allan runs, knowing that he must leave in order to clear his name. So begins a suspenseful tale that becomes an international event as Allan follows the minimal clues he has.

In The 3rd Option, Sharpton creates an intricate story that examines what might happen if the pro-life/pro-choice debate really did have a third option that might be agreeable to both parties. The characters in this fictional work are very well-developed and each one has their own motivation for the actions they take. As Allan uncovers more of the story, he is pursued by the law and a large, bald, goateed man who is intent on killing him. As he runs, his psychic Aunt Julia sends text messages that keep Allan one step ahead of his pursuers. A well-written thriller that explores the possibility of a 3rd option, this novel is a wonderful read!

Reviewed by Bil Howard for Readers' Favorite

With the frontier in Pennsylvania undefended, the lives of the settlers there are at risk as parties of the Delaware tribe take advantage of an opportunity to regain what they had lost to the English settlers. Forest Sentinels by S. Thomas Bailey is an exciting historical fiction work which is set during the French and Indian War. With the British army having been defeated at Monongahela, they began to pull back to the east, leaving the settlement completely unprotected. Knowing that the settlers were left to their own devices, Jacob Murray and his young friend Joshua put together a group of militia to move back into the area and at least attempt to give some form of protection to the people who are fighting for their lives there. There is a fly in the ointment as they set out to build a fort and provide protection; Jacob’s wife Maggie is missing and has been captured by Pontiac, a leader of the Ottawa people and little more than a bully. Also missing is Joshua’s best friend One-Ear. As Jacob is attempting a rescue mission, however, he is captured and held prisoner by a dangerous warrior. When it appears that all is lost, however, a band of sentinels in the form of ghosts from the past and mysterious things begin to happen which were completely unexpected and the Murrays suddenly begin to feel as if they might make it through this difficult trial after all.

Forest Sentinels by S. Thomas Bailey is a well written historical fiction novel with a fantasy twist which draws on a deeper history and is an excellent addition to the Gauntlet Runner Series. The reader will be able to hear the wind blowing through the lonesome trees of the frontier and feel the fear of the impending disaster which lingers throughout the story. Well researched, mysterious and thrilling, Forest Sentinels will send a chill up your spine and make your heart pound as you are swept away in the intense drama of a time when early Americans were struggling to carve a nation out of the frontier.

Reviewed by Faridah Nassozi for Readers' Favorite

The Spark by John Kenny is set in the aftermath of a fire which claimed the life of one firefighter and left another, Donny, in critical condition. Slightly over a year later, Donny returns to work, doing the same thing as before, putting out fires and saving lives. He still thinks that the fire that killed his captain and mentor was not an accident; there were way too many coincidences for his liking. He decides he will not rest until he finds out the truth so he starts digging, looking over reports, speaking to witnesses, and making calls. There is, however, someone on the other side who will do anything to ensure that the truth never sees the light of day, and she has help from powerful people who can call in favors from as high up as the NSA. But Donny is determined to get to the bottom of it and will not stop, no matter what.

The Spark portrays the life of the men and women of the fire department. It has interesting details of the inner workings of the fire department and the tough love that keeps the teams together. John Kenny shares in deep detail the day-to-day life inside the fire department, while at the same time unfolding an enticing and fast paced thriller about a man willing to go to any lengths to discover the truth about the fire that killed his boss and mentor. I learnt so much about the fire department and got to appreciate firefighters even more for putting their lives on the line all the time, while at the same time enjoying an incredible story. I loved every single page of it and read it nonstop to the very end.

Reviewed by Bil Howard for Readers' Favorite

An odd green glow high up on one of the peaks on the island of Puerto Rico has government scientists confused and questioning its origin. Brad Stout is tasked to make sense of this URP (Unexplained Radiation Phenomenon) in Borrowed Bones by Charles A. Salter. With orders straight from the White House, Brad is put in charge of a secure lab which is bound to secrecy in order to find an answer to the mystery before it threatens to destroy the entire earth in something resembling a reversal of the Big Bang Theory. However, someone is trying to stop him and making it a permanent end seems to be their ultimate goal. The next twist of fate is that they are located on the inside of the lab. Is that why the beautiful Lindsey Cowell is so eagerly by Brad’s side or is she simply trying to seduce him for her own personal reasons? Brad has an overwhelming puzzle to solve and only a short period of time in which to solve it before the entire earth goes BANG!

Charles A. Salter has hit another home run with Borrowed Bones. This thrilling mystery takes a firm grip on the reader from the beginning and tightens it throughout. The twists and turns of the plot continue to deepen the mystery as Brad comes closer and closer to the truth. Having a saboteur on the inside makes it even more challenging and places suspicion on those who are nearest to him. The hair-raising, intense, and brilliantly woven mystery of Borrowed Bones will have readers on the edge of their seats with their hearts pounding.

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

Set in the near future, Apex Predator by Kelvin Kwa follows the story about the race between the Chinese military and the U.S. Navy Seals to retrieve a fallen satellite in the Arctic Circle. Unknown to them, deep beneath the polar ice cap, a snakelike ancient mythological creature has awakened. The satellite crash causes the destruction of its hatchlings and the gigantic creature wants revenge. This 649-page science fiction thriller does not feel lengthy at all. It hits the ground running. Kelvin Kwa did not waste any time to introduce the malicious yet intelligent serpentine beast. Fast-paced and action-packed, Apex Predator can rival any adrenaline-pumping Hollywood movies. The creature is relentless and the humans are tested beyond their imagination; they need more than military might to survive.

It is not just the action scenes and the creature that stand out here, though. In terms of characters, Master Chief Carter Bohem, Captain Marcus Cartaneo, Executive Officer Rudi Jessen – just to name a few – Kwa shows marvelous skill through deftly written protagonists and maintains their significance to the story from start to finish. I am amazed that Kwa has plenty of time to develop his characters in a high-speed and hectic plot. On the whole, Kelvin Kwa has the streak of inventiveness and originality that rivals some of the established sci-fi writers that I know. That being said, the editing has some dents but very few and hardly fault the story at all. Full of gripping twists and turns, Apex Predator will keep readers turning the pages.

Reviewed by Fiona Ingram for Readers' Favorite

For hundreds of years, Los Guardianes de la Paz – the Guardians of Peace – have enforced an uneasy truce between humans and vampires. When vampires kill two Mexicans on the Rio Grande, everything changes. The vampires must now find a new place to live, and a reliable, clean food supply. Meanwhile, former DEA agent Robert Mackie is on a simple but dangerous mission: ferret out the turncoat who had blown his cover as a dedicated employee of a notorious East Coast drug lord. Through a twist of fate, however, his quest for justice ends up putting his niece and nephew in grave danger. Suddenly, the children are thrown into the mix of an enormous vampire family in the higher reaches of the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas. One of the children there, 13-year-old Greg Pike, is about to find himself the star attraction in the vampires’ version of a fox hunt … unless he can escape first. Now Carlos Santiago, the eldest of the Guardians, must find the help he needs to put an end to the violence and set things right with the world again. But nothing is as it seems, and death lurks around every corner.

I chose to review this book because the story sounded so interesting. In fact, this book is so gripping that I couldn’t put it down. The story jumps out and grabs the reader from the word “Go.” The book begins innocuously enough, with several story threads seemingly unrelated. But wait … gradually those threads intertwine to create a tightly-paced, thrilling chase to the death. Brad Anderson has a practical approach to the paranormal, making his vampires utterly believable and thereby creating a solid, credible plot. He mixes up genres to create a fascinating blend of thriller, mystery, and paranormal. The plot is fascinating, and unlike anything I’ve ever read. Although adults take the spotlight every now and again, it is the character of young Greg Pike that rises above the others. The author isn’t afraid to delve into the grittier realities of life when dealing with his characters’ situations and dilemmas. I found the ending unresolved, but there are definite hints at more to come in this genre. If you are looking for something to keep you riveted, read this book. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lee Ashford for Readers' Favorite

“Dead Burn” by Jennifer Chase is at least the fourth Emily Stone thriller skillfully woven by the author. In this episode Emily is trying to figure out a serial killer arsonist, whose method of trapping his victims in some situation from which they cannot escape before burning them to death seems to be evolving with each new murder. The victims in this case are a rapist who was released due to lack of evidence, his cheesy defense attorney who has built his reputation getting similar cases dismissed, the judge who let the rapist go along with his only daughter and her husband, the private investigator who helped produce the “lack of evidence”, the Assistant District Attorney, and the Jury Foreman. The intensely personal and painful ordeals Emily goes through to finally stop the killer are more than sufficient to make you – and Emily – wonder why she continues in this line of work.
 
“Dead Burn” is a gut-wrenching, nerve-wracking thriller that will keep you glued to the edge of your seat from start to finish. Multiple sub-plots threaten Emily’s life from directions she doesn’t even suspect until after she has managed to elude them. If you like thrillers, get this book, a bottle of antacid tablets, and clear your calendar for a few days so you won’t be interrupted. Advise your family that you are not to be disturbed, under penalty of your wrath if they do disturb you. Then prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster that will challenge your stamina. This is a story you will not soon forget.