Leah Orr (Orrplace Press)
Leah Orr’s The Fruitcake is a darkly comic suburban thriller set in the affluent, sun-drenched Laguna Palms neighborhood on Florida’s Hutchinson Island. The novel begins with Holly Kelly’s reluctant participation in a community fruitcake exchange, only to stumble upon a gruesome murder committed by one of the enigmatic Hudson sisters. As Holly’s narrative unspools—from her family’s move to paradise, through the forming of eccentric friendships (especially with Gina, Greta, and Chloe) to the unraveling of suburban secrets—the story alternates wi...
Linda Watkins (Argon Press)
Linda Watkins’ A Cesspool of Spies is set in 1950 and in a world of political turmoil as the Cold War rages, Korea is invaded, and accusations of communist infiltration shake America. The story follows Simon Biggs, a working-class WWII Navy veteran, recruited into the nascent CIA in the late 1940s. After a grueling training period under the watchful (and sometimes sadistic) Major Brad Sullivan, Simon is shipped off to Istanbul, a hotbed of espionage, where he’s quickly forced into a real assassination – killing a Soviet asset with a garrote. As...
Matthew Fults (Tradecraft Werks Inc.)
Matthew Fults’s The Sunflower Widows is a heartwarming novel set against the backdrop of Ukraine’s recent war, charting the lives of ordinary villagers as their world is upended by conflict. The narrative centers on Yulia, a young nurse, and her husband Maksym, an aspiring writer, who move to a small village to build a peaceful life. When war erupts, Maksym volunteers to defend his homeland, leaving Yulia and the other women behind. Through the eyes of Yulia, her mentor Kathryna (the village caretaker), and Ana, the wife of an older s...
D.E. Ring (Grinder)
D.E. Ring’s Death and His Brother is another captivating sixth entry into the Urquhart & MacDonald Murder Mysteries, and it is a classic whodunit set in mid-20th-century Cape Breton, Canada, following a cast of musicians, hotel staff, and small-town residents thrown together by fate and a deadly accident. The story opens as a group of jazz musicians, along with other passengers, board a new Railiner sleeper train for the grand re-opening of The Gramercy Hotel in Barrachois. When the train barrels through its stop with no one at the controls...
Michel Godet (selfpublishing.com)
The Legacy of Moreau: The Gamble for Our Humanity by Michel Godet is a captivating thriller that examines the intersection between scientific innovation and ethical responsibility in the area of human enhancement. In a richly described world where bioengineering and neural technologies could change what it means to be human, the novel includes characters motivated by ambition, their family history, and tough moral choices. Dr. Elise Moreau’s groundbreaking creation—Project Nexus—promised to unlock the full potential of the human mind. Designed...
Ian Kirkpatrick (Steak House Books)
Bodymore Zero by Ian Kirkpatrick is a rollicking ride that thrusts you right into the gritty streets of Baltimore, ten years before the chaos of Bleed More, Bodymore. Ralph Reagan drums for his best friend's band, Bad Ass Idiot Train. They are known for their wild concerts and the rebellious frontman KC; their bond feels unbreakable—until a violent night leaves KC dead, or so Ralph thought. When KC unexpectedly reappears, bloodthirsty and unrecognizable, Ralph must confront a sinister secret lurking beneath the city's graffiti and shadows. As K...
Jessica Piro (Independently Published)
Dueling with Snakes by Jessica Piro is a gripping work that follows Leila Wells, a formidable fighter and former champion, as she returns to the Rulers of the Realms Tournament with a new partner, fueled by the desire for revenge against Bryan Foster. She has successfully battled her inner darkness—the Phoenix. Leila returns from Russia, determined to confront her past enemies, especially Bryan Foster, who has taunted her through threatening messages and deadly manipulations. As she prepares for the upcoming tournament in Panordom, Leila teams...
Jessica Piro (Independently Published)
The Dragon of Russia by Jessica Piro is a gripping tale of Leila Wells, a dedicated detective haunted by her past and her inner demons. As she hunts down drug cartels, confronts her emotional trauma, and battles her darker side—the Phoenix—Leila finds herself embroiled in dangerous missions across the United States and Russia. Her journey includes solving murders, foiling terrorist plots, and navigating complex personal relationships. She struggles to control her dark side, the Phoenix, after embracing it during the Ruler of the Realms Tourname...
Clint Arthur (Wharton MBA Books)
In More, More, More by Clint Arthur, power, espionage, and passion collide against the chaos of one of history’s most dangerous financial weapons: inflation. Meet Jack Powers, a street-smart kid from Alphabet City who rises to the heights of Wharton and Wall Street—only to be pulled into a covert Cold War mission that could topple nations. The story traces his life from childhood, spent squatting in Alphabet City, through his formative years in the city’s rough neighborhoods, to his never-ending quest for the American Dream—aiming for admission...
Lisa Towles (Indies United Publishing House, LLC)
Switch by Lisa Towles is the third installment in the E&A Investigations series, a cleverly plotted thriller featuring complex characters. Mari Ellwyn and Derek Abernathy face a chilling mystery: a body vanishes from the morgue amid a wave of bank heists threatening their coastal town. As they unravel a tangled web involving the disappearance of a former medical examiner and a shadowy multi-national organization, Mari's past comes back to haunt her. How does this relate to her father’s mysterious disappearance and her nemesis, crime bo...
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