Bella Wright

Bella Wright blogs about books, film and media.

Azabu Getaway, The Year’s Best Crime Thriller by Michael Pronko

The Bottom Line: Detective Hiroshi has never been more entertaining in this electrifying crime thriller featuring some truly ingenious financial crimes.  When American wealth manager Patrick Walsh returns to his Tokyo apartment and keys in his passcode, he’s surprised to find that it still works. For those unfamiliar with Tokyo, Azabu is known as one of Tokyo’s most expensive residential districts. When Walsh’s ex-wife Miyuki […]

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Blood Before Dawn

BLOOD BEFORE DAWN, The Year’s Best Historical Thriller

The Bottom Line: The year’s best historical thriller (Winner, The BestThrillers.com Book Awards). April 1979: Ken Verrier and his wife, Sam return to Liberia only to buy diamonds, but they get caught up in a bloody rice riot and a coup d’état. Ken witnesses and unwittingly participates in a period of Liberia’s tumultuous yet poorly documented history—the overthrow of the Tolbert presidency that ultimately ends

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Best psychological thriller of 2022 - ashes in venice

Ashes in Venice, The Year’s Best Psychological Thriller

The Bottom Line: Unpredictable, brilliantly crafted and deliriously unhinged, we can’t get enough of Ashes in Venice, and you won’t either. Gojan Nikolich’s Ashes in Venice is many things, among them revenge thriller, police procedural and darkly comic commentary on the state of criminal justice. The novel begins with a murder scene strongly reminiscent of Dexter. Based on the precision with which he dispenses his

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A Bounty of Bone, a Jaw-Dropping Suspense Thriller by PG Lengsfelder

The Bottom Line: A jaw-dropping suspense thriller that is unlike anything you’ve ever read. Eunis, a 39-year-old albino Minnesota woman, bears the “mark of the devil” – a brown birthmark on her left cheek that runs from her eye to her chin. A Bounty of Bone is the captivating story of how Eunis goes from someone whose appearance repulses people to someone who is hunted

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Bad Fortune, a Triumphant New Malcolm Winters Mystery

The Bottom Line: A slow-burn, cerebral mystery that methodically builds stakes and suspense en route to a shocking climax.  Thomas J. Thorson’s highly anticipated fourth Malcolm Winters Mystery (the first, Heirs Apparent, was one our 2020 Best of the Year picks) continues the story of Malcolm Winters, who is now living as an English professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. As he did in

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The Fragment Murder, a Sexy Conspiracy Thriller by Andrew Bonar

The Bottom Line: A sexy conspiracy thriller with jaw-dropping twists that will have readers anxiously awaiting the next series installment.  The sequel to Andrew Bonar’s Back Bay Murders continues the story of amorous crimefighting duo Drew Law and Ashley Tinder, as well as “the Organization.” As the book opens, Drew has just been the focus of a 60 Minutes segment, making him the country’s most

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Book Marketing Strategies 2022: What Publishers and Authors Say Works Now

The results of our annual book marketing survey are in. Once again, mystery and thriller titles currently dominate book sales charts. It’s clear that there are more ways to sell, promote and cross-promote books than ever. So how are publishers, writers and publicists marketing their books? What are the most valuable formats, services and channels? What about email, social media, professional book reviews and discount

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Gwendy’s Final Task, a New Psychological Thriller by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar

The Bottom Line: A satisfying conclusion to the Button Box trilogy that takes heroine to new heights, both literally and metaphorically Book one, Gwendy’s Button Box – which we ranked as one of Stephen King’s best audiobooks – kicked things off in familiar ground for King fans. In Castle Rock, Maine, a device with terrifying and glorious powers reveals itself to Gwendy Peterson, who is

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Prey No More, a Highly Recommended Revenge Thriller by Lee Matthew Goldberg

The Bottom Line: A gloriously nasty revenge thriller that manages to shock and surprise until the final page.  The second installment in Lee Matthew Goldberg’s Desire Card trilogy, set decades after Immoral Origins, follows assassin J.D. Storm, who goes by the handle James Dean. We first find J.D. preparing for a mission that will take him to Morocco. In a business where any wish can

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The RX for Murder, a Poignant Mystery by Sue Hinkin

The Bottom Line: Lovable amateur sleuths take on Big Pharma in a highly personal and poignant mystery about corporate greed and friendship. After the murder of a veteran reporter David Pine, amateteur sleuths Bea Middleton and Lucy Vega are drawn into the likely reason for his death: an in-progress story about big pharma selling generic medicine with little or no active ingredients to the poorest

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