Michelle Rao

Cross Examination, a New Legal Thriller from a Master Storyteller

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The Bottom Line: James E. Carroll is a master storyteller. Come for the murder mystery and riveting courtroom drama, but stay for the cunning corporate conspiracy. James E. Carroll’s second Jamie Carson Legal Thriller, Cross Examination, focuses on Herbie Jones, a white collar worker whose gun possession charge – aside from a prior arrest for cocaine possession – seems somewhat out of character. Herbie is a star […]

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Proxy War Book Review

Proxy War, a Knockout Series Debut by S.W. Michaels

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The Bottom Line: A knockout series debut you can’t afford to miss. Proxy War is a rare combination of explosive technology, global security stakes and emotional depth.  College student Alex Mercer lives with her adoptive parents, Jin-woo and Soo-yeon Mercer, in a modest Fremont, California apartment complex. Amidst financial struggles, Alex has to juggle school and side jobs. When she learns that her father has been the unwitting

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Colony, a Shockingly Great YA Sci-Fi Thriller by Ron Wolff

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The Bottom Line: A shockingly great YA Sci-Fi thriller that earns its suspense and pays it off repeatedly. Highly recommended for any sci-fi fan.  At a time when establishing an outpost on Mars seems more plausible than ever before, Ron Wolff’s Colony opens – appetizingly so – with a detailed schematic diagram of Hellas Station, a base for human colonization and scientific exploration. What follows next is

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Toxic Minds, an Essential Medical Thriller by Anthony Lee

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The Bottom Line: An essential medical thriller that boldly tackles cults of personality and the threat of widespread medical disinformation within a psychologically terrifying plot.  Dr. Mark Lin first appeared in one of 2024’s best medical thrillers, Doctor Lucifer. Anthony Lee’s followup, Toxic MInds, begins as Lin is discharging Shannon Dixon, a patient he’s treating in an Orange County-area hospital. Soon after, Shannon, who is pregnant and worried

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MotherLove, a Stunning Crime Thriller by Hope Andersen

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The Bottom Line: A truly stunning crime novel that is emotionally charged, challenging and filled with unexpected twists.  MotherLove opens in St Croix as an assassin in a wetsuit sneaks aboard a yacht, executes a human trafficker and rescues several young Haitian girls. Two days later, in New Jersey, 35-year-old Rebecca Winslow wakes in a frigid guestroom. Rebecca is grieving the loss of a child, multiple

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The Tangled Mane, a Compelling Cozy Murder Mystery by Charlie Tyler

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The Bottom Line: Cozy murder intrigue at its finest. Charlie Tyler has a winner in series-worthy PI Cally Simmonds.  Set in an English suburb, we first meet 32-year-old private investigator Cally Simmonds as she’s trying to locate a missing crate of vintage champagne. Having been hired to work undercover at a local hotel to ascertain whether the staff have been stealing, she soon finds far more than she bargained

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Danger Inside the Beltway

Danger Inside the Beltway, a Fast-Paced Thriller by Terri Greening

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The Bottom Line: A fast-paced and timely thriller about the outsized influence of wealth in American politics.  Reporter Tarryn Blue secured her dream job right out of Georgetown graduate school – an investigative journalism role that landed her in the White House Press Briefing Room. Overall, Tarryn’s life seems to have nothing but upside. An impending marriage to the man of her dreams, access to

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Nine Minutes

Nine Minutes Eleven Seconds, an Irresistible Terrorism Thriller by L.V. Pederson

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The Bottom Line: Pederson’s debut novel is an irresistible terrorism thriller featuring an unlikely heroine you won’t soon forget.  Nine Minutes Eleven Seconds opens as Silicon Valley executive assistant Samantha Dockett is catapulted into the air by a speeding SUV. The driver exits the vehicle and – in the most reassuring manner imaginable – finishes the hit by breaking her neck.  A month later, Sam’s replacement, Madison Cooper, arrives at

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Dirty Deeds, a Clever Murder Mystery by Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid

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The Bottom Line: A cleverly-constructed murder mystery with a one-of-a-kind heroine at its core. The fourth book in the Sammy Greene series opens in New York City, as smug real estate tycoon Vince Garibaldi is lured into a midnight hour meeting. After handing over a thumb drive and denying accusations of being a snitch, he’s summarily bludgeoned to death, belted into his Porsche, and sunk

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The Third Estate: Secrets of the Manor, an Electrifying Action Thriller by D.R. Berlin

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The Bottom Line: An electrifying blend of secrets, sabotage and survival that sets the stage for a promising series.  Sophie Allard’s life has been anything but easy. She was adopted from an orphanage at age 10, only to suffer her mother’s death at a local farmer’s market two years later. From then on, her adopted father, Professor Milo Anderson, distanced himself from her, seeming to bury

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