The Bottom Line: A stunning debut novel. Adams’ retro, genre-busting spy novel is one of 2021’s best. Set in 1976, President’s Eyes Only begins with the brutal murder of a CIA black ops agent and a Hollywood starlet in Las Vegas. At stake is a set of top-secret microdots intended for the President of the […]
The Bottom Line: A highly original LGBTQ+ crime thriller with eye-popping doses of murder, mystery and romance. In Alexi Venice’s third Monica Spade Novel, the battle-tested attorney agrees to represent a surgeon police want to question regarding the brutal murder of two of her patients. Monica learns that the surgeon, Dr. Nicole Kershaw, also has […]
The Bottom Line: A first-rate military thriller that dares to imagine a war between China and the United States in vivid, mesmerizing and highly personal detail. One Kingdom Under Heaven opens as Chinese military leadership interrogates retired Navy Seal Malcolm Kwong, whose team of assassins infiltrated the Great Hall and murdered half the Politburo Standing […]
The Bottom Line: A potent, briskly-paced crime thriller featuring a detective whose vulnerability creates first-class suspense. Homicide detective Chantal Pouliot wants action. After being held captive by a psychopath in a remote cabin months earlier, she’s endured months of therapy, and is itching to solve murders. Unfortunately, the psychologist treating her feels she’s not quite […]
The Bottom Line: High-stakes tech meets romantic suspense in this heart-pounding thriller. Scientist Marcus Hall’s new invention, the Marc1, is a breakthrough in 5G technology. But it’s also a marvel of neuroscience. After causing drowsiness and deep sleep, it hyper-stimulates emotions while turning off higher-functioning brain activity. While the technology could make a lot of […]
The Bottom Line: An epic sci-fi tale of revolution, family loyalty and survival. In Earth Arrested, the planet is governed by aliens called the Criterion. A “one child per family” rule has been in effect to control population growth and resources. That’s a life-threatening problem for celebrity Kethryn Miller, who learns that she has a twin sister, Neah, […]
The Bottom Line: An expertly paced psychological thriller on the high seas. As Furious begins, surgeons Dr. Dagny Steele and her husband, Brad, are grieving the loss of their daughter. Dagny seems to resent how quickly Brad has returned to normalcy, while Brad wants her to move on with her life. He also has a […]
Readers across the planet devoured the #1 bestseller The Woman in the Window, and a film version is coming soon to Netflix starring Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, and Gary Oldman. We called the book “Rear Window meets Gone Girl.” But just because a book is derivative of a masterwork doesn’t mean it isn’t good. In this case, A.J. […]
The Bottom Line: A fascinating and thought-provoking medical thriller about the ethical dilemmas posed by genetic manipulation. Dr. Erica Rosen has decided to quit her job at the UC San Francisco pediatric clinic, but her passion for helping people is undimmed. When she spots a Chinese girl with blue eyes, she immediately suspects that the […]
The Bottom Line: An instant noir classic. Highly recommended. It’s 1958, and small-town Wisconsin reporter Stan Ellis is itching to cover something other than local council meetings, high school games and local crimes for the Sparta Herald. The closest he came was covering a fatal train crash several years ago that caused three deaths and […]
