Author

Jeff Ayers

Review

The Chaos Agent

by Jeff Ayers

Cort Gentry, the Gray Man; and his girlfriend, Zoya Zakharova, have assumed new identities while trying to live off the grid for a few months. But they can only hide for so long. A colleague of Zoya’s arrives in the Central American town where Cort and Zoya felt safe and asks her help in rescuing a Russian scientist who is one of several engineers and computer experts with targets on their backs. Shortly after the meeting, Cort and Zoya must flee to avoid the weaponized drones and army of killers sent to take them out. One of those soldiers has a past with Cort and a reputation of being as good an assassin as Cort was in his prime. The mayhem grows in intensity as the truth unveils itself; a mystery controller named Cyrus calls all the shots and does not care about any collateral damage. Greaney combines the best of special-ops novels with a dash of James Bond, and though the page length is significant, the story never bores or lags. The Chaos Agent is another winner, and whether you are a fan or new to the Gray Man, this is a blast (no pun intended).

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Review

A Midnight Puzzle

by Jeff Ayers

Tempest Raj, a former magician, now runs Secret Staircase Construction, which, among other things, creates elaborate hidden passages behind bookcases. The more complex and baffling the construction the better. One of the company’s jobs is scrutinized when a woman falls down a secret staircase and almost dies. Tempest knows that the victim’s husband, Julian, set up the fall so he could sue Tempest’s company and avoid liability. One night, Julian calls Tempest to visit him at the historic Whispering Creek Theater, a venue recently purchased and upgraded by Tempest. She arrives to find Julian dead, with a sword through his chest. When a paramedic stumbles upon another blade that pops out one of the entrance doors, Tempest realizes the theater has been set with booby traps. Demanding answers, especially since the clues lead to questions about her past, Tempest will risk everything for the truth. Pandian creates a cast of characters that is straight out of the best cozy mysteries, and even though this is the third book in the series, the story is a perfect launch point for newcomers. The pacing and writing elevate A Midnight Puzzle to a must-read for the cozy mystery fan.

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Review

Dead Man’s Hand

by Jeff Ayers

A secret meeting between a rogue team of Ukranians desperate for peace and military intelligence officers from Russia sparks the chaos in Taylor’s latest Taskforce novel. The plan they concoct involves assassinating Putin, but Putin already knows of their plot. His solution is to have his most trusted officer run a counterattack once he commits an act of violence to keep Sweden from joining NATO. Pike Logan and his Taskforce team learn of the Swedish offensive, and soon, they are wrapped in an operation with massive complications. What they don’t realize is that Putin’s contingency, if he’s killed, involves launching the Perimeter Nuclear System known as the Dead Hand. Logan and his team must confront how someone can be the enemy when they have the same goals. Whether this is your first time with the Taskforce or your eighteenth, this series remains intense, timely, and worthwhile. Taylor is one of the best in the special ops world. Brad Thor and Jack Carr fans should already have Taylor on their mandatory reading list.

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Review

Baby X

by Jeff Ayers

Peikoff’s latest exploration into choice and free will takes the reader to a future in which families can choose their baby’s characteristics and genetic makeup before gestation and birth. It’s as simple as getting DNA, and clinics and pre-selection counseling have strict protocols to ensure the parents have the background necessary for a successful transaction. Celebrities need security to keep their DNA from inadvertently being left behind at places they frequent and then being stored in a black-market site called the Vault. For a fee, you can purchase a child that would be considered a legitimate son or daughter of that celebrity. A surrogate named Quinn starts to believe the source of the infant she’s carrying is not a widower’s dead husband’s DNA but a famous singer named Trace Thorne. A young journalist named Lily sees her older parents use unscrupulous methods to have another child. Peikoff does a terrific job of world-building a complex but realistic future full of jaw-dropping twists. Baby X is great sci-fi and reads like a terrifying episode of Black Mirror.

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Review

Someone Saw Something

by Jeff Ayers

A parent’s worst nightmare comes true for news anchor Corina and her family in Mofina’s gripping thriller. Six-year-old Gabriel is playing in Central Park with his older sister when he vanishes after going after his model airplane. Initial searches show no evidence of how he disappeared, nor any witnesses to the abduction. With no ransom demand, the police and investigators are baffled. Since Corina is a celebrity, the case brings out some sympathetic thoughts, but those are few. Most of what Corina reads online are vicious attacks and conspiracy theories regarding Gabriel’s true origins that make her life, and that of her family, a living hell. It doesn’t help that her husband and daughter have secrets they don’t want the world to discover. Mofina intelligently crafts the story by never showing Gabriel’s whereabouts or who is responsible for his kidnapping, amping up the conspiracy and paranoia. Focusing on the family’s agony and quest for the truth puts the reader directly into the story, and the final payoff is terrific. Mofina is a number-one bestselling author in Canada—as he should be in many other countries.

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Review

Resurrection Walk

by Jeff Ayers

Connelly’s stellar effort, which brings together defense attorney Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer; and retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, explores a case of an incarcerated woman claiming innocence. She was coerced into a no-contest plea of a lesser sentence of manslaughter by her sleazy attorney, who told her if she didn’t agree to this deal, she would face life in prison for killing her sheriff’s-deputy husband. Every attempt by Haller and Bosch to find answers is met with either disdain or tainted evidence and testimonies. Connelly is a master of taking a straightforward case and compellingly revealing the details while throwing in a few twists and turns. Laws are questioned and Bosch and Haller soon determine they are David and this Goliath is too strong for them. Whether you are a fan of the books or the Netflix and Amazon Prime series, this latest entry is another gripping winner from the master of crime fiction, and with the great popularity of the TV series, expect huge interest in this title.

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Review

A Killer Romance (A Beach Reads Mystery #3)

by Jeff Ayers

In Blackburn’s latest cozy, Summer Merriweather, owner of the Beach Reads bookshop, has a special Valentine’s Day event lined up, and invites Lana Livingston, a famous author who has reimagined Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending, to lead the festivities. Summer doesn’t realize that Lana recently became a widow and is being investigated for the murder of her husband. Things worsen when Lana has tea during her bookstore appearance and is later found dead of poisoning in her hotel room. The main suspect is Glads, the woman who served the author tea during the event. A ruthless detective wants answers, and to save her friend from being railroaded, Summer gathers a group of amateur detectives, including her ex-boyfriend, to solve not only who killed Lana but maybe even who murdered the author’s husband. Fans of cozy mysteries will find everything they love here, and even though this is the third book in the series, both newcomers and readers of the previous entries will find it worthwhile.

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Review

Hollywood Hustle

by Jeff Ayers

Actor and now debut novelist Lindstrom explores the dark side of life in Los Angeles. Winston Greene used to be one of the top actors in the world, but his prestige is gone, along with most gigs. His six-year-old granddaughter arrives in the middle of the night after getting a ride from a stranger; she appears out of sorts, and she’s carrying a stuffed puppy and a thumb drive. The drive contains a ransom video featuring Winston’s daughter, who will die unless he gives her kidnappers all the money from his prestigious career. Going to the police will only put a target on Winston and his granddaughter’s backs. Thankfully, he has some friends who can help, including a former LAPD detective and a stuntman. These characters are all flawed, but that makes the story more engaging than if they were squeaky-clean superheroes. Lindstrom uses his knowledge of Hollywood to deliver a clever and gripping thriller, and he writes like a pro. It is hard to believe this is a debut.

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Review

Dream Town

by Jeff Ayers

Real life collides with reality television in a mega-rich section of Los Angeles in Goldberg’s latest thriller. Detective Eva Ronin investigates the discovery of bones found in a park outside a private and secure area called Hidden Hills. That cold case soon requires focusing on a current investigation when a reality star is murdered inside her home while her family sleeps nearby. Hooded thieves broke in and ran when the family awoke to the gunshots. The expected security of the community appears nonexistent. Eva knows about the world of Hollywood since her police role has become a TV series, so she’s used to what is factual being played up for entertainment value. But this case seems to defy logic as more deaths occur, and reality means nobody is safe. Goldberg has created a terrific character in Eva Ronin, and he knows how to write a fast-paced thriller mixed with humor and inside jokes with no fluff. Like Michael Connelly, Goldberg also utilizes the Los Angeles landscape effectively.

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Review

Extinction

by Jeff Ayers

Erebus is a resort for the extremely wealthy, and those who visit the sprawling grounds in the heart of the Colorado Rockies get to experience Earth’s distant past. Using cutting-edge technology, scientists have been able to de-extinct mammals like woolly mammoths and plant life from the Pleistocene era. A young couple pays for a camping trip in the sprawling complex and is kidnapped and killed by what appears to be a group of ruthless hunters. Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash and county sheriff James Colcord lead the investigation. As the mystery creates national headlines, Cash and Colcord meet resistance from both the team at the resort and their own supervisors. What happened to the couple is only the beginning, and the shocking truth will threaten lives and the history books. Preston creates a Michael Crichton level of thought-provoking science and thrilling intrigue while avoiding writing a Jurassic Park clone. Extinction goes beyond the simple question of whether man should play God, and with a terrific cast of characters, Preston has a guaranteed bestseller.

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