Tag:

Action & Adventure

Review

The White Fortress

by Jeff Ayers

Gerard Fox and his wife, Willa, are sailing to the city of Dubrovnik in the Adriatic Sea in 1351 when adventure and danger again call them into action. They meet another couple, Petar and Jelena, on board during the journey and become fast friends. When Gerard rescues Jelena from drowning, Petar and Jelena reveal the real reason for leaving their home. Their son, Niko, was kidnapped by a ruthless nobleman who wants the city where they are from, Ston, for himself. The parents must give access to the invading horde or have Niko die. Gerard and Willa cannot say no to helping their new friends, even if it means delaying their trip to England to restore Gerard’s good name. It also appears that an old prophecy holds the key to their participation and what pitfalls stand in the way. The answers lie in Marco Polo’s lost journals. Boyd and Beth Morrison smoothly blend non-stop action, despicable villains, and medieval history into another compelling read, their best one yet. Gerard and Willa are a marvelous couple who could easily fit into modern times. A shot of Clive Cusller, a dash of Diana Gabaldon (minus the time travel), and a bit of Steve Berry make this series essential for any adventure or history fan.

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Review

Ted Bell’s Monarch

by Jeff Ayers

Ted Bell passed away last year, and Ryan Steck (Out for Blood) has continued the series with this terrific entry into the world of Alex Hawke. Hawke wants nothing more than to settle down with his fiancée and son, but a crisis intervenes, and he must become the ruthless spy England needs him to be. A referendum to split Scotland from the United Kingdom is upcoming, and King Charles III mysteriously vanishes while out on a hunt with his friends, baffling his security detail. Hawke and his allies have 72 hours to find the King—the monarchy and the entire United Kingdom will never be the same if they don’t. Of course, there is more in play than the King’s whereabouts, and failure means the toppling of the entire British government. Steck is the perfect author to continue Hawke’s adventures. He channels Ted Bell, creating a story that seems to come from Ted himself. The story is a terrific launch point for newcomers, as Steck brilliantly juggles the details from previous books while not making them seem repetitive. Fans of the series will love seeing their favorite characters back in action, while readers new and old will enjoy this mix of Clive Cussler and James Bond and be eager to see what Steck has in mind next for our hero.

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Review

The Big Fix

by Brian Kenney

Computer science professor Penny Collins has been dragged by her sister to a tag sale being run by Anthony, who’s recently deceased uncle has left him—as handsome as he is aloof—with his estate, which he is now trying to unload. Things go from bad to worse when Penny’s toddler nephew yanks open a closet door, only to have a dead body tumble out. From there, Anthony tries to avoid Penny and her 101 questions, while Penny can’t stop herself from trying to get to the facts. Or at least get to Anthony (did I mention how handsome he is?). Sooner rather than later, the two end up locked together in their own closet, and when they finally emerge, they agree to work together. Anthony, it turns out, works as a “fixer,” but one of the good guys: he doesn’t kill, he just, well, fixes things. There is a lot swirling around these two, including the missing wife of a technology billionaire—Anthony is involved—and eventually the FBI arrives on the scene. There are so many remarks from Penny about how Anthony smells, it’s quite remarkable; this could well be the first olfactory novel. In any case, I’m planning to splurge on a bottle of Tom Ford’s Eau d’Ombre Leather for when reading the next volume, which I sincerely hope comes along sooner rather than later.

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Review

A Calamity of Souls

by Jeff Ayers

In a small Virginia town in 1968, a Black man named Jerome works for an elderly white couple. On Friday, when he expects to get his weekly salary, he walks into their house and finds their dead bodies. The police arrive and accuse him of resisting arrest and beat him. In jail with a head wound and bruises, the innocent man has already been convicted. A white lawyer named Jack Lee takes the case and immediately finds himself in the crosshairs of hate. Working with a female Black lawyer from Chicago, Jack struggles for justice in a town and environment where the verdict is already a foregone conclusion, and there is no lifeline for him or the case. Baldacci is one of the great storytellers, and he channels John Grisham in this compelling and harsh story that explores racism, the criminal justice system, and family dynamics. Half legal thriller and half an examination of the South at one of its most tumultuous times, this will be yet another bestseller for Baldacci and a novel destined for book club discussions.

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Review

Assassins Anonymous

by Brian Kenney

In this remarkable thriller full of heartbreak, humor, and bone-chilling violence, Mark—the world’s most dangerous, and best, killer-for-hire—is trying to get out of the assassin business. Known worldwide as the Pale Horse, he inspires fear among his fellow contract killers wherever he goes. But as the book opens, Mark isn’t going anywhere except for a 12-step group on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Assassins Anonymous (he’s just received his six-month chip). And Mark has some major amends he needs to make. But at the end of an AA meeting—he’s alone, having stayed to clean up—he’s attacked by a vicious Russian assailant. Who is the attacker, and why is he pursuing Mark? The only way to find out is to track him down, and in no time, Mark, accompanied by his cat, P. Kitty, is off to Singapore then London then back to New York. Is Mark being lured back into the Agency, the organization he previously worked for? Is the attack just revenge, pure and simple? And how will he defend himself and eliminate his perpetrator—without killing him or her? A high-speed thriller that manages to burrow deeply into Mark’s past and present—and the future he dreams of. A wild and hugely entertaining ride.

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Review

The Atlas Maneuver

by Jeff Ayers

Berry’s talent for mixing nonstop action with history is in full swing in his latest. Cotton receives what seems like a simple assignment: protect a woman named Kelly Austin. When he rescues her from a kidnapping attempt, he learns that Kelly is not her real name, and before plastic surgery that was necessary due to an accident, she had a torrid past with Cotton. The truth of her background and why she is being hunted will separately take Cotton and his lady love, Cassiopeia, on a global chase that will make them unable to trust anyone but themselves. How does the creation of cryptocurrency tie in with the plundering of a vast treasure by Japan near the end of WWII? The answers will surprise and even shock even die-hard Berry fans. The truth of the Atlas Maneuver, if it comes to pass, will change the world’s economic future forever. One of the best features of Berry’s novels is the writer’s note, in which he breaks down the facts behind the fiction, and it’s essential reading since everything in this thriller seems all too real. Whether you are a long-time reader of Cotton’s adventures or a newcomer, this book is terrific.

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Review

4 Minutes

by Jeff Ayers

Special Operations Chief Tyler Brooks gets a chance to lead a secret team of operatives in this tense and mind-blowing thriller. The Task Force Omega squad has access to a top-secret device that can move anyone on the team up to 28 days in the future for four minutes, and then they are returned. They cannot change anything they see but can gather intel to research once they return, hopefully stopping the incident from happening. Brooks does not know that a particular op that came together before his recruitment has a soldier with similar skills who is seeking vengeance and who wants Brooks dead. Events swerve drastically when the team jumps into the future and discovers a nuclear-decimated landscape. Can Brooks lead his team to find answers, even with a hidden target on his back? Andrews and Wilson are the best in the business at telling stories involving military operations while emphasizing the human side of warfare. They take a sci-fi concept and make it realistic and believable. 4 Minutes is arguably the best book they have written.

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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

The Last True Templar

by Jeff Ayers

The brother/sister team of Boyd and Beth Morrison delivers a stellar sequel to The Lawless Land. Gerard Fox and Lady Willa are adventuring together in 1351 Italy, hoping to overcome their problematic societal pasts to marry. They stumble upon an ambush and help an older woman, Luciana, escape the attack. That act of kindness plunges them into a decade-old search for the location of the Templar treasure. It doesn’t help that Luciana’s greedy husband wants her dead and the treasure for himself. To succeed in their quest, Gerard and Willa must overcome betrayal, villainy, and deception while keeping the truth of their heritage secret. The Middle Ages comes to glorious life mixed with a plot from a Clive Cussler novel. The Last True Templar is adventure at its finest, and the pacing never slows down for a second. The story reads like the authors somehow have a time machine and are merely transcribing actual events. Readers will be anxious for the next book in the series, and hopefully a big-screen adaptation is not far behind.

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Review

Starter Villain

by Jeff Ayers

Charlie’s life is nothing special. He makes a pittance taking occasional substitute-teaching gigs and lives with his two cats in his dad’s house, to the detriment of his other siblings. When his uncle passes away, his will stipulates that Charlie oversees the funeral, and then will receive his inheritance. The only people who show up at the service are his uncle’s enemies, and they all go out of their way to ensure the body inside the coffin is dead. After the service, Charlie learns that his inheritance is a lair built inside a dormant volcano, and his uncle was a supervillain. With Charlie becoming the new head of his uncle’s business practices, he will need a crash course on being ruthless and bloodthirsty if he can stay alive long enough. James Bond villainy meets Despicable Me in this hilarious and intense journey into the other side of the battle between good and evil, featuring mostly shady characters mixed with a team that is unlike any seen anywhere before in a thriller. Starter Villain is a blast. Fans of Scalzi will consider it one of his best, and thriller fans who want humor and a different perspective into the world of criminals will treasure it.

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