Posts Tagged ‘thriller’

The Current by Tim Johnston

Posted: January 31, 2019 in Mytery/Thriller, reviews
Tags: , ,
24

The Current

by Tim Johnston

36387759

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

My Review

Sometimes I think reading the synopsis for a book spoils the reading experience for me. Not in this case. Instead, in my eagerness to know what happened to the two young women on that cold, dark night, I made sure I set aside plenty of time to savor the story. I knew this was going to be a straight through read for me.

The two girls weren’t friends, but then they were.  How that came to be was a great idea by the author. It  made the girls real and likable. I quickly formed a connection with them and it saddened me. I knew the events of that night would leave one of them dead. It had me wishing I could change the outcome. That, to me, is a sure sign the rest of the book will take me places I might not want to go, make me feel things on a higher level and, perhaps, give me an ending I wish were different. Not that that is a bad thing.

All of those feelings, and that’s just the beginning of the book. What comes next is a string of events and reveals that had me both holding my breath, wringing my hands and thinking, oh no, that did not just happen.

I read Descent, another of Tim Johnston’s books. I liked his writing and how he could pen genuine characters and have me thinking I knew what was going to happen and then taking the story in a whole other direction. I got more of that with The Current. And a boatload more suspense. Lovers of this genre need to grab a copy and dive in. Just remember to breathe.

symbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,sign

~~~~~

Synopsis

A Stunning New Novel from the Bestselling Author of Descent

Tim Johnston, whose 2015 national bestseller Descent was called “astonishing” by the Washington Post and “unforgettable” by the Miami Herald, returns with another tour de force about the indelible impact of acrime on the lives of innocent people.

When two young women leave their college campus in the dead of winter for a 700-mile drive north to Minnesota, they suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives in the icy waters of the Black Root River, just miles from home. One girl’s survival, and the other’s death—murder, actually—stun the citizens of a small Minnesota town, thawing memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose killer may yet live among them. One father is forced to relive his agony while another’s greatest desire—to bring a killer to justice—is revitalized . . . and the girl who survived the icy plunge cannot escape the sense that she is connected to that earlier unsolved case by more than a river. Soon enough she’s caught up in an investigation of her own that will unearth long-hidden secrets, and stoke the violence that has long simmered just below the surface of the town. Souls frozen in time, ghosts and demons, the accused and the guilty, all stir to life in this cold northern place where memories, like treachery, run just beneath the ice, and where a young woman can come home but still not be safe.

Brilliantly plotted, unrelentingly suspenseful, and beautifully realized, The Current is a gripping page-turner about how the past holds the key to the future as well as an unbreakable grip on the present.

Amazon / B&N

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Piggybacker by Mikki Noble ~ Blitz and Giveaway

Posted: January 29, 2019 in giveaways, thriller, urban fantasy, YA
Tags: , , ,
7

Piggybacker banner

Piggybacker
by Mikki Noble
(Vessel of Lost Souls, #1)
Publication date: January 28th 2019
Genres: Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
.
Piggybacker cover
.
Synopsis
.
TOO LATE TO SAVE HIS LIFE. NOT TOO LATE TO BRING HIM BACK.

Everyone thinks Marley tried to take her own life, that is, except Marley. After her mother sends her to a youth center for troubled teens, she starts hearing the voice of a boy who claims he was murdered and begins questioning her own sanity. The voice is Gavin, a seventeen-year-old boy who promises Marley he can help her find the truth about what happened the day she supposedly tried to kill herself—if she completes a resurrection spell in the next four days.

Upon discovering Gavin’s death in the newspaper, Marley realizes she’s not hallucinating, and that she has a chance to save Gavin’s soul and clear her name. The task seems simple: complete the spell, then she and Gavin are free, right? But a powerful, unseen force is determined to stop her, and soon Marley finds herself following clues from the universe to find ingredients for the ritual to save herself and her newfound friend, and most of all, to find the truth about what really happened that day.

Piggybacker is the first in Mikki Noble’s spell-binding Vessel of Lost Souls trilogy, and promises a thrilling mystery with powerful enemies, broken relationships, captivating magic, and two souls both caught up in a plot beyond any they could ever imagine.

 
Purchase: Amazon
.
Author Mikki Noble
.
Mikki

As far back as she can remember, Mikki was creating characters and stories in her head. It wasn’t until fate brushed the tip of its wings over her eyes that she began to see that writing was what she was born to do. She loves animals, reading, everything supernatural related, and enjoys spending her free time on social media whenever she can.

Author links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

~~~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Girl With All The Pain ~ Blitz and Giveaway

Posted: January 17, 2019 in giveaways, Science Fiction, thriller, YA
Tags: , , ,
16

Girl With banner

Girl with all the Pain
by Michael Herman
(Aliens, Tequila & Us #4)
Publication date: February 23rd 2018
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
.
Girl With cover
.
Synopsis
.

Sometimes an ugly duckling becomes more than just a swan.

In the streets of Santiago, Chile, a young homeless girl named Isabel screams a scream of rage that is the last sound the gang tormenting her ever hears.

Deep within the city, a family feels her cry and sets out to find her for their sake as well as hers.

Never straying far from Isabel, Skunk Mountain, a homeless pile of walking filth, visible to only the neighborhood kids, maintains a guardian presence that is key to her survival in a world where, beneath the very ground they walk, a dark ancient intelligent entity prepares to unleash forces that will devastate Chile.

Sometimes that swan has claws and teeth.

_______________________________________

Girl with all the Pain is the first of the Global Invasion Chronicles.

The Aliens, Tequila & Us series is prologue to Girl with all the Pain

_______________________________________

If you are interested in mass extinction events, Chinchorro mummies, alien creatures, tequila, Pisco Sours, Very Large Telescopes, foreign tongues, evolution theories, witchcraft beliefs, Santiago Chile, underground caves, vineyards, million dollar concept bikes, interstellar space travel, abandoned mines, the Atacama Desert, Russian ATVs, Himmler’s Nazis Lebensborn, predictions of future times, earthquakes, orchids, avatars, and people with mutant powers, then this is the book for you.

Kind reviews go far and help keep up the spirit while I work to bring the second Global Invasion Chronicle to life.

 
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo
 .
Author Michael Herman
.
Michael
.

When he isn’t doing construction or creating 3D simulations for the AEC industry, Michael Herman writes from his small urban hillside farm in California where he types away to the sounds of chickens, coyotes, the occasional fox and his household pets.

Author links: Twitter / Facebook / Website / Goodreads

~~~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

The Post ~ A Dystopian Thriller ~ Tour and Giveaway

Posted: January 15, 2019 in Dystopian, giveaways, thriller
Tags: , ,
25
,
.
The Post
by Kevin A. Munoz
Genre: Dystopian Thriller
 
Ten years after the world’s oil went sour and a pandemic killed most of
the population, Sam Edison is the chief of police of The Little Five,
a walled-in community near Atlanta, Georgia. Those who survived share
the world with what are known as hollow-heads: creatures who are no
longer fully human.
A man and a pregnant teenager arrive at the gate and are welcomed into
the town. They begin to settle in when suddenly both are murdered by
an unknown assailant. In the course of investigation, Chief Edison
discovers that the girl was fleeing a life of sexual slavery, and
that some members of the Atlanta community were complicit in the
human trafficking network that had ensnared her.
In retaliation for Edison’s discoveries, agents of the network abduct
the stepdaughter of the town’s mayor. Chief Edison and three
companions track the kidnappers to Athens, Georgia, where they
discover that the entire city is engaged in human trafficking. By the
time Edison has recovered the kidnapped girl, the other three
rescuers have been killed, leaving Edison alone to bring the mayor’s
stepdaughter home while evading both human and non-human monsters.
Against such great odds, will Sam ever make it to Little Five alive?
 .
Post teaser
,
 
Kevin Muñoz grew up just outside of Philadelphia. After wandering across
the country for a few years, he received a PhD from Emory University
in 2008. A little later, he decided to leave the academic life behind
to pursue his first passion: writing. He has lived in seven U.S.
states over the years, observing and adopting each new place as
settings and inspiration for his fiction. He spent fifteen years in
Georgia, where the seeds of THE POST were planted. He now lives near
Seattle with his two beagle traveling companions.
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

S is for ….. Spiral Of Hooves

Posted: January 12, 2019 in Mytery/Thriller, reviews
Tags: , ,
20

One of my goals for this year is to get to the books I’ve had for some time.

Today I’m sharing a book I won in a giveaway that is long overdue for a review. Enjoy!

~~~~~

 Spiral Of Hooves

  by Roland Clarke

35838755

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

My Review

I love horses. Always have. I was one of those typical young girls who hounded their parents for a horse. As a teen I was lucky to be able to train and show Morgan horses with a friend. It was highly competitive and a lot of hard work, and we worked mostly with foals and yearlings.  I think this may be why I enjoyed this book despite some things that didn’t quite work for me.

Something that gave me pause was the characters. There were a lot of them, they hopped around from relationship to relationship and I didn’t really warm up to them. That was okay though. The author definitely knows his stuff. Scenes from the horse shows were exhilarating and put me right there in the arena. And  I was fascinated to learn about the behind the scenes operation of equestrian competitions. I had no idea about the breeding procedures, the training practices of riders and horses, and the amount of money that was involved. I always wondered how this sport could actually be profitable for the owners and riders. Sponsors and technological innovations are a big part of it.  This did sort of make my experience while reading Spiral Of Hooves more of a learning one than a solving a crime one. But, the mystery was pretty good. Not easily solved. And there were plenty of thrills.

 I do feel I would only recommend this book if you have a passion for horses. It is the main focus of the story and one I did enjoy.

symbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,sign

~~~~~

Synopsis

In Canada, researcher Armand Sabatier witnesses what could be the murder of groom Odette Fedon, but traumatic images from his past smother his memory, and a snowstorm buries the evidence. Harassed by nightmares but fighting through them, Armand remembers the crime a few months later. By then he is in England, where he is dragged into a plot involving international sport horse breeding.

Suspecting everyone around him, Armand is forced to brave the past that he has kept buried. But what made Armand leave France? Where did he learn to survive and fight for justice? Why is the English rider Carly Tanner treading the same path as the first victim, Odette?

Can he save Carly before he has more blood on his hands?

Amazon

~~~~~

The above cover is for the paperback copy I own.

This is an alternative cover.

19345344

Which do you like more?

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

From my series wishlist ~ Which should I read first?

Posted: January 10, 2019 in Dark Fantasy, Dystopian, Mytery/Thriller, Science Fiction, Series
Tags: , , , , ,
32

Yesterday I posted about some series’ I had started and some I was planning to start.

Today I’m sharing some that I already have on my list. I have the first book in each series and its a mixed bag of genres. All of these have been on my wish list and I’m really anticipating some great reading.

This is going to be fun!

~~~

Moon Called

Mercy Thompson #1

by Patricia Briggs

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) by [Briggs, Patricia]

THE FIRST MERCY THOMPSON NOVEL!

Moon Called is the novel that introduced Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson to the world and launched a #1 bestselling phenomenon… 

Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter, and while she was raised by werewolves, she can never be one of them, especially after the pack ran her off for having a forbidden love affair. So she’s turned her talent for fixing cars into a business and now runs a one-woman mechanic shop in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State.

But Mercy’s two worlds are colliding. A half-starved teenage boy arrives at her shop looking for work, only to reveal that he’s a newly changed werewolf—on the run and desperately trying to control his animal instincts. Mercy asks her neighbor Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, for assistance.

But Mercy’s act of kindness has unexpected consequences that leave her no choice but to seek help from those she once considered family—the werewolves who abandoned her…

Amazon

~~~

Extinction Horizon

The Extinction Cycle #1

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Extinction Horizon (The Extinction Cycle Book 1) by [Smith, Nicholas Sansbury]

The worst of nature and the worst of science will bring the human race to the brink of extinction…
 
Master Sergeant Reed Beckham has led his Delta Force Team, codenamed Ghost, through every kind of hell imaginable and never lost a man. When a top secret Medical Corps research facility goes dark, Team Ghost is called in to face their deadliest enemy yet–a variant strain of Ebola that turns men into monsters.
After barely escaping with his life, Beckham returns to Fort Bragg in the midst of a new type of war. As cities fall, Team Ghost is ordered to keep CDC virologist Dr. Kate Lovato alive long enough to find a cure. What she uncovers will change everything.
Total extinction is just on the horizon, but will the cure be worse than the virus?
.

.

~~~

.

Called

Southern Watch #1

by Robert J. Crane

Called (Southern Watch Book 1) by [Crane, Robert J.]

A demon hunter without a home. A cop without a cause. A seemingly unstoppable evil rising in a small town…

WARNING: Contains violence, coarse language and sexual situations.

Archibald “Arch” Stan was a local cop in Midian, Tennessee that was good at his job, good at being a husband, and exceptionally good at hiding his disappointment at not being able to figure out what was missing in his life that made it all seem so empty.

Lafayette Hendricks looked like a drifter, a broken-down hitchhiker blown through Midian on the prevailing winds. When Arch catches him in a fight on the town square, though, things start to get weird, fast, because the guy he’s fighting doesn’t die when he gets shot. And Hendricks is carrying a sword.

Pretty soon, Arch’s whole life is turned upside down by Hendricks’s revelation that there’s a secret world operating under the one he’s been living in his whole life – one filled with demons, chaos, and unspeakable evils, one of which is already in town, stirring trouble. And if the two men don’t band together to keep watch on the darkness falling on Midian, then this small town might just get swallowed up by the forces of evil – with the rest of the world to follow shortly behind.

If you like Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Stephen King, Michael Anderle, Shayne Silvers, Shannon Mayer, or J.R. Rain, you will LOVE the first installment of the Southern Watch series.

Amazon

~~~

All Systems Red

The Murderbot Diaries #1

by Martha Wells

All Systems Red (Kindle Single): The Murderbot Diaries by [Wells, Martha]

A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence.

“As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.”

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Amazon

~~~

Tombyards & Butterflies

A Montague & Strong Detective Agency #1

by Orlando A. Sanchez

Tombyards & Butterflies: A Montague and Strong Detective Novel (Montague & Strong Case Files Book 1) by [Sanchez, Orlando A.]

A Missing Ferryman. An Undead Dilemma. An Immortal Detective.

An emissary from the Dark Council has just materialized in the office of the Montague & Strong Detective Agency, and makes Simon Strong an offer he can’t refuse. Charon is missing. The legendary ferryman responsible for transporting sorcerer souls across the river Styx hasn’t been seen in days. And with each passing hour, those unable to cross the river are left to walk among the living, tilting the world further out of balance.

Meet Simon Strong, an immortal, who is also the best private detective in New York City. Together with his surly partner-Tristan Montague, a mage of indeterminate age, they must find the Ferryman and get him back to work before another Supernatural War ravages the earth, destroys humanity, and Simon’s local coffee shop.

Time is running out. His landlord wants the rent and Karma with a capital K is paying him a visit, and she can be a real…

Join the Montague & Strong Detective Agency and help them locate Charon, so he can restore balance to the universe, put the dead sorcerers to rest, and maybe solve the age old conundrum-coffee or tea?

Amazon

~~~

Killing Trail

Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #1

by Margaret Mizushima

Killing Trail: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by [Mizushima, Margaret]

When a young girl is found dead in the mountains outside Timber Creek, life-long resident Officer Mattie Cobb and her partner, K-9 police dog Robo, are assigned to the case that has rocked the small Colorado town.

With the help of Cole Walker, local veterinarian and a single father, Mattie and Robo must track down the truth before it claims another victim. But the more Mattie investigates, the more she realizes how many secrets her hometown holds. And the key may be Cole’s daughter, who knows more than she’s saying.

The murder was just the beginning, and if Mattie isn’t careful, she and Robo could be next. Suspenseful and smart, Killing Trail is a gripping read that will have readers clamoring for more Mattie and Robo for years to come. Fans of Nevada Barr and C.J. Box will love this explosive debut.

Amazon

.

~~~~~

Have you read any of these?

And how about some help! Which do you think I should read first?

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

One book. Two books. Three books. A Series ……..

Posted: January 9, 2019 in apocalypse, Mytery/Thriller, Science Fiction, Supernatural
Tags: , , , ,
18

One of my goals for this year is to continue with some series I love and find some new ones. Let’s see what I have so far. I may make this a frequent feature as I have many more to share and knowing me, many more I’ll be starting!

~~~

I started reading the Hell Divers series at the beginning of 2018 and quickly fell in love with the world and characters. Captives, the fifth book in the series releases this May and I already pre-ordered it.

Captives

Hell Divers V

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Hell Divers V: Captives (The Hell Divers Series Book 5) by [Smith, Nicholas Sansbury]

Humanity has finally found a new home, but the price is blood …

After a long, perilous journey, Hell Divers Xavier Rodriguez and Magnolia Katib discover the Metal Islands, a sunny habitable zone where thousands of people live by fishing and farming. But this “paradise” is really a violent warrior society ruled by the cannibal king el Pulpo. For the first time in X’s life, he is forced to lay down his arms and surrender.

Back on the airships, the Hell Divers are recovering from a gruesome discovery at Red Sphere, where they learned the truth about World War III. Now they must fight one last war-this time for what remains of their own endangered species. As the battle approaches, alliances will be forged, and others broken.

Forced to fight in the Cazador army, X faces his toughest mission yet. Will he help his people come down from the sky and claim the promised land, or will humanity go extinct?

Pre-order on Amazon

I can’t wait to see what the cover art is going to be!

~~~

And I just got my hands on the newest book by J.L. Bryan

Fire Devil

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper Book #11

by J. L. Bryan

Fire Devil (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper Book 11) by [Bryan, JL]

Ellie’s pursuit of a possessed friend and her own worst enemy takes her across the United States into forgotten corners of the countryside through haunted hotels, ghost towns, and strange highways, and toward the site of a horrific fire haunted by hundreds of spirits.

Together with her team, plus help from an eccentric exorcist from Texas, prepares for the fight of her life, a fight destined since her own childhood.

Ellie’s past and present collide in a final confrontation that will change the course of her life, giving her a chance to finally be rid of her most dangerous personal demon—if he doesn’t kill Ellie first, along with the people she cares about the most.

I’ve been reading this series for a few years now and I still get so excited when the next story comes out!

Pre-order on Amazon

~~~

And I just found a new author through some free book promotions. Blake Pierce writes suspenseful mysteries and thrillers, which are among my favorite genres. I’ve read the first book in each of these series, and plan to continue with all of them.

All of these were free on Amazon at time of posting. Click on the book cover or Amazon link below each blurb to grab your copy. Be sure to check that they’re still free before you click that buy button!

Once Gone

A Riley Paige Mystery #1

Once Gone (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1) by [Pierce, Blake]

Women are turning up dead in the rural outskirts of Virginia, killed in grotesque ways, and when the FBI is called in, they are stumped. A serial killer is out there, his frequency increasing, and they know there is only one agent good enough to crack this case: Special Agent Riley Paige.

Riley is on paid leave herself, recovering from her encounter with her last serial killer, and, fragile as she is, the FBI is reluctant to tap her brilliant mind. Yet Riley, needing to battle her own demons, comes on board, and her hunt leads her through the disturbing subculture of doll collectors, into the homes of broken families, and into the darkest canals of the killer’s mind. As Riley peels back the layers, she realizes she is up against a killer more twisted than she could have imagined. In a frantic race against time, she finds herself pushed to her limit, her job on the line, her own family in danger, and her fragile psyche collapsing.

Yet once Riley Paige takes on a case, she will not quit. It obsesses her, leading her to the darkest corners of her own mind, blurring the lines between hunter and hunted. After a series of unexpected twists, her instincts lead her to a shocking climax that even Riley could not have imagined.

A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE GONE marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Amazon

~

Watching

The Making Of Riley Paige #1

Watching (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1) by [Pierce, Blake]

WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book One) is book #1 in a new psychological thriller series by #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose free bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.

22 year old psychology major—and aspiring FBI agent—Riley Paige finds herself in a battle for her life as her closest friends on campus are abducted and killed by a serial killer. She senses that she, too, is being targeted—and that if she is to survive, she must apply her brilliant mind to stop the killer herself.

When the FBI hits a dead end, they are impressed enough by Riley’s keen insight into the killer’s mind to allow her to help. Yet the killer’s mind is a dark, twisted place, one too diabolical to make sense of, and one that threatens to bring Riley’s fragile psyche crashing down. In this deadly game of cat and mouse, can Riley survive unscarred?

An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, WATCHING is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. It takes readers back 20 plus years—to how Riley’s career began—and is the perfect complement to the ONCE GONE series (A Riley Paige Mystery), which includes 13 books and counting.

Amazon

~

Cause To Kill

An Avery Black Mystery #1

Cause to Kill (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1) by [Pierce, Blake]

From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.

Homicide Detective Avery Black has been through hell. Once a top criminal defense attorney, she fell from grace when she managed to get a brilliant Harvard professor off—only to watch him kill again. She lost her husband and her daughter, and her life fell apart around her.

Trying to redeem herself, Avery has turned to the other side of the law. Working her way up the ranks, she has reached Homicide Detective, to the scorn of her fellow officers, who still remember what she did, and who will always hate her.

Yet even they cannot deny Avery’s brilliant mind, and when a disturbing serial killer strikes fear into the heart of Boston, killing girls from elite colleges, it is Avery that they turn to. It is Avery’s chance to prove herself, to finally find the redemption she craves. And yet, as she is soon to find out, Avery has come up against a killer as brilliant and daring as she.

In this game of psychological cat and mouse, women are dying with mysterious clues, and the stakes could not be higher. A frantic race against time leads Avery through a series of shocking and unexpected twists—culminating in climax that even Avery could not imagine.

A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO KILL marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night

Amazon

~

This came in as my favorite so far.

Next Door (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1) by [Pierce, Blake]

NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Mystery) is book #1 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.

FBI Evidence Response Team intern Chloe Fine, 27, finds herself forced to confront her own dark past when her troubled twin sister needs her help—and when a body turns up dead in her small, suburban town.

Chloe feels life is finally perfect as she moves back into her home town, and into a new house with her fiancé. Her career with the FBI looks promising, and her wedding is on the horizon.

But, she learns, all is not as it seems in suburbia. Chloe begins to see the underside—the gossip, the secrets, the lies—and she finds herself haunted by her own demons: her mother’s mysterious death when she was 10, and her father’s imprisonment.

And when a fresh body is found, Chloe soon realizes that her past, and this small town, might hold the key to solving both.

An emotionally wrought psychological suspense with layered characters, small-town ambiance and heart-pounding suspense, NEXT DOOR is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Amazon

~

Before He Kills

A MacKenzie White Mystery #1

Before he Kills (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1) by [Pierce, Blake]

There is no way out but to find him before he kills again…

Book #1 in the bestselling Blake Pierce mystery/thriller series, with over 400 five star reviews!

In the cornfields of Nebraska a woman is found murdered, strung up on a pole, the victim of a deranged killer. It doesn’t take long for the police to realize a serial killer is on the loose—and that his spree has just begun.

Detective Mackenzie White, young, tough, smarter than the aging, chauvinistic men on her local force, finds herself called in grudgingly to help solve it. As much as the other officers hate to admit it, they need her young, brilliant mind, which has already helped crack cold cases that had left them stumped. Yet even for Mackenzie this new case proves an impossible riddle, something the likes of which she—and the local force—have ever seen.

With the FBI called in, together, an intense manhunt ensues. Mackenzie, reeling from her own dark past, her failed relationships, and her undeniable attraction to the new FBI agent, finds herself battling her own demons as her hunt for the killer takes her to the darkest places of her mind. As she delves into the killer’s mind, obsessing over his twisted psychology, she finds that evil truly does exist. She only hopes it will not be too late to extricate herself from it, as her entire life collapses around her.

As more bodies turn up dead and a frantic race against time ensues, there is no way out but to find him before he kills again.

A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, BEFORE HE KILLS marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Amazon

~~~

So, there you have it. A whole bunch of dazzling new reads for me!

How about you? Got any suggestions for me?

I’m always looking for a new series and would love recommendations in any genre. I read them all!

~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Help me choose my first review for 2019!

Posted: December 27, 2018 in Dark Fantasy, horror, Mytery/Thriller, reviews
Tags: , , , ,
26

I have so many reviews to share from some really great books. This year my first review was for Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith and my last review for 2018 will be the latest in his series, Wolves.

Hell Divers (The Hell Divers Series Book 1) by [Smith, Nicholas Sansbury]  Hell Divers IV: Wolves (The Hell Divers Series Book 4) by [Smith, Nicholas Sansbury]

~~~~~

I’m trying to decide which book to share as my first review in 2019. I’ve narrowed it down to five and would love for you to help me choose which one to do.

Here they are.

The Sorrows

by Jonathan Janz

39655749

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Synopsis

Ben Shadeland and Eddie Blaze are the hottest young music composers in Hollywood. Fresh off an Oscar nomination, they’ve just been chosen to score a big-budget horror movie by Lee Stanley, the most demanding director in film. But Ben, the creative half of the duo, hasn’t written a note since his wife divorced him and got custody of their three-year-old son.

Chris Blackwood is the gambling-addicted heir to the Blackwood fortune, which includes the Sorrows, an island off the coast of northern California. The island and its castle have been uninhabited since a series of gruesome, unexplained murders in 1925, but Chris needs money, and to get it he allows Ben, Eddie, Claire Harden (an aspiring composer), and Eva Rosales (Lee Stanley’s gorgeous assistant) to stay a month in Castle Blackwood.

Eddie is certain an eerie, isolated setting is just what Ben needs to find musical inspiration for a horror film. But what they find is more horrific than any movie.

Amazon

~~~~~

Bane County

Forgotten Moon #1

by J.R. Rice

30521395

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Synopsis

The large river-island of Bane County has a troubled past; but some histories are eagerly forgotten, especially those written in blood.

Nestled into the foothills of the National Wildlife Refuge, the small rural town of Silver Canyon seems idyllic to most; but a long-slumbering evil is about to reawaken.

Seventeen-year-old Bryce McNeel is your average teenage boy, living on a cattle ranch with his grandparents. Well, average genius, but he prefers to keep that fact to himself, no one likes a know-it-all.

When Bryce learns of a series of grisly deaths and mutilations that occurred decades earlier, his curiosity gets the better of him. Together with his cousin Jackson, Bryce sets out to learn more about the macabre event; but as they delve deeper into the history and legends of Bane County, the two boys are horrified by what they find.

Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself.

As friends and neighbors begin to go missing, or worse, they find themselves embroiled in a battle for their young lives.

Amazon

~~~~~

How To Save An Undead Life

by Hailey Edwards

36072667

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Synopsis

Grier Woolworth spends her nights weaving spooky tales of lost souls and tragedies for tourists on the streets of downtown Savannah. Hoop skirt and parasol aside, it’s not a bad gig. The pay is crap, but the tips keep the lights on in her personal haunted mansion and her pantry stocked with ramen.

Life is about as normal as it gets for an ex-necromancer hiding among humans. Until the society that excommunicated Grier offers her a second chance at being more than ordinary. Too bad no one warned her the trouble with being extraordinary is it can get you killed.

Warning: This book contains one ex-con/ex-heiress with a pet zombie parakeet who lives next door to her ex-army/ex-crush. Brace yourself, we’re talking more exes than a pirate treasure map here.

Amazon

~~~~~

Devouring Dark

by Alan Baxter

41128507

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Synopsis

DEVOURING DARK is an urban horror novel about a man plagued since childhood by a malevolent darkness that threatens to consume him. After a lifetime spent wrestling for control over this onslaught, Matt McLeod has learned to wield his mysterious paranormal skill to achieve an odious goal: retribution as a supernatural vigilante.

When one such hit goes bad, McLeod finds himself ensnared in a multi-tentacled criminal enterprise caught between a corrupt cop and a brutal mobster. His only promise of salvation may be a bewitching woman who shares his dark talent but has murderous designs of her own.

The gritty thriller DEVOURING DARK is based on Baxter’s award-winning short story “Shadows of the Lonely Dead” and will be available worldwide on November 6, 2018.

Amazon

~~~~~

The Current

by Tim Johnston

36387759

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Synopsis

A Stunning New Novel from the Bestselling Author of Descent

Tim Johnston, whose 2015 national bestseller Descent was called “astonishing” by the Washington Post and “unforgettable” by the Miami Herald, returns with another tour de force about the indelible impact of acrime on the lives of innocent people.

When two young women leave their college campus in the dead of winter for a 700-mile drive north to Minnesota, they suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives in the icy waters of the Black Root River, just miles from home. One girl’s survival, and the other’s death—murder, actually—stun the citizens of a small Minnesota town, thawing memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose killer may yet live among them. One father is forced to relive his agony while another’s greatest desire—to bring a killer to justice—is revitalized . . . and the girl who survived the icy plunge cannot escape the sense that she is connected to that earlier unsolved case by more than a river. Soon enough she’s caught up in an investigation of her own that will unearth long-hidden secrets, and stoke the violence that has long simmered just below the surface of the town. Souls frozen in time, ghosts and demons, the accused and the guilty, all stir to life in this cold northern place where memories, like treachery, run just beneath the ice, and where a young woman can come home but still not be safe.

Brilliantly plotted, unrelentingly suspenseful, and beautifully realized, The Current is a gripping page-turner about how the past holds the key to the future as well as an unbreakable grip on the present.

Amazon

~~~~~

All of these were great reads.

So, what do you think?

Which one do you think I should share for the start of a new year?

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

The Hidden Cities Series ~ Tour and Giveaway

Posted: December 26, 2018 in Dark Fantasy, giveaways, thriller, urban fantasy
Tags: , ,
7
.
Mind the Gap
The Hidden Cities Book 1
by Christopher Golden & Tim Lebbon
Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy Thriller
 
“The super-fast pacing and creepy touches give this teen adventure plenty
of character.”—Publishers Weekly
Returning to her home in London, teen Jasmine Towne realizes just how long
she’s been training for the moment she would be on her own. Her
paranoid mother’s last words, scrawled in her own blood, demand her
action: JAZZ HIDE FOREVER. In this moment, the strange men who have
always hung around her family’s life—whom her mother called the
Uncles—become starkly sinister. And they’re on her trail.
Seeking cover in the Underground, Jazz slips through a mysterious gate, down
tunnels, and seemingly through time. Inside an abandoned city of bomb
shelters and forgotten Tube stations, she finds temporary refuge with
a gang of petty thieves. Flashes of the past, spectral and haunting,
share the tunnels…with no regard for the living. For how long can
Jazz hide from the terrors of both her worlds?
 
 
The Map of Moments
The Hidden Cities Book 2
 
To what lengths would you go to undo the pain of the past? 
“Golden and Lebbon have far outstripped their past efforts with this
wonderfully creepy thriller of a ghost story.”
—Publishers Weekly starred review
“Golden and Lebbon vividly evoke the rich, enduring character of New Orleans,
as well as spinning a compelling fantasy yarn that builds momentum as
Max works his way through the city’s history.” —Booklist
Max Corbett has returned to New Orleans for the funeral of his former
girlfriend, Gabrielle Doucette, but between the destruction wrought
by Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of his ruined relationship,
the city feels alien.
At Gabrielle’s graveside, Max meets Ray. Over a bottle of bourbon in a
dive bar, the two discuss Gabrielle’s unique connection to the city.
Ray suggests that this connection might mean her tragic death is not
truly her end. And he happens to know a real magic practitioner—not
some Bourbon Street phony—who could open a window to the past and
send a warning to Gabrielle. Maybe Max can even deliver the warning
in person? Ray offers him a cheap map and says the process is simple.
Follow the charted moments to build up a little bit of magical clout
and then find the man with the gift.
Surging with liquid courage, Max takes the ludicrous tourist map and sets
off. But it turns out this quest is not so easy. When Max enters the
First Moment, he is drawn into the fabric of history to witness dark
and violent periods, and with each passing step, a grim conspiracy is
revealed. Suddenly in too deep, there is nowhere for Max to go but
through. But when you trudge through a swamp, you’re going to get muddy.
 
 
The Chamber of Ten
The Hidden Cities Book 3
 
 
Archaeologist Dr. Geena Hodge is on the precipice of success: her team has found an
entrance to an underground chamber while searching for the Petrarch’s
lost library. A documentarian is joining her team for the descent
into the long-hidden structure and may be the key to extensive
funding. Best of all, she is able to share the excitement of this
momentous occasion with her assistant-slash-lover, Nico, whose
psychic presence resonates in her own mind.
Within a strikingly preserved room—unlike any Venetian excavation—the
team finds only one artifact: a small vessel that immediately
mesmerizes Nico. While the team investigates a slab of granite inlaid
in the floor, Nico becomes transfixed by the object, and before he
can be stopped, he has the urn in his hands. Then, it is broken open
on the ground. And with that, the impossibly withheld groundwater
begins to fill the chamber…
In the clamor to escape the rapidly flooding room and save the found
texts, the team is sent in all directions. And Nico’s mind, always
attuned to Geena’s, seems to go quiet. His actions in the days
after the incident feel unlike him, and his consciousness seems to
dissolve beneath the weight of his experience with the artifact. What
insidious force was within? And what can satisfy its restless will?
 
 
The Shadow Men
The Hidden Cities Book 4
 
From Beacon Hill to Southie, historic Boston is a town of vibrant
neighborhoods knit into a seamless whole. But as Jim Banks and Trix
Newcomb learn in a terrifying instant, it is also a city
divided—split into three separate versions of itself by a mad
magician once tasked with its protection.
Jim is happily married to Jenny, with whom he has a young daughter,
Holly. Trix is Jenny’s best friend, practically a member of the
family—although she has secretly been in love with Jenny for years.
Then Jenny and Holly inexplicably disappear—and leave behind a
Boston in which they never existed. Only Jim and Trix remember them.
Only Jim and Trix can bring them back.
With the help of Boston’s Oracle, an elderly woman with magical powers,
Jim and Trix travel between the fractured cities, for that is where
Jenny and Holly have gone. But more is at stake than one family’s
happiness. If Jim and Trix should fail, the spell holding the
separate Bostons apart will fail too, and the cities will reintegrate
in a cataclysmic implosion. Someone, it seems, wants just that.
Someone with deadly shadow men at their disposal.
 
 
 
 
CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN
is the New York Times bestselling author of such novels as Ararat,
Snowblind, Tin Men, The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are
Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, and Of Saints and Shadows.
He has also written books for teens and young adults, including
Poison Ink, Soulless, and the thriller series Body of Evidence,
honored by the New York Public Library and chosen as one of YALSA’s
Best Books for Young Readers.
Goldenco-created (with Mike Mignola) two cult favorite comic book series,
Baltimore and Joe Golem: Occult Detective. As an editor, he has
worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, The New Dead,
and Dark Cities, among others, and has also written and co-written
comic books, video games, screenplays, a BBC radio play, the online
animated series Ghosts of Albion (with Amber Benson), and a network
television pilot. A frequent speaker at conferences, schools, and
libraries, Golden is also co-host of the podcasts Three Guys with
Beards and Defenders Dialogue, and the founder of the Merrimack
Valley Halloween Book Festival.

 

Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his
family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen
languages in countries around the world.
 
 
TIM LEBBON
has been published for over twenty years and have written over forty
horror, dark fantasy and tie-in novels, including The Silence,
Relics, Coldbrook, The Cabin in the Woods, the Noreela series of
fantasy books (Dusk, Dawn, Fallen and The Island), the NY Times
Bestselling novelisation of the movie 30 Days of Night, Alien: Out of
the Shadows, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – Into the Void, and several
books with Christopher Golden, including Blood of the Four, The Map
of Moments and The Secret Journeys of Jack London. He’s also written
hundreds of novellas and novels and have won several prestigious awards.
The movie of The Silence, starring Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka, is
out summer 2018. Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage, was released
in 2016. More of his work is currently in development for the big screen.
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Saturday Screams #59 ~ Erebus

Posted: December 22, 2018 in apocalypse, reviews, thriller
Tags: , ,
22

Welcome to my Saturday Screams where I share books that thrill and chill!

Today I’m sharing Erebus by Steven C. Bird.

~~~~~

Erebus

by Steven C. Bird

36142431

Genre: Apocalyptic / Thriller

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

My Review

Antarctica. A desolate, frigid place at the bottom of the world. The scientists and students do their research and take their samples, unaware that something that appears so innocent will soon threaten all of humanity.

It’s almost the end of the season. Winter is coming and only the most dedicated stay at the station. The others head for warmer places. The rush is on to get their research and samples on the planes before they hightail it out of there. An accident happens. Something is unleashed, and people are turned into raging lunatics.  I know this sounds like a zombie story. It’s not. Bear with me here.

Once the contagion begins a small group of people try to hide while coming up with a way out. They have no idea how many have been turned. There’s no help coming. And this is one of my favorite parts of the plot. The group dynamics. Who steps up? How many sacrifice themselves? Who is the dissenter, the one who always takes the negative view and causes conflict? And who surprises me and steps up to wear the hero’s shoes?

The fight for survival is nail biting. They have to find ways stay alive in freezing temps. And now the infected are changing. They’re not like zombies. Instead of rotting away, they’re getting stronger. From mindless rabid beings, they’re now starting to act as a team. To strategize. Could the organism actually be sentient? It takes over the host and now it appears able to control them too.  The more they discovered about the infection, the more horrifying it gets. What if the organism can cross the species barrier. Could it infect animals? The cold and lack of life in Antarctica kept it contained under the frozen tundra. Once it reaches warmer climates, what’s to stop it.

You have to expect some deaths will happen to the group. At first I wasn’t too worried about it. I hadn’t really developed a strong bond with any of them. It was after the action really got going that I found a favorite. Vasily Fedorov, Russian ex-military but now a blue collar guy. He can make weapons out of anything. He’s super resourceful, haunted by horrors from his past and also a really good guy. I sure want him to survive! I love his quote – “No room for feelings in struggle to survive. Survival important, not pride.”

As the group is pursued from one station to the next., their food supply runs low and their options dwindle. It’s anyone’s guess who will survive, if any. And if they do, will there be a world to get back to? I couldn’t see how this would end. It seemed so bleak and hopeless. This excerpt explains how bad it is.

“And here we are, in our very own horror movie. Only, in the movies, I can usually guess where the ending is going. Here, though, I have no clue. I just can’t see it. It’s not like there is safety on the outskirts of town. There is nothing on the outskirts of town here but a cold, frozen death. And beyond that – more cold.”  Sums it up.

I grabbed this as a free download on Amazon. I’d seen it on another blog and the cover caught my eye. I crossed my fingers and started reading it. I read it straight through and I’m so happy I can give it a high recommendation. I’ll be checking out what else the author has to offer now.

symbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,sign

~~~~~

Synopsis

After lying in wait for millions of years, deep within the Earth beneath Mount Erebus on the frozen continent of Antarctica, an unforeseen threat emerges, leaving a scientific research team to face the horrors that await them at the bottom of the world, alone.

Steven Bird is also the author of The New Homefront Series, as well as the Society Lost Series. His work can also be found in several Kindle Worlds novellas, including The Edge of Civility and JET: Dangerous Prey.

Amazon / B&N

~~~~~

The above cover is the one that is shown first on Goodreads.

Here is the cover I own.

39713040

Which do you like more?

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Older Entries
Newer Entries