Thrilling New Adult Fiction

Into the Mist by P.C. Cast is a "gripping take on female power and the inevitable, destructive path of violent patriarchies. As men fall to the mist, the age of womankind begins to rise. The world as we know it ends when an attack on the U.S. unleashes bombs that deliver fire and biological destruction. Along with sonic detonations and devastating earthquakes, the bombs have also brought the green mist. If breathed in, it is deadly to all men—but alters the body chemistry of many women, imbuing them with superhuman abilities. A group of high school teachers heading home from a conference experiences firsthand the strength of these new powers. Mercury Rhodes is the Warrior, possessing heightened physical powers. Stella Carver is the Seer, with a sixth sense about the future. Imani Andrews is the Watcher, with a rare connection to the earth. Karen Gay is the Priestess, demonstrating a special connection with Spirits. And Gemma Jenkins is the Healer, a sixteen-year-old student who joins the group after losing her parents. As they cross the Pacific Northwest, trying to find a safe place to ride out the apocalypse, the women soon learn they can't trust anyone, and with fresh danger around every corner, it will take all their powers to save themselves—and possibly the world." (from Amazon.com)

Lincoln Child brings s new tale about a "dominant tech company—Chrysalis—whose groundbreaking virtual reality technology is redefining the way we live . . . and possibly introducing a catastrophic danger to the world. Like millions of people around the world, Jeremy Logan (famed enigmalogist, or investigator of unexplained things) has grown to rely on his incredible new tech device. Made by Chrysalis, the global multibillion dollar tech company, the small optical device connects people in a stunning new way, tapping into virtual reality for the first time on a wide scale. And yet, when Logan is summoned by Chrysalis to investigate a disturbing anomaly in the massive new product rollout, Logan is shocked to see the true scope of the massive company. He also quickly realizes that something in Chrysalis’s technology is very wrong, and could be potentially devastating. The question is what, and where, is the danger coming from? In Lincoln Child’s wildly inventive new novel, Chrysalis, high tech comes to life alongside the myriad dangers it poses, making for one of Child’s most infectious, entertaining thrillers to date." (from Amazon.com)

The Last Flight is by Julie Clark. "Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear. Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns bright and he's not above using his staff to track Claire's every move. What he doesn't know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish. A plan that takes her to the airport, poised to run from it all. But a chance meeting in the airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision. The two women switch tickets, with Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico crashes, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden." (from Amazon.com)

Alison B. Hart has titled her latest The Work Wife. "Three fierce women connected to a billionaire film mogul collide at a Hollywood party in this richly observed novel about female ambition, complicity, and privilege. Zanne Klein never planned to be a personal assistant to Hollywood royalty Ted and Holly Stabler. But a decade in at thirty-eight, that's exactly how she spends her days, earning six figures to make sure the movie mogul and his family have everything they could ever dream of and more. However, today is no ordinary day at the Stabler estate. Tonight, everyone who's anyone will be there for the Hollywood event of the season, and if the party’s a success, that chief of staff job Zanne's been chasing may soon be hers. Which means she can buy a house, give her girlfriend the life she deserves, pay off her student loans. Nothing's going to get in Zanne’s way—not disgruntled staff, not a nosy reporter, not even a runaway hostess. But when Ted’s former business partner, Phoebe Lee, unexpectedly shows up right before go time, Zanne suddenly has a catastrophe unfolding before her—one with explosive consequences. As the truth comes out and Zanne realizes how deeply entangled she's become in the Stablers' world, she must decide if the sacrifices she's made for the job are worth the moral price she has to pay." (from Amazon.com)

New Suspense and Thrillers

 

Author Dale Brown begins a new series with his book Arctic Storm Rising. "After a CIA covert mission goes badly awry, U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Nicholas Flynn is exiled to guard a remote radar post along Alaska’s Arctic frontier. This dead-end assignment is designed to put his career permanently on ice, but Flynn’s not the type to fade quietly into obscurity. As winter storms pound Alaska and northern Canada, Russian aircraft begin penetrating deep into friendly airspace. Are these rehearsals for a possible first strike, using Russia’s new long-range stealth cruise missiles? Or is some other motive driving the Kremlin to take ever-increasing risks along the hostile Arctic frontier separating two of the world’s great powers? When an American F-22 collides with one of the Russian interlopers, things go south fast—in seconds, missiles are fired. There are no survivors. Despite horrific weather, Flynn and his security team are ordered to parachute into the area in a desperate bid to reach the crash sites ahead of the Russians. It’s now obvious that the Pentagon and CIA are withholding vital information, but Flynn and his men have no choice but to make the dangerous jump. Soon they’re caught in a deadly game of hide-and-seek with Spetsnaz commandos operating covertly on American soil. It seems that the F-22s and their Russian counterparts aren’t the first aircraft to have gone missing in these desolate mountains. The Kremlin is hunting for the first prototype of its new stealth bomber—which vanished on what was supposed to be a test flight…while loaded with nuclear-armed stealth cruise missiles. As Russia and the U.S. square off on the brink of all-out-war, it’s up to Nick to find the missing bomber…and prevent a potential nuclear holocaust." (from Goodreads.com)

The latest Detective Isaac Bell novel from Clive Cussler (and Jack Du Brul) is called The Saboteurs. "Detective Isaac Bell's wife has said that he is always in the wrong place at the right time. This is certainly the case when Bell thwarts the assassination of a U.S. Senator shortly after meeting the man. This heroic rescue is just the start of the mystery for Bell, who suspects that the would-be assassins have a much larger and more dangerous agenda--one involving the nearly-constructed Panama Canal. While the senator supports the building of the canal, there are many, including a local Panamanian insurgency known as the Red Vipers, who never want to see its completion. With millions of dollars and the fates of two nations at stake, Bell heads to Panama to find answers. After a deadly bombing at the canal's construction site, he is determined to stop the insurgents--or whoever is funding them--before they can attack again." (from Amazon.com)

David Poyer has two new books with Deep War: the War with China--the Nuclear Precipice and Overthrow: the War with China and North Korea--Fall of an Empire. In the first book, "the war against China turns dire, as the United States struggles to survive in this gripping thriller featuring Navy commander Dan Lenson. After the United States suffers a devastating nuclear attack, and facing food shortages, power outages, cyber and AI assaults, and a wrecked economy, Admiral Dan Lenson leads an allied force assigned to turn the tide of war in the Pacific, using precisely targeted missiles and high-tech weapons systems. But as the campaign begins, the entire Allied military and defense network is compromised—even controlled—by Jade Emperor, a powerful Chinese artificial intelligence system that seems to anticipate and counter every move. While Dan strives to salvage the battle plan, his wife Blair helps coordinate strategy in Washington, DC, Marine sergeant Hector Ramos fights in an invasion of Taiwan, and Navy SEAL master chief Teddy Oberg begins a desperate journey into central China on a mission that may be the only way to save the United States from destruction and defeat."

In the second book, "the United States and their Allied forces struggle to survive world war with China in this compelling, realistic thriller, the next in the Dan Lenson series. World War III continues in Overthrow, the next novel in the acclaimed series featuring Admiral Dan Lenson as the Allies converge against China, North Korea, and Iran in an explosive series of events. Admiral Lenson leads Operation Rupture, the invasion of South China, in a bid to finally end the war and restore peace. Meanwhile, Captain Cheryl Staurulakis fights to take a radical new “super ship” to sea, though its power and capability may introduce more risk than reward. In Washington, Dan’s wife Blair conducts secret negotiations with a rebellious faction in Beijing, hoping to bring an end to the war, but her plans may be foiled by those who want outright revenge on China, not peace with them. In western China, Teddy Oberg’s guerrilla band grows into a major insurgency, and the former SEAL master chief embraces his new role as an Islamic resistance leader. Sergeant Hector Ramos raises the flag of freedom in Taiwan while fighting his own personal demons, and in Seattle Dan’s daughter, Nan Lenson, fights to save the world from a dangerous new epidemic. But as the Allies plot an endgame to the war, the complicated dance of global warfare, on land and at sea, will finally trigger the nuclear Armageddon the entire world has feared for nearly a century." (from Amazon.com)

Author Morgan Cry begins a new series with Thirty-One Bones. "When Effie Coulston drops dead on the floor of her bar in a small Spanish town mid-business meeting, her daughter Daniella feels it’s her duty to return for the funeral. But Daniella has been estranged from her mother for over twenty years, and Effie’s life in Spain harbours many secrets . Daniella is soon confronted by a hostile group of ex-pat misfits who frequent the bar and who, along with Effie, are involved in a multi-million-pound property scam. But the money has vanished, and the ex-pats are threatening to implicate Daniella to save themselves. Meanwhile, a Spanish detective is investigating Effie’s death. He’s convinced Daniella knows more than she is telling. And now a terrifying enforcer has heard about the missing cash. With no idea where the money is and threats coming from all sides, Daniella is up against a seemingly impossible deadline to find the cash. She’s a stranger in a strange town – and she’s seriously out of her depth." (from Goodreads.com)

New Thrillers

 The newest book from author Kiki Swinson is titled The Deadline. Kloe Mercer is an off-air journalist who covers the tough Norfolk, Virginia neighborhood where she grew up. She desperately wants the coveted anchor desk slot, but her hostile boss and the cut-throat competition means she will need to break a major exclusive. Kloe finds herself with easy access to the dirty truth to a murder on her home turf, but she’ll have to weigh her career against the safety of those she holds dear. When the ruthless cabal behind the murder put Kloe in their sights, they take that choice from her and begin to tie up loose ends. Nowhere is safe and her ambition has become her liability.

The newest Pendergast novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is called Crooked River. The residents of the quiet resort town of Sanibel Island, Florida are horrified when dozens of identical, ordinary-looking shoes wash up on the beach—each one with a crudely severed human foot inside. Agent Pendergast reluctantly agrees to cut his vacation short to visit the crime scene, but quickly becomes pulled in by this incomprehensible puzzle. The early pathology report only adds to the mystery. No one knows what happened, why, or from where the feet originated. And everyone desperately wants to know: are the victims still alive? Pendergast finds himself facing a tangled web of evidence that spans and ocean and crosses continents. The powerful adversary he uncovers has decided that Pendergast is the ideal subject for the sadistic research they are conducting.

Ted Bell delivers his latest Alex Hawke novel with Dragon Fire. The dashing rake and heir to the British throne has gone missing in the Bahamas. The Queen knows that there is only one man for the job—Lord Alexander Hawke the dashing British gentleman and MI6 legend. Hawke is recovering from horrific injuries he suffered on his last mission when he receives the Queen’s desperate call. All she knows is that the young prince was last seen on an ultra-exclusive resort the Dragonfire Club which is run by the notorious Tang brothers. These twin brothers are known to head-up the Tang Dynasty’s worldwide criminal enterprises. As time ticks by, Hawke must push through his own physical pain to unravel a shadowy conspiracy that may be centuries old.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright delivers his latest with The End of October. Forty-seven people in an Indonesian internment camp die of acute hemorrhagic fever and WHO epidemiologist Henry Parson’s investigation reveals staggering repercussions. At the same time, the deputy director of U.S. Homeland Security is scrambling to mount a response to the rapidly spreading pandemic jumping from country to country. She believes the disease is an act of biowarfare. Already tense global relations crumble as the virus cuts through the United States, dismantling institutions—scientific, religious, governmental—and decimating the population. Henry travels from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia and back to the CDC in Atlanta in search of a cure and for the origins for the mysterious disease. Meanwhile, a rogue experimenter in man-made diseases is preparing his own terrifying solution.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much is the new novel by Michele Campbell. Set among the glittering mansions of the Hamptons, this summer thriller tells the story of the two Mrs. Fords. The first is a beautiful, accomplished, and wealthy beyond imagination. She marries a much younger man and now she is dead. The second Mrs. Ford is a waitress and small-town girl who marries a man she never forgot from a summer romance ten years previous. Now, she is wealthy beyond belief. But who is Mr. Ford? Connor Ford has married two women who have known him as only wives can. Both loved him very much, but who is the victim? Who is the villain? What would you do for love and money?

New Adult Fiction

Sarah Jane is an new novel from James Sallis. "Sarah Jane Pullman is a good cop with a complicated past. From her small-town chicken-farming roots through her runaway adolescence, court-ordered Army stint, ill-advised marriage and years slinging scrambled eggs over greasy spoon griddles, Sarah Jane unfolds her life story, a parable about memory, atonement, and finding shape in chaos. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she is named the de facto sheriff of a rural town, investigating the mysterious disappearance of the sheriff whose shoes she’s filling—and the even more mysterious realities of the life he was hiding from his own colleagues and closest friends. This kaleidoscopic character study sparkles in every dark and bright detail—a virtuoso work by a master of both the noir and the tender aspects of human nature." (from Amazon.com)

Zora Neale Hurston's Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick "is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston’s “lost” Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales reflective of the cultural currents of Hurston’s world. All are timeless classics that enrich our understanding and appreciation of this exceptional writer’s voice and her contributions to America’s literary traditions." (from Amazon.com)

Blues in the Dark is a thriller from Raymond Benson. "Karissa Glover is a movie producer who moves into a decrepit but functional old mansion in the West Adams Heights area of Los Angeles, where black celebrities of yesteryear—Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers, and others—once resided. The former owner was a white actress, Blair Kendrick, who often starred as the "bad girl"—a femme fatale—in films noirof the 1940s. However, Blair’s career was cut short when she was tragically killed by the mob after allegedly witnessing the slaying of a corrupt studio head in 1949. As Karissa and her producing partner decide to develop a modern film noir about Blair Kendrick, malevolent forces from the past attempt to stop them—first with intimidation, and then with the thread of murder. Is this because Karissa has learned that Blair was involved in a then-taboo interracial relationship with jazz musician Hank Marley? What really happened on the night that death struck in a dimly lit studio mogul’s office? The consequences of Blair and Hank’s doomed love affair still resonate in the present day as Karissa attempts to unravel Blair’s secrets." (from Amazon.com)

The Chestnut Man is a thriller from Soren Sveistrup, creator of The Killing. "If you find one, he's already found you. A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen. His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene. Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago. A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted? To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues. Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over. And no one is safe." (from Amazon.com)

Author Zach Fehst delivers a magical thriller with American Magic. "When an enigmatic message uploaded to the dark web turns out to contain an ancient secret giving regular people the power to do impossible things, like levitate cars or make themselves invisible, American government officials panic. They know the demo videos on YouTube and instructions for incantations could turn from fantastical amusement to dangerous weapon at the drop of the hat, and they scramble to keep the information out of the wrong hands. They tap Ben Zolstra, an ex-CIA field operative whose history with the Agency is conflicted at best, to lead the team that’s racing to contain the dangerous knowledge—and track down the mysterious figure behind the leak who threatens that even more dangerous spells will be released one by one until the world as we know it no longer exists. This sweeping, globe-spanning thriller explores the dark consequences of a question mankind has been asking for centuries: What if magic were real?" (from Amazon.com)

Tim Dorsey pens his 23rd Serge Storms novel with Naked Came the Florida Man. "Though another devastating hurricane is raking Florida, its awesome power can’t stop the Sunshine State’s most loyal son, Serge A. Storms, from his latest scenic road trip: a cemetery tour. With his best bro Colman riding shotgun, Serge hits the highway in his ’69 gold Plymouth Satellite, putting pedal to the metal on a grand tour of the past. Beginning in Key West, the sunshine boys’ odyssey includes a forgotten mass grave in Palm Beach county holding the remains of African Americans killed by the Great Hurricane of 1928, and the resting place of one world-famous television dolphin (RIP Flipper) from the 1960s. But one deadland—a haunted old sugar field—holds more than just the bones of those who’ve passed. For years, local children have whispered about a boogeyman hiding among the stalks. Could it be the same maniac known as Naked Florida man who’s been raising hell all over the place? There are few things Serge loves more than solving a good mystery and bestowing justice on miscreants who sully his beloved home’s good name. With his partner bong boy, Florida’s psycho superhero will find the truth in this hilariously violent delight—packed with history, lore, and plenty of motel antics." (from Amazon.com)