The Ridge by John Rector

The Ridge by John Rector
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Willow Ridge is community built by a company for their employees, on first impression it is like Stepford but that’s where the similarity stops. Megan and Tyler Stokes relocate there into the middle of nowhere from Chicago. Megan believes Tyler who works at the “Institute” is too familiar with the next-door neighbour and following an argument over this sets Megan to question everything around her. As time passes things become stranger and as some twists in the storyline develop it causes Megan’s life to become a nightmare. The author allows you to quickly get that feeling of something strange is going on, but cleverly keeps it secret to the end. This is a fairly fast moving story with good suspense and twists which makes it a book I would recommend to all thriller lovers.

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Executive Order by Max Allan Collins

Executive Order by Max Allan Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four CIA agents are caught in a border incident in Eastern Europe, but why and who sent them there? The President did not authorise the mission and the Secretary of the Interior is murdered, what is happening? This is a very fast paced exciting political thriller full of conspiracy and misguided patriotic nonsense that seems to only exist in America. Reeder and Rogers are old partners who suspect something is awry when their separate cases appear to be connected, and Reeder who is hired directly by the President is very quickly targeted for elimination by an unknown group. The race is on for the attackers to be identified and neutralised. Throughout the book the author maintains the pace, action and the easy to read writing style. Everything is straight forward with no jumping back in time or dream sequences, it is my type of book, a pleasure to read. Recommended.

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Cast Iron by Peter May

Cast Iron by Peter May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Scottish detective in France is not your everyday crime thriller but Enzo Macleod is making his sixth appearance in this novel. An extreme drought in the west of France has uncovered a skeleton in water reservoir with a bag over its skull. The remain belong to Lucie Martin who disappeared fourteen years earlier. Enzo has been challenged to solve cold cases and this is the sixth. As he starts to dig into the details of the case he finds he has some strange connections which he cannot quite explain. He needs to resolve the case quickly as everyone close to him is in peril. This is a classic detective thriller where the investigator gets too close to the crime for comfort. It is a good recipe for a very entertaining read, it may not be the most riveting book to read but steady and predictable, in that there are twists you did not expect that spice up the action.

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The Reason by Quentin Brent

The Reason: It's about More Than Just the Money by Quentin Brent
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Zane works selling insurance for an asset stripping organisation, but his wife and family are abducted. His search for his family, with help of his friend Tec, starts to uncover some disturbing facts about who controls the company he is working for. The plot is classically complex, as government is involved but hidden from view but combines well with the author’s easy reading writing style, making the story easier to digest. As events progress Zane must make life or death decisions on exposing the truth or preserving the status quo in the financial world. The story examines the thorny subject of morality, should I or should I not, what comes first, money, family or? All this whilst presenting a regular government conspiracy theory. It all makes for a very interesting, thrilling and very original storyline. By the way did I mention that almost all of Zanes friends are into martial arts.

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Red Sky by Chris Goff

Red Sky by Chris Goff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Raisa Jordan is sent to identify a U.S. Diplomatic escort caught up in the crash of flight 91 from China to Poland. From the start she is curious about the cause of the air crash, and starts to poke around. Her investigation draws the attention of Nye Davis of Reuters news agency, as she follows the bodies of the escort and his prisoner to the morgue. The story develops at a very quick pace, into a very exciting thriller, as Raisa and Nye try to identify who is responsible for the crash, and ultimately prevent a new Cold War between the super powers. For me author has written a first rate story, which is not only engrossing but very easy to read. Recommended.

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The Ulterior Motive by Jack Coleston

The Ulterior Motive by Jack Coleston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We all know about the despicable deeds of the extremist groups from recent events around Europe. It is now the turn of the U.S. to succumb to their terror. As chaos and death hits Washington, Stanley and Anna Carmichael, both employed by the CIA but in totally different roles, try to track down and eliminate the threat of yet more terror. Anna a legend in the service is quietly happy to be back in the field again however she never expected the hunt for their target to be as dangerous. Expertly written the author has produced a very exciting full action thriller which fully conveys the fear generated by the actions and lack of morality of the terrorists. He has also used the thriller staple of revenge to drive the main story line. Excellent story if not possibly a little close to reality.

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Crimson Lake by Candice Fox

Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Candice Fox has done it again, another excellent thriller. This time a detective is accused of a child abduction has to escapes attention by moving to Crimson Lake, a remote crocodile infested area in the North of Australia. He needs to work again, and teams up with an unlikely partner, a private investigator with a murderous past. The author expertly uses these circumstances to build a strange environment for them to investigate a missing person case. All the locals having a downer on both investigators deserved or undeserved, adds another dimension. This is a complex case the details of which provide a few twists and turns. Running alongside this, Ted (the detective) tries to resolve his own predicament and clear his name. Although it deals with very serious crimes it has its humorous moments with Ted's partner cycling everywhere, refusing lifts. Very different set up to the previous Candice Fox books but equally exciting and thrilling.

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