Literary Scene

Three Thrillers to Keep You Up All Night

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Say You’re Sorry

by Karen Rose

Karen Rose is a #1 international bestselling author of more than 20 novels, and her storytelling skills are evident in her latest, Say You’re Sorry. This romance/suspense/thriller—the first in her new Sacramento series—tells the story of FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds, who’s trying hard to put his dark past behind him. But Sacramento has a serial killer on the loose, and their calling card is carving letters into the chests of victims. Then the killer goes after radio personality Daisy Dawson, a capable woman who fights back. During her escape, she comes away with a necklace she yanks from the attacker’s neck, and it’s the bit of evidence Reynolds needs.

The story is told through the various perspectives of the serial killer, victim, and FBI agent, which altogether present a disturbing picture of the mentality of a killer. These are some damaged characters, too—Daisy is in AA, and Gideon was a member of a cult in his youth. But they forge a romance that many readers will find compelling, albeit a bit of the love-at-first-sight variety.

It’s a large novel (600+ pages), but it’s a brisk read. Fans of James Patterson and Lisa Gardner, in particular, might well have a new literary love here with Karen Rose.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

KarenRoseBooks.com

The Havana Game

by John Lutz

Let’s be clear about something: if you like James Bond, you’re going to dig Sarasota author John Lutz’s Thomas Laker series. And The Havana Game—Lutz’s second in the series—has all the bells and whistles that fans will expect of a thriller that’s all about international intrigue.

In this story, the world has fallen into chaos. The US is linked to a terrorist bombing in Estonia, so Russian troops converge on the border. Tensions are rising everywhere. So it’s up to intelligence operative Thomas Laker of the super-secret Gray Outfit to save the day. But his girlfriend, Ava—a junior cryptologist at the NSA—gets involved, too. Her warnings that Russia might be the actual cause of all the trouble go ignored by her superiors, but not by Laker.

This story quickly turns into a high-stakes espionage thriller that takes readers to all parts of the globe. While Laker has a good bit of James Bond or Jason Bourne in him, he’s not superhuman. He’s just a guy with a job to do, and he’s got the determination to see it through to the end. No matter what.

Lutz is a talented writer who knows how to create tension and keep readers flipping page after page after page.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

JohnLutzOnline.com

Angel in the Fog

by TJ Turner

TJ Turner’s new novel, Angel in the Fog, is the prequel to Lincoln’s Bodyguard and Land of Wolves, which are all set in an alternative version of the US’s past. In Turner’s latest book, we learn about heroine Molly Ferguson’s story of revenge and redemption. After all, her Louisiana home got burned to the ground, her family was murdered, and she was enslaved for a time in a Baltimore brothel. Yeah—she’s got issues. The Confederacy had better watch out.

Molly’s life gets really interesting when she connects with the famous Pinkerton Agency and is trained—by Mrs. Kate Warne, America’s first female detective, no less!—as an intelligence operative. Her mission is to travel far behind enemy lines into the deepest part of the American South to spy for the Union. Can Molly help save the Union from near-certain doom?

This fun romp through an alternate US history with a bold protagonist like Molly is likely to please fans of espionage stories, thrillers, and historical fiction. Turner has carved out an interesting literary corner to work in, and this new book is both thought-provoking and entertaining.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

TJTurnerAuthor.com