Fool Me Twice by Jeff Lindsay ( Riley Wolfe #2)

Fool Me Twice by Jeff Lindsay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I discovered Riley Wolfe #1, Just Watch Me, last year and I was hooked. So, I've waited.. and waited.. patiently waited for his return. Which is here and was it worth the wait!
Riley is one of those characters that you fall in love with. Arrogant, cocky and rich while still a momma's boy at heart.
In Fool Me Twice, after a successful heist of a Faberge Egg, Riley is making his escape, flush with success, when the tables turn. His getaway boat driver has sold him out and everything goes black.
He wakes up on another boat, heading who knows where with a taciturn French thug as his guide.
In short order he arrives at The Isle of Cabbage, yes, really, and is thrown into a dungeon by biggest arms dealer in the world, Patrick Bonniface who also happens to be a connoisseur of pretty things especially art.
So, in exchange for his life, he must steal something, that is REALLY impossible. A fresco attached to a wall in the Vatican. With Bonniface's, sadistic henchwoman Bernadette the prize if he fails.
So, Riley is in deep doodoo.
On the way back to civilization, he is kidnapped again by the 2nd largest arms dealer, Mason Stone who, of course wants to be #1. Who convinces Riley, through blackmail in the form of the life of his crush, the masterful art forger Monique, to keep Stone in the loop so that when Riley delivers the fresco, he can take the Isle of Cabbage and Bonniface. Oh, I failed to mention that the Isle of Cabbage has teeth, missile batteries, mines and a heavily armed contingent of baddies.
So, now Riley is in even deeper doodoo.. Steal what can't be stolen and keep himself and Monique alive in the process. Not mention the persistent efforts of FBI Agent Frank Delgado in trying to capture the elusive Wolfe.
This book is FUN.. It moves swiftly and is an absolute blast. No spoilers here.


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The Extinction Agenda by Michael Laurence ( Extinction Agenda #1)

The Extinction Agenda by Michael Laurence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book will make you think and squirm. Especially in the age of the dreaded Covid19.
The book begins with the discovery of a deadly plague being smuggled across our border which puts Special Agent James Mason and his team in dangerous circumstances, especially when they discover the carnage that this plague inflicts on its hosts. In this case undocumented migrants who have crossed the border, with many dying hideously along the way. They follow the trail to a secret lab in the Arizona desert where they find incredible horrors and the very well being of the United States at risk. Unfortunately the lab is also a trap and an explosion rips through it causing death to most of mason's team as well as his mentor.
Flash forward a year later and Mason, still trying to come to grips with what happened, is still trying to follow the trail of the deadly plot. He comes to discover that a shadowy organization made up of the richest people in the world, are plotting to take total power and control of the world for themselves.
Also, it seems that mason doesn't know who to trust. This group, known as the Thirteen, have followers and spies everywhere, even in the highest rungs of law enforcement. So, with his trusted friends, Gunnar, a brilliant computer genius, Ramses, a high end sin merchant whose morals could be questioned as well as a survivor of the plague, a Mexican special forces operator named Alejandra Maria de Yautepec Vigil, they track down the very bad actors in the conspiracy and do their best to save humanity.
This book moves a mile a minute and is filled with historical references that will have you googling to know what's true and what's not. Don't miss it.

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Shadows of the Dead by Spencer Kope ( Special Tracking Unit #3)

Shadows of the Dead by Spencer Kope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you haven't discovered Spencer Kope and his Special Tracking Unit series, you are missing out. I was lucky enough to receive a ebook ARC from Netgalley for the purpose of this review.

There are a lot of really good thriller writers out there. Greg Hurwitz, Nick Petrie, Ben Coes and now it's time to add Kope to the list.
His thrillers are unique. His hero's aren't larger than life, they can't go toe to toe with Dewey, or Reacher or Peter Ash, but they don't need to. Kope's protagonist, Magnus "Steps" Craig, a professional tracker for the FBI has a secret. He can see everyone's shine. Every person leaves a residue, when he walks, or touches something. All of these shines have a different and distinct color, and just like DNA no two are the same. His ability to see shine is from his childhood where he got lost in the woods and actually died from hypothermia. After being brought back to life, he could see the shine.
Quite handy for a tracker of killers. The only people "in the know" are his partner Jimmy and the FBI Director.
In Shadows of the Dead, women are being abducted and "fixed" because they are broken. This fixing comes in the form of casts made of their faces and then those casts being placed in mannequins and posed in lifelike situations. Then, the women are killed.
In the course of their investigation, they come to find out that an individual known as the Onion King, is responsible.
The story moves along, with great forensics, the dark web and characters you cheer for as they hunt for the killer. One extra benefit of shine is that Steps can tell if a person is still alive by the look of the shine. Which becomes increasingly important as another women is abducted and they must find her before her fate matches all the others.
If you haven't discovered this author, Pick up book 1, Collecting the Dead and enjoy. Kope has the professional background as a criminal analyst to give a believability to his work which can sometimes be lacking in other writers.

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Fleet of Knives by Gareth Powell ( Embers of War #2)

Fleet of Knives by Gareth L. Powell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a really good space opera. Very well done written from different points of view the story just hums along. In Fleet of Knives the story arc goes big. The marble armada discovered in book 1 has found their purpose. They need to stop humanity from ever waging war again and they have found the perfect person to help them accomplish this is Ona Sudak, formerly Annelida Deal, The Butcher of Pelepatarn. After being rescued from her execution for crimes against humanity, the MA installs Sudak as their leader in their plan. So, in short order the million ship Marble Armada begins destroying any weaponized vehicle or planetary base in sight. Killing billions and effectively forcing the end of any kind of commerce. At the same time, the Trouble Dog and crew are racing to rescue a ship that reports that something attacked it in the hypervoid. Actually, took a bite out of their ship! Something that it seems the Marble Armada is intent on not provoking. From experience they know that this other race is drawn to war.
Powell has done a wonderful job of fleshing out this story and breathing life into his charcaters as well as his ships. For any out there who love Murderbot, give this a try. Trouble Dog and Murderbot need to get together. Nuff said!

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Embers of War by Gareth Powell ( Embers of War #1)

Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this. I have been on a space opera kick lately and the cover and description drew me in. But the ideas and the writing make you stay.
It is perfect for fans of Martha Well’s Murderbot Diaries. Why?
For one a sentient, snarky battle cruiser named Trouble Dog. After the destruction of an entire civilization, and sick of war, Trouble Dog resigns her commission and goes to work for the House of Reclamation. The HoR devotes their life to rescuing others. Of course, any crew would be made up of outcasts as is the case here.
TroubleDog receives a distress call from a cruise liner near what is know as the Gallery. Planets that have been carved into art by some unknown civilization.
But all is not as it seems and deciding friend from for might be tricky.
No spoilers here. Just give it a try.

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The last Watch by J S Dewes ( The Divide #1)

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this first book by a new and talented author. Special thanks to NetGalley for a digital galley, this is not a paid review.
JS Dewes rocks! How could you not be intrigued by a book billed as a cross between Game of Thrones and The Expanse.
First, I feel it’s better than the Expanse. More depth in the story building and history for me. Plus you have to live a book with monarchies, Titans and Sentinels!

In TLW, we are introduced to the Divide. The end of space. Nothing but pure blackness. Shops have been tasked with holding station to make sure that the dreaded Viators, who attacked humanity in a centuries long war, never appear and are able to give warning and fight if need be. The problem? Most of these ships are staffed with outcasts and miscreants. Except the SCS Argus, whose Excubitor is Adequin Rake. She is a badass Titan war hero who has served for 5 years after defeating the Viators. What’s a war hero doing at the edge of nothing you ask? I can’t tell you or tell you about the newest recruit, Cavalon Mercer, royalty who has been exiled, and not just any royalty but the heir. But, is super smart and a little too royal for his own good.
Everything is it’s boring old self except for the occasional time ripple where you just might see what you are doing a few minutes from now before you do it. That is until the Divide starts moving toward the Argus annihilating everything in it’s path.. but no one back home seems to care.
This book is well worth the read with plenty of imaginative tech and storylines.. looking forward to book 2!

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Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz ( Orphan X #6)

Prodigal Son by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is not a paid review and thank you to NetGalley for the advance look.

There is not much more to say. I believe that Gregg Hurwitz has taken over the mantle of best thriller writer out there. His Orphan X series is a study in excellence and growth. Excellence because the quality and consistency is on display from the start of the series though what is now book #6. Growth because, Evan Smoak, Orphan X is nowhere near the man he was in book one. It takes an author of skill to mature and grow a character as convoluted as X. Hurwitz succeeds masterfully.

At the end of book 5, Into the Fire, Evan had just made a deal with the President of the United States to stop his activities as the Nowhere Man. That is until his Roamzone rings and on the other end is a voice of a woman that tells him that she is his mother. Which brings us to Prodigal Son, unsettled by the phone call and trying his best to ignore it, Evan tries his newfound retirement and is frankly, bored. So, when the phone rings again with the same caller, he decides to take the plunge.
Meanwhile, a impound lot worker witnesses a murder and is now on the run. The problem is that the murder wasn't done with just any ordinary weapon, but a miniature drone that looks like a wasp. Tying the two together, Evan's mother asks him to help Andre, the impound worker. What transpires from these two very different story arcs is what will be the best thriller of 2021.
We also learn a lot more about Evan Smoak and the where's and why's of how he came to be left at the orphanage as a baby, as well as a deeper look into his time there and eventual recruitment to be part of the Orphan program.
No spoilers here but if you are in the mood for evil scientists, hellfire missiles, super smart tiny drones and one heck of a cliffhanger ending. Look no further. Pick up Orphan X and get reading. That way you will be ready for Prodigal Son when it hits the shelves.

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