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It's 1988 and the G-& Summit is about to begin in Toronto. Whispers of an assassin have made their way to the Chief of Police, who dispatches a young Officer Ari Greene to investigate a small border crossing between Quebec and Vermont. While Greene does some checking, all he finds is a dead US Customs guard in a nearby backyard, meaning someone is on their way to wreak havoc. The race is on to find the assassin!

With news spreading about Robert Baratheon, many groups march on the capital to claim the Iron Throne. All the while, Jon Snow works in the North to try keeping things in order and the things outside the Wall from infiltrating. Arya has gone undercover and is trying to keep a low profile, while building up her abilities for an attack on the new king. Dany continues to gather support and troops across the vast lands.

In this final novels of the series, the dust is still settling on the last mission, as Watchtower members are forced to come to terms with all that has been going on. A secret drug manufacturing operation continues to thrive while others try to understand how a false sexual assault could lead to so many bodies and secrets being shelved. One man in particular is itching to show the world he knows a great deal.

As a red comet flashes across the sky, the various factions within the Seven Kingdoms are mounting their plans for the Iron Throne. The sitting king, young Joffrey is sure that he belongs there and is being protected by his mother and key sycophants. However, across the realm, others are preparing their military plans to challenge and stake a claim to the throne. All the while, others develop their backstories.

In the third novel, the Watchtower Group are sent to New Jersey to handle a unique case (for them). A man is accused of rape outside a law school, leaving a woman struggling to piece it all together. As the various members of the team struggle to understand how they could belong in the middle of this investigation, Boston Hollinger tries to make sense of his ongoing powers!

In this second novel, the Watchtower Group has made their presence known, though one remains off the grid, trying to put the pieces back together. In Phoenix, a dedicated mayor hopes to quell the reputation that her city is home to a large trafficking ring, while a businessman tries to secretly grease the wheels of his illegal activities to keep himself profitable and control in his possession!

As the characters gain depth and connection to the reader, the Seven Kingdoms are ever-evolving. An imp who has been captured for killing the Hand of the King, a young boy injured when he saw things he ought not to have witnessed, and a king whose libido has made a name for him across the kingdom. All the while, a girl has wed and been gifted dragon eggs while a boar hunt goes terribly wrong. Things get intense!

A group of military vets have returned from Afghanistan and entered the workforce. One has landed a key job on Capitol Hill, watching the Senate Intelligence Committee investigate a leak that saw an active service member killed due to a leak to the enemy. All the while, he has odd visions into the thoughts of others, which could help reveal the leak and begin the hunt to find them!

A re-read epic journey. Back into the middle of it all, as the reader learns about the Starks and their being summoned by the sitting king of the Seven Kingdoms to help keep the realm intact. A great start to the book and the year!

After reading three recent articles from different sources, I want to make it clear that I am sticking with Goodreads and am NOT pro-Trump. Apparently the Goodreads to Amazon, to Bezos, to Washington Post means some are making connections between Goodreads users and being ok with Trump.

Read my Election Prep reviews and it will be clear!

I woke up today and the world had not ended! However, I realised that the next four years will provide me with a great deal of fodder to explore and review the state of American politics from my Canadian perch.

As books are written and published, I can see myself creating a four-year reading challenge to read and review many authors’ takes on the state of the American republic.

BRING IT ON!

As Antonelli tries to determine what he will do, he’s thrust into a new case, where his defence alone will ensure the innocent party remains out of jail. The murder of a college administrator seems straightforward, but there is something about the victim and the accused that could make things go sideways swiftly. Thereafter, Antonelli decides to visit his benefactor, only to see that nothing is quite as it seems!

A popular Berlin radio station is taken over by a crazed man, making some unique demands, With a handful of hostages, he wants anyone he calls during the show's popular contest to reply with a single phrase, or one person will die. A police hostage negotiator begins working to determine what it will take to end the standoff, discovering that it all hinges on finding a certain woman. What follows adds much complexity.

Joseph Antonelli has taken on a client he believes is innocent, but the evidence does not mirror this. When the defense attorney receives a visit from a mysterious man, their discussion turns to the role of privilege and what is needed to ensure it. After paying a retainer, the man sends a gift, the murder weapon and receipt proving Antonelli's client is innocent. Bound by law, the lawyer can say nothing, for now...

A single mom begins to notice oddities in her pre-teen daughter. It’s first thought to be a playful imagination. However, things get even more disturbing and social awkward, leading to some time with the doctor. What could be a lesion on the brain could also be something psychological, leading to a few more tests. Still, when the girl speaks about feeling inhabited by something else, eyebrows raise, as do concerns.

Mitch Rapp is back, wortking under a new Administration. When the world's richest man finds himself in trouble, POTUS and CIA Director Kennedy use their best asset to help. As Rapp travels to Uganda to help his protectee, they disciver that this will be more than simply keeping the man out of the sun for too long. Many are targeting him, both for his wealth and scientific abilities, leaving Rapp in dire crosshairs.

A downed plane in Afghanistan. A missing woman and her children in upstate New York. It all could be quite harrowing for most detectives. However, when Jack Morgan is asked to personally help look for the woman and her children, he’s enticed into it. Working with his office of Private New York, Morgan commences the search, only to realise that he’s been duped and will have to head to Afghanistan for more intel.

While Reece is hunting for people on the list of kills, something on the African continent is being reactivated and will soon make its way onto US soil. Hospitals in two cities soon find themselves with a huge spike of what appears to be flu cases, but is soon proven to be much worse. This virus spreads around both locales, leaving many to wonder if it is a new COVID, but much worse. POTUS must act swiftly and now!

Jack Carr is back with another stunning thriller that straddles past and present. It’s been two decades since Sept. 11 and there are some in the US Administration that feel not all those who planned the attacks are dead. James Reece is contacted covertly by POTUS to find and exterminate those who are left and living on US soil. While he does this, some within the government wonder if he is violating the law again.

A woman with a high-risk pregnancy goes into premature labour and is abducted on the way to the hospital. Her father, a well-known psychologist who fled to Argentina in shame is on his way across the world to support his daughter in Germany. Aboard the plane, he's contacted and told that he must ensure the death of everyone on board, or his daughter and unborn grandchild die. What choice does he have up in the air?

As a deputy for the county coroner, Clay Edison is used to poking around crime scenes for answers. When he is called out on assignment, things begin as usual, until he enters the garage. There, he sees his brother’s vehicle, which is verified after running the tags. Luke has not come home and his wife is worried. Edison begins sleuthing around, only to find the weapon from the crime and someone who may have seen him.

After a particularly awkward time in the preliminary hearing, it’s time to go to trial. Trouble is, when the accused refuses to deny he did it, things can go haywire quite quickly. Still, the defence mounts a case based on poking holes into the prosecution’s case, offering up some alternatives of their own. Character witnesses turn into possible alternative suspects, keeping the jury confused, but will it work?

As Leo waits for his wife, Liv, to return from overseas, he busies himself with making her birthday cake. A knock at the door leads to a man, Liv’s apparent half-brother, showing up and wanting to see his sister. When Liv is delayed, Leo and Morten spend time tracking down an old query the former has had. More delays, but Liv eventually arrives home, struck with some sort of amnesia. Leo tries to help, for naught.

A chilling new novel by Victor Methos. When a young man is stopped by the police, covered in blood, he admits to three murders and an attempt at a local campsite. When they authorities arrive, they find a horrible display and the suspect refuses to deny he did it. However, after the public defender gets some helps from a well-known defence attorney, truths emerge about a ‘demon’ influencing the kills. What’s this?!

Spencer Kope is back with another thrilling novel in this unique series. After four men go missing during their annual fishing trip, the Special Tracking Unit are called in to help the local authorities. How can these men, who fish along this area so often, simply vanish? What’s more troubling is that a body is found on a park bench with one of the men’s clothes and ID. The truth is chilling and a killer is lurking.

While the investigation is ongoing, some significant evidence points to a surprising suspect. Yardley tries to come to terms with it all and tries to console a friend of hers, who is also trying to swallow what the evidence seems to make clear. While Yardley knows her time as a US Attorney is waning, she wants her last time in Federal Court to be memorable and goes in guns blazing to try the accused, no matter what!

Victor Methos is back with another explosive thriller, mixing the law and a serial killer with a love of the finer things in life. Jessica Yardley is ready to retire, at least from the US Attorney’s Office. With her daughter preparing for university, Yardley wants to be around a little more. She’s pulled in for one final case, when a serial killer has be using a series of paintings to set the stage for their kills.

Roach continues her adventures by exploring the world of birds. How these winged creatures have caused so many headaches comes to the surface as Roach discusses airport issues, as well as swooping vultures and some gull issues in the Holy See. It's surely a lot more entertaining for the reader than those who have to suffer this on a daily basis. Things move from there to the issues of rabbits in New Zealand. Hmm...

As danger continues to mount, DI Johansson realises that she must battle on her own and is suspended from the police force. Beginning her search on foreign soils, she is tracked down and almost killed, barely escaping into the clutches of the group she seeks. This is a group that uses those in power to push agendas and Johansson learns some of the likely targets around Scandinavia. Her hunt is meticulous, but clear!