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When a young man receives a mysterious phone call, stating that he has an hour to live, he begins to panic. By the time DI Helen Grace is called to the scene of a discovered body, it's too late. However, this victim has some notoriety, having escaped the clutches of a killer a few years ago. While the killer was never found, some wonder if he is back, seeking revenge on those who got away. Another call, another body!

Billy Beckett has a lot on his plate, especially with a young NBA star in Russell Mann. While Beckett and his partner look to diversify, he is also trying to see where one of his exes might have gone, as she is stirring up quite the controversy. While Mann is on par to make big bucks with his new contract, he seems to be mixed up with some old friends and a shady night or two could topple things if he is not careful.

When Maria discovers a secret bank account that her husband has been keeping, she is shocked, but that is nothing compared to the sentiment when she sees just how much is in there. She soon discovers that Paul Cooper is not the man he appears to be, but rather living a secret life. She concocts a fake robbery to explain the broken lock on Paul's desk and lets the wheels turn. Paul is panicked, but Maria says little.

When a man finds a stash of rare coins in the Scottish Highlands, he tells everyone he knows before hiding them away. When his body is found floating in the water a few days later, some think freak accident. His business partner learns otherwise through a secret call and brings in his uncle to help. Both are kidnapped, as people search for the coin. Cue Ben Hope, who is asked to find them and solve the coin mystery.

As Flynn works to prepare for trial, major news comes out of the other defence camp, when one lawyer leaves her firm and chooses to work on her own. This gamble could play right into the DA's hands, if not handled carefully. As evidence gathering continues, the 'she' character strikes to show how evil she can be and to ensure the case derails for her sister. Eddie is devastated and hopes the trial will bring truth!

Eddie Flynn is given the chance to beat the rush and try to sign up a new client while other lawyers scramble. In a flashy case, two sisters are accused of killing their father, each blaming the other. Flynn signs one sister as his client and begins preparing a defence. However, one of the two is a sadistic killer, as noted in oddly interspersed chapters. Who is it and what plans will come out as the trial looms?

After seven civilians are slain in a large house outside Savannah, GA, arrests are made and four Army Rangers are taken into custody. Soon, Major Jeremiah Cook and his CID team are sent to ensure justice is done for all involved. When they arrive, they are shunned by both the sheriff and the military, as they seek to piece it all together. At first glance, the bloodbath appears to clear, but Cook wonders about truth!

Joe DeMarco returns front and centre, taking orders from his congressional bossman. When a billionaire and his wife are killed in a plane crash, Congressman John Mahoney is given the role of guardian of the surviving daughter. Busy trying to win back his role of Speaker of the House, Mahoney offers DeMarco a proxy role. DeMarco sees some issues with the girl’s trust and soon finds himself protecting her life. Eerie!

As the investigation is ongoing, Poe realises that they are coming up short. However, a break in the case may help hone in on who is responsible in the most basic manner. A dark web challenge pushes participants to take risk and do things for praise. When Poe gets a call from the US, he is alerted to The Curator, who runs this sort of game and targets those who have done wrong, giving victims new power. Insightful!

Washington Poe is back in a highly disturbing thriller that will have the reader wanting to stay up late. Three separate locations over the Christmas holidays, three pairs of severed fingers turn up. It will take Poe and his team to track down the victims and begin piecing together what's going on. There may be a serial killer on the loose, but their penchant for torture cannot be overlooked. A truly sadistic novel!

As the plot surrounding the bombing thinkers, it becomes apparent that plans were hatched within the Oval Office. While there is a terror suspect ready to admit fault, it seems pressure by the Secret Service envelops the whole thing. Michael Devlin will work his magic to help. All the while, Joe Dempsey is trying to push through the fog, no matter where it takes him. Both men are targets by a ruthless man with power.

While Piper and Tiucker are getting closer, there is much taking place on the island. Details surrounding the shooting come to light, though none of it is calming in any form. More people arrive on the island, related to the missing neighbour, as well as mention of a local curse, one that seems to have the Boones in its crosshairs. Piper seeks answers about the past and her daughter, which Tucker is happy to take on.

Piper Boone is trying to pick up the pieces after almost being shot at an outside cafe. The man who saved her has been taken to the hospital, though Piper cannot rest until she thanks him. Struggling to stay calm, Piper learns that her neighbour has gone missing without a trace and tries to help with the investigation. When she is granted the chance to see Tucker, Piper has a favour to ask that could be too much!

Tony Kent is back, moving the political thriller to the American arena. When a plane explodes over the Atlantic, the media are all over it. Aboard is a controversial candidate for president, fuelling the fires about what that means for the election. An apparent clear-cut act of terrorism, it should be an open and shut case. Enter Joe Dempsey, whose new job with the UN has him covertly investigating the real story!

With a killer on the loose, the Major Incident Team is in a panic, especially when another (and equally sinister) victim emerges. Slowly, they piece things together and think that there’s a likely suspect who has been recently released from prison. Tracking this killer out of Britain could prove to hold all the answers, or not. Meanwhile, Michael Devlin works to convince his client not to rollover and face prison.

In a chilling story that balances an apparent crime with a multitude of flashbacks, Karen Grose pulls the reader in from the opening pages. Greta is all of nineteen and has lost both her parents, including a father who was ill with cancer. With Ian’s passing, something does not entirely match up and the police arrive to interview Greta. It is then that the young woman’s entire backstory comes to light, even the bad!

Another thrilling read by Tony Kent that keeps the action coming from the get-go. When a high-ranking judge is found crucified in his home, the police can only wonder who might be behind such an act. As they begin an inquiry, the death resonates throughout the legal community, including to defence barrister Michael Devlin. He and his fiancée are blissfully happy, but Devlin is stuck with a stubborn client. Onwards!

In this series debut, Tony Kent pulls the reader into the middle of a thrilling piece. When an attempted assassination shocks Britain, chaos ensues as no one is sure what’s going on. The assassin is taken into custody, but dies before being formally interviewed by police or apparently seeing legal counsel. However, a CNN reporter is not entirely sure that all is as it seems and finds herself chasing a story of lies.

As Cliff continues his exploration into the murder, he posits that there is something about the local street preacher that makes him feel ill at ease. He follows up on the lead, only to find himself in a heap of trouble. After loosely partnering up with an undercover cop, they look at all angles, including a potential mob hit, trying to parse through the reasons this young woman might have been killed. Dead end work!

When the body of an unidentified young woman turns up in the water, Tampa Police are baffled. A tattoo leads some to believe that her name is ‘Candy’. This leak of information has one pornographer wondering if it is one of the women he’d used in a past shoot. After a street preacher confuses him with his father, our protagonist becomes a makeshift investigator looking for Candy and who might have killed her for fun.

With Basic Training done, young Tommy is assigned to the Arizona, a battleship located in Pearl Harbor, off the Hawaiian coast. He learns the ins and outs of life on a ship, as well as what it is like to be a sailor. Meanwhile, the Americans have intelligence that the Japanese may be trying to concoct a plan to attack. The Japanese are poised with a plan, waiting for the precise moment to strike, seeking to cripple!

Zelizer pushes the book forward into a period when Gingrich is able to see power and seize it. His election as minority whip was the beginning of his rise within the GOP, though some still saw him as too much of a maverick. Once in the position, Gingrich made sure his eye was on the Speaker, a man riddled in controversy. Pushing the ethics probe as far as possible and ensuring key votes caused chaos, he ended it all!

Jeff Shaara returns with his latest novel of military history by taking the reader to the Pacific, more particularly in and around Pearl Harbor. Told in his usual multi-perspective narrative, Shaara introduces the reader to a young recruit of the Navy, a high-ranking Japanese admiral with a plan to attack the US and bring them into WWII, as well as the US Sec. of State, who is surveying America's role outside battle!

Into the Reagan era, Gingrich knew that he could not sit back, especially with a House that remained strongly weighted towards the Democrats. He pushed his various ideas to topple the ideas and kept spending down. However, Gingrich knew that his sabre-rattling needed a major focus, which came to fruition when a new Speaker emerged in 1987. Gingrich found an ethics query and used it to begin chipping away daily.

Newt Gingrich was quite the polarizing figure in US Politics, even before he made his way to DC. Gingrich was the strong-minded conservative who would not stand aside if it meant any progress for the Democrats. His arrival in the House of Reps began a series of fights to ensure the minority status of the GOP did not mean they were toothless. Working every angle, Gingrich was an annoying man who got things done.

In this third thriller, James Reece has recently recovered from brain surgery and is taking it easy in Montana. Little does he know, but the man who targeted and killed his father has locked in to kill James as well. Using the Bratva connections he has, a team is making their way out to rural Montana to kill first and ask questions later. Reece may not be an active Navy SEAL, but his potential work for the CIA helps.

Father Michael Dominic is a recent arrival to the Vatican, having been ordained in the United States. His expertise in medieval history makes him a perfect fit as one of the researchers within the Holy See, though he soon discovers a cache of documents, including one that might help lead him to uncover a tantalizing mystery, both with centuries-old connections, as well as those from the Nazi era. Some wish it erased!

So far it has been quite the tale. The sailor, Ismael, seeks a little more adventure in his life and goes in search of a whaling ship. He finds one and passes the initial interview before meeting Captain Ahab. This is a ship on a mission around the world to find one Moby Dick, a whale if ever there were one. As the crew begins searching and hunting whales, Ismael tells the reader all they need to know about whales.

This will be a whale of a tail, er.... tale! Trying this one out with my reading challenge group (and a reading bestie of mine), as I hope for the best!

After years of working themselves to the bone, the elves at the North Pole are tired of their situation. Led by a 'foreigner' named Red Elf, some of the elves begin demanding rights and control of their conditions. After rallying more, Red Elf leads a movement to Santa's Workshop, where the elves offer a set of demands, including complete control of the North Pole. While Santa balks, these elves take it all over!