Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: political thriller

THE OTHER MURDER by Kevin G. Chapman – Murder Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Police Procedural

In The Other Murder by Kevin G. Chapman, two ambitious journalists find themselves at the knife’s edge as they seek to uncover the entire truth of a gruesome double homicide.

“An error does not become truth because of multiplied propaganda, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.” –Mahatma Gandhi

Hannah, a journalist with the American Cable News network, is pulled away from a date by her editor to cover the breaking news of a shooting in Washington Square Park. The victim is Angelica Monroe, a White girl from Westchester County and a sophomore at NYU. She was shot at a close range, as shown by the dark hole above her left eye.

The murder becomes much more mysterious and complicated when Paulo, a reporter for a small community newspaper, makes a connection between Angelica’s murder and the shooting of a Latino teen, Javier Estrada, on the other side of the park on the same night.

Two detectives, Mariana and Dru, investigate the crimes and also connect Javier to the Monroe crime scene. A bag containing his Air Jordans was found near Angelica’s body. The investigators believe that Monroe may have had a dangerous item in her possession and that she may have involved herself in a highly unlikely vice, which brought her into the park and put her in harm’s way. By this time, Hannah and her network had built up Angelica as the tragic innocent victim of urban crime. When Paulo and Hannah team up, the true facts deviate farther and farther from the original narrative.

In this thrilling novel, the hunt for truth is challenged at every turn by confusion, desperation, and near-death experiences. The ‘system’ becomes increasingly complex and unpredictable, as stern directives are issued from the top, to which the investigators and the journalists are expected to adhere – even if it restricts their search. This obfuscation frustrates the investigators and prompts deep reflection in readers, as it mirrors the growing real-world indifference to truth, the cynical espousing of lies, and the fake news that popular newsrooms today have boldly proclaimed.

These themes of truth in the face of powerful deception become immense and haunting through the story of The Other Murder.

Readers will be struck by the inhumane and high-tension crime scene in the first chapter, as well as the accelerated pace at which Paulo and Hannah swing into action. The plot is chilling but heroic and boils down to one simple conclusion: Facts cannot be hidden forever, regardless of the backlash or denial against them.

Chapman has crafted a must-read novel through a proficient mixture of police procedural, thriller, and mystery. The Other Murder is undoubtedly a tale that will draw a reader in from the first page to the last. Chapman’s characters are a beautiful blend of various personalities, with their natural reactions to distress and pressure giving life and a satisfying richness to this tale.

March 1, 2024
EVERYTHING THAT WAS by Conon Parks, Chris Sempek, Mike MacNeil, Larry Knight – Terrorism Thriller, Satire, Political Fiction

Everything That Was echoes myriad broken emotions born of the world in turmoil after 9/11, intricate and politically bold, and as disturbing in its brutal humanity as it is satisfying with witty jests.

The 9/11 terrorist attack has shattered the psyche of the American people. A volcanic eruption of questions demands the whys and hows of the attack. From this anger, a massive war on terror begins. This historical fiction reflects the chaos of 9/11 and its ensuing global chaos – resulting in a series of violent endeavors and events. Throughout Everything That Was, one can find a swarm of fragmented ideologies, mini memoirs of war veterans, and witness accounts – all screeching reasons for the attack, the ensuing war, and its consequences: political, ideological, and theological.

The book’s very structure expresses the central ideas of its content, making for an affecting read.

The prose presents fragments of thoughts from the characters, broken grammar cutting sentences together and leaving emotions unexplained. Using a similar framework, Larry Knight’s introspective poetry gives an alternative form of expression to this story’s deep thoughts. In both forms, this structure points towards the lack of clarity in human conscience and the unsettling nature of a world riddled with war and havoc.

The characters appear to be in a trance, and several of their comments end in interrogative or rhetorical questions. Andre joins the National Guard, furious at the loss of innocent lives. But when he arrives at the camp, he has no idea what he signed up for or what the day is. There is no finality or closure to these pluralities of thought; each moment only flows until another idea or rhetorical question replaces it.

Everything That Was faces readers with the automation of war and its devastating impact on individuals.

In a variety of concepts, the book suggests that the fears of being taken over, perceived as powerless, or overrun by women regulate human societal behavior regardless of character. Instinctive and unconscious support for the war grows, as does widespread confusion and skepticism. Andre muses on the battle at hand, questioning whether it is “WWII? Korea? The Viet Cong? Sandinista? Drug War? A War on Drugs?”

Everything That Was represents both the separation and simultaneity of consciousness prevalent in the world. No single meaning can claim to be the ultimate answer in a plethora of conflicting notions. Many internal and external battles result from the interplay between religion and politics, and the diverse interpretations of those aspects by different characters.

As the book unfolds, its discourses allude to several historical events. In its desire to reach emancipation through infinite perspectives, this story proves its attention to the details of history. As a classic example of gonzo journalism, a literary form used by Hunter S. Thompson, the text is a frazzled amalgamation of first-person experiences that rouse incredulity at the brutality and defamiliarization of war and its chessmen in the religious and political spheres. All of these complex internal reactions to external horrors come wrapped in biting irony, peppered with tragicomedy.

February 27, 2023
The KURDISH CONNECTION, Bedlam Series #1 by Randall Krzak – Military Thriller, Terrorism Thriller, Political Thriller

International writer Randall Krzak addresses one of the world’s saddest ongoing tragedies in The Kurdish Connection, a thriller about the plight of the Kurdish people and a desperate plan to free them from their fate.

In a world awash with refugees, perhaps no greater tragedy exists than the ongoing fate of the Kurds of the Middle East, roughly 30 million sect members spread between Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Connected by language, religion, and history, this group has no country to call their own. The Kurds have been the subject of several attempts by international agreements to help them create a haven, the most recent in northern Iraq’s no-fly zone. Meanwhile, all four host countries have ruthlessly suppressed Kurdish hopes and dreams politically and especially militarily.

Among the most vicious suppression efforts were those of the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who used deadly sarin nerve gas against them, most notably in the village of Halabja, in which up to 5,000 Kurds perished and another 10,000 were wounded.

The Kurdish Connection takes us deep inside that struggle.

Two young Iraqi Kurds, Dersim and Ismet, scavengers by trade and refugees from Halabja with searing memories from their youth of Saddam’s gas attack, accidentally stumble on a large cache of sarin gas canisters leftover by Saddam’s army. The pair are stunned by the possibilities of what can be done with it. They, in turn, make their finding known to a group of Kurdish mullahs who find themselves torn by the possibilities of how the weapons can be used.

Eventually, they agree that the sarin gas might help them free a powerful mullah named Muhammed Baziyan, imprisoned for many years under tight security by the Turks. The Kurds believe that this one man could be the leader to pull them together and unite them as a single voice.

Meanwhile, half a world away, a new international counterterrorism group called Bedlam assembles in Washington D.C. to explore a rumor from on-the-ground intelligence that an Iraqi sarin gas cache exists. Its goal becomes a frantic effort to locate the canisters, disable or destroy them, and stop them from falling into the wrong hands.

With few intelligence assets on the ground, Bedlam assigns their operatives to travel to Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Using various identities such as amateur archeologists, members of MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders), and cultural tourists, they use their limited information plus sophisticated chemical detectors to try and locate the deadly cache.

At the same time, the mullahs make plans to use the gas to disrupt Turkish military forces and other pressure tactics, including kidnapping foreigners to show the world some of the brutal tactics used by military forces against Kurds. In the most recently reported event, they want to show the world how Syrian troops viciously put down a peaceful Kurdish demonstration over bakery prices, which the Syrian government claimed was an attack instigated by the Kurds.

The mullahs’ overall plan is to instigate several near-simultaneous attacks in Turkey to draw out Turkish military forces and disguise their main effort, to free the mullah Baziyan from his well-guarded Turkish prison. Using sarin gas to kill Turkish troops seems like a good plan, but no one wishes to harm civilians. Not everyone agrees with the deployment of sarin gas.

The action is set against the exotic, fairytale-like landscape of Capadoccia, Turkey, with its soaring natural towers, and Gobekli Tepi, an archeological dig of an ancient temple built 6,000 years before Stonehenge. Equipped with sophisticated chemical detectors, built James Bond-like into their gear, the Bedlam teams ready themselves for their mission. A further refinement of Bedlam’s plans is to substitute phony sarin containers for their more dangerous counterparts.

Randall Krzak delivers an exciting cat-and-mouse game between the Bedlam team, suspicious Kurds, and equally suspicious Turkish government spies.

The Kurdish Connection soars in the detailed accounts of towns and villages, the people there, and even the weaponry and vehicles used. Readers will find themselves in the middle of the action as the Kurds successfully bomb a Turkish oil field, terrorize a soccer stadium, and stage a murderous assault on the prison where the mullah is kept. Krzak takes us into the dank caves and sewers where the Bedlam teams go to locate and sabotage the horrific sarin canisters from being used by anyone.

Above all, The Kurdish Connection offers readers a compassionate look at one of the world’s most intractable social conflicts, wrapped in the pages of a thriller that will keep readers glued to its pages until the final sentence. The Kurdish Connection is the first book in Krzak’s Bedlam series. Please read our reviews of the following books by clicking on their titles: Dangerous Alliance and Carnage in Singapore.

September 23, 2021
CARNAGE in SINGAPORE (The Bedlam Series Book 3) by Randall Krzak – Global Thriller, Political Thriller, Political Suspense

Carnage in Singapore, the third volume in Randall Krzak’s Bedlam counterterrorism thriller series, takes the team to the Far East for action against Muslim terrorists with a ripped-from-the-headlines plot to destroy Western influence by any means.

The terrorists’ idea unfolds as simple, even ingenious. Terrify residents and non-Muslims in major cities such as Jakarta and Singapore with a series of spectacular bombings designed to kill as many people as possible. Follow up with kidnapping ambassadors from Great Britain, Australia, and the United States – with such ruthlessness that Western-leaning nations will cease repression of Muslims, curtail training police and soldiers who hunt Muslim terrorists, and end support for anti-terrorism activities around the world.

The plot grows into actionable items among different Indonesian terrorist groups working together – if somewhat uneasily – with a common goal.

Their scheme calls for launching near-simultaneous multiple attacks against unsuspecting citizens, destroying the illusion of safety in daily life. By making the attacks in this way, they cripple the police and other civic services. The first strike uses rockets launched from a small obscure offshore island. The rockets explode in a crowded grandstand watching a Formula One Grand Prix auto race in Singapore. Other sites bombed or strafed include an amusement park, a traffic-laden bridge, and a Chinese cathedral.

All schemes execute without a hitch. All hit their targets with devastating accuracy. Hundreds are either lost or become hostages. Next comes the kidnapping of the ambassadors.

Some Indonesian groups come under suspicion. The ruthless Detachment 88 interrogates the suspects, but their brutality yields dead suspects instead of interrogated suspects.

Into the melee comes Bedlam Charlie, an international team of anti-terrorist experts trained in all phases of investigation and apprehension. Their mission? Simple – to stop the bombings and free various prisoners in the attacks. They must deal with a mélange of bad investigations and spies within the police ranks who thwart their moves and even place team members in mortal danger.

The political motives behind the governments involved in deploying Bedlam Charlie don’t lack complexity. Will the Indonesian police accept their help? Will the governments behind Bedlam Charlie allow the team to get involved and risk the political outfall if they fail?

The terrorists come well-armed and tactically highly skilled, able to break through even the most sophisticated protection schemes to kidnap their high-profile targets.

Naming real sites as the intended targets of the terrorist attacks helps to separate this book from several others of this genre.

If a novel about terrorism in New York City named the Marriott Hotel on Times Square, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, and Yankee Stadium as successful targets, the gut-level effect here would be similar. The fictional terrorists’ logic matches actual attacks on cities and nations around the world including our own.

The novel also explores the aspirations and the politics within the terrorists’ ranks. Various factions and individuals find themselves looking for their own moment of glory as they both complete their missions and compete for attention.

Thriller fans will devour Krzak’s modern us-against-them take on storytelling. Of course, what makes Carnage in Singapore such a strong novel is its plausibility. It’s terrifying and terrific at the same time – and definitely holds its own among modern thriller authors of today. Randall Krzak took home 1st Place for Carnage in Singapore in the 2019 CIBAs Global Thrillers Book Awards.

Read our review for Dangerous Alliance, here.

August 14, 2021
DANGEROUS ALLIANCE Randall Krzak – Political Thriller, Action/Adventure, Thriller/Suspense

Dangerous Alliance, the second volume in Randall Krzak’s Bedlam counterterrorism thriller series, takes the team to the Middle East to disrupt an unholy alliance between North Korea and Somali pirates to hijack oil tankers in exchange for weapons.

Talk about a thriller ripped from the headlines!

Once again, in severe straits because of the maniacal rule of its dictatorship, North Korea finds itself running out of oil. It turns to its “friends” throughout the world—Russia, China, and Iran—but it finds that those friendships have limitations. Shipping oil to North Korea is one. Desperate for answers, the country’s Dear Leader turns to one of its own, an ambassador, and threatens him with the decimation of his family unless he comes up with an answer. Pushed to the limit, the ambassador comes up with a wild but plausible scheme: hire Somali pirates to snatch oil tankers sailing from the Red Sea through the treacherous Gulf of Aden. The ships get repainted, their transponders turned off, and countries friendly to North Korea allow the purloined oil to reach its final destination.

As world events demonstrate, stopping the Somalians is no easy task. But an international intelligence group headquartered in London, calling itself Bedlam, plans to dispatch members of its elite, multinational strike force to the Middle East to fight the pirates and restore order to that part of the world. Neither Bedlam nor the North Koreans know each other’s plans add to the certain knowledge that the two forces will clash in a major confrontation.

That’s one of the threads in this multilayered fully engaging novel, the second in the Bedlam series of thriller novels.

Two other stories run parallel to the North Korean oil hijacking. One involves Soo, the North Korean ambassador, his aide Kim, and their attempts to stay alive by fulfilling the Dear Leader’s wishes knowing that they face certain death if they fail to do his bidding. And the North Korean leader doesn’t help things, changing the nature of the offer to the Somalian pirates at the last moment and ultimately cheating the pirates when and if they actually receive the promised weapons.

The other story follows the Somali pirates as they plan and execute their schemes to secure the tankers. Part of their plan involves creating bloody diversions to keep police forces engaged in fighting acts of local terrorism and focusing less on the pirates’ activities in the waters off East Africa. Their diversionary attack on the Somalian capital of Mogadishu is fierce, well-executed, and gripping reading as the pirates race from site to site, blowing up key structures in the city to keep police attention on terrorism, not on piracy on the high seas. Things, however, do not go smoothly. Diversions go tragically wrong, leading a few to suspect a traitor among them.

The theme of “Who can you trust?” hangs heavily over the actions of the North Koreans, the Somalis, and the forces of Bedlam itself. A few significant characters turn out not to be who readers think they are—don’t even try to guess who they are—and the twists add an extra layer to the tension of this well-crafted novel.

Krzak’s unique knowledge of this world shines throughout this book. The missions undertaken by both good and bad guys feel authentic; the locations feel real, the political and social conditions reflect the author’s obvious understanding of these worlds. The story doesn’t rely on distractions such as one single character to follow; i.e., no James Bond, no George Smiley, or a love affair, a hot-blooded night between the sheets to offset the action. Dangerous Alliance relies on solid storytelling with events so plausibly terrifying that readers may not be able to sleep – for weeks.

If you like your action hot, if you enjoy thrillers with some relationship to the real world, if you enjoy well-written complex stories with some good twists and turns, Dangerous Alliance deserves a place on your reading list. This title won 1st Place in the 2018 CIBAs, Global Thrillers Awards.

August 6, 2021
NIGHT RAIN, TOKYO by John W. Feist – Men’s Adventure Fiction, Terrorism Thrillers, Crime Action/Adventure

A fast-paced political thriller, Night Rain, Tokyo is more than just bureaucratic intrigue. Brad Oaks is in Washington D.C. trying to get the Wishbone Pipeline project off the ground for Elgar Steel. Before he can make much progress in his task, he is called home by the news of the death of his boss and mentor, Ernie Elgar. Twin sisters Sarah and June Elgar are at odds about the Wishbone pipeline project. After their father’s death, the sisters have inherited control over Elgar Steel. But soon, they discover they have another sister in Tokyo. Brad is then sent across the world to meet with Amaya Mori to buy her Elgar Steel shares, but he quickly becomes caught in the crosshairs of international politics and his own heart.

Night Rain Tokyo is a heart-pounding, pulse-racing, political thriller that deals with the importance of family, identity, and love in an ever-increasingly complex world. John Feist pulls from his own experience in law and government relations, adding in the realities of bureaucratic hurdles, and this gives the plot a great touch of authenticity. In short, readers searching for an international, high-stakes political crime thriller that hits all the marks, look no further. Feist’s storytelling is smart. However, Feist understands there is more to an authentic political story than lobbying politicians and negotiating international business deals.

At the heart of Night Rain, Tokyo, are the personal struggles of its characters. Amaya has lived her whole life as an outsider in her own culture, while Brad is opening his heart again years after a significant loss. The Elgar sisters are at odds and struggle to maintain their familial bond at the cost of achieving their desired outcome for the Wishbone pipeline project. In real life, there is always more than just what is on the surface, and Night Rain, Tokyo is much more than the international Wishbone project.

Night Rain, Tokyo is the first book in his political thriller series, and he sets the bar high. Readers will not want to miss the next book, Blind Trust, and the just-released third book, Debt and Doubt.

March 10, 2021
EXECUTE ORDER by Jett Ward – Political Thriller/Suspense, Military Thrillers, Action/Adventure

On a military base outside Las Vegas, Lieutenant Brent Parker sits in a bunker in a darkened room looking to an outsider to be playing a sophisticated aerial combat video game. But this is no game. People live and die with Parker in control of a lethal drone nicknamed the Reaper flying over forbidden Syrian air space in 2011, striking American enemies on the ground with killer missiles from several miles in the air.

Enemies are one issue, but collateral damage—men, women, children, whole families who die in a missile attack as a side effect of bringing down a terrorist—weighs heavily on Parker’s conscience. It doesn’t help when his ultra-sensitive cameras see the face of a woman who his missile will obliterate as a side effect of bringing down a military-mandated target, a face that haunts him as he leaves the bunker for the clean, and safe, American desert air of Nevada.

Early on, we find out that Parker isn’t as safe as he thinks he is. Forces across the globe are watching as his drone wipes out an apartment building in the Middle East where a renowned Iranian bomb maker is holed up. When a missile controlled by Parker takes out the bomber and decimates the site, an incident widely reported by the international press, sophisticated military men in the enemy camp want the head of the man who murdered their prized weapons maker. They dispatch an assassin to infiltrate the U.S., track down and kill the killer of their esteemed techno genius.

That’s only half of Parker’s problems.

The other concerns another mission where Parker’s eye in the sky over Libya spots the transfer of some suspicious crates looted from a former Libyan dictator Gadaffi stronghold that turns out to be surface-to-air missiles that could wind up in the hands of ISIS. A U.S. crew is parachuted into Libya to stop the hand-off, but the mission becomes complicated when they are detected and are outnumbered by a superior number of ISIS soldiers. To complicate matters, a helicopter used to support the U.S. soldiers is shot down, and the soldiers’ orders are to kill the pilot to avoid him falling into enemy hands. Parker makes a decision to help the trapped soldiers, using a method frowned on by his superiors and puts him in danger of being court-martialed by his own command structure.

This tense action novel gives the readers a close-up, first-person knowledgeable view of the massive, sophisticated technology with which war and the collateral spying that goes with it. It feels hands-on real, both in the descriptions of the various weaponry and the way it is used. Someone lived this life, which makes it all the more readable. It also delivers a satisfying portrayal of the international forces focusing on controversies that Parker kicks up in the performance of his job as the pilot of a remote killer aircraft, and the actions he takes that have international repercussions.

There is more back story including a relationship that Parker develops with a well-paid Las Vegas escort and various battles with bad guys from both America and the Middle East. Some are bloody detailed hand-to-hand struggles, others are vicious mind games played by both sides.

Parker himself is portrayed in terms that would fit well in a graphics novel or a Jason Statham movie. Some of the dialog between him and other characters is less than stellar. But this isn’t a novel you read for Eudora Welty-level characterizations. You read Execute Order for the rush of an action novel with complex plots, a knowledgeable narrative, and a surprising, satisfying conclusion. On that front, Execute Order delivers the goods, and then some.

Execute Order won First Place in the CIBA 2019 Global Thrillers for Military Thrillers.

February 8, 2021
BIRD IN A SNARE (The Lord Hani Mysteries, Book 1) by N.L. Holmes – Political Thriller, Ancient Egyptian Mystery, Family Drama

Politics is a deadly game in the days of Kings and their competing 14th-century B.C. Egyptian factions. Official diplomat, Lord Hani, is on a royal assignment when he discovers even the king’s motives are suspect. Hani begins to fear for the welfare of his family and himself, as he gets a sinking feeling that the hunter has become the hunted. He’s the live bait, the Bird In A Snare.

Can Lord Hani find out who is responsible for the mysterious assassinations and the shifting armies’ alliances before becoming the one they target next?

The sands under the royal family’s feet are precarious. The investigation must be thorough but also quick. There is no time to waste in this seething era where a wave of change could bring dire consequences. Lord Hani knows he must stop the murderer to save himself and his family, but can he also act to protect the larger target, the fate of the Egyptian New Kingdom?

Lord Hani is summoned by the king to the Royal Palace and assigned a secret, specific investigation to complete on his majesty’s behalf.

The king suspects not only murder but also betrayal. He decries what he sees as political manipulations that touch pockets of power, self-serving coalitions, and religious beliefs. The king knows not all his countrymen are honest, but he trusts Lord Hani. For help, Hani turns to his young secretary Maya, who is eager for adventure and dedicated to serving Lord Hani to his utmost capability. This mystery will undoubtedly test his skills. If he impresses, will he have the courage to voice his love for his boss’ daughter, and ask for her hand in marriage?

The extensive travel required to visit scenes of crimes and associated places of interest takes a prolonged time by boat and overland, leaving Lord Hani’s family unprotected.

He’s concerned for the safety of his children and wife in his absence. There is good reason to worry. Threats arise from people of the royal court, and also people from the uprising new religion. A risk even exists from within Lord Hani’s own family, namely, his eldest son. Time is not on his side as Hani and his secretary Maya follow clues, interview suspects, and analyze motives. The action reaches a crescendo, and Lord Hani will have to confront his most dreaded fears.

Bird in a Snare by N. L. Holmes is beautifully descriptive, with details that bring the historic period and the fascinating characters to vibrant life. Suspense builds as an intricate web of intrigue is spun. Readers will be delighted to learn that this is the first of a series set in the ancient Egypt of Akhenaten’s reforms.

August 3, 2020
BLIND TRUST by John W. Feist – Political Thriller, Suspense/Thriller, High-Stakes Int’l Thriller

Brad Oaks and his wife Amaya have no idea what is in store when they answer a call for help from the newly appointed Japanese prime minister in John W. Feist’s second novel, Blind Trust.

The year is 2022, and a mysterious explosion compromises Japan’s electric grid infrastructure (LNG regasification, to be precise). Yuko Kagano’s election as the next prime minister comes with the hope that she will commit to her campaign promise of restoring Japan’s energy structure. However, she must first deal with the criminal activity associated with the previous leader. She needs help. She calls on Brad Oaks and Amaya Mori, his wife, for advice on pipeline and steel strategies. Amaya especially, as the two women have known one another since college, and both are heirs to familial steel companies, the American Elgar Steel and the Japanese Kanawa, respectively.

Brad Oaks gave up his lawyer career a few years back after he rescued Amaya when she was abducted due to her connections with her father’s company. The two fell in love, married, and moved to California. Now, Brad is the executive vice president of Elgar Steel (Please refer to John W. Feist’s first novel in the series, Night Rain, Tokyo). Three years later, they receive a call from Eisuke Tanaka, the commissioner of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, who delivers the message that Yuko requests a meeting with them in Tokyo. The call couldn’t have come in a more inconvenient time. Brad and Amaya are critically assessing a possible new season in their marriage: adoption. Placing their plans on hold, they fly to Tokyo unaware that they will be walking into deadly covert schemes to undermine the prime minister.

John Feist blazes a path in his approach to geopolitical suspense. Having ventured into Japanese culture via his past professional connections, Feist understands, firsthand, the underlying and ongoing cultural tension that exists between the Japanese and foreigners in the business sector. That said, Feist’s method of storytelling is not Americanized, which usually follows an often dizzying and fast-paced route. Instead, tension builds through innuendo-rich dialogue scenes between characters as he undergirds his plot with realistic aspects of Japanese culture that is rooted in “nativism” (the revival or perpetuation of an indigenous culture especially in opposition to acculturation, Merriam-Webster).

Feist does an excellent job surrounding Brad and Amaya, his principal characters, with a diverse cast of characters that range from subdued to surly. Each chapter alternates character POVs packed with a handful of red herrings and a plethora of unexpected twists and turns amid political history and the sights, sounds, and smells of a beautiful Asian country.

Blind Trust is a unique and satisfying Political Thriller that closes on a promising note of a sequel.

September 23, 2019
DO NOT ASSUME by Elaine Williams Crockett – Spy Thriller, Political, Mystery Suspense

While attending a swanky Washington DC party for the District’s movers and shakers, Federal Judge Warren Alexander notices a Jaguar approaching the mansion amid the darkness with the barrel of a rifle protruding from the driver’s window. Up the hill, Senator Tom Marriner has just arrived surrounded by a Secret Service detail as he exits an armored van. Seconds later, a bomb is discovered in the van’s gas tank, the timer counting down, 13, 12 …

The senator, shielded from behind by Secret Service agents, scurries down the hill away from the mansion, toward the gunman. It’s a trap. Alexander sprints for the Jaguar to intercede. The van explodes. The senator and his protection detail are thrown to the lawn. The Jaguar races off. Alexander finds the senator dead, a single gunshot to his chest.

Alexander, a former profiler with fifteen years of FBI experience insinuates himself into the case. Why was the senator shot, and by whom? He soon learns the assassinated senator, as head of the Judiciary Committee, had put Alexander’s name forward to replace a retiring Supreme Court justice. He eventually realizes the motivation for the senator’s assassination may have its roots in an unsolved rape and murder of a teenage girl forty years before in the small town of Grey Lake, Maine, and involved some of the most powerful names in Washington.

When it is uncovered that the murder weapon used to kill Senator Marriner was a rifle owned by Judge Alexander and that Alexander’s wife had recently threatened the senator’s life, the judge realizes the aftermath of the assassination, and the plot behind it may have the power to destroy both his family and career.

Elaine Williams Crockett is a talented author with an engaging style. The story has more twists than an angry rattlesnake, which will make it hard for mystery lovers and those who favor political intrigue to put it down or get a decent night’s sleep. Crockett’s characters are well fleshed out, interesting, and believable. The novel contains mild violence, though nothing overly graphic.

As mentioned earlier, Elaine Williams Crockett is a talented author who has the ability to be a rising star in this genre dominated by Lee Child, Vince Flynn, and Michael Connelly. She’s on my watch-list and I look forward to reading her work in the future.

Do Not Assume won 1^st Place for Crockett in the 2016 CLUE Awards.

September 22, 2018