Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Thriller

The Official List of the Chanticleer 2015 Grand Prize Winners of the Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions

We are excited and honored to have announced the 2015 grand prize award winners at the third annual Chanticleer Authors Conference’s Awards Banquet held on Saturday, April. 30th, 2016 at the Hotel Bellwether by beautiful Bellingham Bay, Wash.

We want to thank all of those who entered and participated in the fiercely competitive 2015 Chanticleer International Writing Competitions.

Our next Awards Banquet will be held on April 1st, 2017, for the 2016 winners. Enter your book or manuscript in a contest today!

CBR– Discovering Today’s Best Books with the CBR BLUE RIBBON Writing Competitions!

The Chanticleer Grand Prize Award 2015 for Overall Best Book:

Daughter of Destiny by Nicole Evelina was awarded the Chanticleer Overall Grand Prize for the Best Book in the 2015 Chanticleer International Writing Competitions. Congratulations to author Nicole Evelina.

The Chanticleer Genre Grand Prize 2015 Winners are as follows:

The Cygnus Grand Prize for SciFi and Fantasy Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Great Symmetry
by James Wells

View Cygnus Category 1st Place Winners

The Journey Grand Prize Ribbon for Narrative Non-fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Rhythm for Sale
by Grant Harper Reid

View Journey Category 1st Place Winners

The M&M Grand Prize Ribbon for Mystery & Mayhem Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

There’s Something About Marty
by Wendy Delaney

View Mystery & Mayhem Category 1st Place Winners

The Dante Rossetti Grand Prize Ribbon for YA Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Girl and the Clockwork Cat
by Nikki McCormack

View Dante Rossetti Category 1st Place Winners

The Chaucer Grand Prize Ribbon for Historical Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Valhalla Revealed
by Robert A Wright

View Chaucer Category 1st Place Winners

The Laramie Grand Prize Ribbon for Western, Pioneer, Civil War Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Doctor Kinney’s Housekeeper
by Sara Dahmen

View Laramie Category 1st Place Winners

The Chatelaine Grand Prize Ribbon for Women’s Fiction and Romantic Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Daughter of Destiny
by Nicole Evelina

View Chatelaine Category 1st Place Winners

The CLUE Grand Prize Ribbon for Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

Blood Relations
by Lonna Enox

View CLUE Category 1st Place Winners

The Paranormal Grand Prize Ribbon for Paranormal/Supernatural Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Aurora Affair
by Carolyn Haley

View Paranormal Category 1st Place Winners

The Somerset Grand Prize Ribbon for Literary, Contemporary, & Mainstream Fiction 2015 was awarded to:

The Alexandrite
by Richard Lenz

View Somerset Category 1st Place Winners

Now this is something to CROW about!

Enter Your Book or Manuscript in a contest!

Please note that the above awards are for submissions that we received in 2015. The award winners were acknowledge at the 2016 annual Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 30th, 2016.

The winners of the 2016 Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions (works entered in 2016) will be recognized at the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Banquet held April 1st, 2017. Reserve your spot now.

We invite you to read the Chanticleer editorial book reviews of these stellar works. The reviews will be published on our website and in the Chanticleer Reviews online magazine. If they are not currently posted, they will be posted as they are reviewed! Congratulations, again, to these award winning authors!

For more information about the Chanticleer International Writing Competitions, please visit our Writing Contests pages.

We are currently accepting 2016 and 2017 contest entries: CBR International Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions.

We would like to thank our sponsors who make the Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions and the Chanticleer Authors Conference possible.

May 2, 2016
GHOSTS OF MATEGUAS by Linda Watkins, haunting American Gothic

Spellbindingly dark and suspenseful, Ghosts of Mateguas will captivate gothic fans and keep thriller addicts on the edge of their seats.

An old and wizened Native American shaman reveals what the ancient ones knew: Mateguas Island is steeped in spiritual power. He speaks of the positive effects of the swirling vortexes that lie on and around the island, but also warns that “The same healing energy, when disturbed by outside influences, can create vortexes that have the opposite effect.” He continues to explain that there’s a terrible evil on Mateguas, and it has manifested itself in a toad-like creature known as the Aglebemu – an entity that is an omen of tragedy to come.

The story has characters compelled to return to mysterious Mateguas by their previous forays on the island. Watkins pulls readers into the story to question and investigate secrets of the island: What is this island hiding? Why do people seem to be drawn back to it despite problems that have occurred there for each of them? Many questions are answered as Watkins deftly weaves them together in this eerie saga.

When the protagonist’s son begins displaying odd behaviors, she begins to wonder if he could be the legendary Blessed Boy. Could this boy, who began displaying unbelievable powers upon coming to Mateguas, be a legend come alive? What does the Blessed Boy have in store for the islanders?

This suspense-thriller is a follow-up to the previous two titles: Mateguas Island and Return to Mateguas Island. Linda Watkins continues to engross readers in her compelling world of supernatural intrigue with this third thriller novel, Ghosts of Mateguas.

Although it’s not required to enjoy the storyline, I recommend reading the first two books in the series first to become well-acquainted with the intriguing characters. Even though I read the third book out of sequence, I had an entertaining and scary time exploring its contemporary American gothic world. I am looking forward now to reading the prequels for the series’ full impact. This romantic thriller novel contains some sexual content that may not be suitable for readers under the age of 18.

Ghosts of Mateguas Island is a haunting novel packed with realistic characters and unpredictable twists placed on the backdrop of a spooky, magical island. As one of the main characters states in the book: “Welcome to my world…Strange paths no one else can find, evil spirits…it’s a wonder we’re not all in the loony bin.” This gripping saga is highly recommended for horror and Gothic fiction enthusiasts and those who enjoy romantic thrillers.

April 13, 2016
The CLUE Awards for Thriller/Suspense Novels 2015 – Official Finalist Listing
The CLUE Awards Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genres of Thriller and Suspense Novels. The CLUE Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.

More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2015 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 30, 2016!

The CLUE Awards FIRST IN CATEGORY sub-genres are:
- Suspense/Thriller
- Detective/Crime
- Private Eye/Noir
- Legal/Medical/Police Procedural
- Spy/Espionage
- 2015 — Amateur Sleuth/Cozy
The following titles will compete for the FIRST IN CATEGORY Positions and Awards Packages.

This is the OFFICIAL FINALIST POSTING of Authors and Titles that have made it to the Short-list of the CLUE 2015 Novel Writing Contest.
- CG Fewston for A Time to Love in Tehran
- K. J. Klemme for Tourist Trapped
- Patrick M. Garry for Blind Spots
- Shirley Worley for Easy Money
- Sue Barnard for The Unkindest Cut of All
- Michael A Smith for The Money Game
- Timothy S. Johnston for The Void; The Freezer; & The Furnace
- J.G. Schwartz for Inventing Madness
- Timothy Smith for The Red House on the Hill
- Antonio Commisso for Silent Partner
- Dave Edlund for Relentless Savage
- Joe Young for Indian Country
- Hannah Warren for The Cottage on the Border
- Gary Grossman for Old Earth
- Joe Corso for Lafitte’s Treasure
- Laurie Stevens for The Mask of Midnight
- Virgil Alexander for The Baleful Owl
- Matt Stewart for The Man from KNEW News
- DL Koontz for Edging through Darkness
- Mark Pople for Rogers Park
- Ivan Light for Deadly Secret of the Lusitania
- Megan Davidson for The Thundering
- Carol Hedges for Death & Dominion
- Lucy Carol for Hot Scheming Mess
- John T. Young for The Princess of Poland
- Keith Tittle for A Matter of Justice
- Scott D. Smith for Guilty Deeds
- K. J. Klemme for Tourist Trapped
- Mimi Barbour for Special Agent Maximilian
- Michele Daniel for The Red Circle
- Zach Fortier for Landed on Black; Hero to Zero; Street Creds
- Lonna Enox for Blood Relations
- Rian Everest for The Tangerine Tigress & The Tangerine Trio
- M. L. Rowland for Murder on the Horizon
- Ken Oder for The Closing & Old Wounds to the Heart
- Marilyn Ida Horowitz for The Book of Zen
- Christine Benedict for Anonymous
- Debra Erfert for Relative Evil
- Joan Hall Hovey for The Deepest Dark
- S.J. Dunn for Angry Enough to Kill
- Hubert Crouch for The Word
- Kent Politsch for Blood Anger
- Stephen Kaminski for Murder, She Floats
- Tom Dalgliesh for All Corpses on Deck
- D. J. Adamson for Outre
- J.A. Faura for Apex Predator
- N.G. West for Nine Days to Evil
- Vanessa Leigh Hoffman for Treasure
- Chief John J. Mandeville for Pine Village Co-op Murders and Sherlockito
- J.J. Chow for Seniors Sleuth
- Vinnie Hansen for Black Beans & Venom
- Marian Exall for A Dangerous Descent
The CLUE Finalists will compete for the CLUE Awards First In Category Positions, which consists of Four Judging Rounds. First Place Category Award winners will automatically be entered into the CLUE GRAND PRIZE AWARD competition, which has a cash prize of $250 or $500 dollars in editorial services. The CBR Grand Prize Genre Winners will compete for the CBR Overall Grand Prize for Best Book and its $1,000 purse.
- All First In Category Award Winners will receive high visibility along with special badges to wear during the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala.
- First In Category winners will compete for the CLUE Awards Grand Prize Award for the $250 purse and the CLUE Grand Prize Ribbon and badges.
- TEN genre Grand Prize winning titles will compete for the $1,000 purse for CBR Best Book and Overall Grand Prize.
- A coveted Chanticleer Book Review valued at $345 dollars U.S. CBR reviews will be published in the Chanticleer Reviews magazine in chronological order as to posting.
- A CBR Blue Ribbon to use in promotion at book signings and book festivals
- Digital award stickers for on-line promotion
- Adhesive book stickers
- Shelf-talkers and other promotional items
- Promotion in print and on-line media
- Review of book distributed to on-line sites and printed media publications
- Review, cover art, and author synopsis listed in CBR’s newsletter
- Default First in Category winners will not be declared. Contests are based on merit and writing craft in all of the Chanticleer Writing Competitions.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at Info@ChantiReviews.com.

Congratulations to the Finalists in this fiercely competitive contest!
Good Luck to all of the CLUE Finalists as they compete for the coveted First Place Category positions.

First In Category announcements will be made in our social media postings as the results come in.

The CLUE Grand Prize Winner and the First Place Category winners will be announced and recognized at the April 30th, 2016 Chanticleer Writing Contests Annual Awards Gala, which takes place on the last evening of the Chanticleer Authors Conference that will be held in Bellingham, Wash.

We are now accepting submissions into the 2016 CLUE Awards writing competitions for Western Fiction. Please click here for more information or to enter the contests.
March 3, 2016
SMALL TOWN STORM by Elise K. Ackers – a chilling and dark contemporary thriller

Aptly titled, Elise K. Ackers’s Small Town Storm is an intriguing and electric mystery set in contemporary Olinda, Australia. Jordan Hill and Erica Lawrence were inseparable childhood best friends until one fateful night when Erica’s family was torn apart and Erica disappeared without a trace.

Jordan has always assumed she died. Nineteen years later, Jordan is the new senior constable in his hometown. He has several issues to contend with, including catching up on the small town gossip he has missed out on over the years while living in Melbourne. But when he runs into Erica, a ghost from his past, things take a turn for the worse.

Erica, too, is newly returned to Olinda, taking a position as a veterinarian in the same town where she disappeared from all those many years ago. Jordan, who has spent years devastated by her supposed death, is shocked and angry when he encounters her—doesn’t she understand the pain she caused him? Erica, too, is saddened by Jordan’s less than warm response. To make matters worse, a murder has shaken the peaceful town and Erica is the sole suspect. Erica and Jordan must put aside their differences in order to find answers.

Ackers takes a fascinating premise and enlivens it with sparkling dialogue, small town details, and excellent characterization. Readers will be immediately captivated by both the mystery plot and the burgeoning romance between Erica and Jordan.

Additional layers of intrigue surrounding why Erica left town nineteen years before and what happened to her family add depth and complexity to the plot. Even secondary characters are well-drawn, lending the story an authentic voice and making the menacing plot palpable and chilling. The novel moves at a brisk pace ratcheting up the suspense level to a crescendo on all fronts. Fans of mysteries and suspense novels will be sure to be captivated by Small Town Storm, but be warned that this is a darker mystery complete with serial killers and gruesome acts.

Fans of mysteries and suspense novels will surely be captivated by the engrossing Small Town Storm, an intriguing and well written mystery page-turner that will have you double-checking your locks and looking over your shoulder. Elise K. Ackers is certainly one to watch.

December 4, 2015
ENEMY of EXISTENCE by Yuan Jur, a science-fiction novel

Brimming with a fully dynamic set of characters and otherworldly energies, Enemy of Existence is the strong and inventive debut novel that introduces Juan Yur’s science-fiction space opera series Citadel 7.

Uniss and Dogg turn literary style on its head by greeting and then involving the reader in their story. Coming to Earth from the Superverse, they home in on 1960s outback Australia to seek out and commandeer the help of young Ben Blochentackle.

Uniss and Dogg engage and prepare Ben for the realities of the Superverse until he is able to digest the psychological and physical demands of the looming war. At the same time, Uniss and Dogg must find a way to satisfy the coercing unit of the Evercycle council, who are the creators of existence.

Ben’s human life changes forever when he joins Uniss and Dogg, right when he’s about to disclose his feelings towards his lady friend. Dogg’s painful timing in bringing Ben out to the Superverse is made worse when both Uniss and Dogg come to realize that Ben might not be who they thought he was. The reader finishes Enemy of Existence deeply satisfied but simultaneously left with many questions about what the future holds for the characters.

Yuan Jur utilizes his skillful craft of writing as he uses different perspectives throughout the book to open up various characters and their environments to the reader’s viewpoint. This particular development in Yuan Jur’s writing provides the reader with a well-rounded insight into the Superverse. The author is no stranger to breaking conventional norms with his quirky, unique writing style that will captivate readers.

Enemy of Existence breaks new ground in the science-fiction universe as readers are required to actively participate in unraveling the novel’s plot.

October 16, 2015
SECOND CHANCE by Linell Jeppsen, a western thriller

In the early years of the twentieth century, the northern woods of Idaho were known for their booming mining towns. Families filed and worked claims, hoping to make a decent living and create a home for themselves on the Western frontier. Unfortunately, those booming mining towns also had their fair share of crime. Claim jumping, the violent practice of stealing valuables and producing claims, was commonplace.

In the fifth book of The Deadman series Second Chance, Linell Jeppsen uses this fascinating setting to craft a story about a trio of rich and powerful men who have made it their goal to acquire mining claims in Wallace, Idaho, using whatever means necessary. The local miners and their families who get in their way tend to end up dead.

Matthew Wilcox, recently retired from law enforcement, has established a new detective agency with his son, Chance. He and Chance are just coming off their first case, a successful sting operation against an illegal boxing scheme. Matthew is looking forward to some relaxation and training sessions with a new stallion they’ve acquired. But the newly installed telephone rings, and the news on the other end isn’t good: Matthew’s lady friend, Annie Thurston, has been nearly beaten to death and her friend is murdered.

This new case, Matthew quickly learns, is larger in scope than what he and Chance have handled in the past. What begins as a series of relatively simple-looking claim jumps and acts of violence in the Northern Idaho woods ends up stretching all the way to the playgrounds of the rich and powerful in Seattle. The Wilcoxes are up against very powerful, very connected, evil villains.

Jeppsen has written a fast-paced, entertaining historical mystery set in the Northwest in a timeframe that is unusual for the western genre—the early twentieth century.

Using extensive research and her in-depth knowledge of the area, she provides an authentic blend of mystery and western genres, plenty of action, and even a bit of romance. Her ear for the vernacular of the time is dead-on, and her knowledge of the locales, from Idaho to Puget Sound, is clearly extensive.
Readers will be drawn to the characters from the very beginning, and will enjoy spending time with them again as they take on a trinity of bad guys. The Deadman series is an action-packed, engaging blend of western and mystery fiction not to be missed.

September 22, 2015
The CLUE 2014 AWARDS FIRST PLACE Category Winners for Suspense and Thriller Novels
Chanticleer Book Reviews is honored to announce the First Place Category Winners for the CLUE AWARDS 2014 for Suspense and Thriller Novels, a division of Chanticleer Blue Ribbon Writing Competitions.

The CLUE Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Suspense and Thriller Fiction. The First Place Category Winners will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala held in late September 2015.

Chanticleer Reviews is proud to be a literary affiliate of the Historical Novel Society.

Congratulations to The CLUE FIRST PLACE Category 2014 Award Winners:
- Historical: Rachel B. Ledge for The Red Ribbon
- Romantic Suspense: Mimi Barbour for Special Agent Francesca
- International Intrigue/World Events: Lawrence Verigin for The Dark Seed
- Contemporary Mystery/Suspense: Pamela Beason for The Only Clue
- Private Eye/Noir: Keith Dixon for The Bleak
- Police Procedural: Jode Susan Millman for The Midnight Call
- Spy/Espionage: Michelle Daniel for The Red Circle
- Psychological Thriller: Rebecca Nolen for Deadly Thyme
- Cozy/Amateur Sleuth: JoAnn Basset for I’m Kona Love You Forever
- True Crime: Gayle Nix Jackson for Orville Nix: The Missing JFK Assassination Film
Honorable Mention: Susan Holmes, Deadly Ties, A Waterside Kennels Mystery

CONGRATULATIONS!

To view the 2014 CLUE Finalists whose works made it to the short list, please click here.

Good Luck to the CLUE First Place Category Winners as they compete for the CLUE AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position!

The 1st Place Category Winners compete for the CLUE AWARDS 2014 GRAND PRIZE position. The 2014 CLUE category winner was announced at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala in September 2015. See the Grand Prize Winners.

The deadline for The CLUE Awards 2014 was September 30, 2014.
The deadline for The CLUE Awards 2015 is September 30, 2015.

GRAND PRIZE Overall CLUE Awards 2013 Winner is:

Clyde Curley for Raggedy Man

To view the 2013 CLUE Award Winners, please click here.

To enter the 2015 CLUE Awards, please click here. The deadline is September 30, 2015.

To enter your work into a Chanticleer Writing Competition, please click here.

CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are the reason literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also another reason our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.

Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews international writing competitions.
August 29, 2015
The GREAT SYMMETRY by James R. Wells, a Science Fiction Thrill Ride

At the dawn of the 24th Century, seven corporations or “families” known as the Sisters dictate every aspect of human life. “The Spoon Feed” spits out the latest curated news while Marcom, a marketing communications group, composes “The True Story,” their version of reality for public consumption. Tight control of information is necessary for total corporate domination of all planetary enterprises and the Sisters are willing to go to extreme measures to maintain their stranglehold on humanity.

Driven by a thirst for new information, exoarcheologist Evan McElroy makes a discovery that takes him outside of the perceived safety of the “True Story” and hurls him into the nearest glome, a wormhole-like space portal, where he runs for his life.

His discovery, an ancient artifact from the extinct Versari race, contains data with the potential to dismantle the control of the Sisters and destroy the carefully crafted society they’ve created. A discovery worth killing for.

From the first sentence to the last, The Great Symmetry is a science fiction thrill ride. Opening with Evan in the crosshairs and missiles of Affirmatix (a family of companies within the Sisters), he is forced to take a leap of planetary faith. Evan sends out a final coded message then, with the artifact safely tucked into his EVA suit, he steps out of his runabout craft and propels himself into deep space to escape obliteration by the Affirmatix.

With a dwindling oxygen supply his only hope is that expert pilot and longtime friend Mira Adastra will decode his message before death or Affirmatix takes him. But Affirmatix is already targeting all of Evan’s known associates and Mira has had her own run-ins with the Sisters. It’s only through the unlikely help of Evan’s ex-partner, Kate DelMonaco, that any of the three have a chance to make it out of Evan’s giant leap alive.

In this stunning debut novel, James R. Wells has assembled a great cast of interesting and complex characters embedded in a well-planned dual narrative. Pitting the infoterrorists – seekers of reality and truth – against the corporate, profit-before-people decision makers of Affirmatix creates a dynamic “good versus evil” scenario that allows for a deeper understanding of the motivations that drive each side. The shifting narrative also enables the reader to travel between unique environments that reveal rich and clever world-building components.

With its Kafka-esque view of an escalating, dominant corporate presence, James R. Wells’ The Great Symmetry echoes the timeless social messages of truth, freedom and sacrifice embraced by science fiction greats like Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, and the author’s own great grandfather H. G. Wells. Its powerful premise gives voice to the perils and challenges of our current society and reminds the reader that even the smallest person can change the world. A great read!

July 24, 2015
DEAD in DUBAI by Marilynn Larew; an international spy thriller

Larew has found a comfort zone in describing exotic settings, and her perspicacity for honing in on minute details gives her work a sense of authenticity. Through the eyes of her intrepid, intelligent heroine, we are treated to an insider’s view of locales like Dubai and Istanbul.

In this second Lee Carruthers offering (The Spider Catchers provided the opening salvo), author Marilynn Larew again displays her prodigious knowledge of the international dealings in diamonds, deception and death that are hidden from the headlines.

Employing her wry wit (“I disapprove of assassination, particularly my own”), Carruthers, a woman of a certain age (“my long brown hair had a few strands of silver”) is looking for a dead man. After quitting the CIA and vowing she wouldn’t go to Dubai to look for CIA operative George Branson, she is inveigled into doing just that by the appeals of Branson’s wife Cynthia, and possibly equally, by the little brass key that Cynthia gives her. Figuring out what that key unlocks will consume Carruthers; finding out why Cynthia plunges off a balcony to her death, and others will die while the hunt is on, will provoke far more troubling questions.

Carruthers, a sort of female Bond, can identify a person’s borough of origin by his accent, and tell whether a man is an American or English by the way he takes his whiskey—with or without ice. She knows where to get the best pastry, what wine to order, and in which Islamic enclave she can walk around without a head covering. She bribes passport control agents and befriends charming crooks. And she’s tough, always carrying a Glock, with a knife in a sheath on her leg. She goes through several weapons in the course of this story, and uses a particular firearm to good effect occasioning one of the book’s better zingers: “Tears came to my eyes but they didn’t spoil my aim.”

Carruthers is a person of principle, so when she gets caught up in a spy vs. spy morass, she keeps her own counsel and tries to do the right thing, though with the CIA and the Russian mafiya trying to outfox each other, she knows she may be seen as expendable. In the end, she has her ethics intact, a small bag of rough diamonds as compensation for her troubles, and some disturbing conclusions about who George Branson was, or is?—and who’s playing footsy with whom under the big table.

In an age when national, ethnic and political identities and loyalties have blurred the lens of spy-craft, Larew’s heroine is right up to speed. And if the story line seems at times to move too fast and somewhat jerkily, it’s also true that there are few if any lulls in the action. Still, some readers may find the wrap-up final chapter rather mechanical, and may wonder why Carruthers, who keeps protesting that she quit the CIA in order not to be sent on dangerous assignments, hops on board for another missing-person case on the last page. But lucky for Larew’s readers that Carruthers accepts the assignments despite her better judgement.

A sequel seems to be brewing that may perhaps reveal a softer side of Lee Carruthers. In this story there is a hint, but just: someone named Kemel, and a bloodstained pearl.

Larew has built up steam with her fascinating femme-sometimes-fatale protagonist and her writer’s grip on the subtleties of international intrigue and double crossings that ratchets up the race against time in this spy vs. spy thriller.

June 2, 2015
The QUEBEC AFFAIR by Robert Penbrooke, a Spy Thriller

Robert Penbrooke’s The Quebec Affair represents a promising entry into the thriller field for the debut author, whose well-researched plotting propels the work to a satisfying conclusion.

John Thurmond is a former Canadian citizen who decides to join the US Army when he disagrees with Canada’s foreign policy related to China. Because of his Canadian citizenship, he is recruited into the CIA from the army in 1971. John’s first mission takes him to China, where he poses as a Canadian journalist in order to acquire Russian and Chinese nuclear information. Stealing photo negatives related to important developments in nuclear physics from a Russian scientist, his identity is compromised, and John is forced to flee to Cambodia with the negatives.

The Khmer Rouge are just beginning to terrorize the country and John must escape a country that is falling apart. He befriends a French Colonel who has a better chance of getting the negatives safely out of the country and hands them off before attempting to make his way out on foot through the jungle. John is captured and tortured by the Russians, but he eventually escapes and manages to make it back to his family in Canada. When he calls to check in with his CIA contact, however, he discovers that his department has been closed for 10 months.

Twelve years after he was first recruited, John is a lawyer with a wife and child, but his failed mission still haunts him. When he finally reaches the officer who recruited him into the CIA, he is determined to see it through. Penbrooke sets up a fascinating plot with compelling motivation, but occasionally gets lost in unnecessary detail. While dialogue occasionally veers toward the cartoonish, Penbrooke does a great job of sustaining tension and keeping things unpredictable.

Several emotion heavy subplots add to characterization: for instance, through the course of the mission, John is reunited with the son of his family’s tenant farmers whom he grew up alongside, only to have a brutal falling out with. These elements add depth, but fail to coalesce into more than mere diversions from the main action. Penbrooke’s novel suffers from the sheer number of central characters and the introduction of too many new characters, so there just isn’t enough room to develop them all sufficiently. However, it is nevertheless a compelling read. Overall, Penbrooke’s intricately plotted first thriller is a page-turner and shows promise, despite a lack of character focus. Readers looking for a fresh thriller will enjoy the novel’s unique settings and research.

May 15, 2015