Deadly Depths by John F. Dobbyn

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MWSA Review

John Dobbyn’s Deadly Depths is not a mystery thriller—it’s two action-packed thrillers! A pirate story, tucked within a complicated multi-murder mystery, is so intriguing it could stand on its own.

Archeologist Barry Holmes dies by suicide (not!). His protégé and dear friend, law professor Matthew Shane, embarks on a treacherous and tenacious quest to find out who killed Holmes. Holmes was one of five members of a secret society in search of an elusive treasure. Matt traipses all over the world, following cryptic clues, jumping through hoops, trying to stay one step ahead of an unknown, but quite dangerous enemy, not knowing who to trust. Clarity for Matt only begins to set in when he meets Mr. Mehmed and his daughter, who explain: When the Spanish attempted to decimate the Aztec culture in the name of Christianity, a particular statue (“jeweled facets set in the purest gold, standing higher than my waist”) was salvaged. It was the ultimate cultural, financial, and spiritual possession; the secret location was handed down from leader to leader.

Matt’s escapades include deadly baboons, alligators, snakes, and diving down to a sunken slave ship in an attempt to retrieve a 400-year-old pirate’s journal. “I followed him through that particular moment that only those who dive can comprehend—an instantaneous passing, as through Alice’s looking glass, into a world as alien as outer space, the submerged realm of the sea.” This reader was mesmerized by the tale (or is it historical fact?) documented by the young protégé of the famous privateer, Captain Morgan.

Whether describing horrifying scenarios or jet-setting yachts and mansions, complete with delicious meals (“croissants so light they required fresh butter and jam to keep them on the plate”), Deadly Depths doesn’t disappoint. It’s consistently vivid, with an air of suspense from beginning to end.

Review by Sue Rushford (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Five adventuring archeologist, self-dubbed The Monkey's Paws are drawn into a quest for a priceless object that originated in the Aztec Kingdom of the fifteenth century, appeared again in the golden age of piracy on the Caribbean, and was finally located in the Jamaican mountain village of the former slaves known as the Maroons. The death of one of the archeologists, called a suicide by the police, involves Michael Shane in the mission to prove that it was murder. The search takes Michael, a former investigator with United States Air Force Intelligence, from the steamy bayous of New Orleans to the backstreets of Montreal and a sunken pirate vessel in the Caribbean.

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 307

Word Count: 87,000

Cobalt: The Rise and Fall of the Great Reset by Travis Davis

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Author's Synopsis

After China’s discovery of a rare form of Cobalt located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all the pieces and players are now in place for the Great Reset. The United States must be brought to its knees at all costs. The only thing standing in their vision of a perfect world order is a determined CIA agent, Mary, and Team Texarkana, comprised of Tex, Will, Kim, and Lucy. If they fail, the world will never recover. There is no turning back. Civilization is at stake; The Great Reset must be stopped before it’s too late.

Format(s) for review: Kindle or Paper

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 294

Word Count: 88,000

The Widow and the Warrior by John Wemlinger

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MWSA Review

Author John Wemlinger’s The Widow and the Warrior takes readers on a thrilling ride from Washington, D.C., to Michigan and through the deep south. The story keeps readers on the edge of their seats, not sure where the next hit will come from. With a cast of both likeable and remarkably unlikeable characters, the plot includes interesting and unexpected twists that keep the pages turning.

A family mystery, a large inheritance, and political intrigue come together to bring out the best and the worst of people in this story. Old and new military and intelligence alliances deepen to help pinpoint players across the country involved in an elaborate scheme for power and control. The author has some of his characters act in unpredictable ways, which keeps readers guessing throughout. I highly recommend this suspenseful military and political thriller.

Review by Valerie Ormond (February 2024)


 

Author's Synopsis

Set in Frankfort, Michigan, along the shores of Lake Michigan, The Widow and the Warrior is the story of one wealthy family's tragic 130-year history. Anna Shane, national political editor of The Washington Post, is poised on the brink of turning that tragic history into triumph until a secret society and a greedy relative conspire to have her murdered. Shawn O'Toole, an ex-Special Forces operator who was forced to retire rather than possibly face a court-martial is called to protect her. To do that, however, Shawn finds himself having to use some of the very same vigilante tactics that cost him his career in the military.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 308

Word Count: 80,000

Sea of Red by James Bultema

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MWSA Review

Author James Bultema's new book, Sea of Red, is a fast paced, fictional novel that gives us a very interesting account of a possible war with China. This book gets right to the point and had my attention from the very beginning. The author uses China's well-known goal of bringing Taiwan under Chinese rule as the catalyst for the war. From there, the scenario as set out by Bultema is believable, and the strategies used by both China and the United States are realistic. The book is filled with numerous offensive and defensive combat situations that the author describes in detail. The results are not one-sided and had me wondering how he would bring his book to a satisfactory conclusion. Although a longish book, I would have read more. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

Review by Bob Doerr (March 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Sea of Red is an action-packed Military Thriller involving a war between China and the U.S. in their fight over Taiwan.

With Chinese hypersonic cruise missiles thundering toward the aircraft carrier USS Reagan, the captain has only minutes to decide how to save his crew of 5,000 before they all end up at the bottom of the South China Sea.

As the battle rages, under the sea, U.S. fast attack submarines silently maneuver against the PLA Navy while jet fighters battle for air superiority. On the ground, Marines fight for control of Chinese-held Woody Island. A Taiwanese tank squadron confronts a superior attacking force on Kinmen Island in a courageous attempt to halt Chinese forces.

In the White House, the president strategizes with his National Security Council on overcoming China's advantage in ballistic missiles and ships. His counterpart, the president of China, develops a daring plan to destroy America's fleet of aircraft carriers.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 423

Word Count: 114,381

Monroe Doctrine Volume VIII by James Rosone & Miranda Watson

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MWSA Review

Monroe Doctrine: Volume VIII is the final book of the series by James Rosone and Miranda Watson. Even though it is the eighth, it serves well as a stand-alone military thriller. As the book begins, you are dropped into the end stages of a war between the allies (most of the world) and China’s super-AI named Jade Dragon. Set in the not-too-distant future (2027), we find the war entering its third year. Futuristic weapons are believable (and maybe not too futuristic), and given the current geopolitical posturing and humanitarian breakdowns, the book is plausible in a rather frightening way. In this last volume, the allies are finally taking the war to China’s doorstep, having pushed them back from other outbreaks around the world. But China’s AI has begun to take charge of the entire war, ignoring China’s president and generals. Its destruction is vital to the world, and the allies are doing everything they can to make that happen. I recommend the book to those who enjoy military thrillers with a good dose of battle scenes and political behind-the-scenes consultations.

Review by Betsy Beard (February 2024)

 

Author's Synopsis

To destroy Jade Dragon’s lair…

…an unthinkable weapon is unveiled.

Had the Allies gone too far?

The Chinese super-AI had achieved its master plan—an autonomous robotic army, air force, and navy. As President Yao and the People’s Liberation Army faced defeat on the battlefield, full command of the PLA was handed over to Jade Dragon, which says it can slay the enemies of China to usher in a new dawn of global Chinese hegemony for the 21st century.

The robots were coming…

With the Terracotta Killers walking the land, Shadow Dragons and Dark Swords prowling the skies, and Sea Dragons roaming the Yellow Sea, a dystopian science fiction nightmare had become real. Machines now dominated the battlefield.

Were these wonder weapons being unveiled too late?

Was Jade Dragon’s robotic army enough to turn the tide?

Every inch of ground was surveyed, monitored, and fought over as man fought machine for survival. Could the arsenals of democracy outproduce China? Could the West outlast the East, or would Jade Dragon pull off the impossible—and win the AI war?

With victory or defeat balancing on a razor’s edge, the Allies refused to go quietly into the night. They had a secret technological breakthrough of their own. Would the ends justify the means if it led to victory or were the unknown risks too big to accept?

President Delgado was about to order the unthinkable.

Format(s) for review: Kindle or paper

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 669

Word Count: 128,354

Against All Enemies by Thomas M. Wing

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MWSA Review

In his book Against All Enemies, author Thomas Wing has provided us with a fascinating tale of what may happen if the Chinese committed a limited, surprise attack against the United States. The Chinese believed that a non-nuclear attack that significantly destroyed our ability to respond would force a wounded US to accept an immediate cease fire agreement. They were wrong, and elements of the Pacific fleet took the fight right back to them. Outnumbered, and for the most part fighting without communications and satellite assistance, Commander Bill Wilkins and the crew of the USS Nicholas wreak havoc on the Chinese navy. The author's portrayal of the naval combat kept my attention throughout the book. Anyone who enjoys reading military fiction should enjoy this book.

Review by Bob Doerr ( February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

When the People’s Republic of China unleashes a devastating attack on the United States, newly appointed Navy Commander Bill Wilkins and his crew are suddenly alone, deep in the enemy’s backyard, and unable to communicate with naval or national leadership.

At home in Washington, the president is detached from reality. Survivors of his cabinet contend with military leadership for control, some to save the nation they serve, others in pursuit of personal power.As America becomes alienated from her allies, Russia begins a campaign that creates heightened fears of nuclear annihilation.

Bill must navigate a political minefield to find friends among China’s neighbors while undertaking a role that demands he take unimaginable risks and wrestle with the question, What losses are acceptable in order to win?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 461

Word Count: About 112,000

Alchemy's Reach by Patricia Walkow and Chris Allen

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MWSA Review
Alchemy’s Reach is an easy-read mystery about a family that discovers its secret past when tragedy strikes. The story takes place in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Jen Murphy, a deputy sheriff, inherited the family ranch with her brother Ethan, whose wanderlust inspires him to investigate local lore about Alchemy, a nearby ghost town.

It’s there that a few plot turns and twists take place, resulting in a murder and a suicide. Co-authors, Chris Allen and Patricia Walkow waste few words in this short novel to set the stage, solve the crimes, and consummate a romance.

Despite the violence, this is a sweet story that ties up the loose ends of a family that had long struggled with understanding who they were. The plot is carried by ten characters, plus a comforting pet Labrador, Fi, who seemingly communicates with human-level intelligence. Readers who are looking for entertainment and a quick read that can be finished in one cold winter’s night, will find that Alchemy’s Reach fills that bill.

Review by James Elsener (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Jennifer Murphy closes her heart to love after a searing breakup with the man she thought she’d marry.

Instead, she puts her passion into her work as Deputy Sheriff of Lincoln County in southeastern New Mexico. Between her law enforcement job and owning the 4,000-acre ranch she and her younger brother, Ethan, inherited from their parents, her life is full. She has no time for romantic relationships and no desire to pursue any. Her companion in bed is her large dog, Dusty.

Living between the small towns of Carrizozo and Ruidoso, Jennifer (Jen) loves the rolling hills and distant mountains. She can’t envision living anywhere else. Of Irish descent and in her mid-thirties, she is competent, attractive, and strong-willed. But Ethan does not share her love for their land or livestock and often travels elsewhere for temporary work. Jen is sometimes annoyed with him and would appreciate his help with the endless chores. Fortunately, the old ranch manager, Pablo Baca, who was hired many years ago by her father, lives on the property. He keeps Montaño Vista Ranch running, manages seasonal hires, and is a surrogate father for both Ethan and Jen.

Ethan’s current job is as a novice logger in Oregon. There, he and Joe Stern, a Squamish Indian, become good friends. Joe is an experienced lumberjack and saves Ethan’s life at the job site. But, as with all his other jobs, Ethan quits after a few months and returns home.

In an attempt to keep Ethan closer to the ranch, Jen tells him about a hand-drawn map she found in the family bible. It shows the ghost town of Alchemy. Local lore indicates a cache of gold might be buried in the town, now visible since a multi-year drought has dried up the reservoir that covered it. Ethan decides to prospect for whatever treasure the ruin might reveal and invites Joe to join him.

Neither Jen nor Ethan knows they have a unique tie to the ghost town. But Alchemy has a reputation as an evil place, and the locals are wary of it.

Ethan’s brief time in Alchemy leads to events that shock the community, change his life, and bring Jennifer and Joe closer together.

But will she ever again open her heart to love?

Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Romance

Number of Pages: 193

Word Count: 51,709

The Raven and the Dove by Elvis Bray

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MWSA Review

The Raven and the Dove by Elvis Bray explores the many ways in which drones might impact our lives while following Homicide Detective Storm Harrison as he searches for clues and connections among several murders. He is even asked by the FBI to join one of their teams as they investigate apparently unrelated murders. Harrison proves to be a skilled investigator who observes, asks questions, and connects the dots. Twists and turns keep the story interesting.

Review by Nancy Kauffman (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

Storm Harrison is a homicide detective with the Colorado Springs Police department assigned to an FBI Task force attempting to catch a serial killer who is assassinating political figures using drones.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 224

Word Count: 54,530

Welcome Home to Murder by Rosalie Spielman

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MWSA Review

If you want to immerse yourself in a captivating, quick read with unexpected plot twists and turns, pick up Welcome Home to Murder by Rosalie Spielman.

Her well-developed characters are colorful, credible, and refreshingly authentic. Despite genuine life issues of PTSD and the loss of loved ones, Spielman keeps the reader uplifted with down-to-earth humor that will have you laughing out loud. Her plot details are vivid and suspenseful, and her use of language is colorful.

The protagonist, Tessa Treslow, left home in rural Idaho after high school and joined the U.S. Army. After two decades, she returns with her dog, Vince, to her family and the small-town life she had left behind. Tessa’s homecoming takes a turn when a body turns up in her aunt’s auto shop, and it appears that someone has set sights on everything her family holds dear. To protect her family from unjust accusations, Tessa takes the investigation into her own hands—a challenging task with a long list of potential suspects.

Welcome Home to Murder is a mystery well worth the read. I recommend giving it a try!

Review by Sandi Cathcart (February 2024)

Author's Synopsis

From author Rosalie Spielman comes a heartfelt cozy mystery that proves sometimes coming home again can be murder...

Tessa Treslow never wanted a small town life. As soon as she graduated high school, she happily escaped her tiny town to join the U.S. Army, leaving New Oslo, Idaho, population 852, firmly behind her. Twenty years later, the hometown hero is finally ready to come back—even if she has just a visit with loved ones in mind while her family is hoping to convince her to stay for good.

With her fawn boxer dog, Vince, in tow, Tessa falls into the familiar small town life, helping out in her family's general store and her feisty Aunt Edna's auto body shop. But her peaceful homecoming is shattered when the dead body of a crooked con man turns up in her aunt's shop, and the police have some serious questions for the family. To make matters worse, the sheriff in charge just happens to be Tessa's ex-boyfriend... and things did not end well between them all those years ago. When it comes out that the con man was trying to get his hands on the family business, Tessa knows they're in trouble.

With her family in danger of being dragged away in handcuffs, Tessa becomes a woman on a mission to find the con man's killer. Between a slew of suspects, a meandering moose, and a handsome newcomer with his eye on Tessa, she has her work cut out for her. But when the killer changes tactics—putting everything her family holds dear in jeopardy—Tessa begins to realize what home really means to her. Can she be the hero for her hometown once again... before it's too late?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 243

Word Count: 76,000

Fatal Secrets by TR Whitney

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MWSA Review
A who-done-it and more. Lots of twists await you in Fatal Secrets as the reader tries to discover not only a killer but also who and why some characters are trying to frame each other for a murder they did not (or in one case did) commit. If you can figure it out before the denouement, you will be a very astute reader with superb attention to detail.

Fatal Secrets is an easy-to-read, captivating story with unusual characters. The story flows naturally and is easy to follow. Tanya Whitney is going to be heard from again, and let's hope her next book is as good as this one. Recommended.

Reviewed by Jim Tritten (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

After David Masters learns Helen is dead, he realizes he could be the primary suspect because of a letter he wrote. In his search for the letter, he uncovers a list of men with reason to commit the murder.

As he becomes more involved in searching for the truth, it becomes obvious that Helen’s murder is more tangled than her relationships.

Not only does David need to find the person who killed Helen, more importantly…which suspect is trying to frame him?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 291

Word Count: 91,082

Hive and Seek; A Backyard Beekeeping Mystery by Rebecca O'Bea

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MWSA Review

Hive and Seek: A Backyard Beekeeping Mystery by Rebecca O’Bea fulfills all the requirements for a cozy mystery: amateur sleuth, violence happening offstage, small community, quirky characters. Rebecca O'Bea does all that in her book, and as a fan of cozies, I dove right in.

Indigo Blue Evans finds her former professor dead, covered in honeybees, near her hives in Colette, Kansas. Due to circumstantial evidence, Indigo is immediately blamed for the professor’s demise and is determined to prove herself innocent. Enter Sean Riordan, interim sheriff: tall, dark, handsome, and emitting just the right pheromones to catch Indigo’s attention. He discovers that Indigo’s bees did not kill the man, identified as Professor Bob Fontenot, but a blow to the head with a brick did. Indigo remains the number one person of interest because of a falling out with Professor Bob over an accusation of plagiarism on her graduate thesis.

More determined than ever, Indigo involves her wacky family and bizarre group of friends to assist in clearing her name, and to find out who committed the crime. I wanted more in-depth character development, but I giggled at the antics of the non-professional crime solving, and I learned a lot about bee keeping as I read Hive and Seek.  Several red herrings had me guessing who the perpetrator was until the very end. Kudos to the author.

Review by Nancy Panko (January 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

It’s a body! More precisely––the body of a man dressed in a white beekeeping suit, lying perfectly still.

“Karl! The bees––they’re all over his face!”

In the small town of Colette, Kansas, murder is practically unheard of. So, when novice beekeeper and washed-out graduate student Indigo Evans discovers the dead body of her former professor covered with honeybees, she becomes a suspect. With the aid of her family, friends, and new acquaintances, plus a cat with an attitude, Indie finds herself thrust into the role of a beekeeping detective.

To solve the mystery of the professor’s death, Indie must work alongside the handsome new sheriff in town, who is determined to push her away from the investigation.

Will Indie and her zany crew solve the case before the killer strikes again? Be prepared for intrigue and a laugh-out-loud caper as you follow the buzz in Hive and Seek, the debut novel of The Backyard Beekeeping Mystery series.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 181

Word Count: 63,000

The Warmaker: a Black Spear novel by Benjamin Spada

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MWSA Review

The Warmaker by Benjamin Spada is the age-old battle of Good over Evil, with Cole West as the protagonist. He and his Black Spear operators give their all to prevent World War III but encounter an enemy using futuristic methods and weapons.

It only takes one little spark to start the world burning: A U.S. Congressman spontaneously bursts into flames while on his way to grab a hot dog for lunch. An undercover CIA agent burns alive, leaving only charred bones where he once stood. Others in the (Common Defense Industries) CDI meet untimely deaths as if methodically eliminated by the faceless enemy.

Cutting-edge foreign military prototypes find themselves in the hands of organized crime on the streets of the United States. All of it leads back to a rogue weapons designer and the horrifying revelation that America no longer possesses the most advanced military in the world. Black Spear faces opponents for foreign and domestic, and politics plays a role in the pressures they face.

The nation is on the brink of war, and it’s up to Black Spear to avert the inevitable. Failure is not an option. Cole is faced with a question: How many people would you kill to stop a war?

Warning: Graphic violence. The Warmaker by Benjamin Spada will keep mature readers on the edge of their seats.

Review by Nancy Panko (February 2024)
 

Author's Synopsis

How many people would you kill to stop a war?

It's the question burning in Cole West's mind as he and his Black Spear allies reload to leap once more into the fire.

A U.S. Congressman is killed in an American city, in broad daylight, by an unknown weapon. An undercover CIA agent burns alive during his extraction before he can reveal what he's learned. Bleeding-edge foreign military prototypes find themselves in the hands of organized crime on the streets of the United States. All of it leads back to a rogue weapons designer and the horrifying revelation that America no longer possesses the most advanced military in the world.

Black Spear's enemies are both foreign and domestic this time. Collaborators, saboteurs, and co-conspirators knife their way through America's political system to compromise the nation from within. Cole and his team are forced to turn to new allies when global tensions inch closer to the breaking point.

The clock is ticking for Black Spear to avert catastrophe, but their very effort seems in vain. With all its rage and all its fury, war is coming.

The entire world is primed to explode, and the Warmaker has already lit the fuse.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 387

Word Count: 98668

The China Connection by Timothy Trainer

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MWSA Review
Kellie Liang (Chinese name - Kaili) and Aaron Foster embark on a combination business/pleasure trip to Hong Kong. Kellie has two days of meetings with a Chinese business group, and on the second day, she is offered a ride back to her hotel by one of the attendees, Hsieh Liwei. Kellie accepts, and the presumed ride to her hotel evolves into a kidnapping. Liwei takes her to his lavish country home in southern China, determined to get the information he believes she has in order to aid his business exports. Liwei drugs Kellie’s tea and holds her captive in his home, guarded by two young thugs. Liwei searches the young woman’s briefcase and removes her passport and other travel documents to ensure she does not leave mainland China.
Liwei instructs his thugs to return to Hong Kong to retrieve Kellie's belongings for her stay in China. They are not expecting to run into Aaron, Kellie’s boyfriend, waiting in their hotel room for Kellie’s return. The men overcome Aaron at knife point, and he watches while one of them gathers all of Kellie’s stuff. Helpless, Aaron enlists the aid of his friend, Roger, a retired customs attaché in Hong Kong. Aaron and Roger cobble together a group of people to rescue Kellie.

In this rather lengthy story, author Timothy Trainer illustrates the vast cultural differences between Chinese and Western business relationships and the lengths the Chinese will go to achieve their goals.

Review by Nancy Panko (January 2024
 

Author's Synopsis

It’s a year after Hong Kong’s reversion to China. Aaron and Kellie’s dual purpose Hong Kong trip for business and pleasure descends into chaos when Kellie fails to deliver the blueprint Chinese entrepreneurs seek in hopes of greater riches in the U.S. market. After a day-long meeting, she awakes the next morning across the border in southern China without her travel documents. Aaron, while waiting for Kellie’s return, is attacked in his hotel room. He panics.

Helpless, Aaron enlists the aid of Roger, a retired Customs attaché in Hong Kong. Roger questions the nature of the contents of millions of containers leaving Hong Kong and wonders how he can profit from it. Aaron and Roger cobble together a group of people to rescue Kellie from across the border. This small group of government and non-government people engage in questionable tactics to find Kellie.

Can the group come together to save Kellie or will their personal ambitions prevail?

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime

Number of Pages: 281

Word Count: 110,000

Shadow Sanction by Steve Stratton

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MWSA Review

Only one minute into the read of Shadow Sanction by Steve Stratton, I was on the edge of my seat. Lance Bear Wolf and his wife, Elle Parker, travel to the Crow Indian Reservation for the funeral of a friend, and discover an active drug problem. They are brazenly followed onto the reservation and attacked by bad guys from the Sinaloa Cartel, intent on eliminating them both. Wolf’s number one priority is the safety of his people from cartel activity. That is, until the President of the United States orders Wolf and his organization, Shadow Tier, to drop everything to stop the Taliban’s opium trade, or risk losing his black ops funding.

Wolf and his extraordinary Shadow Tier operators must stop the re-emergence of The French Connection and its terror funding connection to the Taliban. With infiltration operations on three continents, including the cartel, Wolf’s squadrons track various opium connections, putting together an intertwined network of drug trafficking that all need to be busted.

Shadow Sanction is a complex story that is surprisingly easy to follow, despite a wide array of characters and locations. Steve Stratton is a masterful storyteller, and I can’t wait to read his next installment.

Review by Nancy Panko (February 2024)

 

Author's Synopsis

Lance Bear Wolf and his Shadow Tier operators must stop the rebirth of The French Connection and its terror funding connection to the Taliban. By any means necessary.

When the resurgent Sinaloa cartel attacks Wolf and his wife, Elle Parker, on the Crow Indian reservation, the safety of his people becomes Job One—until the president of the United States orders Shadow Tier to stop the Taliban’s opium trade. The president’s underlying message: The drug war is a failure. Fix this now, or your black funding disappears.

Torn between saving his people and the president’s demands for direct action, Wolf sends Shadow Tier’s Bravo Squadron to Afghanistan to infiltrate the Taliban drug organization. He sends Kieran Kennedy, his executive officer, to stand up and train a new international Charlie Squadron in the U.K. While Wolf bends the rules to protect the reservation on the home front, the squadrons track opium with a mysterious United Nations connection out of Afghanistan to a new “French Connection” in Marseilles, France.

The teams identify a likely distribution hub and its leadership. But going deeper will take initiative and innovation. Kennedy takes the dangerous decision to operate in the open … as a drug cartel. The operation yields results, but there is a piece missing. Parker and Kennedy believe a government contractor providing logistics flights into and out of the war zones is involved.

Plans are made by the fake cartel for a large shipment of heroin to go to the mafia in New York City, where wholesale arrests will be made if all goes as planned. As the data pours in from three continents, the heroin network unfolds and things to do not go as planned. The takedown of a multi-national drug production, shipment, and sales operation is unlike any operation Shadow Tier has attempted.

For the president, it’s a no-fail mission or his administration is doomed.

For Shadow Tier, it’s time to bring the war back into “the war on drugs.”

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 452

Word Count: 109000

Landslide by Adam Sikes

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MWSA Review

Adam Sikes’ thriller, Landslide is one long adrenaline rush. Protagonist Mason Hackett, a US Marine combat veteran, is settled in London, minding his own business. Imagine his shock when his old Marine buddy’s face is plastered on the news, especially since Hackett saw him die fifteen years ago. The claim that his old friend is a journalist, has a different name, and is detained on the Russia-Ukraine border perplexes Hackett even more. A cryptic plea for help clinches it and Semper Fidelis—the Marine motto, Always Faithful—kicks in, and we’re taken on a wild, violent ride. Hackett’s seat-of-his-pants tenacity while searching for his friend forces him to face his own demons while fending off what seems like half the Slavic world. “[N]eighbors had become enemies, families had split, and sometimes people never revealed their true loyalties, exacerbating the distrust and making everyone suspicious of another’s true intentions.”

Written before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and with Sikes’ first-hand experience as a combat Marine and CIA operative, the story is eerily feasible. Despite too many clichés throughout the book, Landslide is a contemporary, intriguing, espionage thriller.

Review by Sue Rushford (June 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

U.S. Marine veteran Mason Hackett moved to London to start his life over, and he's done his best to convince himself that what happened fifteen years ago doesn't matter—the people he killed, the men he lost, the lives he ruined. But when Mason sees the face of a dead friend flash on a television screen and then receives a mysterious email referencing a CIA operation gone bad, he can no longer ignore his inner demons.

Driven by loyalty and a need to uncover the truth, Mason launches on a perilous journey from the Czech Republic to Romania toward the war-torn separatist region in eastern Ukraine to honor a fifteen-year-old promise. The answers he seeks—the fate of a friend and his connection to the underworld of international arms dealers and defense corporations—throw Mason into the cauldron of a covert war where no one can be trusted.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 369

Word Count: 96019

Welcome Home: A Post Vietnam War Novel by David S. Lewis

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Author's Synopsis

Tom Grey, a 24-year old veteran of the Vietnam War finds himself in the middle of drug murder connected to both Soviet spies and an emerging gang, the Cholos. Grey becomes a newspaper reporter sucked into the maelstrom of Los Angeles in 1969.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 241

Word Count: 62,386

Typhoon Coast by Mark R. Clifford

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MWSA Review

Typhoon Coast by Mark Clifford is part mystery with mystical, fantastical twists around every corner. Trent McShane is the main character, introduced as a ten-year-old grieving the loss of his mother. Trent’s best friend is Eddie Thompson, who has a wild and vivid imagination and a penchant for entertaining others. The boys hear about the Golden Lily Treasure, buried in the jungle of the Philippine Islands.

With a supporting cast of dozens of odd characters and unusual places, Trent and Eddie’s adventures have them enlisting in the Marines. In time they are both deployed to the Philippines. The hunt for treasure intensifies but is thwarted by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Is the coveted treasure lost?

This surrealistic story is sometimes hard to follow. However, the author gives a reader a realistic look at the difficult trek through a tropical jungle when time is of the essence in searching for what is lost. Complications and confrontations occur when Trent realizes that he’s not the only one seeking the Golden Lily Treasure.

Review by Nancy Panko (June 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Ten-year-old Trent McShane watches in horror as his beautiful young mother is swept away from California’s Typhoon Coast into the unforgiving wild blue Pacific, never to be seen again. Lost and bewildered, Trent falls under the spell of class clown Eddie Thompson, who has a wanderlust for treasure hunts—in particular, the infamous World War II Golden Lily Treasure, buried on the other side of the ocean, deep in the wild green Philippine jungle.Together, Trent and Eddie follow childhood’s illusions of grandeur through San Francisco, then Marines in the vast Philippine mountains. Mount Pinatubo explodes with apocalyptic fury, but does it take the Golden Lily Treasure with it? Eddie and Trent are not alone in the hunt. The trillions in treasure could afford the US government incredible power in international affairs and bankroll the nation’s black operations. It’s all fair game.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 290

Word Count: 85,000

The Hunt for the Peggy C by John Winn Miller

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MWSA Review
While World War II brews, Jake Rogers captains the Peggy C, a merchant steamer ship, picking up and delivering cargo throughout the Atlantic. The cargo is often illegal, and sometimes even dangerous, but on this trip, unbeknownst to his crew, Rogers upped the ante even more. With the help of Obasi, his Nigerian Igbo sidekick/bodyguard/friend, they sneak a family of Dutch Jews out of Amsterdam, right under the noses of the Nazis. The plan to transport Miriam and her family to Gibraltar goes awry. Although they normally fight the sea, an occasional dangerous “customer,” and pirates, this time German U-boats have become the biggest threat.

John Winn Miller’s, The Hunt for the Peggy C: A World War II Maritime Thriller is not the typical World War ll naval story of torpedoes, sinking submarines, errant friendly fire, ruses, and betrayal. Yet they are nonetheless in the midst of a war zone. Miller artfully squeezes in a love story and unexpected witty humor. There are magnificent depictions of Jewish ceremonies, and “normal” life for the refugees.

Meanwhile, catastrophe after catastrophe perpetuate the cat and mouse game between Rogers and Oberleutnant Viktor Brauer, the captain of a German U-boat. The situation is far from a game, however, with deadly twists and turns. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, reading as fast as you can, to find out the fate from the U-boat’s boomeranging torpedo—the epitome of irony.

I highly recommend The Hunt for the Peggy C, even for those who would not normally read naval fiction. Cover to cover, the book will keep you in a perpetual state of suspense. There is no time to guess what will happen next—you’ll be too busy biting your nails and crossing your fingers.

Review by Sue Rushford (May 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

John Winn Miller's THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C captures the breathless suspense of early World War II in the North Atlantic. Captain Jake Rogers, experienced in running his tramp steamer through U-boat-infested waters to transport vital supplies and contraband to the highest bidder, takes on his most dangerous cargo yet after witnessing the oppression of Jews in Amsterdam: a Jewish family fleeing Nazi persecution. 

The normally aloof Rogers finds himself drawn in by the family's warmth and faith, but he can't afford to let his guard down when Oberleutnant Viktor Brauer, a brutal U-boat captain, sets his sights on the Peggy C. 

Rogers finds himself pushed to the limits of his ingenuity as he evades Brauer's relentless stalking, faces a mutiny among his own crew and grapples with his newfound feelings for Miriam, the young Jewish woman whom, along with her family, he must transport to safety. 

When Rogers is seriously wounded, Miriam must prove she is as tough as her rhetoric to save everyone as the U-boat closes in for the kill. THE HUNT FOR THE PEGGY C is laced with nail-biting tension and unexpectedly heartwarming moments that any reader, not just fans of naval fiction, will enjoy.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 264

Word Count: 77,000

Friendship Games by Mark James

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MWSA Review

Friendship Games by Mark James is a nail-biter from beginning to end. A talented writer, Mr. James paints vivid pictures of characters such as Daddy Longlegs, Vice President of the United States, and Hash Ghavam, an Iranian admiral, in an all too real scenario of World War III.

The aircraft carrier, George W. Bush, is blown up and sinks in the Persian Gulf. While the ship is burning, and rescue efforts are underway, the shipyard is attacked by terrorists. Iran uses the opportunity to escalate hostilities and mount an attack while catching the United States off-guard, still trying to figure out who is responsible for attacking the carrier. Iran strikes viciously and moves with cunning speed through the Middle East into the UAE.

A ragtag group of surviving sailors, Navy Seals, and soldiers mount a brave and surprising defense until the NATO countries are able to offer support to the men on the ground. Unfortunately, this deadly depiction of war in the Mid-East is all too real.

Author James is skilled in his descriptions of desert warfare, and his characters. With non-stop action, this book is hard to put down.

Review by Nancy Panko (May 2023)
 

Author's Synopsis

An American aircraft carrier blows up and sinks in the Persian Gulf. Was it a horrible accident? A catastrophic terrorist attack? Does it matter? Maybe not.

Not after decades of hostility and brinkmanship between the United States and Iran. And certainly not after a known Iranian-funded and supported terrorist organization launches an attack on an American naval facility in the middle of rescue operations.

Iran is convinced that the United States is about to embark on a full-scale war and seek nothing short of regime change. They aren't wrong.

So, Iran strikes first. And they have some tricks up their sleeve. But nothing goes to plan, for either side. This book is a warning. The next war may be like no other in American history.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 292

Word Count: 72,377

Shadow Tier by Steve Stratton

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MWSA Review

Shadow Tier by Steve Stratton introduces us to Lance Bear Wolf, a member of the Crow Tribe, former Army Ranger, and Special Forces soldier. Now a civilian contractor within the Joint Special Missions Command, he keeps his hand in the military through a position in the Florida Army National Guard. When his National Guard team is called upon to provide intelligence and training support to a Mexican Army Special Forces unit, in relation to their war on drugs, Wolf is in his element. Their support role in a mission places Wolf in the sights of the Sinaloa Cartel.

After his parents are killed in a cartel shootout, Wolf embarks on a private revenge mission, first in a special operation with his team, then entering Mexico alone on a violent rampage across multiple West Coast Sinaloa sites. The Mexican government, under the influence of the cartel, labels him a terrorist and demands that the United States bring charges against him. During the investigation, Army Special Operations Command steps in, realizing that Wolf’s revenge tour had been the most effective known attack on the drug cartels. Charges are dropped and a new unit, the Shadow Tier, is created.  

While I would have enjoyed a more in-depth exploration of Wolf’s character and motivation, the descriptions of weapons, technology, and procedures used in various operations were quite detailed. The many minor characters and subplots promise a long series of books on Shadow Tier missions. 

Review by Lynn Ellen Doxon (April 2023)

 

Author's Synopsis

Lance Bear Wolf, a Crow Indian by birth and an American Special Forces leader, stops with his parents for a casual lunch during a family outing in Mexico. They are classically in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As they are seated in the picturesque Mexican restaurant, Wolf and his father witness and get drawn into soldiers from the Sinaloa Cartel killing the restaurant owners over a perceived slight to cartel princess Eliana Cortes, a leader in her family’s drug empire.

When Wolf and his father shoot back and save many lives, Cortes orders her soldiers to kill the Americans. Wolf’s father is killed, and his mother critically wounded. The cartel princess and her escorts get away, but not until many of their shooters are left bleeding out on the ground.

Wolf vows revenge no matter the cost.

He builds a team of like-minded men to join a new classified unit codenamed Shadow Tier—and Wolf is its head of operations, giving him free rein to build an assault on the Mexican drug kingdom. A training mission along the Arizona border provides a cover story for a devastating assault on the core of the cartel’s operations. They decimate Mexican drug runners, but there are unanswered questions,.

And Wolf is losing to the darkness of revenge.

Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller

Number of Pages: 500

Word Count: 90,000