A fast-paced race against time.
In Gilbert’s thriller, a retired Navy SEAL tracks down kidnapping victims and a former American special forces sniper mired in the underworld of the Philippines
At the outset of this final installment of the author’s JD Cornell Action Thriller trilogy, readers find erstwhile special forces operative Bill Taylor floundering and far from home in the Philippines. Troubled by the atrocities he has seen and committed in Afghanistan, Bill is now mostly dedicated to drinking to forget, a habit he supports by participating in underground martial arts fights. Meanwhile, back in the United States, former Navy SEAL JD Cordell is marrying the love of his life, Ellen (who also happens to be pregnant), a doctor he rescued from intense fighting in Niger. Soon after their nuptials, JD is contacted by the Spring Lotus Foundation, an organization in Thailand that aims to aid victims of the rampant sex trafficking in Southeast Asia. Two of the girls in their charge have been kidnapped by Lt. Colonel Fong, a corrupt Vietnamese civil servant with a penchant for violence and keeping sex workers. Fong is an old foe of JD’s, and he knows this kidnapping will draw the onetime SEAL back into his reach. JD sets out for the other side of the globe, unable to turn down the desperate Spring Lotus Foundation. As he seeks out both Bill Taylor (referred by a contact as a possible ally) and the missing girls, it comes to light that JD is much more personally involved in the situation than even he initially realizes: his mother, a Vietnamese immigrant living in the states, was the only family member to escape a brutal execution at the hands of Fong’s family. Gilbert’s novel is certainly well researched, as is evidenced by his descriptions of modern-day Vietnam: “They would only have to cross through Laos or Cambodia and enter Vietnam almost anywhere in the border region… It has recently become quite popular with Western tourists who now bicycle between these border countries to take photographs.” While readers looking for high-toned literary prose may not be satisfied, fans of action thrillers and military espionage will find more than enough intrigue to keep the pages turning.
A fast-paced race against time.Pub Date: March 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781734602364
Page Count: 295
Publisher: DC Gilbert & Associates
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.
What hasn’t legendary legal eagle Grisham tried yet? How about a thriller about serial kidnapping and international terrorism.
When Paul and Chelsea Tanner disappear during a day trip on their Paris honeymoon, their abductors demand a ransom of $2 million from Chelsea’s wealthy parents, and a few days later the same sum from Paul’s much less well-heeled parents. After orthopedist Lowell Clayburn, Chelsea’s father, ponies up the ransom without breathing a word to the authorities, his daughter is promptly released. But even though Paul’s parents sell their home, liquidate their assets, and borrow money from the Clayburns to meet the kidnappers’ demands, the villains hold on to Paul anyway. Asked whether he’s ever seen such an outcome in a double kidnapping, FBI deputy director Andrew Strong tells Lowell: “No, this is a new one.” But it’s not, as Strong knows all too well; it’s the third such active case, all involving honeymooning couples whose bridegrooms had served in the armed forces. After masterfully drawing readers in with his bare-knuckle account of the Tanners’ abduction and the attempt by their families and the CIA to tell the lies required to keep caring friends and the rapacious press at bay, Grisham effortlessly switches gears to follow CIA agent Rae Claire Russo and Stuart Nash, a former Department of Justice prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay who agrees to marry her so they can serve as bait for the kidnappers, whose motives include justice and revenge as well as cold hard cash. So much for the imprisoned Paul’s wistful reflection that “hopefully, it was only about money.”
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780385550543
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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