Indelible characters lead this diverting romantic thriller.
In DePaul’s thriller, a former Marine now in black ops fights to protect a woman from his past who’s captured his heart.
Bob Harris, a United States senator, calls in a favor from the SweetBriar Group, a “mercenary-style agency” posing as an environmental company. He wants SBG to track down his son’s killer in Indianapolis. Jeremy “Cappy” Malone leads the mission’s team and has his own reason for finding the suspected murderer, Michelle Holman, who is seen leaving the crime scene in some mysterious footage. Cappy first saw her six years earlier, in South America. She was a university student whom a cartel had kidnapped and tortured until Cappy, then a Green Beret, rescued her. He doesn’t want to believe she’s guilty, especially once the two reunite and stir up the feelings they harbor for each other. That doesn’t mean they trust each other; how can Michelle be sure Cappy won’t turn her over to the Feds? He is focused on keeping her safe, which isn’t easy when someone seems to be gunning for her. The author focuses on romance in this story; scenes shared between Cappy and Michelle sizzle with sexual tension that they barely suppress (“Every nerve ending north of his toes still vibrated from touching her”). As such, there’s nominal action, and readers get only a few chances to enjoy SBG members (including the proficient sniper Wraith and the knife-wielding Talon) showing off their skills. DePaul does effectively flesh out his personable cast: Michelle suffers PTSD from her cartel ordeal, Cappy is racked with guilt over a past mission he led, and Talon is entangled in a love triangle within SBG. There’s a touch of mystery, as the killer may be the same person targeting the senator—or perhaps even Michelle herself. Despite all of the overindulgent male posturing on display, SBG is a team readers will surely want to revisit in subsequent series installments.
Indelible characters lead this diverting romantic thriller.Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9781959324096
Page Count: 526
Publisher: Northfair Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2023
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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