Buckle up and clear your calendars: one of 2021’s most buzzed-about crime novels has arrived. On the heels of his breakout 2020 release Blacktop Wasteland, acclaimed crime writer S.A. Cosby returns this summer with RAZORBLADE TEARS, a gritty, compulsively readable thriller that packs as much of a punch with action and violence as it does with emotional resonance and depth of character development. RAZORBLADE TEARS centers around a seemingly random act of violence that sets off an inescapable chain reaction for two fathers. When their sons are murdered in a drive-by shooting, Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee team up to avenge their untimely death. Along the way, they confront not only the villains who stole their sons from them, but also—and perhaps even more impactfully—the prejudices that have defined their relationships with their sons, and with one another. RAZORBLADE TEARS moves at a breakneck pace, giving readers a front-row seat to the righteous quest for vengeance that Ike and Buddy Lee are about to undertake. Equal parts brazen, gritty, emotional, and heartfelt, RAZORBLADE TEARS delivers a pitch-perfect blend of action, thrills, and impactful character development. Pick this book up for its no-holds-barred premise, stay for its unforgettable characters and cinematic storytelling.
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Book Review: SURVIVE THE NIGHT by Riley Sager
The day is finally here: SURVIVE THE NIGHT, the highly-anticipated new thriller by bestselling author Riley Sager, is available now—and it is entirely worth the wait. In his newest thriller, Sager invites readers into the passenger seat for a car ride you’ll never forget. The year is 1991, and college student Charlie has just accepted a ride from a stranger she met on her campus ride board. Charlie is desperate to leave school and get back home to Ohio, and Josh is heading that way, too. What could possibly go wrong? Not long after the two have departed, Charlie becomes suspicious of her traveling companion… and before the night is over, Charlie will have reason to believe that she is in the car with a serial killer. In SURVIVE THE NIGHT, Riley Sager delivers a gripping, just-one-more-page thriller that begins with a simple premise, and unfurls into one of the most memorable suspense stories of the year. SURVIVE THE NIGHT has all the key ingredients readers expect from a Sager suspense novel: an endearing, independent protagonist, a horror-movie-worthy premise, and a masterful command of plot and pacing that will keep readers glued to the pages. Add in a jaw-dropping, earth-shattering final reveal in the book’s last few pages and you’ve got yourself a surefire winner in SURVIVE THE NIGHT. Sly, immersive, and wildly original, SURVIVE THE NIGHT is Riley Sager’s best book yet.
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Book Review: HOSTAGE by Clare Mackintosh
After a brief hiatus from crime fiction, author Clare Mackintosh returns to the genre this week with HOSTAGE, a psychological thriller that takes a claustrophobic “locked room”-style premise and sets it aboard a long-haul flight from London to Sydney. A relatively ordinary day at work takes an extraordinary turn for flight attendant Mina when she receives a threatening note from a passenger with a terrifying ultimatum: follow the anonymous passenger’s instructions and help ensure the plane never reaches its destination, or Mina’s young daughter will pay the price. It’s an immediately arresting and horrifying dilemma. Will Mina save the lives of the innocent passengers aboard her plane, or save the life of her beloved young daughter? Clare Mackintosh weaves a gripping story brimming with unreliable characters, shifting points of view, and a terrifying dilemma at its core. A jaw-dropping final reveal in the book’s Epilogue ties this book together with true Mackintosh flair. Clare Mackintosh has become a staple of my personal suspense library over the years, and while HOSTAGE may not be my absolute favorite Mackintosh release (that title still belongs to her debut, I Let You Go!), it nevertheless proves itself a worthy addition to any suspense reader’s collection. It’s a thrill to have Clare Mackintosh back writing crime fiction, and HOSTAGE delivers major entertainment value and edge-of-your-seat suspense.
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New Release Tuesday: THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides & BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon
It’s the best day of the week: new release Tuesday! This week, crime fiction readers will want to clear their TBR lists and their calendars to devour the newest elegant suspense novel by The Silent Patient author Alex Michaelides, and to dive into a twisty, paranoia-inducing thriller by breakout star P.J. Vernon. It’s a huge week for new crime fiction, and to celebrate, I wanted to mix up my review coverage a bit and give you a joint review of my picks for this week’s buzziest new crime fiction: THE MAIDENS by Alex Michaelides and BATH HAUS by P.J. Vernon. Because when the new releases are this good, why limit yourself to just one?! Without further ado, let’s dive on in to today’s two-for-one book review.
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Book Review: I FOUND YOU by Lisa Jewell
No one writes page-turners quite like Lisa Jewell. One of my personal 2021 reading goals is to read my way through Jewell’s backlist suspense novels, and last weekend I had the absolute pleasure of devouring her 2018 thriller I FOUND YOU while on my first real vacation in over a year. If ever there were books built for vacation reading, Jewell’s thrillers are it. In I FOUND YOU, Lisa Jewell weaves an irresistible and immersive story of a group of seemingly unrelated individuals whose lives intersect in tragic and destructive ways. Centering around a quiet seaside town in England, where a woman has just found a man on the beach who has no idea who he is or how he got there, I FOUND YOU tells a hypnotic and atmospheric tale that will keep you glued to the pages from first to last. A cast of compelling characters and years’ worth of long-buried secrets just waiting to be uncovered make I FOUND YOU one of my new favorite Lisa Jewell reads. (Though, let’s be honest, any book by Lisa Jewell is pretty much guaranteed to be a must-read for fans of psychological suspense.)
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