As thriller enthusiasts already know, summer is the best time of the year for hot new releases. June is Brad Thor time, and July is all about Daniel Silva, but, there’s a ton of other awesome books about to come out over the next eight (or so) weeks too.
This month, there are four books I’m particularly excited about—more on those below. I already mentioned Brad Thor, and his latest, Backlash, is an absolute must for anyone who claims to be a fan of the genre. For what it’s worth, I think it’s his very best work yet, and a serious contender for thriller of the year. In fact, it’s probably the favorite half-way through the 2019. Trust me, get it and read. Whether you’re heading to the beach or staying in and enjoying the air conditioning—Backlash is the title to have on hand this month.
Looking ahead just slightly, July is, hands down, the best 31-days for nonstop, top-notch new releases. Heck, on just the 16th alone there are several huge new books—Daniel Silva’s The New Girl, Mark Greaney’s Red Metal, and Matthew Betley’s Rules of War—that, by themselves, would make that the best time of the year for action-packed goodness. Incredibly, Ben Coes, Stephen Hunter, Jack Carr, and Catherine Coulter all come out just one week later on the 30th of July. So, yeah, it’s going to be a stacked month . . .
But, before those thrillers drop, here are four excellent books to knockout between now and then. Happy reading!
Rogue Strike by David Ricciardi
Release Date: June 4th (Berkley)
No longer going by his given name, the CIA analyst who was known as Zac Miller is no more. Now, Jake Keller, a hardened, more experienced field operative, has emerged, no doubt forged through the adversity Zac/Jake faced in Ricciardi’s acclaimed debut, Warning Light (2018).
Now partnered with fellow veteran operative Kurt Roach, Jake’s latest mission takes him to Yemen. After being tipped off about a secret meeting of top al Qaeda leaders, CIA has tasked the duo with droning terrorist leader Mullah Muktar, courtesy of two screaming Hellfire missiles. Once they are in position and have confirmed their target, Jake and Kurt do just that, unleashing the airborne weapons only to watch in horror as someone else electronically seizes control of the missiles and diverts them to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where the yearly hajj is in full effect after millions of Muslims have traveled from around the globe to attend.
When the dust finally settles on Mecca, more than 3,000 are dead, as the rest of the world turns their attention to the country responsible—the United States of America.
As always, in any ugly or devastating situation where blame is being cast far and wide, a fall guy is to be had. Or, in this case, fall guys, as Jake and Kurt are subsequently blamed for the attack and disavowed by their country, which paints the two operatives as rogue agents. Still, other nations blame America, and jihadists begin raining violence on the US of A in devastating fashion in an effort to respond to the strike on their holy city.
Unwilling to turn his back on the mess before him, Jake sets out to stop WWIII before it officially starts—and goes searching for whoever is really responsible for hijacking their Hellfire missiles. After plowing through several stiff layers of misdirection, another country emerges as the likely culprit, but in order to save the day, Jake must first figure out how they accomplished such a feat, and what their endgame is . . . and, oh yeah, with millions calling for his head, he also has to find a way to live long enough to see his new mission through.
Warning Light was a special debut in that it featured a great plot that saw its hero, then a low-level analyst who was thrust into a mission that was said to be safe with little chance of danger, have to navigate his way around the world with no help in an effort to survive after the proverbial crap hit the fan. It was, perhaps, the first time thriller enthusiasts fell so quickly for an analyst since Tom Clancy introduced Jack Ryan. Now, much like Clancy did with Ryan (albeit more accelerated to be sure), Ricciardi has further developed his protagonist into a hardened, ass-kicking machine more in step with other genre darlings such as Mark Greaney’s Gray Man and Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath.
The jump from Zac to Jake isn’t nearly as confusing as it sounds (same person, for those feeling lost) and will make much more sense to those who read Warning Light, where the transformation, and reason behind it, is well explained in the book’s final pages. Personally, I like the change, because the “unlikely hero saves the day” trope only works so many times. By making Zac/Jake a badass who is capable of doing more in the field, Ricciardi has set himself up for sustainable success, which is great for readers, because now two books in, he’s proven to be a special talent.
The First Mistake by Sandie Jones
Release Date: June 11th
Following the death of her first husband, Tom, who was killed in a tragic skiing accident, Alice fell into a dark hole of depression and anxiety. Now, ten years later, having survived the ordeal and come out stronger on the other side, she’s married to a man named Nathan and is finally feeling happy. After years of balancing her thriving career with the demands of raising her two children, Alice is finally reaping the fruits of her labor—as her business, AT Designs, which she began building with Tom, starts to really take off.
Through it all, Nathan has always remained by her side no matter what, lovingly encouraging her to work through her fears, doubts, and anxiety. Thrilled to have received a second chance at finding joy, Alice’s “happily ever after” ending is disrupted when, out of nowhere, Nathan suddenly begins acting cold and distant, prompting her to wonder if he’s having an affair.
To spitball the situation and talk things out, Alice turns to her BFF Beth, who has offered a constant shoulder to cry on over the last few years. The two both have daughters who are the same age and have other similarities, but neither expected to find out that they share one other shocking truth in common … a revelation so earth-shattering that it prompts Alice to question everything around her and forces her to wonder who she can really trust as everything she thought she knew about her life, her career, and even her first husband are suddenly called into question.
It doesn’t take very many pages for Sandie Jones to put to rest any fears that she might be a one-hit wonder following her hyped debut. As good as The Other Woman is, she takes her game to another level here, delivering a novel so addicting and hypnotic that it begs to be read in one sitting. The less readers know about this one the better, as The First Mistake isn’t your typical domestic thriller. Jones sets the table with her engaging, compelling characters—including Alice, who also serves as the story’s narrator—then ramps things up by combining blind-siding twists with nail-biting suspense, never taking her foot off the gas pedal for a second. Even those who do guess where the plot is heading before it gets there will enjoy the hell out of the journey Jones takes them, and her characters, on as the plot unfolds.
The Other Woman was an incredible debut, but The First Mistake is even better … trust me, once you start, there’s no setting this one down.
Backlash by Brad Thor
Release Date: June 25th (Atria/Emily Bestler Books)
Following one of the most crucial operations of his storied career (the events of which are told in Spymaster), someone’s come after Scot in a way few have ever dared. Cut off from any and all support, Harvath suddenly finds himself alone behind enemy lines, the lone survivor of a devastating plane crash. Armed with two decades of experience and little else, Scot must find a way to battle through the frigid, sub-zero temperatures and fight his way through a gauntlet of bad guys if he hopes to survive long enough to go after the one thing he craves more than anything.
Revenge.
Brad Thor has spent a long time dominating bestseller lists over the course of his career, and yet he always seems to find a way to get better each time out. Whereas a lot of writers peak and then enter a decline by this point in their careers, Thor keeps getting stronger, and his latest—which is unlike anything he’s done before—is the best thing he’s ever written. Sure, there’s some familiarity with the cold weather elements (The Lions of Lucerne, 2002), and we’ve certainly seen Harvath’s loved ones under fire before (The First Commandment, 2007; Black List, 2012; etc.), but while those themes feel reminiscent of past books, they actually serve a bigger purpose. In a way, everything Harvath has been through up until now has been preparing him for this.
Tested in ways he couldn’t have previously imagined, he’ll have to summon every ounce of strength he has left to go after those who wronged him and his country … and nobody delivers a star-spangled ass-kicking better than Harvath, who’s finally unleashed on his enemies like never before.
Longtime fans of the series will recall the wicked, jaw-dropping cliffhanger at the end of Thor’s last book, Spymaster. This time around, readers won’t have to wait long for answers, but with them come more questions—most of them too good to spoil here. In fact, the less you know about this one, the better. Those who’ve browsed the book’s official synopsis may have noted the rather vague description, which, having read the book, sure seems like a calculated decision that pays off in a big way.
Raw emotion, nonstop action, and relentless pacing makes Backlash another one-night read from Brad Thor, who delivers the book to beat in 2019.
Rules of Engagement by David Bruns and J.R. Olson
Release Date: June 25th (St. Martin’s Press)
Former Naval Officers David Bruns and J.R. Olson deliver a fast and furious tale of cyberwarfare that pits the United States up against an unknown enemy that threatens to bring America’s military to her knees.
Rafiq Roshed, a shadowy terrorist with an ax to grind, has set his sights on the greatest nation in the world. Already, Rafiq, a hacker extraordinaire, has pulled off a number of impressive attacks on America’s power grid, affecting most of the east coast. Now, hiding out on a remote island near North Korea, Rafiq is working for Kim Jung Un, before connecting with a Russian crime syndicate known as Bratva. His first order of business is to hack into the military networks for the United States, along with China and Japan, and infect them with his most genius creation yet—a super virus designed to turn their respective forces against each other.
As all hell breaks loose, the entire planet is suddenly on the brink of WWIII. China and Japan have already lost control of their military, and with the clock rapidly winding down, three midshipmen from the Naval Academy are tasked with stopping the virus at all costs before it’s too late. Failure means an all-out war, but in order to find success, they must first find the most elusive and wanted terrorist in the world . . .
Bruns and Olson clearly know their stuff, bringing a genuine layer of authenticity to the story, and while their first book together will no doubt draw comparisons to the early days of Tom Clancy, they actually have their own unique style that offers a much quicker pace to the story.
Also, whereas Clancy’s books are large in scope (much like Mark Greaney’s forthcoming Red Metal), Bruns and Olson focus on a few main characters—opting to rarely show heads of state and top-rung decision makers on the page. Their cast is still diverse and plentiful, but more in line with stuff from Rick Campbell and Dale Brown. Moreover, there isn’t any one hero who stands above the rest. With Clancy, readers knew Jack Ryan was the star, even if he had many supporting characters around him. Some readers may be turned off by the lack of a true protagionist to anchor the story, but with more characters sharing the spotlight, Bruns and Olson are able to flesh them out nicely—which pairs nicely with their sharp, honest dialogue and top-notch visual descriptions.
All in all, Rules of Engagement is perfect for those in search of a solid military or technothriller, and Bruns and Olson kick off their new series with a thundering bang.
