Thriller
ForeWord Review - The Moondust Sonatas
October/12/2015 04:58 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
This high-concept immersion into the underworld of illegal drugs portrays an eccentric cast of characters on the path to addiction and life-altering madness. Destructive, yet strangely illuminating, an illicit powder allows the user to interact with a supernatural god, as well as travel to places and times unknown. Osi’s intricate plot will appeal to aficionados of the experimental thriller in his unusual mix of individual stories.
ForeWord Review - The Road at St. Liseau
August/10/2015 06:16 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
Set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, this romantic spy thriller plumbs the depths of despair and scales the heights of joy in a riveting depiction of sacrifice and love. Becker’s novel presents a familiar scenario—a young nurse instills the will to live in a critically injured American army captain. Heartbreaking and graphic, the atrocities of warfare make an ugly appearance, informing the twenty-first century of a brutal past that cannot be forgotten.
ForeWord Review - Under Lock and Key
July/01/2015 09:34 AM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
Teetering on the brink of madness, this chilling psychological thriller delves into elaborate experiments that violate privacy and ethics while attempting to heal unimaginable injury to the human mind and body. The curious enter a frightening world where a doctor’s vow to do no harm tangles with scientific advancement. Fans of the medical drama can expect a high-technology twist in unforgettable moments that linger on the edge of a treacherous zone. Wired (pun intended) and strung out for maximum impact, Geesman’s storyline veers off the circuit board.
ForeWord Review - When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled
April/13/2015 04:17 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
This innovative adaptation pits Sherlock Holmes against the baby-farming industry in nineteenth-century England. As Sherlock investigates the ritualistic murders of helpless infants, he struggles with conflicting emotions of young love. Coyle remains true to her predecessor’s style, but stays within her own boundaries as she allows Sherlock’s girlfriend to tell the story. Narrated from this inquisitive heroine’s viewpoint and told in retrospect, the novel explores aspects of Sherlock’s personality that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle may have neglected to reveal in his original series.
ForeWord Review - Code of Darkness
April/09/2015 01:46 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
A tense interplay of science fiction, action thriller, and urban fantasy, Lindberg’s book surpasses the boundaries of a one-genre novel. The plot veers into a convoluted escapade and brings the reader into a bizarre world of vigilante heroism turned bad. A premonition of cataclysm sets a sinister mood that plays in the background like a gloomy musical score.
ForeWord Review - Zuni Stew
March/18/2015 08:33 AM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
A skillful blend of Native American folklore and supernatural forces, this frightening murder mystery integrates elements from multiple genres. The book takes place primarily on a Zuni reservation in New Mexico. The location establishes an ideal setting for creating the mystical mood, which is enhanced by riveting symbolism and paranormal events. This southwestern tale takes much of its flavor from the region, and Jacobs maximizes its spooky atmosphere with authenticity.
ForeWord Review - Payback
September/16/2014 09:04 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
A vendetta propels this eerie plot from a Civil War-reenactment in Michigan to a behind-the-scenes investigation that probes the bad side of human integrity. In another riveting Pete Thorsen mystery, the criminal intent is apparent, but the motive is not, when an acclaimed historian and professor is shot and killed during simulated battle. What one deserves can be a matter of perception in the deranged mind of a villain, opening the pathway to sinister behavior in Wangard’s thriller.
ForeWord Review - A Time to Pay
August/26/2014 04:56 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
Dirty money takes an intriguing cast of characters from heaven to hell and back in this fast-paced historical thriller. A bag of stolen diamonds is the catalyst in a 1960s escapade that brings out the best and worst in fallible protagonists as they travel across Europe at the height of the Cold War. Woods has a gift for developing his main characters to a high degree, skillfully blending introspection, description, and action to depict vibrant personalities.
ForeWord Review - Raptor of Deliverance
August/06/2014 12:38 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
Psychic phenomena and paranormal intrigue create a unique pathway into the realm of science fiction in this mesmerizing novel. Laced with symbolism, Baxter’s writing is fertile with details that invite interpretation, exploring the frightening prospect of fantastical, mind-controlled weaponry. Fans of the psychological thriller will love the style of this debut author.
ForeWord Review - Killer Within
March/08/2014 08:56 AM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
An elusive serial killer meets a savvy FBI agent in this horrific story of derangement and madness. Gunhus delves into the inner motivations that drive a man to torture and dismember victims in a bizarre, self-imposed ritual, approaching the edge of paganism in a gruesome contemporary tale set along the Chesapeake Bay. Despite a tendency to strive too hard to trigger a nauseated or repulsed reaction that is characteristic of pulp fiction, this shock-worthy story remains ghoulishly mesmerizing and among the best in mainstream thrillers.
ForeWord Review - Bridges
March/06/2014 12:20 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
The forces of good and evil engage in battle within the depths of a tormented woman’s soul in this mesmerizing spiritual journey that merges psychology with mythology. Intellectual without being off-putting, this fascinating thriller traverses into an unknown dimension of the human mind, a world peopled with fallen angels and dethroned idols. Williamson shines a spotlight on downtrodden foreign environments plagued by desperation and superstition.
ForeWord Review - Chicago, The Windigo City
March/05/2014 04:07 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
Urban fantasy infused with Native American legend takes an excursion into the bloody horror genre in this fast-paced, exciting story. Soul abduction and human cannibalism on the streets of Chicago lead investigators on a gruesome chase into the city’s deserted underground passages. As a frightening disease spreads, victims are of two types: the consumed and the possessed.
ForeWord Review - The Third Terrace of Purgatory
February/10/2014 09:09 AM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
The stressful world of Manhattan advertising, characterized by the unrelenting pressure to succeed, grounds this first installment of Barker’s trilogy. The story opens in 1959, yet the contemporary tone lends an excellent plot a sense of timelessness difficult to achieve in a historical novel. Realistic and chilling in its examination of human behavior, this fascinating page-turner will attract a diverse audience looking for a psychological thriller that extends the boundaries of genre fiction, while ignoring the industry’s tendency to place a book within a designated niche.
ForeWord Review - Drink with the Devil
January/10/2014 04:38 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
This romantic thriller edges into the crime genre with a sordid look at vindictive undermining and lack of integrity. Set during the socially charged 1960s in rural England, a decent but downtrodden man loses a woman he adores when he is accused of murder. Woods has grabbed both ends of the moral spectrum and created a dangerous mess in a farming community during a decade when off-the-wall anything was the norm.
ForeWord Review - Night Chill
January/09/2014 09:38 AM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
A primitive ritual and an ancient secret threaten a family’s safety in this heart-pounding tale of horrific madness. Guaranteed to trigger night sweats along with a childlike, irrational fear of the creaky attic, Gunhus will not disappoint horror fans. Beyond a bump-in-the-dark fright, the ominous mood will stay with anyone daring enough to pursue the contents of this lurid book.
ForeWord Review - The Hanging Tree
January/07/2014 02:13 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
Supernatural entities threaten to suppress free will in this fate-propelled plot. A twenty-first-century story embarks on a frightening jaunt into the 1600s and early 1900s, delving into the disturbed emotions of five historical characters who cannot be laid to rest. Cash’s haunting novella explores the consequences of actions taken centuries ago in Oyster Bay, Long Island, examining the long-term, karmic aftereffects.
ForeWord Review - The Champa Flowers
October/01/2013 09:20 AM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
Set in 1968 Vientiane, the capital of Laos, where the U.S. and North Vietnamese embassies are less than two miles apart, this thriller is an outstanding example of the merger of real events during the Vietnam War with the imaginative escapades of a CIA officer on a special mission involving espionage and counter-espionage. Emphasizing behind-the-scenes intelligence maneuvers over the stereotypical ferocity of warfare, Melton succeeds in creating a gripping adventure that explores the ingenious methods employed to curtail bloodshed where upheaval is the norm.
ForeWord Review - Zaire's Golden Babies
August/12/2013 02:01 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
A San Francisco commercial banker finds himself embroiled in a police investigation and forced to leave the United States. He launches into an undercover consulting mission in Zaire involving black market gold and government abuse of natives. Leister’s thriller digs into the rough, downtrodden environment of a developing nation.
ForeWord Review - Torn Apart
July/10/2013 01:21 PM Filed: ForeWord Reviews
A video-game character comes to life, invading the soul of a reserved young boy in this spellbinding thriller. Alternating between scenes of swordplay in a medieval fantasy realm and daily routine, the novel is a peculiar mix of coming-of-age and science fiction. Reminiscent of the Twilight Zone television series, which featured surreal situations that defied explanation, this phenomenal tale integrates multiple genres.