Introducing Three Very Different Thrilling Novels



 The First Day by Phil Harrison

I’m going to start off with the Irish one. When you think of Irish writers, what comes to mind? I think of lyrical literary skills, sin and guilt. Generations of priest-ridden Irish folk weighed down by guilt and fear of hell, counteracted by sparks of energy, a lust for life and sometimes a bit of genius. In The First Day, an illicit love affair between a pastor and a young student cause ripples which will impact with full brutality not only on them, but onto the next generation, even migrating with them from Ireland to America. Set in Belfast, the sectarian conflict is woven into this dark tale. The Irish might have emigrated to escape their past, but they always took their sins and their guilt with them. Phil Harrison is an accomplished writer and if you like thought-provoking and disturbing books that deal with the full range of human emotion, including violence and cruelty, then this is for you.

Published in paperback by Fleet in 2018 (£8.99)


Rogue by J.B. Turner

My next choice takes us to America and deals with covert assassins, conspiracy and national security. Written in an engaging style, this fast-paced thriller features Nathan Stone, a former CIA operative brought back from the dead - metaphorically speaking - to kill on behalf of a secret organisation. The line between right and wrong is becoming increasingly blurred in the United States and Nathan Stone has to deal with shifting realities as well when he finds that his own name is on a list of people to be assassinated. What happens when the contract killer becomes the target?

Published in paperback by Thomas & Mercer in 2018




The Sinners by Ace Atkins

Ace Atkins previous book, The Fallen, got a cracking review by one of our guest reviewers and I can see why. Sheriff Quinn Colson is a great character, an evil-fighting man’s man (although I’m not sure it’s politically correct to use descriptors like that anymore). Maybe that is why the author dedicated this book to Burt Reynolds? If you want to immerse yourself in the deep South, and you want to get up real close to back-water crime in America with all its nastiness and violence, then The Sinners should be top of your reading list. And when you discover that you enjoy seeing the world through Quinn Colson’s eyes, you have seven further novels to look forward to.

Published by Corsair in paperback in 2018 (14.99)


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