John's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:01:46 -0700 60 John's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Bonded in Death (In Death #60)]]> 211332354 The #1 New York Times bestselling author spins an epic tale of loyalty, treachery, murder, and the long shadow of war�

His passport read Giovanni Rossi. But decades ago, during the Urban Wars, he was part of a small, secret organization called The Twelve. Responding to an urgent summons from an old compatriot, he landed in New York and eased into the waiting car. And died within minutes�

Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the Rossi case frustrating. She’s got an elderly victim who’d just arrived from Rome; a widow who knows nothing about why he’d left; an as-yet unidentifiable weapon; and zero results on facial recognition. But when she finds a connection to the Urban Wars of the 2020s, she thinks Summerset―fiercely loyal, if somewhat grouchy, major-domo and the man who’d rescued her husband from the Dublin streets―may know something from his stint as a medic in Europe back then.

When Summerset learns of the crime, his shock and grief are clear―because, as he eventually reveals, he himself was one of The Twelve. It’s not a part of his past he likes to revisit. But now he must―not only to assist Eve’s investigation, but because a cryptic message from the killer has boasted that others of The Twelve have also died. Summerset is one of those who remain―and the murderous mission is yet to be fully accomplished…]]> 368 J.D. Robb 1250370809 John 5 a Title So Right in Multiple Ways

Eve Dallas kicks butt as does her sidekick, Peabody. An engaging story and plot that keeps you coming back. Well done, Robb]]> 4.81 2025 Bonded in Death (In Death #60)
author: J.D. Robb
name: John
average rating: 4.81
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves:
review:
a Title So Right in Multiple Ways

Eve Dallas kicks butt as does her sidekick, Peabody. An engaging story and plot that keeps you coming back. Well done, Robb
]]> Lone Wolf (Orphan X, #9) 126919150
Not his usual mission, and not one Evan embraces with enthusiasm, but this unlikely, tiny job quickly explodes into his biggest mission yet. one that finds him battered between twisted AI technocrat billionaires, a mysterious female assassin who seems a mirror of himself, and personal stakes so gut-wrenching he can scarcely make sense of them .

Evan's mission pushes him to his limit - he must find and take down the assassin known only as the Wolf, before she succeeds in completing her mission and killing the people who can identify her - a teenaged daughter of her last target, and Evan himself. Matched skill for skill, instinct for instinct, Evan must outwit an opponent who will literally stop at nothing if he is to survive.]]> 389 Gregg Hurwitz John 5 Evan and Joey at their Best

Awesomely captivating and trending on current events (I.e. AI). Hilarious in parts, human in others. The series that keeps on giving. No better. ]]> 4.32 2024 Lone Wolf (Orphan X, #9)
author: Gregg Hurwitz
name: John
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/23
date added: 2024/03/23
shelves:
review:
Evan and Joey at their Best

Awesomely captivating and trending on current events (I.e. AI). Hilarious in parts, human in others. The series that keeps on giving. No better.
]]> <![CDATA[Target Area: A Leo Rossi Novel]]> 201289416 From #1 Amazon Bestselling Author Lawrence Colby!


In the latest full-octane thriller from #1 Amazon bestselling author and former military pilot Lawrence Colby, Special Agent Leo Rossi organizes the greatest manhunt Washington has ever seen to locate one of the Pentagon's highest ranking generals that has suddenly disappeared.


When an Air Force General goes missing and an ensuing search breaks out in Washington, D.C., it doesn’t take long for Air Force OSI Special Agent Leo Rossi and FBI Special Agent Marcy Phillips to realize that there’s something far more sinister going on than anyone believes possible. . .


After the Pentagon finds the body of a dead female lieutenant near the Drone Technology Office, followed-by a shocking loss of classified information and a mysterious building fire, the federal law enforcement team stops at nothing to determine the alarming chain of events, capped off with the disappearance of the well-known and highly respected General. The political pressure to answer whether the general is still alive is roaring with intensity as people want answers. Now.


While hustling to connect the evidence surrounding the suspicious events, Leo Rossi and Marcy Phillips are convinced that the string of seemingly random events is anything but. Coroner reports, political and foreign interference, and a surprise ex-spouse all lead the duo down a trail few others are willing to follow—painting a different picture of the man who suddenly vanished in broad daylight.


With zero time to waste and an evil conspiracy beginning to take shape behind the scenes, Rossi and Phillips must utilize every tool in the national security toolbox in hopes of penetrating and exposing a secret and powerful social circle that few people even know exist before it’s too late.


“Colby writes with the authority of someone who has “been there…done that.”�—�Wall Street Journal Bestselling Thriller Author Jeffrey Wilson, Co-Author of the Tier One Thriller Series


"If you are not already reading Colby’s stuff, start. Somewhere between Dale Brown and early Ward Larsen books, Colby’s series is fresh, original, and plotted in such a way that each book is impossible to set down."Ěý-The Real Book Spy

]]> 513 Lawrence A. Colby John 5 Fascinating twists and turns

First time reading something by this author. The story is current and the author is obviously versed in current military jargon, etc. lots of twists which caught me by surprise. Especially the ending. Good read. Hard to put down]]> 4.38 Target Area: A Leo Rossi Novel
author: Lawrence A. Colby
name: John
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/07
date added: 2024/02/07
shelves:
review:
Fascinating twists and turns

First time reading something by this author. The story is current and the author is obviously versed in current military jargon, etc. lots of twists which caught me by surprise. Especially the ending. Good read. Hard to put down
]]> Black Vault 134185952 From the acclaimed author of Red London and Red Widow comes a heart-pounding thriller about a dispirited spy who gets a chance to find the truth as he tackles the mystery of unexplained aerial phenomena.

When CIA officer Craig Norton glimpses an unexplainable object in the sky over Mongolia, he can’t quite believe it. Frankly, he isn’t sure Langley will either. Despite his misgivings, Craig reports the sighting in a cable to headquarters detailing the incident.

Fast-forward fifteen years. Craig is still reeling from the report that tanked his career and his personal life. That fleeting moment on the Mongolian steppe made him a pariah at the Agency, and he still hasn’t recovered. At this point, he doubts he ever will.

But when the navy confirms on national television reports of unexplained aerial phenomena, Craig finds himself pulled back into the fold. Assigned to a CIA task force investigating sightings of unexplained aerial phenomena—including his own—Craig stumbles upon a mystery that could strain global relations and expose an international cover-up.

For a spy humbled by his own instincts, the search for the truth could finally mean a chance at redemption—or place him directly in the path of a dangerous conspiracy.]]> 81 Alma Katsu 1662507666 John 5 currently-reading 3.76 2023 Black Vault
author: Alma Katsu
name: John
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/23
date added: 2024/01/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Black Wolf 61261114 A dazzling new spy thriller about a female CIA agent whose extraordinary powers of facial recognition lead her into the dangerous heart of the Soviet Union—and the path of a killer that shouldn’t exist.

It is 1990 when Melvina Donleavy arrives in Soviet Belarus on her first undercover mission with the CIA, alongside three fellow agents—none of whom know she is playing two roles. To the prying eyes of the KGB, she is merely a secretary; to her CIA minders, she is the only one who can stop the flow of nuclear weapons from the crumbling Soviet Union into the Middle East.

For Mel has a secret; she is a “super recognizer,� someone who never forgets a face. But no training could prepare her for the reality of life undercover, and for the streets of Minsk, where women have been disappearing. Soviet law enforcement is firm: murder is a capitalist disease. But could a serial killer be at work? Especially if he knew no one was watching? As Mel searches for answers, she catches the eye of an entirely different kind of threat: the elusive and petrifying “Black Wolf,� head of the KGB.

Filled with insider details from the author’s own time working under the direction of the U.S. Department of Defense, Black Wolf is a riveting new spy thriller from an Edgar-nominated crime writer, and a biting exploration of the divide between two nations, two masterminds, and two roles played by a woman pushed to her breaking point, where she’ll learn that you can only ever trust one person: yourself.


Ěý±Ő±Ő> 400 Kathleen Kent John 4 Enjoyable Read

I love spy thrillers and this one was a good one, albeit not a great one. A lot of the plot can be guessed or sensed, but the main character, Melvina, is delightful to understand and feel. ]]> 4.15 2023 Black Wolf
author: Kathleen Kent
name: John
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves:
review:
Enjoyable Read

I love spy thrillers and this one was a good one, albeit not a great one. A lot of the plot can be guessed or sensed, but the main character, Melvina, is delightful to understand and feel.
]]> Red Widow (Red Widow, #1) 54100975
Lyndsey Duncan worries her career with the CIA might be over. After lines are crossed with another intelligence agent during her most recent assignment, she is sent home to Washington on administrative leave. So when a former colleague, now Chief of the Russia Division, recruits her for an internal investigation, she jumps at the chance to prove herself once more. Lyndsey was once a top handler in the Moscow Field Station, known as the "human lie detector" and praised for recruiting some of the most senior Russian officials. But now, three Russian assets have been discovered--including one of her own--and the CIA is convinced there's a mole in the department. With years of work in question, and lives on the line, Lyndsey is thrown back into life at the agency, only this time tracing the steps of those closest to her.

Meanwhile, fellow agent Theresa Warner can't avoid the spotlight. She is the infamous "Red Widow," the wife of a former director killed in the field under mysterious circumstances. With her husband's legacy shadowing her every move, Theresa is a fixture of the Russia Division, and as she and Lyndsey strike up an unusual friendship, her knowledge proves invaluable. But as Lyndsey uncovers a surprising connection to Theresa that could answer all of her questions, she exposes a terrifying web of secrets within the department, if only she is willing to unravel it...]]> 352 Alma Katsu 0525539433 John 5 Clever twists

It’s tough to put this one down. Ms Katy spins a tale with many twists and turns. Some seem obvious but others are lurking and pull one in. My second read of her work and I like her style. ]]> 3.88 2021 Red Widow (Red Widow, #1)
author: Alma Katsu
name: John
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/02
date added: 2024/01/02
shelves:
review:
Clever twists

It’s tough to put this one down. Ms Katy spins a tale with many twists and turns. Some seem obvious but others are lurking and pull one in. My second read of her work and I like her style.
]]> <![CDATA[Beirut Station: Two Lives of a Spy]]> 110792623
Lebanon, 2006.

The Israel-Hezbollah war is tearing Beirut apart: bombs are raining down, residents are scrambling to evacuate, and the country is on the brink of chaos.

In the midst of this turmoil, the CIA and Mossad are targeting a reclusive Hezbollah terrorist, Najib Qassem. Najib is believed to be planning the assassination of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is coming to Beirut in ten days to broker a cease-fire. The spy agencies are running out of time to eliminate the threat.

They turn to a young Lebanese-American CIA agent. Analise comes up with the perfect plan: she has befriended Qassem's grandson as his English tutor, and will use this friendship to locate the terrorist and take him out. As the plan is put into action, though, Analise begins to suspect that Mossad has a motive of its own: exploiting the war’s chaos to eliminate a generation of Lebanese political leaders.

She alerts the agency but their response is for her to drop it. Annalise is now the target and there is no one she can trust: not the CIA, not Mossad, and not the Lebanese government. And the one person she might have to trust—a reporter for the New York Times—might not be who he says he is…]]> 352 Paul Vidich 1639365125 John 5 timely read

The prose and research for the book are expertly woven together. It is very timely given our current world events in the Middle East. I thoroughly enjoyed this second novel and found it difficult to put down. Great read!]]> 4.16 2023 Beirut Station: Two Lives of a Spy
author: Paul Vidich
name: John
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/05
date added: 2023/11/06
shelves:
review:
timely read

The prose and research for the book are expertly woven together. It is very timely given our current world events in the Middle East. I thoroughly enjoyed this second novel and found it difficult to put down. Great read!
]]> <![CDATA[The Russian Ink (Jake Armitage Thriller Book 1)]]> 61484602 Kill an important asset and blame it on the Russian mafia.
Who can solve the St Petersburg assignment?
NSA contractor Jake Armitage.
Explosive evidence that could bring down the US president.
No clues except a mysterious prison ink.
The new Russian death cult formed from the darkest Gulag.
A journalist who may have answers.
Powerful political enemies arise.
The former black-ops contractor with a death wish.
International security and peace at stake.
Can Jake discover the truth before it’s too late?]]> 333 Simon W. Clark 0645553611 John 5 great Read

The surgery has a way with words that keeps you involved. Jake is an awesome character. Katerina is a plus. ]]> 3.89 2022 The Russian Ink (Jake Armitage Thriller Book 1)
author: Simon W. Clark
name: John
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/30
date added: 2023/08/30
shelves:
review:
great Read

The surgery has a way with words that keeps you involved. Jake is an awesome character. Katerina is a plus.
]]> Going Zero 61166695
In the name of national security, the CIA in partnership with Silicon Valley wunderkind Cy Baxter have created the ultimate surveillance program known as FUSION. Ahead of its roll out, ten Americans have been carefully selected to Beta test the groundbreaking system.

At the appointed hour, each of the ten will have two hours to “Go Zero”—to turn their cellphones off, cut ties with friends and family, and use any means possible to disappear. They will then have 30 days to evade detection and elude the highly sophisticated Capture Teams tasked to find them using the most cutting-edge technology. The goal is to see if it is possible to successfully go “off the grid� and escape detection.

The stakes are immense. If FUSION is a success, Cy Baxter will secure a coveted 10-year, $100 billion dollar government contract and access to intelligence resources he truly believes will save lives. For any participant who beats the massive surveillance, it means a $3 million cash prize.

Among the contestants is an unassuming Boston librarian named Kaitlyn Day. She’s been chosen as the gimme, the easy target expected to be found first. But Kaitlyn excels at confounding expectations. Her talents at this particular game are far more effective than all the security experts suspect, and her reasons for playing far more personal than anyone can imagine. . . .]]> 304 Anthony McCarten John 5 Going Five Star

Great read. Kept me going which is hard to do. Superb twist. Must read. Great plot applicable today. Go for it]]> 4.12 2023 Going Zero
author: Anthony McCarten
name: John
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/02
date added: 2023/05/02
shelves:
review:
Going Five Star

Great read. Kept me going which is hard to do. Superb twist. Must read. Great plot applicable today. Go for it
]]> Damascus Station 58378886
But the cat-and-mouse chase for the killer soon leads to a trail of high-profile assassinations and the discovery of a dark secret at the heart of the Syrian regime, bringing the pair under the all-seeing eyes of Asad’s spycatcher, Ali Hassan, and his brother Rustum, the head of the feared Republican Guard. Set against the backdrop of a Syria pulsing with fear and rebellion, Damascus Station is a pulse-pounding thriller that offers a textured portrayal of espionage, love, loyalty, and betrayal in one of the most difficult CIA assignments on the planet.]]> 428 David McCloskey 0393881059 John 5 awesome novel

Non-stop with an excellent set of surprising events. Super read. Sam and Marian are top drawer, as is Proctor. Read it]]> 4.37 2021 Damascus Station
author: David McCloskey
name: John
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/13
date added: 2023/02/13
shelves:
review:
awesome novel

Non-stop with an excellent set of surprising events. Super read. Sam and Marian are top drawer, as is Proctor. Read it
]]> <![CDATA[The Man Without A Face (Peter Black #2)]]> 62206854 392 David Archer 1636961452 John 5 4.39 The Man Without A Face (Peter Black #2)
author: David Archer
name: John
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/30
date added: 2022/12/30
shelves:
review:
Like Orphan X, and if you liked that series, you will really enjoy this one. Non-stop action. Lot’s of surprising twists and turns. A loner series of assassin action.
]]>