It’s why I was so interested to read Candice Fox’s latest book, The Chase. It’s no simple murder mystery, but in fact follows a mass prison outbreak which sees the release of 600 convicted criminals into the Nevada Desert, and the attempt to recapture them.

As with all thrillers, the storyline pulls the reader along by ending chapters on cliffhangers and the allure of a good mystery. However, it did at times feel as though Fox was struggling to maintain the pace and consistency of the story across the numerous threads which comprise it. There is the central criminal figure of the story, John Kradle, who is using the opportunity of his unexpected liberation to seek exoneration for the crime for which he was sent to jail: the murder of his family. Kradle’s story is quite interesting, although the payoff felt a little underwhelming. Without giving away spoilers, to my mind, the satisfaction of a really good thriller and mystery arrives when the previously introduced elements contribute coalesce into an explanation at least part of which you think to yourself ‘gosh, how did I miss that!?’ and that isn’t really the case here for Kradle’s story. Then we have the prison guard, Celine Osbourne, whose fixation on Kradle is due to her tragic past, despite the fact that she should be assisting the search to round up the other escapees, and help to find out why they were let out in the first place. The interaction between Osbourne and Kradle was interesting, and an enjoyable read. However, they aren’t the only narrative elements across the story.

Fox structures the book so the chapters range across a variety of perspectives, including several of the escaped prisoners. While some are interesting, they drew away from the urgency of the central narratives, especially as they were largely self-contained with no significant effect on the development of Kradle or Osbourne’s narrative. While I can understand the intent to provide more nuanced insight into the variety of criminal mindsets, I actually just found it a bit too confusing to keep track of everything.

Feeding into this issue is the mystery of who engineered the mass release of the prisoners amid a neo-Nazi storyline. While I’m all for a story which vilifies Nazis of any kind (and really, who isn’t?), the two narratives (Kradle and the Nazis) felt at times as though they could have belonged to separate books altogether. Moreover, it felt as though the ‘whodunit’ of the mass outbreak at times competed with the ‘whodunit’ of the murder of Kradle’s family.

With all that being said, this is by no means a bad book as I quite enjoyed The Chase. Fox’s writing is competent and has the efficiency of someone who knows her craft (among the eleven books to her name are titles co-authored with James Patterson). The setting is well drawn, and the characters are engaging. Despite the fact that the various perspectives felt a bit redundant, I was also engaged by the mysteries and read on with the keenness of someone who really wants to know the answer. While it seems somewhat grisly to say that I love to read thrillers while I’m on holiday, this would be a perfect book to take away with me and read while lying in the sun (with a generous covering of SPF50, of course). 

The Chase is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up The Chase? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

When more than 600 of the world’s most violent human beings pour out from Pronghorn Correctional Facility into the Nevada Desert, the biggest manhunt in US history begins.

But for John Kradle, this is his one chance to prove his innocence, five years after the murder of his wife and child.

He just needs to stay one step ahead of the teams of law enforcement officers he knows will be chasing the escapees down.

Death Row Supervisor turned fugitive-hunter Celine Osbourne is single-minded in her mission to catch Kradle. She has very personal reasons for hating him – and she knows exactly where he’s heading . . . 

The post Review: The Chase by Candice Fox appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Set in Los Angeles, we meet a doctor turned convicted killer, an extremely skilled thief, and a cop who doesn’t feel like she fits in with her colleagues. The drama that unfolds is realistic, and definitely felt like it could happen in real life, which is rather chilling. The way Fox portrayed Jessica, the policewoman, made me feel super empathetic, as she was just trying to give her job her all. This is despite her police department appearing to dislike her- perhaps of her dedication to all her cases, or the fact that she was included in a will of a past client, who bequeathed her a mansion worth a lot of money. The jealousy truly made her partner and commanding officer appear very jerkish, which I feel is part of why she doubts herself so often.

Blair Harbour also just wants to get her life back on track, after being released from her jail sentence, thanks to the one and only Jessica Sanchez. She was trying to live a quiet life, earning some cash from being a convenience store attendant. Little did I know that her life was about to get a little more dramatic (which was a huge catalyst for me not putting this one down), with a girl coming in to steal money from the till. The next morning, she finds her friend from jail, Sneak, and learns that she was the last person to see Sneak’s daughter before she went missing. I really disliked the mischievous ways Sneak tries to sneak back into Blair’s life, given that parolees aren’t supposed to be around each other, but it really did work for this story.

Sneak goes out of her way to steal things, and stealing items from Blair isn’t an exception. When Sneak steals Blair’s car, Blair goes to the police station to file a report, and to ask if Sneak’s daughter has had a missing persons report filed. This definitely raised some suspicion to the police officer who ‘interviewed’ her to find out what she knew about this girl. Whilst I grimaced at the descriptiveness of what went down, I was also so keen to make sure that Blair would be a-okay on the other end.

I loved how these three ladies, from different paths of life band together, not only to find where and what of the girl, but also focusing on the aspects of family, friendship, and also police corruption. I was somewhat amazed at how well Fox blended all these themes together, and it made the book flow in a pace that I really liked. It was really nice to also have a realistic-sounding family dynamic that has its ebbs and flows between Blair and her son (who she doesn’t get a lot of page or so-called time together), as it wasn’t overly inflated, nor pushy. I also liked that there was comic relief, in the form of a pet gopher, something I had to blink and reread a couple of times because I couldn’t believe it at first. I also had to google what a gopher was, and not going to lie, they do look kind of cute!

Overall, if you want a fun but also seriously thrilling crime read with a side of gophers and police corruption, this is definitely a book you should read!

Gathering Dark is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore!

Will you be picking up Gathering Dark? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

A convicted killer. A gifted thief. A vicious crime boss. A disillusioned cop. Together, they’re a missing girl’s only hope.

Blair Harbour, once a wealthy, respected surgeon in Los Angeles, is now an ex-con down on her luck. She’s determined to keep her nose clean to win back custody of her son.

But when her former cellmate, Sneak Lawlor, begs for help to find her missing daughter, Blair is compelled to put her new-found freedom on the line. Joined by LA’s most feared underworld figure, Ada Maverick, the crew of criminals bring outlaw tactics to the search for Dayly.

Detective Jessica Sanchez has always had a difficult relationship with the LAPD. And her inheritance of a $7 million mansion as a reward for catching a killer has just made her police enemy number one.

It’s been ten years since Jessica arrested Blair for the cold-blooded murder of her neighbour. So when Jessica opens the door to the disgraced doctor and her friends she expects abuse, maybe even violence.

What comes instead is a plea for help.

The post Review: Gathering Dark by Candice Fox appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The Inn is the latest from a Candice Fox and James Patterson partnership, and it is as exciting as their Harriet Blue series.

The book opens with Billy mourning his wife, Siobhan’s death, along with the residents in their inn, in a small town. They’re a motley crew, but as the book progresses, it quickly becomes apparent that they’re more like family, brought together by Siobhan. Her loss affects them all and leaves a hole in their lives.

Billy’s grief is palpable and his method of grieving is to retreat into himself. However, when he discovers that a drug dealer has moved into their little town, and his reach has extended to the people in the inn, Billy decides to step up and protect the people he considers his own.

It is the people in the inn that make this book so compelling: Nick, the soldier back from Iraq who still has PTSD flashbacks, Susan the ex-FBI agent, and her friend Effie, whose throat has been cut so she can’t speak. There’s the ex mafia gentleman, the town Sheriff, and a doctor — and then there’s Marni. The young girl who Billy very much wants to step up for and guide more than anything.

Despite the large cast of characters, the book manages to give each character enough attention, background and all, while also drawing readers into their world and revealing more about them all and Billy too. The book’s focus is the action, with the characters working together seamlessly (and sometimes not so seamlessly) and revealing more about themselves in the process.

I almost feel like this is an action movie in the making, which honestly made it all the more interesting for me. Sometimes, you need the action, the speed with which things happen can be just as effective in building a story, supported by great characterisation.

The Inn is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up The Inn? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

A gripping stand-alone novel from the world’s bestselling thriller writer

Ex-Boston homicide detective Billy Robinson has retreated to a quiet life on the New England coast. Struggling to cope following the death of his beloved wife, he must now run the inn that Siobhan took care of so well.

The inn’s quirky residents help keep Billy on solid ground as he grieves, and the group soon become an unconventional family. But this small town is in the grips of a growing opioid epidemic, and when a young resident gets hooked into the crisis, Billy knows he must act to save the people in the inn that he has grown to care so much about.

With his secretive past in Boston catching up to him, can Billy survive long enough to save the town – and its beloved inn – from ruin?

The post Review: The Inn by James Patterson and Candice Fox appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

With that, we take a look at eight outstanding thrillers that came out in 2018 that you just might have missed!

Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This story of two mothers, who both have children at an elite private school, is told through multiple perspectives over two separate timelines. It is a fast-paced attention-grabber and will keep the reader guessing and looking for clues, as one of these women is not who she claims to be! This book examines friendships, family dynamics, betrayal, loyalty, secrets, and so much more.

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Part thriller, part ghost story, this tale plays out over two timelines, more than sixty years apart. There are ruins of an old boarding school, a journalist with a tragic connection to the school, and secrets that were meant to stay hidden forever, all coming together in this spooky page-turner.

Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Enjoy books with unlikely duos? This complex tale pairs a former detective who was publicly accused of a terrible crime, but consistently maintained his innocence, with a private investigator who is also a convicted murderer, but who may not be the cold-hearted killer she tries to portray. As they tackle a case together, there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader glued to this book! Fox is a writer that can make the reader feel the atmosphere and the setting as if they are emanating from the pages.

Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Two women meet through a chance encounter and a story unravels that brings The Talented Mr. Ripley into the social media world. There’s glitz and glamour, lies and deceit, back-stabbing, and obsession in this tale. Sometimes the reader can see where things are headed and other times the reader will gasp in surprise.

All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This story has a bit of a film noir quality in the way it is told, and the way the events unfold. Swanson continues his streak of writing psychological suspense that is absolutely addicting. Some readers and reviewers could not get past the taboo relationships (and the associated “ick” factor) that occur throughout the book, so online reviews and ratings are all over the place. I personally loved all the twists and turns. This is another book that weaves two different timelines together to make an incredible story.

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This thriller hits the ground running and immediately sweeps the reader up into a murder plot that involves mistaken identities, foreign locations, and international travel. Written so that, at times, the reader knows more than the characters, and at other times the reader is finding out information the same way, and at the same time, as the characters in the book. This story provides twists, turns, and surprises from cover to cover.

If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Full of expertly written characters, this book sets its prologue at the end of the story, and then tells you how it got there. With almost the entire book taking place over just a 5-day period, this story moves along at just the right pace. Covering issues of friendship, isolation, secrets, social media, and family dynamics, it is rich and nuanced as well as being a page-turning thriller.

Force of Nature by Jane Harper
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

While one of the main characters in this novel was introduced in Harper’s previous book, The Dry, these are not really part of a series. While The Dry is fantastic, and I highly recommend it, it is not necessary to read it before reading Force of Nature. In this novel, five women are on a corporate team building backpacking trip, but only four women make it out of the woods. The missing woman also happened to have a connection to an ongoing money laundering case, so financial crimes investigators find themselves having to cooperate with the detectives working the missing persons case. Harper writes amazing characters and always uses a story’s setting in an incredibly engaging way.

Go back and look for some of the books you may have missed in the last couple of years! Check out the back catalogues of some of your favourite authors or look at some of your old TBR lists, and see what you might have missed. You are likely to be pleasantly surprised!

Are there any great thrillers from 2018 that you would recommend? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Eight Thrillers From 2018 That You May Have Missed appeared first on The Nerd Daily.