Category: Thriller

Spy Thriller – Ghosts of Guatemala

Spy Thriller – Ghosts of Guatemala

Spy Thriller

Date Published: 11-25-2019

 

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Who can you trust when corruption and danger are a way of life?

The CIA never left Latin America, and is facing catastrophic blackmail at
the hands of an erratic Guatemalan drug lord: the infamous patrón of
Antigua – Pablo Puentes. Desperate for a swift solution, the agency
calls in their black operative fixer: John Carpenter.

John is a cold-blooded professional ready for the job. But the mission
doesn’t have a simple fix. Pablo has a disastrous kill switch in
place.

John is still haunted by the mysterious death of his best friend who died
on a far too similar mission, and now is uncertain about how much he can
trust his handler or his sensual partner.

Back at the agency, tensions are running hot as the stench of corruption is
growing to a boiling point. If things aren’t put to rights – and
soon – the entire mission will go up in flames and take the CIA down
with it.

Only John Carpenter can bring this drug lord to justice and get the answers
he deserves.

Because this mission is personal…

If you like the relentless tension of Daniel Silva and the gritty reality
of Lee Child then you’ll love this first book in the John Carpenter
Trilogy!

 

 

About the Author

Collin Glavac is a Canadian born actor and writer who lives in the province
of Ontario Canada. He has written, directed and acted in two original stage
plays, In Real Life, and LoveSpell. He completed his Dramatic and Liberal
Arts B.A. and M.A at Brock University.

Ghosts of Guatemala is his first novel.

Collin loves hearing from readers, so please don’t hesitate to contact him
by email at: collinglavac@gmail.com

 

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EXCERPT

Prologue

 

The gunshot slammed into Brian’s chest with the force of a charging bull. It hadn’t been the first time he’d been shot. But he’d also never taken a direct hit in the torso or lost any vitals before. The slug threw him against the veranda door he had just snuck through, smashing glass and raking his arms as he crumpled painfully onto his back.

He managed not to moan – he was a professional even in the worst situations – but he couldn’t stop himself from hyperventilating. He was in shock. He knew he was in shock. He tried to kick it. Clear his mind, focus on the task at hand. He’d been shot. He needed to eliminate the threat. He had to finish the mission.

The searing pain was beginning to drip into his system now, a slow whine that overtook his adrenaline and as his pain tolerance started to be overwhelmed, he wanted to cry out, desperate for reprieve.

There was no one here to help him. If a mission went wrong, if someone was captured or killed, there would be no rescue. That’s how The Firm’s agent’s operated. That was how they kept the United States government far away from any political fallout. And besides, they never made mistakes.

Brian crawled painfully to cover, feeling blood smear against shards of glass against the floor. He pressed a hand to his chest, not bothering to look at how bad the wound was. He didn’t need to look at it. He knew what that kind of bloodflow through his gloves meant. He managed to pull himself next to a cabinet, leaning his back against the wood and tried to calm his breath. His sigh turned into a cough. He raised his other hand instinctively to cover his mouth and he found he hadn’t dropped his gun when he’d fallen. He held the reliable Beretta in white knuckled fingers that refused to let go, shaking from the effort of his training that refused to abandon him against all odds.

He looked down at the glass. Some of it had been decorated with a metal coating. He placed his gun in his lap and retrieved a large piece, angling it to see where his attacker was hiding. It was dark and his vision was beginning to blur. His thoughts began to wander.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be a simple hit. Kill the head of an Antiguan drug cartel. Snatch some information off a computer while he was at it. An upper level operative had confided in him that something was wrong with this cartel. Something about corruption. Something way above petty drug wars and trafficking operations.

He had slipped past security. Gotten into the estate. His target should have been here, caught unawares. A silent chuckle escaped him. Had he gotten that rusty? He coughed up blood.

As if to answer his unspoken questions, a figure emerged from the darkness. Brian watched it through the mirrored glass, but it was getting increasingly difficult to concentrate. The man was a large figure; imposing, he held a handgun and even as his consciousness ebbed and flowed, Brian couldn’t help but admire what a well-tailored suit he was wearing. He always tried to be an optimist. The man continued to walk toward Brian’s hiding place, waving the handgun as he spoke. His low voice pierced the darkness.

“Looks like my deal is better than your deal, mamón. I almost feel bad. But business is business.”

That was his target, no doubt about it. Sandor Puentes. But Brian didn’t understand what the man was saying. He couldn’t piece anything together. His mind was a fog. In his final moments, bleeding out, desperately attempting to complete at least part of his mission, Brian thought of his best friend John Carpenter, and the painstaking Spanish lesson he’d received. He’d wanted to master at least one good swear word.

Que te folle un pez!” Brian cried, bursting from behind the cabinet and preparing to unload his magazine into Sandor Puentes, brutal cartel boss of Antigua, probably one of the largest sex traffickers in all of Latin America. I hope you get fucked by a fish!

All people deserved justice. Some people’s justice was death.

Gunshots tore through the air like vengeance.

 

“In here!” Juan Puentes yelled to the guards. Where were the guards?

He had heard his mother and father yelling, and gunshots. The deals they had made with the other cartels were holding strong. Who could be attacking them? His heart pounded in his chest, his soul itched for battle. If there was trouble, he would protect his family. He clutched his shotgun and bounded into the foyer where he was sure the commotion was. Guards flooded the room alongside him, some shining flashlights. Idiotas, Juan thought, pushing a guard out of the way. He flicked on the light switch, turning on the lavish electric chandelier.

Pablo and Isabella, his uncle and mother were in the room, holding each other, shaking and weeping. Juan stared at them in shock. His eyes drifted over to his father’s desk, and he saw a handgun resting idly there. He was hardly aware of anything else until his uncle spoke and pointed near the door.

“I’m sorry, sobrino. Nephew. Truly, I am.”

A man dressed all in black laid in a bloody heap on the floor. Blood and broken glass were everywhere. Juan didn’t understand.

“I suppose it is not sobrino, anymore, mi hijo,” Pablo’s words hung, foreign in Juan’s ears. My son.

It was then that Juan saw.

Sandor Puentes, his strong and determined father – his loving father – lay beside the other man, his forehead blown apart, mouth twisted in a sneer.

Juan let out a wail, overwhelmed by the sight of his father, firing his shotgun into the air. The ornate chandelier exploded in a shower of glass and crystal. Its shattered remains fell all around him as darkness covered the room once more.

 

 

 

 

Crime Thriller – The Trophy Room by Barry Litherland

Crime Thriller – The Trophy Room by Barry Litherland

 

 

Crime Thriller, Psychological Thriller

 

Published: March 2021

Publisher: Bleaknorth Publishing

What terrible secrets lie inside those doors?

It was to be an ordinary holiday by the sea for the Miller family, a chance to bond after difficult times; but when they meet a local family, the Trevelyans, they become embroiled in a dangerous and disturbing conflict with the unstable owner of Leybury Hall, and must face the terrifying truth of The Trophy Room.

Written in a mixture of second and third person, this novel about the evil doings of the disturbed and psychotic inhabitant of Leybury Hall. The novel flirts with gothic horror but is, at heart, the story of families brought together to face terrible truths. Children from both families play a central and disturbing role.

 

Excerpt

 

A young boy approaches the watchtower along the cliff path. He is alone and intent on some game which absorbs all his attention. He swerves and circles, arms outstretched, and accompanies each move with excited chatter. He is about ten and has a mop of untidy red hair, and a rash of freckles.

So intent is he on his game that he doesn’t see the low, wooden door of the watchtower open, and a man step out, at least not until it is too late. When the boy does notice, he pauses, and his hands drop to his side. His shoulders hunch, and he stands there, waiting for the man to approach. The look of fear on the boy’s face seems to entertain the newcomer, because he offers an unpleasant smile—close to a sneer—and takes up a position blocking the path. The man is gaunt, with a sickly complexion, and his clothes hang loose, like they were intended for a stockier man. He’s in his mid-twenties but has a pinched, shifty look, and a hollow face which makes him look ten years older. There’s something cold about him, too, and a glint of malice lingers around his mouth and eyes. He has the air of someone who would pull the wings off a butterfly, just for fun.

The boy senses the danger and looks around for other walkers, but it’s early and it’s October, and there is nobody else out. They are alone on the cliff.

Are you following me, Sammy?’ The man’s voice curls around him like a snake, then it darts a poisoned tongue. ‘Because if you are—’

About the Author

Barry Litherland is a writer of character-driven crime / mystery thrillers, sometimes tinged with the paranormal. His books have received excellent reviews and are commended for the quality and depth of the characters, the reality of the settings, the strength of the narrative and the quality of writing. He lives in the far north of Scotland with his wife and two springer spaniels.

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Crime Thriller – Pickoff by GP Hutchinson

Crime Thriller – Pickoff by GP Hutchinson

 

 

America’s Pastime, Book 3

 

Sports Thriller, Crime Thriller, Romantic Thriller

 

Published: April 2021

Publisher: The Hutchinson Group

A ballplayer. A diva. The mob. Trouble, 1920s style.

Ace major league catcher Joe Rath suddenly finds himself riding the pine when team management decides they’ve got to have slugger Frank Walsh on the roster. Only, Walsh brings along more baggage than anybody bargains for.

Meanwhile, Rath’s troubles multiply. With his wife already discontent back home, he keeps bumping into a certain breathtaking showgirl whose dangerous situation he can’t ignore. A Chicago crime boss enters the picture, and things snowball.

Before he knows it, Rath finds himself not only running the base paths but also running for his life.

 

Excerpt from Chapter 3 of GP Hutchinson’s Pickoff

 

Just then, a lone spotlight came on, casting its smoky beam to the baby grand piano on stage. As the piano player commenced the introduction to a slower number, a drop-dead gorgeous blonde in a glittering silver dress drifted into the curve of the piano.

Pinky’s jaw fell open. “Hubba hubba,” he murmured.

Hubba hubba, indeed, Joe mused.

She began to sing, and her voice was as captivating as her appearance. “There’s a saying old, says that love is blind . . . ”

This is that new Gershwin song.” Pinky wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

Shhh.”

Pinky stared at him. “You’re a married man, Joe. You need to leave this one to me.”

He was right, of course. But that voice.

Only man I ever think of with regret . . . ”

Joe stood spellbound. The girl was stunning—fashionable waves crimped into her chin-length hair, smoky eyes, perfect lips. She made the melody ebb and flow, seemingly without effort. Yet just beneath the surface, there was something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

In a fuller voice, the lovely diva carried the tune along to its elegant chorus. And all of a sudden, there it was. “I’m a little lamb who’s lost in a wood . . . ”

That was it—an air of vulnerability, Joe thought. Despite the aura of sophisticated sensuality, something in the way she held her hands, something in the way she rendered each phrase said she wasn’t so secure.

Come on, he said to himself. How do you know that? It’s a song about a woman in need—

Someone to Watch Over Me.’ That’s the way she’s gotta sing it.Nevertheless, he couldn’t shake the notion. He knew insecurity. He’d felt it himself in some ball games. He’d picked up on it in other ballplayers, even called for a certain pitch to take advantage of it when he sensed it in a batter.

The song ended, and the room resounded with applause.

The girl gave a demure smile, a bashful bow. And then she sashayed off the stage to a dark fellow in a dark suit who gave her his arm and led her through a curtained doorway.

Wow!” Pinky’s gaze was still on the curtains. “I’ll watch over you, sweetheart. Come to Papa.”

Joe glanced Pinky’s way. “Wipe your chin, buddy. You’re drooling.”

Pinky ran his fingers over his chin, then looked Joe in the eyes. “Whatcha talking about, funny guy? Dry as a bone. Anyway”—he pointed—“I saw the way you were looking at her, too. Don’t make me have to tell the little missus back in Baltimore your eyes are wandering when you’re off away from home.”

He knew Pinky was only kidding. Nonetheless, he was right. Mena was already bothered by all their time apart. Joe wondered whether she secretly feared he might fall for some pretty young doll he met along the way and return to Baltimore with divided affections.

One more beer,” he said, “then I’m gonna ankle it back to the hotel, call it a night.”

Hey, I was only joking about you and Miss Little Lost Lamb. Don’t you wanna stick around and see if she’s gonna sing another number?” Pinky clasped Joe’s shoulder.

I don’t know . . . ”

Really. Why hurry off? It’s not like you and me are gonna work a lot of innings tomorrow.”

A flurry of thoughts whirled through Joe’s mind—Mena, the singer, asking Cap Irwin to trade him to a team where he’d have a shot at becoming a star catcher once again. “Probably not,” he admitted.

There you go, then. Let’s get us another coupla drinks.”

Just one more.

About the Author

“GP Hutchinson has the gift to tell a compelling tale, enlighten you without preaching and keep you on the edge of your seat. He takes you on unexpected trails populated by flesh and blood characters of depth and substance,” says Western TV & movie star Alex Cord. Nick Wale of Novel Ideas says, “With great mastery GP Hutchinson paints a West I can see, feel and smell. [He] knows how to write, and he knows instinctively.”

Hutchinson’s first Western novel, “Strong Convictions,” won the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best First Western of 2015, as well as a gold medal from the National Indie Excellence Awards. “Strong Suspicions,” the second volume in the Emmett Strong Western series, garnered a gold medal in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards. And “Strong Ambitions” took silver in the 2017 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

In addition to his interest in the Old West, GP Hutchinson has been a longtime enthusiast of baseball, America’s first true national pastime, a game played from coast to coast by the late 1800s. While he enjoys the game as it is played today, his most recent novels are tales of players caught up in life-and-death struggles during the early years of professional baseball. Steeped in the actual history of the game, as well as societal realities of the times, these stories feature both fictional and actual characters, teams, and leagues.

A graduate of Louisiana State University and Dallas Theological Seminary, Hutchinson has lived in Costa Rica and Spain. He currently resides in upstate South Carolina with his wife, Carolyn. Besides writing, he enjoys spending time in the mountains and horseback riding whenever the opportunity arises

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Thriller – The Buzz Boys by Edward Izzi

Thriller – The Buzz Boys by Edward Izzi

 

 

Coming of Age Thriller

 

Published: May 2021

Publisher: Cassino Publishing

Chicago Attorney Robert Mazzara has just been informed of the suicide death of his childhood friend, Marco Pezza. The two of them grew up together in a small suburb in Chicago during the turbulent sixties and seventies, when the issues of household violence were seldom ever addressed. Along with their best friends, Petey Rodriguez, Billy Kozar and Johnny Orozco, they all experienced the coming-of-age events that all young boys go through during grade school and high school, with one exception: They were all survivors of severe physical and sexual child abuse. As they all grow up into young adults, the demons of their past, along with their abusive fathers, play a significant part on each and every one of their young lives. They all grow up coping with their horrific childhoods, their violent fathers, and the long-term impact it has taken throughout their adulthood. Mazzara reflects on all of the tragic encounters and events that occurred during the last fifty years, culminating with his best friend’s suicide. He realizes that he is now…the only one left. Once upon a time, a long time ago, Robby and Marco, along with Petey, Billy and Johnny…were once called ‘The Buzz Boys’


About the Author

Mild mannered accountant turns thriller fiction author!

A native of Detroit, Edward Izzi was once a talented writer in high school, until he was derailed into a successful career as a CPA. Later experiencing his own personal demons, it was suggested that he take up writing again or end up on the ‘six o’clock news’. He has now written and published short stories, poetry, and several thriller fiction novels. Living a quiet life in Chicago, he writes his crime thrillers every night while fighting off his nocturnal demons…

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Psychological Thriller – The Darkness by Robbi Sommers Bryant

Psychological Thriller – The Darkness by Robbi Sommers Bryant

 

Thriller, Psychological Thriller

 

Published: February 2021

Publisher: Bedazzled Ink Publishing

Enter the mind of a serial killer . . . and lock your doors.

Edward Olson presents himself as the all-American guy. His stunning looks, captivating blue eyes, and charisma make it easy to meet women. But Edward has a dark secret—behind his charming smile, a vicious serial killer lies in wait.

Edward is driven to kill by an entity he calls The Darkness. Believing this creature is the evil that possesses him, he struggles to rid himself of the creature he thinks has stolen his soul.

Nurse Cate Derry, Edward’s naïve girlfriend, is the newest member of the hospital’s critical care unit, with secrets of her own. Her rocky relationship with Edward and her connection to a detective on the case plunge all three into a downward spiral to a world where no one is safe.

The Darkness is a harrowing journey into the depths of evil and the battle to overcome it.


About the Author

Robbi Sommers Bryant’s award-winning books include a novella, 6 novels, 5 short-story collections, and 1 book of poetry. Her work has been published in magazines including Readers Digest, Redbook, Penthouse, college textbooks, and many anthologies. As editor-in-chief of the Redwood Writers 2018 anthology, she supervised the creation and publication of Redemption: Stories From the Edge. Robbi’s work was also optioned twice for television’s Movie of the Week, and she appeared on TV’s Jane Whitney Show to discuss her article, “A Victim’s Revenge.”

Robbi is past president of Redwood Writers, the largest branch of the California Writers Club. Besides writing, her professional focus is developmental editing, content editing, copy editing, and proofreading. She is also a professional writing coach. Find out more at robbibryant.com

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New Releases – June 15th

New Releases – June 15th

Mafia Romance, Paranormal Romantic Suspense, Christian Romance, Cozy Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction, Paranormal Fantasy

The Monster by L.J. Shen
The Forget-Me Knot by Denise Liebig,
Love’s Treasure by Various Authors
Murder at the Fair by Verity Bright
Biostorm by Anthony J. Melchiorri
Drifter’s Folly by Glynn Stewart
Reborn by K.N. Banet

Mafia Romance


Paranormal Romantic Suspense – $.99

Cozy Mystery

Christian Romance – $.99


Thriller – $.99

Paranormal Fantasy

Science Fiction

Mystery, Legal Thriller – Good Lookin’

Mystery, Legal Thriller – Good Lookin’

Mystery, Legal Thriller

 

Date Published: May 24, 2021

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

From the gang-ravaged streets of inner-city Oakland to the rolling hills of Berkeley, California, attorney Joe Turner defends the most hardened criminals. Confronted with an unlikely murderer in a modern-day whodunnit, Turner’s latest case seems impossible to unravel. At its heart is a decade-old murder and a tangled web of family, loyalty, and devotion that has the trial hanging in the balance. Viewed through the prism of the unique bond of twins, Good Lookin’ asks how far each of us will go to protect the ones we love.

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