Flash Point

I received a free copy of this spy thriller from Librarything's Early Reviewer's Club and I am so glad that I did. It's suspenseful and feels a little like sci-fi alongside a spy thriller. There is much to like about this story. It was recently published on June 16, 2026 and with 404 pages, the book qualifies for the Big Book Summer Challenge.

The publisher's summary:

The experiment succeeded. That was the problem. Former Tier 1 operator Grayson Maddox thought he'd left the battlefield behind. Now he's leading a classified physics project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Then the sabotage begins. A mysterious outage cripples his lab. An armed intruder targets his assistant. A bomb detonates outside a briefing he just left. Someone knows exactly what Maddox's team has discovered—and they're moving with lethal precision to stop it.

On the run, he turns to the only people he trusts: his former Unit teammates.

But even CIA safe houses aren't safe. Somewhere, there's a leak, and two rival factions are closing in. One wants the discovery. The other wants it buried forever—and Maddox along with it. To survive, Maddox must become the operator he thought he'd left behind. Because if RIFT falls into the wrong hands...

the next battlefield won't be a country. It will be reality itself.

This futuristic story begins on April 7, 2046. The main character, Grayson Maddox, wears a watch that self heals and the wristband has a camera, opens maps, has a holographic projector and is a virtual medic that tells him how to treat his injuries. Grayson refers to a truck built in 2046 as being old. Also, the Indo-Pacific War that took place in the early 2040s is referenced. In addition, AI controls everything from air vehicles to emergency responses. Despite these futuristic references, DARPA is still in business. Some of the science is beyond my ability to understand but this did not prevent me from understanding the plot. I will say one more thing about science. A quote from Jacques Cousteau is given before the first page of the story. I love it. Cousteau states that the root of all evil is science. Not money. With this idea now in my head I began reading.

There was plenty of action and adventure in the story. Grayson is constantly on the move. His groundbreaking physics research has been attacked by an unknown entity, forcing him and his assistant Mari to go into hiding. The story melds physics with espionage and military components. It is fast paced and extremely suspenseful. The NSA, CIA, Army and private firms all want to know more about Grayson's discovery and are competing to obtain it. The author did a great job combining all these elements into a story. I would rate his ability to compose a decent plot as well as that of Brad Thor or Dan Silva. However, the characters are pulling the story down. They are one dimensional. The reader does not know much about them other than what jobs they hold. It would be better to know something about the characters private lives as well as how they grow in each installment of this series. In addition, there are characters whose names are a number. I found it hard to follow One, Two, Three and Four. 

All in all, Flash Point was a captivating read. With time, this author is going to break out as one of the best spy thriller writers of our time. 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Beatrix Rose Vigilante

Beatrix Rose Vigilante is a 5 part Comixology Original written by Stephanie Phillips and it is fantastic. Beatrix Rose was working for British intelligence when her team turned on her and killer her husband and kidnapped her daughter. Beatrix went underground for awhile but resurfaced in Hong Kong. She became trapped by the Triad in Hong Kong and is forced to work for them. Her job is to protect them as there is another killer, called Yaomo or Demon, who has targeted the Triad's bosses.  Beatrix sets out to find Demon and kill him. 

The comic is a fun read with no sex or foul language, if that bothers you. Lots of killing, though but that didn't stop me from enjoying the comic.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Pilgrim Conspiracy

The Pilgrim Conspiracy is a tantalizing story about the lives of the Mayflower Pilgrims while they were still living in exile in Leiden, Netherlands. What made me excited about this novel is the author's use within the story of historians' methods for reconstructing and interpreting the past.   In addition, the question of what makes historical fiction is part of the plot.  A historical fiction writer's job is to deceive the reader into believing that the false world created in the novel is a real world while also showing a chronological history, culture and people.  The novel is also part epistolary as the plot is slowly revealed by characters reading a newly discovered set of letters written by one of the Leiden Pilgrims.  This newly discovered set of letters are real and they were newly discovered as well.

The publisher's summary of the book: 

"The normally quiet Dutch town of Leiden is horrified when the chairman of the local Masonic lodge is brutally killed.  Almost simultaneously, an old manuscript is discovered in which an anonymous author tells the hidden story of the Pilgrims - the Founding Fathers of the United States.  From 1609 to 1620 they lived in exile in Leiden, after which some of them left for America.

University teacher Peter de Haan is drawn into the mystery.  Why did so many of the Pilgrims stay behind in Leiden?  What involvement do the Freemason's have?  And what relationship did Peter's girlfriend have with the murdered chairman?

At breakneck speed, this story sweeps you away to the narrow alleys of Leiden to the vast waters of Cape Cod to the scorching hot Sinai desert in Egypt.  And every step of the way, you'll discover that history is never the way the books want us to believe."

An engrossing plot is just one of the factors that set this book apart from others.  The characters are interesting and given that there is a an unusually flamboyant villain, I couldn't wait to read the chapters where he appeared.  The story is told alternately between the past, written in letter format, and the present, written as fiction.  

While the book is not a treasure hunt, fans of Dan Brown will love this book.  In fact, Robert Langdon would have been helpful to the characters who are trying to figure out what a particular symbol means.  Also, fans of religious fiction will likewise love the book.  The religious controversies of the era are discussed in detail.  In addition, the current political atmosphere in the U. S. to question our past by offering alternative facts can be seen to be something that has been on-going in our history.  I was rather uncomfortable with some of these alternatives while believing others.  I must admit, however, that changing history to suit the author's beliefs annoyed me.  

5 out of 5 stars.