Waiting on Wednesday – Warrior by Simon Turney

On August 28, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday3 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest entry to my Waiting on Wednesday series, I look at a cool upcoming historical fiction novel with Warrior by Simon Turney.

Amazon

This week I’m still in a massive historical fiction mood, and as I’ve mentioned a few times before, one of my favourite historical settings is the Roman empire. Due to its popularity and use in various media over the years, Roman historical fiction is one of the most prevalent historical fiction sub-genres, and there are some brilliant authors diving into various periods of Roman rule. One of my favourites is Simon Turney (who also writes as S. J. A Turney), who has written multiple cool books in this setting over the years, including the deeply compelling novel Commodus.

Earlier this year I became reacquainted with Turney again when I was lucky enough to receive a copy of his new book, Invader. The first book in his new Agricola series, Invader focused on the early career of the titular series protagonist, Gnaeus Julius Agricola, a man destined to become one of Rome’s greatest generals. Invader had a particularly fun narrative behind it which followed Agricola’s earliest exploits in Brittania, amid the start of Boudica’s revolt. This was an awesome book, and I had a ton of fun getting through it.

Due to how exciting and compelling Invader proved to be, I have been keeping an eye out for additional Agricola books, and I was excited to see that a sequel is coming out in early 2025, with Warrior. Continuing to follow the burgeoning career of the future general, Warrior sees Agricola forced to compete on a different battlefield of politics and royal influence, as the insanity of Nero works against him, and the Year of the Four Emperors begins. I love the sound of this cool upcoming book, and I am very curious to see how Turney envisions Agricola’s actions during this turbulent period of Roman history. I have no doubt Warrior is going to be a particularly impressive read, and I plan to dive into it the moment I get my hands on it. A fantastic, and highly anticipated upcoming read from an outstanding author.

Plot Synopsis:

The new thrilling Roman historical adventure in a series based around one of the most renowned and intriguing figures of Ancient Rome.

Agricola has won renown in the Roman army for his exploits in Britannia. Now returned to Rome with his new family, he seeks to rise further – but life in the greatest city on earth proves more difficult than he expected. The politics of Rome are on a knife-edge – often literally. The Emperor Nero is unpredictable, the manner of his rule unstable.

Agricola finds himself posted to the troublesome province of Asia Minor. The local governor is ambitious and dangerous… and has close family ties to Nero himself. Falling foul of such a man could mean certain death… and yet a rebellious young warrior like Agricola cannot stay silent for long.

With allies proving few and far between, Agricola experiences personal tragedy and soon seeks revenge. Rome, meanwhile, burns in a great fire… but further tumult is to come in the wake of Nero’s death. Agricola must tread a careful path to stay alive through the Year of the Four Emperors… a year of blood and ruin throughout the empire.

Waiting on Wednesday – The White Fortress by Boyd and Beth Morrison

On August 21, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight an awesome upcoming historical adventure novel with The White Fortress from the awesome writing team of Boyd and Beth Morrison.

Amazon

A couple of years ago I had the very great pleasure of the fantastic historical fiction novel, The Lawless Land. Written by the sibling team of historian Beth Morrison and established thriller author Boyd Morrison, The Lawless Land was an intriguing historical adventure novel that saw an excommunicated knight and a fugitive lady take on a corrupt cardinal in 14^th century Paris. The Lawless Land ended up being one of my favourite novels of 2022, and I really got caught up in its exciting and compelling story.

After the success of their first book, the authors expanded their narrative out into the Tales of the Lawless Land series, which continued to follow the protagonists from the first book as they get involved in additional conflicts and adventures. The first sequel to The Lawless Land was the 2023 release, The Last True Templar, which saw the protagonists enter into a thrilling treasure hunt around Italy to find a stash of missing Templar treasure. This was a pretty amazing sequel to the first book, and it solidified my love for this cool new series.

As such, I am very excited to finally have details about the third book in the series, The White Fortress. Continuing to follow the two protagonists as they journey around Europe, The White Fortress will see them involved in a series of historical hijinks in Croatia. Set for release in March 2025, this sounds really intriguing read and one I know I’m going to like.

Plot Synopsis:

Croatia, 1351. Daring knight Gerard Fox and his adventurous wife Willa, fresh from a dangerous quest across Italy and Greece, soon find themselves embroiled in a new intrigue as they sail toward the walled city of Dubrovnik.

Having inadvertently hindered a rescue mission, Fox and Willa make amends by helping a desperate Croatian couple forced into a terrible dilemma: either they betray their hometown to a treacherous nobleman and the brutal warlord he serves, or their abducted child will be murdered.

A century-old prophecy and a lost codex written by fabled explorer Marco Polo are key to stopping the warlord’s conquest, which could spark a devastating war along the entire Adriatic coast. Fox and Willa race against time to devise a plan for saving a child, a town, and a country – knowing it could cost them everything if they fail…

Unsurprisingly, I love the sound of this new historical adventure from the Morrison siblings, and I am very interested in the new plot they have come up with. It sounds like The White Fortress will follow the trends set out in The Last True Templar, with the protagonists helping a new group of supporting characters attempt to stop a deadly enemy by solving a historical mystery, this time around Marco Polo. This worked really well for The Last True Templar, and I imagine this historical thriller set-up will result in another intense treasure hunt throughout a great historical setting.

Speaking of historical settings, Croatia should be a particularly interesting background for this plot, and I am looking forward to seeing it, mainly because I don’t know a lot about Croatian history. The previous two Tales of the Lawless Land books were both loaded with historical detail about the settings, and I imagine that we will get some intriguing background in The White Fortress as well. All of this, as well as the continued focus on the fun pairing of Gerard and Willa, should make for quite an exciting and captivating narrative, and I am very excited to check it out.

Based on how much I enjoyed the previous two novels in this series, there was no way that I am not going to grab a copy of The White Fortress next year. The previous Tales of the Lawless Land books by Boyd and Beth Morrison have both been extremely good, and I cannot wait to see how this series continues. I really love the sound of this new entry, and I have a feeling that The White Fortress is going to be one of the best historical fiction books of 2025.

Waiting on Wednesday – A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

On August 14, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. In my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight a particularly awesome upcoming fantasy novel with the gripping second entry in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett.

Amazon

Earlier this year I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the captivating novel, The Tainted Cup, by veteran fantasy author Robert Jackson Bennett. An intriguing fantasy murder mystery set in a realm beset by giant monsters, The Tainted Cup was an outstanding read that saw two unlikely investigators, including an eccentric genius and her grounded assistant, attempt to discover the truth behind a brutal death caused by a tree spontaneously growing from someone’s chest. Expertly combining a clever crime fiction story with unique fantasy elements and a hilarious set of main protagonists, The Tainted Cup was an outstanding read that got a full five-star rating from me. Indeed, The Tainted Cup topped the list of my favourite books from the first half of the year and will likely go down as one of the very best fantasy novels of 2024.

Due to how impressive I found The Tainted Cup to be, you can probably appreciate that I am very keen to see how the series continues. Luckily it looks like I won’t have to wait too long to see what happens next, as the sequel, A Drop of Corruption, is coming out in February 2025. Set to once again to pit Bennett’s protagonists against an elaborate magical mystery, A Drop of Corruption sounds extremely epic, and I love the cool new story concept being promised for it.

Plot Synopsis:

The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire’s greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.

This sounds like another particularly outstanding story from Bennett, and I know I am going to have a ton of fun with it. The mystery premise for A Drop of Corruption is particularly striking, as Bennett produces a high-stakes locked room mystery, where the solution to the crime is likely to be some elaborate form of magic or mutation. In addition, we have the return of the first book’s excellent, mismatched protagonists, whose unusual partnership will likely result in some fantastic humour, while also presenting the reader with a brilliant investigative method. I have no doubt that Bennett will turn these elements into another extremely special story, and I look forward to seeing how he resolves the main investigation, and how it ties into the greater mysteries infecting his fantasy setting.

Based on how impressive the first book in the series turned out to be, I am already extremely excited for A Drop of Corruption. However, the epic plot synopsis above also sounds very cool, and I cannot wait to see what madness and mystery Robert Jackson Bennett unleashes next. A Drop of Corruption will probably be one of the very best fantasy novels of 2025, and I am so very keen to get my hands on this incredible upcoming book.

Waiting on Wednesday – Grave Danger by James Grippando

On August 7, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an awesome legal thriller set for release at the start of 2025, with Grave Danger by James Grippando.

Amazon

Earlier this year I had the very great pleasure of diving into the latest book from a long-running series when I read the amazing novel, Goodbye Girl by James Grippando. The latest entry in Grippando’s Jack Swyteck series, Goodbye Girl was a highly clever legal thriller, loaded with twists, exciting legal manoeuvres and a sinister killer. Thanks to its great plot and fantastic characters, I ended up having an amazing time with Goodbye Girl, and it was one of the better audiobooks I listened to in the first half of 2024. As such, I am now keen to check out every new Jack Swyteck novel that comes out, as I know I’m going to have a ton of fun with them.

To that end, I have been keeping an eye on Grippando’s upcoming releases, and I was very excited to see that a new Jack Swyteck book is coming out in January 2025. This book, Grave Danger, will see Swyteck caught up in another elaborate legal case with deadly implications for himself, his client, and those that he loves.

Plot Synopsis:

Bestselling author James Grippando’s legendary criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck is back to defend a single mother accused of kidnapping her own child in a perilous case involving politics and international diplomacy that will test his legal expertise and his marriage.

Jack Swyteck’s new client fled Iran to Miami with her daughter, and has been accused of kidnapping by her husband. The seasoned attorney must not only plan a winning defense. To stop the father from taking the girl back to Tehran, Jack must build a case under international law and prove that returning the child would put her at risk.

But everything in this case isn’t what it seems, and Jack quickly learns that his client is really the child’s aunt and that the biological mother may have been killed by Iran’s morality police. But what role did the father play in his wife’s death, and why is Jack’s wife, FBI Agent Andie Henning, being pressured by her bosses to persuade Jack to drop the case?

Plunging into an investigation unlike any other, Jack must discover who is behind the legal maneuvering and what their interest is. As politics threatens to derail the case and compromise the best interests of the child, Jack and Andie find themselves on opposite sides—with their marriage hanging in the balance. For their relationship to survive, the couple must navigate a treacherous web of deceit that extends from a Miami courthouse to the highest echelons of Washington DC, and spells grave danger at every turn.

I have to say that I am very intrigued by this upcoming book, especially as Grippando appears to have pulled together a particularly compelling narrative. The case at the heart of Grave Danger has some awesome international and political implications behind it, which look set to tie into some contemporary world-events. I have no doubt that Grippando is going to wrangle together some excellent court sequences, and this sounds like a particularly strong central storyline for a great legal thriller. It also sounds like Grippando is going to continue diving into the marital issues between the protagonist and his wife, as the strain of a high-profiled defence attorney being married to an FBI agent continues to emerge. This should result in a particularly intense read, and I am very much looking forward to it.

Honestly, after how much Goodbye Girl impressed me earlier this year, James Grippando and the Jack Swyteck series is now firmly on my annual to-read list, so there was no way that I am going to miss Grave Danger when it comes out. However, I also really love the sound of the cool story that Grave Danger has, and I am already very intrigued to see how the entire narrative comes together. This will probably end up being one of the stronger thrillers I read in 2025, and I cannot wait to get my hands on Grave Danger to continue my new adventures with James Grippando and the Jack Swyteck series.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Blackfire Blade by James Logan

On July 31, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Waiting on Wednesday8 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight an excellent upcoming fantasy sequel with the awesome sounding book, The Blackfire Blade by James Logan.

Earlier this year I was very lucky to receive a copy of the debut novel of new fantasy author James Logan, The Silverblood Promise, the first book in his The Last Legacy series. An exciting, compelling and very fun novel, The Silverblood Promise was a great fantasy novel that set a desperate son on an adventure to a foreign city following clues that may reveal who killed his father. However, to find the answers he needs, he first needed to perform a series of heists, face off against dangerous criminal elements, contend with ancient and mysterious mystical forces, and stop an elaborate conspiracy, all while dealing with the eccentric population of this new city.

This proved to be a very entertaining and impressive debut from Logan, and The Silverblood Promise ended up being one of my favourite books from the first half of 2024. As such, I have been keeping a keen eye out for any details about a potential sequel, especially as I was curious about how the author planned to continue the fantastic story, and I was very excited when I finally got some much-needed details about Logan’s next book, The Blackfire Blade.

I was very lucky that details about The Blackfire Blade were recently released on the Novel Notations blog, which also featured a cover and synopsis reveal. It looks like this upcoming second book in The Last Legacy series is currently set for release in early 2025, and it will take the protagonists from the first book to a whole new city of intrigue, mystery and hidden danger.

Plot Synopsis:

Winter has come early to Korslakov, City of Spires, and Lukan Gardova has arrived with it. Most visitors to this famous city of artifice seek technological marvels, or alchemical ingenuity. Lukan only desires the unknown legacy his father has left for him, in the vaults of the Blackfire Bank.

But when Lukan’s past catches up with him, his key to the vault ends up in the hands of a mysterious thief known only as the Rook. As Lukan and his companions race to recover the key, they soon find themselves trapped in a web of murder and deceit. In desperation, Lukan requests the help of Lady Marni Volkova, scion to Korslakov’s most powerful family.

Yet Lady Marni has secrets of her own. Worse, she has plans for Lukan and his friends. Plans that involve a journey into Korslakov’s dark past, in search of a long-lost alchemical formula that could prove to be the city’s greatest discovery . . . or its destruction.

This sounds like another awesome book from Logan and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. I love that the author is committing to the repeating story concept of having his protagonist visit a different fantasy city each book as part of his larger quest to find his father’s killers. This allows Logan to expand out his fantasy world in some interesting ways each book, while also having his protagonists get drawn into local intrigues and conspiracies that may have some connection to a larger plot. I think it’s going to create an excellent series, and if the compelling story this produced for The Silverblood Promise is any indication, The Blackfire Blade is going to have another exciting narrative behind it.

Based on the synopsis above, it looks like readers are for an amazing treat with The Blackfire Blade. A spire-filled city of crazy technology and alchemy is going to be an interesting change of pace from the background setting of The Silverblood Promise, and I’m intrigued to see how Logan changes the story as a result. I also love the various crime and intrigue elements that the protagonists are going to run into, especially with new thieves, ambitious nobles, and a mysterious alchemical compound. It looks like the protagonists will really have to dive into the history of the city and understand it’s soul to get what they want, which should result in quite a compelling and entertaining narrative.

Based on how good The Silverblood Promise was, there is no way I am not grabbing a copy of The Blackfire Blade the second it comes out next year. James Logan’s first Last Legacy book was a very impressive debut, and I really got caught up in the fantastic story and complex characters. I look forward to seeing how the story continues in this upcoming sequel, and I cannot wait to see what cool narrative results from the book’s new background setting. I have no doubt that The Blackfire Blade is going to be a particularly awesome sequel, and it is already one of my most anticipated releases for 2025.

Waiting on Wednesday – Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman

On July 17, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday feature, I look at a cool upcoming murder mystery from the first half of 2025 with Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman.

Open Season Cover

Amazon

Over the last several years, I have really grown to love the works of acclaimed bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman. Kellerman is a very well-established author who has been writing intriguing and compelling reads for decades, primarily through his iconic Alex Delaware series. Focusing on a psychologist and his cop best friend as they solve some of the most complex murder cases in Los Angeles, the Alex Delaware books are a staple read for any murder mystery fan, especially as Kellerman produces some very unique storylines.

I started reading Jonathan Kellerman’s books a few years ago when I by chance grabbed a copy of the 34^th Alex Delaware novel, The Wedding Guest. The Wedding Guest proved to be an outstanding read, and I loved the intriguing mystery that Kellerman came up with, as well as the impressive police procedural storyline that followed. As such, the Alex Delaware books entered my annual reading schedule and I have started to go out of my way to read every new entry in the series. I have had a wonderful time reading and reviewing some of the amazing recent books from Kellerman, including The Museum of Desire, Serpentine, City of the Dead, Unnatural History and The Ghost Orchid. Each of these books has been extremely epic in their own way, and I love the fun array of intriguing cases that emerged. Due to how much fun I have reading these books, I always keep an eye out for details about the next Alex Delaware novel, and I finally have an idea about what is in stall for me in early 2025.

The next book in the Alex Delaware series will be the awesome upcoming novel, Open Season, which is set for release in February 2025. The 40^th book in the Alex Delaware series, Open Season, will see the fantastic protagonists investigate a series of random murders that will test even their well-honed investigate skills. This upcoming book has another impressive plot synopsis behind it, and I am already quite excited to read Open Season as a result. Based on how outstanding the last several Alex Delaware books have been Open Season will likely be one of the best crime fiction books coming out in the first half of next year, and I have no doubt whatsoever that I am going to love it.

Plot Synopsis:

The most beloved and enduring duo in American crime fiction is back.

Psychologist Alex Delaware and Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis race against time to find a twisted killer in this riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling “master of suspense” (Los Angeles Times).

People come to Los Angeles to chase their dreams. Sometimes they find themselves cast into a nightmare. And sometimes, the most ardent dreamers turn out to be the most vicious monsters.

The body of an aspiring actress is found dumped near a hospital emergency room. She’s been drugged and murdered and the motive for the callous crime remains maddeningly out of reach. Until, a prime suspect materializes. Another Hollywood hopeful. Only to be shot dead by a sniper using a weapon that turns out to have been catalogued in a previous murder. And another, before that. It’s not long before more bodies begin piling up.

What makes the murderous spree baffling is the apparent lack of connection among the victims. Is this the work of a random thrill killer, the toughest of all cases to unravel?

But as Alex and Milo dig deeper they’re faced with an even knottier scenario: a highly complex killer with deep-seated motivation that will require all of their highly honed skills to decipher.

The latest page-turner from #1 New York Times bestseller Jonathan Kellerman, is a tale of psychological complexity, dark suspense, and shocking surprises. A wild ride through L.A.’s surreal underbelly climaxed by an edge-of-the chair conclusion.

Waiting on Wednesday – Endgame by Sarah Barrie

On July 11, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an epic upcoming Australian thriller that is bound to get very dark, with Endgame by Sarah Barrie.

Endgame Cover

Amazon

I have a lot of love for complex reads by my fellow Australians, and boy have there some great Australian crime fiction series coming out in recent years. One of my absolute favourites has been the Lexi Winter series by impressive Australian author Sarah Barrie. A dark and compelling crime fiction series, the Lexi Winter books follow the titular protagonist whose childhood was destroyed by a murderous paedophile. Growing up rough, Lexi became a talented hacker and vigilante, who targeted suspected child abusers. The first book in the series, Unforgiven, saw Lexi team up with several intriguing police characters when the man who ruined her life once again began killing young children. Unforgiven was an extremely awesome and captivating novel, that effortlessly blended powerful character work with a dark thriller scenario that kept me on my toes the entire way through. This ended up being one of my favourite Australian books of 2021, and I deeply enjoyed it.

Due to how good Unforgiven was, I ended up grabbing the next two books in the series the second they came out. Made up of Retribution (one of my favourite Australian books of 2022) and Vendetta (one of my favourite Australian books of 2023), the Lexi Winter series went in some very interesting directions as Lexi attempted to make the jump from vigilante to legitimate police officer, while also facing off against criminals and demons from her past. Both sequels were extremely compelling and exciting, and I have had so much fun with this great Australian series.

Naturally, I am very eager to see how this series is going to come to an end, and it looks like Barrie is about to put the finishing touches on her captivating story, with the upcoming book Endgame. Billed as the fourth and final entry in the series, Endgame will force the protagonist to go up against her nemesis in a final game of cat and mouse that will destroy everyone around her. Set for release in late October 2024, Endgame sounds extremely cool, and you can see that Barrie is going to bring the emotional pain to her readers in this finale.

Plot Synopsis:

Vigilante turned cop Lexi Winter is drawn into the investigation of a chain of apparently random murders. As the bodies pile up, Lexi realises she is a pawn in a psychotic – and deadly – game.

Lexi Winter is studying for her detective exams but her nemesis Vaughn is out there somewhere and her concentration is fractured. Just as she’s wondering if her hypervigilance is tipping over into madness, Vaughn resurfaces and issues a challenge. Five people will be dead by the end of the month. If Lexi can identify and save the last one before the deadline, he’ll turn himself in.

As Lexi’s colleagues scramble to untangle what it all means, Lexi is implicated deeper and deeper into the murders. On top of this, she begins to see a strange figure everywhere she goes. Branded as suffering from PTSD, Lexi’s credibility is in tatters with her colleagues, but Lexi knows it isn’t her mind that is the problem. A wicked game is afoot, and Lexi is just a chess piece in play – and she suspects that check mate will mean her death. There is only one thing that Lexi can do – play along, wait for the chance to strike back, and bring about the endgame…

Now this sounds like a very epic addition to the series as Barrie is definitely planning to end this story on a very dark note, which I am very there for. A violent game of cat and mouse between the series’ big bad and a traumatised protagonist is an extremely strong basis for a story, and you have to know that Barrie is going to really dive into the dark side of Lexi’s mind in Endgame. Having the protagonist once again isolated from all the new friends and connections she has made as they lose faith in her sanity is going to be very hard to watch, but I am confident that it will lead to a great overall story.

I have no doubt whatsoever that Endgame is going to be an extremely awesome piece of Australian crime fiction. Sarah Barrie has been absolutely killing it with her Lexi Winter books the last couple of years, and this dark conclusion she has been building towards is going to be epic. I am even more excited for Endgame after the above plot synopsis, and this may end up being one of the most compelling and emotionally charged novels I read this year.

Waiting on Wednesday – Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow

On July 3, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an awesome upcoming historical fiction novel from one of my favourite authors with Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow.

Revenge of Rome Cover

Amazon

Readers of this blog will no doubt be very familiar with my constant praise of Simon Scarrow and his exceptional historical fiction novels. An author who I have been a massive fan of for a very long time, Scarrow has written some amazing and varied pieces of historical fiction over the years, and I have made a real effort to read them all. His most iconic books are part of his long-running Eagles of the Empire series, which follow two veteran Roman soldiers through every major battlefield and conflict of their historical period. I have had a wonderful time with this series over the years, and readers can find reviews for several of the more recent entries, such as The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome, Death to the Emperor and Rebellion, on this blog.

While The Eagles of the Empire series is always very good, Scarrow has been on a particularly strong roll lately as he portrays the events of Boudica’s rebellion in exquisite and heartbreaking detail, covering all the evils done by both sides during the conflict. With his protagonists firmly in the middle of the action, books like Death to the Emperor and Rebellion have been some of the best entries in the series, and I loved the compelling and powerful narrative that Scarrow wove around these iconic events. However, the story of the rebellion and Boudica still isn’t over, and Scarrow looks to bring it to an intense end with the next novel in the series, Revenge of Rome.

Revenge of Rome will be the 23^rd book in the Eagles of the Empire series and will be set in the immediate aftermath of the big climatic battle that shattered Boudica’s army. This upcoming book will see protagonists Cato and Macro forced to chase after Boudica to get Rome’s revenge for the destruction the rebelling Britons wrought.

Plot Synopsis:

ROME AND BOUDICA. A DUEL TO THE DEATH.

AD 61. Britannia is divided.

The rebel horde has been defeated. But the leader, Boudica, and her remaining warriors are still at large. With them is the eagle standard of the Ninth Legion, taken in ambush, flaunted as proof that Rome can yet be beaten.

The embers of rebellion are still glowing . . .

The toll has been heavy, with countless men lost, and major towns in ruins. The bodies of the dead are strewn across the streets. And for Centurion Macro, there is the scarring knowledge that his mother perished in the attack on Londinium.

As Macro’s heart burns for revenge, he and his comrade-in-arms Prefect Cato are tasked with hunting down the remnants of the enemy army. There can be no peace until the queen is captured or killed. And Roman honour will only be restored when the eagle standard has been recovered.

I have been very much looking forward to this new Eagles of the Empire book ever since I read the last gripping page of the preceding novel Rebellion, especially as Scarrow left several powerful storylines unfinished. It looks like many of these plot points are going to be resolved in Revenge of Rome, as Cato and Macro try to hunt down Boudica and either capture or kill her. I love the idea of this story concept for the new book, especially as it likely to result in a lot of epic moments. Not only will be get some more intense action as the remaining Roman units attempt to bring the remaining rebels to heel, but it also looks like we are going to get a powerful look at the traumatic aftermath of the destruction caused by the latest conflict.

This will no doubt lead to some dark and captivating character moments, especially for the character of Macro, who lost his mother, friends and hope of a quiet retirement due to the rebellion he unintentionally helped start. I cannot wait to see how Macro’s character arc unfolds in Revenge of Rome, especially as Scarrow has built up so many different connections to Boudica in recent books. I have no doubt the inevitable confrontation between Macro and Boudica is going to be something extremely dramatic, as there is plenty of enmity and guilt on both sides, and it will be very interesting to see how certain issues between the two are decided. I think that these character elements will make Revenge of Rome one of the most emotionally charged novels in the entire Eagles of the Empire series and I cannot wait to see it all unfold.

Revenge of Rome was always going to be very high on my to-read list, as this any Scarrow novel is an instant get more me. However, I am very invested in seeing how the current Eagles of the Empire storyline continues in Revenge of Rome, especially some of the compelling character elements that Scarrow has been cleverly building up in the last couple of books. Sure to feature a ton of conflict, personal trauma, and dramatic interactions, Revenge of Rome is going to be an awesome read, and it is already one of my most anticipated novels for the second half of 2024.

Waiting on Wednesday – Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz

On June 26, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. For my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I look ahead to 2025 and highlight an awesome thriller from one of my favourite authors with Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz.

Nemesis Cover

Amazon

I have made no secret about the fact that I am a huge fan of Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series at the moment. The Orphan X books, which started back in 2016, follows the adventures of Evan Smoak, the former government assassin known as Orphan X, who now spends his time seeking redemption as the vigilante of last resort, the Nowhere Man. This series is so much fun, and I always get very hooked on the elaborate narratives that Hurwitz comes up for with. All the most recent Orphan X books have been extremely incredible, and I had a wonderful time reading and reviewing entries like Out of the Dark, Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse, The Last Orphan and Lone Wolf, especially as Hurwitz combines complex characters with intense action.

Due to how much I have enjoyed the last several books, the Orphan X series is a must-read for me each year and I try to get through them as soon as I can. While we’re not even halfway through 2024 yet, I am already excited for the next book in the series, especially as Hurwitz looks set to release a particularly compelling and moving entry, with the epic sounding Nemesis. Set for release in February 2025, Nemesis will be the 10^th Orphan X book and will pit Evan against his most dangerous enemy yet, his very best friend.

Plot Synopsis:

In the latest explosive novel in this New York Times bestselling series, Evan Smoak, having shaped his life with a rigid set of rules, finds himself at odds with his oldest friend in the world, where principles are in conflict with honor―and everyone is the loser.

At one time, Evan Smoak was a highly successful black ops assassin known as Orphan X, dedicated to a rigid set of operational rules. Now, even after breaking with the government program, going deep underground, and remaking his life, Smoak is dedicated to his assassin’s Ten Commandments. But for the first time, those principles have put him on a collision course with the man who might be his best friend in the world, Tommy Stojack.

Stojack, a gifted gunsmith who has created much of Evan’s own weapons and combat gear, has apparently crossed one of Evan’s sharply delineated lines. When Evan decides to go to his workshop and have it out with Tommy, Evan finds himself under attack by a group attempting to ambush and kill him. But, with all his training and skills, Evan is extremely hard to kill―and the dispute explodes into open warfare between him and Tommy. Now Evan has no choice, in his mind, than to track down and face down his only friend.

In the meantime, Tommy is honoring an old promise to an Army friend and goes to help his dead friend’s son. In a depressed rural area, with conflicts flaring up, that son is partially responsible for the death of an innocent. And while Tommy is trying to keep him, and his friends, alive, Evan arrives, with vengeance in mind.

The scary thing? Evan isn’t even the most dangerous threat to arrive on the scene.

Well damn, I was already very excited for Nemesis before I knew what it was about, but boy is that a cool sounding plot. Hurwitz is cleverly continuing the series right after the events of the latest book, Lone Wolf, where Evan discovered that his best friend and armourer Tommy had been helping a rival assassin he’d been hunting. This was a very compelling ending to an already intense book, and I have been curious for a while how Hurwitz was going to continue it. Setting up an all-out war between Evan and Tommy sounds pretty damn extreme though, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the resulting carnage.

Based on the synopsis above, I am thinking that Nemesis is going to be another particularly emotionally charged entry in the series, as the protagonist will have to balance his friendship with his unbendable sense of right and wrong. Likewise, Tommy seems to be trying to do what he thinks is right by helping his friends and other clients, which will no doubt conflict with Evan’s more black and white approach to life. As such, I feel that this book is going to be a battle between two very stubborn figures, which will no doubt be frustrating for the reader while also continually hitting them in the feels. Throw in several extra enemies gunning for the protagonists and I think that Nemesis is going to be a very strong entry in this remarkable series.

Honestly, there was no way that I wasn’t grabbing Nemesis next year, as anything new from Hurwitz is an instant must-read for me. However, after reading the awesome synopsis above, as well as the fantastic conclusion of Lone Wolf, I am even more excited for this new Orphan X book, and I have a feeling it is going to be particularly impressive. Nemesis has a ton of potential, and I cannot wait to explore Hurwitz’s new captivating narrative, especially as it is bound to bring action, emotion and impressive story writing in equal measure.

Waiting on Wednesday – High Wire by Candice Fox

On June 20, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday8 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an awesome upcoming piece of Australian fiction from an author who is having a particularly good 2024, with High Wire by Candice Fox.

High Wire Cover

Amazon

This really is the year of the Fox as Australian author Candice Fox introduces her third epic thriller of 2024 with the exciting sounding High Wire. Fox is an author who I have come to really appreciate over the years, especially as she has wowed me with some truly amazing reads. This includes her great standalone novels, Fire With Fire, Gathering Dark and The Chase, as well as the novel she cowrote with James Patterson, 2 Sisters Detective Agency. All these novels feature some intriguing and clever concepts that Fox works into effective and powerful stories that you can’t turn away from. This was particularly true in 2024 as Fox’s other two books from this year, The Murder Inn (with Patterson) and Devil’s Kitchen, were extremely impressive and really drove home how good an author Fox is.

As such, it is little wonder that I am excited for Fox’s new novel, High Wire, which is currently set for release in late September 2024. High Wire sees Fox return her focus to the Australian outback, as two people get caught up in all manner of trouble in the very worst place you could imagine.

Plot Synopsis:

You only take the High Wire if you’re desperate – or up to no good.|

A notorious unmarked track through outback Australia, the ‘Wire’ crosses slabs of lawless land, body dumping grounds and mobile phone blackspots.

Harvey Buck is certainly desperate. Racing to be with his dying girlfriend, he encounters Clare Holland, whose car has broken down. He offers the hapless traveller a ride . . . and then their nightmare begins.

The pair are ambushed by a vengeful crew – and strapped into bomb vests. As part of a deadly game, Harvey and Clare are forced to commit a series of increasingly murderous missions, or else be blown to smithereens.

Senior Sergeant Edna Norris is dealing with a runaway teenager; not an unusual job in a place where people go to disappear. But an unfolding crime spree turns this outback cop’s night into a fight for survival. Hot on Harvey and Clare’s trail, Edna finds a burnt-out car, a missing woman, a bank robbery and a bullet-riddled body.

And this road trip from hell has only just begun . . .

High Wire sounds like it is going to be a pretty full-on and intense read, which I am totally here for. An explosive race across the country with murderous intentions, dangerous games, and two apparently innocent people trapped in badly escalating situation has all the potential to be an amazing story, especially with a talented author like Candice Fox at the wheel. Throw in the author’s ability to bring the wild outback Australian setting to life, as well as some great and intriguing characters, and I feel that High Wire is going to be a pretty epic book.

Honestly, after the 2024 that Candice Fox has been having, there is no way that I will not be picking up High Wire when it comes out later this year. Fox’s other two books this year have been extremely impressive, and High Wire looks set to follow that trend. This upcoming book has such an exciting and over-the-top plot behind it, and I fully believe that Fox will turn it into something special. This is easily one of my most anticipated pieces of Australian fiction coming out in the second half of 2024 and I cannot wait to read it.