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 highlight three outstanding sounding thrillers coming out in the first half of 2024.
In recent years I have really grown to love the thriller genre, having had a lot of fun reading a variety of different books from this awesome category of fun novels. Something about the action, intrigue and adventure really speaks to me, and I always have an outstanding time with a good thriller. Thanks to my increased interest in this genre, there are several series and authors I am a massive fan of, and whose books I am always going to grab whenever they come out each year. As such, there are three particularly outstanding thrillers coming out in the first half of 2024 that I am very excited for, and I cannot wait to check them out.
The first book I want to look at is the awesome sounding Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz. Lone Wolf is part of Hurwitz’s Orphan X series that follows a former government assassin turned resourceful vigilante as he attempts to help those who have nowhere else to turn. This is a very fun series and I have enjoyed several epic entries so far, including Out of the Dark, Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse and The Last Orphan.
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The next Orphan X book, Lone Wolf, is set for release in February 2024 and has another epic sounding plot behind it. This time the protagonist is caught between a dangerous assassin who might be as good as he is and a mysterious tech billionaire, each of whom have their own twisted agendas. This upcoming novel sounds pretty awesome, and I cannot wait to see what carnage, intrigue and deep personal growth occurs in this next fantastic book.
Plot Synopsis:
AN ASSASSIN IN FREEFALL: Following a career in which he was always the most dangerous man in the room, ex-government assassin Evan Smoak is the last person his friends should ever have to worry about. But when Evan, formerly codenamed Orphan X, drops out of sight they’re concerned. They were right to be. A personal crisis has left him on his knees.
A RECLUSIVE BILLIONAIRE: If anyone remembered his first name they never cared to use it. But Allman’s lack of empathy hasn’t proven any barrier to building a tech empire whose tentacles reach into every aspect of people’s lives. And in the rush to praise his genius, no one’s asking what it could mean for humanity. Nor what Allman’s got coming next.
A KILLER AT LARGE: Someone is leaving a trail of dead in their wake. Apparently chosen at random, their deaths dressed up as accidents or suicides. The woman responsible is known only as the Wolf and looks to be every bit Evan’s equal. She now has him in her sights.
How does it all connect? What is at stake? And will Evan rediscover the instinct and skill he needs to prevail? Or die trying . . .
The second book I want to highlight is the complex and entertaining sounding new release from Steve Berry, The Atlas Maneuver. The 18th entry in Berry’s long-running Cotton Malone series, The Atlas Maneuver contains another intricate conspiracy laden storyline whose origin lies in the depths of history. I have a lot of love for this awesome series as Berry constantly works outrageous moments from history into elaborate modern day thriller storylines, and I have really enjoyed the last few entries, including The Malta Exchange, The Warsaw Protocol, The Kaiser’s Web and The Last Kingdom.
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This next Cotton Malone book, which is coming out in late February 2024, will see Cotton Malone thrust into another conspiracy, this time involving hidden Japanese war gold, the world’s oldest bank and the CIA, all wrapped into a story about bitcoin. I am very intrigued to see a financial based thriller plot, especially with such awesome sounding historical elements, and I know Berry will do a wonderful job bringing this all together. As such, The Atlas Maneuver is currently one of my most anticipated releases for 2024 and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.
Plot Synopsis:
From celebrated New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which Cotton unravels a mystery from World War II involving a legendary lost treasure, Yamashita’s Gold, worth billions.
1945. In the waning months of World War II, Japan hid vast quantities of gold and other stolen valuables in boobytrapped underground caches all across the Philippines. By 1947 some of that loot was recovered, not by treasure hunters, but by the United States government, which told no one about the find. Instead, those assets were stamped classified, shipped to Europe, and secretly assimilated into something called the Black Eagle Trust.
Present day. Retired Justice Department operative, Cotton Malone, is in Switzerland doing a favor for a friend. But what was supposed to be a simple operation turns violent and Cotton is thrust into a war between the world’s oldest bank and the CIA, a battle that directly involves the Black Eagle Trust. He quickly discovers that everything hinges on a woman from his past, who suddenly reappears harbouring a host of explosive secrets centring around bitcoin. The cryptocurrency is being quietly weaponized, readied for an assault on the world’s financial systems, a calculated move that will have devastating consequences. Cotton has no choice. He has to act. But at what cost?
From the stolid banking halls of Luxembourg, to the secret vaults of Switzerland, and finally up into the treacherous mountains of southern Morocco, Cotton Malone is stymied at every turn. Each move he makes seems wrong, and nothing works, until he finally comes face-to-face with the Atlas Manoeuvre.
The final book I want to highlight is Nobody’s Hero by M. W. Craven, an author I only recently became a fan of. Craven has written several intriguing thriller novels over the years, and I was lucky enough to get a copy of his latest book earlier this year with Fearless. A fast-paced and over-the-top read that focussed on a cocky and deadly protagonist who literally feels no fear, Fearless was an exciting and exceedingly entertaining revenge romp that saw the protagonist destroy a sinister organisation.
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I had an amazing time with Fearless and I was very excited to see that there was another Ben Koenig book coming out in June 2024. This outstanding book will see the protagonist thrust into another daring adventure, this time involving the CIA, a deadly killer in London and a long-hidden agent with a ton of secrets in her head. Nobody’s Hero sounds extremely fun and impressive, and I am expecting another crazy and bloody action romp from Craven.
Plot Synopsis:
The man who can’t feel fear is back, in a race against time to find the woman who knows a secret that could take down the world as we know it.
When a shocking murder and abduction on the streets of London leads investigators to him, Ben Koenig has no idea at first why the highest echelons of the CIA would need his help. But then he realises he knows the woman who carried out the killings. Ten years earlier, without being told why, he was tasked with helping her disappear.
Far from being a deranged killer, she is the gatekeeper of a secret that could take down the West, so for years she has been in hiding.
Until now.
And if she has resurfaced, the danger may be closer and more terrifying than anyone can imagine.
So Ben Koenig has to find her before it’s too late. But Ben suffers from a syndrome which means he can’t feel fear. He doesn’t always know when he should walk away, or when he’s leading others into danger . . .
Fast, brutal, smart, and violent, Nobody’s Hero is an engrossing story of contract killers, international terrorism, hard choices — and a fearless man.
Early 2024 is shaping up to be a hell of a year for thriller readers. The three books above sound so damn awesome and I am very excited to continue all these great series. I imagine all three are going to be some of my favourite books of the year and I look forward to seeing what elaborate new adventures these amazing authors have come up with.
The Unseen Library 