Tag: Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday – Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday2 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 one of the top upcoming thrillers of 2025 with the intriguing and compelling Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben.

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Over the last few years, I have developed a real taste for exciting and distinctive thriller novels, and there are few authors better at delivering complex crime fiction reads than acclaimed author and murder alibi Harlan Coben.  Known for his elaborate and highly clever reads that present gripping mysteries with complex characters, Coben has been dominating the crime fiction genre for years and for very good reason.  I’m personally a little new to Coben, having only read two of his books so far, but both novels, I Will Find You and Think Twice, were extremely epic and had me on my toes the entire time.

Due to how awesome my last few Coben experiences have been, I always keep a close eye on what this author is working on, and I was pleasantly surprised to find some details about his next book, Nobody’s Fool.  Set for release in March 2025, Nobody’s Fool looks set to be another excellent and compelling read based around an intriguing and clever plot idea.

Plot Synopsis:

SPAIN – 2000

Sami Kierce, a young American backpacker, wakes up. He is covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand.

Beside him, the body of a woman. Anna. Dead. He doesn’t know what happened to her. He begins to scream.

NEW YORK CITY – 2025

Kierce, now a disgraced detective, is teaching night classes when he recognises a familiar face in the crowd.

Anna. It’s unmistakably her. As soon as she sees Kierce, she runs.

For Kierce there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment.

His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past. Soon he discovers that some secrets should stay buried . . .

Stayed up all night watching Fool Me Once?

You won’t be able to breathe while reading Nobody’s Fool …


Nobody’s Fool sounds like a very interesting and powerful read, as Coben presents another twisty tale of murder, secrets and past mistakes.  Bringing back a key character from one of his biggest novels, Fool Me Once, Nobody’s Fool looks set to be a gripping read that will no doubt really appeal to established fans of the author.  Setting a damaged former detective on the hunt for the dead victim who has haunted him his entire life, Nobody’s Fool will be a gritty and emotionally charged novel, and I am really excited to see how the entire story unfolds.

Due to how impressive my previous forays into Harlan Coben’s novels have been, I was always going to grab Nobody’s Fool when it comes out next year.  However, thanks to the intriguing plot synopsis above, as well as the connection to one of the author’s most popular books, Nobody’s Fool is a must grab for me next year, and I am very, very keen to check it out.  Based purely on the skill of the author alone, Nobody’s Fool has so much damn potential, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up being one of the top thrillers of 2025.

Waiting on Wednesday – 2024 Warhammer 40,000 Books

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Waiting on Wednesday, Warhammer11 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 week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I am going to once again dive into my favourite franchise and highlight several Warhammer 40,000 novels still set for release in 2024.

This has been a pretty big year for the iconic Warhammer 40,000 franchise.  The media outside of the tabletop games has been on absolute fire, with massive video games, intense animation, and more, bringing more people into the fandom.  One part of the franchise that has been particularly impressive has been the various novels, short stories and audiobooks that have been released, expanding the lore of the games and other media.  Readers of this blog will know that I have been getting very deep into this extended Warhammer 40,000 fiction in recent years, and I have read so many different books in this fantastic, grim dark setting.

2024 in particular has been great for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, with some very intriguing and unique novels in the setting coming out.  Naturally, I have gone out of my way to check most of these out, with books like Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks, Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward and Lord of Excess by Rich McCormick greatly impressing me.  However, the year is far from over, and there are many more Warhammer 40,000 books coming out in the next couple of months.

Due to how much I’ve been enjoying this franchise lately, I thought I would take the time to highlight some of the most intriguing Warhammer 40,000 novels coming out in the tail end of the year.  There are several particularly cool books on the horizon, and I am honestly planning to read every one of them the moment they come out.  I’ve got five upcoming books featured below, with most of the information on them coming from the Warhammer Community website.  I unfortunately don’t have actual release dates for a couple of these upcoming books, but they are all set to come out before the end of the year.

The first of these books I want to highlight is Dominion Genesis by Jonathan D. Beer.  Now, Dominion Genesis is actually out in the next couple of days, however, I figured it was still worth featuring here as it sounds pretty damn cool.

Plot Synopsis:

A Warhammer 40,000 Novel

Gryphonne IV is dead – one of the mightiest forge worlds in the arsenal of the Adeptus Mechanicus, succumbed to the relentless hunger of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Devoured. Lost.

The few magi that survive drift in idleness, robbed of purpose and direction. But there is one who rejects that fate.

READ IT BECAUSE

It’s the gripping tale of an Explorator desperately seeking ancient technologies from humanity’s past as she races against time to restore one of the mightiest forge worlds in the Imperium.

THE STORY

Explorator Talin Sherax seeks ancient and miraculous technologies from humanity’s distant past. When she learns of a fabled relic that could restore all that has been lost, Sherax embarks on a journey, the outcome of which could change everything. Nothing will stand in her way… even if the quest brings her to the brink of heresy.


Dominion Genesis sounds like a very epic novel, and I am looking forward to another intriguing look at the mysterious Adeptus Mechanicus from a new perspective.  Forcing the unique figure of an Explorator, a Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priest tasked with finding ancient technology, against the unstoppable force of a ravening Hive Fleet, has a lot of potential, and I am very curious to see how this story turns out.  This will be the second full Warhammer 40,000 novel that Beer has written, with his first book, The King of the Spoil, being one of my top debuts of 2023.  Based on how impressive Beer’s first book turned out, I am very excited for Dominion Genesis, and I have very high hopes for this fantastic novel.

The second upcoming Warhammer 40,000 novel I want to highlight here is the awesome sounding book, Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers.  The sequel to Flowers’ previous novel, Outgunned (one of the best Warhammer 40,000 novels I have read), Above and Beyond is probably the entry on this post that I think has the most potential, and I am very eager to see this series continue.

Plot synopsis:

 When the man responsible for Lucille von Shard’s fame – lowly propagandist Kile Simlex – receives a cryptic message, he is whisked away to join the crusade for which she has become the figurehead. What he finds, however, is not the fighter ace he once knew…

While the details are still a little sparse, I love the sound of Above and Beyond’s plot, primarily because it looks set to bring back the two protagonists from the first book.  The combination of the fearless and slightly suicidal fighter pilot and the inquisitive and thoughtful propaganda expert worked wonders in Outgunned, and I am curious to see how it continues here in the sequel, especially as it sounds like the formerly skilled Lucille von Shard, has lost some of her famed flying ability.  Flowers has shown himself to be a particularly skilled writer, and I am eager to see how Above and Beyond turns out, as frankly this might end up being the best Warhammer book of the year.

The next book that I want to highlight is the interesting and no-doubt lore heavy book, The High Kâhl’s Oath by Gav Thorpe.  The first Warhammer 40,000 novel to really focus on the Leagues of Votann faction (essentially space dwarves), The High Kâhl’s Oath should be a rather unique read for fans of the Black Library.  This foray into Leagues of Votann fiction will be helmed by veteran Warhammer author Gav Thorpe, who has a lot of experience diving into factions across the various Warhammer games.  I am a particular fan of his Last Chancers series (13th Legion and Kill Team), and I’m hoping for another dark and compelling read with The High Kâhl’s Oath.

Plot Synopsis:

Hernkyn Prospect leader Myrtun Dammergot is a member of the Kindred of the Eternal Starforge, and flourishing in this new age of conflict between the Kin and the Imperium, exploiting battles for great personal gain. When a messenger sent from her Kindred’s Hold Ship upends her freewheeling life, she and her companions are thrust into a dangerous venture with high stakes, but a magnificent prize if they succeed. 

I think that The High Kâhl’s Oath is going to be a fascinating and complex Warhammer 40,000 novel which I am quite excited for.  I’m not especially familiar with the Leagues of Votann faction, although they sound like a fun addition to the already crazy Warhammer 40,000 grimdark universe, and I am eager to learn more about them.  Due to this book likely to be quite lore heavy, I can potentially see The High Kâhl’s Oath not working for every reader, although Thorpe has got some substantial experience of highlighting specific factions while still producing great stories (see his dwarf focused Warhammer Fantasy novel, Grudge Bearer).  I am personally really looking forward to The High Kâhl’s Oath, and I cannot wait to see how Thorpe explores these high-tech space faring dwarves.

The fourth novel that I am focusing on here is the recently announced Broken Crusade by Steven B. Fischer.  The second novel from Fischer after their debut novel Witchbringer, Broken Crusade will see the author dive into one of the most iconic Space Marines Chapter, the highly fanatical and dedicated Black Templars.

Plot Synopsis:

On the fringes of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Black Templars of the Second Dorean Crusade tear through the void to join the crusade fleet on the sands of Tempest – an ancient, storied shrine world. The planet has been assailed by the murderous warbands of the Blood God, and the Black Templars have come to burn it clean of the Ruinous Powers once and for all.

But when a violent warp storm scatters the fleet, the Dauntless Honour is left battered and alone in the void. Besieged by doubt, Castellan Emeric and his brothers must cling to their faith and carve a way to Tempest. For it is there that their battles will truly begin, and the cost of victory may be more than even they are prepared to pay…


Broken Crusade should be another pretty damn awesome Warhammer 40,000 book, and I like the intriguing and dark narrative that Fischer is setting up.  While the Black Templars are a little overused in Warhammer fiction, I think that Broken Crusade is going to show a bit of a different side to them.  The focus on their faith, their isolation, and their sacrifice as they attempt to make their way to the battle on Tempest all has an intriguing harrowing quality, which should make for quite a powerful read.  After how much Fischer impressed me with his complex debut, I am particularly excited for Broken Crusade, and I cannot wait to dive into the psyches of these zealous Space Marines.

The final book I want to highlight in this post was only just announced, but it could end up being one of the top books of 2024 with Leontus: Lord Solar by Rob Young.  Young is another relatively new Warhammer 40,000 author who impressed me last year with his debut novel Longshot.  His second book will provide an interesting look at a major character in the lore who has been gaining a lot of attention lately, Arcadian Leontus, Lord Commander of Segmentum Solar.

Plot Synopsis:

A saviour pod screams a flaming path through the skies of Fortuna Minor, almost lost amidst the debris that rains down over the arid plains below. The Imperial fleet in orbit is in full retreat, their deployment undone by orkish cunning.

Those lucky enough to make planetfall find the world a false sanctuary – one overrun by Speed Waaaghs!, its population enslaved to build weaponised effigies of the foul ork gods. For the Imperial forces, every hour will be a hopeless fight for survival.

But the man in the saviour pod is Arcadian Leontus – Lord Commander of the Segmentum Solar, peerless tactician and mastermind of countless victories. Even stripped of his armies and separated from his loyal steed Konstantin, Leontus has no intention to merely survive this war. He intends to win it.

Leontus: Lord Solar is the latest Black Library novel by Rob Young – a rip-roaring tale about one of the most powerful men in the Imperium fighting a desperate personal battle against endless tides of orks. Stranded on an occupied planet, he must rebuild an army to wrest it back.

This another fun and exciting upcoming Warhammer book that I am think I am going to have a very good time reading.  The plot of Leontus: Lord Solar reminds me a little of the Ciaphas Cain novel, Death or Glory, although I imagine that Young is going to play this book a little more serious and have Leontus engage in a series of strategic battles rather than trying to run away like a certain commissar.  It will be interesting to see how Young portrays Leontus, and I’m hoping that the author really captures the character’s tactical prowess and drive.  This should an action-packed Warhammer novel and I cannot wait to dive into it.

As you can see there are still a ton of really cool Warhammer 40,000 books coming out in final few months of 2024, and I haven’t even mentioned a couple of recent releases I’m still waiting to grab, or any other books that still haven’t been announced.  I think all the above are going to be really fun books to check out, and I love the variety of stories, factions and authors these five novels represent.  This has been such a great year for Warhammer fans, and if you don’t know about this franchise already, you are really missing out.

Waiting on Wednesday – Gunnawah and The Reunion

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday14 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 Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight two intriguing upcoming Australian crime fiction debuts.

2025 is already shaping up to be a big year for Australian crime fiction debuts, as there are several compelling and epic novels from first-time authors set for release next year.  I always love checking out compelling Australian fiction from new authors, and it is fun to see these writers develop their style and produce complex reads set in our distinctive landscapes.  As such, I am very excited for 2025, especially with the focuses of today’s Waiting on Wednesday set for release right at the start of the year.

The first debut I want to highlight is the awesome and unique sounding novel, Gunnawah from new author Ronni Salt.  Set for release on 1 January 2025, Gunnawah is an interesting crime fiction novel, that will feature a rural mystery with a historical background setting.

Plot Synopsis:

It’s 1974 in the Riverina

The weather is hot

But the body in the Murray River is stone cold . . .

A captivating and compulsive crime thriller about guns, drugs and a young woman dead on the money

Riverina 1974:

When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. Its owner, Valdene Bullark, sees something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide.

Val puts Adelaide straight to work. What starts as a routine assignment covering an irrigation project soon puts Adelaide on the trail of a much bigger story. Water is money in farming communities, and when Adelaide starts asking questions, it’s as if she’s poked a stick in a bull ant’s nest. Violence follows. Someone will do whatever it takes to stop Adelaide and Val finding out how far the river of corruption and crime runs.

Shady deals. Vested interests. A labyrinth of lies. It seems everyone in Gunnawah has a secret to keep. But how many want to stop Adelaide dead?

Set deep in the heart of rural Australia during the era of Gough Whitlam, pub brawls and flared jeans, Gunnawah is a compulsive crime thriller of corruption, guns and drugs from Australian Noir’s most arresting new voice.

I feel that Gunnawah has a lot going for it, especially as Salt looks set to combine rural crime antics with Australia’s distinctive 1970s vibe.  The combination of 70s nostalgia, unique criminal activity, and plucky characters trying to get to the truth has some big potential, and I’m personally interested in seeing what sort of story Salt has planned here, especially with the focus seemingly on corruption around farmland irrigation.  This is one of the more distinctive crime fiction books coming out in 2025, and I have a feeling that Gunnawah is going to be a top debut of next year, and I cannot wait to see how Salt will impress us.

The other fascinating Australian crime fiction debut coming out in early 2025 that I want to highlight is The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers.  Set in the iconic and beautiful Blue Mountains wilderness, The Reunion will see five isolated protagonists relive the sins of their shared past as the truth comes for them.  The Reunion has a very cool story concept around it that has really grabbed my attention, and I am quite keen to grab it in February 2025.

Plot Synopsis:

THEY’LL WISH THEY NEVER WENT BACK.

Ten years ago, six teenagers hiked into the Blue Mountains wilderness – and only five came out alive.

The survivors have barely seen each other since the tragic bushwalk. Yet when an invitation arrives to attend a 10-year memorial of their friend’s death, Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack find themselves travelling back into the rugged landscape where it all began.

The weekend at an isolated homestead in the bush – no phone signal, no distractions – should be a chance to reflect and reconnect.

But each of the friends has been carrying secrets from the fateful hike. And someone will stop at nothing to get the truth.

This is another particularly cool sounding book, and I think that Rivers has an excellent story idea that is really going to pay off.  The classic scenario of isolated protagonists revisiting a traumatic event from years before is always a reliable basis for a story, and I am curious to see how Rivers will make it her own.  Unwrapping the separate and joint secrets of five protagonists has a lot of potential, and I cannot wait to see what sort of twists and compelling reveals this new author comes up with.  I am also very excited to see how Rivers will utilise the wilderness setting of the Blue Mountains in The Reunion.  I literally just got back from a holiday in the Blue Mountains, so I can imagine some of the elaborate bushland settings and locals that can be used to hide secrets, bodies and lies.

Overall, I think that both Gunnawah and The Reunion have a lot of potential and I am very excited to read them.  I cannot wait to see how these first Australian crime fiction novels from Ronni Salt and Bronwyn Rivers will turn out and they will probably be amongst my top debut novels of 2025.

Waiting on Wednesday – Midnight Black by Mark Greaney

On By The Unseen LibraryIn 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 week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I check out a particularly epic 2025 thriller I know I’m going to absolutely love, with Midnight Black by Mark Greaney.

Amazon

I have been on a massive Mark Greaney kick this year, primarily because the talented Greaney has released two amazing thrillers.  This includes the action-packed read Sentinel (the sequel to his previous novel Armored), which I just reviewed, and his big release of 2024 The Chaos Agent.  An intense and compelling read, The Chaos Agent was one of my favourite books and audiobooks from the first half of 2024, and it will likely top my end of year best-of lists.  I deeply enjoyed The Chaos Agent, and I felt it was a particularly good entry in Greaney’s long-running Gray Man series.

The Gray Man books are an outstanding spy thriller series that follows an elite assassin and former CIA asset as he faces off against an array of dangerous enemies and contemporary thriller plots.  Starting off with the particularly awesome The Gray Man, the series has grown from strength to strength since then and I have been a huge fan of some of the more recent entries.  This includes Mission Critical, One Minute Out (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), Sierra Six (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and Burner (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023).

Due to how impressive this series has been in the past, I am always keen to grab the new Gray Man novel when it comes out each year, and they usually end up being a major highlight for the early parts of the year.  I am particularly interested on getting my hands on the sequel to The Chaos Agent however, as Greaney ended this latest book on a great cliffhanger designed to drag the reader back again.  Luckily, we don’t have too much longer to wait, as the next book in the series, Midnight Black, is coming out in late February 2025.  The 14th entry in this outstanding series, Midnight Black has an exceptional plot behind it that sounds so damn good.

Plot Synopsis:

With his lover imprisoned in a Russian gulag, the Gray Man will stop at nothing to free her in this latest entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

A winter sunrise over the great plains of Russia is no cause for celebration. The temperature barely rises above zero, and the guards at Penal Colony IK22 are determined to take their misery out on the prisoners – chief among them, one Zoya Zakharova.

Once a master spy for Russian foreign intelligence, then the partner and lover of the Gray Man, Zakharova has information the Kremlin wants, and they don’t care what they have to do to get it.

But if they think a thousand miles of frozen wasteland and the combined power of the Russian police state is enough to protect them, they don’t know the Gray Man. He’s coming, and no one’s safe.

So, I really don’t think I need to explain why a book set around a pissed off Gray Man storming a Russian penal colony is going to be awesome.  Greaney did a great job of setting up this scenario in the previous book, and now all he has to do is sit back and ensure the action and intrigue flows heavily during the Gray Man’s assault on the camp and all of Russia in Midnight Black.  The author has done a remarkable job of exploring impossible survival scenarios for his protagonist in the past, and I have a feeling that this one is going to be particularly cool and gruesome, primarily because this will be the highest stakes for his protagonist yet.

Honestly there is no way that I wasn’t going to grab Midnight Black when it comes out next year, and the simple yet awesome scenario that Greaney has set up above is making me very, very excited.  I have no doubt whatsoever that Midnight Black is going to feature some particularly impressive action sequences, and I am imagining the Gray Man storming through all of Russia to get to his goal.  Midnight Black is probably the thriller I am most excited to get my hands on in 2025and I cannot wait to see how Greaney tops his previous books as he grants us more Gray Man goodness.

Waiting on Wednesday – Warrior by Simon Turney

On 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 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 14th 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 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 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 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 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 34th 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 40th 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.