Make It Out Alive

 

Make It Out Alive by Allison Brennan
1/27/26; 400 pages
Harlequin/Hanover Square Press
Quinn & Costa Thriller #7 

Make It Out Alive by Allison Brennan is a very highly recommended investigative and escape room thriller, as well as the excellent 7th book in the Quinn and Costa FBI Mobile Response Team series. 

Three newlywed couples have disappeared from an exclusive resort in Florida and later turned up dead so Flagler County Detective Kara Quinn and FBI Special Agent Matt Costa with the FBI Mobile Response Team (MRT) are investigating. Quinn resembles the female victims so she and Costa set a trap and capture Garrett Reid. After his arrest, Matt and Kara stay on at the resort for some R&R as a couple. However, when the two don't show up for work on Monday it becomes clear that Kara and Matt are missing and the search is on.

Kara and Matt were drugged and find themselves waking up in an old warehouse/factory that they discover is a booby-trapped escape room. The MRT quickly determines that Reid had an accomplice and continue the investigation knowing that the time may be running out for their colleagues.

This is an extremely well-written, heart-stopping, and complicated investigative thriller that follows three different narrative threads. First is the time sensitive search for Quinn and Costa; second is the struggles of Kara and Matt to escape, and third is the backstory of Reid. All three story lines are interesting and compelling. The killer is clearly dangerous, sadistic, and cunning, the search is complex, and there is a complicated backstory full of twists.

At this point fans will know all the characters in the series, however, I think those new to the series can also enjoy this as a stand alone novel for the investigation. This continues to be a favorite series, however, all of Brennan's novels are reliably very good. 

Make It Out Alive is a wonderful choice for everyone looking for an investigative thriller and all those following the series. Thanks to Harlequin/Hanover Square Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Pendergast: The Beginning

 

Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
1/27/26; 384 pages
Grand Central Publishing
Pendergast Series #23

Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is the very highly recommended investigative thriller It is the origin story of Agent  A. X. L. Pendergast and the 23rd novel in the series featuring him. Those following the long-time series will want to read this account of his first case as a rookie while anyone who wants to start the series will enjoy this introductory novel. 

Special Agent Dwight Chambers of the New Orleans Field Office is grieving and spiraling into depression after his wife's death. When he returns to work, Chambers is dismayed to find himself assigned to mentor brand new FBI Agent Pendergast. The two find themselves banished from the office after Pendergast pulls a brilliant coup that exposes corruption. They are encouraged to find an obscure case to work on and Pendergast has just the case: a man in Mississippi found dead missing his right arm. The case soon spirals into something more that indicates a serial killer is at work.

As expected, it features a fast-paced, well written, intricate, interesting, and compelling plot. Those new to the series can easily enjoy this beginning story without having any previous knowledge of the characters. Yes, it is a Pendergast story, but it is also an exceptional investigative thriller. This story is set in 1994, when computers and other technological advances were relatively basic compared to today.

The plot will be exactly what fans of Preston and Child expect to encounter while simultaneously encountering a young agent Pendergast. Much of his personality is present here, including his extraordinary intelligence and maverick methods, but this is before his well-developed and legendary lore. Fans will certainly recognize the early Pendergast and be pleased to see the early story of Proctor. Also included is a tie in to Relic, the first novel Pendergast was in as a character.

Pendergast: The Beginning is a perfect choice for anyone who enjoys thrillers and fans of Pendergast. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Her Cold Justice

 

Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni
1/27/26; 380 pages
Thomas & Mercer
Keera Duggan #3 

Her Cold Justice by Robert Dugoni is a very highly recommended legal thriller of suspense and courtroom drama. This is the third book in the Keera Duggan series. 

When a suspected drug smuggler and his girlfriend are murdered in their Seattle home, circumstantial evidence leads to a young man named Michael Westbrook being charged with the murder and possession of drugs with intent to sell. Michael's uncle is JP Harrison, the investigator for Duggan and Associates, and Harrison contacts  Keera Duggan to defend his nephew.  Ruthless prosecutor Anh (Kim) Tran brings in two prison informants to ensure Michael is convicted. Keera needs to dig deep into Tran's history and uncovers much more than expected. 

As expected this is a excellent, well-written mix of a legal thriller, procedural, and courtroom drama, as well as a great addition to the Keera Duggan series. The fast paced, well-plotted narrative is full of tension, twists, and drama, including compelling courtroom scenes. For those who enjoy courtroom dramas, approximately half the narrative is set in the courtroom. Although this is part of a series, I think it could be enjoyed as a stand alone novel. The characters all work well within the plot to help create an entertaining novel.

Her Cold Justice is a great choice for those who enjoy legal thrillers. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

A Hole in The Sky

 

A Hole in The Sky by Peter F. Hamilton
1/20/26; 400 pages
Angry Robot
Arkship Trilogy #1 

A Hole in The Sky by Peter F. Hamilton is a very highly recommended science fiction novel and is the first book in a new space opera trilogy. 

The Daedalus is a generation ship that has been traveling for 500 years searching for a new world after the last world visited was rejected. Almost seventeen-year-old Hazel has been chosen to be the flower girl on Cycling Day, the day when residents over the age of 65 are recycled (killed) to make room for the new generations. On this day three cheaters, people who hid an avoided recycling, have been captured and are going to be part of the ceremony. One of the Cheaters, an older woman, whispers to Hazel that the habitat in the Daedalus has been damaged and is running out of air.

When Hazel's fourteen-year-old brother Frazer, has an accident and is paralyzed, he is unable to work and so he is schedules to be recycled. Hazel sneaks him out one night and the two find the hidden Cheaters. Hazel discovers that the people on the Daedalus have been lied to for years and that something else is afoot on the ship. Hazel sets off to help repair the air leak on the ship while continuing to learn more and more about what is really going on aboard the ship.

The well-written narrative is mainly told through dialogue, which makes sense because A Hole in The Sky was originally released as an audiobook in 2021. There are plenty of surprises and twists as Hazel sets off on her heroic quest to save the Daedalus while also learning about the past of the ship along with her own history. Sure you have to suspend some disbelief, but the action, new revelations, the foe they must battle, and the story made this easy to do and I quite enjoyed the journey. 

This was originally released as YA entertainment, so some of the hard science fiction elements adult readers might expect aren't all there. However, the story is compelling and there are still plenty of elements to interest adult readers and intrigue those new to science fiction. It held my complete attention throughout. The only downside is that it is part of a trilogy and I'm ready for the rest of the story.

A Hole in The Sky is a wonderful choice for those readers new to science fiction as well as everyone who already enjoy it. Thanks to Angry Robot for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Anatomy of an Alibi

 

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston
1/13/26; 352 pages
Viking/Penguin 

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston is a highly recommended twisty thriller. "It's not just the anatomy of an alibi: having someone vouch you were somewhere else when the crime was committed, but it's the psychology of it: that someone is believable."

Camille Bayliss is married to lawyer Ben and the daughter of a wealthy Louisiana family. She is sure Ben is hiding secrets from her, perhaps even an affair, but she doesn't have proof and her prenup requires proof before she could divorce him. Ben also tracks every move Camille makes and every place she goes. At the same time Aubrey Price is poor and struggling. She is sure Ben Bayliss has inside information about the car crash that killed her parents ten years ago. 

The two women devise a plan where Aubrey will disguise herself as Camille and leave a trail for Ben to follow, while Camille will really be spying on Ben. The problem is that Ben is found murdered the next morning and there is only one alibi, but two women. Unknown to Camille, however, is the backup Aubrey has with her housemates running their own undercover operation to protect Aubrey. Let the guessing games begin.

This is a very well-written, twisty fast-paced thriller that held my complete attention throughout. The secrets, scheming, corruption, and lies are ever prevalent as the bigger picture slowly emerges from the different perspectives of all the characters and from multiple timelines. There are several different complicated relationships all intertwined within the plot to keep the suspense and tension high as the full picture slowly emerges amidst the drama and surprises.

The characters are all depicted as fully realized complicated individuals with plenty of flaws along with their strengths. Nothing is exactly how you think it is and the suspects are plentiful. What lead Camille and Aubrey to work together is surprising, but how much trust do they really have in each other. So many alibis, so many suspects, and so many twists resulted in a compelling thriller.

Anatomy of an Alibi is a great choice for readers who like twisty, complicated thrillers. Thanks to Viking/Penguin for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The Method

 

The Method by Matthew Quirk
1/20/26; 416 pages
HarperCollins

The Method by Matthew Quirk is a highly recommended action-packed spy thriller featuring an actress who using her training for roles to defeat the bad guys. Set disbelief aside and enjoy the action movie plot.

Anna Vaughn usually plays the tough, tenacious doomed brunette character on the screen and in doing so she has put in countless hours training in how to fight, shoot, and defend herself. Her real life is much more pedestrian and quiet. After a difficult childhood, she is just trying to keep her career alive in order to take care of her younger sister. When her best friend Natalie goes missing after going out with a mysterious new man a few days earlier, Anna becomes suspicious that something foul is at play. Natalie dropped one clue which induced Anna to look for more clues in Natalie's apartment.

Once Anna is on the trail of Natalie it leads her into a dangerous world of wealthy oligarchs and spies, and requires her to use her training as an actor to read the room. It also puts FBI agent Kevin Matthews on her trail and he recruits her to go undercover following Natalie's trail. Soon all of Anna's training for acting roles becomes assets for the real life or death dangers she faces.

The Method is a well-written, entertaining thriller packed with action and danger as Anna faces well trained, professional antagonists. Sure, you have to set a gigantic dose of disbelief aside that Anna can fight back and win against all of these skilled goons twice her size while assessing a dangerous situation and figuring out what to do instantaneously. I am there for it every step of the way, with every clue she follows and every foe she defeats. Trying to save Natalie turns into much more as the plot unfolds.

Anna is a fully realized characters and her many strengths and a few weaknesses are on full display. She also has a vulnerable, caring side that propels her forward to do the right thing. I would love to see another outing of this intelligent, tenacious, tough, and vulnerable woman. Perhaps a movie adaptation? 

The Method is a great choice for those who like action-packed thrillers with a female protagonist, and who can relish the action and plot in spite of it's incredulity at times. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

Such Sheltered Lives

 

Such Sheltered Lives by Alyssa Sheinmel
1/20/26; 288 pages
Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Such Sheltered Lives by Alyssa Sheinmel is a recommended novel of psychological suspense set at a celebrity rehab center in New York's Hamptons.

Rush’s Recovery is an exclusive rehab center located on Storm Island that only accepts three clients at a time who stay in luxurious cottages equipped with an individual care manager and staff. The three clients visiting are: Lord Edward of Essex, a British aristocrat who is fighting a pain killer addiction after an accident; Amelia Blue Harris, the daughter of a 90s rock legend who has an eating disorder; and Florence Bloom, a bad-girl rocker who needs to remove herself from a tabloid scandal. 

The expectation is that the guests will keep to themselves and concentrate of their recovery. Amelia Blue and Lord Edward happened to meet when arriving and later begin sneaking out at night to walk around the grounds together. Ten years earlier, Amelia Blue's mother, rocker Georgia Blue, was found dead after checking out the day before and she is there to discretely delve into what happened. There is also some flirtation between Florence and one of her a staff members.

This is an even-paced, atmospheric, unsettled, and secretive suspense novel with chapters alternating between the point-of-view of the three clients: Edward, Amelia Blue, and Florence. Everyone has a secret and the tension rises as the plot unfolds. While there are twists, much of the plot is predictable. It is entertaining, but actually felt slow moving for a shorter novel and I was expecting more suspense.

There is character development along the way, but ultimately none of the characters are relatable or even really likable. They really are all reticent to actually work on helping themselves in their therapy sessions, although their individual care managers are also all irritating. The secrets will keep you reading for answers.

Such Sheltered Lives is recommended for readers who like suspense novels with secrets and some suspense. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.