Kevin's Corner: thriller

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Monday, November 02, 2026

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: So Anyway, I Replied to the Nigerian Prince by Mark Dowling

So Anyway, I Replied to the Nigerian Prince (Independently published, 2026) by Irish author Mark Dowling is a light-hearted thriller with a serious streak set in Dublin. I am not sure how it came my way but I am delighted that it did.

Liam O’Sullivan is desperate. He lost his job with an internet supplier and can’t find another one. He’s out of cash and behind on his rent. Even tiny rundown apartments above a kebab shop require a regular cash outlay. Then there’s the debt he owes the local moneylender Fingers, who is losing patience. So when the email from Prince Amokachi of the Royal House of Benin arrives, offering him 10 million pounds for his assistance, Liam responds by saying he only needs 10 thousand pounds and the prince can give the rest to someone else. He resists adding a couple of sarcastic emojis and hits the Send key.

Almost two weeks later an invitation to meet the prince at the best hotel in Dublin arrives. His similarly down-and-out friends Kevin, Spud, Darren, and Gerry insist on accompanying him to serve as protection. Prince Amokachi appears in person and explains that his late father left the bulk of his money in a London account that is being contested by a cousin. His father’s will requires the signature of a third party, completely unbiased, to release the funds to the older son, and the prince is asking Liam to serve as that independent signatory.

The transfer will take place in London, and the transaction has a deadline. If the prince does not meet the deadline, he forfeits the money. The cousin has a vested interest in seeing that the prince does not appear in court at the appointed time and his thugs are actively searching for the prince. Liam and his friends undertake to hide the prince until they can fly to London.

An original and funny premise with some spot-on characterization. The lack of employment and career options for those without the means or interest to attend university comes through clearly. Dowling plainly shows there is no future for these folks without a Nigerian prince or a fairy godmother. Dowling unfortunately did not maximize the suspense potential of the plot but he has a great eye for the ridiculous and knows how these characters think. Possibly the happiest book I have read all year.

ASIN: ‎B0H3KHB7K9
Publisher: ‎Independently published
Publication date: ‎May 31, 2026
Language: ‎English
Print length: ‎149 pages
ISBN-13: ‎979-8255367627

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://link.amazon/B05xnflJ4

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

The Rap Sheet: PW’s Premier Picks

Friday, October 16, 2026

Review: Split Screen by Lee Goldberg

Split Screen by Lee Goldberg is the seventh installment of this thriller series. It opens with Homicide Detective Eve Ronin of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department out running solo because her partner, Duncan Pavone, is desk bound. He is going to be there on his desk in the Lost Hill substation for the foreseeable future as the powers that be are still pondering his fate. Detective Eve Ronin is feeling a ton of guilt as he is taking the very public fall for a decision they both made a few months ago. So, she is responding solo to the home of actress Juliette Winter who was found dead that morning in her sprawling home in a gated community in Calabasas.

A predictable and tragic end for the former child star who became known for drugs and partying more than anything she accomplished in front of the camera. Her assistant found her in the steam room. Clearly, she had been there for quite some time before discovery. That same assistant, Georgina Sabella, had last seen her around 7 the evening before when she left.

According to Ronin’s fellow LASD Deputies manning the perimeter, the house was locked and the security alarm was on when Georgina arrived earlier that morning. The firefighters that responded to the initial call had also reported that the steam room door was not locked and that the door was unblocked.

Ronin went up to the second-floor steam room and found Medical Examiner Emilia Lopez and the head of Crime Scene Unit, Nan Baker, assessing the body and the scene. With Juliette Winter’s history, it would be very easy to assume she just overdosed and died.

But, did she really?

That is just one of the questions Ronin has to answer while also dealing with departmental politics and pressure. Her celebrity status continues to dog her career. The last thing she ever wanted was for the publicity to overshadow her actual work doing the job. So, she tried very hard to keep considerable distance between herself and the job and the very fictional tv series based on her.

That plan is out the window now as there is a new sheriff in town. Sheriff Waylon Gifford is well known for coming in and taking over a law enforcement agency for a year or too, improving the image of that agency, and then leaving for a bigger and more prestigious job. He took over the LASD, the biggest in the nation, two weeks ago and has a very preconceived notion of who she is, how she got to her position, and what she has done in the department.

He demands that Detective Eve Ronin use her celebrity status to help the department and has several expectations of how she will do that. Not only does she have to participate in the new ad campaign, she also has to actively participate in the department’s active social media. She has to participate a certain number of times a day, every day. She also has to conduct a week-long ride along with the actress, Erin Casey, who plays her on the show and participate in their social media videos as well. Otherwise, there will be huge consequences for herself as well as her partner, Duncan Pavone.

If that was not enough, she has to deal with the hatred and death threats coming from within the department. While that has always happened, it had died back some, until recent events stirred everything back up again. At least she can still count on Duncan Pavone and a few others who see her for what she actually is and still have her back.

And there is the Juliette Winter case to solve as well as some other crimes.

The result is another fast paced and highly entertaining read in this great series. The author has steadily built, book after book, a complicated primary character, and a host of interesting secondary characters while still delivering on a heady mix of action, mystery, and suspense. The latest read, Split Screen, fits that mandate and delivers from start to finish.

As the author notes at the front of the book, a reader can safely start here, if they wish. But, if you intend to read the second book in the series, Bone Canyon, you absolutely should read that one first as there are huge spoilers for it in Split Screen.

Strongly Recommended.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3S9emlp

Entire Series Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/447nfP7

My digital ARC came from the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

Monday, September 07, 2026

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Songs of Saigon by Ed Teja

Ed Teja is a versatile guy. In his own words, he has been a magazine writer and editor in several countries. He lived for years as a Caribbean boat bum and blues musician. He is a member of The Short Mystery Fiction Society, was a finalist for the Shamus Award for short PI fiction in 2025, and his stories appear frequently in magazines and anthologies.

His newest book is an appealing historical crime thriller with an unusual setting. Most World War II thrillers focus on the European front although the very good Secret War of Julia Child by Diana Chambers (2024) looks at Child’s work for the OSS in China, India, and Ceylon. Teja sets his story in 1943 Vietnam, where the collaborationist Vichy French government co-managed with Japan, which had overrun Southeast Asia by spring 1942.

Cole Miller joined the small OSS office in Saigon about a year ago. Their assignment is to destabilize Japan’s hold on the region wherever and however they can while going through the motions of a shipping business. Miller is delivering arms to a group of Vietnamese insurgents in the jungle when the book opens. The Japanese ambushed them, killing a number of the rebels and leaving Miller to wonder who had betrayed them. When he returns to Saigon, his boss Major Fred Olson tells him via a note left at his hotel to meet him at their usual café. When Miller reports as scheduled, a group of snipers sprays the cafe with bullets and Olson’s body is found among the victims. It’s clear to investigators that Olson was dead before the café shooting. A local member of the Vichy France government who dislikes Miller pushes the police to arrest him. Miller has two jobs, to find who actually did kill Olson and to identify the traitor who is feeding information about OSS activities to the Japanese.

While the plot is straightforward enough, the setting is anything but. Vietnam with its significant natural resources was a valuable asset to both sides of the war, creating a complex political tug-of-war over a small nation about the size of New Mexico. Vietnam was a French colony before the war and the French intended to maintain its control after the war ended. In the meantime Japan had asserted dominion over the entire region. The Free French were also present, trying to dislodge the Vichy collaborationists. The Allies had established a presence via U.S. and Great Britain intelligence groups, working to undermine the Japanese. Behind the scenes Ho Chi Minh had established the Communist party in Vietnam, tapping into the great desire of the Vietnamese people for freedom from external rule. In short the country was seething with political tensions and barely contained hostility, creating a powder keg with a very short fuse.

I found the time and the place as described fascinating. The Vietnamese people were hard-working, resourceful, and far more intelligent than invading forces believed. It is easy to see why and how the armed conflict in the country during the 1950s and 1960s broke out. Miller is a credible character with series potential; it will be interesting to see if Teja brings him back.

Readers who enjoy modern historical crime fiction, especially World War II and espionage fans, will want to add this book to their TBR stacks. Recommended.

· Publisher: ‎Float Street Press

· Publication date: ‎September 1, 2026

· Language: ‎English

· Print length: ‎318 pages

· ISBN-13: ‎979-8994688823

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ctfqrH

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night

Monday, July 20, 2026

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Deadly Odds 9.0 by Allen Wyler

Allen Wyler is a retired neurosurgeon who lives in Seattle. He’s taken up writing thrillers as a second career, first publishing seven medical thrillers and then using the technology-rich environment of Seattle as the basis for the Deadly Odds series about a reformed computer hacker named Arnold Gold. Three titles in the series have been finalists for Best Thriller awards, www.bestthrillers.com. The ninth book Deadly Odds 9.0 was released in mid-July.

Gold has established a strong reputation as a trusted IT security specialist for the most sensitive of systems. He and his small team are booked for weeks to come, often for security testing of crucial networks and data centers. The most challenging of this kind of testing is to determine how easy the network in question is to break into, both digitally and physically, and to formulate recommendations for strengthening the system’s defenses. In the background the artificial intelligence network Gold developed privately is always working, monitoring financial markets and assessing political threats.

A terrorist cell Gold helped take down years ago has revitalized. Its members have learned about Gold’s powerful AI tool and they are determined to acquire it as well as take revenge against Gold himself. Gold juggles the workload of his company to maintain its public status while collecting data on the terrorist organization to hand off to law enforcement and bolstering his AI network against theft. The latter includes dismantling his back-up network in Hawaii and shipping it to Seattle for establishment in a safe location.

A fast-moving techno-thriller with geopolitical overtones. The story is replete with technological references, as should be expected, with concise explanations of more obscure aspects that are worked smoothly into the narrative flow. The occasional references to character ethnicity, although within the context of terrorism, can be jarring. Readers who enjoy political thrillers or technology-driven plots will want to consider this series for their reading lists. In particular fans of the Monkeewrench novels, 11 books about another group of technology gurus set in Minneapolis by P. J. Tracy, will want to look at these stories.

· Publisher: ‎Stairway Press

· Publication date: ‎July 14, 2026

· Language: ‎English

· Print length: ‎264 pages

· ISBN-10: ‎1960405713

· ISBN-13: ‎978-1960405715

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4fnS5bF

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Tuesday, July 07, 2026

Publication Day Review: River Deep: A Bitterfrost Thriller by Bryan Gruley

River Deep: A Bitterfrost Thriller by Bryan Gruley takes readers back to the town of Bitterfrost on the shore of Lake Michigan. Like the first book of the series, Bitterfrost, this new book is also marketed as a “thriller.” This reader would label it a “mystery.” Regardless of label, this second book in the series lives up to the very good first read in every aspect.

Before going further, I am being very careful not to reveal background details here that tie into that first book. Like in his other series, this second book should be read after reading the first book. Some storylines continue, characters develop, things have happened because of the first book, etc. Read in order.

There are repercussions and unfinished business from the first book as River Deep begins. The glory of hockey is back in this read as is another major trial. Devyn Payne has returned full time, at least for now, to her roots. A former criminal defense lawyer, she has her reasons for coming home, and going to work as a prosecutor. It was supposed to make her life easier.

So much for that idea. Tragedy has again struck. She is standing on a dark and cold riverbank watching late one night as a crane pulls a SUV from the frigid river waters. The river, the Jako, leads into Lake Michigan. It has taken two lives this night—twin boys that will not see their first birthday.

That cold river water barely released the parents back to dry ground. Catriona Delaney is on a medical helicopter headed to Grand Rapids. The father, Sammy Hardt, fared better in the crash into the river, and is in decent shape, all things considered. He apparently got Catriona out. Unfortunately, he was unable to save the kids.

As the police begin the crash investigation, the case is led by Detective Garth Klimmeck. A year older and that much closer to retirement, he is eyeballing the increasing need for a hip replacement, and other things. Local politics played a major role in the case last year. He is fully aware that with the people involved, local politics will definitely play a role in this situation, no matter what he uncovers.

It certainly does, but politics and familial history is not even half of it. Much is going on here. Before long, there is a full-scale murder trial with twist after twist. Much like real life, this fictional world is full of chaos, grief, and unpredictability.

As previously noted, the events of the first book, Bitterfrost, play a significant role in this read. I strongly recommend reading this very good series in order. The author continues to develop a complicated world which gives this reader hope that the series will continue. A mighty good read and very much well worth your time, as are his other books.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dRFnCw

My digital ARC reading copy came from the publisher, Severn House, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: McKenna's Guy by Mike Lawson

Mike Lawson is a consistently good author whom I wish were better known. His stories have been shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, and Shamus awards. His political thrillers with unofficial fixer Joe DeMarco skewers the Washington establishment thoroughly while giving his resourceful hero yet one more problem to solve. Lawson branches out into a stand-alone in his newest book, McKenna’s Guy, scheduled for release by Blackstone in early July 2026.

Roger Smith is a retirement age widower living quietly in a modest neighborhood in Washington, DC. He is closing in on a pension from his civil service job, the only job he’s had in his adult life. Smith has one daughter who is married with a child of her own. Predictable and inoffensive to the point of dullness. So why a masked man dressed in black should break into Smith’s house one night and attempt to kill him is a mystery to everyone, especially Smith. Had Smith still been asleep, he would not have survived, as the assassin fired four or five bullets into the bed. Smith fortunately heard the intruder break in and had time to find a baseball bat and retreat behind the bedroom door before the killer entered the room shooting. Then Smith hit the man as hard as he could with the bat, knocking him to the floor. Fear bolstered Smith’s swing, the single blow killed the intruder.

Even in his shock Smith knew he needed a lawyer despite acting in self-defense. He called his friend John McKenna, who had an extensive network, and asked for help, then he called the police. Detective Grace Lillinthal of Homicide was sent to the scene. She assumed she was dealing with a home invasion until she learned that the lawyer that showed up was referred by McKenna, when all her antennae went straight up. McKenna had a reputation as a criminal middleman. No matter what devious or illicit act someone might need assistance with, McKenna knew a guy who could help. That Smith thought to call McKenna first made his entire story suspect in Lillinthal’s mind.

While she relentlessly sought to establish the illicit connection between the two, Smith was trying to find out who cared enough about him to hire a professional hitman and why.

This is another fast-moving, well-written thriller with a unique spin, great characters, and a clever resolution. Readers unfamiliar with Lawson’s work might find this book a good place to start. Recommended!

Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus.

· Publisher: ‎Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

· Publication date: ‎July 7, 2026

· Edition‏: ‎Hardcover

· Language: ‎English

· Print length: ‎272 pages

· ISBN-13: ‎979-8228358188

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4oR3k0j

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Monday, June 08, 2026

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Every Lie I Told by Hilary Davidson

Hilary Davidson is a Toronto native now living in New York City. Her first work of crime fiction The Damage Done (Forge Books, 2010) won the 2011 Anthony and Crimespree awards for best first novel and was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis and Macavity awards for best first. She’s written dozens of short stories. Every Lie I Told (Blackstone, June 2026) is her eighth work of crime fiction.

Jackie Swift is just another hamster on the enormous wheel of New York, running endlessly trying to reach the next rung on the ladder of success. Her parents died when she and her sister Madi were young, leaving them to the questionable care of an uncle. Jackie has been trying to overcome the disadvantages of her early life ever since, while pretending to have the upper-crust life that she wants. She learned early that her lack of family connections and resources would keep her out of her chosen field of journalism, no matter how hard she worked. She slid sideways into a dubious public relations firm with some credible clients and a lot of shifty ones. Her habit of shading the truth about her life quickly expanded to covering up for wealthy people behaving badly. Dissembling about everything, from her customers’ actions and intentions to the store where she bought today’s outfit, became routine.

Jackie is overwhelmingly protective of Madi, who dabbled far too often in drugs and made other unwise decisions. Jackie had come to keep Narcan on hand for emergencies so when Madi called in the early hours of Monday morning that she needed help, Jackie scrambled for the naloxone and drove to an Upper East side townhouse. She could not find Madi but she did find the quite dead body of her former mentor and employer. The police focus early on Madi as the likely killer and as they search for her, Jackie does everything she can to throw suspicion on others, including an ex-wife who tried to kill the dead man more than once.

The story delivers credible insight into the inner workings of publicity firms and marketing psychology, which I found thought-provoking. With a driving pace and one surprise after another, the story held my attention to the end despite my lack of sympathy with most of the characters, who were singularly unpleasant. Fans of contemporary psychological thrillers and unreliable narrators will love this book.

· ISBN-13: ‎979-8228475151

· Publisher: ‎Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

· Publication date: ‎June 16, 2026

· Edition: ‎Hardcover

· Language: ‎English

· Print length: ‎371 pages

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4fv3o3j

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Monday, May 25, 2026

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Storm Warning: A Dez Limerick Thriller by James Byrne

Storm Warning (Minotaur, May 2026) by James Byrne is the latest in the very fine thriller series about Desmond Aloysius Limerick (Dez to his mates), a military veteran with unusual skills, a smart mouth, and an irresistible ability to make friends wherever he goes. He’s in New York when this book opens, learning how to cook in a high-end restaurant and enjoying life when the FBI asks him to accompany a Department of State executive, her security guard, and a hostage rescue team to a scientific research center in an isolated part of coastal Newfoundland. It seems all communications with the town and the research center have been lost and the assumption is the group is being held hostage, possibly for the sensitive information held by the multinational scientists working there. Dez’s skills as a gatekeeper are expected to be needed to enter the facility.

The night before the rescue team leaves, Dez is approached by a group of thugs who offer him cash not to go on what was supposed to be a highly secret rescue mission. He declines but worries about this open indication that someone has a vested interest in keeping the research center sequestered and has learned about their plans.

A pair of competing blizzards with the Canadian east coast as their target complicate the flight to the remote village where the center and the scientists are. The plane with the hostage rescue team falls behind and only a small group of diplomats and security guards reach their destination. Once they land, the action never stops. As with all of the books in this series, Dez is relentless in his focus and endlessly creative in achieving his goals.

He's particularly challenged here as people are not always who they seem to be, right up to the end of the book. I found my belief of who were the good guys and which ones were the bad guys was constantly undergoing revision.

Dez does have a tendency to think he knows what’s best for everyone around him. I was amused to see his arrangements for one character were politely but firmly declined, setting him back on his heels for a bit. It was no doubt a salutary experience for him.

Highly recommended! This book can be read as a stand-alone but since Dez tends to acquire friends in each adventure and take them with him from one story to the next, the reader who wants to fully understand the back story of every title should probably read the books in order.

Starred review from Publishers Weekly.

· Publisher: ‎Minotaur Books

· Publication date: ‎May 26, 2026

· Language: ‎English

· Print length: ‎400 pages

· ISBN-10: ‎1250319811

· ISBN-13: ‎978-1250319814

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4e1byiA

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

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