CyberStorm - Matthew Mather

CyberStorm is a novel about the consequences of technology. You might like the internet now, but wait until you read this story. This book is available through kindleunlimited.

Mike Mitchell is a network engineer. He and his wife and son live in New York City. Is it a coincidence that the weather turns nasty just as the internet seems to have problems? When the SHTF, as preppers say, Mike and his family have to struggle just to stay alive. Being dependent on technology is the Achilles heel of modern times. This is a great book right up until the end. Unfortunately the ending is weak. Still highly recommended.

Presidential Shift - C. G. Cooper

Presidential Shift is the fourth novel in the Corps Justice series. This book is available through kindleunlimited.

Cal and his group are asked to help the president uncover a leak, just as the leak becomes a flood. The first lady and the vice-president are attacked and SSI is going to find the attackers or die trying. Another great thriller. Very highly recommended.

A Lonely Resurrection - Barry Eisler

A Lonely Resurrection is the second novel in the John Rain series. This book is free with

John Rain is ready to stop killing. The trouble is he's very good at it, and people don't want him to quit. When it becomes kill or be killed you don't want to bet against John. This is another smooth thriller set in Japan. Very highly recommended.

Nemesis: Book One - David Beers

Nemesis: Book One is the first section of the Nemesis series. This book is free for the kindle.

Morena is very old. Morena's been traveling though the cold of outer space for over 50 million years. She's trying to escape the destruction of her home planet. Now she's hoping earth can be her new planet. What to do about those pesky humans.

Michael, Thera, Bryan, and Julie are high school seniors in Grayson Georgia. They're worried about what's coming, but their worries are more about college and jobs. They don't even know about Morena...yet.

This is a great science fiction story. There is suspense, danger, and some teenage angst. The angst is soon transferred from high school drama to just staying alive. Very highly recommended.

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Ready Player One is a novel about a future where the whole world escapes to a video game.

In the year 2044 there is OASIS and there is reality. As the saying goes, reality sucks. OASIS is a virtual reality escape for most humans. People work there, kids go to school there, and corporations kill people there. It's a lot like reality is some ways. Wade Watts grew up in OASIS. Wade's more comfortable in OASIS than reality. The founder of OASIS left a hidden Easter egg somewhere in OASIS before he died. Whoever finds it first gains ultimate control of OASIS. Wade is on a quest to find that egg, along with millions of other kids. He, and those who become his friends, have to find the egg before the evil IOI corporation does. This book is a hoot for anyone who's an 80's trivia buff or any kind of video gamer. It's exciting and scary and a great read. Very highly recommended.

Prime Asset - C. G. Cooper

Prime Asset is the third novel in the Corps Justice Series. This book is free for the kindle.

When it comes to technology, Neil Patel is the cyber wizard who keeps SSI in the game. Neil is SSI's head of research and development. Neil went to a technology conference in Jackson Hole Wyoming and disappeared. Now Cal and the rest of the operational team have to find Neil before it's too late. This story has plenty of action, some nasty weather, and even a grizzly bear. Very highly recommended.

The Martian - Andy Weir

The Martian is a novel about one man against nature. This time it's Martian nature. This book is awesome.

Mark Watney is an astronaut on the Ares 3 mission to Mars. Mark is the mission's botanist/mechanical engineer. It turns out these are great skills for getting stranded on a planet that's hostile to human life. Mark is going to need them.

This novel is amazing. You cry and laugh, and spend a whole lot of time holding your figurative breath. I can't even begin to understand how a movie could capture this. It couldn't. If you just go see the movie made from this book, you're cheating yourself out of a fantastic read. Very highly recommended.

Council of Patriots - C. G. Cooper

Council of Patriots is the second novel in the Corp Justice Series. This book is free for the kindle.

Cal Stokes and his SSI team are about to be tested again. Blackmail is the game and the goal is the overthrow of the current administration and the rise of Japan. This is another action filled thriller. Very highly recommended.

Small Magics - Ilona Andrews

Small Magics is a collection of five stories. It serves as a great introduction to the author's work.

In the world that Andrews writes about, magic and technology don't mix. When magic started to intrude at regular intervals, some people became powerful predators and others became scared prey. These stories are about the people who have magic. Some are villains and some are heroes, but they are all interesting. I particularly liked Of Swine and Roses. Talk about the worst date ever. Very highly recommended.

The Heretic - Joseph Nassise

The Heretic is the first novel in the Templar Chronicles series. This book is free for the kindle.

Cade Williams commands Echo Team, one of six elite combat units in the Knights Templar. These combat teams are the Catholic version of SWAT. When evil starts to attack Knights Templar locations in search of something, Cade's team is given the task of finding and stopping them. This story is full of supernatural action. Good guys and bad guys have some special powers. The question is who comes out on top. Highly recommended.

The Mentor - Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli

The Mentor is a murder mystery that spans decades and ultimately comes down to revenge. This is a free Amazon Prime book for October.

Eric Shaw is Scotland Yard's chief forensics detective. Eric rescued a young seven year old girl after her whole family was brutally murdered. None of the attackers were every caught. But that was twenty years ago. Now Eric is pursuing a killer who seems to be parroting the killings in that attack. Who and why are the questions he and his team are trying to answer.

This book is good, but it's so confusing I'm still now sure who all the characters are. To top that off, the ending is weak at best. Still, I recommend the book since I got it free.

Hopcross Jilly - Patricia Briggs

Hopcross Jilly is a complete graphic novel from the Mercy Thompson Collection. I recommend reading on a color tablet instead of a kindle.

Mercy and Adam discover the bodies of long dead children while they're out running with the pack. The bodies are old, but the police are pursuing the investigation.

Jesse Hauptman is Adam's daughter and Mercy's step-daughter. The kids from school aren't always kind to Jesse. Especially since the werewolves came out, and Jesse's Dad is the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. Finding the mystery child killer becomes more urgent when kids begin to go missing from Jesse's school. The ending is much too predictable, but the story is still good.

I'm not a big fan of graphic novels. Nothing about this one has changed my mind. I much prefer to let my imagination conjure up the locations, heroes, and villains that words in a novel paint. I was just desperate for a Briggs fix. Recommended, but you have to read/view this on a color tablet. A kindle doesn't do it justice.

Abducted - T.R. Ragan

Abducted is the first novel in the Lizzy Gardner series. No cliff hangers though. Just a good ending.

When a serial killer called Spiderman was killing teenage girls, Lizzy Gardner was the one who got away. Now Lizzy is determined to help women protect themselves from the kind of predator who kidnapped her. But Spiderman was never caught and Lizzy has spent her whole life waiting. Now is the time. Spiderman is back, and Lizzy is his target. This time she's ready. Very highly recommended.

Shifting Shadows - Patricia Briggs

Shifting Shadows is an collection of stories from the world of Mercy Thompson. That would be a world with shape shifters, vampires, fae, and other magic creatures.

There are ten short stories and two outtakes, as Briggs calls them, in this collection. They're all excellent. Be warned. There may be some spoilers if you haven't been keeping up with Briggs books. Shame on you if not. I suggest reading Silver, the first short story in the collection, and then skipping to the first outtake from Silver Borne. You should be pleased. Make sure you go back and read all the stories though. They're all a pleasure. Very highly recommended.

Pale Queen Rising - A. R. Kahler

Pale Queen Rising is the first novel in the Pale Queen series. This could be the start of another great adult fantasy series.

Claire is an assassin. The Winter Kingdom Faerie Queen's assassin to be precise. Claire is also the Faerie Queen's only daughter. When the kingdom is in danger, Claire gets to kill. Claire has some serious work to do, since the kingdom's supply of dream is drying up. Someone is to blame and they're Claire's next job. This is an interesting take on the fae fantasy, and filled with action and suspense. There is a bit more soap opera than I prefer. Still highly recommended.