Kahlil

Kahlil by Yasmina Khadra takes readers into the mind of a suicide bomber. 

Kahlil is twenty-three years old. He grew up in Brussels. As part of a group, he will detonate a suicide vest at the Stade de France.

When he pushed the button, nothing happens. Now alone in Paris - a city he has never been to before - he must escape and explain that the belt must be faulty. He is most worried about what the leaders of the group will think of him.

One friend dead, one good friend left, a twin sister who keep trying to talk to him and an estranged family, Kahlil does not know what to do next. 

Khadra is a powerful storyteller. Years ago, I read his novel The Attack and it is still one of the most heartbreaking main characters I have read. He is an incredible writer. 

Khadra, Yasmina. (2021). Kahlil. New York: Double Day.

Out of Time

Out of Time by David Klass is an environmental thriller.

Green Man is a terrorist who is committing acts in the name of waking people up to climate change and the fact that soon it will be too late to make the changes that may keep the Earth inhabitable. 

Each target is a threat to the environment. Once the attack happens a letter is sent to the media explaining why that industry must change. 

Tom Smith is a young FBI agent who finds patterns. He is assigned to the task force searching for Green Man. 

This is a great thriller. Klass has written a fast-paced ride. 

Klass, David. (2020). Out of Time. New York: Dutton.

House of Spies (Gabriel Allon #17)

House of Spies by Daniel Silva is the seventeenth book featuring Gabriel Allon, a Mossad agent who was first recruited after the terror at the Berlin Olympics. Since then he has been a top agent who wants nothing more than to be a paint restorer and spend quiet time with his family. If only the world would allow it.

Gabriel is now the head of the office. Most chiefs stay in Jerusalem and run things from a desk. But Gabriel has a personal reason to need to catch the ISIS terrorist calling himself Saladin. One of his bomb killed a friend in Paris. Gabriel will join his team in Europe to track any trace of the terror mastermind.

Christopher Keller, ex-SAS, will give the team a criminal element needed to catch a criminal. Keller has been living in Corsica working for a mafia don and has connections to the underside of Europe.

Silva is an amazing writer who grabs readers with the first paragraph. His characters are compelling, his plots sometimes a bit too close to our current reality, and his twists and turns are the work of a master planner. Anyone who likes to read needs to read a Daniel Silva book. Start at the beginning with The Kill Artist or read his stand along spy masterpiece TheUnlikely Spy.

Silva, Daniel. (2017). House of Spies. New York: Harper.

The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon #16)

The Black Widow by Daniel Silva is the 16th book his series featuring Gabriel Allon.

Gabriel Allon was recruited years ago, first being called to hunt down the member of a group who killed 11 Israelis at the Munich Olympics. Since then he has done many things for the state of Israel. Gabriel wishes the world were a place where he could be a painter or an art restorer full time.

Now, as he is about to take over the office, Gabriel is sent to Paris in the wake of a terrorist attack that has killed one of his friends. His hand-picked team will follow clues around the work to find the man behind the attack. The trail will lead them to some very dangerous places in the world and end in a place we hope terrorists never reach.

Silva has created an amazing character in Gabriel Allon. This series is fast-paced, intelligent and addictive. If you have not read it, start at the beginning. I will read anything he ever publishes!

Silva, Daniel. (2016). The Black Widow. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Zero Day

Zero Day by Jan Gangsei combines intrigue, espionage, politics, terrorism, and more in a story about a kidnapped girl.

When Adele Webster was eight years old she was kidnapped. Right out of the Virginia governor's mansion. She has been missing for eight years.

Her father, now President Webster, has followed every lead or clue to find her. Now, a young woman has been found at a truck stop in Pennsylvania claiming to be Addie. She says she was kept in a lock room for most of her time with the couple who took her.

Once DNA confirms her identity, Addie has the challenge of settling into "normal" life in the White House. Her mother is, of course, thrilled she is home. Her younger sister is not home and no one will tell her where she is. And Addie has a sister who was born after she was taken.

Darrow, Addie's childhood best friend, has blamed himself for her kidnapping. If he had realized something was wrong and she wasn't just made at him, maybe she would have been found right away. This guilt has shaped him. Now that Addie is home, he just wants to be around her again.

But Addie has a secret. And a National Security Advisor will do anything he can to keep an eye on her until he is sure she is not a threat to the president.

Gangsei has written a great, fast-paced book. It is the perfect summer read.

Gangsei, Jan. (2016). Zero Day. New York: Hyperion.

Reasonable Doubt

Reasonable Doubt by Carson Taite follows an investigation into a potential person of interest after a terrorist attack.

Ellery Durant is a former criminal defense attorney. She left the law a few months ago and now spends her time making furniture. She does not miss the life she had. And her furniture is starting to be noticed in the Dallas art/design scene.

Sarah Flores is changing departments in the FBI. She has had enough of the Behavioral Analysis Unit and the serial killers she helped catch. She is moving to Dallas to work in the fraud department. She will not only have a less gruesome job, but she will have time for a social life.


A few days after meeting by chance in the courthouse, Ellery and Sarah are both at a fund raiser when a bomb goes off in the sports stadium near by. While most people run away from the chaos, both Sarah and Ellery run to see if they can help. It is a sight that reminds Sarah why she changed positions and one that leaves Ellery haunted with nightmares.

After a few frustrating days where most agents in the FBI are looking for suspects in the bombing, someone finds a paper trail that points to a potential lead. Search warrants are issued - one of them to search the former law office of a Ellery Durant. While Sarah is sure there must be a mistake, she finds her job once again interfering with a potential social life.

Taite has written an FBI / legal romance with two great characters. I will be reading all of her other books.

Taite, Carson. (2015). Reasonable Doubt. Valley Falls, NY: Bold Strokes Books.

The English Spy (Gabriel Allon #15)

The English Spy by Daniel Silva is the fifteenth book in his Gabriel Allon suspense / espionage series. Allon is an Israeli Mossad agent, though he has wanted to retire for years and keeps being pulled back in to take care of problems.

The death of an English princess sets off a series of investigations that quickly lead the head of MI-6 to conclude that there are only two men capable of capturing (or killing) the man responsible.  Graham Seymour meets with the head of the Office, Israeli's version of MI-6, and gets approval to contact Gabriel Allon.

Gabriel is about to become a father. His wife is about to give birth to twins. The last thing Gabriel wants is to hunt down an assassin - and one of the world's foremost bomb makers. But Gabriel does what needs to be done both to protect the innocent and to settle old debts.With the help of an ex-SAS officer who has turned assassin, Gabriel will hunt down the Real IRA bomber.

Silva is a masterful story teller. He is a brilliant writer. His books are fast-paced with realistic characters we hope are in the world protecting us. Start the Gabriel Allon series at the beginning with The Kill Artist. Or start with his WWII espionage masterpiece, An Unlikely Spy. You will  not be disappointed!

Silva, Daniel. (2015). The English Spy. New York: Harper.

Show of Force

Show of Force by AJ Quinn is the story an a Navy pilot and a foreign correspondent who fall in love.

Tate McKenna is a US journalist living in Bahrain. She is currently covering the Secretary of State's tour of the Middle East.

Commander Evan Kane, US Navy pilot of the F-18A is stationed on the USS Nimitz currently in the Middle East. She will be attending a US Embassy event scheduled for the Secretary of State's visit.

When Tate sees Evan across the room she is instantly intrigued. When she sees her ask the Secretary of State to dance and they waltz like dance instructors, she is amazed. What woman would have chutzpah to ask the highest ranking woman in the US to dance - and in a region not known for its gay rights.

It isn't until she is completely hooked that Tate finds out that Evan is the Secretary's daughter. And while it could make her job uncomfortable, she has to take a chance.

Quinn has written a suspense novel with military action, two great characters, a homicidal terrorist in a fast-paced read that fans will devour.

Quinn, A.J. (2013). Show of Force. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

The Heist (Gabriel Allon #14)

The Heist by Daniel Silva is the fourteen book in his series featuring Gabriel Allon - an Israeli spy and art restorer.

After being in the field much longer than he wished to be and giving up on being able to retire from service to his country and spend time restoring paintings, Gabriel Allon has agreed to take over the Office. In the free time he has left, he has taken a job in Venice restoring an alter in a church. But like all of his free time, it is interrupted.

General Ferarri of the Carabinieri's Art Squad informs Gabriel that he has arrested a friend. Art dealer Julian Isherwood was on a trip to Lake Como to evaluate a painting for sale. When he arrived, the man he was to meet had been murdered. Isherwood is in custody until Gabriel vouches for him and agrees to take the job finding a stolen painting.

Gabriel will travel through out Europe and back to Israel to try to find a stole Caravaggio - that has been missing since 1969. Along the way, he will discover other missing paintings, and come up with a plan to find the person using stolen art to build a nest egg.

Allon is an amazing character who you will want on your side and in charge of your safety. He is one of the best spies ever written. Start the series at the beginning!

Silva, Daniel (2014). The Heist. New York: HarperCollins.

Blackout (Blackout #1)

Blackout by Robison Wells is the first book in his series of the same name about a future virus that causes teens to develop powers.

Aubrey Parsons was never popular before she started hanging out with Nicole. Now she seems popular. But really she is Nicole's spy. Aubrey somehow developed the ability to become invisible. At the prom she is sent to spy on a boy Nicole likes when Aubrey notices soldiers surrounding the site. She keeps hidden as the rest of the teens are rounded up and put on a bus.

After the dance, exhausted from being invisible for far longer than normal, she has collapsed near the dance floor when Jack Cooper finds her. He was watching the dance from up the hill. Though he is a student it is his to clean up after the dance. 

Jack and Aubrey try to avoid the soldiers and make it back to Aubrey's home only to be turned in to the Army by her father. All teens in Utah are being rounded up and taken to a base for testing. They say a virus has caused some teens to develop dangerous powers - powers the Army wants to use to fight the terrorists who have been attacking sites all over the United States - terrorists who are also teens.

Blackout is an exciting young adult novel of great and terrible powers. The main characters are compelling and readers will impatiently await the next book.

Wells, Robison. (2013). Blackout. New York: HarperTeen.

The Target (Will Robie #3)

The Target by David Baldacci is the third book in his Will Robie series about a CIA agent and assassin.

Will Robie is arguably the best agent in the CIA, so is Jessica Reel. They are the two agents who are sent into impossible situations and have a change of coming home. But the assignment they are about to be sent on may be a suicide mission.

When the President of the United States receives intel that one of the most anti-US world leaders is in a vulnerable position, he must decided whether to act illegally and change the world landscape for the better. But if the mission fails, he will likely be impeached.

As they prepare for their assignment, elements from Reel's past surface to put them in more danger. A man on death row will plot a murder from his hospital bed. And fans will catch up with Julie Getty and super agent Vance.

Baldacci is a master storyteller. Will Robie is a commendable character with a terrible job. Great series.

Baldacci, David. (2014). The Target. New York: Grand Central Publishing.

I,Q: The Alamo (IQ #4)

I,Q: The Alamo by Roland Smith and Michael P. Spradlin is the forth book in the IQ series which follows new siblings Q and Angela as they travel the US on their parent's tour bus - and track a ghost cell that wants to terrorize the United States.

Q (short for Quest) and his brand new step-sister Angela are being pulled out of school to go with their parents on a tour of the US. There parents have both worked in the music industry for years, but teaming up together put then at the top of the charts. The year is supposed to be spent learning about the history of the US from their tour bus. But almost immediately, they were followed. And now they are in the midst of stopping a terror group.

After leaving Kitty Hawk, Q and Angela make their way toward San Antonio, Texas for the next big concert their parents are giving. Their parents will meet them on the way after a benefit for hurricane victims. Q and Angela travel with Boone, head roadie and super-spy, and his team of (semi)retired spies.

For some reason, the targets they keep finding out about seem to coincide with the concert tour. Q and Angela will continue to help the team on their way to Chicago in the next book.

Smith, Roland and Michael Spradlin. (2013). The Alamo. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.

Outlaw (Robin Monarch #2)

Outlaw by Mark Sullivan is the second book in his series featuring Robin Monarch, an ex-Special Forces and ex-CIA agent and master thief.

Now retired, Robin Monarch is asked to meet with the President of the United States. He is flown on a military jet to Washington, D.C. where he is told that the Secretary of State has been kidnapped along with the foreign ministers of China and India. The three were meeting in secret on an oil carrier in the South China Sea.Monarch is being hired to find them.

Working with a Chinese Ministry of State Security agent and an Indian National Investigations Agency operative, Monarch will track clues all over Asia. Once word is out, they will have only a few days before the three captives are either rescued or assassinated live on the Internet.

Sullivan's character, Robin Monarch, could be compared to many other character in the genres of suspense, thriller or espionage, but I find him more compelling than most. He has not only the skills to get the job done, his heart is in the right place. His background makes him more compassionate and likable. Fans will hope for a whole slew of books featuring Robin Monarch.

Sullivan, Mark. (2013). Outlaw. New York: Minotaur Books.

The Assassin (Grafton and Carmellini #3)

The Assassin by Stephen Coonts is the third book in his series featuring Jake Grafton and Tommy Carmellini.

After his son is killed in Iraq, a high up political official contacted the president and asked him if there wasn't a back channels way to go after terrorist. He and his group of friends would gladly supply the money if the president could point him toward the expertise. So the president called Jake Grafton - retired Navy Admiral now working for the CIA.

While highly unorthodox (aka illegal) a team is set up to track the active terrorists of al Qaeda, including the leader Abu Qasim who escaped a botched G-8 meeting attack in France due to the interference of Grafton and Carmellini. Now teams of ex-special forces snipers are taking out high ranking terrorists. But Qasim will soon find out where this new threat is originating and who is in charge.Soon Qasim will be after Grafton, Carmellini and the seven financial backer of the group tracking him.

Coonts writes high stakes thrillers with the best of them. And Carmellini, a relaxed CIA sanctioned burglar, teamed up with a no nonsense Admiral will have the bad guys running for cover. These books are intense but light reads that will eat up a subway commute.

Coonts, Stephen. (2008). The Assassin. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Stealing from the Dead

Stealing from the Dead by A.J. Zerries is a mystery that combines history, terrorism, murder, a great NYPD detective and a retired CIA agent to lead readers through an intricate, thrilling story of a scam to cheat Holocaust survivors of their right to reclaim funds hidden from them by Swiss banks.

Detective Greta Strasser is in her nineteenth year in the NYPD. Her boss is counting down the days and making sure to make each one as bad as he can. So when Strasser finds inconsistencies with a heart attack in an older Jewish woman, she is told to stop seeing what is not there. But Greta does not give up that easily - it is why she is a good cop.

Then, one late night when she gets back to her Brooklyn apartment, she is approached by an older man. At first she is suspicious - she has had a rough week. But soon he convinces her to trust him. He is an ex-CIA agent (though strictly desk work) who has been following a pattern of supposed heart attacks in older Jewish people whose names appear on a list. The list is of people whose parents or grandparents opened a bank account to try to keep their money safe during World War II. At the end of the war, anyone who attempted to reclaim one of these numbered accounts was told it did not exist. But after years of battle, the Swiss banks have to make the funds available to any living relatives of the men who opened them.

It seems that someone is killing the people who appear on the list. Some person or group is filing out the paperwork and then killing the relative so he/they can claim the funds. And the funds have been traced to an account the funds terrorism against Israel.

Zerries has written a fascinating tale that will capture readers of many genres with this great read. Check it out today. Then join me in hoping Greta Strasser has more books in the future.

Zerries, AJ. (2012). Stealing from the Dead. New York: Forge.

The Traitor (Grafton and Carmellini #2)

The Traitor by Stephen Coonts is the second book in his Grafton and Carmellini series featuring a CIA breaking and entering specialist and a retired Navy admiral.

Carmellini has been given a new assignment by his new boss, retired Navy Admiral Jake Grafton. He is to go to Paris undercover and help ensure the safety of the President at the G8 summit in two weeks. But Carmellini's job is not security, it is to spy on the head of the DGSE - France's intelligence service.

Somehow Henri Rodet, the head of the DGSE and the person responsible for the safety of all of the world leaders coming to France for the summit, helped stop a terrorist attack. But the only way he would have had access to the information would be to have a mole in the upper ranks of Al Queda.


Carmellini is lovable and capable, if sometimes he leaps before thinking. He is a great character who is guided both by instinct and Jake Grafton, who always has more information that he is willing to share. This is a fun, action-packed series.

Coonts, Stephen. (2006). The Traitor. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks.

The Hit (Will Robie #2)

The Hit by David Baldacci is the second book in his Will Robie series. Robie is a CIA assassin and sniper. He, and others in his division, are tasked with taking out the most notorious criminals in the world.

The only other agent equal to his skill is Jessica Reel. They trained together at one point, but the life of an assassin is a solitary one. Now Robie has been told to bring Jessica Reel in - dead or alive.

Reel has killed one of their own - an analyst at the CIA. Though analyst covers many job descriptions, his was to coordinate hits via satellite the shooter risked his or her life to pull it off and then escape. This killing makes the higher ups think that Reel has gone rogue.

And Reel knows that Robie will be sent to track her down. While he is studying her file, she is learning everything she can about him. The result is the two most skilled killers chasing each other around the East coast.

Baldacci created a great character with Will Robie. Now he has added a second character to bring things to an all new and stress-producing level for readers. Great series!

Baldacci, David. (2013). The Hit. New York: Grand Central Publishing.

Ice Cold Kill

Ice Cold Kill by Dana Haynes is his first book about Daria Gibron who was introduced in Breaking Point, part of his series featuring a NTSB crash investigation team. Gibron is ex-Shim Bet (Israeli Security Force) and has worked with the FBI and DEA since moving to the United States.

Daria Gibron has set herself up as a translator. She speaks more languages than most and it gives her cover for some more covert jobs. After an altercation in Los Angeles she decides to take a relaxing job in Costa Rica. But her afternoons of swimming and laying in the sun are cut short by a message on her private website. And old friend and colleague is asking for a meeting in New York, and says it is a matter of life and death.

All US intelligence agencies get a warning that there is about to be an attempt on the life of the President. And the suspects are meeting in New York. One is a Syrian assassin and spy, Khalid Belhadj. And the other is Daria Gibron.

Now every law enforcement group in the country will be on the look out for Gibron. While she has no idea what she is about to walk into, she should not be underestimated. She has the training and survival skills to face anything.

Haynes can write suspense with the best. His book will grab you and not let go. And Gibron is a great character. Though it is not necessary to read the Crashers book first, there is some back-story in them. Daria Gibron is a great read alike for Jack Reacher fans.

Haynes, Dana. (2013). Ice Cold Kill. New York: Minotaur Books.

I, Q: Kitty Hawk (IQ #3)

Kitty Hawk by Roland Smith is his third book in the IQ series about siblings - Q and Angela - who are on the road with their parents for a year. They are supposed to be learning about US history as they travel through the states, but they are also learning about terrorism.

Q and Angela have only been siblings for a short time. Angela's dad married Q's mom and they have a hit single on the charts which lead them to decide to take the kids on the road while they tour. But there is more to their travels than they first thought. Angela's mother was a Secret Service agent killed in the line of duty - or so Angela thought.

Q and Angela, along with their driver/roadie who is an undercover spy, have been pulled into a web of terrorism and espionage. Angela's mother is undercover trying to infiltrate a ghost cell that is terrorizing the US. Between the skills Angela learned from her mother and Q's magician tricks, they are a great help in uncovering a plot against the President's daughter.

And when the President's daughter is kidnapped by Angela's mother - Q and Angela are part of the team that tracks the SUV holding them in order to get information and then get them out. But things never go according to plan...

Smith has created a great James Bond / Spy Kids like series that is fast paced (the first three books take place within the same week) and will attract readers from grade 3 through adult. Read the first one today!

Smith, Roland. (2012). I,Q: Kitty Hawk. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.

Able One

Able One by Ben Bova is a thrill ride from page one to the last word - not surprising considering how many of his books have won awards.

ABL-1 is a Boeing 747 outfitted with a high powered laser that - in theory - can shoot missiles out of the sky before they can land on their targets. It is still in the test phase. And after an explosion in an earlier prototype, they have been exiled to an airbase in Alaska for tests far from civilians.

When the North Koreans launch a satellite into orbit, analysts in the United States are surprised at their technology - North Korea is not known for its accuracy with missile launches. Then, when all civilian and non-hardened satellites lose power it appears that the launch was not of a satellite of their own, but a weapon that disabled most the world's GPS, Internet, TV and Cellphone networks.

With two more missiles sitting on a launch pad in North Korea, ABL-1, or Able One, just went from a training flight to an understaffed mission to save the US from a potential nuclear missile strike. With the President on his way to San Francisco to give a speech, he is counting on both the inability of North Korea to have the technology to reach him and of Able One to stop any incoming threats.

Bova has created a tense situation for both the technicians and Air Force on the plane and the government team in conference. As launch begins to look eminent, analysts hope that they can prevent a potential world-wide nuclear war. Techs on the plane fight to get their laser up to speed and get into position to - hopefully - be able to help out. Great technological thriller.

Bova, Ben. (2010). Able One. New York: Tor.