TopShelf Magazine April 2018 | Page 29

reviews REVIEWS Political Hardcover $26.00 COULD EASILY BE THE NEXT BLOCKBUSTER HIT They’ve taken his whole life, and now he plans on taking theirs. When a SEAL team is sent on a mission into Afghanistan from higher up, something doesn’t feel right to Lt. Commander James Reese. It’s an ambush that kills sixty-eight men, including the air support called in for back up. But on the day of his homecoming, when his wife and daughter are murdered in an assassination meant for him, Reese begins to uncover a corrupt government conspiracy. They’ve trained a killer, and now the ultimate weapon is making a list to come after them. Move over Jason Bourne, there’s a new man to right the wrongs in the government, and his name is James Reese! Intelligent, resourceful, and loyal, family man Reese is an endearing protagonist you can’t help but root for. Much like a Brad Thor novel, each scene is brilliantly plotted, action-packed and filled with heart- stopping suspense. The Terminal List is a scorcher of a debut thriller that reads as if it were on the big screen, and like Lone Survivor and Shooter could easily be the next blockbuster hit. Thriller Paperback $16.99 Fiction Hardcover $28.00 T HOUGHT-PROVOKING A CHARACTER-DRIVEN STATEMENT ABOUT CURRENT- SLICE-OF-LIFE STORY Nolan and her husband, Charlie, live in a DAY SEXUAL PERMISSIVENESS Nora tightly knit New York City neighborhood of Sexting is the topic of this excellent courtroom drama. Fourteen-year-old Graylin has a nude photo of a classmate on his cell phone, and someone has tipped off the police. He didn’t take the picture; someone Snapchatted him anonymously, but he made a screenshot and now faces charges of possession of child pornography. He hasn’t distributed it or even shown it to his best friend, but if he is found guilty as charged, this straight-A student and an all-around good kid will go on record as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Abuse of Discretion makes a thought-provoking statement about current-day sexual permissiveness in advertising, movies, and television: How can we blame today’s children for accepting as normal what we have allowed to become ubiquitous in their environment? ~Rosemary Fifield, TopShelf Reviews comfortably rich people with housekeepers and a shared handyman. They all know each other, socialize at catered neighborhood events, but are not quite friends. In other words, they don’t bare their hearts to one another. Still, they care about each other, and when something happens to one, the others come to help. After nearly thirty years together, Nora and Charlie have grown apart. Their twins are graduating from college and moving on with their lives, leaving an empty nest. While Nora loves New York City life, Charlie wants to move to a warm climate where he can golf year-round. She has a job she enjoys; he’s not all that happy in his. Little things he does are starting to annoy her. He’s threatened by the possibility that she will take a new position with status greater than his. When an act of violence rocks the neighborhood, she and he see the incident very differently. Alternate Side is a character-driven slice-of-life story. ~Rosemary Fifield, TopShelf Reviews ~Kris Miller, TopShelf Reviews www.TopShelfMagazine.net TOPShelf magazine APRIL2018 29