#Thriller Mini #BookReviews | Chasing the Lion by A.J. Tata and Kill or Die by Samantha Lee Howe

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Kill or Die by Samantha Lee Howe

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Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne in the explosive second adventure of your new favourite spy thriller series…

An agent with an agenda. A killer with a conscience. A showdown that brought a global network to its knees…

For disgraced MI5 agent Michael Kensington, the events of the past year have exploded his life like a fist closing around a grenade.

For serial killer and career assassin Neva, they brutally exposed how hers had so irrevocably imploded.

She ran. He didn’t. But he refuses to give up on her.

With a power vacuum gaping at the heart of the conglomerate that almost silenced them and a deadly web of rogue operatives spinning out of control, they soon realise the fight for freedom has only just begun.

Kill or Die is the second gripping instalment in The House of Killers trilogy, an unmissable spy thriller perfect for fans of Mick Herron and David Baldacci.

Kill or Die by Samantha Lee Howe is the second book in a three-book series about a girl programmed to be an assassin from age five and the organization that did it. As a transitional story, it introduced me to many new characters that I imagine will play an essential role in the third book. These new characters took time away from Neva’s story, which I wished had not been so. Neva still intrigues me. With her programming, she is almost like a flesh and blood killer computer, but little pieces of the person she is outside the programming keep teasing me into wanting to spend more time with her, hoping that I will glean just a bit more about her. She is intricately developed with layers that have been created as the programming has broken down. I love how she is so strong, intelligent, and able to think three steps ahead of everyone else. I also love how the book ended with some unexpected twists and revelations that are as frustrating as they are jaw-dropping. I never saw them coming, and I always enjoy that. If you are looking for a new series that will give you more thrills than you could ever have hoped for. Kill or Die, and the series it is part of, is just what you want. Perfect for lovers of Jason Bourne and Killing Eve.

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Chasing the Lion by A.J. Tata

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As a child, Dariush Parizad survived Iran’s Islamic uprising, becoming a symbol of the revolution. Named The Lion of Tabas by the ayatollah himself, Parizad rose through his nation’s military to become a lethal soldier and brilliant tactical commander. Now a general, he leads Quds Force, an extremist terrorist organization targeting America and its western allies.

The United States has just uncovered a biochemical weapon, Demon Rain, developed by Parizad’s group. A psychoactive viral agent, it attacks a person’s nervous system and renders them susceptible to mind control. Parizad plans to unleash Demon Rain within Washington D. C. on Inauguration Day during the swearing in of the country’s first female president to spread fear and chaos, turning civilians into weapons.  

Assigned to stop the terrorist strike are Army Lieutenant General Garrett Sinclair and his Joint Special Operations Command team. Across the Middle East, Europe, and the U. S., Sinclair pursues Parizad only to discover a deeper conspiracy—involving a disturbing revelation that his wife may not have died from cancer but was murdered as part of a plot against the president-elect. Separated from his teammates and unsure of who he can trust, Sinclair is on a mission not only to save his country, but to avenge his family against Parizad with extreme prejudice…

Chasing the Lion by A.J. Tata is an action-packed military thriller that left me breathless. Written in a first-person POV, the story’s tone is very much in keeping with its military setting. The narration explains most military jargon throughput, which is a massive help for a non-military person like me. Colonel Garrett Sinclair, the main character, is recently widowed with two adult children, Brad and Reagan. The loss of his wife is tragic, but the current threat against the US is so complex and so evil that the military must catch the Lion of Tabas to stop the attack, and Garrett is uniquely equipped to do just that. The covid references throughout gave the story just the right touch of realism in an excitingly far-fetched tale (or at least I hope it is). There are so many twists and turns in what also turns out to be an unexpected murder mystery. I often sat with my mouth agape as I took it all in. The well-developed characters, even the villain with the detailed look at what made him the person he is now, helped to complete my buy-in and allowed me to immerse myself even deeper. If you are looking for an exciting thriller that is part murder mystery, part military thriller, and part terrorism thriller, this story will have you picking up your jaw off the floor and realizing you had no idea when it got there.