Book Review – Cleopatra’s Vendetta

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Avanti Centrae http://www.avanticentrae.com is the author of four novels. I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Centrae in September of 2020. Cleopatra’s Vendetta was published in 2022 and is the first novel in her Stryker Thriller series. This is the 84th book I completed in 2022.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

The primary character is Think Tank Special Ops leader Timothy Stryker, but the story begins in the time of Cleopatra. Her empire is brought down, and she dies due to the conspiracy of others. Before her death, she sets in motion a plot to destroy those that brought her down.

Stryker is in Italy with his wife, Angie, and daughter on holiday. When the women are kidnapped, Stryker uses all of his resources to find and rescue them. His investigations disclose that the group behind the kidnapping is The Sons of Adam. The ancient group is responsible for a series of assassinations. They have a reputation for having a long-standing conspiracy against women.

Stryker reaches out to his wife’s sister, Sam, to help in his search. As a CIA agent, she will have access to information. Stryker and Sam desperately search for Angie and her daughter. Meanwhile, Angie is doing what she can as a captive. Will Angie be found in time? Can Stryker and his team bring the long-standing plot initiated by Cleopatra to fruition and destroy the Sons of Adam?

I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 398-page thriller. I have now had the opportunity to read all of Ms. Centrae’s novels. The earlier ones are VanOps: The Lost Power, Solstice Shadows, and The Doomsday Medallion. In an unexpected personal connection, while the group Stryker is in is fictitious, the real Army Futures Command happens to be headquartered in Central Texas. I enjoyed this engaging story. I like the chosen cover art, it is very eye-catching. I give this novel a rating of 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Book Review – The Doomsday Medallion

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Avanti Centrae https://www.avanticentrae.com is the author of four novels. The Doomsday Medallion , the third book in his VanOps thriller series, was published in 2022. I was able to interview Ms. Centrae in September of 2020.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

Maddy Marshall has just finished her VanOps training and has joined her twin brother Will. With boyfriend and fellow VanOps agent, Bear they set about to find a 16-year-old French girl. The girl had predicted a Chinese attack in the South China Sea. With her successful prediction, which is somehow tied to Nostradamus, she is being sought by many.

The VanOps group must find her and keep her safe. The team must follow the clues to reveal the secret of Nostradamus.

I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent reading this 409-page thriller. The novel is filled with action and intrigue. I had the opportunity to read both of the previous novels (The Lost Power and Solstice Shadows) in this series. While I enjoyed both of them, I think this novel is the best of the three. While the cover art is interesting, it isn’t tied closely to the story. I give this novel a rating of 4.4 (rounded down to 4) out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).