Family Money: a thriller suspense with lies, secrets and a fight to the truth

Family Money by Chad Zunker is a thriller suspense as one man’s secrets put his family in danger. Alex Mahan is happily married to his high school sweetheart, Taylor. With two beautiful daughters, a great home and a thriving business, Alex even enjoys the support of his in-laws especially his father in law, Joe. However, his world is turned upside down when Joe is abducted and killed during a family trip to Mexico. As executor of Joe’s estate, Alex goes through his finances and he realizes some things aren’t adding up. The more he investigates, the deeper the mystery becomes. It seems the man they knew, loved and trusted was not who they thought he was. As Alex continues to dig into Joe’s secrets, a threat lurks in the shadows and with every lie uncovered, Alex and his family are more and more in danger. 

I am new to Chad Zunker’s books and while described as a thriller suspense, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I don’t normally read this genre. From the opening chapter, I was intrigued by the mystery of who Joe truly was and why he had so many secrets, dangerous secrets. I took in every detail as Alex uncovered secret after secret and hooked until the very end as Alex fights to protect those he loves. Alex was an enjoyable character and one readers will want to root for and see through to the end. Family Money reads a lot like a thriller spy movie. The story’s elements were a bit far-fetched, like most spy movies are, but I still enjoyed the story and closed the final page with satisfaction. If you enjoy a thriller suspense story, I recommend Family Money. 

Family Money is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

A Woman of Intelligence: a 1950s spy story

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe is a spy novel set in the early 1950s as the Red Scare takes hold of the nation. Katharina “Rina” Edgeworth is a born and bred New Yorker. She has married the ideal husband, the talented pediatric surgeon, two sons, a Fifth Avenue address, high society parties. To the outside world, she has the perfect life. But appearances can be deceiving. As the daughter of immigrants, Ivy-League educated and speaking four languages, as a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, she was recruited as a translator at the newly formed United Nations. She devotes her days to the promise of world peace and her nights to the promise of a good time. But life as a wife and mother, Rina feels trapped in a gilded cage and she is desperate to escape. One fateful day, she is approached by the FBI to be an informant. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy and the FBI has tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate his inner circle. Enter Rina, the perfect woman for the job. Can she navigate the demands of the FBI, secrets and keep her everyday life safe and secret? 

A Woman of Intelligence is described with the “fast-paced twists of a classic spy thriller, and the nuanced depiction of female experience” and “shimmers with intrigue and desire.” I can say it failed to live up to this description. Maybe I’m not familiar enough with spy thrillers, not my usual genre, but the story was anything but fast-paced. The references to the Cold War events as they happened was interesting as the McCarthy hearings were headline news at the time. Rina was a very hard woman to care for. She whined and complained more than anything else. There were too many comments about the socialites and the fashion of the day, then the spy intrigue. The author tries to show how underappreciated the stay at home moms were, and often still are today, however, it did not improve my opinion of Rina. I can appreciate that the author wanted to show a woman who is more than just a wife and mother. Overall, I enjoyed A Woman of Intelligence, it just was not as exciting as I expected. If you are a fan of Karin Tanabe, you may enjoy A Woman of Intelligence. 

A Woman of Intelligence is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. 

Adobe Gold: a spy novel sent in 1861 American Southwest

Abode Gold by Robert C. Mowry is the first book in the Stone Justice series. The story is about Colonel Tyrone Rafter who was left for dead in Mexico on a secret mission for the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. He was captured, tortured and left for dead. When he lost his leg in a Mexican prison and when he finally escapes, he learns that his wife and his country has been told he was dead. His wife remarried and he now has no home to return to.

The story opens with Tyrone Rafter in Mexican cantina. He is known as the El Pata Fantasma (the Phantom Leg). It’s been fifteen years since he left on a rescue mission into Mexico when he learns that his wife has died. He decides to reclaim his son and his life. He journeys to Washington D.C. where he meets with his old friend, newly elected President, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln convinces him to talk one last mission into the New Mexico Territory, undercover as a traveling preacher, Justin P. Stone. He must find a stash of gold before the Confederate troops do. Will someone recognize him? Will he find his son? Will he learn who betrayed him in Mexico? Will he be able to find the gold and restore his name?

Abode Gold is a great adventure story with twists and turns. With a great historical backdrop of the early days of the Civil War and the often forgotten battles fought in the Southwest, this story will take the reader on a journey through the dangerous game of spies. I enjoyed the journey of Tyrone as he becomes the preacher and navigates the sides of a divided country at war. I want to finish the series and see where Tyrone’s adventure takes him. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great adventure story with the twists and turns of a great spy novel.

Adobe Gold is available on

Amazon for the Kindle for $3.99 

And in paperback for $13.95