Tom ThreadgillCritiques

When I signed up to review this book I thought it would be sad, suspenseful, enjoyable, and maybe have a little romance.
From flipping through the last bit of the book trying to get into it I found out I was right … Do you hear the "but" yet? Because it is there.
BUT the lead lady, Amara, is divorced, now I know that for the reasons she's divorced are okay according to the Bible, cheating and all, I just can't read it. It is so cliche, and sickening. So, I am not going to finish the book since there are so so many suspense that I'd found lately where the main lady is divorced and it is quickly getting old.
Sad.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I was sorely tempted to give up on Network of Deceitafter 100 pages, but I stuck it out, reading a couple of chapters at a time. The thin murder mystery plot lacks the intrigue and complexity needed to sustain the novel. Threadgill supplements it with numerous scenes focusing on homicide detective Amara Alvarez’s extended family. But her family is not particularly interesting, and the scenes focusing on her family are uninteresting. The identity of the murderer is surprising, but by that time, I didn’t particularly care. I was just happy to be done with the book½

Second in a series & second in the Winter series I‘ve read and I find them to be very good. In this one, we know from the start who the serial killer is. The question is how many will he kill before the fbi finds him. Well written & edited. I will continue with the series when I can.

Really good thriller with twists and turns. Enjoyed it.

Gruesome murder mystery, serial killer, spanning several states with game lands and parks, the killer takes the heads and hands with a happenstance of linking the killings. Search by an FBI agent and local cop looking for the link ends up in an unlikely small community when a part of the jaw is found during a missing person search

How far will he go to have his revenge?

When the fingers of dead women start showing up in the Supreme Court’s mail, ex-FBI Agent Jeremy Winter is brought back to the Bureau to aid in the investigation. Agent Maggie Keeley, his girlfriend and now boss, leads the search for the serial killer. Together, Jeremy and Maggie learn the five remaining cities on the murderer’s list, but they have no idea when the killer will strike or whom he will target.

When they stumble upon a clue at the scene of a young woman’s death, the case focuses on an abandoned ramshackle home in sparsely populated west Texas. As the FBI closes in, the ante is upped in ways no one could have imagined, forcing Jeremy to choose between justice and revenge.

It is a very enjoyable read. The turning point for the story was on Page 116. Kept you guessing throughout the book. I have read four of his books and can't wait to read more.

“Save me Mom” When a woman receives this text from her son who was killed in a bus accident, she enlists Amara Alavarez, an ambitious cop, to investigate. Read my full review at Booktrib.com.

The first book of his to read. As of Page 187, it was a page-turner. Have purchased four of his books.

New to this author. Excellent read. Lots of suspense leading up to the final chapter.

FBI man Jeremy Winter, struggling with his desk job, helps an old friend look for his missing ex-wife. Mason, a farmer who creates a maize maze for Halloween, loves to kill. Can Winter find him before he kills again? An excellent audiomystery. First in a series I might be willing to try again!

I read Network of Deceit first as it was an ARC from LT and Revell publishing. I really enjoyed it! And today, just finished Collision of Lies and loved it! Really like Amara Alvarez as a kick-ass cop! And the funny and sort of surprising thing is that she was created by a male author. She is a wee bit obsessed with workouts but she can take out a bad guy with a roundhouse and that is super cool to me. There were laugh out loud moments and omd no moments but just could not wait to get back to the story. I got my city's library to buy this series and they are in demand! I can't wait till the next book!½

New author for me. Was intrigued to see what this first book was about. Saw his interview on "Your Morning". I purchased all three of the Jeremy Winter Series. I enjoyed this thriller which kept me wanting more with each page. How he develops the serial killer character is very interesting. There are many surprises with each chapter. I highly recommend this book.

Title: Network of Deceit (Amara Alvarez #2)
Author: Tom Threadgill
Pages: 384
Year: 2021
Publisher: Revell
My rating: 5 put pf 5 stars
The main character is introduced in the novel Collision of Lies, which I highly recommend! Tom Threadgill weaves suspense-filled tales that will definitely keep readers burning the midnight oil to finish! In Network of Deceit, Detective Amara Alvarez is looking for the person responsible for a teen’s death while also facing hard family news. The clues are few and the list of suspects is quite long. While trying to find something concrete to back up her gut instinct, she has to keep the case from going cold. A fellow detective named Starksy is interested in dating Alvarez but is afraid of ruining their friendship not to mention making working together difficult if things go south.
I don’t know if I could choose which one of the two books thus far are better because they both are wonderful tales. The ending in this tale was a surprise, and it left some questions about the why of who did the crime unanswered. The only negative part for me was having a character suffering from cancer. It’s as if authors don’t know what other ailments folks suffer with, and those of us who have been beside others who suffered find reading it in a book quite hard. I noticed too very little references to anything regarding the faith or beliefs of the characters.
If you are looking for a high-octane ride and a story that will leave you looking for the author’s next book, here it is! It is an outstanding story, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Detective Alvarez!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.

Amara Alvarez is a homicide detective in Texas. A teen boy is found dead in a water park, and Amara has to figure out why and how. This story deals with hackers and is pretty engaging, but Amara is kind of unlikeable, and is hard to sympathize with.

Dead of Winter is the second book in Tom Threadgill’s Jeremy Winter Thriller series. After the dramatic conclusion to his last FBI case, Jeremy Winter is trying to figure out what to do with his retirement. But a serial killer starts to send dismembered fingers to Supreme Court justices, and Jeremy is called back as a consultant on the case. Along with his girlfriend, FBI agent Maggie Keeley, Jeremy is trying to get one step ahead of an illusive killer. Dead of Winter is again a creep-inducing thriller. The author does a great job of getting inside the murderer’s head. This time religion is mixed up in the motivations. Jeremy is not a believer and Maggie has just a basic understanding of Christian thoughts. It was interesting to see Jeremy puzzling out what the killer was trying to accomplish. While that is the main plot, a subplot introduced in book 1 continues to follow Jeremy and complicate his life. Revenge is a predominant theme, and Jeremy comes to the brink of exacting it without regard to justice. It will be interesting to see this character’s development in the third book of the series, Winter’s Fury.

Dead of Winter is a dark look into what motivates people. If you are a fan of Steven James or Criminal Minds, I think you will like this book. Be sure to read book 1, Coming of Winter, first though.

Recommended.

Audience: adults

(This audiobook was included in my Audible subscription. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

After proving herself with the Cotulla case as told in Collision of Lies, tough as nails but endearing Amara Alvarez has moved to the Homicide Division. Her first real case will prove a challenge as will fitting in with her seasoned colleagues. The case of Zachary Coleman, a teen who turned up dead at a water park, has quite a few puzzling aspects. Amara is an independent an savvy cop, but she knows when to ask for help. From the title and the cover, it is clear the case involves cyber crime. But this case has more twists and turns , so Amara has to focus on certain clues.
Jeremiah *Starsky* Peckham is an ally in the squad room and offers his help, although Amara usually opts to go it alone. The relationship Starsky and Amara began in Collision of Lies goes a step further here. It was fun and a welcome break from the tenseness of the case to experience their banter. We get another peek at the Alvarez family and how they pull together in a crisis.
I learned a lot about cyber crime and how the police deal with it. This was a real page turner and hard to put down. I liked it for its realistic characters, quick pace and excellent research. I would consider this a clean read, although some characters are Christian.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell on behalf of the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*

I read Tom Threadgill’s books that feature homicide detective Amara Alvarez and was hooked. When I learned that he had several previous novels and two were included in my Audible subscription, I couldn’t pass them up. Coming of Winter is the first book in the Jeremey Winter Thriller series. Darker than the other two books I had read by Threadgill, this novel focuses on a serial killer. The reader knows who the murderer is early on, and the author really gets into his head. It is a fascinating and decidedly disturbing look into motivations and justifications. FBI agent Jeremy Winter stumbles onto the case and a kind of cat and mouse game begins. Jeremy is an interesting character. FBI for years, he had a traumatic experience in Afghanistan that affects him physically and emotionally. A figure from his past arrives on the scene complicating his forward journey to normal. That loose end continues into book 2. Jeremy’s relationship with fellow FBI agent, Maggie Keeley, is also a great subplot. I listened to the audiobook which I think increased the creep-factor for me. Hearing the killer’s voice made me shiver a bit.

I liked Coming of Winter and jumped right into book 2 of the series, Dead of Winter. If you are a fan of Steven James’ novels or the TV show Criminal Minds, give this one a go.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(This audiobook was included in my Audible subscription. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

I was so glad to see that there was a book after Collision of Lies so we could read more about Amara Alvarez. This story is a continuation of the first book and I do recommend reading them in order. Amara is a great female lead as she is strong, independent, and smart. I enjoyed the relationship between Amara and “Starsky” and found the characters to once again be intriguing. I liked the twists and turns in this novel that always kept me guessing. I think that themes of faith were subtler and perhaps lost a bit in the suspense, but the novel is clean and enjoyable to read. Overall, I liked this novel and look forward to more by this author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

There was a great deal about this book I loved- it had an amazing plot, varied characters, and some fun dialogue and character POV.
But the thing is, there was a good bit of undesirable, and very secular material that was quite questionable and unacceptable.
It was not always so much what some of the characters said, but what they didn't say, as well as thoughts discussed, but left unfinished.
Let me break this down y'all:
Amara Alvarez is a new homicide detective hired by the Los Angeles Police Department. She had a major previous case in the first book with a different police division, that leads to her promotion to the Homicide dept.
Amara becomes the target of undue workplace jealousy, and quickly reveals her overly hot, though slightly controlled temper and caustically sarcastic tongue under stress. Not the best of female role models.
Although Dios, the Spanish word for God is mentioned several times, Amara doesn't seem to have much more than a shallow relationship with him, and neither do her male detective sidekick, Starsky, or her mother.
"Suc*", and "screwe*" are used several times each. Amara's mom has an illness, and her boyfriend takes care of her, but she hints with a wink very vaguely that they may be shacking, and plan to get married "soon".
There is a running gag of Starsky "jokingly" mentioning wearing a very skimpy swimsuit to detract any potential suspects' attention from Amara, who is wearing a one-piece suit. Another character is mentioned as wearing a bikini.
A character is found dead, but there are no graphic details or gore.
Starsky mentions a typical worldly saying about hanging out together all night and watching TV or doing something else.
Hackers flippantly discuss robbing companies and businesses online.
This author and frankly the publisher has left a bad taste in my mouth with this book. I really hate when I have to reach for my trusty highlighter, pen and whiteout this often in a book.
It simply shouldn't be, and made me feel like I was editing the rough draft of a manuscript, not reviewing a published book.
I'd expect to see this on the shelves of a typical secular retail store, but not a Christian bookstore, for sure. This book had promise, and these things could have easily been edited out, and it could have been a 5 star. But due to various unChristian content, sadly I can only give it 1.
I received this book free of charge from Revell in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, and the thoughts and conclusions above are my own.

Network of Deceit is book two in the Amara Alvarez series. I really liked Amara in the first book and enjoyed getting to know her on a deeper level in this book as well as some of the other characters. Even though this could be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading Collision of Lies first.

In Network of Deceit, Amara is assigned her first case as a detective in homicide. When a boy dies at a local water park in what appears to be an accidental death, Amara questions foul play. What she uncovers is quite a tangled web of deceit where she is left with as many questions as answers. Although I did find the story to get bogged down at times with details, I was invested in the story and intrigued with the plot and I knew I wanted to keep reading until the end to find out what happens. There were definitely some surprises and twists I did not see coming.

I was given a copy of this book by the author and publisher. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

It is a very enjoyable read. Kept you guessing throughout the book. Interesting twist at the end.
The storyline starting with the new homicide detective was well-paced. You became more invested in the story as it unfolded. It appeared to be a slow story but eventually, you come to realize that is likely how a homicide investigation would be in reality.

This is the second book in this series and I think even better than the first. I really like Amara and Starsky. There is a lot of suspense and we get some romance. I enjoyed the computer stuff a lot. Amara has her first case in Homicide and it is interesting to see how she goes about solving this case. We also learn a lot more about her family. This has a lot of twists and turns. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Looking for an action-filled, high-paced novel with a strong female as the main character? Network of Deceit starts out with a bang and it never lets up as we once again see Detective Amara Alvarez at work! Amara is now a detective with the San Antonio Homicide Division and her investigation of a teenager's death turns into a look at cybercrime and its toll on society. Author Tom Threadgill shares another glimpse of this multi-faceted detective with the ability to see beyond the obvious and think outside the box! And then there's Detective Jeremiah "Starsky" Peckham! Will these two detectives discover that there's more to their relationship than a working partnership?

Network of Deceit is a clean read, with lots of twists and turns and an "I didn't see that coming" ending. I'm looking forward to more adventures with this intriguing female protagonist!

I received a copy of this book from Revell. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

Network of Deceit by Tom Threadgill is the second book in his Amara Alvarez series. This is the continuing story of Amara Alvarez, now a San Antonio Homicide detective. Her first case is the suspicious death of a teenager at a local water park. But things are not what they seem. I haven’t read the first book, but this one can be read as a stand-alone. There are references to Amara’s first case but it doesn’t have to be read before this one. I liked the camaraderie between Amara and Starsky. The suspense level kept you turning the pages to find out how Amara was going to figure everything out. The twist at the end was very unexpected!

I received this book from the publisher for my honest review.