Pike Island by Tony Wirt is a total ride! The blend of mystery, history, and suspense had me hooked from the start. The setting is eerie and atmospheric, and the way Wirt weaves in the island’s secrets kept me turning pages. The characters are compelling, and the slow build-up to the big reveals? So worth it.

The pacing was a little slow in the beginning, but once it picked up, I was all in. If you’re into atmospheric thrillers with a strong sense of place and tension that keeps building, this one’s definitely worth the read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you netgalley and thomas & mercer for a arc copy in exchange for a honest review.

Ok real quick i have to say this review is late as this was released back in September? but I'm just now getting to it, now onto the review. I found the plot to be promising, when i first read the synopsis i thought that it could be a really interesting plot which it was, it definitely kept me entertained and intrigued however there was a lot i didn't like or vibe with. I found the writing to be very quick and easy to read however it was a mix between medium and fast paced which i didn't like i wish it had stuck to one consistent pacing. I didn't really connect to any of the characters i was really only interested in 1 specific character and let's just say things didn't go well for him, i did enjoy the then and now Timeline, i do think it added to the story and plot. The ending really made me mad because what was that ending?? Like it just made the entire book seem absolutely pointless and it just really annoyed me and made me mad.

Andrew Harrison “Harry” Leonard is destined for politics. Getting his start on the city council, he quickly rose to become the youngest representative in Congress. Now the up-and-comer from Minnesota is on the brink of something big. If all goes well, he’ll be in perfect position to aim for the presidency. Then a postcard arrives, blank except for the name on the Andy Leonard. Harry hasn’t used that name since high school. When he dodges questions about it, his chief of staff, Krista, wonders what he’s trying to hide.

I really liked the mystery behind this book. It’s told in dual timelines, one in the present with Krista trying to figure out Harry’s secret before the press does, and one in the past when Harry was a teenager at the lake pictured on the postcard.

Harry is super charming and likable and one of those seemingly refreshing politicians who actually wants to make a change. But is that really who he is? The suspense builds and builds as Krista finds out more about what happened, albeit from an unreliable source that I can’t spoil. I thought I had the ending all figured out, but I definitely didn’t, and I always appreciate being surprised. I think this was a decent story and it kept my interest with good pacing and flawed characters.

Another fun thriller from Tony Wirt! I enjoyed this political take on the thriller genre. If you loved Scandal, this book is definitely for you. Our main character definitely gives Olivia Pope vibes.

☆ARC REVIEW☆
Publication date: Available today


⭐️⭐️


I struggled big time trying to get through this one due to the amount of politics this story surrounded. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Tony Wirt, and Thomas & Mercer for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a twisty tale! It was kind of hard for me to read at this time because of the real election, but it’s still a great story. It just goes to show you that sometimes people hide who they are from plain sight. You never really know a person until they show their true self!

PIKE ISLAND is a gripping thriller combining political maneuvering and ambition with coming-of-age in extremely stressful circumstances with deception, rural crime, coverups, and the unraveling of (multiple) sociopaths.

Balancing between two time lines, author Tony Wirt effortlessly endears the characters to us even as he subtly exposes crimes and psychological disorders and their ongoing-for-decades consequences.

This was a relatively quick read. Unfortunately, there was not much that wasn't predictable. None of the characters were anything special. The major issues of the day were all covered, but a lot of the characters and groups were presented as flat and simple.

This was fine, if not particularly novel or memorable. I appreciated the Minnesota setting and there was a feeling of authenticity to the types of characters.

This is the first book that I've read by the author and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I like the way the story is told in two different times and how one complement the other. Pike Island is well-written, fast-paced, and grabs the reader's attention from the start, it also has an unexpected - and good - twist near the end. Great entertainment!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Harrison Leonard is a rising star in politics - the youngest representative in Congress, aiming for the very top. When Harry's chief of staff Krista notices a blank postcard addressed to him, she starts to suspect that her charismatic boss might have a dark past.

Pike Island is a very cookie-cutter thriller - written well, but not offering anything new to the genre. The characters were one-dimensional and hard to root for, but I loved the ending.

Pros: fast-paced action prevents dragging, the ending (could be controversial but I loved it)

Cons: nothing feels new or original (except maybe the ending?), group of "Scandanavian" dudes doing "Scandanavian" dude things, politics

Recommend: If you're looking for a quick read that won't bore you, you could try it. If you want something that will stick with you, probably pass.

Pike Island is a tight political thriller. It’s the story of a hotshot politician who has some secrets he wishes would remain buried in his past. This is a fast moving story, told via dual timelines, with some interesting characters and quite a few unexpected twists. You can’t count on those skeletons in the closet remaining silent forever. I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Pike Island.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R29WXGW1788UM2/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Pike Island by Tony Wirt was a very addicting thriller.
A fun and fast read that had the best pace.
Riveting, captivating. I couldn't stop turning pages, so eager to find out what came next.
Wirt did such a fantastic job creating a simmering tension and a feeling of claustrophobia and impending doom.

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Perfectly suspenseful and amazing at keeping you engaged. This is my second book of Tony's now and he has a forever reader in me. I love his writing style and pacing and ability to tell and story and keep me drawn in.

Started off a bit slow but then was pretty gripping. I read it on an airplane and it's just the kind of book you want for travel - fast paced, easy to follow, interesting characters and entertaining. While this isn't the kind of book that will stick with you for very long, I liked the ending! And admittedly was a bit surprised....This is a 3.5 stars for sure!! If you find yourself in need of some entertainment on a flight - enjoy reading this first novel by Tony Wirt. I hope there's another one soon for when I travel long distances again.

I thought this book was good, It had my attention the whole time. I couldn’t put this book down. I would recommend reading it.

really well-rounded characters and the writing made this fly by. a nice fun distraction for a few hours

A quick suspenseful read!

I loved the even (always every other chapter) alternating timelines between present day and Summer 2003. The present day storyline was much slower paced at the beginning than the exciting 2003 storyline, but man, did that change at the end of the book! My jaw literally dropped.

There were many twists I saw coming ahead of time, but I didn’t mind because I was engaged in the storytelling and really enjoyed the suspenseful writing. I did not see the major twists at the end coming.

Both timelines involve Andrew Harrison Leonard, but the POVs focus on other people in his life.

2003 timeline: Jake- one of 4 friends, it’s his family’s lake house the boys are staying at for a week after high school graduation. “Andy” is introduced as a smooth talking confident teenage boy who can talk just about anyone into anything. The teens stumble upon a dangerous situation which comes back to haunt them in present day.

Present day timeline told from Krista’s POV. She is Harry’s (Andy now goes by his middle name in his political career) Chief of Staff. She has always been 3 steps ahead, but gets thrown for a loop when the Congressman starts receiving threatening mail referencing the summer of 2003. She thinks she knows Harry inside and out, but this makes her question if there is something more sinister in his past he’s been keeping from her. If his political career fails, so does hers.

I’ll be checking out the author’s other works after enjoying this one so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Pub Date Nov 01 2024

A relatively quick, easy read that goes through all the expected beats of a dual-timeline mystery thriller. Wirt isn't reinventing the wheel here, and that's okay. I do wish the characters were more easily discernible and fully drawn; there were two supporting teen characters that had literally no development whatsoever, to the point that it didn't matter which was being mentioned because they had no distinct traits or personalities.

Still, though it's predictable, it's never boring. Wirt has the skills to do better than this, and hopefully his next will.

This was not for me. While I enjoyed the chapters about the young men on the island, the political chapters bored me. I don't want to read about politics in such detail.