Wow!! This book is a quick, thrilling read. I didn’t want to put it down and read it in two sittings. The characters are well developed and like to surprise you. This is a book you won’t regret reading!!

I loved the premise of the book, but it didn’t land like I had hoped. I had the book mostly figured out during the first third book, was hoping for more suspense and surprise.

I really enjoyed this political thriller! Told in present day and flashback POVs, I was intrigued by the storyline and loved figuring out how everything fell together. The pace quickens as the story unfurls and the twists were unexpected which is a definite win in my book 🙌🏼

There were times where I felt the story stalled a bit in the flashbacks but I found this to be an overall enjoyable read that checked all the boxes. Recommend if you like Scandal, The Good Wife, and House of Cards 💼

4.5 stars

This is a textbook popcorn thriller, just done to perfection. While it eases you in with a slow start, it quickly picks up the pace and doesn’t let off the gas.

For most of the book I thought I had a pretty good handle on what was going on but man, those last two twists were done so perfectly! They hit at just the right moment and had such a good wow factor. And that ending! It was so satisfying while also leaving me wanting more.

This was my first by Wirst but I can confidently say it will not be my last.

Read if you love:
🕰️ Alternating timeline
🃏 House of Cards
🍿 Popcorn thriller
📚 Quick reads

Thank you Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for my review copy!

Mixed feeling on this one for me I enjoyed how quick a read it was and had some good twists. It was well written and had some good surprises I just didn't really find myself caring about what happened to any of the main characters. All in all decent suspense/thriller and would recommend giving it a read. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

When a strange postcard arrives at the offices of Freshman Representative Andrew Harrison Leonard, his Chief of Staff Krista Walsh is concerned and puzzled. A picture of a lake in Minnesota leads to discoveries about the man she has supported since his days on the City Council in Rochester, Minnesota, to his current position and hopes to be with him until he is elected President of the United States. She thought she knew everything about Harry's past, but the postcard leads to new potentially damning information.

As Harry gradually doles out information to Krista, alternate chapters show what really happened at Cedar Lake the summer after Harry and his three best friends graduated from high school. And, the more Krista learns, the more she is concerned about Harry's political future and her own future too.

This was an exciting and page-turning story. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. Fans of suspenseful stories will really enjoy it. I enjoyed it especially because the setting was a part of Minnesota that was familiar to me. I also liked the moral dilemma that Krista faced as she had to decide what to do about the new knowledge she gained about her boss.

Pike Island
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“The woods that covered Pike Island were almost supernaturally thick, more a camouflage wall than a shoreline of trees.” This book had the right elements, but it fell really flat for me! This is definitely a slow burn thriller and if that’s your thing then it may be for you, I personally like my thrillers to have a twist on every page lol Here are some elements I liked…
🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️ dual POVS
⏰ past and present chapters + short chapters + shorter book overall
🗳️ timely with our upcoming election, our main character is a politician
📝 I know what you did last summer plot
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Unfortunately though, I felt like it was very predictable and honestly anticlimactic. It played out the way I thought I would with no twists! I personally would say skip 🥱 but maybe give it a try if you like calmer thrillers with no gore ⭐️⭐️

Greetings from Cedar Lake! A blank postcard sent to the office of political wunderkind Harry Leonard causes the Congressman to let slip his normal calm, in charge personality. What, wonders his chief of staff Krista Walsh, could that greeting mean. A lot, as it turns out. Pike Island is told in flashbacks to the summer after high school graduation. Harry and his best friends, all about to go down very different life paths, have a wild, alcohol fueled weekend. The secrets they have been keeping since then have resurfaced and other, deeper, more dangerous ones have also been shaken loose. What does this mean for a man on the path to the Presidency? And what will he do about it?

Pike Island is a dark, disturbing thriller. The plot is twisted and full of surprises. Harry Leonard and Krista Walsh are driven only by ambition. Without spoilers, I can”t say more but you will not be able to put this one down. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Tony Wirt for this ARC.

Harry Leonard is a rising politician on track to a future Presidential nomination. Until a postcard shows up at his office and everything he has worked for and towards is threatened to fail. The postcard is addressed to "Andy Leonard" a nickname that no one knows. Now, Harry's secretary Krista starts to dig around and ask questions, and each detail is more disturbing than the last.

While I enjoyed this, I did find myself a bit bored at first. While I always appreciate duel timelines, some of this was a bit too boring. Character development was also lacking. Overall, potential was there, but execution needed help.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Pike Island by Tony Wirt is a thrilling political mystery that skillfully intertwines ambition, secrets, and suspense. The story follows Andrew Harrison “Harry” Leonard, a rising star in Congress who seems destined for the presidency—until a mysterious postcard disrupts his trajectory. Addressed to "Andy Leonard," a name from his past, the postcard sends Harry’s chief of staff, Krista Walsh, down a dark path to uncover the secrets he's been hiding since his teenage years.

What makes Pike Island so engaging is its tense unraveling of the mystery surrounding Harry's past. Krista’s investigation keeps the reader on edge as she digs deeper into the ominous secrets tied to a lake and a summer that Harry would rather forget. The stakes are high, not just for Harry’s political future, but for Krista’s own career, as she’s forced to grapple with how much she’s willing to risk to protect her boss.

Wirt masterfully builds suspense throughout the novel, creating a gripping story of power, deception, and moral ambiguity. The cabin mystery is slowly revealed, drawing the reader into a web of lies and shocking truths. If you enjoy stories with political intrigue and long-buried secrets, Pike Island is a compelling read that will keep you turning pages late into the night.

What happens at the cabin stays at the cabin, right? Politician Andrew “Harry” Leonard has worked his way up through the ranks and is finally on the verge of something big. Then a postcard arrives, with nothing but the name “Andy Leonard” written on it. Harry hasn’t used that name since high school, and his chief of staff Krista can sense he’s hiding something when she asks him about it. But the more Krista digs, the more she finds out about Harry’s high school buddies and a cabin on the lake. Just how far will she go to protect Harry’s career?

I loved Tony Wirt’s last book, Just Stay Away…that one actually kept me up at night, it was so creepy! I am happy to report that “Pike Island” didn’t mess with me the same way - but it did have me on the edge of my seat! First off, it's a thriller with a political edge to it - think House of Cards - and I always enjoy stories like that. Told in dual timelines, I was trying to figure out how the heck the post card related to Harry and just what he was trying to leave in the past. The setting of the cabin on the lake was just so atmospheric, I felt like I was holding my breath and waiting to see what was going to happen next!

Though initially a bit of a slow burn, once Harry’s past started unraveling the action really picked up. I was shocked at several of the twists this story took - both in the past and in the present! I can’t wait to see what Wirt writes next!

“Pike Island” is out November 1, 2024! Thank you to the author for my advanced review copy. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

Pike Island was not what I expected in the best way! It was a quick and addicting read I couldn’t put down until I knew what happened.

This was an exciting popcorn thriller that gave me Scandal vibes, which was definitely enjoyable. The dual POV/timeline made it hard to put down as the switches kept me on the edge of my seat.
There were tons of dark twists that I didn’t see coming. The political aspect was interesting and combined with the awful secrets being kept made for a story I blew through.

I devoured this political intrigue thriller and would absolutely be interested in reading the author’s other work.

Thank you to the author and Thomas & Mercer for the gifted ARC via NetGalley.
Publication date 11/1/24

Harry Leonard has all the makings of a flourishing political with a fast track to greatness until one day when a mysterious postcard arriving at his office begins to derail his life. A postcard addressed by to Andy Leonard,his childhood given name that no one knows of. As Harry’s secretary begins asking questions and digging into her employers past she unearths long held secrets of one teenage summer that had a fateful end. What will the truth ultimately cost Krista as she unravels each disturbing detail.

Pike Island is a political thriller told through past and present timelines as well as first and third person POV. While the premise of long hidden secrets of one tragic summer at a secluded cabin was intriguing I found myself feeling overall lukewarm about this thriller. Early on in the book I struggled to stay engaged as the beginning was on the slower side. I especially found the past timelines harder to get through and read or find interesting as at that point we already knew the overall outcome, which ended up making later scenes feel drawn out. I also found the character development to be lacking, almost as if the characters were being used as vessels in which to drive the plot forward and serve no other greater purpose than that. Personally for me feeling any kind of connection, small or great to the characters I read about in my books is a crucial part of my overall enjoyment to the story and unfortunately it was hard to do with such a little development. The mystery/thriller aspects come into play the farther that you read and I will say that the book does serve many twists. However, the twists had a way of feeling out of character, which again could be due to needing more development in this area. Overall, this book was just okay to me. Personally, I just had hoped for a bit more from this read.

Pike Island comes out November 1st, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not really a thriller reader. However, when I read the summary of this book, I knew I needed to read it immediately. It didn’t disappoint.

There were times in the present timeline that didn’t hit as well the past timeline. But the book overall was great. It was filled with political intrigue and suprising twists.

In this politically intriguing thriller, the author's talent for character development shines through, doing a great job at descriptions and setting without making the writing feel too purple. You find yourself really drawn into the world and into the mystery of Harry's past. It is especially delicious when a politician has a few squeletons in their closet.

To get to the bottom of Harry/Andy's story, the narration is divided between past. and present. However, these flashback portions are where the story falters. While the initial glimpses into the past pique your interest, the road to the twists lacked the same level of excitement as the present storyline.
The pacing is a bit off, with the beginning of the book feeling slow and then, at around the 30% picking up a bit, then going a bit off the rails at the end. The climax was explosive, yes, but the feeling was too shortlived since the book ended pretty abruptly right after things started getting interesting. 

While the book's initial storyline is enticing, the book ultimately leaves you with a bit of a sense of unfulfillment.

This intriguing political thriller starts off a little slow, but the ending completely took me by surprise. The story is mainly told from Krista's perspective as she uncovers political intrigue and personal secrets. I liked the occasional shift in point of view, which added depth and complexity to the narrative. The book's ending had a very satisfying twist, and I recommend it if you enjoy political thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the eARC.

Incredible twists, really well-rounded characters and some stellar evocative writing made this fly by. Such a page turner! I burned through it.

I like to start by thanking the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book. I read and let my husband read also. He liked it more than I did.

3.5 rounded up to 4

Thank you Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC In exchange for my honest review.

When Harry a politician with a bright future starts to receive cryptic mail hinting to a hidden past, his chief of staff starts to look into things to find answers. As Krista goes on the path to find answers we start to see the event play out in a dual timelines.

This was a fun and easy read with twist and turns that kept me turning the page. The pacing was good. The reason I gave it 3.5 stars is cause it the beginning it was hard to tell when the timelines changed but I as I got further in the story that became easier to tell!

From the bestselling author of Just Stay Away comes a haunting thriller about a rising politician whose shadowy past threatens to end his career—and his future shot at the presidency.

This was a tough read for me. It is well-written and well-plotted. By all accounts, I should have loved it. But I think the state of politics today colors my view on any story that centers politicians. Objectively, this was a good book. I just don't think it was for me at this time.