Pike Island is a political thriller that follows Krista, a young congressman's chief of staff, as she uncovers some alarming details about his past. The pacing of this book is exactly what I was looking for when I sat down to read a thriller. The chapters alternate between present day where Harry, the congressman, and Krista are navigating D.C. and an eventful weekend that teenage Harry and his friends had on the lake, a weekend that is coming back to haunt him and potentially hurt his bright political future. I picked this book up hoping for a fun weekend read and it delivered. This was my first of Wirt's work and I'll definitely be checking out more from him.

Thank you NetGalley, Tony Wirt, and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book held my attention throughout but towards the end I would have liked to get to know some of that characters a little more and missing some mystery. I would not consider this a political thriller, just two main characters who happen to work in politics.

Pike Island is an amazing thriller about an up and coming politician whose shady past has threatened to end his career… Andrew Harrison “Harry” Leonard has taken his high school debate team self & has made it to the big leads! He is offered a bid at the vice presidency ticket when his team starts receiving sketchy post cards from Pike Island.. a place him and a group of friends visited their senior year of high school. He claims it’s nothing to worry about and nothing major happened just teenagers being nosy teenagers when they visited an old abandoned house on Pike Island.. Is it something serious or is someone just trying to screw with him.. his chief of staff Krista decides to look into it herself and uncovers all kinds drama.. I really enjoyed this book! I loved the flashbacks from the present to past. I loved the twists and turns. The ending was amazing! I honestly could NOT put it down! I’m so excited to read more from this author!!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced readers copy. I really enjoyed this book, more than I expected to. At first I didn't care for the plot device of the alternating chapters (present, past), and thought some sort of a header to indicate "now" or "then" would make sense, but the book was easy to follow. The story was interesting, and the mystery revealed itself nicely. I did not expect the twist at the end, but that is what makes the book even better. I think I read the book in about 4 days, it was compelling. A good read. The writing is clear. The story is compelling.

This beautiful book cover pulled me in and the plot got me hooked! This story is told through two points of view with dual timelines. I enjoyed the back and forth of Harry’s childhood coming of age “guys weekend” turned horror story combined with present day Harry’s political climb up the ladder. What happened on that island, who is involved, what secrets will be left on the island and what depths will they go to keep a secret hidden? This book has politics, mystery, suspense and the perfect plot twist at the end to top it off! If you’re from the land of 10,000 lakes you will be in for a treat and will enjoy the Minnesota tie ins throughout this book!!!

This book releases 9/10/24!

Thank you Tony Wirt, Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an ARC of Pike Island by Tony Wirt for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Pike Island starts as a slow-burn novel that keeps you interested until the storyline turns into a guessing game with an unexpected conclusion.
An independent review for NetGalley / Thomas & Mercer

Ahhh not my kind of thriller. Its a political thriller with a twist of past and present events. At the beginning i think its not my type so i should stop reading it. But then i choose to read and honestly speaking i didn't regret. Its a nice story with good characters and a gripping twist of dirty politics. Thanx netgalley for this lovely experience.

4/5⭐️

A stunning thriller!

This book follows a young, hotshot politician Andrew and his chief-of-staff Krista as she battles his past that's throwing hurdles on his way to Presidency.

There was suspense, dual timelines and a bit of political intrigue. It cannot be called a political thriller per se, as it does not have a lot of political espionage or strategizing involved but does have an ambitious politicians caught in the eye of the storm.

It was intense and engaging. Although the beginning and build-up was slow, the rest of the book was fast paced and kept my attention throughout. The characters and plot were both well developed. The twist in the end was satisfying and had me completely surprised.

Overall, very well rounded thriller. I would love to read more by the Author in the future.

I received an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

very fast paced political thriller!! the plot twist was unexpected and the characters were likeable.

thank you netgalley for the arc

This book gripped me from the first couple of chapters, with it being a Minnesota-based thriller!

....And then I got bored. The MN colloquialisms were a bit over the top for me, and while the plot was great, the execution felt poor.

I do look forward to more of Wirt's writing though!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Congressman Harry Leonard is being considered for the role of vice president. However, when his chief of staff, Krista, receives threatening postcards, she becomes determined to uncover their meaning and sender. The story jumps back and forth between the present day and a trip they took 20 years ago, making it suspenseful. Although the ending wasn't a shocker, it still felt satisfying.

This book is a real page-turner, full of drama and excitement that keeps you hooked until the end. It's about the consequences of past actions and how far people will go to protect their reputation. The characters are well-developed and easy to connect with, so you really care about what happens to them. The flashbacks to the past might not be as thrilling as the rest of the book, but the ending more than makes up for it with a twist that'll leave you feeling satisfied. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who loves political thrillers.

Even though this was my first book by Tony Wirt, I in fact had high expectations due to fellow book friends and can I just say it did not disappoint! Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. It had me in the edge of my seat through out the entire book and i definitely will be reading more!

What happens at the cabin stays at the cabin. Right?

Harry (previously known as "Andy") Leonard is destined for politics. That is, until a blank postcard addressed to Andy Leonard arrives at Harry's office and threatens to derail his presidential future. When Krista, Harry's Chief of Staff, recognizes "Andy" as Harry's childhood name, she begins asking questions. Questions Harry doesn't seem to have any interest in answering. Krista soon launches her own investigation into Harry’s past and uncovers the truth of what happened one fateful teenage summer. But, as disturbing details come to light, just how far will Krista go to keep Harry's -and her own- political career on track?

'Pike Island' is a fast-paced past/present political thriller that switches between third-person POV past chapters and first-person POV present chapters.

I devoured this book! I really enjoyed the political aspect of the present chapters, as well as the horrifying thriller aspect of the past chapters. 'Pike Island' kept me in suspense and at the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. And while the twist didn't catch me off guard, I still enjoyed it. (I guessed the twist at 86%)

I would recommend this book to thriller/mystery readers that also enjoyed the TV show 'Scandal'.

Thank you to the author, Tony Wirt' and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of 'Pike Island'. I rated this book a 3.5/5 stars.

For a random pick and my first book on #NetGalley this book was surprisingly good. It was a quick read, but not at all skimpy on the suspense and intrigue. It went back and forth in time with each chapter building on the last and had a very unexpected ending. While I’m not a fan of IRL politics, I do love a good #politicalthriller.

This was the first political thriller I have read and I have to say that I enjoyed it. I don't think that this will be my thriller genera of choice but I thought this one was a good one. Thank you for the arc.

Pike Island delivered a thriller with a compelling pace that kept me engaged and at times on the edge of my seat.
While the twists were not as abundant as I might prefer, the story keeps you there with strong character development and a satisfying conclusion.
Even for those not typically drawn to political mysteries/thrillers, like me, it was still a good read.

Thankyou to author Tony Wirt, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Charlene 📚🤗🌸 @lastnownext

3.5 rounded up.

For a good chunk, I enjoyed it. In the end, it suddenly went off the rails in a way I could have liked if it wasn’t so rushed. The story ended at the most exciting part!

Energy: Watchful. Confidential. Marching.
Scene: 🇺🇸 Mainly set near cottages and islands by a lake in Minnesota.
Perspective: Two timelines. In present, we follow a dedicated chief of staff who starts questioning why the congressman they trust is being so dodgy after what appears to be nothing more than the typical random threat. In the past (~15 years ago?), we follow four lifelong Besties (one of whom is the Congressman from our current timeline) spending their last summer together after graduating high school through the perspective of the teen whose family owns the cottage they’re staying at.

🐕 Howls: The past timelines once it was obvious what was going on. The ending ‘twist’ felt abrupt/out of character.
🐩 Tail Wags: Current day Krista amateur sleuthing. The motivation for Krista’s loyalty.

🤔 Random Thoughts:
This is a mystery with thriller moments that involve a politician, but calling it a political thriller may be disappointing for some (we don’t get the politician’s perspective). If you’re thinking government and legal suspense, conspiracies, war and terrorism scheming or espionage type stuff, it isn’t that.

This could be a fun read at a lake or cabin for an added spooky effect. I loved how the action started in the past timeline and was easy to imagine.

Except then the past timeline was dragging on for me. Not sure if it’s because we already knew the outcome, so the cat-and-mouse escape scenes felt too drawn out, or if I am not a fan of reading those types of scenes (I kept losing where all the characters were in relation to each other).

The final twist came out of nowhere. I didn’t predict it so yay, but that’s also because it seemed way out of character for that person to do what they did. I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

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🎬 Tale-Telling: Straightforward and a little reflective in the high-stakes scenes.
🤓 Reader Role: Observing from afar, ghost in the room picking up a trickle of thoughts from certain characters.
🗺️ World-Building: Mostly immersive, sometimes a bit sparse but not lacking.
🔥 Fuel: In the present timeline, there’s the question of who is sending the threats, why Harry seems rattled by them, and how he’s connected to an incident on Pike Island that was in the news. In the past timeline, we have the suspense of how the boys may be involved and how they escape. Near the ending, there’s a bit of who to trust suspense as the two timelines collide.
📖 Cred: Moments that felt very realistic and down-to-earth, with some over-the-top but not implausible twists.
🚙 Journey: Movie night at the cottage.

Mood Reading Match-Up:
-Waves against a dock. Boat engines. Screen door slam. Crickets. Mosquitos. Lake air and sunscreen. Shuffling papers. High heels on a hard floor.
-Cottage Country scandal and an Abandoned House mystery
-Amateur sleuthing about a politician with a mysterious past

Content Heads-Up: Home invasion, confinement. Drugs (dealing). Overdose (off-page). Alcohol use. Alcoholism (mention; off-page). Corruption. Gun violence and threats. Murder. Verbal child abuse (recall; off page).

Rep: Lesbian. Heterosexual. Cisgender. White and ambiguous Americans.

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley.

My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶

Rising political star Harry Leonard is on the verge of huge things when his past starts to catch up with him - mysterious postcards using an old name and threatening him with justice start showing up at the office, sending his chief of staff Krista Walsh on a quest to find out what exactly he's hiding or hiding from. Pike Island is a brisk thriller that is a quick and fun read. It's all very believable, if not extremely thrilling; the shape of things that have happened becomes more or less clear around halfway through, but there's still a decent amount of tension to be drawn from the question of where this will end up. A bit over written, and could have done with a bit more character development for Krista, but overall a perfectly serviceable thriller.

This is the first time I've read a book by Tony Wirt, and was pretty much hooked from the beginning. This was also my first experience with a "political thriller," but I definitely enjoyed the experience. I enjoyed the way that this story went, and I honestly appreciated that I didn't guess the final twist at the end of the book. It does make me question and wonder what "skeletons" politicians have in their closets, and who within their immediate circle could ultimately be involved. I thought the characters were well developed throughout this book, and I actually enjoyed the "back and forth" between the past events and the present. I felt that it drew the details out more, making me question my assumptions about the plot by changing the narrative as it went. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of thrillers/mysteries.

Krista Walsh is the chief of staff for rising political star, Harry Leonard. Congressman Leonard is ambitious. But Walsh might be even more so. A threat to the congressman's career and aggressive plans arises when he begins receiving mysterious postcards alluding to something that occurred in his past. Walsh sets out to investigate.

Using a technique of flashbacks in every other chapter, we learn what occurred in the past at the same time Walsh is finding it out in real time. The plot of the book is intriguing. The characters are well-drawn and relatable. The ending is a bit of a twist although not totally unpredictable.

I highly recommend this book.