Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a good political thriller that certainly delivered in the end in the twist department, however, I did find it a little slow to begin with. The characters are created as conduits for plot more than they are created for their personalities - I didn't really get a fantastic read on how and why these characters had come together. I wish that there had been a little more development accompanying the rest of the plot, as it seems so focused on the action and getting the story told that a little bit of character nuance got lost for me.

I did think that the plot and the way that it linked into the mystery was certainly a good twist, however. It definitely wasn't expected and I found myself second guessing who the culprit was in this one. I did think some things only to have them moved around on me, which I enjoyed, but I found that this one just fell a little short in terms of the mystery and the personality of the characters.

This was an interesting read and definitely a more realistic mystery in some ways, but I did wish that it perhaps suspended my disbelief a little more.

I would definitely recommend this book to politics lovers. It took me a while to get into the book but once the second half started it kept me engaged until the end, the last twist was one I didn’t see coming at all and I enjoyed it so much!

3.5 stars.*

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital ARC copy.

#PikeIsland #NetGalley

I didn't finish this. It had an interesting enough premise but I think maybe male authors just aren't for me.

Pike Island was a fun thriller! Moving between present day and the 80s (early 90s?) every other chapter was a great way to tell the story. I caught myself wondering about what twist were going to come up next and who was telling the truth when I was doing the dishes and wished that I was listening to it so I could get the answers sooner! For me, that's always a good sign in thrillers.
Honesty, it was nothing too groundbreaking, just a well done, good read!

I enjoyed the setting and time line aspect of the novel and the political drama but felt the characters could be fleshed out more . In that respect it fell flat Thanks for review copy to Netgalley and publisher

This was engaging from the very first page. I love political drama, so I was fully invested. I liked how we get to see the present vs the past. I enjoyed the past better because I could easily picture the characters. My issue with the present was that the language Harrison and Karissa used in the beginning sound just like the teens in the past. Karissa was good, but could have made her more dimentional. And the “plot twist” didn’t hit as hard because of the suggestive language towards it. Overall a good time and great political drama/thriller.

Pike Island hooked me straight away, you weren't given anything more than a mysterious post card and you follow along as Krista tries to work out what happened and how bad the story is. Things sometimes felt a bit slow but not slow enough that I lost interest, the twists were enough to keep me glued to the book.

This was a great thriller. Solid 5 stars!

I didn’t find large parts of the plot line and premise to be believable so if that’s off-putting to you, this would not be the best book for you.

Thank you for this copy! I was born and raised in MN, lived in DC for a year, and worked as a legislative aid for the MN Senate — so I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of this book! The dual timeline was also well done and enjoyable.
Additional character development would have made this story more interesting and helped me feel invested. The plot itself felt pretty shallow. The events at Pike Island could have been fit into the first half of the book, leaving room for more twists and thrills.

This was a good read. I ended the twist at the end the most. It’s a fast pace thriller so it’ll be an easy read in “one sitting “ type of book !

Loved #PikeIsland by @Wirter -- A true thriller of a read with a simple yet explosive premise. I'm a sucker for stories with old sins and boy does this deliver. Add this to your #TBR piles, folks -- then move it to the top!

I struggled with the first 30 percent of this book. It was so slow ANF the writing style was off putting for me. But it started to pick up and get interesting. In the end, I was glad I hadn't given up on it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Pike Island by Tony Wirt

This was a good political thriller but unfortunately for me the first half of the story took a while to get into and therefore it took me some time to finish this book.
But the second half of the book was a lot more exciting and fast paced and I definitely didn’t expect the ending.

So I would definitely recommend this book if you like political thrillers

I really enjoyed Wirt's recent thriller, Just Stay Away, and had high expectations for Pike Island. This book delivers. It was like a delicious bag of chips. I sat down to eat just a few and devoured the whole bag. It's a fast, engrossing page turner. When a Congressman Harry Leonard receives strange and possibly threatening postcards, it's actually his assistant who goes looking for answers. Krista is a relatable protagonist, and even as I yelled "No, no, don't go there!" at the page, I wondered if I would do the same things in her shoes.
Present day chapters are juxtaposed with those that feature a teenage Harry and his friends. These chapters capture the camaraderie, loyalty, and intensity of feelings at that age. As I read about a terrifying incident from the past, Krista investigates it in the present. I was never quite sure what the truth was. There are plenty of surprises along the way and the story is cinched by one final twist I never saw coming.

Pike Island presents an example of the hypocrisy of politics through a crime/thriller novel.

The bright name of the Democratic Party, the rapidly rising Harry Leonard. He is the youngest representative in Congress.

One day, an anonymous postcard arrives at Harry's office. There is a threatening expression on the postcard. Krista, Harry's chief of staff, wonders about the matter. She wants to protect the interests of the party and Harry and find out the truth. For this reason, she starts from the photograph of the lake on the postcard. Why is this lake important in Harry's past?

The novel seems to describe the visible and invisible faces of politicians. A political thriller.

There are constantly flashbacks to unravel the mystery of Harry's past.

It was enjoyable to read. The novel progressed faster after the first half. I think some chapters could be shorter in the first half.

I recommend it to those who like political thrillers and mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for this ARC.

Ahhhh ! This was so fabulous! I read Tony's first book and loved it. He is such a great storyteller and has an amazing ability to lure you in . This was twisted enough to keep me guessing. I loved it!

This book gave nothing away to start. All we know is there’s this postcard and a past timeline involving a group of teens at a lake. So immediately I want to devour this book to figure out what happened at the lake. Did one of them die? Did they witness something horrible?
The reveal starts to come early with the discovery of a meth lab but then you’re like “now what, there is so much book left” and you just really need to know. After I bit I thought it was starting to get predictable, but then the twist happened in a way that I did not expect!
I was kind of struggling to figure out how much time had passed between the timelines, but with a clear definition between the two (every other chapter) the story was easy to follow for each.

* 4 teens on a post-grad lake trip.

* During the lake trip, the teens stumble upon trouble.

* Several years after this lake trip, Harrison Leonard, who is a Representative, begins receiving shocking postcards at the office. These postcards change the dynamic of everything.

* Krista, Harry’s Chief of Staff, uncovers some information from the past.

* Secrets revealed… Will this affect Harrison’s career?

Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this great read!

Rich with likable, believable characters and plot twists that will take your breath away

Thank you to Tony Wirt, NetGalley, and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of this book.

I thought I would enjoy this book more than i ended up. It was a well done political thiller, but I found that it was a little slow for me. I’m not someone who finds politics particularly intresting, so I found parts of this book went right over my head. I felt finishing this book was more of an obligation on my half than out of enjoyment.