Book Review: Engine Nine

Reviewed by Jaylynn Korrell

A nearly impossible mission with world-altering consequences. What could go wrong?

Expect a wild ride from Engine Nine. Author Bradley W. Wright delivers a book full of twists and turns, big revelations, and jaw-dropping moments that make you question where you think things are going.

Engine Nine starts with the introduction of Justin, a single man living in Southern California. He leads a high-stakes life as a sort of specialist who retrieves things by way of his incredible escape skills. His latest call comes from a long lost relative. His foster sister, who he hasn’t seen in nearly two decades, invites him back to the community he escaped from at 17. The cult is having some sort of celebration they’d like him to attend. 

He has reservations about her motives, as she too had plans of escaping before he lost contact with her. Still, he hears her out. But when he detects reservations in her voice and hears a secret code from their childhood, he knows she needs his help. 

With his hacker friend Ashna, Justin creates a new identity so that he can reenter the cult’s premises and save his long-lost sister. But things don’t exactly go as planned. Once inside the cult, he realizes that they are up to much more than a celebration party. In fact, they’re making big plans to start World War 3, and they’ve been desperately awaiting his arrival. 

There is no lack of suspense in Engine Nine. Justin is asked to escape impossible situations at nearly every turn. The book starts with him trying to retrieve a famous actress’s stolen Oscar from her ex-husband’s highly secured estate when the man’s parrot blows his cover and nearly foils his escape. 

Justin continues to find himself in situations that leave little room for escaping, but he manages to do just that. As the stakes become greater, Justin sees just how much he has to lose, and this only puts more intention behind his every move. You can cut the tension with a knife. 

Justin’s mission to save Malena is an exciting journey to follow. What starts out as a potentially easy in-and-out job is revealed to have layers and layers of complexities attached to it. We’re taken from L.A. to a remote area in Utah to the jungles of Costa Rica. Neither I or the main characters could possibly know this would be the outcome of this adventure. 

With each new reveal, I feel surprised at the direction this story turns. And I am 100% on board to find out. The book reads smoothly while maintaining a fast-paced chain of events and ever-changing circumstances. 

Because he’s created a character that feels so self assured and good at what they do, it’s easy to have confidence in Justin’s ability to complete the task he sets out to. But the twists and turns that come up prove that no one can be prepared for what is to come while searching for Malena. Lovers of mystery-suspense novels will have a good time reading Engine Nine. 

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Suspense

Print Length: 290 pages

ISBN: 978-1509246618

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