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Highway to Vengeance

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Praise for the book that spent two weeks as the #1 bestselling free Action/Adventure book on

"Thomas Highway is a new thriller hero."
Cym Lowell, author of Riddle of Berlin

"Final It's a bad-ass story, that slams into you at full speed from the very start and takes you on a wild thrill ride."
Evie-bookish - 4/5 stars

"This was a really enjoyable action thriller that I raced through, with a main character I could root for."
TC@BookedUp - 4/5 stars

"You need to read this book."
Donna McBroom-Theriot

Join us on a high-octane thrill ride as former Navy SEAL Thomas Highway sets out to kill the man who murdered his wife while simultaneously negotiating a pair of covert government agencies. One is trying to stop him. One wants to help. But both have their own hidden agendas.

Highway's search leads to a former drug lord turned terrorist who's looking to smuggle a WMD under the porous Mexico border. But that's not going to happen. Not if Highway can help it.

From the sun-drenched beaches of San Diego to the crime-ridden streets of Tijuana, HIGHWAY TO VENGEANCE combines a hard-boiled, neo-noir, first-person POV with modern thriller elements and a highly accurate account of real-life SEAL training to create a twisting novel that explores the darkness within us all, the lengths one man will go to avenge his lost love, and the difference between vengeance and justice.

Highway To Vengeance is a 60,000 word novel.

For fans of Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos, and Stephen Hunter.

Includes a preview of THIRTEEN, a supernatural thriller.

Also available from Brian
Broken Highway (A Thomas Highway Short Story)
Thirteen (A Supernatural Thriller)
Blood Money (A Greg Kelton Novel)
Wet Work (A Greg Kelton Short Story)
Stain of Mind (The Serial Killer Journals Volume One)

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 29, 2011

22 people are currently reading
208 people want to read

About the author

Brian Springer

10 books7 followers

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Evie.
737 reviews760 followers
May 22, 2011
Highway to Vengeance by Brian Springer is a fast-paced and gripping action thriller. Well written and with a solid plot, it's a perfect read for long summer evenings with a cuppa coffee!


The protagonist of this story, Thomas Highway is an ex-Navy SEAL. He decided to join the Navy ranks after the 911 attacks, but was forced to drop out not long after finishing his training, due to a life-threatening health issue. The story starts with Thomas and his wife, Josie, having their weekly lunch at a BBQ place in San Diego. It's a beautiful, sunny day, the food was fantastic and everyone is in a great mood, especially Tom and Josie, who seem to be as in love with each other as ever. Everything is just perfect. After the meal they separate, as Josie has an important meeting at her office. She leaves first and Tom, still sitting at the restaurant's patio, is watching her cross the street. That's when everything comes tumbling down. From where he sits, Tom witnesses Josie being hit by a speeding car. She dies in his arms few minutes later. Highway is convinced that the so-called car accident wasn't an accident at all, but a deliberate murder. Devastated and desperate for vengeance, he's set on doing everything he can to find the person behind Josie's murder. With help from his best friend, Willis (who owns a Security and Investigations Company), Thomas will do whatever it takes to avenge his wife's death.


As he goes deeper into his investigation, he realizes that the murder of his wife is actually a conspiracy on a much bigger scale than he ever expected. Before he knows it, he's caught up in a situation involving Homeland Security, Mexican drug cartels, Weapons of Mass Destruction and a suspicious government agency intent on using him as a pawn in their conspiracy game. Not knowing who to trust, Highway is going to have to make some tough choices. It will take everything he learned during his Navy SEAL training to get out of this alive.


Highway to Vengeance is a quick and pleasant read, which I enjoyed a lot, but would have enjoyed even more if it was a bit longer. I loved how gripping the story was and I definitely had a lot of fun with all the twists and turns in the plot, but at the same time I found myself wishing that the author would give us a little bit more insight into what was going on in Highway's head. It lacked the emotional depth. Don't get me wrong, the book really is a great piece of action thriller, packed with kick-ass adventures and life-threatening situations that will keep you on the edge of your chair, but I just couldn't get emotionally involved with it, as it didn't offer much of anything else but action. Nonetheless, Highway to Vengeance is no doubt a well-written and believable action thriller, with no loose ends. I liked the BUD/S training interludes, they made the whole thing a whole lot more interesting and dynamic.


Final verdict: It's a bad-ass story, that slams into you at full speed from the very start and takes you on a wild thrill ride. It tears along at breakneck speed, has plenty of obstacles, and the bad guys get what they deserve in the end. It might not be the most original story ever, after all vengeance is quite a popular subject in both movies and books, but it's definitely worth reading!
Profile Image for Red Haircrow.
Author 26 books114 followers
June 12, 2011
Whether it's about Navy SEAL training or what a body does as it dies, when the extra steps an author takes to make sure his facts are as accurate as possible is obvious, it's a special thing. There's always the other side of the coin, making sure the reader is not flooded with too much superfluous information, but I greatly appreciated the authentic voice. For me, it showed absolutely showed this author is serious about his craft, and he means business just like the main character Thomas Highway.

"Highway to Vengeance" had the phrasing and euphemisms associated with "avenge the fallen" type books, so fans of the genre might be pleased with that aspect of Springer's tale. The main character, Thomas Highway, is presented in such a way you see the human side of him also, not only a man willing to kill those responsible, outside the boundary of law, when his wife is murdered. He remains a sympathetic figure throughout, with a quiet charisma that grows on you. One thing I would have preferred, in this dialogue heavy first person POV, was to have scenes and personalities develop more through description of behaviors than descriptions of actions. Especially at times when high tension or great suspense is presented, too many details can be distracting.

Springer kept up a steady pace of action and methodical progress as we followed Thomas Highway's path of vengeance and created an anticipation that is unique for me: I was curious about what happens next. We know this is the first volume in a coming series, and Springer really made me want to watch Highway's evolution. We've seen him struggling with his wife's murder, seeking out and killing the bad guys (and girls), and finally in the end, getting the SOB behind it all. He's grown as a person, he's smarter, harder and even more seasoned. And where will he go from here? I'm sure Brian Springer will tell us. "Highway to Vengeance" has a more common theme, like many suspense thrillers, but was very successful in creating a main character people will want to get to know further.

To read the full entry and my interview with Brian Springer, please visit the review/interview site Flying With Red Haircrow.
Profile Image for Matthew Dean.
Author 4 books20 followers
June 18, 2011
This book woke me up to the idea that there must be oodles of undiscovered hidden talent in the Indie book industry. While Highway to Vengeance is in the hardboiled mystery genre, it participates in none of its cliches, while, at the same time, feeling comfortingly familiar. I don't know how Brian Springer managed to give me the feeling that the story was an old-school classic, and at the same time, that it was incredibly modern and timely, except to say that the author is one masterful storyteller.

I was convinced that the author had himself been a Navy SEAL (like the main character) until I read the "About the Author" at the end. It's a rich and complex story, while managing to be a story about the simplest thing of all: revenge. Like I said, I don't know how he does both at the same time, but he does.

Brian Springer seems new to the scene of publishing, but with writing like this, he isn't going to stay in the shadows for long.
Profile Image for L.A..
Author 14 books57 followers
September 8, 2011
Article first published as Book Review: Highway to Vengeance: A Thomas Highway Novel by Brian Springer on Blogcritics.


Vengeance is often sought and yet does not always leave you with a better feeing after your revenge or of who you have become. Anger is often what drives it and yet the ends do not always justify the means.

In Highway to Vengeance: A Thomas Highway Novel Brian Springer has delved into that very subject. Thomas Highway, known to his friends as Highway is an unassuming man. He is in love with his beautiful wife and does not quite understand what she sees in him. He has a solid background with the Navy Seals and throughout the story, we hear about the training and how formative it was to who he had become.

As his wife, a street smart lawyer leaves him to his morning as she hurries away to a meeting with the District Attorney on a case she has been assigned, Highway watches her hurry on her way. Still absorbed in his musing about their relationship, he suddenly snaps out of his fugue as he sees her frantic glance down the road she is just crossing. As he tries to understand her fear, a car comes out of nowhere and hits her, killing her instantly. In his heart, Highway knows this is not an accident. Yet as the police follow their procedures, that is exactly what they are ruling it.

Unable to come to terms with her death, he becomes quite morose, drinking and planning but without a hope. As his best friend, Dave Willis shows up, he brings further news. Not only has Highways wife been killed but her client has also supposedly committed suicide. Because of his often-spirited conversations with his wife, he is sure he knows who is responsible. With his and his friend Willis’s background, he will be able to find and kill the man responsible. Someone must pay, in his life it is the only way.

What Highway finds is that there are others also in the fray. Those that are protecting the killer for his information, and yet others that are also on the trail of his death. Highway is drug into the middle of this war without a real understanding of who these groups are. They are government, possibly a part of Homeland Security, and yet on the other hand they may be the ones that are government sanctioned and yet not acknowledged. Even seeing a badge he does not believe, would he know what the badge should look like? When cornered Highway only does what he believes, but could it get him killed? Bodies are piling up, can he find the man responsible and make him pay, and yet save himself?

Springer has developed exceptional characters; he gives them both their weakness and their strengths and does not apologize. It is part of what give the story character and makes the characters more believable. Throughout the book, we follow Highway on his training to become a Seal, the in-depth and harrowing training that can either make or break a man. Few succeed and yet Highway is one of those that do.

We also find out more about why he is no longer in the program and the fight he had to save his life from something too small to see and yet more deadly than any other foe he would ever face. We get a remarkable look into the workings of different government entities and the possible groups that are only bantered about in rumor.

Will Highway find what he is looking for, and is vengeance really the answer. As bodies begin to pile up and Highway finds himself on the wrong end of certain factions, can his friend Willis help him to save the day?

This is a good solid suspense, with just enough background to keep you turning the pages. Full of action and danger, it is difficult to put down. Part of what I found so interesting were the passages that dealt with the Navy Seal training, it is quite torrid itself. If you are looking for a new hero, Highway may just fit the bill.

This book was received as a free copy from the Author. all opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
Profile Image for TC.
220 reviews15 followers
June 1, 2011
In the past I have read a lot of books by authors like Jack Higgins and Colin Forbes but got a bit tired of the same stories rehashed and the slightly dated feel to a lot of their back catalogue. As such I eased off of novels in that vein. However the synopsis for this book sounded current and interesting I was hoping a new author and characters would perk me up.

Thomas Highway is a former Navy SEAL who is hellbent on revenge after the murder of his wife. She is killed in a set up hit and run accident which he witnesses. He starts tracking down those responsible with the assistance of best friend Willis, who runs a security company, but comes up against a government department who wants to stop him before he blows a major operation trying to stop a WMD being brought into the US over the Mexican border. He is determined to deliver justice for his wife though and another, covert, government agency wants to help him out.

The story is told in the first person and I felt like I was drawn to Highway from the start. He is quite an endearing character, clearly tough but with a soft centre when it comes to wife Josie. The chapters are interspersed with flashbacks to his SEAL training which I thought were a clever way to establish how much of a hard guy he was without taking away from the action as it was unfolding in the present. There was action from the very start, building up to what I felt was a satisfying ending.

There was an element of having to suspend my disbelief a little at the notion of Highway and Willis being able to so quickly and easily access all the kit he needed to go after the culprit, and having the amazing set up Willis did, as both are civillians. I also wondered how even a former SEAL could compartmentalise the death of his wife as easily as he appeared to. However it's possible that I'm a little naive as to what really goes on in the big bad world, and actually I do enjoy taking a leap of faith when it's in favour of the "good" guys and makes it a more exciting read.

This was a really enjoyable action thriller that I raced through, with a main character I could root for. The plot wasn't overly complicated but with enough twists to keep me wondering. If you're a fan of the genre this book is well worth a look.
Profile Image for Donna McBroom-Theriot.
Author 1 book63 followers
January 21, 2012
My uncle was a Navy SEAL and there was always this mystery surrounding what it was like, so I was especially intrigued by the training information. It was captured with such detail that it had me re-reading the author’s bio to see if he had indeed participated in the training. Highway to Vengeance is fast paced, it is thrilling, it is about revenge, and it will leave you racing to the next page to find out what happens.

Brian Springer did a great job writing a solid plot. The main character Thomas Highway, did like so many other Americans in the aftermath of 911, he joined the military. His choice was the Navy SEALs. Brian Springer did an outstanding job describing the SEAL training. You were able to become a part of the training with the trainees, huffing, puffing, and straining right alongside them as they went through the obstacle course day after day. Thomas Highway’s dreams were quickly dashed as he contracted a life-threatening skin disease in the last vestiges of training.

After his wife, Josie, is involved in a hit-and-run and dies in his arms, his world begins to fall apart. As he tucks his grief inside, and takes a good look around him, he begins to see the accident as a murder. His wife was working on an important case, and with her death, the case fell apart.

In steps Highway’s best friend, Willis, who agrees to help him do whatever it takes to find justice. The plot of the book deepens and an unlikely unfolding of events happens that will leave you guessing at every turn about who the good guys are and who the bad guys are and just who do you trust with the truth.

The book finished with a completely unexpected twist of a turn. I loved it. This book did not leave you wanting revenge or closure; it gave it to you – and that is all I am going to say. You need to read this book. I am envisioning lots and lots of stars for this book.
Profile Image for Ey.
Author 24 books34 followers
June 24, 2011
I really enjoyed reading this book. Brian Springer did an awesome job. From page one the conversation flowed smoothly and continued throughout which made the characters seem so real. I loved the training sessions because it tied in so well when it was time to activate the mission and made things plausible. None stop action. A great read. I recommend it.
41 reviews
December 9, 2011
This was a good story, it took off quickly and maintained a fast pace. I was a bit disappointed by the end, as it seemed as though the author was just trying to finish up the project. Overall I'd recommend it. I wish the author would use the word "magazine" rather than "clip". While the words are often used interchangeably, they shouldn't be.
Profile Image for Jeanie.
3,088 reviews1 follower
December 10, 2012
Don't mess with a navy seal. Simple plot with twists and turns. A little crass for me but a quick read. Somewhat ended quickly.
Profile Image for Colleen.
84 reviews2 followers
September 30, 2014
The story line had promise. What I lacked in reading was the suspense and climax at important moments. I felt there was not much lead up, and then the author just handed over the information.
8 reviews
April 8, 2017
Good read

Once I started reading, couldn't put down. Very good beginning to end. Would like to see a continuation of the story
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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