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Codex
A whistleblower, a fatal car crash, and a ghastly coverup. Risk is nothing when you have nothing left to lose.
FBI Agent Angus Mariner is off-grid after losing his beloved wife in a tragic car accident. Out of nowhere, he's approached by an eccentric old man, a billionaire, who gives him a three-million-dollar gift...and is discovered dead the next day. Mariner becomes a person of interest and later a suspect in that investigation as well as the death of a vagrant found on the beach near his residence. While investigating the dizzying turn of events, he is contacted by a journalist, who shares details of secret work his wife had been doing just before her fatal accident. Digging into what feels like unlikely allegations brings him to two unthinkable his wife was a whistleblower about to expose a ring of corruption linked to the eccentric old man, and the fatal car crash was no accident. Out on a limb with no one left to trust, he must decide if he alone can expose the organization's terrifying agenda and bring meaning to his life's greatest loss.
Fans of Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne series will love Lisa Towles' new fast-paced psychological thriller.
FBI Agent Angus Mariner is off-grid after losing his beloved wife in a tragic car accident. Out of nowhere, he's approached by an eccentric old man, a billionaire, who gives him a three-million-dollar gift...and is discovered dead the next day. Mariner becomes a person of interest and later a suspect in that investigation as well as the death of a vagrant found on the beach near his residence. While investigating the dizzying turn of events, he is contacted by a journalist, who shares details of secret work his wife had been doing just before her fatal accident. Digging into what feels like unlikely allegations brings him to two unthinkable his wife was a whistleblower about to expose a ring of corruption linked to the eccentric old man, and the fatal car crash was no accident. Out on a limb with no one left to trust, he must decide if he alone can expose the organization's terrifying agenda and bring meaning to his life's greatest loss.
Fans of Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne series will love Lisa Towles' new fast-paced psychological thriller.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2024
3 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Towles
12 books165 followersLisa Towles is an award-winning crime novelist and a passionate speaker on the topics of fiction writing, creativity, and self care. She has eleven crime thrillers in print including Terror Bay - a psychological thriller published in November of 2023. Her previous thriller, Salt Island, was the winner of The BookFest, Pencraft, Readers Choice, Readers Favorite, and Literary Titan awards. The Ridders (November, 2022) won an American Fiction Award, and her psychological thriller Hot House (June 2022) was a #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller. Lisa is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers and is deeply committed to supporting other writers. She is Board President of a Bay Area nonprofit (Bridgegood.org) and speaks frequently to groups of business leaders and writers about her platform Strategic Self Care. She has an MBA in IT Management and works full-time in the tech industry in the San Francisco Bay area. Learn more at www.lisatowles.com, strategicselfcare.blog, or follow Lisa on social media: linktr.ee/authortowles.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 5, 2024
In “Codex,” author Lisa Towles has created a world. Not a world I’d want to live in, necessarily, but a frighteningly plausible world in which greed, secrecy and even mind control rule our lives. Maybe it’s so convincing because every page seems horribly plausible. Plausible, but surprising – when was the last time a washed-up drunk cornered you in a bar and ended the festivities by handing you the keys to his helicopter? And that wasn’t even the biggest surprise in this gem of a thriller.
The book is primarily set in Half Moon Bay, a pretty little Northern California beach town just a short drive from this reviewer’s home. It’s an interesting place – while driving through the canyon that connects the coast to San Francisco Airport, you could almost be in New England, with tidy farmhouses, picket fences and bright orange pumpkins decorating the fields in autumn. Strawberry fields and pastures surround the few streets of town, bordered on the west by a big marina and a couple of jetties. Sleepy, you know? Except in winter, when the legendary surf spot’s Mavericks start breaking with 40-foot waves. Hundreds of adrenaline-crazed surfers descend on the town, braving the cold water, teeming with sharp rocks and great white sharks, hoping to catch the ride of a lifetime.
Much of the malfeasance attributed to great white sharks is the work of bull sharks, which are nearly as large and much more aggressive. In fact, bull sharks have the highest level of testosterone in the animal kingdom, making them fearless and ferocious. The creature with the second highest level of testosterone may be Angus Mariner, the narrator of this book. And with all the forces aligned against him, he needs every drop he can get. He may be lacking in charm, but his basic human decency, sense of justice, and – yes – fearless ferocity means he has a small but loyal crew of people to help him erase some nasty characters from the world.
His quest is complex, and the complexity grows chapter by chapter. Luckily, Towles manages to make everything clear while still effectively conveying Angus’ confusion about who is doing what, and why. The degree to which Towles inhabits the mind of a grieving, clever and relentless ex-Feeb is impressive. (I will note, however, that those poufy, frilly things women use to cover their torsos are called “shirts” in Guyland, and under no circumstances will the word “blouse” cross the lips of men like these.)
Along the way, Angus meets a sharp and committed journalist named Michael Wise, who’s following the same story for reasons of his own. Watching these two move from deep suspicion of one another to trusting partners generates warmth. Other alliances form – some helpful, some not. Towles keeps us guessing.
In the end, all the plot threads are sewn up in satisfactory fashion. I recommend reading “Codex” by Lisa Towles on vacation, because once you start, you’re going to be up all night.
The book is primarily set in Half Moon Bay, a pretty little Northern California beach town just a short drive from this reviewer’s home. It’s an interesting place – while driving through the canyon that connects the coast to San Francisco Airport, you could almost be in New England, with tidy farmhouses, picket fences and bright orange pumpkins decorating the fields in autumn. Strawberry fields and pastures surround the few streets of town, bordered on the west by a big marina and a couple of jetties. Sleepy, you know? Except in winter, when the legendary surf spot’s Mavericks start breaking with 40-foot waves. Hundreds of adrenaline-crazed surfers descend on the town, braving the cold water, teeming with sharp rocks and great white sharks, hoping to catch the ride of a lifetime.
Much of the malfeasance attributed to great white sharks is the work of bull sharks, which are nearly as large and much more aggressive. In fact, bull sharks have the highest level of testosterone in the animal kingdom, making them fearless and ferocious. The creature with the second highest level of testosterone may be Angus Mariner, the narrator of this book. And with all the forces aligned against him, he needs every drop he can get. He may be lacking in charm, but his basic human decency, sense of justice, and – yes – fearless ferocity means he has a small but loyal crew of people to help him erase some nasty characters from the world.
His quest is complex, and the complexity grows chapter by chapter. Luckily, Towles manages to make everything clear while still effectively conveying Angus’ confusion about who is doing what, and why. The degree to which Towles inhabits the mind of a grieving, clever and relentless ex-Feeb is impressive. (I will note, however, that those poufy, frilly things women use to cover their torsos are called “shirts” in Guyland, and under no circumstances will the word “blouse” cross the lips of men like these.)
Along the way, Angus meets a sharp and committed journalist named Michael Wise, who’s following the same story for reasons of his own. Watching these two move from deep suspicion of one another to trusting partners generates warmth. Other alliances form – some helpful, some not. Towles keeps us guessing.
In the end, all the plot threads are sewn up in satisfactory fashion. I recommend reading “Codex” by Lisa Towles on vacation, because once you start, you’re going to be up all night.
June 21, 2024
Trippy!
Towles delivers another conspiracy-filled, edge of your seat, what's really happening here thriller in "Codex". If you love psychological thrillers, definitely check this novel out!
Towles delivers another conspiracy-filled, edge of your seat, what's really happening here thriller in "Codex". If you love psychological thrillers, definitely check this novel out!
June 20, 2024
Codex is a thriller written in the first-person POV. To be honest, it threw me off for a bit. Most thrillers, from my experience, are third-person. So, before reading, knowing the genre, I was expecting third-person. For me, I need to shift my mind to the book’s POV. I even have to do that when writing in first-person POV. That said, it took me a while to get into the book, but reading it was smooth once the shift was made.
The book starts in medias res, with our hero, Angus Mariner, breaking into a safe house with his half-sister. It ends on a cliffhanger, and the reader is transported back to the events leading up to the B&E. Angus is in the middle of grief over his wife’s death. We learn of his FBI background, his Air Force background, and the cat-and-mouse relationship he has with a detective is established. While this is going on, Angus’ brain starts turning, and he’s beginning to make connections that lead him to question if his wife’s death was an accident.
Over the months in the book, Angus is pushed and pulled into a conspiracy he couldn’t fully grasp until the very end.
As a thriller, it’s not bad. The twists were interesting. I personally didn’t care for Angus as a character, but his motivations make sense. He just wasn’t my favorite. I personally loved his sister and Rudy. She is sassy, and Rudy has that caring, unphased friend attitude. The book is well written, though I would say that there were moments I had to reread segments. I’m not sure if it was that my brain wasn’t clicking (totally possible) or if the text had a hiccup moment. I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint a certain place as to why, but I figured I would mention it in case there are other ADHD speed readers out there. You may want to take a bit of time here and there.
Overall, it wasn’t bad. Definitely check it out when you have the chance.
The book starts in medias res, with our hero, Angus Mariner, breaking into a safe house with his half-sister. It ends on a cliffhanger, and the reader is transported back to the events leading up to the B&E. Angus is in the middle of grief over his wife’s death. We learn of his FBI background, his Air Force background, and the cat-and-mouse relationship he has with a detective is established. While this is going on, Angus’ brain starts turning, and he’s beginning to make connections that lead him to question if his wife’s death was an accident.
Over the months in the book, Angus is pushed and pulled into a conspiracy he couldn’t fully grasp until the very end.
As a thriller, it’s not bad. The twists were interesting. I personally didn’t care for Angus as a character, but his motivations make sense. He just wasn’t my favorite. I personally loved his sister and Rudy. She is sassy, and Rudy has that caring, unphased friend attitude. The book is well written, though I would say that there were moments I had to reread segments. I’m not sure if it was that my brain wasn’t clicking (totally possible) or if the text had a hiccup moment. I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint a certain place as to why, but I figured I would mention it in case there are other ADHD speed readers out there. You may want to take a bit of time here and there.
Overall, it wasn’t bad. Definitely check it out when you have the chance.
June 20, 2024
Lisa Towles intensifies the story with middle-of-the-night gunshots, introducing readers to Angus Mariner. He is a former FBI agent who lost his wife in an accident. Angus, highly skilled as an investigator, becomes a person of interest in the deaths of two unfamiliar men. One of the men gave him the keys to his helicopter just hours before his body was found. The local police seek answers but fail to ask all the necessary questions. Angus finds support from his close friend Rudy, who served with him in the Air Force. Rudy offers Angus a safe place to recuperate from his loss, as only a fellow service member can.
The action in this book is nonstop and accompanied by rich character development and terrific world-building, set in Half Moon Bay, California. The realistic dialogue adds believability to the story. Angus Mariner, the narrator, seems to have forces aligned against him. His logical deduction, sense of justice, and extreme loyalty bring out his cutthroat tenacity as he follows the clues to find the truth. Angus's half-sister Elaine has secrets in her life that she's trying to escape, yet she would do anything for her brother. The trails Angus follows take him back to his early years with the bureau, raising unanswerable questions.
Angus connects with investigative podcaster journalist Michael Wise, who wants to expose an unimaginable evil network. Lisa Towles delivers a psychological thriller of epic proportions involving secret medical advancements in brainwashing. In this exceptional thriller, they develop a bond that progresses from doubt to a partnership against terror. Fans of high-caliber thrillers will need a comfortable chair to read this in one sitting. "Codex" is just that good.
The action in this book is nonstop and accompanied by rich character development and terrific world-building, set in Half Moon Bay, California. The realistic dialogue adds believability to the story. Angus Mariner, the narrator, seems to have forces aligned against him. His logical deduction, sense of justice, and extreme loyalty bring out his cutthroat tenacity as he follows the clues to find the truth. Angus's half-sister Elaine has secrets in her life that she's trying to escape, yet she would do anything for her brother. The trails Angus follows take him back to his early years with the bureau, raising unanswerable questions.
Angus connects with investigative podcaster journalist Michael Wise, who wants to expose an unimaginable evil network. Lisa Towles delivers a psychological thriller of epic proportions involving secret medical advancements in brainwashing. In this exceptional thriller, they develop a bond that progresses from doubt to a partnership against terror. Fans of high-caliber thrillers will need a comfortable chair to read this in one sitting. "Codex" is just that good.
June 27, 2024
Former FBI agent Angus Mariner is thrust into a thrilling mystery when gunshots ring out in the night, setting off a chain of events that sees him as a suspect in the deaths of two strangers. One of the men had handed Angus the keys to his helicopter just hours before being found dead. As the local police fail to ask the right questions, Angus, known for his sharp investigative skills, relies on the support of his Air Force buddy Rudy, who offers him a safe haven. Angus's pursuit of truth is relentless, fueled by his logical deduction, strong sense of justice, and loyalty. Set in Half Moon Bay, California, the story features realistic dialogue, rich character development, and superb world-building. Alongside his half-sister Elaine, who has her own secrets, Angus teams up with investigative journalist Michael Wise to uncover a sinister network involving secret medical advancements in brainwashing. Together, they form a partnership against terror, making this psychological thriller a gripping read that fans won't want to put down.
September 7, 2025
Codex: Fast-Paced Thriller Plays with Your Head
FBI Agent Angus Mariner, Lisa Towles’ protagonist in Codex, lives on the beach near Half Moon Bay, California. Literally on the beach, not in the fancy trailer his half-sister put together for him. Mariner’s beloved wife was killed in a road accident months before. He survived the accident, but is so traumatized by her death that he moved from their suburban home to the edge of the ocean.
In quick succession, a man is murdered on the beach, Mariner meets a strange, old billionaire who is murdered, and leaves Mariner a helicopter in his will. Suddenly, Mariner is in the law’s crosshairs. What is going on? His detecting skills on alert, Mariner starts digging, traveling to Texas and up and down the California coast. At first, the murders look like narco gang hits, then the strands of the story tighten and tangle as the plot speeds up. Was his wife involved in something darker and stranger than he knew? Nonstop story-telling = nonstop reading.
FBI Agent Angus Mariner, Lisa Towles’ protagonist in Codex, lives on the beach near Half Moon Bay, California. Literally on the beach, not in the fancy trailer his half-sister put together for him. Mariner’s beloved wife was killed in a road accident months before. He survived the accident, but is so traumatized by her death that he moved from their suburban home to the edge of the ocean.
In quick succession, a man is murdered on the beach, Mariner meets a strange, old billionaire who is murdered, and leaves Mariner a helicopter in his will. Suddenly, Mariner is in the law’s crosshairs. What is going on? His detecting skills on alert, Mariner starts digging, traveling to Texas and up and down the California coast. At first, the murders look like narco gang hits, then the strands of the story tighten and tangle as the plot speeds up. Was his wife involved in something darker and stranger than he knew? Nonstop story-telling = nonstop reading.
August 26, 2024
I’ve read all Lisa Towles’ novels. Each gets deeper with a more multilayered plot that stimulates the intellect without being pedantic. No one will ever accuse Ms. Towles of casting shallow characters. They are complex but written in such a way you can’t help care what happens to each one—even the antagonists. You follow the characters, on the edge of your seat as they maneuver through the quagmire of setbacks Lisa throws at them. Just when you think the character has successfully escaped a minefield, something else happens.
Each book has some relation to things going on in today’s world, which I really like because they're timely. She wraps a story so skillfully you feel like she conceived the events. Which makes me pause, wondering about the things going on in her head...
Her writing is sharp, the details crisp and deeply sensuous.
Note that I didn’t divulge any of the plot. That’s for you to find out for yourself!
Each book has some relation to things going on in today’s world, which I really like because they're timely. She wraps a story so skillfully you feel like she conceived the events. Which makes me pause, wondering about the things going on in her head...
Her writing is sharp, the details crisp and deeply sensuous.
Note that I didn’t divulge any of the plot. That’s for you to find out for yourself!
July 28, 2024
Codex by Lisa Towles
Ms. Towels has the knack; she knows the inside and outside of novel writing. I cannot express how brilliant the story development is in Codex. It unfolds like a flower, but not in the traditional sense. This flower opens like a bud, gently maturing with the delicate feel and smell of the carnation enticing the reader. As occasions transpire, a gentle tug of thorns grabs and scrapes the way a rose stem produces. As the story pulls the reader deeper and empathy builds, more and more rose thorns grab and irritate. Then, without the reader becoming aware, the flower morphs into adulthood, revealing that the thorns don’t grow from the stem of the flower — they are the jowl teeth of a Venus flytrap. Ms. Towles is a master of pacing, a guru of suspense, and deserves the five stars I rated it. Very good, Ms. Towles; excellent read, and the ride was wonderful.
Ms. Towels has the knack; she knows the inside and outside of novel writing. I cannot express how brilliant the story development is in Codex. It unfolds like a flower, but not in the traditional sense. This flower opens like a bud, gently maturing with the delicate feel and smell of the carnation enticing the reader. As occasions transpire, a gentle tug of thorns grabs and scrapes the way a rose stem produces. As the story pulls the reader deeper and empathy builds, more and more rose thorns grab and irritate. Then, without the reader becoming aware, the flower morphs into adulthood, revealing that the thorns don’t grow from the stem of the flower — they are the jowl teeth of a Venus flytrap. Ms. Towles is a master of pacing, a guru of suspense, and deserves the five stars I rated it. Very good, Ms. Towles; excellent read, and the ride was wonderful.
August 16, 2024
Lisa Towles writes complex characters with intricate plotting, and intense, pulse pounding action. Her protagonist, FBI Agent Angus Mariner’s grasp of reality and truth are in constant question. The answers to this dark and powerful mystery don’t come easily. Towles has written a thrilling novel with so many twists and turns it leaves the reader guessing until the very end.
Merged review:
Lisa Towles writes complex characters with intricate plotting, and intense, pulse pounding action. Her protagonist, FBI Agent Angus Mariner’s grasp of reality and truth are in constant question. The answers to this dark and powerful mystery don’t come easily. Towles has written a thrilling novel with so many twists and turns it leaves the reader guessing until the very end.
Merged review:
Lisa Towles writes complex characters with intricate plotting, and intense, pulse pounding action. Her protagonist, FBI Agent Angus Mariner’s grasp of reality and truth are in constant question. The answers to this dark and powerful mystery don’t come easily. Towles has written a thrilling novel with so many twists and turns it leaves the reader guessing until the very end.
June 19, 2024
Lisa keeps you turning the pages with many secrets and espionage going on in this book. Angus is an FBI agent, and he goes off-grid when his wife dies in an accident. Was his wife killed for being a whistleblower, or are there other factors at work here? Can Angus trust anyone, and is he being led in the right direction with all these people helping him out to the cause of his wife's death? Lisa keeps you guessing right until the end and still manages to blow you away with the ending.
I received an arc for my voluntary honest review for NN Book blog. You will enjoy this read if you love a psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns.
I received an arc for my voluntary honest review for NN Book blog. You will enjoy this read if you love a psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns.
July 12, 2024
Couldn't put it down!
About every other page, there is a twist of characters, or plot , or technology! Lisa's creativity is am-a-azing!
And it was fun reading of places that I know. Kind of made it more possible, real? for me!
Thank you, Lisa!
About every other page, there is a twist of characters, or plot , or technology! Lisa's creativity is am-a-azing!
And it was fun reading of places that I know. Kind of made it more possible, real? for me!
Thank you, Lisa!
August 25, 2024
A wonderful, twisty thriller filled with surprises, well drawn characters, and a worthy villain. I could not put it down!
August 3, 2024
This book pulled me in from the beginning and did not let me go. Former FBI agent Angus Mariner is a compelling protagonist, broken and grieving from the death of his wife, an attorney working a case he suspects led to her death. The more he attempts to follow the trail of clues about her death, the more he’s led back to an old case he handled in Texas. There are multiple twists and turns in the last third of the book, each more conspiracy-laden and wild than the last. I loved these and honestly could not stop reading till the end. Now I need to read a sequel!
August 16, 2024
A breath stopping psychological thriller!
What would you do if you found out your suppose 's car accident was no accident at all? FBI Agent Angus Mariner goes off-grid after the tragic accident when he's approached by an old man who gives him $3M dollars, then is found dead the next day. And who is the dead vagrant he finds on the beach? These incidents must be connected, and it is Angus who becomes the police's suspect. He's not sure if he can trust a journalist investigating corruption linked to the old man or that his wife was the whistleblower, but Angus can't stop until he's made sense of the terrible tragedy. Even if it puts him in terrible danger. Codex is a breath stopping psychological thriller with blood pounding action and heart rendering emotion. I couldn't put it down, and neither will you. I've read all of Towles' books and count this as one of the most exciting. I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.
What would you do if you found out your suppose 's car accident was no accident at all? FBI Agent Angus Mariner goes off-grid after the tragic accident when he's approached by an old man who gives him $3M dollars, then is found dead the next day. And who is the dead vagrant he finds on the beach? These incidents must be connected, and it is Angus who becomes the police's suspect. He's not sure if he can trust a journalist investigating corruption linked to the old man or that his wife was the whistleblower, but Angus can't stop until he's made sense of the terrible tragedy. Even if it puts him in terrible danger. Codex is a breath stopping psychological thriller with blood pounding action and heart rendering emotion. I couldn't put it down, and neither will you. I've read all of Towles' books and count this as one of the most exciting. I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews