The Forbidden Isle

Dash Boone Thrillers #1

by Craig A. Hart, Nick Thacker

A cure for cancer. A forbidden island. And no one comes back alive.

When Dash Boone agrees to guide billionaire Greyson Redmayne and renowned scientist Dr. Kim Kirby to the elusive Menchal Island, he thinks he’s signing on for a high-stakes adventure.

But their true mission—a desperate search for a potential cure for cancer hidden within the island’s dense jungles—quickly turns deadly. Menchal’s chilling reputation is no myth; the island guards its secrets fiercely, and no one who ventures into its heart has ever returned to tell the tale.

As Dash, Kim, and Greyson push deeper into the island, they encounter ancient symbols, terrifying phenomena, and signs that something far darker than a miracle cure lies waiting for them.

Pursued by unseen forces and faced with the island’s ruthless defenses, they must unravel Menchal’s mysteries before they, too, become part of its legend.

Some places are meant to stay hidden. Menchal is one of them.

484 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 29, 2024

About the author

Craig A. Hart is a writer of thrillers. In a past life, he was also director for Northern Illinois Radio Information Service, a broadcast outreach that brought daily news and information to the visually impaired.

In 2015, Kindle Press published his literary novel BECOMING MOON. NPR affiliate Northern Public Radio featured BECOMING MOON in their Winter Book Series, and it won Best Novel of Summer 2015 from Pinnacle Awards. He is also the author of the historical mystery NIGHT AT KEY WEST, which is based on true events.

In 2016, he publishing SERENITY, the first book in the popular Shelby Alexander Thriller Series. Serenity alone has been downloaded over 400,000 times by eager readers.

In 2022, he launched the Maxwell Barnes Adventure Thriller Series, co-written with S.J. Varengo. The award-winning first book in that series, MAYAN SHADOWS, was published on May 11, 2022. Two more books follow in that series: MAYAN THUNDER and MAYAN TEMPEST.

A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Craig lives in Iowa City, Iowa with his wife, sons, insane dog, and anti-social cat.

Reviews

[ukkindlecustomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jules Verne Meets Nicholas Roeg

Clashes, both small and large, between modern and primitive societies, leaves the reader wondering which is which. Thought provoking, moral conundrums in tense thriller with unexpected episodes of violence and laugh out loud humour.

[David Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A research scientist and an "investigator" get kidnapped by the hoi polloi to investigate an island

Redmayne is obscenely rich and has a plan to defeat cancer, but his methods need a lot to be desired. First he kidnaps a scientist studying a species of shark that can live for 150 or more years and then an 'investigator' whose father had personal knowledge of The Forbidden Isle known as Menchal. However, other people are also interested in the island leading to a potential battle - not to mention the hostile natives of the island - from which it's said no one returns from...
Intrigue, suspense, romance, action, murder, humour and Indian food make for an interesting and fun tale, though a discontinuity early in the book does distract from the story.

[Hope Gerhardstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting story that left me with so many questions. Too many typos and inconsistencies in details. How can one’s boots thud against the deck in a rubber raft? When talking to a man standing at the door, that man’s fingers strum against the arm of his chair and he leans back in his chair (but he is standing at the door!!!). A spear in the eye and next paragraph it is in the chest. Why do the islanders all look identical? What do they do to the babies that don’t have “the mark”? The clerk glanced up from his newspaper twice in the same paragraph. Too many errors which I find annoying when I am reading.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good moments of action but...

There were some good moments of action. The opening chapter definitely pulled me in enough to keep reading. Unfortunately, everything was just vague enough to give no real explanation for Redmayne's actions. Our hero Dash also had no purpose in the story except perhaps to move the plot in a specific direction. Kirby was less of a scientist and more of a moral compass for the story. Has the potential to be a good sci-fi thriller if more substance can be added.

[Karen Brklich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The characters were developed well and were very relatable. The book was fast paced without unnecessary sidetracks. The only thing that prevented me from giving 5 stars is that the quirks with the inhabitants of the island were not adequately concluded. I really wanted to know more about what made the island so deadly and it's occupants so long lived, other than the blink-and-you-miss-it, mention of genetics.

[Suzanne Tidwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Violent

I like adventure stories. I like a military element in adventure stories. I also like a bit of science/science fiction. If there's some romance to make things interesting, I like that too. This book had all those things; but it also had a lot of violence. Extreme violence and gore. I don't like gorey violence.

[Maggie Deaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast intriguing read....

Centering on a lost and crossed island, this novel is both entertaining and suspenseful. There is enough romance to appeal to lovers of romantic suspense as well as action for adventure fans. Very enjoyable read...

[Matt Egan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun adventure about an island which might contain the cure for cancer. The writing is good, Dash and The characters are varied and well constructed, the pace relentless, starting long before reaching the island and the conclusion is satisfying. Recommended for thriller fans. 4/5 stars!

[Phthon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! That was an EXCITING read! I read it in one sitting because there was no way I was going to put the book down. There were only three characters that I liked in this book, the rest were terrible humans. I loved this story and can’t wait to read the next one!

[Patt Lisenbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Forbidden Isle by Hart and Thacker

I thought I wouldn't fall for another hero-type - bum, yet here I am, loving this book and the couple of heroes it gave. An action-filled novel with a wide spread of characters to balance out the tale. Read to see who comes out on top!

[Ron · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry, this book was written for 12 year olds. The first chapter was excellent then it turned to dribble.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good

The chapters are short and good. You got to be a bit of more creative. Good work I did liked

[Heather Kellermann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise, meh execution.

[Sunnie Campos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read...need second book

The story grabs you slowly then hangs on like a dog with a bloody bone to the very end....where it leaves you hanging for the next book....

[barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't work out why a scientist and back up crew went to the island as there was a reason to find a cure for cancer and why these natives lived a long life but no info was given as what they were looking for no special plants ect and then the back up crew killed all the natives ?
The storyline started good but the whole reason i couldn't understand ,did i miss something