What do you think?
Rate this book
A Thousand Cuts
From Hollywood screenwriter Gregory Poirier (National Book of Secrets, Rosewood, Knox Goes Away) comes an espionage thriller with the grit of Lee Child, the emotional punch of S.A. Cosby, and the atmospheric intrigue of John le Carré. A Thousand Cuts introduces Max Starkey—disgraced CIA operative turned underworld fixer—whose past loves, rivals, and indiscretions are coming for him in the jungles of Southeast Asia.
From the steamy streets of Bangkok to the suffocating depths of the Laotian rainforest, A Thousand Cuts is a high-octane thriller about loyalty, betrayal, and redemption. Blending emotional depth with explosive action, Gregory Poirier’s debut novel introduces a new hero who bleeds, breaks, and doesn’t back down.
Max Starkey walked away from the CIA after a mission in Laos went wrong—horribly wrong. Seven years later, he’s living in the gray spaces between criminals and justice, earning a living recovering stolen goods for villains who know better than to ask questions. But when he’s lured to Bangkok under false pretenses, Max realizes his past isn’t done with him.
The an old flame, Kelly Riggs, now married to his rival, Derek Moss. The steal $130 million in dictator-owned gold before a coup kicks off. The everyone’s planning a double-cross—and Max is the mark.
But things get even more complicated when Max’s “companion,” Giuliana Abara, turns out to be an undercover FBI agent with secrets of her own. Caught in a deadly web of betrayal and political violence, Max must choose between old loyalties and new truths.
A Thousand Cuts is a gripping tale of espionage, survival, and love in a world where trust is a liability and redemption comes at a steep price.
From the steamy streets of Bangkok to the suffocating depths of the Laotian rainforest, A Thousand Cuts is a high-octane thriller about loyalty, betrayal, and redemption. Blending emotional depth with explosive action, Gregory Poirier’s debut novel introduces a new hero who bleeds, breaks, and doesn’t back down.
Max Starkey walked away from the CIA after a mission in Laos went wrong—horribly wrong. Seven years later, he’s living in the gray spaces between criminals and justice, earning a living recovering stolen goods for villains who know better than to ask questions. But when he’s lured to Bangkok under false pretenses, Max realizes his past isn’t done with him.
The an old flame, Kelly Riggs, now married to his rival, Derek Moss. The steal $130 million in dictator-owned gold before a coup kicks off. The everyone’s planning a double-cross—and Max is the mark.
But things get even more complicated when Max’s “companion,” Giuliana Abara, turns out to be an undercover FBI agent with secrets of her own. Caught in a deadly web of betrayal and political violence, Max must choose between old loyalties and new truths.
A Thousand Cuts is a gripping tale of espionage, survival, and love in a world where trust is a liability and redemption comes at a steep price.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
That’s not a red flag, that’s a parade. With fireworks. In a war zone. A Thousand Cuts drops us in the middle of Max Starkey’s life, and buddy, this man is running almost entirely on trauma, bad instincts, and the kind of emotional repression that should qualify as an Olympic sport. Former CIA golden boy turned disgraced operative turned underworld fixer, Max now spends his days recovering stolen goods for very rich people who definitely have at least three human rights violations attached to their names. It’s giving LinkedIn: Villain Edition.
This is my first book in the Max Starkey series, and thankfully you can jump in without feeling like you missed seventeen books and a companion podcast. You meet Max exactly where he is, which is emotionally in hell and geographically in Bangkok, where an old mission in Laos still hangs over him like the world’s least sexy ghost.
Then Kelly Riggs walks back into his life, and suddenly we’re not just doing spy stuff, we’re doing feelings. Dangerous, unstable feelings. Kelly is the ex. THE ex. The one who didn’t just break his heart, she basically put it in a blender and hit purée. And now she’s married to Derek Moss, Max’s former CIA rival, because apparently this woman believes in multitasking when it comes to ruining a man’s life.
Their pitch? Help us steal $130 million in dictator-owned gold before a coup explodes everything. Which, honestly, is a wild opener for a reunion brunch. And Max, because he is a thriller protagonist and therefore legally required to make terrible decisions based on old love, says yes. Of course he does. This man sees a red flag and treats it like a welcome mat.
What I loved most here is that Gregory Poirier doesn’t write Max like some untouchable action hero who walks away from explosions without blinking. He’s capable, sure, but he’s also bruised, messy, and still carrying enough regret to qualify as checked luggage. He’s loyal to a fault, still soft where Kelly is concerned, and somehow keeps ending up surrounded by people who should come with warning labels.
Which brings us to Giuliana Abara, my personal MVP. She starts as Max’s glamorous, sharp-tongued companion and quickly reveals herself to be an undercover FBI agent, because apparently no one in this book is allowed to simply have a normal job. Giuliana is smart, complicated, and blessedly unimpressed by everyone’s nonsense. She and Max have that delicious tension where you’re like, “Please kiss, but also maybe attend therapy first.”
Honestly, Kelly feels like the ghost of every bad decision Max ever made, while Giuliana feels like the possibility that maybe, just maybe, he could stop emotionally dumpster-diving in his own past. I was rooting for her mostly because she seemed like the only person in the room with both common sense and a functioning moral compass.
Now let’s talk audiobook, because David Lee Garver absolutely got the assignment. Narrating thrillers can go wrong fast. Too dramatic and suddenly everyone sounds like they’re threatening Gotham. Too flat and it feels like your dentist is reading you an assassination plot. Garver hits the sweet spot. Max sounds exactly how he should: tired, sharp, dangerous, and like he absolutely has not unpacked a single emotional issue since 2009.
He keeps the pacing tight, especially in the action scenes and the endless layers of betrayal, where lesser narration could make things blur together. Instead, it feels cinematic, which makes sense because Poirier writes like he knows exactly where the camera would cut. Bangkok feels humid and dangerous, Laos feels like nowhere good decisions survive, and every conversation sounds like someone is either about to kiss or pull a gun. Sometimes both.
Also, I have to respect a title that is this accurate. A Thousand Cuts is not subtle. This is a story about death by betrayal, by regret, by old love, by the slow realization that trusting people is basically just volunteering for emotional violence. Romance, but make it espionage.
This landed at a very happy 4 stars for me. It has that Jack Reacher meets The Gray Man energy, but with more emotional bruising and less “look how cool my gun is” nonsense. It’s sharp, fast, and messy in the best way, and for a first entry into this series, I was fully in. If Max Starkey keeps making terrible choices in future books, and I suspect he absolutely will, I’ll be there.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Believe “Helping My Ex and Her Husband Steal Dictator Gold” Was Somehow a Better Idea Than Blocking Her Number
Huge thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for handing me this audio chaos, because nothing brings people together quite like betrayal, gunfire, and a man making catastrophically bad romantic decisions.
This is my first book in the Max Starkey series, and thankfully you can jump in without feeling like you missed seventeen books and a companion podcast. You meet Max exactly where he is, which is emotionally in hell and geographically in Bangkok, where an old mission in Laos still hangs over him like the world’s least sexy ghost.
Then Kelly Riggs walks back into his life, and suddenly we’re not just doing spy stuff, we’re doing feelings. Dangerous, unstable feelings. Kelly is the ex. THE ex. The one who didn’t just break his heart, she basically put it in a blender and hit purée. And now she’s married to Derek Moss, Max’s former CIA rival, because apparently this woman believes in multitasking when it comes to ruining a man’s life.
Their pitch? Help us steal $130 million in dictator-owned gold before a coup explodes everything. Which, honestly, is a wild opener for a reunion brunch. And Max, because he is a thriller protagonist and therefore legally required to make terrible decisions based on old love, says yes. Of course he does. This man sees a red flag and treats it like a welcome mat.
What I loved most here is that Gregory Poirier doesn’t write Max like some untouchable action hero who walks away from explosions without blinking. He’s capable, sure, but he’s also bruised, messy, and still carrying enough regret to qualify as checked luggage. He’s loyal to a fault, still soft where Kelly is concerned, and somehow keeps ending up surrounded by people who should come with warning labels.
Which brings us to Giuliana Abara, my personal MVP. She starts as Max’s glamorous, sharp-tongued companion and quickly reveals herself to be an undercover FBI agent, because apparently no one in this book is allowed to simply have a normal job. Giuliana is smart, complicated, and blessedly unimpressed by everyone’s nonsense. She and Max have that delicious tension where you’re like, “Please kiss, but also maybe attend therapy first.”
Honestly, Kelly feels like the ghost of every bad decision Max ever made, while Giuliana feels like the possibility that maybe, just maybe, he could stop emotionally dumpster-diving in his own past. I was rooting for her mostly because she seemed like the only person in the room with both common sense and a functioning moral compass.
Now let’s talk audiobook, because David Lee Garver absolutely got the assignment. Narrating thrillers can go wrong fast. Too dramatic and suddenly everyone sounds like they’re threatening Gotham. Too flat and it feels like your dentist is reading you an assassination plot. Garver hits the sweet spot. Max sounds exactly how he should: tired, sharp, dangerous, and like he absolutely has not unpacked a single emotional issue since 2009.
He keeps the pacing tight, especially in the action scenes and the endless layers of betrayal, where lesser narration could make things blur together. Instead, it feels cinematic, which makes sense because Poirier writes like he knows exactly where the camera would cut. Bangkok feels humid and dangerous, Laos feels like nowhere good decisions survive, and every conversation sounds like someone is either about to kiss or pull a gun. Sometimes both.
Also, I have to respect a title that is this accurate. A Thousand Cuts is not subtle. This is a story about death by betrayal, by regret, by old love, by the slow realization that trusting people is basically just volunteering for emotional violence. Romance, but make it espionage.
This landed at a very happy 4 stars for me. It has that Jack Reacher meets The Gray Man energy, but with more emotional bruising and less “look how cool my gun is” nonsense. It’s sharp, fast, and messy in the best way, and for a first entry into this series, I was fully in. If Max Starkey keeps making terrible choices in future books, and I suspect he absolutely will, I’ll be there.
Whodunity Award: For Making Me Believe “Helping My Ex and Her Husband Steal Dictator Gold” Was Somehow a Better Idea Than Blocking Her Number
Huge thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for handing me this audio chaos, because nothing brings people together quite like betrayal, gunfire, and a man making catastrophically bad romantic decisions.
April 25, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of A Thousand Cuts. This is a confident, fast-moving debut that leans into the darker side of espionage.
The story follows Max Starkey, a former CIA operative now working as a fixer, who’s drawn into a job in Bangkok that quickly becomes far more complicated than it first appears. There’s a mix of old connections—an ex-lover, past rivals and shifting loyalties that keep things interesting, with plenty of double-crossing along the way. Max himself isn’t a straightforward lead, which works well. He’s worn down, makes questionable decisions, and feels shaped by everything he’s been through.
Giuliana Abara adds another layer to the story, particularly as her role becomes clearer and the stakes start to rise. The plot moves at a good pace, taking in different locations and keeping that sense of momentum, especially once things start to unravel.
The narration by David Lee Garver really suits the tone. He brings out Max’s edge and keeps the pacing tight, particularly during the more action-heavy sections, which made it an easy one to stay immersed in..
A solid four-star listen, especially if you enjoy spy fiction with a darker, more grounded feel.
The story follows Max Starkey, a former CIA operative now working as a fixer, who’s drawn into a job in Bangkok that quickly becomes far more complicated than it first appears. There’s a mix of old connections—an ex-lover, past rivals and shifting loyalties that keep things interesting, with plenty of double-crossing along the way. Max himself isn’t a straightforward lead, which works well. He’s worn down, makes questionable decisions, and feels shaped by everything he’s been through.
Giuliana Abara adds another layer to the story, particularly as her role becomes clearer and the stakes start to rise. The plot moves at a good pace, taking in different locations and keeping that sense of momentum, especially once things start to unravel.
The narration by David Lee Garver really suits the tone. He brings out Max’s edge and keeps the pacing tight, particularly during the more action-heavy sections, which made it an easy one to stay immersed in..
A solid four-star listen, especially if you enjoy spy fiction with a darker, more grounded feel.
May 23, 2026
Hard to put down!
I was reading this book while visiting family & kept trying to find time to sneak away so I could read more!
The characters are all well-defined & the story takes the reader to places that are unexpected, keeping the story fresh & exciting from start to finish.
I'm usually good at figuring out where the author is going with the characters & the storyline, but this book has some great change-ups to the regular thriller format. Way to go, Greg! I'm looking forward to the next Max Starkey Thriller.
Read this book. You'll be glad you did!
I was reading this book while visiting family & kept trying to find time to sneak away so I could read more!
The characters are all well-defined & the story takes the reader to places that are unexpected, keeping the story fresh & exciting from start to finish.
I'm usually good at figuring out where the author is going with the characters & the storyline, but this book has some great change-ups to the regular thriller format. Way to go, Greg! I'm looking forward to the next Max Starkey Thriller.
Read this book. You'll be glad you did!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews