Lightning: A gripping and action-packed sci-fi thriller

by Michael Ray Ewing

In a war against the desert's ruthless killers, there are no winners...only survivors.

LIGHTNING is a pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller where three strangers must race against time to uncover the truth before danger picks them off one by one.

Adam Barnett was building custom bikes and conquering desert trails above Phoenix—until a lightning strike scrambled his memory and left him hunted by something he calls “Nightmare.” A lovable dog named “Mop” does his best to save Adam’s life.

Major Blain Jacobson, a thirty-year Army Ranger, helicopters into Biodosius, a secret military lab outside Scottsdale, to find a massacre with no witnesses. Soon, the hunter become the hunted.

Victoria Stewart hasn’t slept in months. A voice she calls “Dark” has invaded her thoughts, methodically planning murders. Is he real, or is she losing her mind?

Perfect for fans of Chuck Wendig, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton, Blake Crouch, and Jack Carr, Lightning delivers nonstop action, mind-bending science, and a deep-state conspiracy that reaches from secret military labs to the darkest corners of genetic engineering.

372 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2026

About the author

Michael Ray Ewing is the winner of the prestigious Emerging Writers Gateway Contest for best new crime thriller. SATAN'S GOLD was inspired by his work as a Bell Labs engineer on the United States Federal Reserve’s network, FEDNET. An avid mountain biker and resident of Arizona, Mike writes about people who risk everything for the sake of doing what they know is right. In his second novel, LIGHTNING, he drew on his favorite outdoor activity, mountain biking, and his lifelong love for the wild regions of his home state.

Reviews

[Avi Dinsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Ewing's taut thriller a quiet pattern of anomalies spreads across the state, pointing to an enemy still operating in the dark. After a lightning strike wipes parts of his memory, bike builder Adam Barnett wakes on a remote mountainside with only a strange, loyal dog and a set of terrifying barefoot tracks for clues. In Scottsdale, Major Blain Jacobson arrives at Biodosius Labs to find a slaughter and a total information blackout. Meanwhile, on her Northern Arizona ranch, Victoria Stewart jolts awake to the psychic warning of another impending murder. As their paths converge, all three must piece together a deadly mystery before the unseen threat hunting them closes in.

Ewing balances action with dread, using quiet moments to build tension rather than simply filling space. The violence is brutal but never gratuitous, and the fear is grounded not in gore but in the idea that something is stalking the characters that outmatches them physically, mentally, and strategically. The villain—amoral, calculating, and connected to a network of ruthless accomplices—operates just outside the frame for much of the book, which heightens the sense of nightmare inevitability. The reader feels the same thing Adam, Jacobson, and Victoria feel: the danger is already in motion, and the protagonists are racing against a clock they can’t see. At its core, this is a story about ordinary people pulled into an extraordinary threat, fighting to understand it before it destroys everything around them. A tight, propulsive SF thriller that grabs you from the start and never lets go.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of eBook

Struck by lightning, mountain biker Adam Barnett awakens with gaps in his memory and an unknown-to-him dog he calls Mop. Together, they set out to find out what happened.

Major Blain Jacobson heads for Biodosius Labs when he loses contact with the researchers. There he discovers slaughtered researchers and an information blackout.

Victoria Stewart awakens with a warning [a message from Dark?] of an impending murder. She’s tried warning others in the past, but no one believes her . . . and she desperately wants to be believed.

What has changed the world?

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Told from multiple points of view, the unfolding story keeps the pages turning as fast as possible. Well-defined characters, an engrossing plot, and unexpected surprises all work together to keep readers on the edge of their seats. The compelling tale, action-packed and chilling, offers readers a mystery, a thriller, and a science fiction story all pulled together in one impossible-to-set-aside tale. The story is populated with strong, believable characters, all fighting for survival.

The suspense here is palpable; the evolving narrative is intense. Readers who enjoy science fiction tales, mysterious labs, and mystery-thrillers will find much to appreciate in this amazing book as its story races toward a denouement no one will expect.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Seablues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden government funded research lab mystery science fiction thriller at its best. Adam Barnett is struck by lightning 30 miles from where he started riding a mountain bike trail. He wakes up with rain pouring, covered in mud, a burn on his shoulder, a hole in his foot and a dog he has never seen before that is much smarter than the average dog. Add in his brother saving a woman that has been bound with a concrete block tied to her feet and thrown over a bridge where he is fishing, two army officers running off the books experiments, a destroyed lab with all the researchers dead, crazed killers chasing Adam and the dog, a very determined army investigator, a woman who has killed drug runners crossing her ranch, has someone talking to her in her dreams and you have a great story.
The story is well written with very good place and character descriptions. It has a great plot and is, at times, a very much nail bitter thriller. It isn't hard to follow the plot even though it jumps from character to character. The transitions are smooth and the parts that don't seem to fit come together well in the end.
This story is the first in a series or at least requires a sequel. You know that when the last line in the story is "They're out there and they'll be coming". Even with the non-ending, it is a very good story. I rarely give five stars, but this book deserved them.

[litandcoffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three strangers find themselves pulled into a catastrophe already in motion in Ewing’s compelling latest. Adam Barnett wakes after a lightning strike with half his memory burned away and a dog that seems to know him better than he knows himself. In Scottsdale, Major Blain Jacobson steps into Biodosius Labs and finds silence, torn bodies, and a wiped security system. On her Northern Arizona ranch, Victoria Stewart jolts awake to a psychic tremor she hasn’t felt in years. As an engineered menace threads their lives together and moves toward Phoenix, can any of them decode a threat that learned them first?

Ewing mixes noir tension, speculative fear, and survival-thriller urgency into a narrative where the quiet moments bruise the most. Adam’s storyline gives the novel its rawest pulse—survival stripped to instinct. Jacobson’s arc widens the threat, and Victoria’s psychic bleed-through adds to the book’s eeriest emotional current. The horror stays low to the ground—footprints, distorted feeds, the sense of a mind studying you in real time. When the storylines collide, the novel becomes a tense study of engineered brutality and human fragility. Lovers of multi-character, conspiracy-driven suspense will be gratified.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆｡°✩ Spoiler Free Reviews ⋆｡°✩

I was kindly provided with this book (censorship is BS and I hate it but here we are!)

This is a sci-fi thriller novel and when I tell you I wasn’t expecting to be as engrossed as I was! There’s something about the ‘military having a hand in things they shouldn’t and its all hush hush’ concept that sucks me in every time and this novel was no exception.

There was actually a romance subplot which surprised me in the best way, it was lowkey and took a backseat to the action packed main plot but it was still a nice twist on other books I’ve read in the genre!

The sci-fi aspect intrigued me greatly, something about fictional monsters of your nightmares (haha) appeal to the spooky side of my brain and I love the creativity involved in making up a creature that doesn’t exist.

Okay finally cause I’ve rambled a lot lmaoo oops. The multiple POVs worked so well, giving you the bigger picture that you’d miss if just reading from the main character, Adam’s POV. It kept me guessing, had my brain working overtime trying to work out the missing pieces of the puzzle before the book ended!

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some thrillers rely solely on speed; Lightning manages to be fast without feeling shallow. The action sequences are sharp and cinematic, but what lingers is the underlying question: how far should innovation go before it turns against us? The book doesn’t preach; it simply presents consequences. The inclusion of military elements, research facilities, and personal survival arcs creates a balanced narrative ecosystem. Interestingly, studies on adrenaline show it sharpens focus but narrows perspective, and the novel mirrors that effect; you’re pulled forward while still sensing a bigger picture. Best suited for readers who like momentum with meaning rather than spectacle alone.

[Jason Nadle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could not make it far. Author uses repeated and odd phrases. Additionally, why is the author name covering half of the cover?

If you're going to use very specific details, make sure it's correct. I assume he meant a Colt M4A1, but there is no M41A. As a military pilot myself, no one refers to a UH-60 as a Sikorsky, they just don't. 30 years in the rangers as an active combatant is dubious. Also, 'high-velocity 5.56' is not good at punching through armor. If he meant AP(Armor Piercing), sure.

Anyway, I am sorry for my harshness, but wrong details make it impossible for me to stay engaged. I'd have preferred vague terms instead.

I shall attempt again at a later date, as the concept does seem interesting.

[Texas · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIGHTNING - A well written blend of thriller, medical technology, suspense, and probably Sci-Fi. Interesting, intriguing and tense story lines that are easy to get immersed in, along with a variety of interesting characters and plenty of action. There's an awesome dog and a bit of romance. My favorite two-legged character is the Marine's daughter. Source: Booksprout. 5*

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling

Adam can not remember his last 48 hours. When a dog appears out of nowhere and a dark shadow starts following him and the dog he makes his way home. But there are sinister forces after him and the dog. Hope there is a second d book to finish the story.

[Leslie Twitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lighting was a fast paced read that I couldn't put down. Had suspense and sci-fi elements. A first from this author and definitely not a last.