Brimming with suspense, intense drama, and riveting intrigue, Burned Bridges plunges readers into a world of hidden threats and unlikely heroes.
Legendary author John Gilstrap, creator of the renowned Jonathan Grave thriller series, is set to captivate readers again with the release of Burned Bridges, available May 27, 2025. Burned Bridges is the first novel in a groundbreaking new series. Known for his electrifying storytelling and gripping narratives, Gilstrap introduces fans to a powerful new protagonist, former FBI Director Irene Rivers, who is ready to take justice into her own hands.
A standout character in the Jonathan Grave series, Rivers is the last truly “honest” civil servant. She’s willing to bend, and even break, the rules to restore justice, making her one of modern fiction’s most formidable female protagonists.
“Irene Rivers is a badass female protagonist,” says Gilstrap. “Readers of my Jonathan Grave series will recognize her, but Burned Bridges casts her in a whole new light. She’s done playing by the old rules; now she’s creating her own.”
Gilstrap’s literary journey began with his critically acclaimed debut novel, Nathan’s Run, published in over twenty countries and translated into multiple languages. His remarkable success continued with At All Costs, for which he sold book and movie rights before ultimately leaving his “day job” to pursue writing full-time. With Burned Bridges, Gilstrap embarks on his most compelling series yet, blending his signature suspense with an unflinching look at small-town corruption and justice.
With an unparalleled ability to craft heart-pounding narratives, Gilstrap once again delivers a thriller that raises the bar for the genre. Fans of intense, character-driven suspense won’t want to miss this explosive new series.
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Movie News: Netflix is in early development on the adaptation of John Gilstrap and Kurt Muse’s Six Minutes To Freedom, the incredible true story of a daring hostage rescue. Jared Rosenberg has been hired to adapt the non-fiction book, which draws on Muse’s harrowing experiences, into a film… Six Minutes to Freedom is produced by Toby Jaffe and his new venture, RDV Films. Read full article (Variety, Nov. 2024)
Are you part of a book club? Would you like for me to speak to your group? I have a Zoom account and I know how to use it, so if you’d like me to host a virtual meeting for your club, send me an email at . I’ll for sure arrange the first ten, and after that, we’ll play it by ear. In a perfect world, I’ll be there because you’ve read one my books as a group, but I won’t make that a deal-breaker (although, in the case of a tie…). Y’all can ask me anything. Hey, teachers, this goes for you, too. These are the days of the virtual classroom, so why not the virtual author talk to the class? My book NATHAN’S RUN is now middle school compatible, so if you want them to read it, that would be super, but again, that’s not a deal breaker. We can get together and just talk about writing. We can figure something out. (NOTE: The old hardcover version of NATHAN’S RUN is NOT middle school compatible. Lots of language. Enough that that version made the list of the 100 most banned books in America.) As far as logistics are concerned, the only potential problem I can think of is time zones. I live on the East Coast of the USA. But hey, we can make it work.