By: R.A. Van Vleet
Publication Date: January 13, 2026
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Reviewed by: Lily Andrews
Review Date: December 30, 2025
Honeycomb by Richard A. Van Vleet is a gripping thriller that begins with Sam Williams, a thirty-two-year-old realtor and part-time actress who, unbeknownst to her, is being surveilled by two inept henchmen on the orders of her jealous and controlling agent, Ray Calderon.
Early in the read Ray comes across as manipulative and violent, as seen at the scene at a Home Depot parking lot where he aggressively confronts Ian, a thirty-eight-year-old former marine, who earlier had accidentally collided with Sam while she was looking for Ray's truck. Here, Ray shoves Sam before throwing a punch at Ian who blocks and breaks Ray's nose in self-defense. These actions leave both in the hospital where they give their statements, thus setting the stage for a career threatening exposure that ends up unexpectedly bringing two people with a similar past together.
The tale tightens the screws of suspense to an almost unbearable degree from chapter four. Readers are shown a terrifying trap around the protagonist that will leave them questioning what safety remains. As the immediate physical danger recedes, psychological and moral costs come next, creating charged moments that will leave readers breathless, questioning who is pulling the strings and what line an unexpected "Samaritan" will cross to protect a woman who is rapidly becoming much more than a stranger in need.
Sam is a great female character whose resilience, vulnerability and lingering trauma make her the story's emotional heart. Her role comes out as that of a catalyst and a survivor, whose presence ignites the plot and her struggle for autonomy and security drives the suspense and the romantic arc of the story. Then there is Ian, whose skills, secrecy and decency drive the action. Additional is Ray, a well-hewn antagonist whose obsession and entitlement serve as the engine for the main plot. And then there are Harold, Eddie and Hernandez as well as Vernon, Virgil and Willy, all of whom are multi-layered individuals, who are used to generate heightened visceral threat and add depth and complexity while broadening the conflict beyond a simple cat and mouse chase.
Quill says: This book stands out for its gritty, cinematic pacing and its masterful layering of intimate character drama over a framework of sprawling interconnected threats. Reading it feels like watching a tense thriller unfold on screen as a movie with tangible suspense that is amplified not by hyperbolic action, but by the chilling plausibility of the danger, especially in the case of emotional betrayal, rather than the threat of physical violence. It is no doubt that readers who enjoy propulsive, character driven thrillers and romantic suspense akin to the focused tension of Laura Griffin's Tracers series will not only find much to love here, but will thoroughly be absorbed by its layered mystery. Honeycomb is a great read, but firmly an adult novel owing to its graphic violence, strong language, disturbing thematic elements and complex moral and situational gray areas.
