Remote: The Six by Eric Rickstad is the gripping first installment in the Remote series, and it delivers an exceptional reading experience. The narrator does a brilliant job of maintaining the suspense and tension throughout, using tone and pacing to enhance the thrill. From the very beginning, the plot sets a chilling tone with a series of strange murders that instantly pull the reader into a dark and mysterious world. As the story progresses, the suspense intensifies, with each twist making the mystery even more compelling. The action is well-paced, and the sense of danger never truly fades, keeping you hooked from chapter to chapter. The climax is particularly intense and juicy, building up anticipation and leaving readers eager to find out what unfolds in the next book. It's a fast-paced, haunting thriller that sets the stage perfectly for what promises to be an electrifying series.

A dark, disturbing and twisted thriller.

I enjoyed the audio version of the story, featuring the rich voice of Ari Fliakos. His ability to express the story and the distinct dual perspectives is brilliant, and I hope the next story in the series will also be narrated by him.

Featuring:
✔️ Serial killer who targets entire families
✔️ Intense and graphic crime depictions
✔️ FBI/Police procedural elements
✔️ Psychological suspense
✔️ Paranormal elements

With many thanks to Eric Rickstad, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this terrifying story, in exchange for an honest review.

The cliffhanger ending has been keen to find out what happens in the next story!

A serial killer is striking across the U.S. with no apparent pattern. Families are tied to chairs, arranged strategically, and brutally murdered. The crime scenes are spotless, and the killer, dubbed "The Tableau Killer", leaves no trace.

FBI Special Agent Lukas Stark has been chasing this killer without success. In desperation, the FBI brings in Gilles Garnier, a "remote viewer" who claims to see events from afar as if they’re happening right in front of him. Stark is skeptical and frankly annoyed by Garnier’s presence until the remote viewer starts describing crime scenes with eerie accuracy, despite being hundreds of miles away.

As the investigation continues, Stark wrestles with his disbelief in Garnier’s abilities, especially since they seem inconsistent and come with physical consequences. Still, it looks like Garnier might be their only shot at catching a killer who’s always one step ahead.

The premise is definitely intriguing, blending procedural crime thriller elements with a sci-fi/paranormal twist. I really enjoyed the mix of conspiracy, suspense, and psychological tension. The pacing is fast, and there’s no shortage of action.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was excellent. The narrator’s deep, rich voice was a highlight and really brought the tension to life.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#RemoteTheSix #NetGalley

Remote: Six follows Special Agent Stark who has been spending the last eighteen months hunting down the Tableau Killer, however, the murderer always seems to be two steps ahead. Stark is close to burning out and believes he is about to hit a dead end until he is forced to team up with his new partner, Gilles Garnier who claims he is a “remote viewer”, someone who can see people, places and events far away as if it’s happening right before he eyes. Stark is highly cynical, he doesn’t believe in that stuff, at all. That is until Garnier can precisely describe a new crime scene by the murder hundreds of miles away. Stark and Garnier begin to hunt the Tableau Killer across the country and eventually come to the startling conclusion and discover exactly how dangerous the killer truly is.

I want to start this off by saying the narrator was fantastic and did such a great job at expressing himself in his voice. It was like you could feel the emotion and it added such tension to the book that helped piece it all together.

This book was one that made you feel like you were being watched. The emails, texts and nightmares? Yeah, I would immediately quit my job if I was Stark.

Truthfully, I wish the characters were more likable. I wish they were characters that I feel like I could root for or could get behind. However, I do acknowledge that this is the first of a series and there is potential for character growth so I will definitely check out the rest of the series to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with this audiobook. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am a definite outlier in not loving this book. I was very frustrated with the main character, Special Agent Stark. He has been on this hunt for the killer for 18 months, and never thought to investigate certain aspects of the killer's crimes to figure out who he is, but some guy who isn't in the FBI thinks of all the ideas?? I was interested in the outcome and may read the next one. I thought the narrator did a good job with some voices, but didn't love all of them.

This could be so good! A tortured soul of policeman who is hunted by the past trauma and crime, is on the run to find an unusual and cruel serial killer. The killed has a paranormal skill of “remote viewing”, a psychic skill of being a human “camera”, so he is very much ahead of the force. The only help is Garnier, man who has similr skills, who was a part of a secret government operation - with the killer. There were six of them.

This story has everything I like: murder mystery, strong hero hunted by his demons, a chance of a good friendship, a question of life and death. Unfortunately, the story is not innovative enough to not go the obvious route. What a pity.
But the cliffhanger in the last chapter indicates a series, so there is a chance of redeeming!

This was.... weird. I don't even know what else to say. It was interesting, a bit "stranger things- esque" at times, with a dash of Heroes to boot. But I felt like it was a bit too out there and that took away from the central mystery. I would have liked more detecting and less mind trickery.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Creepy and disturbing vibe, but didn’t quite grab my attention. Whole families are being murdered and one person knows who’s doing it. The authorities get his help and the backstory starts filling in. Overall it’s somewhat a story of do you fix evil with evil or choose your own oaths that doesn’t involve getting rid of others. It’s alright.

3.5⭐
I've kept my distance lately from your "crime/mystery/thrillers" because it's genuinely not my cup of tea, but this kept me on my toes!

Agent Stark & his partner Garnier face a killer who's busy tying families to chairs, drilling them for answers and murdering them when unsatisfied - shaking the agents (& me) to the core!

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This one was wild! Families tied up in creepy tableaus, zero evidence left behind, and a killer always two steps ahead?? I was hooked. Stark and Garnier are such an unexpected duo—one’s all logic, the other “sees” things from miles away (yep, remote viewing gets real weird real fast). It gave mystery, suspense, and that cliffhanger?? I screamed. I need book 2 right now.

A disturbing, fast-moving thriller that exposes a secret human experiment that forged and exploited telepathic abilities in children, who, as adults, have not adjusted well to society. One such person is working with the FBI to capture another member of the experiment who is on a family killing spree and must be stopped.

The characters were somewhat annoying, with much unhelpful hostility that only adds to the tension of the book. It was like an episode of Criminal Minds, where the bad guy is eyeing the agent's family, and I kept thinking of the Hotchner and Foyet plotline from the TV series.

It's violent, tense, plot-driven, conspiracy adjacent, full of paranoia and dread. I was invested and wanted to finish the book as fast as possible to get to the solution, but I'm not entirely sure I'd read more in what will obviously be a series.

Eric Rickstad’s Remote: The Six isn’t just a thriller—it’s a psychological chokehold. From the first chilling tableau to the final, anxiety-inducing scene, this book gripped me in all the best (and most disturbing) ways. I listened to the audiobook version, and Ari Fliakos’s performance elevated the tension with his nuanced narration—clear, emotionally resonant, and unrelenting.

The story centers on FBI Special Agent Lukas Stark, who’s been on the trail of the elusive Tableau Killer for eighteen months. The killer’s signature? Entire families posed in haunting scenes before being brutally murdered, leaving behind zero forensic evidence. When Stark is forced to partner with the eccentric Gilles Garnier, a self-proclaimed remote viewer, the hunt takes a strange, supernatural turn.

What Rickstad does brilliantly is layer suspense with moral ambiguity. Stark is a compelling lead—driven, upright in his profession—but deeply unsettling in his personal life. His surveillance of his wife and son, planting hidden cameras around their home and watching them sleep, was disturbing. It crossed a boundary that made me question his integrity beyond the badge. And that ending? Stark's broken promise to be there when his family woke up haunts me. It adds a layer of unease about what’s to come in the second installment this summer.

While I found the concept of remote viewing intriguing, it wasn’t the highlight for me. The novel is strong enough on its own to stand without it, and at times, the supernatural element felt like it edged too close to the unbelievable. That said, it does lend the book a unique flavor—one foot in reality, one toe dipping into the uncanny.

Rickstad’s writing is taut, the pacing relentless, and the violence, though grim, is never gratuitous. It's smart, calculated, and always in service of a larger psychological web. The killer’s methodology is so meticulous that it forces you to wonder not just how he pulls it off, but why. It’s that obsession with the “why” that kept me fully immersed.

The partnership between Stark and Garnier is uneasy but electric. Their dynamic is full of tension, mistrust, and reluctant respect—a true odd-couple scenario with lives at stake. Garnier’s vague, almost ghostly backstory only adds to the mounting dread that builds across the novel.

In short: Remote: The Six is suspenseful, twisted, and thought-provoking. If you like your thrillers dark with a touch of the paranormal and characters who are far from black-and-white, this one delivers. I’m both excited and nervous for what the sequel might reveal—not just about the killer, but about Stark himself.

This one was creepy, twisty, and totally unputdownable. A murder investigation with zero leads, and then the FBI brings in a guy who claims he can see the killer through remote viewing? Yeah, it’s as wild and disturbing as it sounds—and I was hooked.

Agent Lucas Stark is already carrying a ton of baggage from his past (his father murdered his mother… and he helped catch him). Now his father’s been released, families are being slaughtered, and Lucas is caught between solving a gruesome case and protecting his own family. Oh, and he’s convinced his wife is cheating. So yeah, he’s unraveling.

The whole remote viewing/government experiment angle was fascinating, and Gilles, the psychic partner, adds a whole new layer of tension. Whether or not you believe in that kind of thing, it makes for a gripping read—and some of the scenes genuinely gave me chills. The ending? Straight-up spine-tingling.

If you’re into dark thrillers with a paranormal edge and a healthy dose of conspiracy theory, this one’s a ride.

Remote: The Six is a tenacious thriller that kept me up all night, reading nonstop!
This twisty, edge-of-your-seat story had me completely hooked, and it’s one of those rare books that begs for a re-read just to catch all the clever breadcrumbs the author leaves behind.
This is a masterfully done story and one I would highly recommend!

The Tableau serial killer has evaded authorities for eighteen months. Special Agent Lukas Stark, drained and emotionally burnt out, has been on the case since the beginning. Desperate, the FBI decides to bring in an outside consultant to team up with Stark. A man named Gilles Garnier; a man with psychic abilities. This feverish cat and mouse high octane thriller is sure to please fans of Stephen King and Jon Ronson.

*FYI~This is the first installment to a new series and ends on a cliffhanger!

Fast-paced, eerie, and at times gory (which, I will admit, I love)--this is a good story. The FBI's Lukas Stark hopes to track the Tableau Killer, a serial murderer who kills whole families (and arranges the family members in chairs so they can witness the scene). Enter Gilles Garnier, who is able to see things remotely. The two work together to predict where/when the killer will kill again. The story is complex, and I don't want to spoil anything, but the creep factor is increased when the reader learns about a program involving Q. This is the first book I've read by Rickstad, and I would read more.

Book Rating: ⭐️ 4.5/5
Narration Rating: 🎧 5/5

This was a fun and suspenseful thriller with some really intriguing twists! The story follows FBI Special Agent Stark as he works to track down a serial killer who has evaded capture for 18 months. Like many agents, Stark is skeptical and slow to trust, especially when he’s partnered with Gillies Garnier, a man who claims to have the ability to “remote view” and witness the crimes in real-time through a first-person perspective.

This paranormal element throws Stark completely off, and he spends a large portion of the book refusing to believe Garnier’s abilities. Honestly, that was the one thing that kept me from giving this a full 5-star rating. Stark’s constant doubt started to wear on me, at some point, you just want him to cooperate for the sake of progress. I found myself thinking, “Just give it a shot! If it doesn’t help, you’re no worse off.” That resistance dragged on a little too long for my taste, and I was hoping for that “Aha!” moment to come sooner.

That said, the writing was sharp, the suspense kept me hooked, and the narration was top-tier…truly brought the story to life. The ending was satisfying and left me eager to see where the story goes next. I do think the conclusion felt a bit rushed, but perhaps if less time had been spent on Stark’s disbelief, there would’ve been more space to fully wrap things up. Regardless, I’m definitely excited for the next installment!

Suspenseful crime thriller -- the first in a new series I plan to devour!

Always fun to find a new series that hooks immediately, and this one did. It has an original premise and I'm eager to see where it goes from here.

After FBI Special Agent Lukas Stark has been hunting the Tableau Killer for eighteen months, he's not managed to find or stop the unsub. His boss calls him in and assigns a partner to help with the case. Gilles Garnier is not any type of law enforcement, but he has a strange ability. And he thinks he knows who this killer is -- but not why they are killing entire families.

The writing is crisp and fast paced and doesn't get bogged down as the narrative drops hints about the mystery man known as "Q" and his relationship to Gilles Garnier. Lots of grisly details about the murder scenes and it takes Lukas quite some time before he can accept Garnier and believe him. Lots of action and the characters evolve as the investigation continues. I don't want to give spoilers so I'll not go into Gilles and his ability. It's rather unique and I always like when I come upon something different in my favorite genre.

I was fortunate to be able to listen to the audio-book while also following along in the e-book, both provided by the publisher. The narrator, Ari Fliakos, and he did an excellent job of voicing all the characters using different tones, accents, and timbre. The audio definitely further enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

Definitely recommend and am looking forward to the next installment.

In the book Remote: The Six, author Eric Rickstad writes about FBI Special Agent Lukas Stark who has been hunting the Tableau Killer but always seems two steps behind. He cannot understand why the killer stages the scenes so carefully or how and why he chooses entire families. Now Stark is forced to take on a new partner, Gilles Garnier who has the ability to remote viewing. Now they are both tracking the Tableau Killer across the country. But is this killer using their remote viewing against them? This was a strange fast-paced story. The remote part was a bit hard to grasp. Are they psychic like? I would recommend this book and will be interested in the next book and the series. The audio-book narration was very good. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4 ⭐️
Format: 🎧 8 hrs 30 minutes
Perfect for: Serial Killer & crime novel fanatics

I enjoyed this crime thriller, and it took me on a wild ride that I was not expecting. I am interested in continuing this series as the books continue to be released, as it definitely ended with a cliffhanger.

As FBI agent Stark investigates a serial killer, terrorizing the country by murdering entire families, Stark becomes increasingly frustrated with the progression of this case. He wants nothing more than to catch this guy, but when his superior suggests an unorthodox approach, he is hesitant. When Garnier shows up to assist, Stark immediately wants him to leave and never return as his investigative methods are far-fetched, a bit unbelievable, and hard to take serious. But when Garnier’s expertise shows helpful, Stark is forced to look at this case from a different set of lenses.

Impeccable writing style & great narration in the audiobook! An overall good read that I would recommend. Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.