Thrillers and Suspense June 2010 "When Scott Freeman first read the letter that he found in his daughter's top bureau drawer, crumpled up and stuffed behind some old white athletic socks, he knew immediately that someone was going to die." ~ first line of John Katzenbach's The Wrong Man New and Recently Released! The Good Son: A Novel - by Michael Gruber Publisher: Henry Holt Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/11/2010 ISBN-13: 9780805091281 ISBN-10: 0805091289 Thriller. There's no easy way to describe the many different components of this fascinating thriller, but anyone who's read any of Michael Gruber's novels will know what to expect: an intellectually entertaining tale featuring well thought-out characters and the twists and turns of a high-stakes plot. Two characters to take note of are Jungian psychologist Sonia Laghari, who confounds the terrorists who have taken her (and others attending a peace symposium in Kashmir) hostage, and her son, a former Pashtun warrior now serving with a top-secret U.S. military team under the name Theo Bailey. Fever dream - Douglas J. Preston and Lincoln Child Publisher: Grand Central Pub. Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/11/2010 ISBN-13: 9780446554961 ISBN-10: 0446554960 Preston and Child up the emotional ante considerably in their 10th thriller featuring brilliant and eccentric FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast (after Cemetery Dance), one of the best in the series. For 12 years, Pendergast has believed that the death of his wife, Helen, in the jaws of a ferocious red-maned lion in Zambia was just a tragedy, but his chance examination of the gun she carried on the fateful day reveals that someone loaded it with blanks. Pendergast drags his longtime NYPD ally, Lt. Vincent D'Agosta, into a leave of absence that includes travel to Africa as well as the American South. The motive for Helen's murder appears to be linked to her fascination with John James Audubon and her quest for a mysterious lost Audubon painting. Once again, the bestselling authors show they have few peers at creating taut scenes of suspense The Exodus Quest - by Will Adams Publisher: Grand Central Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/29/2010 ISBN-13: 9780446563208 ISBN-10: 044656320X Suspense Fiction. Fans of fast-paced, action-packed adventures featuring ancient artifacts in exotic locales (like those by Clive Cussler, James Rollins, or Steve Berry) will enjoy following archaeologist Daniel Knox as he attempts to crack one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the ancient world. There's a lot riding on his success--he's got to prove himself innocent of murder and save his partner, Gaille, who was kidnapped while touring a crumbling Egyptian ruin. This crackling yarn is the 2nd in a series, following The Alexander Cipher. Eye of the Red Tsar: A Novel of Suspense - by Sam Eastland Publisher: Bantam Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/27/2010 ISBN-13: 9780553807813 ISBN-10: 0553807811 Historical Thriller. Brought out of exile in Siberia on the condition that he determine who assassinated the Romanovs, discover whether any remain alive, and find their hidden treasure, Finnish-born Pekkala, once Tsar Nicholas' most trusted detective, is now working on behalf of the Bolsheviks--for his freedom. This debut, the 1st in a series, has enough historical facts to keep its premise believable, and you'll want to consider it if Stalinist Russia piques your interest or you devoured David Benioff's City of Thieves or Tom Rob Smith's Child 44. And keep an eye out for another debut set in Stalin's Russia, William Ryan's The Holy Thief, which will be out in late August. First Chapter The Nearest Exit - by Olen Steinhauer Publisher: Minotaur Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/11/2010 ISBN-13: 9780312622879 ISBN-10: 0312622872 Spy Fiction. Despite a distinct lack of warmth towards his place of employment (a black-ops arm of the CIA known as the Department of Tourism), Milo Weaver has agreed to go back into the field to uncover a possible mole. But his new handlers trust him no more than he trusts them, and he is forced to prove his loyalty in ever more impossible ways--including by killing a 15-year-old girl. This terrible assignment proves to be too much to ask, and Milo's thoughts increasingly turn towards leaving the world of espionage and reconnecting with his estranged family...but that's easier said than done. Fans of John le Carré-style plotting and characters will appreciate this complex thriller, which is the 2nd (after The Tourist) to star Milo Weaver. If You Like: Clive Cussler Clive Cussler's rollicking bestsellers always start with a historical prologue that eventually ties in to the world-ending threat that Cussler's brave, can-do hero--whether it's series regular Dirk Pitt or another skilled good guy--must subvert. With quick-fire pacing, lots of historical and technical details, and a conversational writing style that takes a backseat to the story, Cussler's adventure novels boast many fans, who perhaps are also drawn to the often extreme conditions his characters find themselves in. The books below share some of the same qualities, so you might want to give them a shot while waiting for Cussler's latest, The Spy. Riptide - by Douglas J. Preston and Lincoln Child Publisher: Grand Central Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/01/1999 ISBN-13: 9780446607179 ISBN-10: 0446607177 Thriller. Whether writing together or separately, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have much to offer Clive Cussler's many fans: with a marine setting, the use of high-tech tools, and even a historical prologue, this hunt for booby-trapped treasure off the coast of Maine is a great place to start. Every expedition to uncover the $2 billion worth of pirate treasure has failed violently--and it's possible that even modern technology won't be enough to protect the newest hunters from the evil secrets at the bottom of the ocean. First Chapter Hawke - by Ted Bell Publisher: Pocket Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/31/2006 ISBN-13: 9781416537786 ISBN-10: 1416537783 Adventure. Like Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt, Ted Bell's Alexander Hawke is a modern-day swashbuckler who always has the skills he needs to handle a crisis. Toss in exotic locales, off-the cuff humor, plenty of colorful details, and sinister villains, and you have an excellent option for Cussler fans. In this 1st in the series, Hawke, one of England's most decorated naval heroes, heads for the Caribbean on a top-secret mission for the U.S. government: he's to locate an experimental stealth submarine that has fallen into the hands of an unstable government. Along the way, he's after buried treasure and the men who killed his parents. Hold the disbelief--but don't miss this thrilling tale. First Chapter Scarecrow - by Matthew Reilly Publisher: St. Martin's Press Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/01/2005 ISBN-13: 9780312937669 ISBN-10: 0312937660 Adventure. Fifteen highly-trained men from around the world are on a hit list that offers a bounty of nearly $20 million per head--and all must die by noon on October 26th, Eastern Standard Time. As Scarecrow opens, it is three hours prior to that deadline, and Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield is one of those men. What begins as an international race for survival becomes a high-stakes encounter in which Scarecrow must unravel a vast conspiracy that reveals why he and 14 others have been targeted--and prevent nuclear disaster. As you might imagine, a novel that spans only three short hours means non-stop action--if you're a fan of shoot-em-up video games, you're sure to enjoy this 3rd in the Shane Schofield series. The Doomsday Key: A Sigma Force Novel - by James Rollins Publisher: William Morrow Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/01/2009 ISBN-13: 9780061231407 ISBN-10: 0061231401 Techno-Thriller. The non-stop action and danger found in James Rollins' thrillers are sure to appeal to Clive Cussler's fans, as will the problem-solving, independent nature of his heroes, their exotic surroundings, and the combination of historical and contemporary timelines. In The Doomsday Key, the 6th in the Sigma Force series, the members of the Sigma Force must solve a centuries-old secret involving coded prophecies about dark events leading to a future apocalypse. Booklist says you'll be turning the pages of this roller-coaster ride of a book "without realizing it," ending up "perhaps a little out of breath." Focus on: Stalkers and Stalking Stalked - by Brian Freeman Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/30/2008 ISBN-13: 9780312363314 ISBN-10: 0312363311 Police Thriller. In his 3rd appearance, Detective Jonathan Stride is in Duluth, Minnesota, and he's got his hands full. His partner and best friend Maggie is the number one suspect in her husband's murder, and while he knows she must be innocent, she's definitely hiding something. He's also trying to track a serial killer, and his lover, P.I. Serena Dial, is dealing with a disturbing blackmailer who seems to know everybody's dirty secrets. Publishers Weekly says that the story is "crammed with twists and studded with sex and violence"--and that Stalked is one of author Brian Freeman's best. His most recent, The Burying Place, was released in April of this year. The Wrong Man: A Novel - by John Katzenbach Publisher: Random House Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/29/2007 ISBN-13: 9780345464842 ISBN-10: 0345464842 Thriller. Ashley Freeman is an intelligent, dedicated art history student with a promising life ahead of her, but a one-night stand with handsome Michael O'Connell leads to frightening consequences. A psychopath who's adept with technology, he stalks her for the fun of it, damaging her father's professional reputation and almost ending her mother's career. When pleas, bribes, and scare tactics do not serve to get rid of O'Connell, and a P.I. assigned to the case dies, the Freemans are forced to come up with an ingenious, no-holds-barred plan to outwit Ashley's dangerous stalker. First Chapter The Killing Circle - by Andrew Pyper Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/16/2008 ISBN-13: 9780312384760 ISBN-10: 0312384769 Suspense Fiction. Single father Patrick Rush is a TV critic for a Toronto newspaper, but he dreams of becoming a novelist. To that end, he joins a local writing group, where he is fascinated by a fellow member whose evocative writing speaks of stalking, abuse, and abandonment. Whether this work-in-progress is truly fiction is up in the air, however, for as the readings proceed, an actual serial killer stalks the streets of Toronto in an eerily similar manner. If you don't mind a few sleepless nights, don't miss this eerie tale, which is both "gorgeously written and thoroughly unnerving" (The New York Times). Anatomy of Fear - by Jonathan Santlofer Publisher: HarperCollins Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2008 ISBN-13: 9780060882020 ISBN-10: 0060882026 Police Thriller. Nate Rodriguez is a highly talented sketch artist who is still recovering from guilt over his father's death when he is asked to help with a murder investigation--one in which a serial killer who targets biracial couples leaves grisly drawings at his crime scenes. Biracial himself and subject to flashes of psychic insight, Nate agrees, but the portraits he draws put him in danger when the killer begins to stalk him. Drawings by both Nate and the killer are reproduced in the pages of this distinctive thriller, adding an intriguing element to an already gripping story. First Chapter __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 5195 (20100614) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com