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Thrillers and SuspenseOctober 2015
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As always, if the library does not own one of the books on this list, please feel free to place a request. We will contact you when your book is available
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| Injustice: A Novel by Lee GoodmanLegal Thriller. To say that things are not going well for U.S. Assistant District Attorney Nick Davis is something of an understatement: while mired in a huge political corruption case, his wife drops a bombshell on their marriage and his colleague is suspected of murdering his fiancée (who happens to be Nick's sister-in-law). With well-done courtroom scenes and flawed, realistic characters, Injustice (and its predecessor, Indefensible) will appeal to fans of Scott Turow and Philip Margolin. |
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| The Killing Kind: A Novel by Chris HolmSuspense Fiction. Michael Hendricks died in an IED explosion -- or so most people believe. What he's actually doing is living off the grid, supporting himself by killing mob hitmen (paid, of course, by the victims-to-be of those hitmen). Looking to rectify the situation, the mob sends an equally skilled killer after him. Also searching for him (and his would-be assassin) is a crack FBI agent. Quick and propulsive, this killer-with-a-conscience story is a good bet for readers of lone wolf characters such as those in Roger Hobbs' Ghostman. |
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| Minute Zero by Todd MossPolitical Thriller. Back in his second appearance (after The Golden Hour), State Department crisis manager Judd Ryker is sent to Zimbabwe to keep an eye on the presidential election there. Unsurprisingly, trouble is brewing between the corrupt six-term president and the opposition candidate. Drawing on his own experiences as a diplomat in West Africa, author Todd Moss has created a "tense, fast-paced, utterly convincing picture of chaos in the making" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Hostage Taker: A Novel by Stefanie PintoffSuspense Fiction. FBI hostage negotiator Eve Rossi is burned out and on leave when a shooting in Manhattan turns into a hostage situation at the iconic St. Patrick's Cathedral. Called back to work, Eve is hampered by a hostage taker who won't identify himself -- and makes only bizarre demands. Also not helping: intense pressure from the Catholic Church, the media, and the mayor. The behind-the-scenes views of St. Patrick's add an unusual element to a well-paced and increasingly tense story (and likely series debut). |
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| Allegiance: A Novel by Kermit RooseveltHistorical Legal Thriller. During World War II, the U.S. government created internment camps for Japanese-Americans and other residents of Japanese descent. By the end of the war, thousands of U.S. citizens were due to be deported. This situation forms the backdrop to the story of Cash Harrison, a highly placed Philadelphia law clerk who is fighting to overturn the government's decision, but isn't getting much traction. Though offering plenty of political and legal drama, Allegiance is slower paced than many legal thrillers; readers interested in the civil rights violations of the 1940s will be well satisfied. |
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If the classic Patricia Highsmith novel Strangers on a Train -- or Peter Swanson's recent take on it, The Kind Worth Killing -- didn't put you off strangers, the books below should do the trick.
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| The Night Strangers: A Novel by Chris BohjalianPsychological Suspense. In an emergency landing gone wrong, commercial pilot Chip Linton crashes into Lake Champlain, killing 39 passengers. Haunted by the experience, Chip moves with his wife and twin daughters to rural New Hampshire, where the family takes up residence in a ramshackle Victorian mansion. But during renovation, Chip realizes that something else may be haunting their home, whose basement contains a mysterious locked door, solidly held shut with exactly 39 carriage bolts... Spooky and suspenseful, this supernaturally tinged thriller is a "frightful ride" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Stranger by Harlan CobenSuspense Fiction. Bestselling author Harlan Coben is known for fast-paced stories that explore just how fragile our domestic happiness can be -- and just how close disaster looms. This one (which Kirkus Reviews calls a "100-proof nightmare") involves a man known only as "the stranger" who spills intensely personal secrets with devastating results. Though the central character is Adam -- who's learned that his wife faked a pregnancy (and who disappears when confronted) -- there are others who learn equally painful secrets. How are they connected? Only the stranger knows. |
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| The Stranger by Camilla LäckbergScandinavian Crime Fiction. A woman who never drank has been killed in a car accident, her blood alcohol content through the roof. A reality TV show contestant's body has been found, nearly unrecognizable, in a garbage truck (sending ratings skyrocketing). Initially, the two deaths seem unrelated, but as Detective Patrik Hedström begins investigating, links stretch out over decades and across Sweden. The 4th book to appear in the Patrik Hedström series in English, The Stranger packs a punch. |
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| The Stranger on the Train: A Novel by Abbie TaylorPsychological Suspense. A struggling single mother, Emma sometimes wishes that her 13-month-old, Ritchie, would just disappear. But when a seemingly kindly stranger disappears with him at a train station, it's her worst nightmare come true. The police seem far more interested in blaming Emma than in finding Ritchie, and it's only another stranger -- who goes by Rafe -- who seems willing to help. An excellent depiction of a young mother in crisis, The Stranger on the Train unfolds over the course of 19 tense, fraught days, with flashbacks that flesh out Emma's unsettled mental state. |
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| Don't Talk to Strangers: A Novel by Amanda Kyle WilliamsSuspense Fiction. Despite a reputation of being difficult to work with (she was, in fact, fired from the FBI for drinking on the job), Atlanta P.I. Keye Street also has a reputation of being worth the trouble. In this 3rd (and most recent) in the series, Keye travels to rural Georgia at the behest of the sheriff to track down a serial killer whose attacks come a decade apart. She is met with overt hostility by the local cops, and with stares from everyone else, as her Chinese heritage marks her an obvious stranger. But the abduction of a third girl means that Keye has no time to waste. Fans of S.J. Bolton's similarly intelligent but damaged Lacey Flint will enjoy the Keye Street books, which work well enough as standalones to start with this one. |
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