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Thrillers and Suspense December 2017
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| The Quantum Spy: A Thriller by David IgnatiusSpy Thriller. The U.S. and China are in a race to build the first super-powerful quantum computer -- and while the Americans are a step ahead, a mole somewhere in the CIA guarantees that the Chinese will catch up. Agent Harris Chang is tasked with exposing the leak -- but he seems to be as much played as player, uncertain where exactly he stands. Complex technology manages to be fun in this twisting, fast-moving thriller by bestselling author David Ignatius. |
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| Friends and Traitors by John LawtonHistorical Thriller. If you've got any interest at all in the Cambridge Five (real-life British university students recruited to spy for the Soviets during World War II), you won't want to miss this complex, engaging novel, which centers on charming traitor Guy Burgess. It's also the 8th in the series starring Scotland Yard's Fredrick Troy -- as Chief Superintendent, it is he whom Burgess approaches with the request to return to England seven years after defecting to the Soviet Union. For another fictional take on the Cambridge Five, try Robert Littell's Young Philby. |
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| Bonfire by Krysten RitterSuspense Fiction. In this debut from actress Krysten Ritter (star of TV's Jessica Jones), a young lawyer returns to her hometown as part of a legal team investigating corporate pollution. For Abby Williams, who left behind an abusive father and high school bullies who made her life miserable, returning opens old wounds. However, toxic links between the past and present are hard to ignore. Gritty and tightly wound, this dark tale is "pitch-perfect" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Missing by C.L. TaylorPsychological Suspense. Fifteen-year-old Billy Wilkinson went missing from his home in Bristol, England, six months ago; his mother Claire fervently believes that he will eventually return. Consumed by guilt and plagued by blackouts, she searches for him everywhere, but it's not until the family stages a public appeal for his return that the truth about what happened to Billy starts to become clear. A slow-burning, tense story, The Missing is narrated by an increasingly paranoid Claire as her family falls apart around her. |
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| The Last Taxi Ride: A Ranjit Singh Novel by A.X. AhmadSuspense Fiction. In this sequel to The Caretaker, former Indian Army Captain Ranjit Singh is making ends meet as a NYC taxi driver. Having dropped off a fare (a Bollywood actress), Ranjit recognizes her doorman as an old Army friend, and spends the evening reminiscing with him over a bottle of Scotch. The next day, the actress is dead, the doorman has disappeared, and Ranjit has been accused of murder. Like its predecessor, The Last Taxi Ride is fast-paced and vividly depicted -- details of the South Asian immigrant culture in Manhattan and a strong cast of secondary characters bring the story to life. |
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| Last Words by Michael KorytaSuspense Fiction. With a powerfully evoked setting, relatable characters, and a fast-moving plot, this series debut introduces investigator Mark Novak, still grieving the death of his wife. He's reluctantly accepted a job clearing the name of a suspected murderer -- the decade-old cold case involves the death of a teenager deep within a cave, and encounters with unfriendly townspeople don't do much to bolster Novak's already shaky confidence in his client. But despite the promise of violence, Novak is determined to get to the bottom of the case. (Fair warning: powerful scenes set in the cave system mean that claustrophobes might want to give this one a miss.) |
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| Every Last Lie by Mary KubicaPsychological Suspense. After Clara Solberg loses her husband Nick to a car accident, she is devastated -- but grateful that her young daughter Maisie survived unharmed. But when Maisie starts having nightmares about "the bad man," Clara's confidence in her late husband is shaken. As Clara learns of the irregularities in his actions, she becomes increasingly convinced that Nick was murdered -- and that the "bad man" could be someone very close to her. Told from multiple viewpoints (including Nick's, before the crash), Every Last Lie traces Clara's descent into paranoia. Or are her suspicions real, after all? |
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| The Last Good Girl by Allison LeottaSuspense Fiction. In this 5th (and most recent) novel to star sex crimes prosecutor Anna Curtis, she's back in Detroit when she's asked to investigate the disappearance of college freshman Emily Shapiro, who'd last been seen arguing with the fraternity brother she'd accused of rape. The more Anna learns, the more disturbed she is -- while Emily was the last one to speak out, she's far from the only victim. Teaming up with FBI agent Samantha Randazzo, Anna races to find Emily and force the issue of campus rape into the light. |
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| The Last One by Alexandra OlivaPsychological Suspense. When Zoo agreed to join a reality TV show set in a large forest to test contestants' survival skills, she thought it would be one final adventure before starting a family. Quickly becoming a leading contender, she's impressed with and a little disturbed by the quality of the props -- the empty towns and decaying corpses (and disappearing cameramen) really lend a moody atmosphere to her challenges. But eventually she's forced to consider that they may not be props, that the world around her is rapidly falling apart, and that the safety net she's assumed is there is no longer an option. A psychologically complex debut, this one's a good bet for fans of Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake...or TV's Survivor. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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