The Bottom Line: The best Eisler thriller in years. Over the past two decades, former intelligence operative-turned-novelist Barry Eisler has created some of the genre’s most compelling characters, most notably John Rain and Livia Lone. Eisler brings them together with great effect in The Killer Collective. When a joint FBI–Seattle Police investigation of an international […]
The Bottom Line: An outstanding, relentlessly paced whodunnit with sky-high stakes and a jaw-dropping twist. One of the year’s best thrillers. When a trio of high-level political assassinations leave investigators puzzled, Superior Court Judge Cyrus Brooks and Homicide Detective Frank Lotello team up to uncover a diabolical scheme. After the murders and post-mortem sexual assaults […]
The Bottom Line: A sci-fi thriller that manages to turn conventional ideas about space exploration, global conflict and even freedom itself on their head. Fans of Nick Webb may find a new favorite in D.L. Richardson. More than 300 years in the future, the freedom of the human race is in jeopardy. Humanity has been […]
The Bottom Line: A memorable, fast-paced and thoroughly satisfying eco-crime thriller. Even before Bay Area recycling company CEO Joe Kilbain puts a bid on a huge contract in Oakland, the win is purportedly assured, thanks in part to the attempted murder of rival Daniel Robles. But Robles, who survived a gunshot wound, won’t be easily […]
The Bottom Line: A first-class conspiracy thriller with the highest possible stakes. Fans of Brad Meltzer and Mark Greaney will fall hard for Kevin Land Patrick. SILKWORM finds America still recovering from debilitating attacks on its water and electricity infrastructure, which resulted in thousands of deaths and a lingering radioactive zone in the southwest. Nearly […]
The Bottom Line: The brilliant first entry in a promising new YA adventure series. What do you get when you cross Star Wars with Top Gun and The Hunger Games? The answer is Skyward, a sci-fi military thriller that even Tom Clancy fans may love. In the action-packed Skyward, a girl dreams of becoming a […]
Our 2018 fall list of the best mystery and thriller books so far is incredibly diverse, ranging the gamut from political thrillers to crime thrillers and everything in between. If there’s one thing that distinguishes this excellent batch of books, it’s character development. While losing sleep is practically guaranteed with any of our mid-year picks, […]
The Bottom Line: A truly memorable police procedural for the 21st century. Trouble has a way of finding middle-aged Charleston Police Department Sergeant Ronan McCullough. While he appears in uniform at the dedication for a new children’s cancer center, it’s to support his boyfriend, Ty, an ER nurse. But those plans change when a vehicle […]
The Bottom Line: A deliciously dark and timely teen crime thriller deserving of a TV series. While tackling heavy-duty subject matter with grace and sophistication, Death by the River is tailor-made for fans of Riverdale, Twin Peaks and Twilight. A monster lurks in the halls of Louisiana small town St. Benedict High School, and his […]
The Bottom Line: Based on a true story, this World War II adventure is the American answer to All The Light We Cannot See. Highly recommended. The Rigel Affair tells the globetrotting adventure of impoverished orphan Charlie Kincaid, who escapes an abusive life on a Mississippi cotton farm. After surviving boxcars and dockyards, Charlie ends up in […]
