Best Thrillers: The Summer Reading List, Part 1

Already thinking about beach books for summer vacation? Consider these new and upcoming thrillers.

Line of Succession, by William Tyree

After a series of political assassinations throw Washington leadership into disarray, a group of Pentagon insiders begin retaliating against Islamic radicals abroad while several forces seemingly vie for control of the White House behind the scenes. All is far from what it seems, however, as Tyree’s hero, ex-CIA counter-terrorism agent Blake Carver, begins unraveling a sinister plot that has little to do with religious extremism. In General Wainewright, Tyree has produced one of the most satisfying, complex villians the political thriller genre has ever seen.  Wainewright could have easily been a character in the classic White House mutiny thriller Seven Days in May. The difference here, of course, is that in the age of rogue security contractors such as Blackwater/XE fighting right alongside American troops, a character like Wainewright is even more plausible. All in all, a convincing thriller that delivers an important message about the threat that water scarcity poses toward international security. (Out in July)

Inside Out, by Barry Eisler

Insider Out is Eisler’s follow-up to Fault Line, which featured a highly enjoyable protagonist in angst-ridden, covert assassin Ben Treven. This time Treven’s anger management issues land him in a Filipino prison,  with the only way out seemingly dependant on his agreeing to eliminate a former colleague. The familiar, timely themes of CIA torture tapes and a Washington cover-up are front and center in this political thriller. (Out in June)

Dead Line, Stella Rimington

Real-life British spy Stella Rimington spent 30 years  in counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism, rising to a Director position before retiring to write spy thrillers. In her fourth Liz Carlyle book, her heroine attempts to foil a planned bombing at a Middle East peace conference in Scotland. While Rimington’s plotting can be somewhat predictable, her real-life experience and connections to the real world of international intelligence bring readers closer to reality than perhaps any other writer in the genre. (Out in July)