Historical Thriller Books

The best historical thriller book reviews. Historical thrillers feature suspenseful situations set in specific time periods, in which the survival of fictional characters are threatened by the real circumstances of prior historical eras and places.

Chameleons, a Fascinating Historical Mystery by Marcus A. Nannini

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The Bottom Line: World War II buffs will adore this fascinating and immaculately researched historical mystery. In a small town on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, a pool construction crew unearths a mysterious skeleton. Hours later on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Lieutenant Karen Yamura inspects the items found with the body: a rusted Japanese imperial navy officer’s pistol, and a black box containing two […]

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The Escape Artist, a Truly Magical Crime Thriller by D.B. Cooper

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The Bottom Line: Hands down, Brad Meltzer’s best novel. Whether in his novels or in his short-lived TV show, Decoded, Brad Meltzer has always favored using historical events as the basis for implausible but entertaining conspiracy thrillers. In The Escape Artist, Meltzer demonstrates that he can also invent a truly magnificent character that, in virtually all ways, is better than the real-life characters he often

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An Interlude in Berlin, a Highly Recommended Spy Thriller by Jefferson Flanders

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Bottom Line: With this meticulously crafted Cold War spy thriller, historical auteur Jefferson Flanders scores big. Highly recommended for fans of John le Carré. In An Interlude in Berlin, author Jefferson Flanders casts a foreboding Cold War spell over 1950s Germany. As American diplomat Dillon Randolph finds himself entrenched in a divided Berlin, he is himself at a crossroads, having gone through some issues of

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The Demon Crown a new Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins

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The Bottom Line: Rollins’ typically audacious mix of science, technology and horror is as reliable as ever in this hugely entertaining thriller. Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group,

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Fateful Decisions, a Historical Thriller by Trevor C. D’Silva

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The Bottom Line: A historical novel that documents notable early 20th century events through the eyes of a hotel heiress, including world war, celebrity kidnapping, women’s suffrage and prohibition. Trevor C. D’Silva’s Fateful Decisions is the story of Rachel Johnson, the survivor of a submarine attack who proves to be instrumental in some of the 20th centuries’ most important social and economic developments. In 1915,

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The Man Who Walked Out of the Jungle, a Must-Read Thriller by Jeff Wallace

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The Bottom Line: One of the year’s best thrillers so far. A highly textured, must-read gripper that will appeal equally to fans of mysteries, military thrillers and police procedurals. Vietnam, 1970. George Tanner, an American military police investigator based in Saigon, is near the end of his final tour of duty. While trying to convince his Vietnamese girlfriend to go with him when he leaves,

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The Girl With The Black Mark, an Irresistible Terrorism Thriller by Shawn Raymond Poalillo

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The Bottom Line: An irresistible terrorism thriller featuring a delicious ancient Egyptian myth. With his third novel, Shawn Raymond Poalillo once again showcases his uncanny ability to cross genres with spectacular results. His first novel, Rerun, is a brilliant terrorism thriller, while his second, A Selfless Man, walked the line between family drama and suspense. Meanwhile, The Girl With the Black Mark is a seemingly

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Awake

Awake the Southern Wind, a Suspense Thriller by John Vance

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AN ATLANTA LAWYER IS DRAWN INTO A DYING SOUTHERN TOWN AND ITS INCREASINGLY MYSTIFYING AND INTRIGUING CIVIL WAR PAST. Receiving an unexpected phone call from his former sister-in-law Myra Sealy, who tells him that she has shot and killed a “soldier” at the old and vacated family house, Atlanta attorney Michael Fallon agrees to travel to the decayed hamlet of Ashley, Georgia to offer his

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A Break in Communication Novel

Break in Communication, a High-Stakes Historical Thriller by Jon Gliddon

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The Bottom Line: A globetrotting World War II historical thriller that will have you up way past your bedtime. Jon Gliddon’s A Break in Communication takes us back to December 1941, focusing on a two-week period leading up to the Nazi attempt to destroy a crucial communication center at Porthcurno Telegraph Station in Cornwall. Simultaneously, the Allied forces have a naval threat to worry about.

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Northwest Country

The Northwest Country, a Must-Read Historical Thriller by Jefferson Flanders

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The Bottom Line: With The Northwest Country, Flanders establishes himself as one of America’s best active American historical fiction writers. Highly recommended. What’s the difference between historical fiction and a period piece? Both disciplines require an uncommon attention to the mannerisms, communication style, technology and cultural trends of a specific moment in time. Yet in historical fiction, true events provide the framework through which original

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