Conflicted, flawed lawyers. Trials about twisted crimes. Ninth-hour evidence discoveries. Few things in American culture create as much tension as our legal system, which is why courtrooms, law offices, and even the Supreme Court can make perfect backdrops for thrillers. The masters of the legal thriller—a genre that routinely tops the bestsellers lists—have been doing […]
The Bottom Line: A highly original LGBTQ+ crime thriller with eye-popping doses of murder, mystery and romance. In Alexi Venice’s third Monica Spade Novel, the battle-tested attorney agrees to represent a surgeon police want to question regarding the brutal murder of two of her patients. Monica learns that the surgeon, Dr. Nicole Kershaw, also has […]
The Bottom Line: A must-read political thriller with a bad-ass heroine at the helm. It’s New Year’s Eve in post-secession America, and former detective Lori Young is in New Orleans’ French Quarter. But instead of enjoying confetti and fireworks, she takes a bullet from an unknown assailant. Spotting the shooter in the crowd, Lori summons all her strength amid […]
The Bottom Line: A highly visceral and engaging whodunnit set in the 1600s. Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent. En route to boarding the ship, Pipps is pelted with stones […]
What novels are like the Bosch series? That’s a question often raised by fans of the beloved Michael Connolly series looking for their next fix. Here are seven crime thriller gems featuring brilliant, angst-ridden detectives who will do anything to ensure justice is served: Thin Air, an LA Noir Crime Novel by Lisa Gray This […]
The Bottom Line: A first-rate military thriller that dares to imagine a war between China and the United States in vivid, mesmerizing and highly personal detail. One Kingdom Under Heaven opens as Chinese military leadership interrogates retired Navy Seal Malcolm Kwong, whose team of assassins infiltrated the Great Hall and murdered half the Politburo Standing […]
The Bottom Line: A true original among spy thrillers and a must-read for race fans. Deadly Driver begins at a party prior to the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi. While mingling among fashion models, celebrity athletes and fans, Russian oligarch Gregori Ivanova is assassinated with a nickel-sized explosive device planted on his cap. And the […]
The Bottom Line: A potent, briskly-paced crime thriller featuring a detective whose vulnerability creates first-class suspense. Homicide detective Chantal Pouliot wants action. After being held captive by a psychopath in a remote cabin months earlier, she’s endured months of therapy, and is itching to solve murders. Unfortunately, the psychologist treating her feels she’s not quite […]
The Bottom Line: A soaring terrorism thriller that is as cinematic as it is breathtaking. Highly recommended. Scientist Felix Breners has identified a potentially deadly microorganism in China. Unfortunately, he doesn’t plan to take his discovery to the authorities. If Breners’ intercepted communications are any indication, he may sell the information to the highest bidder, […]
The Bottom Line: Buckle up for a full-throttle thriller drawn with full-bodied characters. That Was Before begins quite literally with a bang as Randolph Spiers, who had just gotten up the nerve to ask out a grocery store cashier, narrowly escapes a bomb blast. Spiers had just quit his job as a mechanical engineer, and is estranged from […]
