|
Thrillers and Suspense January 2019
|
|
|
|
| Find Me Gone by Sarah MeulemanStarring: successful journalist Hannah, who decides to quit her glamorous magazine job to write a book about a topic that's always obsessed her -- the disappearances of novelists Agatha Christie, Barbara Follett, and Virginia Woolf.
Parallel narratives: Half the story is told from the perspective of 12 year old Sophie, Hannah's childhood friend who vanished during a wave of child snatchings in their Belgian hometown.
Is it for you? There are many significant details to keep track of as the narrative unfolds and the two separate narratives converge. |
|
| Deep War: The War With China and North Korea, the Nuclear Precipice by David PoyerWhat it's about: a near-future America disabled by the Chinese war machine and desperately trying to fight on in the wake of devastating cyber attacks and nuclear strikes.
The biggest threat? A sophisticated artificial intelligence system, which gives the Chinese the ability to prepare for possible American countermeasures before U.S. forces can even finish creating them.
Series alert: this is the 18th entry in Poyer's long-running Tales of the Modern Navy series. |
|
| The Moscow Sleepers by Stella RimingtonWhat it is: an atmospheric and richly detailed spy thriller, where the only thing more dangerous than an international conspiracy might be the turf wars and competing interests between factions of the British government.
For fans of: John le Carre's The Night Manager; Iris Johansen's Catherine Ling series.
Reviewers say: "espionage with a capital E" (Booklist). |
|
| Dark Winter by Anthony J. TataThe premise: This action-packed techno-thriller takes place in a world on the brink of annihilation, where nuclear weapons are available to anyone with enough wealth and political power.
The problem: Besides unrestricted access to nuclear weapons? How about the ease with which a small team of hackers could start World War III if that's what their employers desired?
Series alert: This is the 5th book in Anthony Tata's Jake Mahegan series, following 2017's Direct Fire. |
|
|
Manhattan Beach: a novel
by Jennifer Egan
What it's about: Years after she is placed in the hands of a stranger vital to her family's survival, Anna takes a job at the Brooklyn Naval Yard during the war while meeting with the man who helped them and learning important truths about her father's disappearance. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad.
Why read it: With the atmosphere of a noir thriller, Egan's first historical novel follows Anna and Styles into a world populated by gangsters, sailors, divers, bankers, and union men. Manhattan Beach is a deft, dazzling, propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in the lives and identities of women and men, of America and the world.
|
|
|
Munich
by Robert Harris
What it's about: A spy thriller set against the backdrop of the fateful Munich Conference of 1938 follows the experiences of a rising star in the British diplomatic service and his Oxford friend, a secret member of the anti-Hitler resistance, who, while on a disastrous collision course with each other, witness pivotal events involving Chamberlain, Mussolini and other historical figures.
Why you should read it: You can't go wrong with Robert Harris! Read about treason and conscience, loyalty and betrayal, filled with real-life characters--Hitler, Chamberlain, Mussolini, Daladier--and actual events.
|
|
|
Chicago
by David Mamet
Author alert: Though better known as a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright or an Oscar-nominated screenwriter (take your pick), this is not David Mamet's first novel -- just his first in nearly 20 years.
What it's about: Set in 1920s Chicago and featuring a whole crew of unsavory gangsters, the novel stars former WWI pilot Mike Hodge, who's now a reporter. When his girlfriend is gunned down in his own home, he's immediately on the hunt for those responsible.
Read it for: real-life gangsters; evocative dialogue; fast-paced action.
|
|
| City of Secrets by Stewart O'NanWhat it is: the thought-provoking, compelling story of Yossi Brand, a Holocaust survivor who illegally immigrates to postwar Jerusalem and joins the Jewish underground movement against British occupation.
Read it for: the complex motives of the characters; the author's spare and elegant writing style.
Reviewers say: "imaginative and nimble" (Booklist); "a probing, keening thriller" (Kirkus Reviews). |
|
|
The Labyrinth of the Spirits: a novel
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
What it is: In this unforgettable final volume of Ruiz Zafón's cycle of novels set in the universe of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, beautiful and enigmatic Alicia Gris, with the help of the Sempere family, uncovers one of the most shocking conspiracies in all Spanish history.
Why read it? Carlos Ruiz Zafón proves yet again that he is a masterful storyteller and pays homage to the world of books, to his ingenious creation of the Cemetery of Forgotten, and to that magical bridge between literature and our lives.
Series alert: Be sure to read the first three volumes in the series before you read this one!
|
|
| Hell's Gate by Bill Schutt and J.R. FinchThe premise: It's the height of World War II and bafflingly, an abandoned Japanese submarine is discovered deep in the Amazon rainforest.
The problem: Things only get weirder after the improbable discovery, exposing secret Nazi science experiments and advanced weapon developments that could turn the war decisively in favor of the Axis powers.
Is it for you? This fast-paced bio-thriller features cryptozoology, ties to the mythical "Lost City of Z," and abundant elements of horror fiction. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact the Guelph Public Library at (519)-824-6220, 100 Norfolk Street Guelph, ON N1H 4J6
|
|
|
|