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Thrillers and Suspense January 2021
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| Double Agent by Tom BradbyWhat it is: the intricately plotted sequel to Secret Service, which continues the story of MI6 agent Kate Henderson.
Her mission: to investigate allegations that the Prime Minister might be a Russian agent, a case which could end her career for good.
Is it for you? Part of Agent Henderson's case involves child abuse, which some readers might want to know about going in. |
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| Fool Me Twice by Jeff LindsaySeries alert: Fool Me Twice is the 2nd entry in the series of thrillers starring likeable rogue Riley Wolfe, an ambitious master thief always up for a challenge.
The prize: This time, Riley is strong-armed into stealing a priceless Raphael painting from deep in the Vatican by "an arms dealer who scares the crap out of other arms dealers."
The problem: It's not just any Renaissance painting -- Riley's target is a fresco, meaning he has to find a way to steal an actual wall. |
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These Women
by Ivy Pochoda
What it is: a gritty, sobering literary thriller that follows a group of disadvantaged women in South L.A., revealing a web of unknown connections between them and the man they have in common: a suspected serial killer.
Read it for: the frustratingly real exploration of the obstacles women and other marginalized people face with the police, from not being taken seriously when they report clues to prejudices about sex workers.
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The End of October
by Lawrence Wright
What it's about: A highly contagious new virus has appeared in an Indonesian refugee camp, and the World Health Organization has dispatched a renowned epidemiologist to study it. But when a carrier goes on hajj to Mecca, millions of his fellow pilgrims are exposed and soon enough the disease begins to pose an existential threat to all of humanity.
Author alert: Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Lawrence Right is best known for his nonfiction, including The Looming Tower, Going Clear, and God Save Texas.
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| Blackout by Marc ElsbergWhat it is: a fast-paced and compelling German novel that is part eco-thriller and part techno-thriller and which throws into stark relief the fragility of modern civilization.
What goes down: thanks to a group of hackers, the entire European electrical grid. As the blackouts spread and the stalled nuclear plants start leaking radiation, characters across the continent must fight for survival as society begins to collapse around them. |
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| The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas LlosaWhat it's about: Set in Peru during the Fujimori dictatorship of the 1990s, this gritty and suspenseful novel follows the downfall of a wealthy engineer after a scandal involving blackmail and the murder of a tabloid journalist.
Read it for: the portrayal of corruption and high-stakes political maneuvering against a noir-inspired backdrop.
About the author: Peruvian Nobel Prize-winner Mario Vargas Llosa has worked in journalism and politics and is the author of fiction and nonfiction works across many genres. |
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Beijing Payback
by Daniel Nieh
Starring: Victor Li, a college basketball player and son of Vincent Li, an L.A.-based restauranteur who left China in the 1970s.
What happens: Vincent is killed in an apparent burglary, only for Victor to discover his father's decades-old ties to organized crime and government corruption back in China.
About the author: Before publishing Beijing Payback (his debut novel), Daniel Nieh worked as a model and translator based in Beijing.
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| The Friend by Joakim ZanderWhat it is: the intricately plotted and thought-provoking story of two flawed people living a continent apart and how their lives are upended after learning the people they love might be involved in dangerous international espionage and even terrorism.
About the author: Before The Friend, Swedish author Joakim Zander published The Swimmer and The Brother, which similarly explored the effects of spy work on people's personal lives. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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