The end of the summer appears to be a particularly wonderful time of year for readers of thrillers and suspense novels -- this month, we had so many new books to pick from, we couldn't limit ourselves!

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/14/2012
ISBN-13: 9780399158285
ISBN-10: 0399158286

Legal Thriller. When a young paralegal is shot and killed in the street near her home, all signs point to a homeless man as her murderer -- the Iraq war vet was found with both her purse and the gun that killed her. Tom Stoller's PTSD and other mental illnesses don't help his case, and neither does his apparent confession, but defense lawyer Jason Kolarich isn't convinced of Stoller's guilt, especially after he starts digging into the paralegal's life. With realistic courtroom scenes (author David Ellis was the Chicago attorney who prosecuted Governor Rod Blagojevich) and an intricate, layered plot, The Wrong Man is the 3rd in the exciting series starring lawyer Kolarich.

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/19/2012
ISBN-13: 9781250006363
ISBN-10: 1250006368

Spy Fiction. Charlie Muffin has long been an excellent agent for M15 -- Red Star Burning is the 15th in the long-running series -- but his luck may finally be running out. He's hidden not only his marriage to a high-ranking Russian intelligence agent but also the existence of their daughter -- and both of their lives may be in danger if he can't find a way to smuggle them out of Russia. But when his secret is exposed, Charlie has to outwit both governments in order to save his family -- and his career. Whether or not he succeeds is hidden in the pages of this twisty novel -- and, thanks to a "stunning cliff-hanger" (Booklist), in its successor.

First Chapter  

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/10/2012
ISBN-13: 9780061655975
ISBN-10: 006165597X

Thriller. Lost on his way to a convention in Jacksonville, Florida, plastic surgeon and Doctors Without Borders volunteer Harry Steadman runs a light and gets pulled over by a cop. Within minutes, cop and doctor are arguing when an old blue sedan drives by and shoots the cop in the head. Panicked, Harry takes off, but he's soon being pursued by the police, who within the hour step up their search when a friend of Harry's is killed as well. It soon becomes clear that someone is out to destroy Harry (but why?), and allies are few and far between. A "fast, fun read with crisp dialogue and a tight plot" (Kirkus Reviews), 15 Seconds will have you reading straight through the night.

Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/10/2012
ISBN-13: 9780062091567
ISBN-10: 0062091565

Suspense Fiction. Just in time for this summer's Olympic Games in London, here's a debut set in 1936, as Adolph Hitler's Berlin is welcoming the world to the Summer Olympics. The Nazis are prepared to show off, but British journalist Richard Denham is determined to report the truth -- no matter how uncomfortable. Joined by former Olympian Eleanor Emerson, whose exploits got her tossed off the U.S. swim team, Denham is soon on the trail of a hot story -- a token Jewish athlete forced to represent the Germans (and lose) -- while Eleanor slowly begins to see the brutality behind the Olympic pomp and circumstance. Meanwhile, there's a secret dossier that could destroy the Reich's leadership, and hunting it down could prove fatal for both of them.

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/03/2012
ISBN-13: 9780802119940
ISBN-10: 0802119948

Political Thriller. On behalf of his boss' wife, legal investigator and political fixer Joe DeMarco has been asked to look into the suspicious murder conviction of a lobbyist. As it turns out, it appears that the lobbyist has been framed for the dastardly dealings of a high-powered pharmaceutical CEO, who seems to have ignored the law in pursuit of profits. But in investigating the lobbyist's case, DeMarco becomes the target of two of the most callous killers he has ever encountered. Though there's plenty of the action and adventure this series is known for (this is the 7th entry), some readers will most appreciate DeMarco himself, an everyman who'd "rather watch college basketball on TV than work" (Publishers Weekly).

Publisher: Riverhead Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/05/2012
ISBN-13: 9781594487194
ISBN-10: 1594487197

Spy Fiction. Inspired by an actual photograph of a 22-year-old Jack Kennedy in Nuremburg, Germany, author (and former CIA analyst) Francine Mathews has written a "riveting" (Booklist) tale of a young man tapped to spy for U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt. Despite the coming war and his own poor health, in 1939 Jack heads to London (where his father is the ambassador) to gather research for his senior thesis -- and figure out, on FDR's behalf, how the Nazis are getting money into the U.S. to influence the 1940 election. Readers interested in U.S. politics before World War II will especially enjoy this smart, intricate thriller.

Publisher: Dutton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/19/2012
ISBN-13: 9780525952619
ISBN-10: 0525952616

Techno-Thriller. In Tanzania, ant expert Linda McKinney is researching swarm behavior in the warrior ant when her lab is attacked and she is rescued by a secret group headed by rogue special forces solder Odin. Her research apparently used to create drone technology, Linda teams up with Odin to prevent more attacks by unmanned drones -- at least one of which has already killed civilians by somehow making the "kill decision" without human involvement. Cleverly mixing science and technology expertise with plenty of action in a military environment, Kill Decision, like author Daniel Suarez's previous two novels, will appeal to fans missing the late Michael Crichton.

Publisher: Crown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/26/2012
ISBN-13: 9780307465207
ISBN-10: 0307465209

Psychological Suspense. Part family saga, part nerve-wracking suspense, much of Heartbroken takes place on a secluded Adirondack island, where family matriarch Birdie Burke (a hard, unwelcoming woman) has been seeing a mysterious figure in the days before her adult children are due to arrive for a family vacation, families in tow. Circumstances (and outsiders), however, intervene, and what promises to be a challenging "vacation" for a dysfunctional family instead becomes a nightmare. Like Laura Lippman's The Most Dangerous Thing, this novel skillfully depicts the corrosive power of secrets and lies.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/19/2012
ISBN-13: 9780670023646
ISBN-10: 0670023647

Historical Suspense. In 17th-century New Amsterdam (known today as Manhattan), colonists must deal not only with the difficulties of life on the frontier, but also with someone -- or something -- that is preying on orphans in the grisliest of manners. When the orphanmaster comes under suspicion, his friend Blandine von Couvering, a former orphan grown to become a trader, joins forces with the handsome British spy Edward Drummond to investigate the mysterious murders, in which the children's remains are found surrounding by items that point to Native American demons called Witika. Accurately depicting the historical and political milieu, this debut offers fine writing and plenty of red herrings, but the macabre nature of the killings may disturb some readers.