New and Recently Released!
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"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."
~ Mark Twain (1835-1910), American writer |
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| The Last Taxi Ride: A Ranjit Singh Novel by A.X. AhmadSuspense Fiction. In this sequel to The Caretaker, former Indian Army Captain Ranjit Singh is now making ends meet as a NYC taxi driver (and part-time security guard). Having dropped off a fare -- a Bollywood actress, no less -- Ranjit recognizes her doorman as an old Army friend, and spends the evening reminiscing with him over a bottle of Scotch. The next day, the actress is dead, the doorman has disappeared, and Ranjit has been accused of the actress' violent murder, thanks to fingerprint evidence that places him there. His efforts to clear his name put him in the crosshairs of the Indian Mafia, a dangerous place to be. Like its predecessor, The Last Taxi Ride is fast-paced and vividly depicted -- details of the South Asian expatriate culture in Manhattan and a strong cast of secondary characters bring the story to life. |
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| Warburg in Rome by James CarrollHistorical Thriller. At the end of World War II, David Warburg comes to Rome to aid European Jews arriving there. As the new director of the U.S. Refugee War Board, he's helped by a secretive Red Cross worker and a young American priest. But what he finds in Rome -- Vatican-approved "ratlines" that help fleeing Nazis -- sickens him. Especially when he learns that U.S. intelligence is aware of their activity. Though Warburg himself is a fictional creation, the ratlines and other aspects of Warburg's situation did exist; readers who appreciate verisimilitude in their novels will be well-pleased by the authentic details of a tragic, chaotic time. |
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| The American Mission by Matthew PalmerPolitical Thriller. Inspired by the author's years with the U.S. Foreign Service, this debut follows a State Department diplomat who loses his security clearance over a massacre in Darfur. But an opportunity in the Congo might turn things around for him -- at least until he discovers that shady Consolidated Mining wants to destroy part of the area in search of profits, and isn't going to let a tiny village stop them. "First-rate fiction," says Kirkus Reviews, thanks in part to author Matthew Palmer's firm grasp of Congolese issues and the intricacies of political diplomacy. Palmer's name may ring a bell; though The American Mission is his debut, both his brother Daniel and his late father Michael are well-known thriller writers. |
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| The Catch: A Novel by Taylor StevensThriller. Once more making use of her skill with languages, Vanessa "Michael" Munroe is passing as a man, working for a Djibouti-based security company whose specialty is ships at sea. Complications ensue when the one she's been coerced into working on -- which just happens to be smuggling guns with her bosses' knowledge -- is attacked by Somali pirates. Escaping with the unconscious captain -- who apparently is the prize the pirates are after -- Michael lies low while she figures out what to do and how to help her crew. Chock-full of action without much introspection, this 4th in the series is a must-read for adrenaline junkies who appreciate a good, violent fight; for Michael's reasoning for hiding out in Africa, start at the beginning, with The Informationist. |
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Bestselling author Chelsea Cain has taken a break from writing about Detective Archie Sheridan and the beautiful serial killer who tortured him to launch a new series starring 21-year-old Kick Lannigan. Kick was kidnapped at age six and rescued after five years of depraved abuse; a self-sufficient if still damaged martial-arts expert, she's now dedicated to tracking down abducted children. Fast-paced and, like the Archie Sheridan novels, at times pretty gruesome and hard to read, this series starts this month with One Kick. No doubt the hold list is long; whet your appetite with the below assortment of kidnapping-themed reads.
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| A Foreign Country by Charles CummingSpy Fiction. When the newly appointed Chief of MI6 -- Amelia Levene, the first woman ever to take the post -- disappears just before taking office, disgraced former MI6 officer Thomas Kell is offered a chance to redeem his career by conducting a discreet operation to find her. He accepts, not expecting that in the course of his search he'll unearth a shocking conspiracy. Author Charles Cumming is known for a vast insider's knowledge of spycraft, well-crafted prose that's on the literary side, and engaging, intricate plots; A Foreign Country offers all of these plus lead characters who make realistic, if sometimes flawed, choices. |
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| The October List by Jeffery DeaverSuspense Fiction. Fans of the film Memento will enjoy this cleverly structured book, which begins with a bang -- and then works backward through the previous three days, forcing readers to constantly reevaluate what they think they know. The story opens with a woman whose daughter has been kidnapped; she's being held not only for a financial reward but also for the "October list," which contains contact information for some highly sensitive clients of an investment firm. But that brief précis doesn't do justice to the ingenious plot that anchors a breathtakingly suspenseful book offering "brilliant craftsmanship in a vastly entertaining package" (Publishers Weekly). You'll have to read it to believe it. |
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| The Three-Day Affair by Michael KardosCrime Thriller. Thirteen years after Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan met at Princeton, they're still having annual reunion weekends to catch up on each other's busy, successful lives (Nolan's running for Congress, Jeffrey's a dot-com millionaire, Will and his wife are expecting a baby). That all changes when Jeffrey steps into a convenience store for antacids and comes out dragging the clerk, demanding that Will drive what has now become a getaway car. For the next three days, Will, Jeffrey, and Nolan hide out and try to figure their way out of an impossible scenario -- they're already guilty of kidnapping and robbery, and their situation, narrated by Will, soon becomes an "agonizing moral nightmare" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| What Comes Next by John KatzenbachSuspense Fiction. Retired psychology professor Adrian Thomas is on his way home one day, planning his suicide (he's just been diagnosed with an extreme variation of dementia and is already hallucinating) when he witnesses a teen girl apparently being kidnapped. Less than impressed with official police efforts (who themselves don't feel he's the ideal witness), Adrian decides to track her down himself. If a hero whose body and mind are rapidly failing doesn't amp up the suspense, consider what we learn from the victim and her abductors: she's the latest victim of a sadistic couple who put their victims' slow torture and eventual death up for public display on the Internet -- and take guidance for "what comes next" from their equally twisted audience. |
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| The Edge of Normal: A Novel by Carla NortonSuspense Fiction. Still struggling to live a normal life after years of torture at the hands of a sadistic kidnapper, Reeve LeClaire (new name, new face, years of therapy) reluctantly agrees to help with the rehabilitation of another rescued abductee, a young girl named Tilly -- only to discover that Tilly's abductor is not only still at large but still pursuing her. Armed with knowledge that Tilly has shared only with her (and not with the police), Reeve begins to investigate the predator's identity. If tales of victimized women who survive to help those in similar situations are your cup of tea, you're in luck. You can also try What Doesn't Kill Her by Max Allan Collins or Others of My Kind by James Sallis. |
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| The Never List by Koethi ZanPsychological Suspense. Sarah Farber and her best friend Jennifer had always tried to stay safe, even composing lists of things never to do (never park farther than six spots from your destination, never help a stranger with a flat tire), but that didn't stop them from being abducted and held captive in a cellar for three years by a man who tortured and raped them and two other women. A decade later, Sarah has changed her name, but she's still terrified, agoraphobic, and isolated. Jennifer didn't survive. Squeamish readers will be put off by the descriptions of what happened in the basement, but Sarah's search for the truth behind Jennifer's disappearance is a gripping, intense experience that fans of Minette Walters' The Devil's Feather will enjoy. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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