| Cold Silence by James AbelBio-Thriller. In this gripping 3rd novel to star retired Marine colonel and bio-terror expert Joe Rush, he's in south Sudan helping to provide food to starving refugees, but he's also looking into rumors of a bio-weapon being developed in the area. A crisis in Somalia involving a former colleague has Rush and his partner Eddie Nakamura hurrying to the aid of hostages showing signs of a disfiguring malady. The disease, it turns out, spreads fast -- and is also underway in the U.S. -- and Rush's desperate efforts to find a cure are hampered by local warlords. A fast-paced race for survival with a no-nonsense but very human protagonist, this is a must-read for fans of Daniel Kalla's Pandemic. |
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| Dark Matter: A Novel by Blake CrouchSpeculative Thriller. It was an ordinary night for physics professor Jason Dessen, until he was kidnapped at gunpoint, taken to the outskirts of Chicago, and drugged. He awakens in a lab -- and in a different dimension, where his happy life with his wife and teenage son never happened. It turns out that the many-worlds theory he'd worked on before his life took a different turn in the other world -- well, he'd actually completed it in this one. All Jason wants is to get home to his real life, but finding the right world proves difficult. Twisty and fast-paced, this novel from the author of the Wayward Pines series has already been optioned for the big screen. |
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| The Commodore: A Novel by P.T. DeutermannMilitary Thriller. Set in the Pacific theater during World War II, this richly detailed naval adventure stars a newly promoted captain and his unusual -- and highly effective -- battle techniques. Despite never being considered appropriate leadership material because of both his bullish behavior and his Native American heritage, Captain Harmon Wolf is quick to apply tactics that save the lives of his men and win him battles. His successes lead to promotions, and he's soon commanding an entire squadron. Chock full of historical and tactical details (author P.T. Deutermann was himself a Navy captain), this is a good bet for readers interested in naval battles. |
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| Killfile by Christopher FarnsworthThriller. John Smith is special. He can read minds and influence the choices of others, thanks to his "gift" -- and his training at the CIA. Now he's a freelancer, and he's working for a tech billionaire who wants him to get close to a competitor and steal back some valuable intellectual property. But once his target realizes just how dangerous John Smith could be to his bottom line, the tables are turned, and it's Smith who is being hunted, with only his gift to help him survive. This intriguing, near-SF premise -- and an unusual protagonist -- sets up a "clever, offbeat thriller" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Behind Closed Doors by B.A. ParisThriller. To outsiders, charismatic Jack -- a lawyer specializing in domestic abuse cases -- and caring Grace seem to have the perfect marriage. But it's on their wedding night that Grace begins to see Jack's true nature, and it's not long before she's kept a virtual prisoner in their posh London home. But it's for her sister, the Down syndrome-afflicted Millie, that Grace is the most scared, as she's soon to move in with them, and is likely to bear the brunt of Jack's terrifying proclivities. Relentless pacing (aided by a narrative that switches between past and present) make for an absorbing if disturbing read. |
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| Coconut Cowboy by Tim DorseyCaper Novel. In this 19th and most recent of the violent, witty novels starring Floridaphile and serial killer Serge A. Storms, he embarks on a plan to finish the journey of his heroes in the movie Easy Rider. Traveling across the Florida panhandle, he and his stoner sidekick Coleman enjoy small-town sights, delivering intriguing bits of Florida trivia and briefly dispensing their unique brand of violent justice, until they encounter a bunch of superlatively corrupt politicians in the town of Wobbly, whose victims clearly need rescuing. If you're new to this long-running, entertaining series, the mayhem on display here is as good a place to start as any. |
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| Real Tigers by Mick HerronSpy Fiction. In Real Tigers -- which is the 3rd in a series that starts with Slow Horses -- the disgraced MI5 operatives assigned to Slough House are finally back in the game when one of their own is kidnapped. With humor that ranges from "bodily functions to double entendres" (Library Journal), this intricately plotted tale (we'll give no spoilers here) offers a great mix of characters and a lyrical writing style. You might, however, want to start at the beginning of the series for a full explanation of the losers and has-beens who populate Slough House, and how sweet their redemption is. |
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| The Intern's Handbook: A Thriller by Shane KuhnSuspense Fiction. Written in the form of a handbook for new recruits at Human Resources, Inc. (more on that in a minute), this comic, violent debut offers plenty of surprises. For one, HR, Inc. has nothing to do with payrolls or benefits -- rather, it trains society's discarded children to become successful assassins/interns in corporate America. At 24, John Lago is nearing the mandatory retirement age, but he's got one last internship, during which he's supposed to kill a law partner who's been selling the names of people in the witness protection program. His plans, however, may be thwarted by a pretty colleague at the law firm who might also be hiding her true motivation for her employment there. Fans of Duane Swierczynski's Severance Package will likely enjoy this clever, graphic, and fast-paced novel, which has a sequel in Hostile Takeover. |
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| Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by David ShaferCyber-Thriller. In this complex, darkly funny debut, three young adults -- a jaded NGO operative, a fake self-improvement guru, and a paranoid kindergarten teacher, to be specific -- are foot soldiers in an information war. They're up against an international group of industrialists and media moguls who want to privatize and control the world's information, from news to social media. Terrifyingly plausible, this fast-paced novel sets its well-characterized protagonists in locations as disparate as Myanmar, Oregon, and London. |
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