Thriller. While on a forced vacation in the Napa Valley, FBI profiler Karen Vail attends an exclusive wine tasting only to come across a victim who has been killed and mutilated in a very unusual way. It's clear to Karen that this is the work of a serial killer, and she's eventually proven right as more bodies appear and the "Napa Crush Killer" taunts the local police task force formed to catch him--and threatens Karen herself. Though this is a fast-paced story, readers will also learn some of the intricacies involved in making and tasting wine, perhaps prompting some of you to daydream about touring Napa Valley. Crush is the 2nd entry in the Karen Vail series.

Police Thriller. If you read Flesh House, the last book to star Aberdeen, Scotland, cop Logan McRae, you'll probably be prepared for the gruesome ways in which Blind Eye's bad guy treats his victims. If you haven't, be prepared for some gore. In his 5th appearance, McRae's juggling an investigation into these grim attacks with a growing turf war, but he's still got time to get into trouble with his superiors and spar with Detective Inspector Steel, who has some unconventional plans for McRae's free time. Dark and complex, Blind Eye "crackles with energy, humor and a refreshingly specific sense of place" (Kirkus Reviews).

Thriller. Set mainly in the author's own South Africa, this tense thriller finds professional bodyguard Lemmer (don't ask him about his first name) engaged to protect Emma Le Roux. Emma, who believes that someone is trying to kill her because she's begun to investigate her brother's disappearance 20 years earlier, is also rather attractive, and despite himself, Lemmer finds himself falling for her. When violence threatens her life, Lemmer takes it personally and swings into action. Award-winning novelist Deon Meyer is best at combining thrilling action with social commentary; those interested in the people and places of South Africa will not want to miss his books.

Thriller. Still haunted by memories of an abduction he'd failed to prevent 18 years ago, former detective (and current PI) Jack Carpenter earns a living solving child-abduction cases. But a favor to his college-age daughter leads to a run-in with the abductor of 18 years before, a giant of a man who had never been found, and who has now kidnapped Carpenter's daughter's teammate. His search for her--and for the crazed lunatic who stands 6'10" and tosses vending machines with ease--"grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the last page" (Publishers Weekly). The Night Monster is the 3rd in a series that starts with Midnight Rambler.

Thriller. On the night that a Boeing 747 bound for Paris explodes just off the Long Island coast, two adults--married, though not to each other--made a sex tape on a secluded part of the beach. Five years later, that tape, which may or may not support the theory that the plane was shot down, is the subject of a search led by former NYPD detective John Corey and his FBI agent wife, Kate Mayfield. This 3rd John Corey novel, a fictionalized account of the theories surrounding the real-life crash of TWA Flight 800, is set just prior to 9/11.

Suspense Fiction. After bonefishing loner Thorn witnesses the crash of an airplane in the Florida Keys and assists in rescuing the survivors, he'd ideally like to return to his quiet lifestyle. But some unanswered questions regarding the accident rouse his suspicions about the cause of the crash. Soon he's joining forces with Alexandra Rafferty, a forensic photographer with the Miami police (who first appeared in Body Language), when her father falls prey to members of the malicious Braswell family, who appear to be connected to the plane's crash. This is the 7th novel to star Thorn, and while you needn't read them all in order, the 1st, Under Cover of Daylight, explains why Thorn is the way he is.

Thriller. In FBI agent Smoky Barrett's 3rd appearance, she is asked to leave her L.A. field office for Washington, D.C., when a high-profile politician's daughter is murdered during a flight east. To Smoky, Lisa Reid's death is sad but not special enough to require Smoky's presence--until she learns that the woman, stabbed by her unknown seatmate, was actually a pre-op transsexual. From there, Smoky and her team follow the trail of a prolific serial killer whose victims all have secrets to hide...rather like Smoky herself. If you're new to the series, you might want to start with Shadow Man to get an understanding of Smoky's battered psyche; fans won't want to miss the latest entry, Abandoned, which publishes this month.

Forensic Thriller. In the 4th of (so far) 12 books starring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, Tempe's headed to the site of a fatal airline crash in the mountains of North Carolina. Her responsibilities include identifying the victims, but the discovery of and investigation into a foot that doesn't belong to any of the registered passengers gets her banned from the site. Naturally, this doesn't stop her from trying to figure out how the foot came to be there--or why so many locals have disappeared over the years. Partnering with the local sheriff and a Montreal cop whose partner was killed in the crash, Tempe seeks answers--but must save her reputation and her life while doing so.

Spy Fiction. The destruction of an airliner off the coast of Long Island is only the beginning of a series of events that threatens to bring down the entire American political system, not to mention end the lives of CIA agent Michael Osbourne and his wife. And it's personal, too--the assassin behind it all was responsible for the death of Michael's girlfriend years before. Though author Daniel Silva is best known for his series starring Mossad agent/art restorer Gabriel Allon, the two older books starring Osbourne (The Mark of the Assassin is the 1st) can be considered the precursor to the Allon series--several minor characters here developed into characters in Allon's universe. Fans will enjoy this fast-paced, engrossing thriller.