Thriller. Can't get enough Da Vinci Code-esque action, puzzles, and esoteric knowledge? You're in luck, for this debut thriller by the pseudonymous Charles Brokaw features a handsome and brilliant linguist, a bell inscribed in an unknown language, a power-mad member of an ultra-secret Catholic society, and secrets that could unlock the powers of the ancient world of Atlantis. On the run with a pretty television journalist (and aided by an equally pretty police inspector), the linguist travels across Europe, Africa, and Russia in the search for answers. It may not be the most believable of set-ups, but it sure is fun.

Police Thriller. A killer is stalking the streets of Beijing, taking the lives of young prostitutes in a manner eerily reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. When a fifth victim--this one a Chinese-American lie-detector expert--is murdered, things really start falling apart. Li Yan, head of Beijing's serious-crime unit, is convinced that there's a connection between the victim's work and her murder, but as he questions those around him, he just makes trouble for himself, eventually getting ousted from the investigation. Between the science of lie detection, the far-off location, and the danger swirling around Li and his loved ones, Chinese Whispers is a winner. It's also 6th in a series that starts with The Firemaker.

Thriller. FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett has gone through a lot in her first three appearances...but the bad guys she's faced pale in comparison to the cold, cruel character she finds herself dealing with in Abandoned, which begins with the sudden arrival of a bald, emaciated, and delirious woman at a wedding Smoky is attending. In investigating the woman's appearance--it turns out that she was abducted years ago--Smoky and her team uncover a truly horrifying scheme run by a sociopath who threatens everything that Smoky holds dear. As with the other books in the series, you'll be sleeping with your lights on--or perhaps not sleeping at all.

Crime Fiction. Want to visit Thailand but can't afford the plane ticket? Check out author Christopher G. Moore's series starring Victor Calvino, a disbarred American lawyer turned private eye. Usually based out of Bangkok, in his 10th appearance (though only the 3rd in the series to be published in the U.S.) Victor is hiding out in Pattaya, where he witnesses a naked woman fall from a balcony--and soon finds himself a suspect in her murder. Throw in a couple of hitmen, a sex-tourism ring targeting children, and a day job tailing the "minor wife" of a Thai politician, and Victor has his hands full. If you've already run through the Thailand-based thrillers by John Burdett (like Bangkok Haunts), you won't want to miss these.

Crime Fiction. During the Troubles, Belfast's Gerry Fegan killed 12 people on the orders of his superiors in the IRA. Seven years after his release from prison, his victims still haunt him--literally. But when, in an attempt to atone for his actions and quiet his ghosts, Gerry starts killing those who ordered the hits in the first place, he finds himself under the gun as well--and it's not just his former allies who are after him. This debut, the beginning of a series, is dark, deadly, and brutal, but it also offers a window into the political and cultural complexities of Northern Ireland.

Suspense Fiction. In this updated version of The Count of Monte Cristo, illiterate Danny Cartwright of London's East End is framed for the murder of his best friend and sentenced to prison. There, as part of his education, he reads the Dumas classic, and, when his cellmate is killed, assumes his identity and escapes. Fans of the classic should enjoy this modernized version--justice, while subverted, will eventually have its day, and there's plenty of courtroom drama, plot twists, and financial intrigue to satisfy thriller readers everywhere.

Thriller. Jack Wilson is a brilliant mathematician who has been published in several academic journals. He's also a dangerous psychopath, recently released from prison, who is obsessed with Nikola Tesla--and he plans to use Tesla's research to build a weapon that uses harmonic resonance to break down the molecular structure of anything in its path. His goal is to destroy the U.S. as retribution for past personal slights and for the way his Native American ancestors were treated by the U.S. government. He's aided in his task by an offshoot of al Qaeda, making for a "chiller of a thriller that seems all too feasible in a post-9/11 world" (Booklist).

Suspense Fiction. Published in the U.K. under the title The Stars' Tennis Balls, this "homage" to The Count of Monte Cristo (author Stephen Fry claims it's "a straight steal") takes place in the modern day and stars Ned Maddstone, for whom everything goes right until, suddenly, it doesn't. Framed and imprisoned in a top-secret asylum, Ned is befriended by an older man whose death gives him a chance to escape and get his revenge on his betrayers. Alert Monte Cristo fans will especially enjoy figuring out the wordplay throughout the novel (try anagramming Ned Maddstone). Fry is a British actor and comedian who has also written several other books; Revenge is darker than one might expect from such a writer.

Suspense Fiction. In a contemporary version of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, Raymond White is on the verge of having it all--until he's framed for murder, convicted, and tossed in jail. Eighteen years is a long time to plot revenge, but after a fellow convict teaches him what he needs to know about retribution--including the location of a billion dollars--and helps him to escape, he's able to start righting some wrongs (including finding the former colleague who not only framed him, but married his girlfriend as well). It all unfolds at what Booklist calls "a heart-pounding pace," so keep that in mind if you've got somewhere you need to be.

Suspense Fiction. Twenty-five years ago, four students--best friends--stumbled across barmaid Rosie Duff as she lay dying from multiple stab wounds. Though the four were innocent of the crime, they became suspects in her murder, and in fact much of the public believed them to be guilty. Now, advances in forensic science mean hope for solving Rosie's murder, so her violent brothers and illegitimate son prod a cop associated with the original case to open it up again--while someone seeking revenge for Rosie's death is targeting the four friends. Set in Scotland, The Distant Echo may appeal to fans of mystery writer P.D. James for its mix of forensic science and "in-depth characterization" (Booklist).

Thriller. Wall Street success story Peter Tyler has expensive silk ties, an eye for pretty receptionists, and a troubled marriage. But that doesn't mean he killed his wife, no matter what the cops say. Add in a huge financial scam, stolen art, a drug company dabbling in bioterrorism, and a mysterious FedEx package delivered to Tyler's wife the day she died, and you've got a man on the run in a dangerous world. "Relentlessly readable," says The New York Times. But what does any of this have to do with revenge? You'll have to read the book to find out.