Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/07/2010
ISBN-13: 9780385532358
ISBN-10: 0385532350

Thriller. In blood-spatter analyst/homicidal killer Dexter Morgan's 5th appearance (at least in print--you can catch him weekly on Showtime), the brand-new father wants to become the sort of family man who doesn't carry around a Dark Passenger that drives him to kill. But when a case that points to murder and cannibalism comes his way, he's got to put those feelings aside and once more manage the situation. Whether you're a fan of the books, the TV show, or both, you won't be disappointed by this latest entry.

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Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/07/2010
ISBN-13: 9780802119582
ISBN-10: 0802119581

Crime Fiction. Jumping back and forth between an American college student running for her life through the mountains of Cape Town after her traveling partner is killed, and the recovering-alcoholic detective assigned to "mentor" the detective in charge of solving the murder, Thirteen Hours is a fast-paced, suspenseful story. Added pleasures include an excellent evocation of South Africa's racial tensions, surprising plot twists, and "cliff-hanging suspense" (Library Journal). This is the 2nd of Deon Meyer's novels to feature detective Benny Griessel, after Devil's Peak.

Publisher: Scribner
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/07/2010
ISBN-13: 9781439148518
ISBN-10: 1439148511

Psychological Suspense. The catalyst for this leisurely suspense novel is an envelope full of cash, which gallery owner Eugene Wren finds on Portobello Road after its owner is felled by a heart attack and carted off to the hospital. Eugene doesn't need the money himself, so he posts notices about the find and is soon contacted by other Londoners, all with their own obsessions and despairs. His good act leads, ultimately, to terrible consequences. With a strong sense of place and well-rounded characters from all social strata, Portobello Road is "superlative" (Publishers Weekly).

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/07/2010
ISBN-13: 9780399156922
ISBN-10: 0399156925

Military Thriller. In a remote area of Afghanistan, a plane carrying a radical Taliban mullah is shot out of the sky. The only survivors are the mullah, navigator Michael Parson, and a female Army interpreter, Master Sergeant Gold. Their attempt to reach an American outpost while being tailed by the enemy makes for great reading, but it's only the beginning, for Parson is rescued while Gold is carried away. Debut novelist Thomas Young draws on his own experience with the Air National Guard in Afghanistan to create believable characters, a strong plot, and "superb" (Kirkus Reviews) descriptions of both terrain and weaponry.

If you can only find small chunks of time to read (or don't want to get so dragged into a novel that you stay up all night finishing it), short stories are an excellent option. And, in addition to the short story collections listed below, a great collection of essays written by thriller writers was recently published--Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner--that might introduce you to some new-to-you authors.

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/23/2008
ISBN-13: 9780312545246
ISBN-10: 031254524X

Short Stories. Get comfortable for a wild ride with some of the rising stars in the crime, suspense, and mystery genres as they reveal their talents in this thrilling anthology of short stories. The 16 entries include three by veterans (Ken Bruen, Allison Brennan, and Duane Swierczynski) and 13 by comparatively new authors like Brett Battles (The Cleaner) and Derek Nikitas (Pyres). This compilation has received high praise; pick it up to read the compelling stories as well as to see who your new favorite authors might be.

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Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2003
ISBN-13: 9780312983420
ISBN-10: 0312983425

Short Stories. Best known for the classic thriller The Day of the Jackal, Frederick Forsyth proves with The Veteran that his skill with novel-length tales of intrigue and suspense extends to shorter forms as well. This collection contains four gripping short stories and a novella that chronicle everything from international espionage to a Customs drug bust in eras from the Second World War to the battle of the Little Big Horn. First published online in 2000, theses stories were collected in print in 2001; Booklist calls them "small gems...polished to perfection."

Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/01/2001
ISBN-13: 9780393020311
ISBN-10: 0393020312

Short Stories. From an acknowledged mistress of psychological suspense and noir fiction comes a chilling anthology of short fiction, featuring works from five of the late Patricia Highsmith's short story collections combined into a single anthology. Unlike her novels, where rising tension comes from her skill in developing her characters, these short works range in tone; the late Graham Greene, in his introduction, calls them "quick kills."

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Publisher: Harcourt
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/06/2007
ISBN-13: 9780151015313
ISBN-10: 0151015317

Short Stories. These previously published tales combine to form a bloodcurdling collection featuring manipulative relatives, philosophers seeking revenge, and the children of a serial killer. The macabre sensibility and the twists and turns that Joyce Carol Oates is known for are very much in evidence here; Booklist says "these stories sizzle, and turning the pages only fans the flames." If you want more of this prolific author's suspenseful short works, you can find them in The Female of the Species.

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Publisher: Mira
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/01/2007
ISBN-13: 9780778324560
ISBN-10: 0778324567

Short Stories. With tales from such noted authors as Lincoln Child, David Morrell, James Grippando, and John Lescroart, among others, this collection will likely have something for everyone--including straight mystery readers as well as those who prefer legal thrillers, military thrillers, political thrillers, and so on. And you can follow this collection with Thriller 2, edited by Clive Cussler; no word as yet as to whether there's a Thriller 3 in the works...

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