Historical Thriller. Swashbuckling diplomat Ethan Gage (Booklist calls him the "early-19th-century's answer to Indiana Jones") has been dispatched to track down the mirror of Archimedes, an ancient and extraordinarily powerful weapon that may not in fact exist but that is said to have annihilated a Roman fleet. Basically, it would give its owner the ability to take over the world, and Ethan and his brilliant friends are racing some evil Barbary pirates who want the mirror for themselves. This 4th entry in the series won't disappoint fans of action-adventure stories as it mixes real historical figures and events with the fictitious Gage's broad-ranging travels and narrow escapes.

Spy Fiction. After being wrongfully convicted for the vehicular manslaughter of her husband, rare-books expert Eva Blake gets a chance at early release--if she helps find a cache of books believed to be lost. Called the Library of Gold, these books were once owned by Ivan the Terrible, are much sought-after, and are thought to be linked to a terrorist plot. Sprung by the CIA and aided by a former military intelligence officer, Eva is soon stymied by a glimpse of her husband and the knowledge that the CIA has been compromised. Not sure whom to trust or where to turn, Eva and her partner tear through Europe in a race that will satisfy conspiracy-minded readers everywhere.

Thriller. A mysteriously well-informed tipster has allowed Bergen News reporter Chris Turley to be front-and-center for two huge stories that have made the reporter's reputation. But when a third tip leads to a dead body, Chris begins to realize that the tipster's motives may not be entirely beneficial. Soon more innocent (and random) New Jerseyans are dying, and the tipster, who calls himself P.T., has threatened that the killings will continue--and escalate--until Chris commits suicide. With some help, Chris gets on the killer's trail. "Dynamite," says Publishers Weekly.

Legal Thriller. In 1959, Stephen Cade is on trial for shooting and killing his estranged father. Though Stephen admits to having been in the library with him when he died--and certainly had reason to wish his father ill--he claims innocence. Despite the seemingly open-and-shut case, Detective Inspector William Trave of the Oxford CID believes that there's more to the story. And there is: it involves long-buried secrets and a hunt for a priceless and valuable relic. (And yes, in case you were wondering--Simon Tolkien is indeed the grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, though as Booklist notes, the younger Tolkien is "a first-rate writer in his own right.")

SF Thriller. Imagine, buried deep in the Arctic ice, a shadowy form with two huge, baleful yellow eyes. Who knows how long it's been there before paleoecologist Evan Marshall and his team come across it. Could it be a saber-toothed tiger? There's only one way to find out. But the thawing-out goes wrong as a documentary film-maker insists on telecasting it live, despite warnings from scientists and Native Americans alike, and the creature--much bigger than it should be--escapes. Carnage ensues as Marshall seeks help and the filmmaker attempts to find--and film--the beast. This one might appeal most to fans of classic SF monster tales.

Thriller. Seattle firefighter John Finney has always loved his job--until the day a friend is killed in a fire that Finney is sure was set on purpose. He can't prove it, and, worse, he's under suspicion himself. What's a man to do when he can't trust his colleagues and he's got no one else to turn to? Well, take matters into his own hands and get to the bottom of the conspiracy--while avoiding getting killed himself, of course. Unless he's just paranoid... Written by a firefighter, this book is chock-full of the realistic firefighting details you'd expect; readers looking for mysteries starring an arson investigator should try the author's Mac Fontana series.

Bio-Thriller. Missing canisters of a deadly virus that may already have caused the death of a lab technician. A young man with huge gambling debts in thrall to the thugs--or maybe they're terrorists--he owes. A hole only he knows about in the security system that guards his father's Scottish bio-tech firm. And finally, a freak Christmas Eve blizzard that threatens to derail everyone's plans. All of these disparate elements come crashing together to form a "high-octane plot" (Booklist) that is matched by veteran author Ken Follett's adept handling of the rising tension. You might have to forgive some less-than-perfect prose, but you'll likely be so caught up in the action that you won't even notice.

Suspense Fiction. For something a little different from your standard thriller, there's Harold Robbins, who caused no shortage of scandal during his life with the graphic sexuality in his books. The Devil to Pay, which was ghostwritten by Junius Podrug after Robbins' death, features the same exotic locales, absorbing story, and graphic sex Robbins was known for. It stars struggling Seattle businesswoman Nash Novak, whose cafe has burned to the ground in an explosion. At the scene, a stranger tells her she has inherited a coffee plantation deep in the heart of Colombia's drug territory. Nash needs cash, so she decides to try to run the plantation, where she gets caught up in family secrets, smuggling, and Chinese crime syndicates.

Suspense Fiction. Attempting to flee the psychological repercussions of a terrible surgical mistake, surgeon Dafydd Woodruff left Wales for the farthest-away place he could imagine--Moose Creek, Canada, near the Arctic Circle. For one year he worked alongside head nurse Sheila Hailey, who didn't conceal her dislike for him. Nearly 15 years later, back in Wales and in a rocky marriage, he receives a letter from a girl claiming to be his daughter. Returning to Moose Creek to get to the bottom of a mystery he cannot fathom to be true--though a DNA test proves it is--he's drawn into a sinister and suspenseful world. You'll need a blanket for this one--the author describes frozen Moose Creek and bleak Wales exquisitely.

Police Thriller. In this 4th Monkeewrench thriller, the holidays are over, but the cold Minneapolis winter still has a long way to go. At least there's the snowman-building contest in the park to look forward to...though this year the usually cheerful event is tainted by the dead cops found inside two of the snowmen. When another one is found in rural Dundas County, city detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth team up with the county's sheriff (it's the former English teacher's first day on the job) while the crack computer experts at Monkeewrench start looking for clues on the Internet. If you're looking for great plots, lively characters, and engaging writing, check out the Monkeewrench thrillers; fans will be pleased to hear of the April release of the latest, Shoot to Thrill.