Psychological Suspense. This latest by the bestselling husband-and-wife writing team known as Nicci French opens with an unnamed woman sidling quietly around an apartment, trying to erase all traces of her presence there. Why? Well, it turns out that her bandmate and secret lover, Hayden, is dead on the floor, and the woman (who we learn is a music teacher named Bonnie) is panicking. Bonnie's next step is to dispose of the body and to conceal her romantic involvement with Hayden, who gave her more than one reason to want him dead. But how long can she keep all these secrets hidden? And if she didn't kill Hayden, who did?

Political Thriller. Just as an economic summit is about to get underway in Rome, a terrorist organization kidnaps an Italian Ministry of the Interior official and threatens further violent action, using their obsession with the ancient Etruscans (a civilization absorbed by the Roman Empire) to justify their agenda. Despite warnings to stay away, Nic Costa of the Questura secretly begins to investigate the terrorist leader's plot on behalf of the Italian president...and uncovers disturbing links to the top levels of government. This exciting mix of police procedural and political thriller is the 8th in the Nic Costa series.

Crime Caper. Someone has robbed aging strip-club owner and low-level gangster Manco Kapak. His thugs think the culprit is L.A. newcomer Joe Carver (it's not) and attempt to get rid of him. But Carver's not defenseless, and when his innocence continues to be disputed, he counterattacks with a vengeance, putting Kapak in hot water with his higher-ups in the drug world, while the actual thief and his sociopathic new love step up their crime spree against Kapak. Meanwhile, the detective in charge of solving the crimes is distracted by the financial pressures of his two secret families. There's a lot going on here, but author Thomas Perry handles the multiple plot strands and one-of-a-kind characters with ease, making reading Strip "pure, unadulterated fun" (Library Journal).

Suspense Fiction. In this compelling follow-up to The Reincarnationist and The Memorist, a shredded Matisse painting is delivered to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The attached note states that more paintings will meet the same fate unless the museum gives up an ancient sculpture said to have paranormal powers. Lucian Glass, special agent with the FBI's Art Crime Team, suspects that Malachai Samuels of the Phoenix Foundation is behind this blackmail attempt, for he's already established that he'll stop at nothing to obtain tools thought to aid in past-life regressions. Though past lives are an odd basis for a thriller, it works--Publishers Weekly calls The Hypnotist "stunning."

Suspense Fiction. Matthew Reilly, James Rollins, and Clive Cussler fans--if you haven't already tried Will Adams, you should: his books feature the exotic locales, historical mysteries, and action-packed adventures that those bestselling authors are known for. In Adams' debut, archaeologist Daniel Knox is trying to find the long-lost tomb of Alexander the Great, but finds himself pitted against rival archaeologists, Egyptian officials, and Macedonian nationalists in a cutthroat race to find the body of the ancient conqueror. Fans will be pleased to know that a 2nd in the series, The Exodus Quest, has already been published, and a 3rd is on its way (these novels were all first published in the U.K.).

Thriller. Former FBI agent Steve Vail quit the agency rather than compromise his morals; now they need him back to help stop a deadly extortion plot in which the stakes keep rising. The situation: a group calling themselves the Rubaco Pentad threatens to continue killing highly visible FBI critics unless their ever-increasing demands are met. Though Vail agrees to help, it's under a couple conditions, the first and foremost being that he's not reinstated in the agency. With the help of a comely deputy assistant director, Vail follows a dangerous trail to the head of the Rubaco Pentad. Written by a former FBI agent, The Bricklayer is likely just the 1st in a series.

Spy Fiction. Suffice it to say that if you like John le Carré, you'll like this twisty, noirish tale of espionage and counterespionage, which takes place during the 1969 Nigerian civil war and 25 years earlier during the tail end of World War II. Back then, there was a beautiful nurse who was an agent for the KGB; long thought dead, she may actually still be alive. Then there's British Secret Service agent Paul Dark, who may or may not be a double agent. If this twisty, layered tale captures your attention, you'll be pleased to know that Free Agent is the 1st in a trilogy.

Suspense Fiction. Harry Bloch makes a living by pseudonymously writing a few different pulp series and "tutoring" rich high school kids (i.e., he writes their term papers). Then he's hired by a death-row inmate (and fan) to co-write his memoirs--for each chapter of the killer's life (or the location of one of his victims' heads), Bloch must write a pornographic story based on letters the prisoner has received. But when three young women are killed in a manner that seems to indicate the still-incarcerated killer's to blame, Harry comes under suspicion. Despite the graphic nature of the violence, this clever debut is "laugh-out-loud funny" (Booklist).

Religious Thriller. What with its historical artifacts, puzzles, religious texts, and the importance of ancient history, The Last Ember is another one for fans of The Da Vinci Code. Forced out of archaeology after an illegal dig resulted in a colleague's death, Jonathan Marcus became a defense lawyer instead, though he's still involved in the antiquities trade. In Rome for work, he becomes involved in a fast-paced, high-stakes search for the long-lost Tabernacle Menorah before the bad guys can find and destroy it. If you can't take a vacation this summer, The Last Ember will quickly have you feeling like you're racing down the streets of Rome yourself.

Suspense Fiction. Jeremy Stroeb is a 22-year-old who's avoided responsibility his entire life. But his parents have been brutally murdered, and his traumatized 16-year-old sister needs his help. Grief-stricken, he returns to Florida to assume her guardianship, enrolls in the school where his father worked, and gets a job at his mother's firm. But he's determined to find out why his seemingly ordinary parents--an economics professor and a CPA--were killed. His search for answers leads him down an increasingly dangerous and disturbing path, for no one is who they appear to be. Fans of corporate thrillers will find aspects of that genre here, while other readers will appreciate Jeremy's youthful but maturing point of view.