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36 Righteous Men
by Steven Pressfield
What it’s about: Set in a near-future world wracked by climate change-induced weather events, this fast-paced story follows the hunt for a serial killer who, inspired by Jewish legends, aims to kill the titular men to start the apocalypse.
Starring: NYPD detectives Corvina “Dewey” Duwai and Jim Manning; Rabbi Rachel Davidson, whose knowledge of Judaism (and computer algorithms) help her identify the killer’s targets.
Is it for you? This unconventional thriller contains some supernatural elements and is told primarily through the investigators’ case notes.
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A Beautiful Crime
by Christopher Bollen
Starring: Nicholas Brink, who trades New York for Venice when his new boyfriend is called back to the Floating City to claim an inheritance; Clay Guillory, Nick's grounded boyfriend who has a long history with the city; Venice itself, which is portrayed in all of its lush (but decaying) glory.
The scheme: Nick gets greedy upon seeing the beautiful but decrepit palazzo Clay has inherited a share in, and soon talks a reluctant Clay into a risky but lucrative antiques hustle that quickly goes awry.
Read it for: the compelling relationship between Nick and Clay, which has more depth than it initially seems to; the tone, which manages to evoke both Patricia Highsmith and André Aciman.
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A Different Lie
by Derek Haas
Suspense Fiction. New dad Columbus is happy with his family and with his work; for the first time in years, the longtime freelancer has steady employment. But his latest assignment -- to take out a rising star in his own field -- will do more than just shake things up. It may kill him. With intriguing characters, a spare writing style, and increasing suspense, this 4th in the series starring deadly hit man Columbus is "an unflinching little gem of a story: violent, dark, and unrelentingly entertaining" (Kirkus Reviews).
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| Under Occupation by Alan FurstWhat it's about: French author Paul Ricard is known for his spy novels, but that doesn't mean he's working for the Resistance. At least he wasn't until a man running from the Gestapo slipped him an important stolen document shortly before being shot dead.
You might also like: Martin Cruz Smith's The Girl from Venice, which also features a protagonist living in Nazi-occupied territory who gets pulled into resistance activities after a chance encounter with a stranger. |
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| The Saboteur by Andrew GrossWhat it's about: Based on real events, this story follows Norwegian engineer Kurt Nordstrum, a member of the resistance, and his dangerous mission to prevent the Nazis from developing nuclear weapons.
The mission: sneak into the impenetrable and secretive Norsk Hydro factory to destroy the means of producing "heavy water", a critical part of the bomb-making process.
You might also like: the 1965 Kirk Douglas film The Heroes of Telemark, which also tells this remarkable tale. |
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| City of Secrets by Stewart O'NanWhat it is: the thought-provoking, compelling story of Yossi Brand, a Holocaust survivor who illegally immigrates to postwar Jerusalem and joins the Jewish underground movement against British occupation.
Read it for: the complex motives of the characters; the author's spare and elegant writing style.
Reviewers say: "imaginative and nimble" (Booklist); "a probing, keening thriller" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Blame the Dead by Ed RuggeroWhat it's about: Once a Philadelphia beat cop, Lieutenant Eddie Harkins is ordered to investigate the case of an unpopular army doctor whose death took place during a German air raid on their Palermo base but has all the hallmarks of an inside job.
Why you might like it: the long list of suspects who all had good reasons to want the unlikable doctor dead; the well-rendered Italian setting, which is one of the less-featured locations for World War II fiction. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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