"Short stories set in the complex world of international espionage and adventure are very, very difficult to write. A disproportionate number of novels in that category, you will have noticed, are big, fat books."
~ from Otto Penzler's Introduction to Agents of Treachery |
|
New and Recently Released!
|
|
| FaceOff by David Baldacci (editor)Short Stories. In this unique collection, 22 bestselling suspense authors have paired off, as have their most popular characters -- be they lone wolves or team players. Within these pages you'll find John Sandford's Lucas Davenport working with Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme, while Lee Child's Jack Reacher comes across Joseph Finder's Nick Heller in a bar. Chances are, your favorite authors are here, while at least a few others -- and their creations -- will be new to you, making this a great choice for fans of all kinds, as well as readers looking for new experiences and new authors. |
|
| Night Heron by Adam BrookesSpy Fiction. Twenty years after his imprisonment for protesting in Tiananmen Square, Chinese engineer Li Huasheng escapes the labor camp, eager to return to Beijing and pick up where he left off -- trading Chinese technology secrets to the U.K. in hopes of defecting. Once in the city, he coerces a former friend into releasing secret documents, then gives them to a British reporter with instructions to hand them to the British embassy. Which is when all hell breaks loose for both of them -- betrayals and double-crosses abound. Multiple narrators help sustain the tension, while fast-paced chase scenes and the plausible nature of the documents make this debut "compulsively readable" (Kirkus Reviews) and perfect for fans of Cold War thrillers looking for something a little more contemporary. |
|
| I Am Pilgrim by Terry HayesSuspense Fiction. This explosive thriller starts with the perfect murder -- the victim has had her teeth removed, her identifiable features have been destroyed by acid, and the scene has been liberally sprayed with DNA-destroying disinfectant. But more alarmingly, a jihadist is building a biological weapon he's planning on letting loose in the U.S. The connection between the two is Pilgrim, a retired CIA operative, who's called in to stop the terrorist -- and whose textbook on criminal investigations may have been the blueprint for the murder. Menacing and more than a bit gruesome, this debut by screenwriter Terry Hayes flies by "ferociously fast" (Booklist). |
|
| The Directive by Matthew QuirkCorporate Thriller. In this fast-paced follow-up to The 500, lawyer Mike Ford finds himself more or less forced into utilizing skills from his former life of crime when he agrees to help his brother steal the Federal Reserve's directive guiding U.S. economic policy. Though he'd initially planned to fail, the lives of his increasingly irritated fiancée and his ex-con father depend upon his success. As does his own. The action, increasing suspense, and twisty plot hold plenty of appeal, especially to readers of financial thrillers by the likes of Joseph Finder or Christopher Reich. |
|
| Moving Day: A Thriller by Jonathan StoneCrime Fiction. Stanley Peke and his wife have become the latest victims of a scam on the elderly. Planning to relocate from New England to California, their movers show up a day early, pack up all their belongings, and hit the road...only to have the real movers show up on the appointed day. Though everything is insured, Stanley refuses to let this go; with help from others, he tracks their stuff down and steals it back. But the scammer isn't any more willing to take that lying down than Stanley had been. With a lot more introspection and a slower pace than most thrillers, Moving Day will best suit fans of character-driven tales like those by Laura Lippman. |
|
| Trouble in Mind: The Collected Stories, Vol. 3 by Jeffery DeaverShort Stories. In this 3rd collection of short stories by veteran suspense author Jeffery Deaver, we get cameos from his series heroes (Lincoln Rhyme and Kathryn Dance) as well as plenty of new characters -- though some of the 12 stories have been published elsewhere. They also range in genre from psychological suspense to crime noir. Though Trouble in Mind is his most recent anthology (it was published earlier this year), he has also recently edited a collection called Ice Cold, containing 20 short stories centered on the Cold War. |
|
| Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen KingShort Stories. This chilling collection of four previously unpublished novellas showcases Stephen King's talent in depicting the darker side of human nature, no matter what genre he's writing in. A farmer in Nebraska learns that murder doesn't end with burying the body. A rape victim uses the detecting skills she's gleaned from her career as a mystery writer to turn the tables on her attacker. A man discovers that he's able to offload his bad luck onto the friend whose success he's always resented. And a happily married woman discovers that the husband she thought she knew has a sinister side that he's managed to keep hidden for 27 years. Be prepared for gore -- and some devilish humor. |
|
| The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol OatesShort Stories. Author Joyce Carol Oates provides plenty of suspense and dread in each of the tales that compose this disturbing collection. The title novella, "The Corn Maiden," explores the relationship between innocence and evil when an 11-year-old girl disappears. Other stories portray love and sexual attraction gone astray, perverse links between twins, childhood trauma, and sibling rivalry. Oates' powerful examination of darkness in the human psyche will make you "turn on all the lights or jump at imagined noises" (Publishers Weekly). If you want more of this prolific author's suspenseful short works, you can find them in The Female of the Species, among others. |
|
| Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night by James Patterson (editor)Short Stories. With tales from such noted authors as Lincoln Child, David Morrell, James Grippando, John Lescroart, and plenty more, this collection will likely have something for everyone -- including fans of traditional mysteries as well as those who prefer legal thrillers, military thrillers, political thrillers, and so on. And you can follow this collection with the equally diverse Thriller 2, edited by Clive Cussler, or First Thrills, edited by Lee Child. |
|
| Agents of Treachery: Never Before Published Spy Fiction from Today's Most Exciting Writers by Otto Penzler (editor)Short Stories. This anthology of original spy fiction shorts by favorite genre authors includes contributions from Lee Child (how to assemble a special ops cell), Charles McCarry (an intelligence officer gets involved in planning a coup), and Joseph Finder (a Boston architect comes to suspect his Middle Eastern neighbors), among others. Ranging in time and place but sharing plenty of red herrings, well-trained spies, and dubious motives, this collection of spy fiction is one of a kind. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|