Short Stories. With spine-tingling tales by such authors as Sean Chercover, R.L. Stine, Marcus Sakey, Lisa Jackson, and Ridley Pearson (among many others), this 2nd anthology is sure to live up to its subtitle. Those looking for international intrigue will be hooked by Jeffrey Deaver's "The Weapon," while Lisa Jackson's contribution, "Vintage Death," will have you on the edge of your seat, and David Hewson's "The Circle" will make you think twice about train rides. From serial killers to a race to save a cop's life, the pace is relentless, the danger extreme--and you really won't want to put it down.

Spy Fiction. When the CIA receives an encrypted message from a Tehran scientist suggesting that Iran's nuclear bomb-development program is moving forward, veteran agent Harry Pappas is told to figure out the validity of the messages. With a presidential administration bent on moving towards war on Iran, Pappas must find the scientist, get him out of Iran, and learn the truth before innocent lives are lost. This terrifying thriller, with a plot ripped straight out of the headlines, has already been sold to Hollywood.

Legal Thriller. African-American attorney Jay Porter has problems--not only is money tight, but his past as an activist is coming back to haunt him. When he rescues a white woman from drowning after shots are fired nearby, Jay and his wife take her to the police station, but Jay can't leave it alone, despite the fact that he's learned--the hard way--that getting involved is a bad idea. When Houston's political scene and big business interests are compromised and threats are directed at Jay, he must fight to save his own life. Though Black Water Rising has a slower pace than most thrillers, there's still a great deal of suspense and intrigue, as well as strong sense of place.

Historical Thriller. In the aftermath of Joseph Stalin's death, a "leaked" speech from newly installed leader Nikita Khrushchev unleashes retribution against the secret police who carried out brutal acts under Stalin. Leo Demidov, a former state security officer who's now working as a homicide detective after stopping a serial killer, is among those at risk. While the danger mounts around him and threatens his family as well as his former colleagues, it is the atmosphere and depictions of life in the Soviet Union that will stick with you long after you close the book. The Secret Speech is the 2nd book to feature Leo Demidov; the 1st was Child 44.

Thriller. You're definitely not going to want to read this one right before a camping trip. Prosecutor Mary Crow has just won her 6th murder case, and to celebrate she's joined two female friends on a camping trip through the North Carolina wilderness near her hometown. But she is unaware that a desperate someone, seeking retaliation for Mary's recent court victory and wanting to keep a dark secret hidden, is stalking her and her friends. With not one but two murderous madmen, this debut novel contains a lot of graphic violence--as well as beautiful mountain scenery and strong writing and characterizations.

Thriller. While working at a summer camp, Paul Copeland shirked his duties to meet a girl, and in his absence four campers disappeared into the woods. Two bodies were discovered, their throats slashed, but the other two kids--a boy and Paul's sister--were never found. Fast forward 20 years and Paul, now a county prosecutor, is working on a high-profile case while raising his daughter alone after losing his wife to cancer. Then he gets a strange call: a dead man has been found in Manhattan with personal effects that link him to Paul. When Paul identifies him as the missing boy camper--long presumed dead--it stirs up the past and places him in grave danger. "Another Coben gripper," says Booklist.

Police Thriller. When thugs kill three people in a gas station hold-up and are caught soon after, everyone expects the trial to go quickly and smoothly--but the case is thrown out of court due to a technicality, angering the North Carolina community that the victims called home. The criminals are free to go, but it isn't long before one is killed. Lieutenant Cam Richter of the Manceford County Sheriff's Office suspects vigilantes, and he's soon off to the Great Smoky Mountains in search of them--and in search of the cat dancers of the title, who like to surprise and photograph the last, elusive mountain lions in their dens, risking death by disembowelment.

Psychological Suspense. When Rob Ryan was a child, he was found one summer night clinging to a tree, his sneakers filled with blood. His two constant playmates had disappeared, but Ryan remembered nothing. Now, 20 years later, a child has been killed in the same woods outside Dublin--and Ryan, who's hidden his traumatic background from everyone except his partner and best friend, Cassie Maddox, is the detective assigned to the case. Damaged by his childhood experience, Ryan nevertheless decides to press on with the investigation. If you like the mix of psychological suspense and police procedural in this Edgar Award-winning book, don’t miss The Likeness, which focuses on Cassie Maddox.

Thriller. En route to a Metallica concert, the Cessna that Scott O'Toole is flying in to get to Salt Lake City goes down in a storm, killing the pilot, and 16-year-old Scott is left to the mercy of the Utah woods in the middle of winter--alone. With the local authorities more focused on preparing for an upcoming presidential visit than on a search for a missing teenager, Scott's long-divorced parents must put aside their differences and work together to find him. Meanwhile, Scott must battle freezing temperatures and find shelter, but when he does, it only puts him in more danger, for the property he finds contains one heavily armed man--and two dead bodies.