Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/07/2011
ISBN-13: 9780399157493
ISBN-10: 0399157492

Suspense Fiction. Things are going pretty well for mystery magazine editor David Loogan, last seen in Bad Things Happen. It's a quiet life--until a sinister manuscript lands on his doorstep and changes everything. The manuscript's author has confessed to two murders...and is clearly planning one more. In his race to save the last victim (name helpfully provided), Loogan uncovers a conspiracy that encompasses a 17-year-old bank robbery, a Senate race between a dirty politician and his daughter-in-law, and a killer who doesn't particularly care if innocents get in the way. With relentless pacing and wry delivery, this is that "rare crime novel with something for everyone" (Kirkus Reviews).

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/12/2011
ISBN-13: 9780312380342
ISBN-10: 0312380348

Suspense Fiction. Twenty years ago, brothers Michael and Julian lived, unhappily, in a grim North Carolina orphanage. When another boy was killed, Michael, the strong one, fled to New York City and eventually ended up as a hitman for the Mob. Sensitive, vulnerable Julian was adopted, and took to exorcising his demons through his writing. They haven't seen each other since the night Michael ran away, but that's about to change as Julian comes under threat by one of Michael's rivals. With themes of loyalty and love laid against the violence and brutality of men and boys alike, their reconnection makes for compelling, if blood-soaked, reading.

First Chapter  

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/05/2011
ISBN-13: 9780312534912
ISBN-10: 0312534914

Thriller. After 14 years in the foster system and more years of hard work, Mike Wingate is finally enjoying the fruits of his labor: he's happily married, has a beautiful daughter, and is having a fair amount of success as a green contractor. But having his picture in the paper (shaking hands with the governor, no less) leads to a host of problems--he's threatened and stalked, and, worse, his young daughter is attacked. Forced to turn to a loyal old friend (who happens to be a distinguished career criminal) to protect himself, Mike faces two thugs-on-a-deadly-mission as he slowly uncovers why he's been targeted. Hold on to your seats, folks: it's going to be a bumpy ride!

First Chapter  

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/21/2011
ISBN-13: 9780307270139
ISBN-10: 0307270130

Suspense Fiction. In the colorful slang of Italy's organized crime families, a white shotgun, or lupara bianca, refers to a murder in which the body is never found. The white shotgun in this case refers to the mistress--a drug dealing money launderer--of a wealthy coffee importer suspected to be close to Tuscany's mafia. The man's wife, Cecilia, happens to be a newly discovered relation of FBI special agent Ana Grey's--so what better excuse to check out the coffee importer than for the two women to meet? The family reunion, however, soon turns dangerous, for Cecilia's son is threatened and she herself disappears. With beautifully described settings and tight, suspenseful writing, this 4th in the series is another winner.

Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/07/2009
ISBN-13: 9780425227077
ISBN-10: 0425227073

Historical Suspense. In 1954, criminals had the run of Phenix City, Alabama, both on the streets and in the government. It took the murder of a recently elected, crime-busting attorney general to get the town's anti-vice citizens to band together to bring the law back. Led by the AG's son and a friend, family man Lamar Murphy, the townspeople must take on brothel madams, professional gamblers, and corrupt cops. Challenging the underworld is always a dangerous proposition, but what adds extra oomph to this gripping story is the fact that it's based on real events.

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/01/2010
ISBN-13: 9780399156434
ISBN-10: 0399156437

Historical Suspense. As World War I approaches, Isaac Bell of the Van Dorn Detective Agency is investigating the death of a top weapons designer. Though his death is officially labeled a suicide, the man's daughter suspects foul play. When more leading naval technicians die, Bell is hot on the heels of an assassin known as "the Spy," but it's going to take a lot of skill to unmask the killer, find out who's hired him...and stay alive. With plenty of action and lots of period detail, this 3rd (and most recent) in the series is "a ton of fun" (Booklist). Look for #4, The Race, to come out in September.

Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9780061239564
ISBN-10: 0061239569

Historical Thriller. Author William Dietrich introduced American adventurer Ethan Gage in Napoleon's Pyramids; in The Rosetta Key, Gage continues to risk life and limb as he heads to the Holy Land to track down an ancient Egyptian scroll reputed to have magical properties. Featuring an irrepressible antihero, riveting suspense, and rich historical details, this series will appeal to readers who like George MacDonald Fraser's roguish Harry Flashman, Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series, or, more generally, simply to fans of historical thrillers. Gage's adventures continue in The Dakota Cipher and The Barbary Pirates.

Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/15/2010
ISBN-13: 9781400066032
ISBN-10: 1400066034

Spy Fiction. Set early on in World War II, Spies of the Balkans finds senior police official Costa Zannis back in Salonika, Greece, after sustaining an injury in battle. In the wake of Greek victories over Italy, and under the threat of Nazi invasion, spies from all over are in the city, and Zannis gets involved with some of them by helping to ferry fleeing German Jews to neutral Turkey. Readers interested in World War II spy fiction will enjoy author Alan Furst's ability to create atmosphere--as well as his use of a setting fairly uncommon in spy fiction. Furst's fans will recognize the skillful way he portrays an ordinary man required, in wartime, to do extraordinary things.

Publisher: Grand Central
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9780446402392
ISBN-10: 0446402397

Historical Thriller. Set in the Soviet Union in 1953, Child 44 is the story of MGB (State Security Force) officer Leo Demidov, an honest man whose promising career is derailed by politics. Demoted and dispatched to a remote village in the Ukraine, Leo uncovers the existence of a serial killer who's targeting local children. But in Stalin's Russia, where things like serial killers are not supposed to exist, it's a crime against the State to suggest that one is on the loose. If you like thrillers with detailed historical settings, you'll love this suspenseful and atmospheric debut and its sequel, The Secret Speech. You might also try Sam Eastland's similarly-set Eye of the Red Tsar.