Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/15/2011
ISBN-13: 9780312675295
ISBN-10: 0312675291

Spy Fiction. In real life, the Cambridge Spies were five Cambridge students who spied for the Soviet Union in the 1930s. In Charles Cumming's latest novel, he considers the possibility (set up by the five men at the time) that there was a sixth member of the team who was never identified. With well-drawn characters and a vivid evocation of Moscow, Berlin, and other locations, as well as details of spycraft and Cold War history, this atmospheric novel will likely appeal to fans of Len Deighton, John le Carré, and Charles McCarry.

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Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/15/2011
ISBN-13: 9780312599447
ISBN-10: 0312599447

Military Thriller. Though author Peter Deutermann is mostly known for his Cam Richter suspense series, his background as a naval captain serves him well here. Set during World War II, the story centers on two Navy officers--one a fighter pilot, the other serving on a destroyer. Savo Island, Midway, and the Battle of Samar are the three major military actions of this novel; Booklist says that the depictions of "naval life and naval war seem virtually note perfect," which fans of military history will appreciate.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/22/2011
ISBN-13: 9781439193365
ISBN-10: 1439193363

Thriller. "Dan Brown on steroids," says Booklist about this fast-paced, globe-trotting adventure which, though set in the present day, goes back to Mozart's death in the 18th century. It seems that his opera The Magic Flute contains codes that threaten a rogue Masonic order, which has him killed. In the present, a young man researching Mozart's death is also killed, and his sister, famed opera singer Leigh Llewellyn, asks her ex, Benedict Hope, to help protect her. Together, they plan to discover the link between her brother's death and a mysterious letter written shortly before Mozart's death. Suspend your disbelief, and enjoy the ride; if you can't, Kirkus Reviews suggests that readers who prefer a challenge try Michael Gruber's The Book of Air and Shadows.

Publisher: Dial Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/22/2011
ISBN-13: 9780385342117
ISBN-10: 038534211X

Scientific Thriller. Liam Connor is an 86-year-old pioneer in the field of nanoscience, working out of Cornell University. His death by apparent suicide is hard for both his granddaughter Maggie and his colleague Jake Sterling to swallow--especially after it becomes clear that he was tortured. It is up to the two of them to determine why Liam was tortured--and what role he played in the use of biological weapons in World War II. Booklist's reviewer calls Spiral the "most gripping and engrossing thriller" he's read in 50 years of reading thrillers and praises the author's skill with plot, pace, and characterization, and with his "brief, lucid disquisitions" on science.

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/22/2010
ISBN-13: 9780312576035
ISBN-10: 031257603X

Comic Thriller? Spy Fiction? This one's a bit of both: there's the intelligence organization, the terrorist plot that may involve a government conspiracy, and the team of dedicated analysts trying to prevent an attack on Washington, D.C. But the "outrageous cast of characters" (Kirkus Reviews) and the profanity-laden but very intelligent writing add a layer of black humor to a deadly situation. It's an unusual take on the spy novel, and one you shouldn't miss. Check out the excerpt below for a sample of debut author (and former counterintelligence analyst) Susan Hasler's skill with both pen and sword (or keyboard and bombs, as the case may be).

First Chapter  

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/22/2010
ISBN-13: 9780312599881
ISBN-10: 0312599889

Thriller. A plane has crashed outside Portland, Oregon, leaving most of the many passengers dead. Despite the fact that he's no longer officially with the organization that investigates such accidents, Dr. Leonard Tomazak rushes to the scene and is eventually put in charge of the team assigned to the case. But on top of managing the outsize egos and turf wars that come with a job this big, it soon becomes clear that this wasn't a mechanical problem--there were terrorists involved, and they will strike again. Kirkus Reviews, which compared Crashers to a "particularly good plane-themed episode of CSI," praised its character-driven drama, snappy dialogue, and "grand-scale action."

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Publisher: Bantam Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/13/2010
ISBN-13: 9780553808056
ISBN-10: 0553808052

Psychological Suspense. In this debut by Australian author Rebecca James, 17-year-old Katherine has moved in with her aunt for her last year of high school. She's trying to start anew after her younger sister's brutal death, and in her grief and guilt generally keeps to herself. Surprisingly, the charismatic, hard-partying Alice soon befriends her, and Katherine finds herself returning to life. As she does, she begins to realize that Alice has a cruel streak--and that perhaps she is no friend at all. Told in flashbacks, this suspenseful novel begins with the chilling sentence "I didn't go to Alice's funeral."

First Chapter  

Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/23/2010
ISBN-13: 9780385531283
ISBN-10: 0385531281

Historical Thriller. Dominican monk Giordano Bruno--who's actually based on a real-life historical figure--is in trouble. Not only does his support of Copernicus' heliocentric theory of the universe brand him a heretic in 16th-century Italy, his professed Catholicism endangers him in England, where he ends up employed as a spy for Queen Elizabeth. Though the queen's spymaster has asked him to look for evidence of treason at Oxford, he's also seeking an ancient Egyptian text. What he finds is a beautiful young woman, a secretive community, and murder. Fans of this debut will be happy to know that a 2nd book to star Bruno, Prophecy, was published earlier this month.