Great Thrillers You Might Have Missed
‘Man on the Run’ Thrillers
Summer 2009 – Jeff Abbott (Trust Me), Christopher Reich (Rules of Vengeance), James Patterson
(Swimsuit)
These stories feature mostly ordinary people who accidentally find themselves uncovering conspiracies.
Politics, business, society, crime, religion – any or all of them might be involved, and don‟t be surprised
when people closest to the main character turn out to less than trustworthy. Still, mile-a-minute chase
scenes, hair-raising escapes, and enough wit to turn the tables on the villains make these fun reads.
Duane Swierczynski, Severance Package. Jamie DeBroux‟s employer turns out to be an unnamed
intelligence organization. Now his boss decides it‟s time to shut down, and to shut his employees
up. An ordinary guy on his own has to learn to survive against skilled killers.
Stephen W. Frey, Shadow Account. Conner Ashby finds himself on the run after receiving a
mysterious email that indicates massive corporate fraud and conspiracy. Conner risks his life to
dig deeper. Wonder if he‟d like a job at the SEC?
Kyle Mills, Burn Factor. Quinn Barry is a programmer in the basement of the FBI Academy, where
she‟s working on a project to link DNA in a database. When she launches her own investigation
into a piece of code that deliberately excludes DNA samples from five separate murders, finds
herself on the run. A strong female main character in a genre dominated by men.
Jeffrey Deaver, The Blue Nowhere. Deaver, author of the Lincoln Rhyme series, also writes excellent
stand alone thrillers. A convicted hacker is released from prison to catch a murderer using
computers to „socially engineer‟ his way into his victims‟ lives. You‟ll think twice about posting
party photos on the Web after this one.
Michael Connelly, Chasing the Dime. Entrepreneur Henry Pierce is on the verge of a scientific
breakthrough that will make him wealthy beyond imagination, but he keeps getting interrupted by
phone calls aimed at a woman named Lilly. As the calls become more threatening, Pierce tries to
find her and jeopardizes his dream.
James W. Hall, Rough Draft. Hannah Keller is haunted by the murder of her parents, killed on what
was supposed to be the greatest night of her life. When she discovers clues that could only be
from the killer, she takes up the search, not knowing that she may be bait in a trap. Misdirection
and suspense – along with some gruesome murders, so beware – keep readers gripping the book
with sweaty palms.
Gary Krist, Chaos Theory. Two middle-class suburban teens find themselves at the center of a
conspiracy after going into downtown DC to buy some pot. After escaping confrontation with a
gun-wielding dealer, they are picked up for questioning in the murder of an undercover cop at the
same place.
David Rosenfelt. Don’t Tell a Soul. Tim Wallace is the sole eyewitness to the murder of his wife. He
knows he is being set up, but doesn‟t know how or by whom, and he isn‟t sure if it has something
to do with his contracting work on a new Homeland Security building. Rosenfelt has created a
political thriller shot through with humor and fast-paced dialogue without sacrificing any
suspense.
Other authors to try:
Larry Beinhart – satire blended with suspense
Brad Meltzer – Washington shenanigans featuring low-level clerks and lawyers
John J. Nance – thrillers based around airlines. Probably won‟t see these at the airport.
RJ Pineiro – High-tech computer crimes. It ain‟t rocket science – it‟s worse
Espionage and International Thrillers
Summer 2009 – Daniel Silva (The Defector), Dan Fesperman (The Arms Makers of Berlin), Brian Haig
(The Hunted), Stieg Larsson (The Girl Who Played with Fire)
When governments need to find and act on information, they turn to intelligence officers. When they
need to act on the information, they get the tough guys who handle the jobs. And there are other threats
out there – international criminal enterprises and terror plots that need someone with plausible deniability
to terminate them with extreme prejudice. Get out all your passports, look at your Swiss bank account
numbers, and call Expedia for deals on your flight.
David Ignatius – low-key but thoughtful looks at the world of espionage (Body of Lies, The
Increment)
Vince Flynn – Washington-based espionage series featuring hero Mitch Rapp (Transfer of Power)
Brad Thor – Secret Service agent Scot Harvath takes on domestic and international terror (Lions of
Lucerne)
Brian Freemantle – veteran author of espionage, detective, and international thrillers
James Bond – continue 007‟s exploits with authors Raymond Benson, James Lawrence, and
Sebastian Faulks. For Young Adult readers, Charles Higson‟s Young Bond series recounts his first
experiences
Ted Bell – adventurer Alex Hawke serves as an unofficial agent of Britain and the United States
Olen Steinhauer – The Tourist – black-ops vet Milo Weaver is misled and betrayed by his own
Alan Furst – a variety of ordinary people are recruited as spies in the lead-up to World War II
Ted Allbeury – Rules of the Game – old-fashioned spy thriller with everyone searching for – a
psychic?
Robert Littell – Legends – PI Martin Odum isn‟t sure who he is, because CIA‟s made him so many
people
Brett Battles – Jonathan Quinn specializes in cleaning up after murders, but someone‟s after him
Barry Eisler – John Rain, half-Japanese half-Caucasian, is blackmailed into a variety of assassinations
Brent Ghelfi - Volk’s Game – Alexei Volk has to be tough as nails – an agent for the Russian military,
his cover identity is a Russian mobster deep in identity theft, prostitution, and theft
Charlie Huston - Caught Stealing – Hank Thompson babysits a neighbor‟s cat and finds stolen
millions
Boris Starling – Vodka – Alice Liddell tries to privatize a vodka distillery for the Russian mob
Military and Techno-Thrillers
Summer 2009 – Dale Brown (Rogue Forces)
Set in the modern day or near future, these feature military personnel fighting in both public and secret
wars. Terrorists, Iran, China, and a resurgent Russia are the featured bad guys, but other crisis spots (even
the Antarctic!) erupt and must be dealt with. Join these troubleshooters as they, um, shoot trouble.
Matthew Reilly – Shane “Scarecrow” Scofield, Captain, US Marine Corps
Patrick Robinson – underwater action on the highest-tech submarines you‟ve never seen
Larry Bond – global military scenarios, plus an elite group of troubleshooters (First Team series)
David Poyer – Dan Lenson goes from Lieutenant to Commander via international hot spots
Joe Weber – Scott Dalton and Jackie Sullivan take on international terrorists and nuclear plots
James W. Huston – crisis at the intersection of politics and military
Joe Buff – alternative near-future submarine adventures
Harold Coyle – paramilitary contractors in small adventures and regular military in larger wars
David Hagberg – CIA troubleshooter Kirk McGarvey goes around the world to protect the US
Robin A. White – Typhoon – a Russian submarine carrying missiles and an American submarine
commanded by Captain Queeg‟s nuttier (?) cousin face off under the North Pole
Jeff Rovin - co-author of the Tom Clancy Op-Center series, but Tempest Down is all his own
James H. Cobb – Amanda Lee Garrett commands the first stealth destroyer in worldwide missions
Stephen Coonts – Admiral Jake Grafton, former burglar Tommy Carmellini, and “The Deep Black
Team” battle threats from Vietnam to al-Qaeda
PT Deutermann – mysteries in a military milieu. Mmmmm.
Religious Thrillers
Summer 2009 – Robin Cook (!) – (Intervention)
With centuries of secrets under its belt, the Catholic Church has become a favorite bad guy for thriller
writers. Dan Brown may have had the highest profile, but these stories feature conspiracies, secret
international societies, and cover-ups that would shake the foundations of the Western world.
John Case – The Genesis Code – an investigator searches for the cause of his sister and nephew‟s
deaths
Katherine Neville – The Eight – riddles and puzzles thread through this story of a mystical chessboard
Barbara Wood – The Prophetess – six scrolls discovered in the Sinai send Catherine Alexander
hunting for a seventh
Raymond Khoury - Templars
Thomas Gifford – Assassini - an activist nun‟s brother learns dark secrets about the Church during
WWII
Kathleen McGowan – The Expected One – a scholar pursues the truth about Mary Magdalene
AJ Hartley – On the Fifth Day – investigating his brother‟s death, Thomas Knight is stymied
Jonathan Rabb – Book of Q – Father Ian finds a scroll in the Vatican library and triggers chaos
Javier Sierra - Secret Supper – in 1497 a Vatican inquisitor studies the Last Supper for heretical codes
Steve Berry – Third Secret – Pope Clement XV commits suicide, triggering an election dominated by
prophecies
Eric Lustbader – The Testament – medieval scholar and cryptanalyst Bravo searches for a gospel
written by Jesus
Psychological Thrillers
Fall 2009 – Stuart Neville, The Ghosts of Belfast; Louise Penny, The Brutal Telling
Jonathan Kellerman - Alex Delaware, child psychologist, becomes an amateur sleuth for his patients
Nicci French – women must protect themselves in these slowly building but terrifying stories
Lisa Unger – writer Ridley Jones suffers identity crises, but doesn‟t let them stop her. Standalones,
too.
Dennis Lehane – Shutter Island – a US Marshal investigates a federal institution for the criminally
insane
Thomas H. Cook – Chatham School Affair –a banner year at the school, culminating in secrets and
death
James Grippando – a young woman is attacked by a stranger even as her marriage is dissolving
Joseph Finder – Killer Instinct – a rising executive gets help from a strange tow truck driver
Keith Ablow – Frank Clevenger is a psychologist so twisted the police call on him for their toughest
cases
Harlan Coben –standalone stories with people questioning their identities and the people around them
Michael Robotham – English series featuring psychologist Joe O‟Loughlin and DI Vincent Ruiz