David Baldacci is at his absolute best in the dazzling Daylight (Grand Central), the latest in his FBI special agent Atlee Pine series. Only this time, she’s joined by another of Baldacci’s sterling creations in the form of military investigator John Puller.
In lesser hands, such a setup would have been a recipe for literary collapse under the dual weight of its driven protagonists. But Baldacci’s firm grasp at long last resolves a thread of Pine’s life and career in the form of the abduction of her twin sister when they were six years old. The suspected kidnapper’s location is at last uncovered, Atlee all too eager to head off on his once-elusive trail, which happens to intersect with a case Puller is working on. The interplay between these two genre heavyweights is great fun, living up to our expectations every step of the way.
You’ve got to love the fact that an author of Baldacci’s success and repute is still pushing for more and willing to take chances. He’s not one to rest on his laurels and the result makes Daylight a stunning success that sets our expectations high and somehow exceeds them.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
Michael Connelly is also no stranger to challenging himself — and his characters — something that’s on keen display in the exceptional The Law of Innocence (Little Brown), his latest and sixth book to feature the “Lincoln Lawyer” Mickey Haller.
They say a lawyer who defends himself has a fool for a client, but that’s exactly what happens here after a body is found in the most famous Town Car ever. Running your business from the back seat is nothing compared to building a defense to salvage the rest of your life from a jail cell. Haller’s innocence, of course, is never in doubt; the fun lies in following his quest for the truth from behind bars with the help of the usual cast of characters that now includes his half-brother, the incomparable detective Harry Bosch.
There’s nothing better than a solid legal thriller and The Law of Innocence is as good as it gets in the resiliently popular sub-genre. Twists and turns abound with the best surprises, as usual, saved for reveals in the courtroom itself. Superb reading entertainment of the highest level that’s simply not to be missed. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
One thing almost as good as a crack legal thriller is discovering a new author destined for great things, which is exactly what you get with Elizabeth Breck and her debut crime-thriller Anonymous (Crooked Lane).
Like The Law of Innocence, this one features a great setup. San Diego private detective Madison Kelly returns home to find a note tacked to her front door threatening her life if she doesn’t back off from an investigation she’s not conducting. Turns out the warning is in reference to a true-crime podcast she hosts and her interest in the disappearance of two young girls years back. The resulting cat-and-mouse game can best be described as “digital noir,” a fresh take on the tired hardboiled private-eye tale.
Anonymous takes a similarly refreshing approach to the means and manner of Kelly’s investigation into the terrifying truth behind the disappearances and the perpetrator behind them. A major debut that is not to be missed.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
There’s a stark familiarity to the science-fiction thriller Devastation Class (Harper Collins) by Glen Zipper and former Rhode Islander Elaine Mongeon, a sense of been there, done that. The good news is the tandem is very good at what they do, which makes their debut effort a great addition to the genre.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Earth is facing total annihilation at the hands of a sinister alien race and only a small, rag-tag group of heroes can save us from extinction. The difference here is the seven space academy cadets in question find themselves cast as rebels with a cause, their heroism forced upon them because no one else is up to the task. Ultimately, they become the only force capable of defeating the Kastazi, the dreaded alien race that has claimed our world for themselves.
Circumstance and coincidence have always played a crucial role in propelling great heroes to assume their respective mantels and that notion is played to the hilt in Devastation Class. It’s a throwback to classic sci-fi and a must-read for those of us reared on the likes of Star Trek and The Outer Limits. A terrific tale well told.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
It’s almost redundant these days to call anything a “cyber-thriller,” since all thrillers incorporate the cyber world in some form or manner. But few of them do so with the alacrity and effectiveness of James Swallow in Ghost (Forge), his latest effort to feature Matt Dane.
Dane works for one of the now many private security companies, the Rubicon Group, specializing in the most sensitive and dangerous of matters. His latest quarry is a master digital magician known as Madrigal who is wreaking cyber havoc across the globe and threatening the fragile nature of what was once known as the industrial complex. Dane, late of James Bond’s own MI6, will need both bullets and bytes to defeat Madrigal and his minions, even as the stakes grow even higher and deadlier.
Ghost is a cutting-edge, prescient tale that predicts tomorrow’s headlines instead of ripping off today’s. A starkly original and strikingly effective thriller.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
The allure of D. P. Lyle’s blistering and bracing Prior Bad Acts (Suspense Publishing) is comparable to watching a slow-motion car wreck: you know you shouldn’t be rubber-necking, but mostly, you’re glad it’s not happening to you. A convergence of forces that spiral out of control defines the characters who populate the book’s pages and make it a rivetingly relentless read.
The action in a small mountain town spins off the revenge murder of a drug dealer and his family. Sprinkle in murder, robbery, internecine small-town struggles, and a world utterly onto itself, and it’s a good thing Lyle’s stalwart crime-fighting team of Bobby Cain and Harper McCoy are on the job sorting through the dark side of the American Dream.
Prior Bad Acts moves like a runaway freight train, thundering along from beginning to end and picking up speed until the very last page. A crime thriller of the highest order that turns small-town Americana into a Shakespearean tragedy.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Bookshop
Daylight by David Baldacci
David Baldacci is at his absolute best in the dazzling Daylight (Grand Central), the latest in his FBI special agent Atlee Pine series. Only this time, she’s joined by another of Baldacci’s sterling creations in the form of military investigator John Puller.
In lesser hands, such a setup would have been a recipe for literary collapse under the dual weight of its driven protagonists. But Baldacci’s firm grasp at long last resolves a thread of Pine’s life and career in the form of the abduction of her twin sister when they were six years old. The suspected kidnapper’s location is at last uncovered, Atlee all too eager to head off on his once-elusive trail, which happens to intersect with a case Puller is working on. The interplay between these two genre heavyweights is great fun, living up to our expectations every step of the way.
You’ve got to love the fact that an author of Baldacci’s success and repute is still pushing for more and willing to take chances. He’s not one to rest on his laurels and the result makes Daylight a stunning success that sets our expectations high and somehow exceeds them.
The Law of Innocence by Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly is also no stranger to challenging himself — and his characters — something that’s on keen display in the exceptional The Law of Innocence (Little Brown), his latest and sixth book to feature the “Lincoln Lawyer” Mickey Haller.
They say a lawyer who defends himself has a fool for a client, but that’s exactly what happens here after a body is found in the most famous Town Car ever. Running your business from the back seat is nothing compared to building a defense to salvage the rest of your life from a jail cell. Haller’s innocence, of course, is never in doubt; the fun lies in following his quest for the truth from behind bars with the help of the usual cast of characters that now includes his half-brother, the incomparable detective Harry Bosch.
There’s nothing better than a solid legal thriller and The Law of Innocence is as good as it gets in the resiliently popular sub-genre. Twists and turns abound with the best surprises, as usual, saved for reveals in the courtroom itself. Superb reading entertainment of the highest level that’s simply not to be missed. (Read BookTrib’s review here.)
Anonymous by Elizabeth Breck
One thing almost as good as a crack legal thriller is discovering a new author destined for great things, which is exactly what you get with Elizabeth Breck and her debut crime-thriller Anonymous (Crooked Lane).
Like The Law of Innocence, this one features a great setup. San Diego private detective Madison Kelly returns home to find a note tacked to her front door threatening her life if she doesn’t back off from an investigation she’s not conducting. Turns out the warning is in reference to a true-crime podcast she hosts and her interest in the disappearance of two young girls years back. The resulting cat-and-mouse game can best be described as “digital noir,” a fresh take on the tired hardboiled private-eye tale.
Anonymous takes a similarly refreshing approach to the means and manner of Kelly’s investigation into the terrifying truth behind the disappearances and the perpetrator behind them. A major debut that is not to be missed.
Devastation Class by Glen Zipper,Elaine Mongeon
There’s a stark familiarity to the science-fiction thriller Devastation Class (Harper Collins) by Glen Zipper and former Rhode Islander Elaine Mongeon, a sense of been there, done that. The good news is the tandem is very good at what they do, which makes their debut effort a great addition to the genre.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Earth is facing total annihilation at the hands of a sinister alien race and only a small, rag-tag group of heroes can save us from extinction. The difference here is the seven space academy cadets in question find themselves cast as rebels with a cause, their heroism forced upon them because no one else is up to the task. Ultimately, they become the only force capable of defeating the Kastazi, the dreaded alien race that has claimed our world for themselves.
Circumstance and coincidence have always played a crucial role in propelling great heroes to assume their respective mantels and that notion is played to the hilt in Devastation Class. It’s a throwback to classic sci-fi and a must-read for those of us reared on the likes of Star Trek and The Outer Limits. A terrific tale well told.
Ghost by James Swallow
It’s almost redundant these days to call anything a “cyber-thriller,” since all thrillers incorporate the cyber world in some form or manner. But few of them do so with the alacrity and effectiveness of James Swallow in Ghost (Forge), his latest effort to feature Matt Dane.
Dane works for one of the now many private security companies, the Rubicon Group, specializing in the most sensitive and dangerous of matters. His latest quarry is a master digital magician known as Madrigal who is wreaking cyber havoc across the globe and threatening the fragile nature of what was once known as the industrial complex. Dane, late of James Bond’s own MI6, will need both bullets and bytes to defeat Madrigal and his minions, even as the stakes grow even higher and deadlier.
Ghost is a cutting-edge, prescient tale that predicts tomorrow’s headlines instead of ripping off today’s. A starkly original and strikingly effective thriller.
Prior Bad Acts by D. P. Lyle
The allure of D. P. Lyle’s blistering and bracing Prior Bad Acts (Suspense Publishing) is comparable to watching a slow-motion car wreck: you know you shouldn’t be rubber-necking, but mostly, you’re glad it’s not happening to you. A convergence of forces that spiral out of control defines the characters who populate the book’s pages and make it a rivetingly relentless read.
The action in a small mountain town spins off the revenge murder of a drug dealer and his family. Sprinkle in murder, robbery, internecine small-town struggles, and a world utterly onto itself, and it’s a good thing Lyle’s stalwart crime-fighting team of Bobby Cain and Harper McCoy are on the job sorting through the dark side of the American Dream.
Prior Bad Acts moves like a runaway freight train, thundering along from beginning to end and picking up speed until the very last page. A crime thriller of the highest order that turns small-town Americana into a Shakespearean tragedy.
