Jon Land’s Favorite Thrillers From May

That’s because the book’s hero, Colter Shaw, seeks to finish a mission left unfinished by his father: specifically tracking down a long-missing messenger bag belonging to a conglomerate responsible for thousands of deaths. Of course, the fun in this particular scavenger hunt lies not only in the fact that the company is determined to stop him at all costs, but also the fact that there’s a ticking clock that gives Shaw only forty-eight hours to complete his mission for a deviously devilish reason.

Spoiler alert: True to its title, the book’s very last page contains the best twist of its kind since the mouth-dropping one that closes Louis Lamour’s “The Last of the Breed.” But that’s only one of the shocks and surprises contained in the structurally flawless “The Final Twist,” that’s about as good as a thriller can possibly get.

This time out, though, Arliss Cuttter and Lola Teariki, aren’t in their usual stomping grounds. Instead, they’re dispatched to the Alaskan capital of Juneau to watch over sequestered jurors in a politically charged federal court case. Before you can say “snowshoes,” the federal prosecutor is murdered and the already high stakes, involving the hellish partnership of a mining interest with a pharmaceutical concern, escalate.

Speaking of snowshoes, the quirks and idiosyncrasies of Alaska makes for a great setting, further adding to the already taut and riveting narrative, while raising “Bone Rattle” to an even higher level. Scintillating and spectacular.

That’s because the book centers on Evelyn who has the uncanny power to feel emotions emanating from objects once possessed, or merely touched, by those she picks up signals from. Setups like that define the cliched dichotomy of a blessing versus curse—typically, it’s both as in Ev’s case, especially when she risks having her talents exploited by those who’d use them for their own ends.

Neville keeps the action personal and classy, resisting the urge to go all-out paranormal to keep “The Memory Collectors” from being shelved in the horror section. Fear not, though, because this is an elegant and beautifully crafted tale.

In place of Arkady Renko, we have Inspector Lu Fei of the Chinese police. Lu Fei had been in the midst of a promising career before politics waylaid it and effectively exiled him to obscurity in the north. The brutal, ritualistic murder of a young woman becomes a game changer, returning him to the limelight which comes with its own problems when he runs afoul of his former antagonists, threatening him with far more than just banishment this time.

“Thief of Souls” is one of those rare thrillers to bring us inside a world we’ve never seen before. Klingborn’s mastery of Chinese politics and culture rings true on every page, as much a reason to delve in as Lu Fei’s tortured underdog character. The book’s sprawling ambition is exceeded only by its pitch-perfect plotting by an author we’re destined to see lots more of.

The series that pairs different investigative handlers with their faithful four-legged companions reaches a pinnacle here, as FBI agent Jax Diallo and Patches delve into an inexplicable wave of violence riddling an Alaskan wilderness town. This time out, Heiter adds a tortured police chief to the mix, with the recent attack spree connected somehow to the chief’s murdered husband.

Heiter doesn’t waste a single word in stitching together the fabric of a taut tale that never lets up or lets us down. Big and accomplished storytelling wrapped up in a small package.

I include it here, not just because the seminal opening entry “Ruby” is bound for Netflix, but also because it’s set in Rhode Island. Having never heard this incredible story before, I had to pinch myself to remember that it really happened. Involving a stray dog just minutes away from being put down who lives on to save a child’s life, this is only one of the stories that make “Dogwinks” a must read for all the dog lovers out there—pretty much everyone, in other words.

Here is a book that tugs at our heartstrings, even as it leaves us shaking our heads in amazement. A wonder of storytelling that is not to be missed.

The November 400CP of the title is a private jet carrying an oil exploration team that has struck black gold in a sprawling field located in Indonesia. And, as the rest of the title indicates, the story races out of the gate when the jet goes missing, as into thin air. The wife of one of those missing wants answers and turns to the stalwart Parker for help when all other doors are, quite literally, slammed in her face. Is it terrorism? Corporate espionage? A tragic accident?

Ernest K. Gann mastered the airplane thriller with such titles as “Fate is the Hunter” and “The High and the Mighty” even before the Arthur Hailey classic “Airport” rewrote the rules. With “November 400CP is Missing,” Harp plants himself in that rarified ground that’s certain to make us wonder what awaits us the next time we fly.

Thanks once again to Strand Magazine’s maestro of an editor, Andrew Gulli, we get a peek into the mind of a writer consumed as much by style and substance as the process itself. The piece is quite literally, as the title describes it, a primer to an assistant Chandler placed implicit trust in so long as she stayed between the lines and parameters he provided, amid his own creative insecurities.

If you’re a mystery aficionado, these pages will be like opening to the vault to the whole creative process, an insightful primer on the practices and foibles of one of the most influential mystery writers of all time. A storyteller’s mind laid bare, revealing his need for the affirmation and assistance of others.