Diablo Mesa by Doug Preston and Lincoln Child
Convinced that terrible truths are buried there, Jeff Bezos-and-Richard Branson-like billionaire Lucas Tappan commissions an exhaustive archaeological dig to find alien secrets long rumored to be hidden on the grounds. But archaeologist Nora Kelly finds human remains instead — murder victims, in fact, which leads to FBI special agent Corrie Swanson taking things from there. Swanson’s investigation reveals deadly secrets, all right, that turn out to be even more dangerous than invaders from Mars.
Diablo Mesa is thriller-adventure writing of the absolute highest order that takes Preston and Child back to their high-concept roots in books like Mount Dragon and Thunderheart. It reads like a hybrid of the best from Wilbur Smith and Alistair MacLean, making for flat-out great reading entertainment.
Sierra Six by Mark Greaney
Court Gentry, the Gray Man himself, is back in splendid form, though not the way we’re used to seeing him. That’s because Sierra Six is an origins tale, taking Gentry back to his titular roots working for a shadowy group that lends the book its title. Then we’re whisked forward 10 years into the present, at the point he realizes his first terrorist “kill” is very much alive. That leads the unfalteringly dedicated Gentry to question both his loyalties and his place in a deadly community where you’re not supposed to look back.
The fresh take on the series’ form brings a whole new dimension to the Gray Man, taking him to a near-existential crisis of conscience akin to British spy Alec Leamus in the John le Carré classic, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. Greaney writes with a bracing confidence, challenging himself in this suburb thriller and novel as well.
Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb
Series stalwart and New York City homicide detective Eve Dallas finds herself facing the oddest and most inexplicable case of her career when a woman’s body is found with a ribbon around her neck that reads “Bad Mommy.” Is Dallas facing a serial killer of the most twisted variety, or is she tracking a murderer haunted by childhood trauma à la Francis Dolarhyde in the Thomas Harris classic Red Dragon? Whatever the case, the investigation unleashes the demons from Dallas’ own past into which she must venture to flush out her quarry.
Abandoned in Death is a neo-noir, sharp-edged thriller that cuts like a knife. It’s a haunting tale that explores the depths of human depravity, even as it plunges Eve Dallas into a dark void of moral morass.
Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz
Hurwitz’s Reacher is Evan Smoak, aka Orphan X, who was literally bred to be a government assassin. Now that he’s on his own, Smoak has rechristened himself the “Nowhere Man” and has taken on the role of protector and avenger. Dark Horse finds him helping the kind of ambiguous figure you see on TV shows like Ozark and Breaking Bad known as Aragon Urrea, who deals drugs throughout South Texas but is also a community activist and philanthropist. When the Mexican cartels he despises kidnap his teenage daughter, he turns to Smoak for help and the bodies start piling up.
The perfectly paced and beautifully structured Dark Horse is like a Reacher tale on steroids. The action setpieces are masterworks of form and function, and Smoak has evolved into the quintessential lone gunman, not a lot of bark but a whole lot of bite. Thrillers don’t get any better than this.
Base Notes by Lara Elena Donnelly
Base Notes feels like sci-fi noir, comparable but somewhat lighter than the dystopian vision of the great Phillip K. Dick. Vic Fowler is a perfume scent expert and, for this genre, a typically tortured genius whose expertise is not rewarded in dollars. Out of options, he turns to his most peculiar talent: concocting perfume scents that evoke memories. The only problem is that murder is a necessary component of the process and Fowler is no killer. At least, he didn’t used to be.
All great science fiction tales, from Frankenstein forward, are essentially morality tales, and that’s true here even though Base Notes is not strictly sci-fi. But it is a fascinating and wondrously told tale well worth the read. (Read the review and Q&A here.)
The Runaway by Nick Petrie
The seventh thriller to feature Ash finds the PTSD-riddled special ops vet still seeking his place in the world, traveling America’s highways and backroads in a fashion that would make Lee Child’s Jack Reacher proud. And like Reacher, wherever Ash lands, trouble awaits. This time his landing spot is rural Nebraska where he comes upon a stranded female motorist who happens to be pregnant. Her ex-husband, it also happens, turns out to be on her trail and certain to take offense at Ash’s efforts, even more so because the woman is a witness to something her ex-husband will stop at nothing to prevent from being revealed.
There’s a lot to like about The Runaway, starting with the beautiful contrast between the wide-open setting and claustrophobic predicament in which Ash finds himself. This is a deeply personal tale with Ash trying to save himself along with his charge. A stunning triumph of a tale in all respects.
Sins of the Fathers by Herbert J. Stern and Alan Winter
Pre-World War II Germany makes for a typically tried and true setting, as a resistance group inside the German army plots to take out Hitler before he can lay waste to Europe. The problem is the British government, thanks to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, turning a deaf ear to their overtures, preferring appeasement instead. They find a far more supportive voice in Winston Churchill and the game, as they say, is on.
This is historical thriller writing par excellence, on par with the best of both Jack Higgins’ The Eagle Has Landed and Ken Follett’s The Eye of the Needle. The research is impeccable and Sins of the Fathers is further distinguished by the requisite double-crosses, politics and duplicitous characters out to serve their own ends. A great book in all respects.
Murder Faux Paws by T.C. LoTempio
In the series’ fifth entry, our protagonists are once again amateur sleuth Nora Charles and her trusty feline Nick, who possesses an uncanny ability to help her solve crimes. This time out, Nora’s actually trying to become a fully licensed private detective, taught by an old-school gumshoe who turns up murdered before you can say meow. Good thing that Nora’s on the case and, even better, that Nick is on hand to sniff out some clues.
Murder Faux Paws is mystery writing of the highest order, just enough on the cozy side to keep the body count and blood spilling down. The series feels a lot like the best episodes from the old Murder, She Wrote TV show starring Angela Lansbury: clever, canny and copiously fun.
