I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
Harlan Coben has long been the master of thrillers jam-packed with jarring twists and turns. But he takes that proclivity to a whole new level in the shockingly scintillating I Will Find You (Grand Central, 336 pages, $30.00).
David Burroughs is in prison for murdering his son. The fact that he was wrongfully accused and convicted is never really in doubt. Sure, we’ve seen plenty of stories of anti-heroes wronged by the system; the difference in this case is that David’s son Matthew may not be dead at all! And the only way David can find him and the truth is to stage an impossible escape from a maximum-security prison, which is where the fun really begins.
I Will Find You has so many roller-coaster-like dips and darts, that you’ll find yourself gripping the arms of your chair to hold on for dear life. This is Coben at his riveting and relentless best, a brilliant character study as well as a journey into the heart of darkness and good depravity.
Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline
With Loyalty (Putnam, 432 pages, $28.00), Lisa Scottoline has penned a stunningly effective and beautifully crafted epic of rare depth and accessibility.
There’s no shortage of mob tales on the market, headed by Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. But even that pop culture classic failed to explore into the actual birth of the Sicilian mafia. In fact, those origins have long been ignored by crime and thriller writers until Scottoline daringly delves into the little-known history that dates back to the early 1800’s. She centers the action around the kidnapping of a young boy and the idealistic lawyer committed to finding him amid a Palermo riddled with corruption. Gaetano Catalano finds something else along his quest as well, left to face an emerging power no one else dares confront.
Loyalty is historical fiction of the absolute highest order, a true masterpiece from a visionary author that rivals the likes of Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth. Brilliant in all respects.
Storm Watch by C. J. Box
The always terrific C. J. Box has his equally terrific game warden hero Joe Pickett plow new Wyoming ground in the sensational Storm Watch (Putnam, 352 pages, $29.00). Indeed, Box’s latest adds a hefty measure of technology and politics to his already tried and true formula.
That’s because Pickett’s on the trail of a Chinese-American college professor who’s gone missing in a killer blizzard. Not surprisingly, the weather isn’t the only killer he ends up confronting. And finding the victim’s body amid a frozen wasteland turns Pickett’s normally empty swath of land into a hotbed of federal activity with secrets abounding and the truth buried within the snow.
Every time I think Box has hit his peak, he goes higher and Storm Watch serves as the embodiment of that reality. Twenty-three books in, this series shows no sign of slowing, even as the TV version has just been reupped by Paramount+ for a second season. As much fun as a book can be.
Her Deadly Game by Robert Dugoni
Robert Dugoni started his career by writing solid legal thrillers and now he’s gone back to his roots with the spectacular Her Deadly Game (Thomas and Mercer, 386 pages, $28.99).
Keera Duggan is a prosecutor at heart, that is until an affair with a co-worker waylays her career. With no other options, Keera goes to work on the other side of the aisle by joining her father’s firm as a defense attorney. Never mind the fact that the firm is already failing, Keera likes reclamation projects which is why she agrees to represent a wealthy investment fund mogul who may or may not have murdered his wife. Oh, and wouldn’t you know it, she’s up against her former lover from the district attorney’s office.
At its best, which is pretty much all the time, Her Deadly Game resembles the top titles from Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller Lincoln Lawyer series. Little, of course, is what it seems, which is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Dugoni, who proves himself once again to be a masterful storyteller.
Red London by Alma Katsu
Alma Katsu, a former intelligence officer herself, has crafted a superb spy thriller ripe for the times in Red London (Putnam, 342 pages, $28.00).
CIA agent Lyndsay Duncan, Katsu’s doppelganger, finds herself embroiled in an operation that may be the only thing standing between the world and World War III. Saving the day against a clock ticking down to Doomsday means turning the wife of a prominent Russian oligarch to gain precious information only he possesses.
Katsu transposes the traditional male heroes from the likes of John le Carre and Len Deighton in crafting a thriller that matches up to the best from both of them. Lyndsay is a post-modern, female version of George Smiley and Red London is every bit as much fun as his greatest adventures.
Wolf Trap by Connor Sullivan
Speaking of great spy thrillers, Connor Sullivan has crafted a doozy of one with Wolf Trap (Atria, 470 pages, $28.99).
The action centers around an ultra-secret branch of the CIA known as Ground Branch, called upon and/or activated whenever the situation and stakes call for it. That’s exactly what happens when the country finds itself facing a crisis that could leave it in tatters. Good thing former Ground Branch member Brian Rhome is around to be called back to action for the most deadly and dangerous mission of his career.
It seems like the current geopolitical climate has given birth to a whole new generation of thinking man’s thrillers in which brains are more important than bullets. Make no mistake about it, though. Wolf Trap also rivals the best of vintage Robert Ludlum in books like The Matarese Circle. So call Sullivan’s latest a throwback if you’d like, so long as you read it.
What Have We Done by Alex Finlay
Speaking of noir, Alex Finlay is back in stunning fashion with the darkly brilliant What Have We Done (Minotaur, 368 pages, $27.99).
Count me as a reader who revels in the secrets of the past returning to haunt characters in the present. In this case, Donnie, Jenna and Nico share the unlikely bond of growing up in the same group home. Orphans all, their childhoods were basically nonexistent and they carry the scars of that to this day. Then they went their separate ways until circumstances force them to reunite — specifically, when a killer targets them all for something in their past. Figuring out what, and who, is the only way they can survive.
What Have We Done echoes a bit of Lorenzo Carcaterra’s Sleepers, equally personal but considerably tenser. This is a flat-out, fantastic psychological noir tale with heroes plagued by an angst-riddled past they can’t escape.
Deep Fake by Ward Larsen
If you’re looking for a great political thriller, look no further than Ward Larsen’s Deep Fake (Forge, 352 pages, $29.99), a single sitting read if ever there was one.
Sarah Ridgeway is relieved to have her Army special ops husband Bryce home at last, after six tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and other global hotspots. He doesn’t seem himself, which is perfectly understandable given he’s still recovering from injuries suffered in battle. That is until he heroically prevents a terrorist attack and becomes the country’s center of attention to the point where a run for president is very much in the cards. But one vote he may not get is Sarah’s, who begins to suspect a conspiracy of epic proportions is afoot with Bryce as both victim and participant.
Deep Fake is a propulsive thrill ride of the highest order, as riveting as it is relentless. Larsen has fashioned a tale that ranks right up there with The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May, a political thriller extraordinaire that’s timely, terrifying, and terrific.
