Posts filed under 'Thriller'
Los Angeles Times reporter Jack McEvoy, featured in Michael Connelly’s earlier novel The Poet, returns in his latest thriller, The Scarecrow. When Jack is laid off from the newspaper with only 14 days notice, he decides to go out with a bang with one final high profile story. What starts out as an investigation into the wrongful arrest of a young gangbanger for the brutal rape of an exotic dancer turns into a case involving the sinister nature of computer technology.
The actual villain in the story is an MIT graduate Wesley Carver known as the Scarecrow. Wesley overseas security at a top-secret data storage facility in Arizona used by many law firms and businesses. His below-the-radar existence gives Carver the ability to mine for victims which he has been doing successfully for years. The reader is introduced to the Scarecrow early in the story as the action switches between his secret work at the facility and McEvoy’s hunt for the killer during his final days as a reporter. Helping Jack in his investigation is the FBI agent featured in Connelly’s previous book, Rachel Walling. As Jack and Rachel uncover information about the killer, they realize that they are also among the hunted.
Michael Connelly, a former Los Angeles Times crime reporter, delves into the state of the newspaper industry while telling a thrilling story. And while not up to the level of his ever popular Harry Bosch series, I found The Scarecrow to be an entertaining summer read.
June 30th, 2009
Lesley - Central
In Peter Robinson’s latest All the Colors of Darkness, a group of schoolboys find the body of a man hanging from an oak tree in a forest glade. Shortly thereafter police discover that his partner was murdered. For Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot and her partner Detective Sergeant Winsome Jackson it looks like a case with an easy solution, murder/suicide due to jealousy. The seeming slam dunk means they can return to a knifing case with ties to gangs and drugs in a local housing area. The problem with this plan is that the murder victim was found in a expensive suburb area. And the superintendent wants Chief Inspector Allan Banks called back from his vacation in London to make sure all the angles are covered.
Once on the case Banks tends to agree with the investigating officers, but there is something bothering him and he continues to ask questions, widening the pool of people involved. Suddenly the Superintendent tells him to drop it, that the case is closed and he can return to his aborted vacation. Banks cannot let it lie and continues to investigate, only to find himself mired in an unfamiliar world of espionage and terrorism, not knowing who he can trust and endangering not only himself but anyone close to him.
Robinson’s Banks continues to be an interesting character to read about, not perfect by any means, and struggling with some of the same issues that face everyone: love and loss, grief, aging, second guessing one’s career choice, and just what to do next in a quickly changing world. Combine that with a compelling mystery and you have another winner to read.
June 23rd, 2009
Liz C. - Alicia Ashman
James Huston has been writing political thrillers for about a decade, but he’s really hit his stride with his last few books. Marine One starts off with a bang - the president and everyone else on board the Marine One helicopter are killed when it crashes in a thunderstorm - and builds momentum as the legal and political maneuverings get underway.
The helicopter crash is immediately blamed on WorldCopter, the French company that built it. Politicians are grandstanding, the Justice Department has opened an investigation, the NTSB’s preliminary report determines the helicopter was defective, and the widowed former First Lady has hired a powerful attorney to represent her in a wrongful death suit. Enter Mike Nolan.
Mike is a civil litigator who also flies helicopters for the Marine Reserves. He is hired by WorldCopter and their insurers to defend against all comers. When he begins his own investigation into the crash, Mike becomes convinced that it was not the result of defect. Was it the highly skilled but rabidly anti-president marine pilot? The 100 year storm? A governmental agent who wants to keep the President’s intended plans for that night secret? Or something else altogether? While some of the possibilities seem far-fetched, the rush to judgment by all parties involved makes Mike very uneasy. He knows that the only way to save his client is by figuring out what made Marine One crash.
I really liked the mix of legal, political and techno thrills. Huston’s military and legal background make this a well-researched and fascinating ‘what if’ scenario. Huston handles the myriad characters well and is able to meld plot and helicopter crash details without slowing the pace. And if I thought the ultimate revelation about what caused the crash was a bit of a let down, I had a heckuva read along the way.
June 20th, 2009
Jane J. - Central Library
Kevin Brace is the “Voice of Canada”, a famed radio personality and who’s considered by most to be a good guy. All that changes when Mr. Gurdial Singh delivers his morning newspaper and is met with Brace’s confession; “I killed her, Mr. Singh. I killed her.” The her in question is his longtime partner Katherine and Mr. Singh finds her dead in the bathtub, apparently stabbed to death. Now the voice of Canada is silent, refusing to say a word about what happened, even to his attorney Nancy Parrish.
The suspense in Old City Hall comes from the realization that you don’t know whether Kevin is guilty or not. No one does. The police and the prosecution are sure they have their man, but there are a few things that don’t add up. And truly, if that’s the case there’s no mystery for the reader. Did Kevin do it? If not, why won’t he tell his lawyer what happened? Is he protecting someone? How can Nancy Parrish defend a man who seems determined to be found guilty?
Because this debut is told from various viewpoints (Nancy’s, the prosecutor, the police) Robert Rotenberg is able to keep the reader guessing until the end. Nicely done.
May 4th, 2009
Jane J. - Central Library
If you are looking for a fast paced thriller built around the mystery of William Shakespeare, try Interred with Their Bones.
Kate Stanley, once a rising star in Shakespearian academic circles, looks now to the theatre world with a new staging of Hamlet at London’s Globe Theatre. In the midst of the theater chaos Rosalind Howard, Kate’s former mentor in the academic world, makes a sudden appearance at a rehearsal. Rosalind needs Kate’s help in finding something that will astound the world. Before Kate can find out more, Roz is found murdered backstage and the method used is similar to the death of Hamlet’s father.
Aided by three very different men, all of whom seem to have their own reasons for helping, Kate must figure out who to trust. More deaths follow, all with links to Shakespeare’s plays, as Kate races from London to Spain to the United States following clues to a possible lost play, and even more shattering, evidence as to who really wrote the plays.
I really liked the heroine, who while smart and attractive, also has her own insecurities but didn’t let them stop her. Jennifer Lee Carrell’s book is a page turner with a number of surprises at the end.
April 24th, 2009
Liz C. - Alicia Ashman
Mob stories aren’t usually my thing. Much as I can appreciate the writing and acting that went into The Sopranos I usually can’t make it through an entire episode. And I’m probably one of the very few who has never been able to sit through a Godfather movie. So imagine my surprise when I not only read Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell but ended up loving it as well.
I think my deal-breakers in most mob efforts are the acts of random violence being done. I don’t actually mind fictional criminal on criminal violence or even the violence that is done in pursuit of some other crime. What gets me every time is when some innocent bystander gets beaten to a pulp with a trash can (Sopranos) or shot in the foot (Goodfellas) just because the mob guy feels like it or wants to prove how tough he is. Contrary as it is, when I get to one of those scenes, I’m out. I think Bazell’s book worked - not just because of it’s humor and cleverness - but because the protagonist, Pietro “Bearclaw” Brnwa (aka Dr. Peter Brown) seems to feel the same way that I do.
Beat the Reaper opens with Pietro/Peter getting mugged on his way to work. This turns out to be a very bad beginning to an even worse day at Manhattan Catholic Hospital. As an Intern Peter already has enough shit thrown his way from day to day. But walking in to find that one of his new patients is former mob colleague Eddy Squillante, aka Eddy Consul, just adds icing to the cruddy cake.
See, Pietro used to be a hired hitman for the mob. His quest to become a doctor didn’t start until he was placed in the Witness Protection program after testifying against his former employers. Now his only hope is to make sure that Eddy stays alive. As long as he does, Eddy has promised not to let anyone know how to find Bearclaw. Of course nothing goes according to plan and by days’ end Pietro will not only have to fight for his life but figure out just what he wants that life to be.
Brazell’s debut is hilarious and scary and sad at turns. And as narrator, Pietro is about as down-to-earth relatable as any mob hitman turned overworked and overmedicated intern could ever be. His comments about both medicine and the mob are equal parts caustic cynicism and spot-on commentary.
On Medicine
“All the world loves a code, because you get to act like you’re on television. Even if you don’t get to yell ‘Clear!’ with the defibrillator paddles, you might get to squeeze the respirator bag, or inject drugs handed to you by nurses from out of the crash cart. Also, people come from all over the hospital–not just from Medicine, for whom it’s mandatory–so it’s a great opportunity to socialize. And if the person who called the code did it because the patient is actually crashing, you might even save someone’s life, and justify your awful career choice.”
On the Mob
“When Sicilians began to immigrate to the U.S. in the early twentieth century…the mafia followed to keep sucking their blood. During Prohibition the mob did something arguably socially useful, but when that ended they returned to blackmailing people with the threat of violence full-time. A Roman history fetishist named Sal ‘Little Caesar’ Manzaro even started a private army, using Italianized Roman rank names like capodecini and consiglieri, and life in New York got so bad the Feds finally became interested.”
Cynical, smart and funny is Pietro Brnwa. And that pretty much describes Beat the Reaper as well.
March 20th, 2009
Jane J. - Central Library
Some books take a while to get into, that is probably why the “fifty page rule” came into play. Other books pull you in from the first page on. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson falls into the latter category. It is a perfect choice for a long trip, such as an airline flight, as the reader will be drawn into the skillfully woven plot.
Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist who has just been convicted of libel, and must pay a fine and serve a jail sentence. The magazine that he co-own is in danger of going bankrupt, his reputation is in tatters, and he is unsure what to do next. Almost immediately after the verdict, he is approached by Henrik Vanger, an elderly industrialist, who ostensibly wants him to write a family history, but who really intends that Mikael investigate the decades old disappearance of his great-niece Harriet. Despite multiple searches, no trace was ever found of 16-year-old Harriet who vanished one day from the island occupied by the Vanger family.
As part of the lucrative deal with Vanger, Blomkvist relocates from Stockholm to the island where most of the Vanger family still lives and begins delving into the family’s personal and business history. He soon finds that he needs help and calls on Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant outcast, who has a photographic memory and is a skilled computer hacker. She is 24 and covered in piercings and tattoos. Lisbeth is a complicated character. Does she have Asberger’s disease or was she merely abused and mistreated as a child? And is it truly necessary that she be a ward of the state?
As Mikael and Lisbeth attempt to do the impossible and discover the secret benind Harriet’s disappearance, they also discover things about the Vander family that are very unpleasant - things that may destroy the family reputation. In Sweden, this book was called Men who Hate Women and that title is very appropriate. There is clearly a serial killer at work, and it’s possible that Harriet knew something.
Sadly, Larsson died in 2004 after delivering this page-turner and two others in the series to his publisher. We can take some small consolation in the fact that we have those two other books to look forward to. The next, The Girl Who Played With Fire, is due to be published in the states in July.
February 16th, 2009
Mary K. - Central
Tana French is an Irish suspense author who has recently published two high quality novels. In the Woods won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel. It was followed up this year with The Likeness which is just as award-worthy.
In the Woods has Cassie and Rob handling their first big murder case, though they have been partners for years. Katy Devlin, a 12-year-old, with much talent and promise has been found murdered. The detectives quickly encounter her troubled and secretive family. And Katy’s murder brings back childhood memories to Rob whose two close childhood friends were murdered in the very same woods. Rob was involved somehow, but he can’t remember much about that day, and that crime was never solved. Rob has never disclosed his involvement in that case to his superiors and that error in judgement may come back to haunt him.
In The Likeness Cassie has an entirely different role. Although she has moved into the domestic violence squad, she is asked to reprise her first job as an undercover officer. A young woman has been murdered in a small town outside Dublin and what’s astonishing is that she had assumed Cassie’s undercover identity, that of Lexie Madison.
Cassie closely resembles Lexie, and although reluctant at first, agrees to go undercover and take Lexie’s place (the police tell everyone that Lexie has been wounded by the stabbing, but not killed.) Cassie joins Lexie’s four doctoral student housemates. She quickly finds them to be a very close knit and exclusive group, but they do seem to accept her.
Once you accept the premise of the book (supposedly the housemates knew or thought they knew Cassie was dead), this is riviting and suspenseful story. Cassie might be found out at any moment, and someone in this group probably had some involvement in the first murder. As with In the Woods French takes her time developing the story and lets the suspense build organically.
Clearly French is a master of the psychological thriller; with many plot twists to keep the reader involved. She provides a good description of modern Ireland, and really brings the house in The Likeness to life. Both are very discussable if your book group ever wants to discuss a mystery.
February 2nd, 2009
Mary K. - Central
How far away is our society from televising survival games that culminate in the last man standing? Watch a little cable TV, and you’ll quickly realize that depravity and debauchery abounds and that sanctioned killing (voluntary of course, just sign here on the dotted line) can’t be far off. Suzanne Collins’ new novel The Hunger Games takes this premise and cuts a little deeper.
To celebrate reaping day, the twelve districts that comprise what was formerly North America must each submit a boy and girl tribute to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised survival game in which children fight to the death. Kat’s little sister’s name is drawn in the lottery and Kat volunteers to take her place in the games. At sixteen, she has been caring for her family for years, hunting game, gathering food and developing some pretty savvy survival girl skills in the forbidden woods outside the Seam, the mining district where she lives.
Kat can hold her own, but what about the boy tribute from her district? Peeta is the son of the baker and completely and secretly in love with Kat. Will this help him or hurt him? Does he have any useful skills? And what does it mean for Kat?
All I can say is, “wow.” This book is beyond beyond. The Hunger Games are outrageous. Parades, interviews, professional stylists and sponsors are involved. The contestants range from trained child soldiers to starving children from the poorest districts. Add to that multiple love stories woven into a setting where children fight to the death? You will not be able to put this book down. Absolutely, this was my favorite book of 2008. How about you?
January 6th, 2009
Molly - Central
- these are the well-known lyrics of the folk song Scarborough Fair. Nancy Werlin weaves the tasks featured in a variation of verse two of the song into the suspenseful plot of Impossible. Seventeen-year-old Lucy Scarborough must break the curse of the Elfin Knight by completing the following:
- make a magical shirt…without any seam or needlework.
- find an acre of land…between the salt water and the sea strand…
- plow it with just a goat’s horn…and sow it all over with one grain of corn…
This book is fantastical and fast-paced and impossible to put down. I am not generally a fantasy reader (I know, I know, I said the same thing about vampires), but I would say this book is primarily a romance with thrills and fantasy thrown into the mix. Lucy is a modern American teen, heading off to prom. She is also struggling with an apparent genetic tendency towards mental illness, a horrific date rape, an unexpected pregnancy and a possible family curse. If you like a story where true love battles evil and prevails against all odds, Impossible fits the bill.
This book has been garnering lots of attention and is on the YALSA 2009 Nominations list of Best Books for Young Adults. The modern-day setting serves as a great contrast to the medieval lyrics and elfin curse and is a surprising, spellbinding read. Impossible is my second favorite YA book of the year: stay tuned for my #1 read in an upcoming review.
December 29th, 2008
Molly - Central
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