Thursday, March 5, 2015

Reading Ahead: April 2015, part 1

I know it's much to early to start talking about the summer, what with there still being several feet of snow on the ground here in Connecticut and all. But it might not be too early to start making up your summer reading list, if only to get you through to the warmer weather. Even better if you have the chance to travel somewhere warmer this spring! And if that's the case, and you're a suspense/thriller reader, here are some titles that just might interest you.



Memory Man, by David Baldacci. Baldacci is one of the biggest names in fiction these days, and the hits just keep coming. Amos Decker's life changed forever with his first play as a pro football player and the side effect of the career-ending collision: the inability to forget anything. His life changed again two decades later when, now a police detective, Decker returns home one night to find his family murdered, and his life collapses around him. Unable to forget a single gruesome detail of that night, Decker loses everything, only to be brought back to help investigate when a year later, a man confesses to the murders. He must face the pain one last time, sacrifice everything again, in hopes that he can finally find justice for his family. If you're new to Baldacci, this will be just as good a place to start as any, because the buzz about it is very high.

One Mile Under, by Andrew Gross. Fourth in Gross's Ty Hauck series (the last installment was 2010's Reckless) finds Hauck investigating a string of murders after being notified by an old friend that his daughter, Dani, is in trouble with the law. What he uncovers in this small, sleepy Colorado town is that the ranchers and farmers have made a deal with the devil, and that the giant corporations are willing to kill for something more precious than oil or gold. Gross is a rising star, so thriller fans, take note.

Your Next Breath, by Iris Johansen. Catherine Ling is one of the CIA's most prized operatives. Raised on the streets of Hong Kong, she was pulled into the agency at the age of fourteen. If life has taught her anything, it is not to get attached, but there are two exceptions to that rule: her son Luke and her mentor Hu Chang. Luke was kidnapped at age two, and now, nine years later, he has astonishingly been returned to her. Catherine vows never to fail him again. Now, just as she is building a relationship with Luke, it seems that someone from Catherine's past is playing a deadly game with her, and using those she cares about as pawns. Catherine's only hope now is to weed through her past to determine the killer and go after him herself. Johansen has built quite a following over the years, and I think fans will be pleased with this new suspense novel, her third to feature Catherine Ling. New to this series? The first two titles are What Doesn't Kill You and Live to See Tomorrow.

The Bone Tree, by Greg Iles. Following 2014's Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree is the second installment of this trilogy featuring former prosecutor Penn Cage, who is now besieged on all sides as he battles to protect those he loves. Iles has certainly done his homework, exploring some of the darkest truths in America's history as he tells Cage's story, that of a man who has always worked for justice, only to finally be pushed beyond his limits.

Hot Pursuit, by Stuart Woods. Woods's Stone Barrington novels keep bringing fans back for more, so this newest installment (number 33, with 34 and 35 scheduled for publication later this year) is sure to please. It’s not often that Stone Barrington finds a woman as accustomed to the jet-set lifestyle as he, so he’s pleasantly surprised when he meets a gorgeous pilot who’s soon moving to New York, and available for closer acquaintance. Their travels together lead them from Wichita to Europe, but trailing them is some unwanted baggage: his new lady love’s unstable, criminal ex-boyfriend. And while Stone is fending off his newest adversary, trouble is brewing on the international stage. Several enemy operatives are at large, and only a coordinated intelligence effort will have any chance of stopping their deadly plot.

I'll be back next week with even more thrillers to look forward to. In the meantime, happy reading!

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