Reading Ahead: June 2017, part 2

Intrigue, espionage, and conspiracy abound in this round of summer thrillers.

Use of Force, by Brad Thor. In Brad Thor's new Scot Harvath novel (following 2016's Foreign Agent), as a storm rages across the Mediterranean Sea, a terrifying distress call is made to the Italian Coast Guard. Days later, a body washes ashore. Identified as a high value terrorism suspect (who had disappeared three years prior), his name sends panic through the Central Intelligence Agency. Where was he headed? What was he planning? And could he be connected to the “spectacular attack” they have been fearing all summer?

Indecent Exposure, by Stuart Woods. Privacy is impossible when you're among the rich and powerful, which is a lesson hard-learned by Stone Barrington (last seen in Fast and Loose, also 2017). As an eligible bachelor, man-about-town, and mover in the highest social echelons, Stone Barrington has always been the subject of interest and gossip. But when he’s unwittingly thrust into the limelight, he finds himself scrambling to take cover. Before too long Stone’s fending off pesky nuisances left and right, and making personal arrangements so surreptitiously it would take a covert operative to unearth them. Unfortunately, Stone soon discovers that these efforts only increase the persistence of the most troublesome pests...and when he runs afoul of a particularly tenacious lady, he’ll be struggling to protect not just his reputation, but his life. Also available in Large Print.

The Silent Corner, by Dean Koontz. When her accomplished and seemingly well-adjusted husband commits suicide, leaving behind a chilling note that reads "I need to be dead.", FBI agent Jane Hawk seeks to discover why he and a surprising number of others like him have chosen death over life. This is the first in a set of two linked novels, with the second, The Whispering Room, being published early 2018.

The Switch, by Joseph Finder. Finder treats readers to a new standalone novel (after the third installment in his Nick Heller series, Guilty Minds, 2016). The MacBook that Michael Tanner picked up accidentally at the TSA security line at LAX belongs to Sen. Susan Robbins, and it contains top secret files that have been uploaded illegally. Does he agree to return it? No, he does not, and that's where things get sticky. Also available in Large Print.