Best Terrorism Thrillers
In the #1 New York Times bestselling series’ latest thriller, Mitch Rapp finds himself alone and targeted by a country that is supposed to be one of America’s closest allies. Forced to make a decision that will change his life forever, Rapp quits the CIA and assembles a group of independent contractors to help him complete the mission. Facing an international incident that could end his political career, the President orders America’s intelligence agencies to join the Saudis’ effort to hunt the former CIA man down. The Mitch Rapp story begins with American Assassin , followed by Kill Shot , Transfer of Power , The Third Option , Separation of Power , Executive Power , Memorial Day , Consent to Kill , Act of Treason , Protect and Defend , Extreme Measures , Pursuit of Honor , The Last Man , The Survivor, Order to Kill, and Enemy of the State. He initially found inspiration from his father, the former director of Interpol, and still draws on his contacts in the intelligence community to give his books such realism.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you have read anything written by the late Vince Flynn and/or anything written by Kyle Mills then you have already learned this one has got to be an excellent reading adventure."
"Kyle Mills is doing a great job of carrying the torch for Vince Flynn."
"The question is not "is it Vince?"
"I am looking forward to the next Mitch Rapp story."
"I think It's obvious Vince Flynn was still heavily invested in the series, and I believe he would be very pleased with how Mills has continued it."
"Vince Flynn was a master storyteller at intrigue and espionage but added heart to every story."
"And even more egregious is how Mills changed Kenndy from a tough assertive woman to just a women. Cannot believe ANYONE that loved and respected Flynn would give this awful book a good review. Addendum: If anyone saw the horrible trailer for the movie of Mitch Rapp you will see the destruction of Flynn's glorious characters is complete."
"Flynn is gone RIP so is the Mitch Rapp we so enjoyed."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon sail into a perfect storm of danger when they try to stop a new world war in this thrilling novel from the #1 New York Times -bestselling grand master of adventure. Clive Cussler is the author or coauthor of more than 50 previous books in five best-selling series, including Dirk Pitt, NUMA Files, Oregon Files, Isaac Bell, and Sam and Remi Fargo. His nonfiction works include Built for Adventure : The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt , plus The Sea Hunters and The Sea Hunters II. Boyd Morrison is the coauthor with Cussler of the Oregon Files novels Piranha and The Emperor's Revenge , and the author of four other books.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Worth owning, this entry of "The Oregon Files" is a good way to spend some time, the Dirk Pitt" series is the only real competition in the Cussler world."
"The book was fine but I can read a hard copy or a kindle much faster."
"Began in so many different settings, I kept wondering how the author(s) were going to tie this story up in a pretty bow to be able to end the book."
"You have to "route for the home team" and you are never disappointed.The descriptions make you feel like you are right there..... And, even if you have not been to these areas (which I have, Viet Nam, Bangkok, Phillipines) you feel like you are there."
"Like the previous stories of Juan Cabrillo and his Oregon crew, I found this one hard to put down."
"I enjoy most of Clive Cussler books but most of all I like the Dirk Pitt ones."
"There are few books in the Clive Cussler series that disappoint if you enjoy this kind of genre (which I do)."
"As a dedicated Cussler devotee, I have read and enjoyed all of the Oregon Files books."
Translated in twenty three countries, CyberStorm is a worldwide bestseller, a new apocalyptic disaster classic in the spirit of On the Beach , Alas Babylon , One Second After , Lucifer's Hammer and Pandemic that will appeal to fans of Clancy, Thor, Riddle, and Hugh Howey. Award-winner of the GoodReads Choice Awards in 2013, millions of readers voted CyberStorm into the Top 20 of its category on Goodreads, and has ranked as the number one bestseller. in Amazon's technothrillers, conspiracy, military, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, terrorism, and science fiction categories. - Wes Davies, author of The Runner " A riveting account of the (potentially) devastating impact ofcyber attacks on ordinary citizens." I'd like to thank my editor, Gabe Robinson (previously at Harper Collins in NYC but now freelancing) for his incredible help in getting CyberStorm assembled and edited. I'd also like to thank my small army of dozens of beta readers who combed through the early manuscripts--this is as much my novel as all of theirs, and a testament to the power of the internet in shaping new media.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When a few super storms hit New York, one after the other and are coupled with simultaneous cyber attacks on the city's power grid, water system and so much more that the chaos that ensues will curl your toes, make the hair on your neck stand up and bring you nightmares for days to come. Fortunately there's also divine sparks of humanity and selfless sacrifices throughout the book that keeps you rooting for the main characters as they try to find the will and a way to survive the demise of civilization as they knew it."
"I appreciated that the author had some important subtle themes going on too--like getting priorities straight, being aware of the vulnerability of our internet system, and taking care of others."
"After reading 'Cyberwar, the Next Threat to National Security, and What to Do About It' by Richard A. Clarke, the scenarios laid out there, the predictions, the expectations, the warnings, seemed real enough, plausible enough, and frightening enough to wonder what the "People In Charge" could possibly be thinking to put us in a position of being the MOST ENDANGERED SOCIETY ON THE PLANET, and what the aftermath of such attacks would look like in the USA and any country technically positioned in a similar fashion."
"Matthew Mather delivers a fast paced page turner that answers those questions. With no way to communicate with the world to even know what has happened, they soon realize that it's time to leave, because their fellow New Yorkers are getting desperate."
"I had to read this a second time to make sure I got the story line right. Spend less story time on the nasty law of survival and instead spend an entire chapter on escaping with some cool gizmos instead of 2 pages. We spend chapters on the hardships of life and then gloss over and minimize a 60 mile walk somehow accomplished in just over a day with a gimp leg."
"As we continue to connect our utility control systems to the Internet this scenario becomes more likely every year."
Best Men's Adventure Fiction
BETRAYAL: Imagine Chris Kyle's AMERICAN SNIPER meets David Baldacci's ABSOLUTE POWER. Presumed dead after a staged terrorist attack, FBI Agent Odysseus Carr is running for his life with the doctor who rescued him. As Odi unravels a devious plot of profound political manipulation and global consequence, the hunted becomes the hunter, and the real terror begins. If you enjoy David Baldacci, Lee Child, Tom Clancy, Nelson DeMille, Ken Follett, Vince Flynn, Andrew Peterson, Daniel Silva, Brad Taylor, or Brad Thor, odds are you'll be smiling a few pages into my books as well. I'm not in a position to help you with tuition yet, but I can provide days of delightful distraction for the price of a cup of coffee, and kind reviews will get good karma sent your way. All the characters contribute in their own unique way to the pace, intensity, depth and complexity of a gripping story that is sure to pull you in. It's no surprise that Tim Tigner was once a Green Beret and specialized in counterintelligence - his expertise drives the story onward through some complicated waters and makes it totally realistic. This is the second time I've read a Tim Tigner novel and it seems to me his works are begging to be made into action movies - they have all the elements to keep viewers in their seats, if only on the edge.--Valerie for ValerieTalksBooks. -- Leslie O'brien Dear Reader, If you enjoy David Baldacci, Lee Child, Tom Clancy, Nelson DeMille,Ken Follett, Vince Flynn, Andrew Peterson, Daniel Silva, Brad Taylor, or Brad Thor, odds are you'll be smiling a few pages into my books aswell. I'm not in a position to help you with tuition yet, but I can provide days of delightful distraction for the price of a cup of coffee, and kind reviews will get good karma sent your way.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This story is a very fast paced story and so suspenseful that it keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. The author's writing was so good I felt as if I were right in the story--I could visualize everything as it happened. This is a stand alone story but I am looking forward to more stories about the main characters in this story and hope the author will write more about them."
"The reader has to suspend a little credibility with the ending, but the storyline is tight enough to accept it."
"This is an absolutely wonderful book."
"I switched to audio about halfway through so that I could continue to enjoy the story while getting my chores done."
"*Kept your attention."
"I am churning through novels on my Kindle at a rate of 4 - 5 p/month and am so happy to have foun this new writer who kept me full engaged for the one-and-half days during which I couldn't stop reading the book "Betrayel"."
"Love the characters and the inventive story, couldn't put it down till I finished it."
"This book takes a rather on-the-nose look at government corruption, and you have to wonder if there's really any good guys left in government, apart from the complex and principled Carr and his savvy and ambitious sister, Cassandra. This is a book that deals with both sides of the engagement - not just the men who fight for the safety and freedom of America's citizens, but also the backroom deals and television journalism."
Best Medical Thrillers
The Atlantis Plague is the second book in The Origin Mystery , the trilogy that has become a global phenomenon. In Marbella, Spain, Dr. Kate Warner awakens to a horrifying reality: the human race stands on the brink of extinction. Nearly a billion people are dead--and those that the Atlantis Plague does not kill, it transforms at the genetic level. Industrialized nations offer a miracle drug, Orchid, which they mass produce and distribute to refugee camps around the world. The Immari envision a world populated by the genetically superior survivors--a new human race, ready to fulfill its destiny. With control of the world population hanging in the balance, the Orchid Alliance and the Immari descend into open warfare. This global adventure takes readers back into the world of The Origin Mystery, which began with THE ATLANTIS GENE. A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting internet companies before retiring to pursue his true passion: writing fiction. His debut novel, The Atlantis Gene , is the first book in The Origin Mystery , the trilogy that has sold over two million copies in the US, has been translated into 18 languages, and is in development to be a major motion picture. His recently released fourth novel, Departure , follows the survivors of a flight that takes off in the present and crash-lands in a changed world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book definitely had me hitting the "buy next book" immediately."
"The Atlantis Plague is a captivating science fiction novel, which-at times-is truly frightening!"
"This is a military type drama where there is one good guy who has to upset the whole bad regime (think 24 the TV series). The final element of the plot is human evolution and history, which again is very intricately interwoven into the bio-military aspects and well researched. It almost feels like the story line may have had a well sculpted start and end (hopefully) and that this second book is for clarification and set-up for the final showdown."
"David and Kate find themselves in danger as we, the readers, find ourselves wanting answers to all the questions we have asked."
"I fell in love with the characters and the premis in the first book, and I would highly recommend the Atlantis Plague to continue the story."
"If you're buying this book, be sure you have read The Atlantis Gene first; it fills in some blanks that may leave you wondering."
"This would translate well to a movie series, or mini-series, something like Battlestar Galactica meet Star Wars. We like the overall message of the Atlantis Series & commend the author, who must have a wonderful, complex brain."
Best Assassination Thrillers
In the #1 New York Times bestselling series’ latest thriller, Mitch Rapp finds himself alone and targeted by a country that is supposed to be one of America’s closest allies. Forced to make a decision that will change his life forever, Rapp quits the CIA and assembles a group of independent contractors to help him complete the mission. Facing an international incident that could end his political career, the President orders America’s intelligence agencies to join the Saudis’ effort to hunt the former CIA man down. The Mitch Rapp story begins with American Assassin , followed by Kill Shot , Transfer of Power , The Third Option , Separation of Power , Executive Power , Memorial Day , Consent to Kill , Act of Treason , Protect and Defend , Extreme Measures , Pursuit of Honor , The Last Man , The Survivor, Order to Kill, and Enemy of the State. He initially found inspiration from his father, the former director of Interpol, and still draws on his contacts in the intelligence community to give his books such realism.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I think It's obvious Vince Flynn was still heavily invested in the series, and I believe he would be very pleased with how Mills has continued it."
"Kyle Mills is doing a great job of carrying the torch for Vince Flynn."
"If by book 17 one does not need to be page after page retelling who: Irene Kennedy, Stan Hurley, Marcus, Scott, Claudia, Mike, and Alexander are."
"Claudia in my opinion does not read like the person who would fit into the scheme of a operator like Rapp seems to be."
"Another entertaining addition."
"Another great addition to the Mitch Rapp series."
"I've rad all of Vince Flynn's books and the new author stays true to Flynn's characters and style!"
"Kyle's books are better on this one I'm my opinion because in the others Mitch was less real."
Best Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. A stunning new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts— Year One is an epic of hope and horror, chaos and magick, and a journey that will unite a desperate group of people to fight the battle of their lives… It began on New Year’s Eve. As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City. In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. ” -- New York Times Book Review. NORA ROBERTS is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including The Obsession, The Liar, The Collector, Whiskey Beach, and many more.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Intense story with a very probable future earth."
"Once again Nora Roberts gives us characters that you can love and cheer for as well as ones to cheer against."
"Started a little slower for me than some it about 1\4 of the way through pulled me right in."
"Not what I expected as the story played out."
"I don't usually read Nora Roberts, but the theme of this book intrigued me."
"I've always loved Nora but this book was different, had an different feel, and I loved it!"
"I read when I am walking on the treadmill and 90 minutes passed before I knew it."
"Several years ago I stopped reading fantasy novels."
Best Crime Thrillers
Anna’s best friend, Sarah, hasn’t been telling the whole truth about what really happened that night—and her parents have been keeping secrets of their own. Someone knows where Anna is—and they’re not telling. Covering crime for so long, she watched and was deeply moved by all the ripples each case caused, and the haunting impact on the families, friends and witnesses involved.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"However, when the author moved to subsequent chapters (everything else in third person), the phrases and partial sentences continued. The other stylistic device used over and over was the introduction of a secret at the end of almost every chapter. When the guilty person is finally revealed, it was difficult to believe that the police would have neglected to perform a full investigation (the author tells us at the end that police only did a “cursory” investigation on the person). I hesitate to say more as it would potentially become a spoiler, but for me, this became a fatal flaw and made the ending feel forced."
"This story follows the perspectives of Ella, Sarah, Anna's father, and a private investigator in the year following Anna's disappearance. Although not to this extreme, I think most people can relate to being in a position where you question whether or not to say something or stay quiet and mind your own business."
"The ending actually made me cry real, true tears."
"It was at times maddening when Ms Driscoll left you hanging at the end of a chapter, with hints and references but no explanations."
"The story included gratuitous detail about flowers, and observations about human behavior and society that became drudgery for the reader."
"Not being psychic, couldn't solve it without all of the relevant saved for the ending....."
"I enjoyed reading this book."
"Suspenseful with interesting characters this book keeps you intrigued."
Best Historical Thrillers
He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life – a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time. * People (Australia) * King's first effort at melding fact with fiction is as successful as his previous books, and perhaps even more intriguing considering the subject matter: time travel and the implications of change. * Sun * Time travel and an incredible talent for storytelling combine to produce a unique tour de force. * Canberra City News * The story moves seamlessly from detailed reality to elaborate fantasy and back again through a meticulously researched backdrop of late 1950s events, fashion and sentimentality. King's mastery of plot and his ability to create characters and situations both homespun and far-fetched means that this is the book you dream of getting stuck on the train home with. The key to any novel set in an alternate reality is credible world building, the steady accumulation of detail - preferably lightly distributed - that brings the story alive. * Adam LeBor,FT Weekend * King swiftly moves beyond vintage Americana to unfold a stunningly panoramic portrait of the era. King commands an inordinately fat space on the bookshelf with 11.22.63 but it's hard to begrudge when his vast imagination is working across such an epic canvas. * Seven, The Sunday Telegraph * One of the strengths of the book is King's at once nostalgic and honest view of the end of the Eisenhower era. King manages to avoid both sentimentalizing the past and treating it with massive condescension; his role as the poet of American brand-names serves him well here. * Mark Lawson, Guardian * You have to take a leap of faith with time-travel novels, but if there's one writer who can pull it off, it's Stephen King. * Eureka Street * A delightful blend of history and fantasy by a man who has always had a soft spot for an America where men wore fedoras, drove big Fords and could do the foxtrot. * Armidale Express Extra * King weaves the social, political and popular culture of his baby-boom American generation into a devastating exercise in escalating suspense. * Who Weekly * These early sections of the novel are almost irresistible entertaining, enlivened not just by King's supreme control of the form but by his sardonic wit and usual generosity of spirit and expansiveness. Beneath the reassuring glow of King's portrait of an earlier, simpler time moves a darker and less comfortable vision, a glimpse of the terrifying machinery that moves below the surface of human history, and which stands as a stark, chilling rejoinder to the fantasies of escape embodied in so many time travel stories. * The Weekend Australia * Perhaps only seasoned storyteller Stephen King could accomplish changing the course of history in his vast time-travelling masterpiece whilst effortlessly weaving political and social details with abundant humour. * The Australian Women's Weekly * Stephen King at his epic, pedal-to-metal best * Alison Flood Sunday Times, Culture,i> * Delivers a lot of praise and enjoy. * London Review of Books * The details of Fifties America, the cars, the clothes, the food, the televisions with wonky horizontal hold, are so vivid that you begin to wonder whether the author himself hasn't had access to a time machine....But as you worry at the paradoxes and the brilliantly explained pseudo science there is no denying that this monster yearn is blindingly impressive. * Independent Books of the Year * Stephen King at his epic, pedal-to-metal best * Alison Flood, Sunday Times * The pages of 11.22.63 fly by, filled with immediacy, pathos and suspense. -- Daily Telegraph 'Stephen King at his epic, pedal-to-metal best' -- Alison Flood Sunday Times, Culture,i> 'not just an accomplished time-travel yarn but an action-heavy meditation on chance, choice and fate.'. -- Independent Books of the Year 'The details of Fifties America, the cars, the clothes, the food, the televisions with wonky horizontal hold, are so vivid that you begin to wonder whether the author himself hasn't had access to a time machine. -- Independent 'Perhaps only seasoned storyteller Stephen King could accomplish changing the course of history in his vast time-travelling masterpiece whilst effortlessly weaving political and social details with abundant humour. -- The Australian Women's Weekly 'These early sections of the novel are almost irresistible entertaining, enlivened not just by King's supreme control of the form but by his sardonic wit and usual generosity of spirit and expansiveness. Beneath the reassuring glow of King's portrait of an earlier, simpler time moves a darker and less comfortable vision, a glimpse of the terrifying machinery that moves below the surface of human history, and which stands as a stark, chilling rejoinder to the fantasies of escape embodied in so many time travel stories.'. -- Mildura Midweek 20111122 'King weaves the social, political and popular culture of his baby-boom American generation into a devastating exercise in escalating suspense.'. -- Armidale Express Extra 20111123 'A delightful blend of history and fantasy by a man who has always had a soft spot for an America where men wore fedoras, drove big Fords and could do the foxtrot. -- Mark Lawson, Guardian 20111119 'a powerful love story' -- Mirror 20111119 'One of the strengths of the book is King's at once nostalgic and honest view of the end of the Eisenhower era. King manages to avoid both sentimentalizing the past and treating it with massive condescension; his role as the poet of American brand-names serves him well here.'. King commands an inordinately fat space on the bookshelf with 11.22.63 but it's hard to begrudge when his vast imagination is working across such an epic canvas.'. The key to any novel set in an alternate reality is credible world building, the steady accumulation of detail - preferably lightly distributed - that brings the story alive. -- Adam LeBor,FT Weekend 20111119 '...This is the American of Stephen King's childhood and it's one that he re-creates in vivid and loving detail... -- Peter Robinson in the Sunday Express 20111118 'He writes incomparably good stories ... King's mastery of plot and his ability to create characters and situations both homespun and far-fetched means that this is the book you dream of getting stuck on the train home with.'. -- Independent on Sunday 20111118 'The story moves seamlessly from detailed reality to elaborate fantasy and back again through a meticulously researched backdrop of late 1950s events, fashion and sentimentality. -- New Idea (Australia 20111118 'Time travel and an incredible talent for storytelling combine to produce a unique tour de force.'. -- Irish Times 20111118 'King has form in rendering plausible the fantastic ... 11.22.63 stakes another claim for its author to be classified as sui generis.'.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Yes, it is built around a well-used SF trope, time travel, but really, the portal to the past that Jake Epping is shown in the back of an aluminum diner is only the launch mechanism for this fantastic journey. Even SK's other "straight" fiction, "Misery", "Dolores Claiborne" and "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" come to mind, had elements of the supernatural and/or flat-out horror. I have read every novel and anthology that King has published, plus a large number of single short stories, starting with "Carrie" in a borrowed paperback back in the late 1970s. The lead-up to the day of the assassination is described in great detail, along with Oswald's relationship to his family and associates, all matters of historical record (at least according to the sources cited by SK, with which most of the readers who did not like the novel disagreed emphatically). The world of 1958-1963 is described in wonderful detail, through the eyes of Jake as he gradually sheds his early 21st century armored shell and falls in love with a small Texas town and Sadie, its new young librarian. I'm old enough to have experienced lots of the stuff that Jake encounters in 1958 (albeit as a child) and it jives with and jogs my recollections and induces a feeling of longing for older, simpler times."
"I had, at the time, pretty much given up on King -- the movies based on his books tend to be much better than the books -- except, of course, when they are not."
"I don't normally review books. But the book."
"Many people complain about the length of his books, but the best of them manage to build a great cast of characters or interesting world to make the reading worthwhile."
"A thought-provoking book with well developed events and characters."
"But I decided as a true King fan I had to toss my 2 cents in. I am a Die Hard type of guy, but this book has a similiar time travel/love angle theme to it, as does the movie Somewhere in Time (Collector's Edition) (also a book written by the great Richard Matheson)."
Best Legal Thrillers
Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. “Dugoni does a superior job of positioning [the plot elements] for maximum impact, especially in a climactic scene set in an abandoned mine during a blizzard—which is melodramatic but nevertheless effective.” — Publishers Weekly. “ My Sister’s Grave is a chilling portrait shaded in neo-noir, as if someone had taken a knife to a Norman Rockwell painting by casting small town America as the place where bad guys blend into the landscape, establishing Dugoni as a force to be reckoned with outside the courtroom as well as in.” — Providence Journal. Robert Dugoni is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series : My Sister's Grave, Her Final Breath (September 2015) and In the Woods (May 2016).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Also, the author needs to work on names and naming conventions. As I said, I'm not sorry I read the book and would recommend it to someone who was looking for a easy crime read."
"* Superior intelligence or strength (she shoots, she runs, she out wits the killer). * Invokes trust or likability (I would want her as my friend or CSI). The story begins with the discovery of the remains of Tracy’s murdered sister."
"This is the second of Robert Dugoni's book's that I've read from the Tracy Crosswhite series (I read the 3rd book first, don't ask me why!)."
"Told between present day events as well as flashbacks, this story reads exactly like a thriller movie with the courtroom scenes reading like a Law and Order episode. Dugoni did not create an overly complicated crime that made it hard to keep track of all the moving parts but he told a compelling story that kept me hooked until the very end."
"The connection between the two sisters is strong and the reader feels the family dynamics throughout the book."
"I have already purchased the second book and can't wait to read what Tracy Crosswhite's newest adventures are."
Best Technothrillers
The #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Da Vinci Code Bilbao, Spain Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself . On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery . -- People Magazine "A brisk new book that pits creationism against science, and is liable to stir up as much controversy as The Da Vinci Code did. In Origin , the brash futurist Edmond Kirsch comes up with a theory so bold, so daring that, as he modestly thinks to himself in Brown’s beloved italics, “ It will not shake your foundations. And just like he was in his original exploits ( Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code ), Dr. Langdon is once again wrapped up in a global-scale event that could have massive ramifications on the world’s religions. Origin is a familiar blend of travelogue, history, conspiracies and whodunit, with asides on everything from the poetry of William Blake to the rise and fall of fascism in Spain." Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 international bestsellers, including The Da Vinci Code, Inferno , The Lost Symbol , Angels & Demons , Deception Point, and Digital Fortress .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I love Dan Brown's novels, his writing style, and his extensive use of history/tech in most of them, and I always learn something when I read his books. Brown has a plug and play format that he follows, and as I read this book, it's basically Robert Langdon at some educational/art venue where a friend/colleague, etc. There was supposed suspense, in that you want to find out what in the world Langdon's friend had to say before his murder--and of course, you have to wait until the end to find out."
"Although Brown’s writing will not rank well among the great classics, his books turned into film will pack theaters and encourage history buffs to travel Europe. KEY POINTS Using history, science and religion for a thriller is one of the better ways to incite curiosity among readers. Excerpt. ‘…“If you’ve read my books,” Langdon’s voice continued, “you will have heard me use the term ‘God of the Gaps.’ That is to say, when the ancients experienced gaps in their understanding of the world around them, they filled those gaps with God.”. The sky filled now with a massive collage of paintings and statues depicting dozens of ancient deities. “And yet, over the centuries, scientific knowledge increased.” A collage of mathematical and technical symbols flooded the sky overhead. “As the gaps in our understanding of the natural world gradually disappeared, our pantheon of gods began to shrink.”. On the ceiling, the image of Poseidon came to the forefront. “As you know, the same fate befell all the gods—dying off, one by one, as they outlived their relevance to our evolving intellects.”. Overhead, the images of gods began twinkling out, one by one—gods of thunder, earthquakes, plagues, and on and on. These gods did not ‘go gentle into that good night’; it is a messy process for a culture to abandon its deities. Spiritual beliefs are etched deeply on our psyches at a young age by those we love and trust most—our parents, our teachers, our religious leaders. Therefore, any religious shifts occur over generations, and not without great angst, and often bloodshed.”. The sound of clattering swords and shouting now accompanied the gradual disappearance of the gods, whose images winked out one by one. Finally, the image of a single god remained—an iconic wizened face with a flowing white beard. Zeus, more than any other god, resisted his own extinction, mounting a violent battle against the dying of his own light, precisely as had the earlier gods Zeus had replaced.”. On the ceiling flashed images of Stonehenge, the Sumerian cuneiform tablets, and the Great Pyramids of Egypt."
"After the first few chapters the book hits a road block - it stops being a DaVinci code knock off and becomes something else. I also realized that the small passage of time directly related to the lengthy descriptions of art, books, etc. The early chapters describe the museum at Bilbo and I went online while I was reading to see pictures."
Best Pulp Thrillers
SOMEONE IS KILLING OFF LAWYERS IN THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. Michael Gresham is assigned to prosecuting the case against the at-large killer. When Michael's team has tried everything else to find the killer, they turn to twelve-year old Annie Gresham to create a criminal profile. Annie, the savant daughter of Michael Gresham, gathers together all the known evidence and begins mining the data. Annie creates a shocking profile of the killer, leaving the FBI agents skeptical of Michael Gresham. From there he traveled east, to Washington, DC, to help the children of a law school classmate claim the legacy left them by their murdered father. This book, Dead Lawyer on Aisle 11 , is about that service in the USAO and his difficulties and successes in finding and prosecuting the person responsible for the death of two lawyers in the USAO. During that time I tried first degree murder cases, a whole slew of other criminal cases of almost every conceivable crime, and I defended tax crimes as well.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"He's usually a hard hitting defender, but this time, his own freedom is at stake when he's framed for a murder he didn't commit."
"It read more like a soap opera than a legal thriller at every turn Michael seemed to have another child as a result of a brief affair."
"It’s john Ellsworth."
"Good read , will read more of his books."
"Interesting story keeps you interested."
"It was different Keeps you guessing till the very end."
Best Espionage Thrillers
A decade ago, fourteen-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of Benjamin Lombard—then a senator, now a powerful vice president running for the presidency—disappeared in the most sensational missing-person case in the nation’s history. “This live-wire debut begins with a promising lead in the long-ago disappearance of the vice president’s daughter, then doubles down with tangled conspiracies, duplicitous politicians, and a disgraced hacker hankering for redemption...Hang on and enjoy the ride.” — People. “Unbridled power and relentless revenge converge in the exciting, tightly plotted The Short Drop ...The multifaceted Gibson has the makings to support a long series.” —SouthFlorida.com.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"That said, I did enjoy the second half of the book which did keep moving from beginning to end, holding my interest without my having to push myself to read it like I did for the first half of the book. So, when the central plot line in The Short Drop turned out to be the fact that a current Presidential candidate's 13 year old daughter had been kidnapped, I merely wrote that off as a coincidence."
"I’ve found that thrillers, particularly those with a political bent, can be a little light on character development and a little heavy on the unbelievable-and-over-the-top plots. The characters are well developed, complex and multi-faceted, flawed and susceptible to injury (both emotional and physical)."
"As an old retired IT guy it made sense to me where it needed to and was not written for the 17 year old."
"This book caught my attention from the sample on Kindle and held it through half a week while I told myself I had time of other already purchased books to read."
"His characters are beautifully developed and appropriately psychologically complex, so much so that the reader doesn't know who the "bad guy" is and might even fall in love with him or her in the meantime. 4.5 stars. Note: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review."
Best Military Thrillers
In the chaos, conspiracy theories rage about a foreign cyberattack--that this might be the first shockwave of a colossal global shift in power--but even this becomes unimportant as Mike and his family struggle for survival in the wintry tomb of a doomed New York. Translated in twenty three countries, CyberStorm is a worldwide bestseller, a new apocalyptic disaster classic in the spirit of On the Beach , Alas Babylon , One Second After , Lucifer's Hammer and Pandemic that will appeal to fans of Clancy, Thor, Riddle, and Hugh Howey. - Wes Davies, author of The Runner " A riveting account of the (potentially) devastating impact ofcyber attacks on ordinary citizens." I'd like to thank my editor, Gabe Robinson (previously at Harper Collins in NYC but now freelancing) for his incredible help in getting CyberStorm assembled and edited. I'd also like to thank my small army of dozens of beta readers who combed through the early manuscripts--this is as much my novel as all of theirs, and a testament to the power of the internet in shaping new media.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The author does a great job of getting you into the minds of the characters, and paints a picture of a possible cyber meltdown I found realistic and quite frightening if it were to occur."
"Dependence on the cyber world and a host of attacks combined with a horrible winter storm bring a modern, urban city to its knees and brings life and our human priorities into a focus that should serve as a reality check for us all."
"I enjoy good writing, and Mr. Mather is a well-accomplished wordsmith, using a rich background of good science and great common sense!"
"Enjoyed the book."
"The writing style was engaging and I completely fell head over heels for the premise and story development."
"I loved this book! Matthew, you've done an amazing job with this book."
"I enjoyed this book and as an "added attraction" it hit close to home as i work on 7th avenue between 25th and 26th street in Manhattan, basically in the same neighborhood as the story."
"He obviously let his emotions get in the way from time to , he did however come up with some genius ideas, like hiding the food and creating a scavenger hunt like thing to find it later for survival."
Best Conspiracy Thrillers
The Atlantis Gene is the first book in The Origin Mystery , the global bestselling trilogy that is now in development to be a major motion picture. From the Hardcover Edition Off the coast of Antarctica, a research vessel discovers a mysterious structure buried deep inside an iceberg. THE ATLANTIS GENE is a thought-provoking technothriller about global genetic experiments, ancient conspiracies, and the mysteries of human evolution. This fast-paced adventure is the first book in The Origin Mystery Series (now in development at CBS Films to be a major motion picture). A thriller certainly, but one that combines so many factual historical references that the reader is left wondering where facts end and fiction begins.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It's a Science Fiction thriller that combines elements of the lost city of Atlantis, human evolution, Nazis, conspiracy, alien technology, and end of the world scenarios. The very basic premise (without spoiling anything) is that the human race was on the brink of extinction at one point in the past and somehow, for some unexplained reason, humans made a giant leap forward in the evolutionary ladder that allowed them to not only survive, but to take control of planet Earth. Shortly thereafter, agent David Vale shows up on the scene and he and Kate are sucked into a worldwide race against time to save not only themselves and the children, but quite possibly the whole world. As a matter of fact, I was a bit disappointed at how similar certain aspects of the plot were to Jeremy Robinson's "Second World" and James Rollins' "Black Order". After spending much of the first half of the book at a jog, Riddle flips the switch towards the end and the pacing becomes very quick, and the action and story become intense."
"Anyone who enjoys SiFi will love this book."
"Science Fiction can be difficult to read, for me, but Mr."
"The reason for not giving a 5 rating is that there are some occasional instances where editing failed to catch the misuse of a word or a grammatical slip. Book 3: The Atlantis World ties the subplots and main plot together, and finally gives us the across-the-universe (and perhaps beyond) scope of the the power/greed motivations which have influenced the good, the bad and the conflicted throughout the series. A.G. Riddle displays the altruistic nature imbued in some of his characters by sharing fact/fiction noes from the trilogy, and tips for writers on his website."
"Although the beginning started out as an action-adventure novel with a bit of science extrapolation thrown in, by the end it was a free-wheeling, time-shifting hard-science fiction (sort of) thriller."
"By the time I had read half of the novel, there were so many unfinished ideas that I was exhausted."
Best Financial Thrillers
Twenty years before, amid strange staff disappearances and allegations of fraud, panicked investors sold Cleveland’s largest bank in the middle of the night, locking out customers and employees, and thwarting a looming federal investigation. Iris, a young engineer working her first job out of the office, finds herself assigned to map out a floor plan for the bank building which has been empty for two decades. Just as Beatrice did 20 years before her, Iris quickly recognizes that there’s something not quite right at the bank and she soon learns that the building is not as empty as everyone thinks.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The story concept is interesting: an important bank mysteriously closes overnight. When I was about 1/3 into the story it seemed that n.o.t.h.i.n.g. Reading the early reviews, I was sure I was reading a different book. For example, in most instances, we don't read about the secretary's workday, we read about her thinking about her workday or thinking about the personalities of the people she works with, or wondering where her friend is, or wondering about the significance of papers she sees. For example, the engineer meets her boss at the building and explains to him some of the work she has done, but (from the reader perspective) this is merely retelling what the engineer already mused about in the previous pages: she went to the eighth floor, to the room on the left; it was dusty; she made some measurements; she went to the next room; she saw papers on the floor; she wondered why the papers were left behind; she made some measurements; she looked at some of the papers; she wondered what the papers meant; she decided to take some of the papers with her to look at later; she went to the next room; she made some measurements. I second that thought."
"The author thinks that if they have so many "problems" in life that the audience will resonate with at least one of them but a character with problems is only likable if they get over them, makes for a more interesting story and one that you can better connect with emotionally since then it gives you hope. Iris also practically refuses to interact with the story she's been pulled into, the mysteries behind the decaying First Bank of Cleveland which closed one day with no warning (which really did close in 1978 due to defaults, although the real life explanation is different than this fictional one, fewer bodies for one). Beatrice didn't intend to get wrapped up in the mystery as it was coming closer and closer to it's doomed day either but once she starts investigating a only tangentially related thread her caution and determination to see this through to the end make her half of the story by far the more interesting one."
Best Assassination Thrillers
In the #1 New York Times bestselling series’ latest thriller, Mitch Rapp finds himself alone and targeted by a country that is supposed to be one of America’s closest allies. Forced to make a decision that will change his life forever, Rapp quits the CIA and assembles a group of independent contractors to help him complete the mission. Facing an international incident that could end his political career, the President orders America’s intelligence agencies to join the Saudis’ effort to hunt the former CIA man down. The Mitch Rapp story begins with American Assassin , followed by Kill Shot , Transfer of Power , The Third Option , Separation of Power , Executive Power , Memorial Day , Consent to Kill , Act of Treason , Protect and Defend , Extreme Measures , Pursuit of Honor , The Last Man , The Survivor, Order to Kill, and Enemy of the State. He initially found inspiration from his father, the former director of Interpol, and still draws on his contacts in the intelligence community to give his books such realism.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Claudia in my opinion does not read like the person who would fit into the scheme of a operator like Rapp seems to be."
"Another entertaining addition."
"Another great book in the series."
"Typical Rapp story."
"If you enjoyed the other books read this one and enjoy."
"I've rad all of Vince Flynn's books and the new author stays true to Flynn's characters and style!"
"I️ love the fact that Kyle incorporated all the old villains of past books and had them working for Rapp."
"Kyle's books are better on this one I'm my opinion because in the others Mitch was less real."