Ranking

Title

Wish

Eric Ambler (2002) Journey Into Fear.

Mr. Graham, a naval ordnance engineer for an English armament manufacturer is assisting Turkey during WWII to modernize their navy, when he finds himself the object of an assassination plot headed up by a German agent named Moeller. Graham, an ordinary fellow, outwitts the professional killers.

David Baldacci (2007) Stone Cold. (The Camel Club Series) [Large Print]

In this Camel Club adventure, Annabelle Conroy, is on the run after stealing $40 million from a casino owner, who killed her mother. A fast page turner with enough deception, corruption, and anarchy to fill several books.

John Benedict (2005) Adrenaline.

Anesthesiologist Dough Landry finds himself under suspicion as patients start dying unexpectedly in the operation room at Mercy Hospital. He becomes trapped in a race against time to prevent more deaths - including his own. Exceptional in its realism this top-notch medical thriller is one of the best of its genre.

Dan Brown (2006) The Da Vinci Code.

International murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria from 2,000 years of Western civilization. Brown suggests a catholic conspiracy, linking Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. While historians have complaints about the accuracy of Brown's facts, no one has any doubts that this is one of the most thrilling and briskly paced page-turners in years.

Michael Connelly (2008) The Brass Verdict: A Novel.

LAPD Detective Harry Bosch and criminal defense lawyer Mickey Haller grudgingly cooperate to solve the murder of Jerry Vincent. Haller has inherited the entire caseload of former prosecutor Jerry Vincent. Jerry has been defending a powerful Hollywood producer who has been charged with murdering his wife and her lover. Brilliant thriller!

Michael Connelly (2005) The Lincoln Lawyer.

Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller is haunted by how he mishandled the case of (probably innocent) Jesus Menendez. Working from his Lincoln Town car, he represents a young rich real estate broker who is charged in the attempted murder of a prostitute. For Haller, this is a worst-case scenario: a client, who may be actually innocent. Best legal thriller of 2007.

William J. Coughlin (2003) Judgement.

Charlie Sloan, troubled ex-alcoholic and first-class lawyer defends a Detroit deputy policy chief, who is charged with stealing $1 million. There is also the somewhat unrelated story of a serial killer of children. (Published posthumously)

Marquise de Sade (1996) Crimes of Love.

Defiant, provocative and unconventional. De Sade's best collection of erotic crime.

Anne Holt (2006) What is Mine. [Large Print]

Former FBI profiler and now Oslo University psychology professor Johanne Vik joins detective Inspector Adam Stubo in the investigation of two killings of children. With 567 pages the book is not a quick read, but it rewards with an intelligent plot and an ingenious ending.

Joan Hall Hovey (2000) Nowhere To Hide.

Ellen Morgan, still recovering from the premature death of her husband, is devastated when her younger sister is brutally murdered. She challenges the killer on a TV show and sets in motion a hunt that will send chills up your spine. A frightning look into the mind of a serial killer.

Yasmina Khadra (2007) The Attack.

Dr. Amin Jafaari, a surgeon in a Tel Aviv hospital, who also happens to be an Israeli-Arab, has been saving innocent victims of a devastating suicide attack. Exhausted, he returns home to his wife Sihem - but she has disappered. Several hours later he finds out that Sihem is suspected of being the suicide bomber.

Jane Langton (1997) Dead as a Dodo: A Homer Kelly Mystery.

In their 12th appearance, eccentric Harvard philosophy professor Homer Kelly and his quick-witted wife Mary, contemplate Darwinism and the disappearance of Mauritius' Dodo bird, while investigating the attempted murder of Helen Farfrae and the actual killing of a young Anglican priest. A cerebral mystery, with a brilliant debate on creationism versus evolutionism.

Jane Langton (2002) The Escher Twist: A Homer Kelly Mystery.

In Langton's 16th Homer Kelly book the puzzling drawings of Dutch artist M.C. Escher provide clues for a mystery that is centered on the enigmatic Frieda, who has disappeared. Crystallographer Leonard Sheldrake had met Frieda at an Escher art exhibition in Cambridge and is now searching for her - with the help of Homer and his sharp wife Mary.

Jane Langton (1981) The Memorial Hall Murder: A Homer Kelly Mystery.

With this book Jane Langton started her series of Homer Kelly mysteries. Homer and his smart wife help Harvard students to find their lost professor. If you have ever tried to learn violin and like listening to classical music this book is for you. Here you can also find out how Harvard's Memorial Hall looked like before it was renovated in the 1990s.

Guillermo Martinez (2005) The Oxford Murders.

An old lady, who worked on the Enigma Code during WWII, is found murdered in Oxford, UK. Arthur Seldom, logician and author of a book on the mathematics of serial killings solves the case - and others that soon pile up - with mathematical precision. Gödel's theorem, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, and Wittgenstein's paradox are discussed, but do not break the thrill or fast pace of the book. A cerebral mystery novel.

James Siegel (2003) Derailed.

It starts on a commuter train to Penn Station, New York, where Charles Schine meets a sexy young lady. Exhausted from his work and troubled marriage and worried about his diabetic daughter Charles engages in what seems to be a harmless little affair. But then everything turns into a nightmare. A fast-paced page turner.

Maj Sjowall / Per Wahloo (1993) The Man Who Went Up in Smoke.

Martin Beck, on vacation with his family on a small Swedish island, is called off to Budapest to investigate the disappearance of a journalist. A thriller, set in Eastern Europe, from the well-known Swedish crime fiction writers. With acid political comments about liberals and conservatives.

Suzanne Arruda (2006) Mark of the Lion.

In 1919, Arruda introduced American heroine Jade del Cameron, an ambulance driver in WWI. Jade is searching for the missing brother of her former lover in Kenya among the country's colonial elite. During her explorations she learns Swahili, hunts wild animals, travels to the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro and falls in love with a man twice her age. Arruda captures the atmosphere of the period

Suzanne Arruda (2007) Stalking Ivory.

In this Jade del Cameron adventure, the heroine travels to British East Africa to photograph and write about Elephants. When she discovers the corpses of four elevants and a dead soldier who apparently tried to stop the poachers, Jade sets out to hunt down the killers.

Nelson DeMille (2002) The General's Daughter.

Vietnam veteran DeMille wrote this story of military justice with an eye for the life on a military base. Paul Brenner of the Army's Criminal Investigation Division is assigned to handle the bizarre murder case of Ann Campbell, daughter of Fort Hadley's post commander. The case is politically explosive, as high-ranking soldiers are linked to Ann's shocking secret sex life.

Nelson DeMille (1987) Word of Honor.

DeMille tells the story of ordinary soldier, Ben Tyson, whose Army commission is reactivated so that he can be prosecuted on charges of murder. 15 years ago, his platoon fought in the Tet offensive in Vietnam. He is accused of ordering killings of civilians in a hospital. But was it really true - or is someone grinding an axe? A gripping courtroom drama.

Arnaldur Indriðason (2005) Jar City: A Thriller

A gripping police procedural from Iceland, starring Inspector Erlendur Sveinnson from Reykjavik. He investigates the brutal killing of a pensioner, who seems to have raped several young women. This Nordic Novel Noir, casting a stoic veteran policemen and his broken family, leads to an intelligent exploration of genetically transmitted oncological diseases.

Robert Ludlum (1987) The Bourne Supremacy.

In the second episode of Ludlum's Jason Bourne trilogy, David Webb, is struggling with the aid of a psychiatrist to recover from amnesia. Webb, one-time secret U.S. agent, is persuaded to re-assume his Bourne identity to hunt down an assassin, who is killing highly-placed officials in Kowloon and Hong Kong.

Alexander McCall Smith (2003) The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Mma. is the "Miss Marple of Botswana". Close to the edge of the Kalahari, the big woman runs the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. With sharp intelligence, dignity, and humor she deals with cheating husbands, missing daughters, and suspicious witchdoctors. Superb, different, a rare pleasure.

Cormac McCarthy (2005) No Country for Old Men.

Mixture of action thriller, Western and psychological drama. Starting with an antelope hunt near the Rio Grande the story proceeds into a man-on-the-run thriller, populated by a psychopatic killer and an elderly Sheriff, who is smarter than most, because he knows his limitations. Made into movie by the Coen brothers!

P.J. Parrish (2007) A Thousand Bones.

Joe Frye, a lone female homicide detective in the Miami-Dade Police Department, looks back at her rookie years when she was working at the Echo Bay, Michigan police department. Human bones are found in a forest area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the hunt is on for a serial killer.

Ian Rankin (2008) Exit Music (Inspector Rebus Series).

Inspector Rebus' last case is an apparently motiveless murder. Ten days away from his mandatory retirement Rebus investigates Russian oligarchs who are infesting Scotland with corruption and greed.

James B. Stewart (1999) Blind Eye: How the Medical Establishment Let a Doctor Get Away with Murder.

Don't read that book when you are sick in a hospital bed! Pulitzer-prize winner James B. Stewart describes the career of Dr. Michael Swango, a handsome physician, who may have poisoned at least 35 of his patients. (Dr. Swango was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for murdering four of his patients.)

Janet Evanovich (2005) Eleven on Top (A Stephanie Plum Novel).

Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum lives in a colorful but dangerous world of fugitives that includes everything from exploding cars to wedding preparations, foul-mouthed hookers, evil-eyed grandmas, and romantic affairs. If you like your thrillers with erotic tension and hilarious jokes this one is right for you.

P. D. James (2001) The Black Tower.

James' deeply bleak novel is set in an isolated home for patients with a fatal muscular disease. The home's elderly chaplain invites Adam Dalgliesh asking for help. But when Dalgliesh arrives, the chaplain has died. As Commander Danlgliesh begins to investigate, more murder victims keep piling up.

Paul LaRosa (2006) Tacoma Confidential: A True Story of Murder, Suicide, and a Police Chief's Secret Life.

Paul LaRosa tells the true story of Police Chief David Brame of Tacoma, Washington - of his abusive marriage and the resulting deaths. But this is not only a story about a husband, enraged by an impending divorce, killing his wife. It is the story of a sex-obsessed man, who used his power to fulfill his sexual fantasies.

Robert Ludlum (2007) The Scarlatti Inheritance.

The mother-son drama at the time of Nazi Germany is Ludlum's first thriller.

Ann Rule (2007) Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder: And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files)

The difficult cases: Rule's collection of true crime cases that were intractable puzzles, shrouded in smoke and deception. These criminals skillfully tried to evade law enforcement in maddening cat-and-mouse chases.

Ann Rule (2003) Without Pity: Ann Rule's Most Dangerous Killers

Eight cases from the #1 crime writer. Most stories are warmed-up versions of previously published material. However, if you have never read anything from Rule, this is a good start.

Jennifer Skully (2005) Sex and the Serial Killer.

In her hilariously erotic novel Jennifer Skully tells the story of timid Roberta Jones Spivey, who transforms herself into a daring bad girl after her husband of fifteen years deserts her for his high school sweetheart. Roberta, now sexy Bobby, must choose between "bad boy" Nick Angel (alleged serial killer) and the hunky sheriff of Cottonmouth. Juicy sex scenes and witty humor in a perfect summer reading.

Peter Abrahams (2005) Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery.

In his first suspense novel for ages 10-up, bestselling author Abrahams tells the story of 13-year-old Ingrid Levin-Hill. She plays soccer and is title actor of "Alice in Wonderland" at the local theater in small-town Echo Falls. As another actor, the eccentric Katherine Kovac, is murdered, Ingrid becomes an amateur investigator. If you want to get your children reading, give them this topnotch mystery.

Terry Adams / Mary Brooks-Mueller / Scott Shaw (1999) Eye of the Beast.

This book chronicles the investigation and conviction to death of James Wood in 1993. He kidnapped and murdered an 11-year-old girl, raped at least 85 women, is credited with 185 robberies and committed dozens of murders. The horror of this book is the apparent utter lack of conscience and the boundless blood rage of this killer.

Boris Akunin (2005) Murder on the Leviathan.

19th-century Russian sleuth Erast Fandorin investigates undercover on the luxurious steamship Leviathan en route to India from England in 1878. While the setting may be conventional Agatha Christie style (all suspects gathered in a secluded place), there is nothing conventional about Akunin's characters, which all have their own history, style and voice.

Boris Akunin (2005) The Turkish Gambit.

In the chaos of a military conflict between Czarist Russia and the Ottoman Empire Special Agent Fandorin investigates a suspicious colonel in Bucharest. Don't read this book if you like straight plots! The Turkish Gambit contains everything - from politics in 1877 to suffragettes, harems, courtesans, deadly duels, suicides, combat action, numerous quirky characters and a dramatic climax.

Boris Akunin (2004) Winter Queen.

A historical conspiracy, set in Czarist Russia. The hero is the somewhat naive, but good-looking Police Detective Fandorin, who investigates the suicide of a student and finds much more than he expected. If you like linear action thrillers with short sentences, forget this book! But if you savor elaborate, intricate plots, historical atmosphere, unique characters, bizarre plot twists, deception and disguise, read the "Winter Queen".

Boris Akunin (2006) Pelagia And The White Bulldog: The First Sister Pelagia Mystery.

Unlike Akunin's Erast Fandorin series, this book features nun Pelagia solving crimes in rural Czarist Russia. Her investigation of the initial crime, the killing of white bulldogs, is just the first step into the labyrinth of this story.

Richard Aleas (2007) Songs of Innocence.

Private investigator John Blake, depressed by the murder of his ex-girlfriend, has enrolled in a creative writing class at Columbia University. When his classmate, beautiful and melancholy Dorrie Burke, dies in her bathtub, police declares it a suicide. Blake doesn't buy it. His search for the murderer leads him deep into a seedy world of prostitution.

Robert Baer (2006) Blow the House Down.

Scheduled for publication: May 30, 2006

Simon Becket (2007) The Chemistry of Death.

Dr. David Hunter, a successful, but retired, forensic anthropologist reluctantly investigates a series of killings in the quiet village of Manham.

Alex Berenson (2006) The Faithful Spy.

CIA agent John Wells has penetrated the upper levels of al-Qaeda. As Jalal he is sent back to the US on a terror mission by bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Wells, who has become a Muslim, but has remained loyal to America, is now suspected by his CIA bosses to be a double agent. As two bombs explode in L.A. suspicion is rising. A timely story.

Edwin Black (1999) Format C:

From Y2K-bug to biblical archeology in Israel.

Kevin Bohacz (2007) Immortality.

Silently, something is going horribly wrong. Deep in the Amazon, humans drop dead within small circular areas. But soon these "killing zones" spread to the US. Apparently, a benign bacterium has been somehow altered to become deadly. For an apocalypse book Bohacz's tale has a surprisingly rich cast of characters.

Michael Bond (2006) Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Militant Housewives.

What can you expect from a story that starts with an exploding coffin at a funeral ceremony, where the main heroes are Paris Surete Inspector Monsieur Pamplemousse and his bloodhound Pommes Frittes, and a CIA agent pretending to be a cuisine chef and experimenting with a dog translator? Hilarious entertainment - especially for young adults.

Simon Boswell (2005) The Seven Symphonies: A Finnish Murder Mystery.

On a bitterly cold morning in Helsinki, Finland a young woman is found dead in a Park. A serial killer has made his first move. He seems to be a lover of classical music, because he associates each of his attacks with one of the symphonies of the great Finnish composer: Jean Sibelius. A most unusual psycho-thriller with a smart plot and deep insights into the male sex-drive!

Judy Boynton (2000) Guardian of Innocence: A New Zealand Murder Mystery.

Marla is the guardian of an innocent girl, Jessica, who has been witness to a murder in New Zealand and has not spoken since then. As they both travel to the scene of the crime they are threatened by a chain of chilling accidents. Apparently, the killer wants to stop Jessica from disclosing his identity. A stunning description of New Zealand!

Sandra Brown (1997) Exclusive.

The newborn son of the US President and the First Lady has died suddenly. In an interview with journalist Barrie Travis the First Lady hints that her baby may have been murdered. Barrie soon finds herself a target of sinister threats. A story filled with political skeletons, intrigue, false leads, and long-hidden secrets.

Pat Brown (2003) Killing for Sport: Inside the Minds of Serial Killers.

Pat Brown provides blunt insights into the minds of serial killers without the usual psychobabble. Her book tries to destroy some of the popular stereotypes promulgated by movies such as Silence of the Lambs. Serial killers are often not eccentric psychopaths, smart enough to get away with murder, but the dim-wits next door.

Ken Bruen (2006) The Dramatist.

Despite his addiction to booze, books, nicotine, and cocaine, Irish detective Jack Taylor is trying to get his life in order. But his former drug dealer, now in jail, wants him to find the killer of his sister. As Jack follows the trail to Dublin, he gets into troubles with a group of brutal vigilantes who nearly beat him to death. Friends of horrific plots and tragic characters will like the story.

Ken Bruen / Jason Starr (2006) Bust.

In their homage to noir novels of the 1950s, Ken Bruen and Jason Starr tell a dark story of double crossing, in which wealthy New York City business owner Max Fisher wants to get rid of his irritating wife so he can pop his sexy secretary. The hired hit man, however, teams up with the secretary to milk money from Max. But the plan goes bust and the plot spirals downward towards disaster.

John Burdett (1997) The Last Six Million Seconds: A Thriller.

In this fast action-packed thriller Hong Kong Chief Inspector Chan Siukai investigates a triple murder among American gangsters and Chinese warlords - with the transition of sovereignty from Great Britain to the PRC only 6 million seconds away. Violent.

John Case (1998) The Genesis Code.

P.I. Joe Lassiter is searching the murderer of his only sister and her son. As more victims pile up, the hunt leads Lassiter to an Italian fertility clinic, where a well-known physician practices artificial insemination - and possibly something more evil based on cloning. A desperate rural priest and a right-wing catholic sect also become involved in the plot that depicts some of the frightening possibilities of genetic engineering.

Alys Clare (2005) Whiter Than the Lily. (Hawkenlye Mystery Series)

This novel is set in the 12th century, the time of Richard the Lionheart. It features Abbess Helewise of Hawkenlye Abbey, who tries to protect her sisters from a terrible suspicion.

Peter Clement (2005) The Inquisitor: A Medical Thriller. (Reprint Ed.)

Buffalo doctor Earl Garnet observes strange events in the hospital's terminal cancer wing. When he starts to investigate, he himself is suspected of murder via a cardiac needle. The SARS epidemic and near-death-experiments of a psycho are also part of the plot. The author's twenty years as emergency physician provide scalpel-sharp suspense and authenticity.

Harlan Coben (2004) No Second Chance. (Reprint Ed.)

Marc Seidman wakes up in a hospital bed after being shot 12 days ago only to discover that his wife has been murdered and his infant daughter is missing. Raging, Marc tries to rescue his kidnapped daughter, but discovers most disturbing facts about his late wife. His attempts to deliver the ransom fail and his daughter seems to be lost. An action-packed thriller.

Thomas H. Cook (2006) Red Leaves.

Psychological drama of a wealthy family slowly falling apart under the devastating suspicion that one of its members may be a monster in disguise. You never guess the unexpected and shocking resolution until the last pages.

Michael Cordy (1999) Crime Zero.

A female FBI director and her bootlicking virologist Alice Prince plan to eradicate violent crime once and for all, by getting rid of males - the prime perpetrators of rape, murder, and violent conflicts. In a secret project they are field-testing a gender-specific virus that can eliminate males. There is abundance of flashy science, such as holograms and DNA testing in this gender-bender conspiracy thriller.

Patricia Cornwell (2005) All That Remains.

Medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is on the trail of a serial killer that has targeted six couples. With her insider's view of forensic science, Patricia Cornwell, develops an authentic plot with graphic forensic details, a myriad of (misleading) clues and populated by all kinds of cops, interfering politicians, amateurs, and reporters.

Patricia Cornwell (2006) At Risk.

Definitely not her best.

Jordan Cray (1998) Danger Com 6 Bad Intent (danger.com)

A new address on the Internet: danger.com

Clive Cussler (2008) The Chase.

Set in 1906, the novel features the Butcher Bandit, who is emptying bank vaults and killing innocent people. Isaac Bell, wealthy lead agent of the top-notch Van Dorn Detective Agency, heads the manhunt - chasing him across the American West. A fast-paced historical action novel.

Elizabeth Darrell (2005) Russian Roulette.

British army officer Judith King has spent the night in the arms of half-Russian intelligence officer Leo Bekov. Unfortunately, he is found killed the next morning. MPs Max Rydal and Tom Black are assigned to the case and soon find out that the good-looking and charismatic Bekov was the darling of his fellow soldiers' wives.

Nelson DeMille (2008) The Gate House.

DeMille's plot includes the Mafia, Muslim terrorists, Long Island's rich and beautiful and, of course, his main protagonist, the lawyer and freelance detective John Sutter. Light entertainment for long flights!

Tina Dirmann (2005) Such Good Boys: The True Story of a Mother, Two Sons and a Horrifying Murder.

When Jane Bautista was in a bad mood, she would lock up her 20-year old son Jason and beat him up with extreme cruelty. After years of physical and psychological abuse, Jason cracked. He strangled his mother and chopped off her head and hands to destroy evidence, while his younger brother watched TV.

Ken Douglas (2005) Desperation Moon.

Race car driver Sara Hackett's niece has been kidnapped, together with the daughter of software tycoon Radoslaw. Sara suspects that her husband, Radoslaw's security chief, is behind both kidnappings. As Radoslaw is found killed in Sara's bed, the police is after her. Meanwhile the two children can escape. Hunted by the kidnappers, they stumble into most desperate situations.

John Douglas / Mark Olshaker (2000) The Anatomy of Motive.

Former FBI profiler John Douglas and coauthor Mark Olshaker have explored the criminal minds of serial killers, their twisted kind of thinking, their urge to hurt, dominate and control. While these journeys into paranoid minds may help to solve some of the horrible crimes, they certainly cannot explain them. Not all frustrated losers, control freaks or psychopaths are killing people.

Janet Evanovich (2006) Twelve Sharp (A Stephanie Plum Novel).

Another Stephanie Plum Novel.