Category Archives: thriller

Helen MacInnes, “Assignment in Brittany”

Posted on February 16, 2013 by

Oh, so retro! These Helen MacInnes thrillers were everywhere when I was a teenager — she might even be comparable to the Lee Child of the era, which says a lot about cultural changes in the last 50 years. I … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, thriller | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Anywhere But Here….

Posted on December 26, 2012 by

No, I did not read Mona Simpson’s Anywhere But Here, though I’m sure that some time I should. (It sounds kind of harrowing but maybe that’s just me.) I just hit a little rough patch. Does this ever happen to … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, horses, mystery, thriller | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lee Child, “A Wanted Man”

Posted on September 24, 2012 by

I cheated on Patrick O’Brian, with Lee Child. But anybody can tell this is a momentary diversion — for the long haul, who would select Jack Reacher over Stephen Maturin? (For one thing, the movie stars who play them? Tom … Continue reading →

Posted in thriller | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Alan Furst, “Mission to Paris”

Posted on July 23, 2012 by

We know what we’re going to get when we read Alan Furst: moody, well-written thrillers set somewhere in Europe during the years leading up to World War II. As I’ve commented here before, these books are almost interchangeable. Take a … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, thriller | Leave a comment

Thomas Perry, “Poison Flower”

Posted on June 26, 2012 by

Have you read Thomas Perry’s Jane Whitefield novels? They are some of my favorite diversions, taut thrillers with an interesting concept. Jane Whitefield is a Seneca Indian who makes people disappear. They might be abused wives or embezzlers on the … Continue reading →

Posted in mystery, thriller | Tagged | 1 Comment

Glen Duncan, “The Last Werewolf”

Posted on June 14, 2012 by

No, actually, I am not interested in the occult. And, being squeamish, I’m not so keen on horror. In fact the scenes where Jake Marlowe kills and devours his monthly prey were not my favorite bits of The Last Werewolf. … Continue reading →

Posted in contemporary fiction, thriller | Tagged | 2 Comments

Michael Connelly, “The Reversal”

Posted on November 29, 2011 by

Michael Connelly sells a lot of books, and since I’m always on the lookout for escape reading, I bought a used copy of The Reversal in an airport last week. I will say that it got me through the 5 … Continue reading →

Posted in best seller, thriller | Tagged , | 1 Comment

John Le Carre, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Posted on November 3, 2011 by

Yes, I’m getting ready for the December release of the film, which stars Brit film giants like Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and (be still my heart) Ciaràn Hinds. But that was really just an excuse. I suspect John Le Carré … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, thriller | Tagged | 7 Comments

Lee Child, “The Affair”

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

There’s always been something especially satisfying about Lee Child’s thrillers. Child writes good, clean prose and he’s a master with the pacing. He understands how much we love inside information (my favorite is still Without Fail, the one set in … Continue reading →

Posted in best seller, thriller | Tagged | 4 Comments

April Smith, “White Shotgun”

Posted on July 21, 2011 by

It’s a great title, isn’t it? “White shotgun” is apparently the term used in Italy when someone vanishes and no trace remains, no body, no documents…. nothing. As we are told in the first chapter, this is the result when … Continue reading →

Posted in thriller | Tagged | 4 Comments