Best of
Mystery-Thriller

1988

The Charm School


Nelson DeMille - 1988
    In a place called Mrs. Ivanova's Charm School, young KGB agents are being taught by American POW's how to be model citizens of the USA. The Soviet goal -- to infiltrate the United States undetected. When an unsuspecting American tourist stumbles upon this secret, he sets in motion a CIA investigation that will reveal horrifying police state savagery and superpower treachery.

A Great Deliverance


Elizabeth George - 1988
    Three hundred years ago, as legend goes, the frightened Yorkshire villagers smothered a crying babe in Keldale Abbey, where they'd hidden to escape the ravages of Cromwell's raiders.Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry."Yet as Lynley and Havers wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a shattering series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley—and in their own lives as well.

The Edge


Dick Francis - 1988
    A high-class, transcontinental horse-racing junket should be an idyllic getaway for the super-rich.But one passenger on this train is a sociopath, a genius at blackmail and criminal corruption—and he plans to take everyone for everything they've got.

In Pale Battalions


Robert Goddard - 1988
    At last the time has come when secrets can be shared and explanations begin... Their journey starts with an unscheduled stop at the imposing Thiepval Memorial to the dead of the Battle of the Somme near Amiens. Amongst those commemorated is Leonora's father. The date of his death is recorded as 30th April, 1916. But Leonora wasn't born until 14th March 1917. Penelope at once supposes a simple wartime illegitimacy as the clue to her mother's unhappy childhood and the family's sundered connections with her aristocratic heritage, about which she has always known so little. But nothing could have prepared her, or the reader, for the extraordinary story that is about to unfold.

Around the World with Mrs. Pollifax: The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax, Mrs. Pollifax on Safari & Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle


Dorothy Gilman - 1988
    We've combined two mysteries from this popular series in an exclusive omnibus that features Emily on two daring missions in foreign lands...

Dead Reckoning


Sam Llewellyn - 1988
    But when his brother is killed sailing one of his gleaming boats, everyone suspects the design is at fault - but Charlie knows better and sniffs sabotage. With so much money hanging on the forthcoming Captain's Cup race, it looks like someone has it in for Charlie. He must act fast to win back his good name and livelihood - not to mention the race

Wildtrack


Bernard Cornwell - 1988
    His father in prison for fraud, his ex-wife bleeding him dry and his spine shattered by a bullet, Falklands war hero Nick Sandman, VC, has no money and no prospects. Only his boat - Sycorax -and his dream of sailing her away from his troubles is keeping him alive. But Sycorax is as crippled as Nick. To rebuild his wrecked and stranded dream, Nick is forced into a devil's bargain with egomaniacal TV star Tony Bannister. Bannister is the owner of Wildtrack, an ocean racer, and he wants Nick to be part of the crew that will sail the ship to victory. Bannister, though, has made some powerful enemies who are out for revenge, leaving Nick caught in the middle. Can he keep Wildtrack and his dreams of escape aboard Sycorax afloat?

The Two Deaths of Senora Puccini


Stephen Dobyns - 1988
    Three men brave the war-ravaged streets to meet at the opulent home of a friend, the famed surgeon Daniel Pacheco, for their semiannual gathering. As a lavish meal is served by the sullen housekeeper, interest centers on the photograph of an intriguingly beautiful young woman. Spellbinding revelations of erotic obsession and betrayal unfold, interrupted by the increasing bloodshed that presses closer to Pacheco’s door.             Stephen Dobyns has written a provocative novel of desire, lust, depravity, and danger—a classic thriller that holds you tightly in its grasp until its shattering conclusion.

Saber Dance


Ruth Glick - 1988
    Her first undercover assignment for the detective agency Charisma, Inc. sends her to the Goodwill Games to catch a spy. Posing as a TV reporter, she's interviewing all the world class athletes.One blue-eyed skier on the Russian team raises Samantha's suspicions--and sets her heart on fire. Whenever Aleksandr Danchev is near, Samantha's instincts warn her to beware. But his warm gaze melts her heart.Still, Samantha can't let her feelings interfere with her mission. She has to find the athlete carrying secret information, the key to Project Saber. Can she trust Aleksandr with the truth about her identity? Or is he one of the many obstacles in this dangerous game?

Undercurrents


Ridley Pearson - 1988
    Driven by guilt and frustration, too exhausted to consider stopping, Detective Lou Boldt thinks he's finally got the break he needs to end the Cross Killer's twisted spree. But each new clue contradicts another. And each new corpse mocks Boldt's efforts.

Grim Reaper


O'Neil De Noux - 1988
    — From the seedy French Quarter to the banks of Lake Pontchartrain, all of New Orleans is paralyzed by a series of gruesome, sadistic murders. The unsuspecting victims are all women, the young, innocent and beautiful from every walk of life. In the streets, in the parks, behind locked doors, there is no escaping the insane killer's maniacal fury. To the media he is "The Slasher"... but only the madman knows his own true identity: Jack of the Night.Jack the Ripper.The burden falls on Detective Dino LaStanza to stem the hideous tide of death sweeping through the terrorized southern metropolis. As a haunted young policeman's desperate manhunt is suddenly transformed from homicide investigation to a vendetta of blood.