Best of
Mystery-Thriller

1998

Blood Work


Michael Connelly - 1998
    He's recuperating from a heart transplant and avoiding anything stressful. But when Graciella tells him the way her sister Gloria was murdered, it leaves Terry no choice. Now the man with the new heart vows to take down a predator without a soul. For Gloria's killer shatters every rule that McCaleb ever learned in his years with the Bureau--as McCaleb gets no more second chances at life...and just one shot at the truth.

The Mark of the Assassin


Daniel Silva - 1998
    A body is discovered near the crash site with three bullets to the face: the calling card of a shadowy international assassin. Only agent Michael Osbourne has seen the markings before—on a woman he once loved.Now, it's personal for Osbourne. Consumed by his dark obsession with the assassin, he's willing to risk his family, his career, and his life—to settle a score....

The Simple Truth


David Baldacci - 1998
    But when his memory is jogged by a letter from the army, he has a shocking realization: he's not guilty. From prison, Rufus secretly files an appeal with the Supreme Court, unaware that the real killers are onto him. But the long-time convict knows he's running out of time when his lawyer and the Supreme Court clerk--the first person to see Rufus's appeal--are murdered. Escaping with his brother's help, Rufus must now elude capture long enough to expose a shocking cover-up and save his own life.

The Face of Deception


Iris Johansen - 1998
    Her own daughter murdered and her body never found, the job is Eve's way of coming to terms with her personal nightmare. But more terror lies ahead when she accepts work from billionaire John Logan. Beneath her gifted hands a face emerges from the skull he has given her to reconstruct—a face no one was ever meant to see. Now Eve is trapped in a frightening web of murder and deceit. Powerful enemies are determined to cover up the truth, and they will make certain that truth goes to the grave...even if Eve gets buried with it.

Judas Child


Carol O'Connell - 1998
    This hasn't happened for fifteen years, since Rouge Kendall's twin sister was murdered. The killer was found, but now Rouge, twenty-five and a policeman, is forced to wonder: was he really the one? Also wondering is a former classmate named Ali Cray, a forensic psychologist with scars of her own. The pattern is the same, she says: a child called out to meet a friend. The friend is the bait, the Judas child, and is quickly killed. But the primary victim lives longer. . .until Christmas day. Rouge doesn't want to hear this. He's spent the last fifteen years trying to avoid the memories. A little girl has haunted his dreams all these years - and he has three days to finally put her to rest. Filled with rich prose, resonant characters, and knife-edged suspense that have won so many fans, Judas Child is Carol O'Connell's most powerful novel yet.

Shocking Pink


Erica Spindler - 1998
    The mysterious lovers the three girls spied on were engaged in a deadly sexual game no one else was supposed to know about. Especially not Andie and her friends, whose curiosity had deepened into a dangerous obsession.... Now, 15 years later, someone is watching Andie. Someone who won't let her forget the unsolved murder of "Mrs. X" or the disappearance of "Mr. X". Suddenly Andie doesn't know who her friends are... because loyalty can be murder. Andie. Julie. Raven. Three very different women bound by more than friendship.

Only Son


Kevin O'Brien - 1998
    Only Son is such a book. . . Divorced and alone, Carl Jorgenson has one dream; to have a son and give him the life and love he never had. His dream becomes a reality the day Amy McMurray leaves her son alone for one brief, unforgivable moment. In that split second, all their lives change forever. So begins the remarkable story of a mother's search for the child she has lost but will never abandon. . .of a man desperately holding on to the single thread of hope in his life. . .and of a young boy, a son to both, a stranger to himself, who teaches each of them about love, loss and forgiveness. Illuminated by a rare compassion, Only Son is a deeply felt, powerfully realized novel about the search for love and a place to belong. It is a novel about fate, the irreversible choices we make, and the forces we cannot control.

Thirteenth Night


Alan Gordon - 1998
    But now, many years later, the Duke Orsino is murdered. Feste, a jester with The Fool's Guild, must return to once again match wits with his adversary Malvolio—agent of Saladin and sworn enemy of the Guild.

The Mentor


Rebecca Forster - 1998
    This is also her chance to make her mentor, Judge Wilson Caufeld, proud. When Caufeld is murdered, Lauren is trapped in a maze of consipracy, corruption and secrets leading right up to the Supreme Court. Lauren must decide who she can trust before she becomes the next victim of a vicious killer

The Last Day


Glenn Kleier - 1998
    A comet, satellite, or perhaps the finger of God, rends the night sky above Israel and rains fiery destruction on a top-secret military research facility in the Negev. Only one mute and naked survivor struggles from the ruins in the aftermath of the explosion, then vanishes into the desert unnoticed. Drawn by the rumor of a Jordanian SCUD attack, a World News Network team producing a Millennium Eve special in Jerusalem races to the scene and stumbles upon the story of their lives, involving veteran reporter Jonathan Feldman and his cameraman Breck Hunter in perhaps the greatest story ever told. Throughout the final year of the century, messianic sects have descended upon the great religious centers of Rome, Jerusalem, and Salt Lake City to await the coming of the millennium, convinced that the Last Days are at hand. Now, in the fulfillment of prophesy, at the stroke of midnight, New Year's Eve, a beautiful and mysterious young woman appears on the steps of the ancient Israelite Temple of the Messiah just as a violent earthquake rocks Jerusalem and sets off aftershocks felt even in the Vatican. By a stroke of purest luck, WNN has it all on videotape. As a world audience primed for spectacle clamors for more, Feldman and Hunter follow the elusive figure as she appears throughout "Apocalypse Central," proclaiming a new gospel of the apotheosis to Christian, Muslim, and Jew alike. Overnight, Jeza, as she calls herself, has become a worldwide phenomenon, occasioning a summit meeting of the world's religious leaders and spawning a brisk trade in T-shirts,ashtrays, and other novelties bearing her image. But despite reports of miracles, fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and even the announcement of an 11th commandment "Thou shall honor woman as thy equal; and thou shall cherish her in unity with thy fellow man", the question remains: Is Jeza imitating or emulating Christ? Is she messiah, antichrist, or something even more sinister; a biotech experiment gone tragically wrong? Deftly incorporating subplots that include Vatican conspiracies, IDF assassination squads, cutting-edge scientific speculation, and the doomsday prophesy of the Last Secret of Fatima, Glenn Kleier's The Last Day cleverly exploits the growing fascination with the millennium and eschatology, provoking impassioned questions about our most cherished beliefs; and delivering a suspenseful thriller of the highest order.

Miracle Cure


Michael Palmer - 1998
    The initial results are so promising that Brian pushes to get his father--who suffers from a dangerous heart condition--accepted into the study.But Brian is beginning to suspect his superiors are hiding something. Why are crucial records disappearing? Why did a patient making startling progress suddenly die? Is the miracle drug a prescription for death? The answers could cost Brian more than his career. For at Boston Heart Institute, knowing too much is the quickest way to the morgue.

Tell Me Your Dreams


Sidney Sheldon - 1998
    She had no idea who it could be, who would want to harm her. She was trying desperately not to panic, but lately her sleep had been filled with nightmares, and she had awakened each morning with a feeling of impending doom.Thus begins Sidney Sheldon's chilling new novel, Tell Me Your Dreams. Three beautiful young women are suspected of committing a series of brutal murders. The police make an arrest that leads to one of the most bizarre murder trials of the century. Based on actual events, Sheldon's novel races from London to Rome to the city of Quebec to San Francisco, with a climax that will leave the reader stunned.

Riptide


Douglas Preston - 1998
    Clues led to the mysterious Water Pit on Ragged Island, Maine-but a curse left behind by the long-dead Ockham seems to be working. Every expedition has failed; the treasure seekers died in gruesome fashions. Now a new expedition has been mounted, using state-of-the-art computer technology and backed by tens of millions of dollars. It will all be worth it, if the treasure estimated to be worth $2 billion can be found. But modern technology, no matter how expensive, may not be enough to overcome the deadly secrets of the Water Pit.

At All Costs


John Gilstrap - 1998
    Although innocent, they are on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. Along with their young son, they have eluded capture for 13 years, but are finally forced to stop running and fight for their freedom--and their lives. From the bestselling author of Nathan's Run.

Bloodstream


Tess Gerritsen - 1998
    Now, Gerritsen melds page-turning suspense with chilling realism as a small-town doctor races to unravel the roots of a violent outbreak—before it destroys everything she loves.Lapped by the gentle waters of Locust Lake, the small resort town of Tranquility, Maine, seems like the perfect spot for Dr. Claire Elliot to shelter her adolescent son, Noah, from the distractions of the big city and the lingering memory of his father's death. But with the first snap of winter comes shocking news that puts her practice on the line: a teenage boy under her care has committed an appalling act of violence. And as Claire and all of Tranquility soon discover, it is just the start of a chain of lethal outbursts among the town's teenagers. As the rash of disturbing behavior grows, Claire uncovers a horrifying secret: this is not the first time it has happened. Twice a century, the children of Tranquility lash out with deadly violence. Claire suspects that there is a biological cause for the epidemic, and she fears that the placid Locust Lake may conceal an insidious danger. As she races to save Tranquility—and her son—from harm, Claire discovers an even greater threat: a shocking conspiracy to manipulate nature and cause innocents to slaughter.

The Cornell Woolrich Omnibus: Rear Window and Other Stories / I Married a Dead Man / Waltz into Darkness


Cornell Woolrich - 1998
    It contains two full length novels (I Married a Dead Man and Waltz into Darkness) and five short stories, including "Rear Window" -- works in which one of the genre's consumate "poets of terror" explores all the classic noir themes of loneliness, despair, futility, and occasionally redemption.CONTENTSRear WindowPost MortemThree O'ClockChange of MurderMomentumI MARRIED A DEAD MANWALTZ INTO DARKNESS

The Eleventh Commandment


Jeffrey Archer - 1998
    Holder of the Medal of Honor. Devoted family man. Servant of his country. But for the past twenty-eight years, Fitzgerald has been leading a double life as the CIA's most deadly assassin. And only days before his retirement from the CIA, he comes across an enemy who, for the first time, even he cannot handle. The enemy is his own boss - Helen Dexter - the director of the CIA. Dexter's stranglehold on the agency is threatened by one decision, and her only hope of survival is to destroy Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a formidable new foe is threatening the United States: a ruthless hard-line Russian president, who is determined to force a new military confrontation between the two superpowers.From emergency meetings in the Oval Office to a Russian mafya boss's luxurious hideaway outside St. Petersburg, The Eleventh Commandment sweeps readers off their feet from the first paragraph. As in Jeffrey Archer's previous bestsellers, The Eleventh Commandment features enough plot-twisting ingenuity, exotic characterization, and narrative surprise to take the art of thriller writing to a new level. In his latest novel, Jeffrey Archer is at the peak of his page-turning powers.

The Fourth Inspector Morse Omnibus


Colin Dexter - 1998
    In "The Way Through the Woods", a young tourist disappears in North Oxford. In "The Daughters of Cain", Morse takes over an unsolved murder. "Death Is Now My Neighbour" sees Morse on the trail of a killer.

The Last Hostage


John J. Nance - 1998
    Nance thrilled the country with his explosive bestsellers, Pandora's Clock and Medusa's Child. Now, as only he can do, Nance soars with a gripping new novel about one man in the air and on the brink, and the one woman who can bring him-and a plane full of passengers-down safely...Or a victim of injustice?Fugitive pilot Ken Wolfe holds a 737 hostage high above the Rocky Mountains. As the lives of his passengers hang in the balance, Wolfe demands the apprehension and indictment of an unprosecuted killer-within twenty-four hours. Rookie FBI agent Kat Bronsky must tend to his fragile psyche while talking the pilot down and into the hands of the law. But as Wolfe's motives unfold, Kat begins to question who is actually the villain and who is the victim-and time continues to run out on a plane headed for disaster...Sooner or later, the truth must land.

Rumpole and the Man of God


John Mortimer - 1998
    Luckily, Rumpole's got other ways to sway a jury. Meanwhile, an old friend's fiancee is looking suspiciously familiar. But from where? Once more, John Mortimer lets Rumpole maintain his hilariously cynical commentary throughout ceaseless smoking, drinking and uncommon lawyering.

High Crimes


Joseph Finder - 1998
    No exceptions. The military is a tight, closed fraternity. They take it real serious. Military justice is a deadly serious business." Claire has to realize this as she prepares to defend her husband--the man she knows as Tom Chapman, but who the Army says is Ron Kubik-- on charges that he took part in a massacre of 87 civilians in San Salvador 13 years before. Full of doubts about Tom's innocence and her own ability to prove it in an unfamiliar arena, Claire is brought to exciting, moving life by the extravagantly gifted Joseph Finder, whose previous thrillers (Extraordinary Powers, The Zero Hour) are available in paperback.

Iron Lake


William Kent Krueger - 1998
    Embittered by his "former" status, and the marital meltdown that has separated him from his children, Cork gets by on heavy doses of caffeine, nicotine, and guilt. Once a cop on Chicago's South Side, there's not much that can shock him. But when the town's judge is brutally murdered, and a young Eagle Scout is reported missing, Cork takes on a mind-jolting case of conspiracy, corruption, and scandal. As a lakeside blizzard buries Aurora, Cork must dig out the truth among town officials who seem dead-set on stopping his investigation in its tracks. But even Cork freezes up when faced with the harshest enemy of all: a small-town secret that hits painfully close to home.

Revere Beach Boulevard


Roland Merullo - 1998
    From the moment Vito arrived in the United States from Italy in 1936 he did his best to live as a good man--hard-working, deeply-religious, frugal and honest. Peter, on the other hand, now forty years old, his real-estate business in shambles, has bent the rules and battled a gambling addiction for most of his adult life. With his family's help, he always just succeeded in averting disaster, until now. Revere Beach Boulevard--a novel both literary and suspenseful--tells the story of a family that rallies around an errant son, even as a dark secret that has blighted all their lives comes to the surface. For Peter it means having the courage to stand up to Eddie Crevine, a Mafia thug to whom he is in debt and who now threatens his life. For Peter's sister, Joanna, it means admitting that she shares some of her brother's anger at their parents. For Vito and his wife, Lucy, it involves dealing with the aftereffects of a youthful indiscretion, a moment of unchecked passion that changed all of their lives in ways that can never be undone. Revere Beach Boulevard is a rich and heartfelt novel that looks deeply into the secret places in men and women's hearts, places only great fiction can reveal.

Garfield & the Beast in the Basement


Jim Davis - 1998
    A series of books offering each child an opportunity to progress at an individual pace -- with stories designed to appeal to a wide range of interests and abilities -- so that every beginning reader experiences success.

The Shadow in the Sands


Sam Llewellyn - 1998
    a continuation of the celebrated story of intrigue, treachery and adventure at sea begun in Erskine Childers' epoch-making thriller The Riddle of the Sands, this affectionate tribute to the world's first spy novel is a brilliantly original, utterly enthralling thriller in its own right.

Maneater


Jack Warner - 1998
    But soon he is pitted against an unlikely but fearsome opponent - a full-grown Bengal tiger that has somehow found its way into his jurisdiction.

Caught in the Light


Robert Goddard - 1998
    Back in England, he breaks up with his wife and goes to meet Marian at an agreed rendezvous. Marian fails to show.Searching desperately for her, he stumbles on a Dorset churchyard full of the gravestones of dead Esguards. He also meets a psychotherapist, Daphne Sanger. She too is looking for someone: a former patient who has come to believe she is the reincarnation of Marion Esguard, who lived in Regency times and, it emerges, may have invented photography ten years before Fox Talbot. But if so, why is she unknown to history? And where is the woman he met in Vienna?Ian sets out to solve a mystery that may be 170 years old. At the end of his search a trap awaits him.

When the Wind Blows


James Patterson - 1998
    It is not long before another neighbor suddenly dies, and FBI agent Kit Harrison arrives at Frannie's doorstep. Kit is hell-bent on solving the heinous case despite resounding protests from the FBI and the thrashing of his own internal demons.Kit secretly pursues the investigation, yet witnesses keep turning up dead. Then Frannie stumbles upon an astonishing discovery in the nearby woods, and their lives are altered in ways they could never have imagined. Simply knowing the secret of Max -- the terrified 11-year-old girl with an amazing gift -- could mean death.As more and more diabolical details are unearthed, the murderer's bloody trail ultimately leads the trio to an underground lab network, known as "the School." Here scientists conduct shockingly incomprehensible experiments involving children and genetic alteration.

Deceived by Flight


John Thaw - 1998
    

Garfield & the Mysterious Mummy


Jim Davis - 1998
    A series of books offering each child an opportunity to progress at an individual pace -- with stories designed to appeal to a wide range of interests and abilities -- so that every beginning reader experiences success.