Book picks similar to
Ken Follett's Thundering Good Thrillers: Eye of the Needle / Hornet Flight / Jackdaws by Ken Follett
fiction
audio_wanted
thriller
stoo-cadlee
December 6
Martin Cruz Smith - 2002
DECEMBER 6 Amid the imperialist fervor of late 1941 Tokyo, Harry Niles is a man with a mission -- self-preservation. But Niles was raised by missionary parents and educated in the shadows of Tokyo's underworld -- making his loyalties as dubious as his business dealings.Now, on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Niles must decide where his true allegiances lie, as he tries to juggle his Japanese mistress and an adulterous affair with the wife of a British diplomat; avoid a modern-day samurai who is honor-bound to kill him; and survive the machinations of the Japanese high command, whose plans for conquest may just dictate his survival.Set in a maelstrom of personal temptations and mortal enemies, with a remarkable anti-hero caught in a land he can never call his own, DECEMBER 6 is a triumph of imagination, history, and riveting storytelling.
Lincoln's Dreams
Connie Willis - 1987
He meets Annie, an intense and lovely young woman suffering from vivid, intense nightmares. Haunted by the dreamer and her unrelenting dreams, Jeff leads Annie on an emotional odyssey through the heartland of the Civil War in search of a cure. On long-silenced battlefields their relationship blossoms-two obsessed lovers linked by unbreakable chains of history, torn by a duty that could destroy them both. Suspenseful, moving, and highly compelling, Lincoln's Dreams is a novel of rare imaginative power.
A Haven in Ash
Robert J. Crane - 2017
A horde of beasts known only as the scourge has ravaged the land, leaving only the village of Terreas to survive. Hemmed in on all sides by the scourge, the denizens of Terreas eke out a lonely existence, trying to survive in a land that is all but dead. Jasen Rabinn is a teenage boy trapped in Terreas but with a mind rooted outside the boundaries of his village. He longs for adventure, and when the mysterious Baraghosa – a sorcerer of a sort not native to Luukessia – comes to Terreas, a chain of events is set in motion that will carry Jasen beyond his simple town. To adventure. To danger. To his destiny.
The Myron Bolitar Series 7-Book Bundle: Deal Breaker, Drop Shot, Fade Away, Back Spin, One False Move, The Final Detail, Darkest Fear (Myron Bolitar, #1-7)
Harlan Coben - 2013
The complex, fascinating brainchild of Edgar Award–winning storyteller Harlan Coben, Bolitar has faced off against ruthlessly competitive superstars, desperate gamblers and groupies, and, on more than one occasion, even the mob. Now the first seven novels of Harlan Coben’s acclaimed series are teamed up in this convenient eBook bundle, including: DEAL BREAKERDROP SHOTFADE AWAYBACK SPINONE FALSE MOVETHE FINAL DETAILDARKEST FEAR Praise for Harlan Coben and his Myron Bolitar novels “The modern master of the hook-and-twist.”—Dan Brown “What sets Harlan Coben above the crowd are wit and wicked nonchalance.”—Los Angeles Times “Don’t let Coben’s wry observations fool you: They gift wrap keen insights into our society.”—The Washington Post Book World “Myron Bolitar is one of the most engaging heroes in mystery fiction.”—Dennis Lehane “[Coben] combines Chandler’s wry wit with Ross MacDonald’s moral complexity.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “A gifted storyteller . . . Mystery just comes along for the ride.”—The Denver Post “Like fellow wisecracking P.I.’s Spenser and Elvis Cole, Myron Bolitar is great fun in the best ‘hard-boiled’ tradition.”—Houston Chronicle
Harbored Secrets
Marie F. Martin - 2013
473 Five Star reviews on Amazon. Historical novel with a psychological mystery in the unearthing of family secrets. In May of 1935, Blinny Platt's homestead shack burns to the ground forever leaving her family asunder, scattering them like the embers flew on the Montana wind. She was only eight-years-old, sent away and in charge of her little sister. She could handle that because Platts take care of Platts.However, it is the hidden secrets of her parents smoldering beneath the charred remains that haunts Blinny until 1982. She once again leaves the home place to build a house for herself. As the foundation is poured and the walls go up, each of the hurtful memories are uncovered. Finally the mystery, left in the ashes of the burned home, is revealed. How could her mother do what she did?Recent Five-Star Reviews:By the end of the very first paragraph, I knew Marie F. Martin had written a book I would have a hard time putting down. In between high drama, there is a love letter to Montana, and she uses her love of the English language throughout. More "Oh wow" moments in this book than any other I have ever read in my more than half a century of life. Yvonne Bechtold, Five-star reviewerThis is a tale so well told, you can smell the sage, feel the heat, and pain this family shares. I wish more authors crafted their characters so well. Renita Hulsey Five-Star Reader Review.The author was a master at weaving the past with the present. Quaintreader Five-Star Reader ReviewMartin knows family dynamics and human frailties. From these she has crafted a heartbreaking story, of love, loss, and endurance. Barb Ward Five-Star Reader Review
The Secret of Lions
Scott Blade - 2013
Often they were burned in public, lost in mountainous torrents of fire.One painting survived the flames.One painting held a fatal secretBarbara Howard was a young American art student; who studied in London. She was obsessed over discovering the unknown identity of the artist who painted the mysterious painting called THE SECRET OF LIONS.Barbara was determined to do what scholars had failed to do, uncover the story behind the painting.She investigated and discovered Evan, a secretive groundskeeper, working behind the scenes on a chilly London campus. Embarking on a passionate affair with Evan, Barbara learned the secret behind the painting. It became a secret that she could never escape.The story that Barbara uncovered would change her life forever.
The Cromwell Deception
John Paul Davis - 2014
For over four hundred years the Crown jewels of England have been held safely in the Tower of London, yet in the coming days they are removed, never to be seen in public again. Government receipts confirm the jewels have been sold and melted down for mint value.Only one man knows the truth...Present day: In the heart of London, a famous art gallery is robbed in the dead of night. Two paintings are taken: a newly purchased £10million self-portrait of a famous 17th-century artist and a portrait of a Roundhead soldier of moderate fame. For gallery director Gillian McKevitt, news of the theft is an absolute nightmare. Aside from the theft occurring less than two days before the self-portrait's unveiling, CCTV footage suggests the theft was an inside job.As the news sinks in, a surprise revelation from Gillian's predecessor confirms she is dealing with no ordinary theft. One of the portraits contains an unimaginable secret, one with the potential to reveal the whereabouts of a long-lost treasure. With time running out before the grand unveiling, Gillian realises she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. Following the clues revealed by earlier x-ray and infrared examination of the painting, Gillian finds herself in a frantic, and dangerous, race across England and through history as she attempts to track down the thieves before they reach their goal. To succeed, she must not only uncover their identity, but also unearth one of England's best-kept secrets...
The Trinity Six
Charles Cumming - 2011
And people are killing for it… London, 1992. Late one night, Edward Crane, 76, is declared dead at a London hospital. An obituary describes him only as a 'resourceful career diplomat'. But Crane was much more than that – and the circumstances surrounding his death are far from what they seem. Fifteen years later, academic Sam Gaddis needs money. When a journalist friend asks for his help researching a possible sixth member of the notorious Trinity spy ring, Gaddis knows that she's onto a story that could turn his fortunes around. But within hours the journalist is dead, apparently from a heart attack. Taking over her investigation, Gaddis trails a man who claims to know the truth about Edward Crane. Europe still echoes with decades of deadly disinformation on both sides of the Iron Curtain. And as Gaddis follows a series of leads across the continent, he approaches a shocking revelation – one which will rock the foundations of politics from London to Moscow…
Mary Anne
Daphne du Maurier - 1954
So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, that before long she comes to the notice of the Duke of York.With her taste for luxury and power, Mary Anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government - and brings personal disgrace.A vivid portrait of overweening ambition, MARY ANNE is set during the Napoleonic Wars and based on du Maurier's own great-great-grandmother. In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, that before long she comes to the notice of the Duke of York.With her taste for luxury and power, Mary Anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government - and brings personal disgrace.
Black Sky (A Mystery-Thriller)
Victor Methos - 2013
Woken one night when the body of a young woman is found torn apart, that peace is shattered as it dawns on him that a predator is among them.EVERYONE A SUSPECT...With little to go on, all the men in the town are potential suspects and Jesse begins an investigation that spans across the social spectrum. Unable to find the killer, the mayor goes against Jesse and decides to bring in bounty hunters. But the cure may be more dangerous than the disease.A WINDOW INTO THE DARKNESS OF MEN...As another murder occurs under their noses, Jesse realizes he is outmatched and facing an evil he has never encountered. He enlists the help of an alienist from Harvard University. Someone trained in the new science of the mind. Together they are about to journey into the darkest recesses of the human soul, and they may not make it out alive...
The Kinshield Saga
K.C. May - 2011
Also includes the novella Sole Sacrifice.The Kinshield Legacy (book 1)A mysterious stone tablet with five magical gems has sat abandoned in a cave for two hundred years. The kingdom is in ruins, with only warrant knights to keep the peace. But then, the gems in the tablet, one by one, disappear.Warrant knight Gavin Kinshield is a man of many secrets. He's the one deciphering the runes in the tablet. Unless he can find a suitable replacement, he'll be Thendylath's next king. All he really wants is the letter written by his ancestor Ronor Kinshield, champion to King Arek, confessing the truth of how the king perished... a letter he must earn by tracking down a common thief.But when Gavin saves a woman's life, what should have been a simple task draws him face-to-face with his nightmarish past... and the truth of King Arek's demise.The Wayfarer King (book 2)Beyonders, evil beings that materialize without warning from the realm of chaos, continue to invade the world of men, destroying everything -- and everyone -- in their path. The most powerful of them all, Ritol, has been confined for two hundred years inside the palace in Thendylath, trapped by King Arek's magic.Having newly claimed the right to rule Thendylath as king, Gavin Kinshield has no money or army, but he's determined to protect his people from the beyonder attacks. With his new power of Wayfarer, Gavin has the ability to journey to all seven realms. To end the invasion, he must travel to the realm of chaos and summon Ritol. But can he escape before the beyonder champion kills him, devours his soul and takes his place as Wayfarer?If wizard Brodas Ravenkind has his way, Gavin will never make it that far. Not only does Ravenkind want the throne for himself, he wants revenge for his cousin's murder too. After all, he made a promise the first time Gavin crossed him…
The Beekeeper's Daughter
Santa Montefiore - 2014
The only child of the beekeeper, she knows her place and her future - until her father dies unexpectedly and leaves her bereft and alone. Alone, that is, except for the man she loves, whom she knows she can never have.Massachusetts, 1973: Grace's beautiful, impetuous daughter Trixie Valentine is in love. Jasper is wild and romantic, a singer in a band on the brink of stardom. Then tragedy strikes and he must return to his home in England, promising to come back to Trixie one day, if only she will wait for him…Weighed down by memories, unaware of the secrets that bind them, both mother and daughter are searching for lost love. To find what they are longing for they must confront the past, and unravel the lies told long ago…
The Prisoner in the Mask
Dennis Wheatley - 1957
But why? Why should a French aristocrat renounce his country and live in exile? The answer lay in the Paris of the nineties; a world of superficial glamour, and under the surface, deep social and political trouble. The army, discredited by the Dreyfus case, was being purged. The young de Richleau, cadet and then instructor at the military academy of St. Cyr, became involved in a conspiracy. A conspiracy to restore the French monarchy. The Duc de Vendome was secretly coached in his future role of King.Then, the conspiracy was betrayed. The results: death for some. For Richleau, the life of a fugitive, but a fugitive who had declared a single-handed vendetta against the government; who was determined to rescue the Prince.
The Great Pagan Army
Vaughn Heppner - 2010
They are the Great Pagan Army—the largest array of Vikings ever assembled into one host. No army or city can resist them; no one dares… until a crippled young count finds an old Roman book on tactics. With a handful of desperate knights, Count Odo fortifies the river fortress of Paris and awaits the savage host. Neither he nor the Vikings realize that this will be young Paris’s most brutal siege and of incredibly fateful importance. THE GREAT PAGAN ARMY is the recreation of a historical campaign of brutal savagery. It is a full novel, 113,000 words in length by bestselling author Vaughn Heppner.
The Custom of the Army
Diana Gabaldon - 2010
After a high society electric-eel party leads to a duel that ends badly, Lord John Grey feels the need to lie low for a while. Conveniently, before starting his new commission in His Majesty’s army, Lord John receives an urgent summons. An old friend from the military, Charlie Carruthers, is facing court-martial in Canada, and has called upon Lord John to serve as his character witness. Grey voyages to the New World—a land rife with savages (many of them on his own side) and cleft by war—where he soon finds that he must defend not only his friend’s life but his own.