Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense Archive - Check It Out

Check It Out

A Fourth Grade Field Trip Turned Deadly

A fire destroyed the Bedford paper mill and, since then, the surrounding woods between Bedford and Corpus Christi have died. Lois Larkan uses these woods as a “teachable moment” and takes her class on a field trip to see the ecological disaster. Distracted by a break-up, Lois doesn’t notice that one child gets left behind until it’s too late. Little James Walker has had plenty of time to wreak havoc in the woods. James stumbles upon and releases a malevolent evil into the world…and it’s a contagion…a sentient contagion. Anyone who comes in contact with it becomes a flesh-eating monster. Can Corpus Christi (and the world) survive? Find out in Sarah Langan’s horror-edged thriller The Missing.

By Readers' Advisor on October 18, 2012 Categories: Books, Horror, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

LISTS: Quests, Secrets, and Intrigue

Books, parchment, scrolls, letters…these things will always be intriguing when found tucked away in dusty boxes, attics, and archives. They are especially mysterious and enthralling when they’re full of secret information, conspiracies, and supernatural knowledge that lead a character on dangerous exploits.

If you liked National Treasure, but want a darker story in book form, click here.

By Readers' Advisor on October 12, 2012 Categories: Books, Lists, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

Secrets and Lies

You’d be hard-pressed to find a review of The 500 that doesn’t compare it to The Firm by John Grisham, but that’s not bad company to be in. Chock full of the same high-stakes action and intrigue, this debut suspense thriller is set in the world of political lobbyists, as experienced by a young associate with a checkered past. What begins as an assignment to “get close to” a young congressman soon balloons to involve a Serbian war criminal, his seductress daughter, a Supreme Court justice, and some dire suspicions about his own bosses. Can Mike beat them at their own game, or will he be another victim of their sinister dealings? Narrator Jay Snyder fuels the adrenaline with emotional pacing and dramatic character readings.

By Readers' Advisor on October 8, 2012 Categories: Audiobooks, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

Murder and a Melancholy Swede

“Policemen aren’t supposed to believe in coincidences,” we’re told in the third series of Wallander, and mystery fans wouldn’t have it any other way. The appeal is in the slow piecing of details, and the solutions need to feel earned. Henning Mankell’s burdened Swedish detective perseveres in case after case, driven to explain the inexplicable horrors that are visited on the bleak Scandinavian countrysides. Kenneth Branagh balances the intensity and weariness of lead inspector Kurt Wallander, and he is supported by equally strong yet understated performances. The newest BBC release includes beautifully directed, feature-length adaptations of “An Event in Autumn,” The Dogs of Riga, and Before the Frost. You won’t be disappointed.

By Readers' Advisor on October 1, 2012 Categories: Movies and Television, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

Infanticide, Corruption, and Diamond Mining

In Kathy Reichs’ fifteenth Temperance Brennan novel, Bones are Forever, forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is looking for the killer of three infants in Yellowknife, a remote diamond mining town in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Andrew Ryan, Tempe’s ex, is heading up the investigation, which only gets more complicated when Ollie Hasty, another ex and a sergeant with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, shows up.

By Readers' Advisor on September 8, 2012 Categories: Books, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense, Web Video

Six Months Before the End of the World

In six months, an asteroid will hit Earth and kill every person on it. Scientists are sure of this. Most people walk away from their jobs and get working on their bucket lists. Not Hank Palace. Palace has always wanted to be a police detective and he’s not going to let the end of the world stop him.

The Last Policeman, by Ben Winters, is the first in a trilogy about the pre-apocalyptic adventures of Hank Palace.

By Readers' Advisor on August 4, 2012 Categories: Books, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense, Web Video

Rewarding Romance

Be still our hearts! The Romance Writers of America have named the most outstanding published romance novels of the year and honored them with the 2012 RITA Awards. No matter if your preferred hero wears a kilt, holds a Regency title, has ties to the supernatural, or appreciates homebaked goods, you’ll find a winner to enhance your dreams.

Best Historical Romance: The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne

Best Regency Historical Romance: A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare

Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’Neal

Best First Book: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Best Paranormal Romance: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Best Romantic Suspense: New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

Best Young Adult Romance: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

By Readers' Advisor on August 1, 2012 Categories: Awards, Books, Fantasy & Sci-Fi, Historical Fiction, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense, Romance

Fear the Worst

When someone finally notices that Cambridge University is experiencing an unusually high rate of violent suicides, DC Lacey Flint is tapped to go undercover. She’s warned of websites that may be pushing vulnerable students to extreme action, but what she discovers is infinitely more insidious. Pretty young women are being systematically traumatized, but it’s all chalked up to their own mental and emotional struggles. Since Lacey herself has just barely survived an especially brutal case, it may not take much acting to play the part of the fragile co-ed. Dead Scared by S.J. Bolton is a creepy, fast-paced, and gruesome psychological thriller, and you won’t be able to put it down.

By Readers' Advisor on July 30, 2012 Categories: Books, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

LISTS: Medical Thrillers

James Patterson, Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, Michael Palmer, Tess Gerritsen, and Robert Ludlum have something in common. They’ve all written exhilarating medical suspense. If you like your danger and conspiracies to be mixed with doctors, diseases, and hospitals, we’ve got something for you.

Click here to let the bloodletting medical thrillers begin!

By Readers' Advisor on July 27, 2012 Categories: Books, Lists, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

Award-Winning Faith Fiction

The 2012 Christy Awards, designed to honor and promote excellence in Christian fiction, newly announced top picks in a variety of genres. Click here for a complete of nominees, and choose one of the winners below to inspire your end-of-summer reading.

Contemporary Standalone: Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock

Contemporary Series: The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould

Suspense: The Queen by Steven James

Historical: Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

Historical Romance: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

First Novel: Words by Ginny Yttrup

By Readers' Advisor on July 25, 2012 Categories: Awards, Books, Historical Fiction, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense, Romance