The Disciple, by Stephen Coonts
Filed under: Steven Coonts, Thriller, bestseller, book review, espionage, military fiction
Iran is weeks away from having operational nuclear weapons. Closer, in fact, than the CIA believes. It seems to have every intention of using 
CIA’s Chief of Operations for the Middle East is former Navy admiral Jake Grafton. He knows something is going on, and assigns his best operative, Tommy Carmellini, to work inside Iran. Tommy starts gathering information, and is assisted by a group of dissident Iranians. They are afraid their leader may start a new world war.
Eventually, the facts are on the table. And they are much worse than suspected. Iran has nearly completed production of a dozen nuclear warheads. But the American President refuses to strike Iran first. As he sees it, a broad strike on Iran will be the beginning of the third world war. Instead it will be up to Grafton and Carmellini to stop the disaster from occurring. The countdown to Armageddon has started. Can it be stopped?
Tommy Carmellini, the main character in a recent series of books by Stephen Coonts, has worked with Jake Grafton on a number of missions. He is a retired jewel thief that has been turned into a somewhat reluctant CIA operative. He is a very smooth, careful, intelligent and highly adaptive man who has just the kind of skill set that is required for deep undercover work.
In The Disciple, Stephen Coonts returns to the kind of military and espionage story that he is great at, and that made some other novels, like Cuba, very successful novels. This is a good move by Coonts. He knows how to tell a suspenseful tale of skillful military action and undercover technology.
The Disciple had me pinned to my chair. It is Coonts at his best again. A great book!
The Disciple is a tense and fast-paced thriller, starting with the opening sequence of the Israeli destruction of a Syrian nuclear plant. It never slows down. A great book for fans of military and espionage thrillers.
One I recommend.
High Citadel, by Desmond Bagley
Filed under: Desmond Bagley, Thriller, bestseller, book review
Desmond Bagley is an almost forgetten English master thriller writer. But his books are still very well worth reading – elegant, extremely suspenseful, good characters and smart plots. High Citadel is one of his best.
A plane is forced down in the Andes. The survivors – a pilot, two businessmen, 
And as they try to organize their effort to improve their situation, we start to find out that the people involved are not what they say they are. Each has their own past. And, in addition, it soon becomes evident that the survivors have a traitor in their midst.
They manage to get down to a mining camp. There another bad surprise awaits them. What follows is tense, tightly scripted action. The party of survivors gets holed up on one side of a gorge, trying their best to holding off attackers with limited weapons and ammunition and a homemade crossbow. Their hopes rest on a small number who have volunteered to climb the other side of the mountain looking for help.
Every character in High Citadel plays an important role. The action is very tense, and the suspense is present all the time. This is one of Bagley’s best books, well written, exciting and a great read. It is highly recommended for all thriller fans.
The Bourne Deception, by Eric van Lustbader, Robert Ludlum
Filed under: Eric van Lustbader, Jason Bourne, Robert Ludlum, Thriller, book review
Robert Ludlum died in March 2001, but even so 
In this book a very highly placed American makes a deal with a Russian to have Bourne killed – once more. And in exchange for this, the Americans will kill a terrorist for the Russians (a bit of a shift from the old days, when the *Russians supposedly supported terrorists?) A Russian sniper, who turns out to be Leonid Arkadin (see The Bourne Sanction
Then the canvas widens. A US airplane is shot down over Egypt. War hawks plot for an American invasion of Iran. A rouge American security outfit with extremely greedy owners meddles with intelligence reports and kills high ranking US Government officials. The American Secretary of Defense pushes for war to increase his own standing in the government.
The plot in The Bourne Deception is rich and past paced. And there is lots of action – almost too much, in the sense that it feels a little like sitting in a roller coaster train. The plot moves along, but its underpinnings are weak and strange, the logic that drives it a little artificial, and in the midst of it all Van Lustbader – who has a metaphysical leaning – throws in a little meta-physics (something Ludlum would never have done!).
I have to say I have read the follow-ups to Ludlum’s Jason Bourne novels by Eric van Lustbader with growing frustration. More and more I experience the books as overwhelmed by movie-like action descriptions as a substitute for intelligent plots and clever dynamics. The Bourne Deception I liked even less than the previous. To my mind, these books are now moving into a territory where only for the really diehard fans of the Jason Bourne saga will enjoy them.
Shadow Account, by Stephen Frey
Filed under: New York Times bestseller, Stephen Frey, Thriller, bestseller, book review
Stephen Frey, who is a specialist in mergers and acquisitions 
We meet up with the main character, Connor Ashby is in his apartment in Manhattan, with his wealthy engaged to someone else girlfriend Liz Shaw. Then an email addressed to a person named Victor arrives. The email indicates that revenues are profit is being manipulated in a very big but unnamed firm. Connor realizes the email he received was an error, but before he can decide what to do Liz sends him out to buy cigarettes. When he returns Liz has been killed, the apartment has been completely trashed and a goon is trying to kill him. Responding quickly, he manages to get out of the apartment and run off. However, when he returns with the police, his apartment is clean, nothing is broken, and there is no corpse. It is as if nothing has happened.
As he follows a twisting trail of misdeeds and misinformation that stretches nationwide, Conner slowly uncovers a shocking plot as undeniably real as the gunshot wound in his arm. Now, surviving will mean struggling to expose the truth as relentlessly as his shadowy enemies seek to conceal it— and fighting for his life as ruthlessly as those determined to end it.
Shadow Account has a good plot, and it quickly hooks you. And in the course of the story, Frey explains the complex financial issues in a fashion that makes them understandable. Having read this book, you will better understand some of the recent meltdown scandals like Enron.
Stephen Frey’s novels of big money and murder in the world of finance have earned this New York Times bestselling author a richly deserved reputation as a master of suspense who always delivers a high yield. Now he raises the stakes, and the risk factor, in this new thriller that pits a young Wall Street player against corporate conspiracy and White House intrigue—in a dangerous game of double crosses, dirty tricks, and deadly consequences.
Shadow Account. It does jump and twist a little here and there, and may be a little too convoluted at times, but it is a very entertaining and enjoyable read in a genre with relatively few very good writers.
Arctic Drift, by Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler
Filed under: Clive Cussler, Thriller, bestseller, technothriller
Clive Cussler is a big bestselling author in the United States. He pretty 
In Arctic Drift, Clive Cussler and his son Dirk imagine the U.S. and Canada on the brink of war. This is their third collaborative novel (after Treasure of Khan
and Black Wind
Here, the price of gas hits $10 a gallon, and US President Garner Ward must contend with a corrupt Canadian cabal that’s subverting efforts to solve America’s energy problems. Pitt barely escapes serious injury when a bomb destroys a D.C. lab along with records of research into an artificial photosynthesis process that could, almost immediately, eliminate the threat of global warming.
But despair not – Dirk Pitt is on the case. It looks very bleak, and events do certainly seem to escalate out of control. But the Pitts manage to connect the dots, and eventually the greedy guys are defeated and peace reigns yet again. Till next time.
Thriller fans in search of a quick, exciting read should be satisfied. There is lots of breathtaking suspense and audacious imagination in Arctic Drift, as in all the books in the Pitt series. And, yes, it is entertaining. As it were.
Praise:
‘the action zipping along until a final powerhouse showdown’ (Entertainment Weekly).
‘What’s not to like?’ (Los Angeles Times)
Nimitz Class, by Patrick Robinson
Filed under: Arnold Morgan, Main character, Patrick Robinson, Thriller, book review, military fiction, naval fiction
Nimitz Class was Patrick Robinson’s first thriller and a very successful debut. It is also first in a series of political thrillers about 
In Nimitz Class, the carrier USS Thomas Jefferson, manned by a complement of 6000 crew members, patrols the waters of the Indian Ocean. Then suddenly her blip simply disappears from the radar screens of the other warships in her battle group. The ensuing investigation by the Director of the NSA, Admiral Arnold Morgan, and nuclear expert Lieutenant Commander Bill Baldridge, uncovers a complex plot that has been executed by a foreign submarine with a brilliant commander.
Baldridge and Morgan are gradually able to pin down the submarine used to perform the terrible deed. Searching from Scotland to Russia to Turkey to the South Pacific, they also manage to identify the commander of the sub – Benjamin Adnam, an Israeli citizen. But finding out whom, how and why is only half the job. The second part of the job is to locate the submarine and to permanently stop it. That turns out to be by far the most difficult task for Baldridge and Morgan.
Nimitz Class is a great suspense thriller. It is apparently not 100% correct as far as technology and US Navy operation is concerned, but as a thriller it works very well. It is written in a clear and compelling style, creates an aura of tension and surprise, is intelligently told and is very suspenseful. I also have to admit that I really love the character of Admiral Arnold Morgan, one of the saltier characters in modern thriller series. Overall, Nimitz Class is one of Patrick Robinson’s best thrillers.
“The New Frederick Forsyth.” — Guardian
“One of the crown princes of the beach-read thriller” — Stephen Coonts
The Dogs of War, by Frederick Forsyth
Filed under: Frederick Forsyth, Thriller, book review
A few days ago I happened upon this classic thriller by Frederich Forsyth, originially published in 1974. It is a great book, very exciting and suspenseful. The plot in The Dogs of War is centered on a tycoon that discovers a mountain of 
In The Dogs of War, Forsyth clearly material of particular relevance at the time of writing. There were strong rumors at the time, and some evidence too, that with the right contacts and enough money, mercenaries specialized in coups d’etat could be hired to topple governments. Indeed, some rumors even implicated mr. Forsyth in such a plot! It is still not clear, I think, whether he was or not.
Regardless, The Dogs of War is a high quality thriller that still is very well worth reading. It is a book that shows why Frederich Forsyth made such a name for himself as a thriller writer. As you will see if you read the book, Forsyth was simply excellent when he was at his best. The Dogs of War is a must for any thriller-loving reader!
Lost Souls, by Lisa Jackson
Filed under: Thriller, book review, crime book, erotic fiction
Four coeds have disappeared in less than two years at All Saints College. They were all considered “troubled” girls. So no one has asked too many questions about the missing students.
Twenty-seven-year-old Kristi Bentz, the stunningly beautiful, hot wanna-be-detective is lucky to be alive. Not many people her age have nearly died twice at the hands of a serial killer, and lived to tell about it. Her last encounter was with a sadistic monster in bestselling Jackson’s Absolute Evil. But somehow she is fascinated by the minds of serial killers, and she is ready for another go and wants to write about it.
Kristi by chance rents the apartment of one of the missing girls. She begins investigating the case, thinking it might make a great first book. However, Vlad, the mysterious serial killer, very soon sets his sights on Kristi. And the action starts.
There is a lot of action in this book, but I am not sure I like it much even so. Vampirism is not my thing. But it seems very fashionable for the moment. But Jackson is smart, and has written a book that probably will be attractive to a lot a people – some hot sex, some vampire-stuff, a lot of action, a real crime mystery, and some supernatural powers as well for good measure.
Lost Souls is entertaining. Even though I didn’t like it all that much, it was still somehow a little fun and a little exciting. So if you like pretty well written romantic suspense novels and the campus background, and some hot sex scenes, this may be it.
Nothing to Lose, by Lee Child
It was a coincidence that I picked up this book. I was at the library to pick up some books. While I was waiting, I saw it lying there. So I picked it up. Looked at it and borrowed it. And later I read all the other books I had waiting for me. Finally I started on Lee Child’s book with the boring cover.
And reading it, at first I thought it was simply odd. 
But I continued to read, curious as I am. And gradually the book grew on me. Partly because I wanted to find out what was going on – thinking there had to be something more. Partly because this represented to me a kind of new genre of thriller. A bare bones, no frills thriller if you want. No spying, no agents, no super duper huge or advanced or whatever organization. Just a guy. And, admittedly, a somewhat strange guy. Named Jack Reacher.
Later I have read up on the book, the author and the series. I have noted that a book reviewer in New York Times, Janet Maslin, calls Jack Reacher a “minimalist character”. I think that is an apt description. He is minimalist. The thriller is minimalist!
But Child’s Reacher is actually, when you get to know him, an utterly addictive hero. He is a 6 feet 5 inches ex-military cop that excels in unarmed combat, and he is as cool as a cucumber. He may get a little worried when he is up against six guys in a bar, and start to ponder their combined body weight relative to his and such things. But he delivers the goods. And, as well, his powers of deduction are second to none and a joy to observe!
So, yeah, I liked this guy. I liked the way Reacher dealt with power abuse, crime and corruption. And I liked the way he dealt with a disgusting born-again businessman impatient for apocalypse.
I don’t actually think this is the best book in the series, having now read several of them. But it is more than good enough, and quite spectacular in it minimalism. Nothing to Lose is a book I recommend!
Rules of Deception, by Christopher Reich
Filed under: Christopher Reich, Thriller, book review, recommendation
Sometimes even I get lucky. I was when I stumbled across this book. Even 
Then I picked it up and started reading the same evening. And it just sucked me right in. The prologue and the first chapter are masterful, and more or less make it impossible to stop reading beyond that point. I have to admit I was late getting to be the next morning. But the book really did live up to the expectations it initially created.
The prologue is extremely ominous: There is a butterfly flying around above a high-security compound surrounded by a barbed wire in an unknown location. Then it turns out the butterfly a mechanical device carrying a mini-microwave transmitter. Then a guard says: “They have found us.”
Rules of Deception tells the story of a smart, resourceful and courageous doctor named Jonathan Ransom. Dr. Ransom is a surgeon who works for Doctors Without. He is a happily married man with a beautiful English wife, Emma, whom he loves. Life is good. Then Emma dies in an accident.
A few days later, some baggage claim tickets are delivered to his hotel room. They were for his wife. Not knowing what they are for, Ransom goes to claim them. The content of bags makes it clear that his wife was not at all the person he believed her to be. Suddenly Jonathan finds that his has known very little about his wife, and that his life has not at all been what it seems. As a matter of fact, his life is seemingly a big pile of lies. And now he finds himself right in the middle of the pile, trying to make sense and fighting to stay alive. In fact, it seems Jonathan’s only chance at survival lies in uncovering the devastating truth behind his wife’s secret life.
The plot in Rules of Deception is intricate and has multiple layers and the chapters are short and to the point. And the action is fast and often surprising. I found it a great thriller, full of excitement. Most certainly a writer I will read more of and watch out for!
, amazon UK
, and amazon CAN
(see especially his Numbered Account)-
The World of Books- Blackwater, by Kerstin Ekman
- The Vivero Letter, by Desmond Bagley
- The Day Trader, by Stephen Frey
- War and Remembrance, by Herman Wouk
- So Near So Far, by C. Northcote Parkinson
- Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D. H. Lawrence
- The e-book scene: Fight over rights, new e-book readers
- P.D. James on Detective Fiction!
- Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift
- Detective Inspector Huss, by Helene Tursten
- Euro bookblog
- The Man with the Iron Heart, by Harry Turtledove
- HMS Saracen, by Douglas Reeman
- The Golden Keel, by Desmond Bagley
- The Temporal Void, by Peter F. Hamilton
- Mother’s Elling ( Mors Elling ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2]
- Web Standards Solutions: The Markup and Style Handbook, Special Edition, by Dan Cederholm
- David Sklansky: The Theory of Poker
- E-book readers: More choices
- A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore
- First Family, by David Baldacci