Gangsters, Guerillas, Soldiers, Spies... And Then Some

Mix and Match Your Thrilling Reads

We here recommend some adult fiction reads by local favorites and by authors you may have missed along the way.

The Mullah's Storm by Thomas W. Young

Young's debut novel opens with a transport plane carrying a Taliban prisoner and a radical mullah being forced down in Hindu Kush of Afghanistan. The book's ending definitely spells sequel.

American Assassin by Vince Flynn

Flynn delivers a prequel to his Mitch Rapp novels and (finally!) explains in depth why Rapp became a CIA operative. Recurring characters galore for fans of the author's Rapp-Kennedy-Stansfield novels.

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville

Irish writer Neville's thriller debut tells the story of a former IRA operative haunted by the ghosts of the people he's killed. Complex characters and back-story; expect a sequel.

Warlord by Ted Bell
This sixth in the series of well-written and plotted Alex Hawke thrillers.

Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carre

A Russian mafia/spy thriller from the much admired author who gave us George Smiley.

The Templar Salvation by Raymond Khoury
This fast-paced sequel to The Last Templar will interest fans of religious thrillers by Dan Brown, Steve Berry, Katherine Neville and Umberto Eco, among others.

Zero History by William Gibson

If you're thinking denim can't possibly be the focus of a semi-spy, semi-sci-fi thriller, think again. Gibson, who is known as the "patron saint of cyberpunk lit," again speculates about technology's effects much as he did in his once futuristic now classic novel, Neuromancer.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Follett's known for spy thrillers and more recently, historical fiction. This first book in the author's Century Trilogy is historical and follows five families from the outbreak of WWI to the early 1920s. Pair this one with the author's similarly structured books, Pillars of the Earth and it's sequel, World Without End.

Dexter Is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay

Who knew we could root for a serial killer? Next in the series after Dexter by Design. Dexter's on cable if you are a Showtime subscriber.

Don't Blink by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

It's difficult to keep up with a guy who seems to release a new book every couple of months but most local buzz says this one (murder and the mob) is more like the Patterson books of yore.