Annotations - Thrillers
Top Down by James Lehrer
Publication Date: October 2013
Number of Pages: 190
Geographical Setting: Dallas, TX
Time Period: 1960s
Series: n/a
Plot Summary: Van Walters, the man responsible for the top of President John F. Kennedy’s car being down the day he was assassinated, is plagued with guilt. Five years after the murder he is convinced that it is his fault the President is dead. Van’s daughter enlists the help journalist Jack Gilmore to recreate the fatal shooting and try to clear her father’s conscience.
Subject Headings: John F. Kennedy; Assassination; Secret Service; Journalists
Appeal: This thought provoking work of historical fiction will have readers flipping pages to see if Van Walters really could have done something different to prevent one of America’s greatest tragedies.
Read-alikes:
Ask Not by Max Allan Collins - Focuses on the events of the John F. Kennedy assassination through the eyes of others.
Command Authority by Tom Clancy - Another political thriller focusing on an American President.
Running Dog by Don DeLillo - Focused on journalists involved in conspiracy theories.
The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst - A suspenseful and thrilling work of historical fiction.
The Shining by Stephen King
Publication Date: January 1977
Number of Pages: 447
Geographical Setting: Colorado
Time Period: 1970s
Series: The Shining Series, Book One
Plot Summary: Jack Torrence, a writing looking for a change of pace, accepts a job as the winter caretaker of a beautiful resort in the mountains of Colorado. His wife, son, and he get snowed into the isolated location and some of the resorts supernatural residents start to make their presence known to the young Danny. While Danny can see the ghosts, they start to influence Jack and things being to take a turn for the worst for the entire Torrence family.
Subject Headings: Hotel Keepers, Families, Demons, Precognition, Authors
Appeal: This story is both thrilling and horrifying. Readers will be on the edge of their seat as they fly through the pages to see how things turn out for these poor, unfortunate characters.
Read-alikes:
Starter House by Sonja Condit - Chaos ensues as a family tries to make a haunted home their own.
Scowler by Daniel Kraus - A young boy with an imaginary friend tries to cope with a difficult father.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - A creepy, supernatural story that is character driver and thrilling.
Saint Odd by Dean R. Koontz - This fast paced and menacing story will thrill readers and terrify them.
Publication Date: October 2012
Number of Pages: 343
Geographical Setting: Frostburg, Maryland
Time Period: Present Day
Series: n/a
Plot Summary: Small town lawyer Malcolm Bannister is incarcerated in a federal prison for a racketeering crime he was not aware of. After a judge is mysteriously murdered, Malcolm secures his freedom with the knowledge he has about that judge’s demise. After leaving the witness protection program, Malcolm uses the information he has to track down the killer and expose the truth.
Subject Headings: Prisoners, Judges, Murder
Appeal: This fast paced and dramatic thriller will have readers engaged in the twists and turns of this plot driven story.
Read-alikes:
The Alligator Man by James Sheehan - A fast paced and compelling legal thriller that will delight readers.
Damage by John Lescroart - A story about murder and intrigue that is plot driven and enthralling.
Capitol Conspiracy by William Bernhardt - A suspenseful legal thriller involving murder.
Smash Cut by Sandra Brown - A fast paced legal thriller.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Publication Date: August 1988
Number of Pages: 338
Geographical Setting: Washington, D.C.; Memphis, TN
Time Period: Present Day
Series: Hannibal Lector Series, Book 2
Plot Summary: FBI trainee Clarice Starling is sent to interview Hannibal Lector, a brilliant psychiatrist and serial killer. Clarice has unknowingly been sent to solicit help from Lector in capturing a terrifying new serial killer called Buffalo Bill. Lector gives Clarice clues that may help her track down the monstrous man and prevent him for murdering any more women.
Subject Headings: Serial Murderers, Government Investigators, Cannibalism
Appeal: This fast paced and plot driven novel will thrill readers with its disturbing and menacing tone.
Readalikes:
Psycho by Robert Bloch - A serial killer story that is gripping and deranged.
North of Montana by April Smith - An action packed psychological thriller that is suspenseful and compelling.
Along Came a Spider by James Patterson - A plot driven story that is fast paced and suspenseful.
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith - A compelling, character driven novel that is darkly humorous and disturbing.
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
Publication Date: May 2000
Number of Pages: 569
Geographical Setting: Geneva, Switzerland; Rome, Italy; Vatican City, Italy
Time Period: Present Day
Series: Robert Langdon Series, Book One
Plot Summary: A physicist is killed in Switzerland and branded with an Illuminati symbol. Dr. Robert Langdon, a world renowned Symbologist, is called in to investigate and it is discovered that a canister containing a very dangerous antimatter is missing and has been taken to the Vatican City in Italy where the four individuals most likely to replace the newly deceased Pope have also disappeared. Langon travels there and follows a trail of clues hoping to discover the location of the four Preferiti and the missing antimatter before it can be used to destroy the city.
Subject Headings: Fiction/Papacy; Fiction/Vatican City; Conspiracies
Appeal: Angels and Demons is a fast paced thriller featuring intense descriptive action sequences that will keep the reader interested until the end.
Read-alikes:
The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco - A complex and intellectual book featuring conspiracy theories.
The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell - Characters follow ancient clues to uncover a long forgotten mystery.
The Genesis Code by John Chase - Secret Catholic societies shrouded in mystery feature in the work.
The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw - Crazy twists and puzzling plot turns make this thriller an exciting read.
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