April’s Best New Thrillers

Maestra, by L.S. Hilton
Sex, drugs, and con games abound in the delicious story of the beautiful Judith Rasleigh, who works for a London art house by day and moonlights at an exclusive club where rich men pay for the company of beautiful women. In the spirit of Tom Ripley, Judith loves sex and finds people easy to manipulate. When she exposes one of her boss’s grifts and is fired for her trouble, she joins a girlfriend on the yacht of a fat billionaire and hits on the idea of drugging his drink so they can enjoy themselves without his attentions. Whereas finding the gag proved fatal might have worried some, it really just get Judith started on a grand adventure that is an absolute, pitch-black delight to read. The term “wicked fun” was invented for this trilogy-starter.

The Last Mile, by David Baldacci
In Memory Man, David Baldacci introduced Amos Decker, one of the best new thriller characters in years. The former pro football player whose horrific mid-game injury left him with a perfect memory is back. With his own family’s murder resolved, Decker has been recruited onto a special FBI team of extraordinary people, and tasked with solving cold cases. Their first involves a former college football star Decker once played against, Melvin Mars, on death row for killing his parents—until another death row inmate confesses to the crime minutes before Mars’ scheduled execution. The timing is suspect, and Decker takes his incredible brain on a mission to get to the bottom of the mystery with all the trademark tension and action we’ve come to expect from David Baldacci.

Extreme Prey, by John Sandford
The 26th Lucas Davenport novel finds our hero no longer with the Minnesota BCA. That might be a problem for fans seeking thrills, but Davenport’s old friend the governor is running for president and knows just how valuable an asset he could be. No sooner is Davenport part of the campaign than they discover the candidate is being stalked by a deranged man who intends to assassinate him, and is willing to accept any “collateral damage” necessary. It’s a tauttale that maintains the series’ winning streak; Sandford proves he knows how to tweak the formula to keep his long-running character feeling fresh and exciting.

As Time Goes By, by Mary Higgins Clark
Clark roars back with a satisfying old-school thriller that slowly weaves together several fascinating plot threads. Up-and-coming television reporter Delaney Wright is torn between seeking her birth mother and covering the trial of the century—wealthy Betsy Grant stands accused of murdering her husband, who has suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for years. Betsy refuses a plea and swears innocence, Even as Delaney’s husband and friends track down her mother, Delaney becomes increasingly convinced of Betsy’s innocence, and dives into the evidence to prove it. Meanwhile the mystery of her birth mother leads to an unexpected place—and her husband hesitates to bring his wife the truth. This sleek, perfectly paced novel is perfect for longtime Clark fans and newcomers to her masterful writing.

The 14th Colony, by Steve Berry
Berry seeds the 11th Cotton Malone adventure with historical detail that elevates it above many thrillers of its kind, imagining the consequences of decisions made by Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II in the 1980s surfacing three decades later—and involving an ancient American secret society and its desire for the titular 14th colony. When a chaotic Russia discovers a plot by a disillusioned old-school cold warrior to use suitcase nukes set aside as a response to the Reagan/Vatican efforts to destroy the Soviet Union, Malone is dispatched to render assistance, and discovers not only that the threat is real, but that it will be more difficult to resolve than expected. The story is 95 percent action, but how it all ties together is surprisingly elegant and ingenious.

Family Jewels, by Stuart Woods
Stone Barrington leads the sort of life that would exhaust normal people—jet-setting around the world, hobnobbing with presidents, and, of course, becoming embroiled in deadly mysteries. In a story that zigs and zags when you least expect it, Barrington is approached by a wealthy woman convinced her ex-husband—still in the will—is trying to murder her. The ex- certainly acts shady enough, but the first body to turn up is his prostitute companion, followed by Barrington’s client—but only after the suspect has been cut out of the will. Barrington discovers an intriguing piece of jewelry on the dead woman, which leads, in classic Woods style, to ever more complications, and a plot that combines the high life with the lowest levels of greed and murder.

War Hawk, by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood
Tucker Wayne and his war dog Kane return in another fast-paced, big-idea thriller from Rollins and Blackwood, following 2014’s The Kill Switch. Former ranger Wayne is contacted by an old friend from his army days who is on the run from mysterious assassins, her young son in tow. Wayne and Kane agree to help her, and soon find themselves in a global race to keep the pair alive and discover what’s really going on—what they discover is a plot to control the tools of modern warfare in ways that will transform what it means to be a soldier, a citizen, and even a human being. Tucker is a charismatic and complex character, and the plot moves smoothly over unexpected territory on the way to an explosive conclusion.

Hide Away, by Iris Johansen
Johansen returns to the wonderfully weird and exciting world of Eve Duncan, forensic sculptor, with a story you definitely haven’t read before. Eleven-year old Cara Delaney is a musical prodigy, the daughter of a savage drug lord, and the target of a rival cartel’s murderous rage. With her sister and her nurse already dead and a vicious assassin named Franco hunting for her, Eve and husband Joe Quinn take Cara in to try and save the girl’s life. Even takes Cara to Scotland, where her adopted daughter Jane and a cast of faces familiar to Johansen fans are hunting for ancient treasure, guided by dreams—but distance only slows Franco down, and soon enough Joe has to race across the world to help both Cara and Eve. As always, Johansen spices her story with just the right amount of magic and tension.

An Honorable Man, by Paul Vidich
A spy thriller in the Le Carré mold, An Honorable Man introduces George Mueller, a CIA man floundering in the new reality of post-World War II Cold War espionage until he gets a straightforward assignment: root out a traitor within the CIA itself. Code named Protocol, the traitor is one of twenty possible suspects, and a defecting Soviet spy might be the key to identifying him. Vidich has created a story dripping in 1950s atmosphere and old-school spy thrills, heavier on chess game strategy than James Bond derring-do, but the final act sizzles with moves and countermoves as Mueller closes in on the truth.

Noble Chase, by Michael Rudolph
Legal thrillers often wallow in the minutiae of law and resolve their plots in the courtroom, but former attorney Rudolph avoids these tropes in a humdinger of a debut. Beth Swahn, a young and hungry attorney in a pricey law firm, is out celebrating a big courtroom win with her client, the slippery Chun Keun “C.K.” Leung, only to discover that he’s been ripped off by a business associate named Len Sloane, who only reported $35 million of a $105 million settlement—and was later found dead in his sailboat. On the hook for a possible malpractice suit, Swahn starts chasing the money—and then people start chasing her, as she realizes Sloane might not be so dead after all. Far from the courtroom, the story takes to the high seas as Swahn enlists her retired attorney father—and the boat he’s living on—for a pulse-pounding pursuit.