December’s Best New Thrillers

Tom Clancy: True Faith and Allegiance, by Mark Greaney
Jack Ryan and his son Jack Jr. take on ISIS in Greaney’s fourth entry in the classic Tom Clancy series. A disastrous information leak leads to a series of carefully planned assassinations of military and intelligence figures, carried out by the infamous terrorist group. As his father endures incredible pressure to put troops and U.S. military assets into play—a move he believes is exactly what ISIS wants—Jack Jr. traces the source of the leak and races to discover who’s behind the plot and prevent more deaths that will upset the stability and security of the entire world. Greaney has more than proved he’s the ideal writer to keep the Ryan legacy alive, and this entry will make both long-time fans and newcomers to the series very happy.

The Seventh Plague, by James Rollins
A missing archaeologist emerges from the desert after two years, but dies before he can explain where he’s been. His body is infected with a deadly pathogen that threatens to spark a worldwide plague, and Sigma Force is dispatched to assist the archaeologist’s daughter and a colleague in solving the mystery before things spiral out of control. Meanwhile, Sigma Force director Painter Crowe meets with a senior curator at the British Museum when the man is promptly kidnapped, leading Crowe on a chase that culminates in the Arctic and a huge installation built by billionaire Simon Hartnell. Rollins never shies away from big stories, big twists, and huge stakes; the 12th book in the Sigma Force series offers plenty of all three.

Curtain of Death, by W.E.B. Griffin and William Butterworth IV
Griffin and son Butterworth’s third Clandestine Operations novel is set in 1946 Munich, a time and place fraught with tension and intrigue. Claudette Colbert—not the Hollywood film star, but a sergeant in the WAC stationed in Germany after World War II—fights off a kidnapping attempt, killing three of her attackers in the process. This kicks off a fascinating plot involving Nazi scientists being recruited by the triumphant United States, a twisting story that digs into the moral compromises of war and its aftermath, during which Colbert proves to be a fun and capable dame who’s as good with a revolver as she is a quip.

How Will I Know You?, by Jessica Treadway
Treadway’s contemplative novel slowly ladles on the suspense, raising the temperature by degrees. A young girl is found murdered and the small-town sheriff is convinced that a student named Martin Willett, who had just ended a relationship with the girl’s mother Susanne, is guilty. Susanne, however, believes in his innocence, and hires the sheriff’s son-in-law to investigate. Susanne’s grief—utterly real and a powerful force in the story—is at the center of this twisting story. As it dips back in time and slowly teases out the relationships and events leading up to the murder, Susanne’s broken heart drives everything toward a powerful resolution exploring racism, small-town living, and grief.

Below the Belt, by Stuart Woods
Woods delivers the goods with his 40th Stone Barrington novel. Barrington, enjoying some downtime in Santa Fe with a new friend, is called upon by an old one. A delicate situation requires a man of discretion and skill, and after all these years, Barrington is a fellow with a unique set of talents and connections. As he rides to the aid of a well-connected man whose rise to power and influence has hit a major snag, however, he discovers that it’s more than one man’s career on the line—because those connections imbue Barrington’s newest job with implications for the country’s future as a whole.

The Midnight Bell, by Jack Higgins
The 22nd Sean Dillon novel sees Dillon, having taken out an al-Qaeda leader known as The Master, dealing with the fallout as the terrorist’s successor seeks revenge. Aided by the Basement, the President’s private security team run by Blake Johnson, and Sean’s young-but-capable cousin Hannah (battle-hardened in an IRA family), Dillon contends with a succession of worldwide events that threaten not just his life, but the entire world order. Higgins offers up plenty of action and surprises, not the least of which is Hannah, who at 19 turns out to have her own specific set of skills. After 21 novels, Dillon hasn’t lost a step, and Higgins is still the master of tracing out a complex set of interlocking threats and then resolving them in pulse-pounding ways.

The Final Day, by William R. Forstchen
Forstchen concludes the bestselling John Matherson series with a conspiracy-soaked story that sees Matherson, leading the independent State of Carolina after the devastating electromagnetic pulse attack that toppled the U.S. government and nearly destroyed the country’s infrastructure. Matherson is spearheading efforts to restore technology to pre-attack levels when he’s approached by his former commanding officer, General Bob Scales, representing a reconstituted federal government. Matherson isn’t so easily fooled, however, and soon discovers evidence that this shadowy group of government elites claiming authority aren’t entirely what they appear. Drenched in tension and paranoia, Forstchen alternates sharp action sequences with more philosophical sections exploring the nature of authority, freedom, and other lofty ideals that give the story a deep foundation of ideas.

No Man’s Land, by David Baldacci
Baldacci is about as close to a sure thing as you can get in the thriller world, and his fourth John Puller novel proves why. Puller’s father, a legendary three-star general now sinking into dementia in his old age, is suddenly accused of murder Puller’s mother Jackie thirty years before, based on a newly-discovered letter written by Jackie. Since his father cannot defend himself any more, Puller, his brother Robert, and intelligence officer Veronica Knox launch a desperate bid to prove his innocence—a journey that pits them unknowingly against a man named Paul Rogers, who’s life intersected the Pullers thirty years ago in an unexpected way—and whose journey is coming full circle after all these years. The mystery is engrossing and unique, and Baldacci is an expert at pacing and character development, making for a first-rate reading experience.

Night School, by Lee Child
Child’s twenty-first Jack Reacher novel arrives with a dose of fresh energy by way of looking backwards. A prequel set in 1996, the story finds a young Jack Reacher still in the army, and fresh off his second Legion of Merit medal. Expecting a cushy new assignment, he’s instead sent back to school—but this turns out to be a front for a secret investigation into a mysterious “American” who is prepared to sell something to Islamic terrorists in Hamburg for a hundred million dollars—but no one knows who the American is, or what he’s selling. Without modern technology or decades of baggage, Reacher and his team members are a joy to watch as they set up their investigation, work with sly locals, and apply their brain power to the mystery at hand. By going back in time Child refreshes what was already one of the best book series out there.

Cross the Line, by James Patterson
Patterson remains a master of pacing and plot twists, but he also infuses the 24th Alex Cross novel with a new tension when Cross finds himself clashing with his own wife, Bree. After the D.C. Chief of detectives—Bree’s mentor—is murdered, Bree is tapped to step into the role. As bodies begin piling, it becomes clear that someone has appointed themselves judge, jury—and executioner. And Bree and Alex see their relationship taken to the breaking point as the pressure of the investigation gets to them when they need each other most—in order to ensure they’re not the final victims of a crazed killer who believes he’s above the law. The relationship drama adds a dimension of tension to Patterson’s already diamond-sharp plotting, making this one of the best Cross novels ever.