September’s Top Picks in Thrillers

Make Me, by Lee Child
Even after 19 novels, Jack Reacher is showing no signs of slowing down. Lee Child has created such a unique and deeply-drawn character, every new book feels as fresh and urgent as if it were the first. That seems especially true in this 20th installment, which finds Reacher drifting into the small town of Mother’s Rest. He’s just passing through…until he catches the place’s distinctly paranoid, malevolent vibe, and meets a woman who mistakes him for a missing private investigator she’d hired for a “small” job that has gotten much bigger—and more dangerous—than expected. Longtime fans know Reacher can’t ignore a good mystery or a good person in danger, and his decision to help leads him around the country and into the darkest corners of the Dark Web, before returning to Mother’s Rest for a typically tense Reacher climax.

The Murder House, by James Patterson and David Ellis
Patterson is back with another taut thriller with a crackerjack premise: a beautiful, multi-million dollar Hamptons beach house was the scene of a grisly murder 16 years ago. Now, just as troubled detective Jenna Murphy returns to her hometown from New York City to try to salvage her career (and deal with a secret that has followed her from her youth), a Hollywood big shot and his mistress are found dead in the “Murder House” in an apparent murder/suicide. As the true history of the mansion comes to light and more dead bodies pile up, a local man is connected to the crime but asserts his innocence. Murphy must deal with her own past as she struggles to solve the mystery. A classic Patterson page-turner with a high-energy setting, this one is ideal for fall reading.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web, by David Lagercrantz
Few characters have taken over the world the way Lisbeth Salander did in Stieg Larsson’s original Millennium Trilogy; equal parts genius, rebel, and damaged survivor, Salander’s quest for justice, unshakeable loyalty, and cold-blooded approach to revenge made her irresistible. More than a decade after Larsson’s death seemed to mark the end of the series, celebrated Swedish author Lagercrantz revives it, and sets about bringing Salander and journalist Michael Blomkvist back together. The story kicks off with a mysterious phone call to Blomkvist concerning an explosive international secret—a secret that seems to involve a mysterious female hacker Blomkvist instantly recognizes. Lagercrantz perfectly captures the combination of independent agenda and real affection between these two characters, and succeeds in resurrecting the magic of the originals.

The Solomon Curse, by Clive Cussler and Russell Blake
Husband and wife treasure-hunters Sam and Remi Fargo return for a seventh time in this fast-paced novel that sees the pair traveling to Guadalcanal at the behest of a millionaire Russian explorer who has discovered a mysterious man-made structure under the waves. The locals refuse to go near the area, believing it cursed, and the Fargos quickly find themselves the targets of violence intended to scare them off. As usual, Cussler and Blake weave together real history, the Fargos’ trademark banter, and excellent action sequences to deliver a thrilling story that takes you places you might not know exist.

Patriot, by Ted Bell
Few writers have as much fun with real-world situations and characters as Bell, who brings back MI6 super agent—and sixth richest man in England—Lord Alexander Hawke for another gripping, complex story involving mysterious assassinations of spies the world over; a secret weapon built by the Kremlin with the potential to change modern warfare; and the return of Vladimir Putin, whom Bell continues to develop into one of the most complex characters in modern thrillers. Alternatively a friend to Hawke (he did, after all, save his life once) and a madman with dreams of worldwide Russian dominance, Putin is worth the price of admission all by himself.

Trigger Mortis, by Anthony Horowitz
With perhaps the best title ever, veteran author Horowitz delivers a near-perfect James Bond thriller with an assist from creator Ian Fleming himself—the book contains original work recently discovered in the Fleming archives. The story picks up where Fleming’s 1959 novel Goldfinger left off, with Bond celebrating his victory with Pussy Galore. Quickly, however, he finds himself chasing down a mystery involving every piece in the Bond toy box: SMERSH, a mysterious Korean millionaire with a grudge against the United States, a beautiful American agent, and a tour of the world’s most glamorous locations. Horowitz captures the gritty-but-glam tone of Fleming’s originals and delivers an old-school spy adventure that has stayed around long enough to come back into vogue.

Shadow Play, by Iris Johansen
The 18th Eve Duncan mystery combines science, the supernatural, and grim tension as forensic sculptor Duncan is asked to reconstruct the face of a long-dead nine-year-old girl for a sheriff in California who believes it will help him solve the mystery of her murder. As Duncan works, she is contacted by the girl’s spirit, prompting her to take a personal interest. As she and FBI Agent Joe Quinn travel to California to investigate, they realize the killer may soon strike again—and may even be aware of Duncan’s involvement. Johansen’s an old hand at keeping the pulse pounding, and Duncan shows no signs of slowing down in this dense, inventive mystery.

A Line of Blood, by Ben McPherson
McPherson’s debut is remarkably assured and confident, spinning out a story that starts off loose and interesting and slowly builds tension to the breaking point. The Mercer family—Alex, his wife Milicent, and son Max—have recently survived the trauma of a lost baby, which sent Max into therapy and Milicent into denial. When chasing after the family cat one night, Alex and Max stumble into their neighbor’s home, only to find the man dead in the bathtub of an apparent suicide. Alex is mainly concerned that the shock will cause Max further emotional trauma—until the police discover his wife’s bracelet in the dead man’s house, and both parents fall under suspicion of murder. McPherson makes these characters live for the reader, and the powerful, awful revelations build to an explosive finale.

The Killing Kind, by Chris Holm
Holm’s premise is irresistible: Michael Hendricks, a former “false flag” operative left for dead in Afghanistan, decides to mend his ways and make up for past crimes. His manner of atonement is striking: as one of the best-trained killers in the world, he seeks out people who have had hits taken out on them, and, if they meet his standard of innocence, offers to instead kill the assassins tracking them down—for a very high price. As a hitman who only kills other hitmen, Hendricks is a brilliant study in gray morality. When the crime cartels hire an equally-skilled assassin to deal with Hendricks, the story morphs into a tension-filled game of professional killers hunting each other through a series of crackling, imaginative twists.

The Killing Lessons, by Saul Black
Black cooks up a simmering serial killer thriller and makes it feel fresh and new.  Two men, both with abusive pasts and below-average intellect, are attacking, torturing, and killing women across the country, leaving behind objects inserted into the corpses. When their shocking spree hits San Francisco, troubled detective Valerie Hart is put in charge of the investigation, but the FBI agent sent to work with her is mysteriously combative and seems intent on ruining Hart’s career. Hart’s investigation is gripping, her personal struggles are relatable, the killers are truly terrifying, and Black pulls off several set-pieces that are master classes of tension.