Read-alike Guides - Gone Girl

If you liked Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, you might enjoy one of these books:

Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton

The school was on fire, and Grace's last memory is of trying to reach her daughter, Jenny, trapped inside. Afterwards, they learn that someone purposefully set the fire, and Jenny may still be in danger from someone who wants her dead. Grace may be the only one who can discover who might be responsible, and the police are looking at Adam, Jenny's younger brother, who is struck mute by the horror he witnessed and can't defend himself when he is accused of the arson.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

This relentlessly suspenseful novel features a fractured narrative, complicated plot, and uneasy discrepancies between what appears to be happening and what is really going on. Without her husband's knowledge, Christine, whose memory is damaged by a long-ago accident, is treated by a neurologist who helps her to remember her former self through journal entries until inconsistencies begin to emerge, raising disturbing questions.

Beneath the Shadows by Sara Foster

When Grace’s husband inherits an isolated North Yorkshire cottage, they leave London behind to try a new life. A week later, he vanishes without a trace, leaving their baby daughter in her stroller on the doorstep. Returning to the tiny hamlet a year later, Grace searches for the truth as dreams begin to warn her of danger. Are the villagers hiding something, or is she becoming increasingly paranoid? This is a vividly written, emotionally complex tale.

The Breaker by Minette Walters

In another character-driven and intricately plotted psychological suspense story, a seemingly devoted husband becomes the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance and investigation reveals disturbing secrets. Here, a three-year-old girl is found wandering the streets and hours later, her mother's body is washed up on the beach.

The Burning Air by Erin Kelly

In her novels, Kelly provides keen insight into troubled characters with plots that reveal layers of deceit. Leading a cozy life of upper-class privilege, altruistic private school headmaster Rowan and his three grown children gather for the first time since the family matriarch Lydia's passing and are torn by years of secrets when a vengeful stranger arrives, claiming that Lydia was a murderer.

Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman

In this compelling, intricately plotted debut novel, a woman uncovers her dead husband's secrets. In the wake of her stalwart police officer husband's shattering suicide in their otherwise peaceful Adirondack village, house restorer Nora Hamilton notices strange inconsistencies in her husband's past and in the behaviors of his police force co-workers before stumbling on deadly local secrets.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Looking for family secrets? Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next. His 14-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

The Dinner by Herman Koch

Like Gone Girl, The Dinner mixes literary prose with taut suspense and dark humor. It also features an unlikeable, unreliable narrator. Meeting at an Amsterdam restaurant for dinner, two couples move from small talk to the wrenching shared challenge of their teenage sons' act of violence that has triggered a police investigation and revealed the extent to which each family will go to protect those they love.

Drowned by Therese Bohman

This is a novel of subtle psychological suspense by Swedish author Bohman, in which betrayal and the relationship between sisters play a key role. Marina travels from Stockholm to rural Skêane for a summer visit to her sister Stella, she feels an uncanny combination of fascination and unease toward Stella's partner, the enigmatic, charismatic, violent, and unpredictable Gabriel. The reader will anticipate the worst but will still hope that disaster will be averted.

The Drowning House by Elizabeth Black

Two families are inextricably linked by tragedy and time in this lyrical novel of psychological suspense. Returning to the insular Galveston home town of her youth in the wake of a family tragedy, photographer Clare Porterfield is drawn into a century-old mystery involving a woman who drowned during the Hurricane of 1900.

Heartbroken by Lisa Unger

Dysfunctional families and their twisted relationship dynamics are at the heart of this novel, in which a woman returns home after a long absence, exposing buried secrets and long-hidden lies. While Kate pens an evocative historical novel based on family journals, her neighbor, Emily, flees a volatile relationship to an island in the Adirondacks where she, Kate, and Kate's mother, Birdie, face the consequences of their pasts.

In the Woods by Tana French

French also writes dark, literary suspense stories in which extremely flawed narrators draw the reader into an emotionally charged story. Their protagonists also tend to be intimately involved with the crimes they are investigating. Here, 20 years after witnessing the violent disappearances of two friends from their small Dublin suburb, detective Rob Ryan investigates a chillingly similar murder that takes place in the same wooded area.

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

For thrillers with well-voiced characters and tautly suspenseful plots, look no further. Lee's flattering attentiveness to Catherine turns to jealousy as his controlling behaviour becomes frightening and he reveals his darker side; four years later, Catherine has escaped the relationship when she receives a phone call saying that Lee will soon be released from prison, prompting her to fear that he will come after her again.

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman

Lippman's character-driven, disturbing novels (which mostly take place in Baltimore) are a good choice for Flynn's readers. Once the best of friends until a terrible secret tore them apart, a group of friends are suddenly brought back together under tragic circumstances and wonder if their long-ago lie is the reason for their troubles today and if someone is out to destroy them.

Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay

For another suspenseful missing person tale, try this novel by popular Canadian author Linwood Barclay. Small-town reporter David Harwood takes his wife and young son to an amusement park for a much-needed break. A sudden disappearance has David frantically trying to restore his family, and his investigation into the disappearance leads to a web of lies and deceit.

A Perfect Crime by Peter Abrahams

Abrahams excels at placing flawed protagonists into what the reader knows is a bad situation. Readers are held in uneasy suspense for the duration as they watch things go from bad to worse. In A Perfect Crime, a cuckolded husband conceives a brilliant, deadly plan to exact revenge and simultaneously restore his flagging career.

Places in the Dark by Thomas H. Cook

Cal Chase watches his younger brother William follow his wandering soul, never expecting him to find true love, but when a stunning woman walks into William's life, Cal begins to worry about his safety as well as his heart. This disturbing, character-driven novel of suspense should be a good choice for Flynn fans.

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman

Lippman's intricately plotted, compelling suspense should appeal to Gone Girl fans. Interviewing a distressed and disoriented woman who has fled the scene of an accident, Baltimore County police department detective Kevin Infante is amazed when she claims to be the younger of a pair of sisters who were abducted thirty years earlier.

Also by Gillian Flynn:

Dark Places
For a price Libby Day will reconnect with the players that murdered her mother and two sisters in "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." Having testified that her brother Ben was the murderer on that fateful night twenty-five years ago, now she is not so sure as, piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started--on the run from a killer.

Sharp Objects
This is Flynn's 2006 debut novel. Returning to her hometown after an eight-year absence to investigate the murders of two girls, reporter Camille Preaker is reunited with her neurotic mother and enigmatic, thirteen-year-old half-sister as she works to uncover the truth about the killings.

Reading Lists - Zombie Lit

Zombies have been among us for some time now, and judging by the popularity of books, television shows, and movies like The Walking Dead, Warm Bodies, and World War Z, it appears they won't be disappearing anytime soon. If you’ve enjoyed any of the titles just mentioned, you may want to check out this list of zombie fiction:      

Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker

This humorous mock memoir gives the reader insight into the thoughts of a former college English professor turned zombie.  Jack Barnes, the narrator, isn’t like most zombies— he has retained the abilities of thought and self-awareness.  With a group of fellow sentient zombies, he sets out on a journey to bring about a truce between the living and the living dead. 

Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry

The body of an executed serial killer mysteriously disappears from the local morgue, and soon after zombies are spotted wandering around the streets of small town Stebbins, PA.  Reporter Billy Trout and policewoman Desdemona Fox must find the cause of the virus before it spreads any further. 

Feed by Mira Grant
The first book of the Newsflesh trilogy follows twin news bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason as they cover a presidential candidate in the year 2039.  While traveling the campaign trail, the duo notices that zombie outbreaks occur in each city on the tour shortly after their arrival.  Part political thriller and part zombie horror, Feed is one good read. 

Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney
Winner of the 2011 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, Flesh Eaters is set in Houston during the aftermath of a series of devastating hurricanes and floods.  As rescue workers seek to bring aid to the stranded community, they discover that the survivors have been infected with a disease that makes them crave human flesh.

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist first gained prominence in the U.S. when his haunting vampire novel Let the Right One In was adapted into a hit movie.  His equally eerie second novel, Handling the Undead, tackles the subject of zombies, focusing mainly on the reactions of the living as their friends and family members return from the dead. 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
From the author of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter comes this side-splitting parody of Jane Austen’s classic novel of manners.  You’ll laugh yourself hoarse as Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy find love in an England overrun by zombies.   

Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory
It’s 1968 and the government has been rounding up and destroying zombies, so when Wanda Mayhall finds a "living dead" infant on the side of the road she feels her only choice is to adopt the child.  Young Stony is raised in seclusion, but eventually he ventures into the world and discovers others like himself.  Gregory uses this premise to delve into the lives of those on the fringes of society. 

The Return Man by V.M. Zito

In a post-apocalyptic America, the entire West Coast has been destroyed by a zombie outbreak. Former doctor Henry Marco is called the return man— people pay him to travel into the quarantined area to kill virus-infected loved ones and release them from the undead state.  Now the government wants him for a mission that may provide a cure for the zombie plague.    

Shakespeare Undead  by Lori Handeland

If you’ve ever wondered what the movie Shakespeare In Love would be like if Shakespeare was a vampire who was inspired to write by a beautiful zombie killer, then this book is for you.  Handeland weaves together bits of history with references to the Bard’s work to create an outrageously funny zombie novel— and if that’s not enough, she even adds a bit of romance to spice things up.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Probably the most romantic zombie book you’ll ever read, Warm Bodies is the Romeo and Juliet of zombie lit.  This clever and heartwarming tale of unconventional love begins when a boy named R falls in love with a girl named Julie.  There’s just one problem— she’s alive and he’s a zombie.  Now a movie starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer. 

World War Z  by Max Brooks

One of the most popular titles in the recent resurgence of zombie lit, World War Z is compelling because its vision of a not-so-distant future feels completely plausible.  Brooks presents the material in the form of a series of interviews with the zombie outbreak survivors, and his serious tone adds to the suspense.  A film version starring Brad Pitt is set to be released in 2013.

The Zombie Autopsies by Steven C. Schlozman
Taking a cue from World War Z, The Zombie Autopsies purports to be the secret journal of renowned zombie expert Dr. Stanley Blum.  Sent by the United Nations to study the zombie virus, Blum uses his medical precision to describe the virus’s horrific effects on his subjects and fellow researchers.  The detailed illustrations are not for the faint of heart or the weak stomached.

Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! edited by  Otto Penzler
The title says it all.  This book contains over 700 pages of amazing zombie stories, ranging from classics by Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft to more modern tales by Stephen King and Graham Masterton.  Includes an excerpt from the very first zombie book, W.B. Seabrook’s The Magic Island. 

Reading lists - Olympics

It's almost time for the 2012 London Olympics (July 27 to August 12)! Here's a list of books to read to get us all in the Olympic spirit. Don't forget that we have biographies of many athletes available too, as well as more extensive books about individual sports.

Fiction

Biting the Apple by Lucy Jane Bledsoe

Eve Glass was once an Olympic sprinter and now a motivational speaker. The problem is, her own endurance is waning and her confidence in her expertise on grace is paling. Even worse, her kleptomaniac tendencies are intensifying, and a friend from her childhood has begun stalking her. Glass, a product of other people's dreams her entire life, is now a woman in search of authenticity. (F Ble)

Bliss, Remembered by Frank Deford

Now an elderly woman, Sydney Stringfellow recounts for her son her experiences as a swimmer at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where she had an unforgettable and forbidden love affair with the son of a Nazi diplomat. (F Def)

Flight from Berlin by David John

As Berlin welcomes the world to the Summer Olympic Games in 1936, British journalist Richard Denham and American reporter Eleanor Emerson are drawn into a deadly game involving the Gestapo and the British Secret Intelligence Service. (F Joh)

The Games by Ted Kosmatka

Silas Williams is the brilliant geneticist in charge of preparing the U.S. entry into the Olympic Gladiator competition, an internationally sanctioned bloodsport with only one rule: no human DNA is permitted in the design of the entrants. As his fast-growing gladiator demonstrates preternatural strength, speed, and—most disquietingly—intelligence, Silas and Vidonia find their scientific curiosity giving way to a most unexpected emotion: sheer terror. (F Kos)

Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver

Reputed for his vow to take only morally righteous assignments in 1936 New York City, a German-American hit man is forced by the government to pose as an Olympic contender and kill a member of Hitler's regime. (F Dea)

Gold by Chris Cleave

Kate and Zoe have been friends since they met training for track cycling at the age of 19. Now, at 32, they are facing their last and biggest race—the 2012 Olympics. Kate is the more naturally gifted, but her daughter is fighting leukemia, and she has to balance that with her intense training. Zoe has a compulsive need to win at any cost, and her obsession may threaten her relationship with Kate. (F Cle)

The Long Journey Home by Don Coldsmith

A Native American track star training for the Olympics in the early part of the 1900s meets 1912 gold medal winner Jim Thorpe and Bill Pickett, the black cowboy who invented steer wrestling. (F Col)

No Mark upon Her by Deborah Crombie

When an Olympic rowing hopeful and a detective with the Met is found dead in the Thames, Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid, along with his wife and his team, is submerged in a complex case involving political and ethical issues that put both his career and reputation on the line. (F Cro)

Once a Runner by John L. Parker

Distance runner Quenton Cassidy is suspended from the track team for his involvement in an athlete protest and risks his future prospects to train on a monastic retreat with an Olympic medalist. (F Par)

Private Games by James Patterson

Private, the world's most renowned investigation firm, has been commissioned to provide security for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The opening ceremony is still hours away when Private investigator Nigel Steele is called to the scene of a ruthless murder. Newspaper reporter Karen Pope receives a letter from a person who calls himself Cronus claiming responsibility. Karen hires Private to examine the letter, and she and Nigel uncover a criminal genius who won't stop until he's ended the games for good. (F Pat)

See How They Run by James Patterson

A long-germinating plot for revenge, first conceived in the extermination camps of Nazi Germany, erupts in full force during the 1980 Olympics in Moscow when a group of terrorists delivers a shocking ultimatum. (F Pat)

Swift Edge by Laura DiSilverio

Hired by a world-class figure skater to find her missing pairs partner in time for the upcoming Olympics, Charlie Swift and Gigi Goldman tackle complications in the form of a smitten teen, an attack on the pair's coach, and the murder of the missing athlete's colleague. (F DiS)

Swimming by Nicola Keegan

Haunted by an agoraphobic mother, a lost father, and a drug-addled sister, Philomena, reluctantly known as Pip, transforms her suffering and rage into beauty, grace, and purity in the swimming lane as she rises to the Olympic level. (F Kee)

Trial Run by Dick Francis

Someone or something called Alyosha is linked to the mysterious death of a member of the German Riding Team and threatens the safety of England's prime equestrian who is competing in the Moscow Olympics. Randall Drew is sent by the British Royal Family to Russia to investigate. (F Fra)

Non-fiction

Athens to Atlanta: 100 Years to Glory

This book, an official publication of the U.S. Olympic Committee, highlights great achievements at the Summer Games. (794.4 At)

The Complete Book of the Olympics by David Wallechinsky

This book is a treasure trove of lore, drama, and anecdote from 116 years of Olympic history. It includes full descriptions of rules and scoring for every event included in the London Olympics, plus the top eight finishers in every Summer Olympic event since 1896. (796.48 Wal)

Gold in the Water by P.H. Mullen

Mullen examines the psyches, backgrounds, and motivations of the United States 2000 Olympic swim team and describes the journey theses swimmers must take to compete in the Olympics, including training and competitions. (797.21 Mul)

How to Watch the Olympics by David Goldblatt and Johnny Acton

As the subtitle suggests, this is the essential guide to the rules, statistics, heroes, and zeroes of every sport. (796.48 Gol)

Munich 1972 by David Clay Large

Large relates the compelling story of the most controversial of all modern Olympiads within the turbulent context of simmering global tensions. The 1972 Games will forever be remembered for the murder of eleven Israeli Olympians by Palestinian terrorists: a grisly episode that ruined a much-anticipated coming-out party for newly democratic West Germany and for "new Munich" itself, the erstwhile "capital" of Hitler's Nazi movement.364.1523 Lar)

The Olympic Games: Athens, 1896 – Sydney, 2000

Each Olympics boasts a recap of the major events and personalities that defined it, followed by several pages of portraits and action shots with informative captions. The book's last 100 pages are devoted to results and statistics— including every gold, silver, and bronze medalist and the lighter of each Olympic torch. (796.48 Oly)

The Naked Olympics by Tony Perrottet

Peeling away the layers of myth, Perrottet lays bare the ancient sporting experience—including the round-the-clock bacchanal inside the tents of the Olympic Village, the all-male nude workouts under the statue of Eros, and history's first corruption scandals involving athletes. Featuring sometimes scandalous cameos by sports enthusiasts Plato, Socrates, and Herodotus, The Naked Olympics offers essential insight into today's Games and an unforgettable guide to the world's first and most influential athletic festival. (796.48 Per)

Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics by Jeremy Schaap

At the 1936 Olympics, against a backdrop of swastikas and goose-stepping storm troopers, an African-American son of sharecroppers won a staggering four gold medals and single-handedly demonstrated that Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy was a lie. The story of Jesse Owens at the Berlin games is that of an athletic performance that transcends sports. It is also the intimate and complex tale of one remarkable man's courage. (Bio Owens Jesse)

Read-alike Guides - Nora Roberts

If you like the romance novels of Nora Roberts, you might enjoy of these books:

A Woman’s Heart by JoAnn Ross

Quinn Gallagher is a jaded writer who comes to Ireland for the filming of one his famous novels.  There he meets Nora Fitzpatrick, a beautiful widow who is unlike any woman he has ever met.  Fans of Nora Roberts’s Irish-themed novels will delight in the setting and memorable characters of this tender and lyrical book.  

 Kill and Tell by Linda Howard

When Karen Whitlaw receives a notebook from the estranged father she hasn’t seen in twenty years, she thinks nothing of it until learning he has been the victim of a murder on the streets of New Orleans.  Detective Marc Chastain, assigned to the case, begins to warm to Karen just as he discovers her life is in grave danger.  Like Roberts, Linda Howard is a master of the romantic suspense novel, and Kill and Tell is one of her best.

Chill Factor by Sandra Brown

Romantic suspense lovers may also enjoy Chill Factor, a gripping thriller about Lilly Martin, a woman trapped in a cabin during a blizzard with a man who is possibly a wanted serial killer.  Romance heats up as the storm rages, while Lilly’s ex-husband, the town’s police chief, desperately pursues the man he unquestionably believes to be the culprit.

Gone Too Far by Suzanne Brockmann

Followers of Roberts’s output under the J.D. Robb pen name might want to try reading Suzanne Brockmann.  Gone Too Far is from the author’s Troubleshooter series, which mixes military expertise, nail-biting suspense, and steamy sexual tension. This entry focuses mainly on the relationship between Navy SEAL Sam Starrett and FBI agent Alyssa Locke.  

One Summer by Karen Robards

Readers who fancy a good bad-boy hero will love Johnny Harris, the male protagonist of One Summer. Johnny’s an ex-con who returns to his hometown after a stint in prison, only to find himself the main suspect in a murder investigation.  The only person willing to defend his innocence is his former teacher, Rachel Roberts, who begins to develop deeper feelings for Johnny.

Turbulent Sea by Christine Feehan

Joley Drake is one of seven sisters who possess magical powers.  Her talent of spell-singing has gained her fame as a rock star, but when her life is jeopardized by a violent stalker she must place her trust in the hands of her handsome bodyguard, who may or may not be a hit man for the mob.  A must read for paranormal romance enthusiasts.     

Light In Shadow by Jayne Ann Krentz

Zoe Luce, an interior designer with psychic powers, enlists the help of private investigator Ethan Truax when she suspects one of her clients of murder.  Krentz seamlessly blends romance, suspense, and paranormal elements to create a style uniquely her own.

Virgin River by Robyn Carr

Midwife and recent widow Melinda Monroe moves from Los Angeles to Virgin River in search of a new start.  Unimpressed with the town at first, Mel is set upon leaving until she finds an abandoned baby on her doorstep.  She then begins to reluctantly kindle friendships in Virgin River, especially with Jack, the sensitive bartender.  Fans of small town romances, such as Roberts’s recent Inn Boonsboro trilogy, will be touched by this sweet and emotional story.

Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Night Pleasures is an imaginative paranormal romance in the style of Roberts’s The Circle Trilogy. Kyrian of Thrace is a Dark-Hunter who roams the earth providing protection from the evil Daimons.  Amanda Devereaux is an accountant who wants nothing more than a quiet, normal life.  Watch the sparks fly when they awake one morning in a strange bed handcuffed together.

Amber Beach by Elizabeth Lowell

Elizabeth Lowell writes detail rich novels that often feature strong female characters. In Amber Beach, the first of The Donovans series, Honor Donovan determinedly searches for her missing brother despite being warned by the rest of the Donovan men to mind her own business.  What follows is a pulse-racing combination of romance, adventure, and family drama.

Books by Nora Roberts you might also like:

Naked In Death (writing as J.D. Robb)

The first book in the In Death series follows Eve Dallas, a New York police lieutenant in the year 2058, as she investigates the murder of a prostitute granddaughter of a U.S. senator. Will the investigation be compromised when Eve begins to fall in love with dashing Irish millionaire (and lead suspect) Roarke?

Remember When by Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb

Roberts collaborates with her alter ego in this two-part novel that “blends present-day romance and futuristic suspense.”  Part One involves a hidden fortune of stolen diamonds and a pawn shop owner with a mysterious past, while Part Two has Lt. Eve Dallas continuing the search for the missing diamonds 56 years later.

New York to Dallas (writing as J.D. Robb)

Lt. Eve Dallas must face her inner demons when she returns to her home city on the trail of escaped convict Isaac McQueen, a man she put behind bars in the early days of her career.  As she gets closer to catching this unhinged maniac, Eve realizes that he is bent on seeking revenge and she may be his next target.

Reading Lists - Political Thrillers

Remember awhile ago (November 10) I wrote how much we love helping people find good books to read? The other day a patron wanted some espionage/thriller/political novels like Vince Flynn's. He left with a short list of authors to try, and he left me with inspiration for this reading list. I'll admit that I often have a hard time coming up with "guy books," so I especially loved this suggestion!

In this list, you'll find conspiracies, terrorism, and spy games set in the dangerous world of cutthroat politics.

The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine
Ivor Tesham, a member of Parliament, decides to give his married mistress an unusual birthday gift. He hires two men to kidnap her and transport her, bound and gagged, to their weekend love nest. When the kidnapping goes terribly wrong and results in murder, Ivor becomes trapped in a dangerous game of his own making.

Blink of an Eye by William S. Cohen
After a nuclear bomb flattens a major American city, national security advisor Sean Falcone is charged with identifying the attackers, but if his sources are incorrect, it could mean inciting war with the entire Muslim world. Cohen is a former Republican senator and congressman who also served as President Clinton's Secretary of Defense.

By Order of the President by W.E.B. Griffin
In the first of the Presidential Agent series, a leased Boeing 727 mysteriously vanishes after two passengers murder the pilot. Army intelligence officer Major Carlos Guillermo Castillo, a veteran of the Special Forces, is called in by the president of the United States to uncover the truth and embarks on an undercover investigation into a case with frightening implications.

The Camel Club by David Baldacci
It exists at the fringes of D.C., has no power, and consists of four eccentric members. Their simple goal is to find the "truth" behind their country's actions. The Camel Club studies conspiracy theories, current events, and the machinations of government, but never in their wildest nightmares could they imagine the conspiracy they are about to uncover.

The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer
Connor Fitzgerald has led a double life for the last 28 years as the CIA's most deadly assassin. Just days before his retirement, he comes across an enemy he can't handle—his own boss, director of the CIA. The Eleventh Commandment? "Thou shalt not get caught. But if you are, deny absolutely that you have anything to do with the CIA."

Empire of Lies by Andrew Klavan
Jason Harrow must return to New York when he learns his daughter is in trouble. Realizing he's either incredibly paranoid or that Serena knows enough about a terrorist group to endanger herself and everyone around her, he tries to prevent "the End of Civilization as We Know It" while confronting his fear that he's inherited his mother's insanity.

Eye of the Storm by Jack Higgins
In the first Sean Dillon thriller, elusive master terrorist Sean Dillon reemerges during the Gulf War when Saddam Hussein hires him to assassinate Margaret Thatcher. Only Martin Brosnan, an American Special Forces hero and IRA member turned college professor, can stop him.

Fade by Kyle Mills
Salam al Fayed (aka Fade), an American agent of Arab ancestry and a former Navy SEAL, becomes bitter when his latest mission ends in failure and his employers treat him badly. So when his former friend and colleague, Homeland Security agent Matt Egan, is ordered to persuade Fade to put aside his anger and join an undercover team in the Middle East, Fade has a one-word answer.

The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
In the first of the John Wells series, Wells, an undercover operative who has infiltrated al Qaeda, is trapped between his terrorist associates and the CIA, which no longer trusts his loyalty, when he becomes a prime suspect in two bombings in Los Angeles. Be warned, this novel is not for the squeamish: the torture sequences and bombing descriptions are graphic and chillingly real.

The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer
A young White House lawyer, Michael Garrick, begins dating the President's daughter, Nora Hartson. Michael thinks he can handle the pressures of the White House and all the power. Then, while together late one night, he and Nora witness something they were never meant to see—and become ensnared in a secret scheme by a White House insider that includes betrayal and murder.

Gatekeeper by Philip Shelby
Hollis Fremont has been at a dream job in Paris at the American Embassy for three months. She's also having an affair with a high-ranking embassy official. Soon events are set in motion that plunge her into the midst of a plot to kill a presidential candidate, and she realizes that she cannot trust anyone around her. No damsel in distress, Hollis puts her own life at risk to stop the assassination attempt.

The Good Son by Michael Gruber
Somewhere in Pakistan, Sonia Laghari and 8 fellow members of a symposium on peace are being held captive by armed terrorists. Sonia, a religious woman and Jungian psychologist, has become the de facto leader of the kidnapped group. Meanwhile her son Theo, an ex-Delta soldier, uses his military connections to find and free the victims.

Hawke by Ted Bell
Alexander Hawke is a daring, dashing, and handsome billionaire adventurer who occasionally does “favors” for the U,S, and British governments. In the first of the series, Hawke heads for the Caribbean on a secret mission to locate an experimental stealth submarine, which has fallen into the hands of an unstable government planning a strike against the U.S.

The Inside Ring by Michael Lawson
Following an assassination attempt that wounds the president and kills his closest friend, General Andy Banks, the Secretary of Homeland Security, who had warned the Secret Service about the attack, initiates an investigation. He goes to Joe DeMarco, a fix-it man who’s never dealt with something of quite this magnitude.

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
In the first Gabriel Allon novel, the Israeli intelligence chief recalls Gabriel and Jacqueline to eliminate a top Palestinian terrorist, who is part of a plot to halt peace talks by assassinating Yasir Arafat. The former agents were once lovers, and their pasts and enemies come back to haunt them as the terrorist begins his campaign of murder. Silva has covered Middle East politics as a journalist and CNN producer.

Last Snow by Eric Lustbader
Jack McClure, Special Advisor and closest friend to the new U.S. president, takes on a personal mission along with his official one—keeping his two incompatible companions (Annika Dementieva, a rogue Russian FSB agent, and Alli Carson, the President's daughter) safe and finding those responsible for murdering an American senator who was supposedly on a political trip to the Ukraine.

The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
In the first of the Scot Harvath series, a group of Secret Service agents is massacred in Utah and the president of the United States is abducted. Surviving agent Harvath vows to avenge his murdered colleagues and find the kidnappers. The terrorists publicly demand $500 million and privately insist that an anti–fossil fuel proposal in Congress be killed.

The Machiavelli Covenant by Allan Folsom
While investigating the murder of a former girlfriend, her child, and her congressman husband, former LAPD detective Nicholas Marten stumbles upon a secret, illegal bioweapons program. He also finds himself allied with another man trying to foil a cabal bent on creating a new world order—the U.S. president himself, John Henry Harris.

The Man with the Baltic Stare by James Church
Inspector O, the wily North Korean police detective, is ordered out of retirement to Pyongyang. His task is to cover up a crime of passion committed by the young leader of a transitional government vital to a tenuous peace agreement between the two Koreas. Inspector O finds his life threatened when the case tests his loyalties.

Metzger’s Dog by Thomas Perry
Veteran CIA operative Ben Porterfield is ordered to recover some top-secret papers (revealing government-sponsored research on "psywar": how to wreak havoc, panic, and mayhem in assorted Latin American nations) from the terrorists who seized them while stealing $1 million worth of cocaine.

Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods
In the aftermath of his vice president's unexpected death, President Will Lee finds his efforts to select a replacement hampered by a rogue CIA agent's vengeful plot against the first lady and a nuclear threat in Pakistan. To make matters worse, the new VP chooses becomes entangled in a love triangle that could ruin Lee’s re-election bid.

Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn
The National Counterterrorism Center is struck by a series of devastating explosions with catastrophic results. With three al Qaeda terrorists still at large, CIA superagent and counterterrorism expert Mitch Rapp must thread his way through the naysayers on Capitol Hill—and silently, swiftly, do what he must for the sake of his country and the pursuit of honor.

Quantico by Greg Bear
Just a handful of years from today, global terrorism has escalated out of control. When the political situation in the United States becomes balanced against the administration, only three FBI agents and one bio-terror expert are left to deal with a domestic terrorist, who has started telling certain fanatics that he can make gene-keyed anthrax to destroy their hereditary enemies .

The Rules of the Game by Leonard Downie
Journalist Sarah Page uncovers evidence of appalling corruption in defense contracts related to the War on Terror, to private security contractors, and to government involvement in torture, rendition, and murder. Her findings puts her life at risk. Meanwhile, President Susan Cameron must choose between her political future and the nation's well-being after learning of Sarah's discoveries.

The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iranian-American CIA operative David Shirazi must infiltrate and disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons program, leaving no trace of U.S. involvement. When he learns of a prophet called the Twelfth Imam, proclaiming himself a messiah, Shirazi worries that a war of apocalyptic proportions may be in the offing.

The Walls of Jericho by Jon Land
When a serial killer stalking Jericho threatens peace talks between Palestine and Israel, a Palestinian detective and an Israeli Shin Bet agent must set aside their differences to stop the killer before he destroys the talks. The two soon discover that there is something more sinister behind the murders and their forced collaboration.

Reading Lists - Kristin on Nordic Crime Fiction

Since Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo hit the United States, there has been a growing interest in Scandinavian crime fiction here. I've done a bit of reading in the genre, though I'm looking forward to doing a lot more. (I'm especially fond of Norwegian author Jo Nesbø.) I decided to put together a list for other fans of the genre, focusing on authors whose work we own here at Samuels.

The definition of "Scandinavia" in this case isn't quite accurate. From what I read, strictly speaking Scandinavia is only Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. However, Finland and Iceland are sometimes grouped with Scandinavia because of their historic and/or cultural ties, in which case they're more accurately called the Nordic countries. I've included them too.

This is just a brief, and by no means comprehensive, list. For more Nordic crime, I would recommend starting with Glass Key award winners. The Glass Key, named after the Dashiell Hammett novel, is given every year by the members of the Crime Writers of Scandinavia (Skandinaviska Kriminalsällskapet) to a crime novel written by a Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, or Swedish author. Each country's members put forth a candidate novel, making up the shortlist.

Now without further ado, I give you a briefly annotated list of Nordic crime fiction available at Samuels Library.

Denmark

Adler-Olsen, Jussi - His first (and so far only) book to be translated into English is The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first in a series about chief detective Carl Morck. The Copenhagen detective is recovering from what he thought was a career-destroying gunshot wound when he is assigned to Department Q, a newly created unit charged with solving cold cases. I haven't read this yet, but I like the sound of the cold cases, the twisty plot, and the touch of humor that Glass Key winner Adler-Olsen is said to possess.

Davidsen, Leif - Davidsen won the Glass Key for Lime's Photograph, a political espionage thriller about Danish expat Peter Lime, who makes his home in Madrid and his living as a paparazzo. Lime takes one photo too many and finds himself in prison; when he is released, it is to discover his wife and daughter have been murdered and his archives burned. Lime's suspenseful search for answers leads him to Moscow, Berlin, and  his own past. Sounds exciting!

Høeg, Peter - I understand that Høeg's Glass Key winner Smilla's Sense of Snow is a must read in the genre. Smilla Qaavigaaq Jasperson is an unemployed glaciologist from Greenland living in Copenhagen. When her six-year-old neighbor falls to his death and no one is willing to suspect foul play, Smilla begins her own investigation. She is a rebellious, stubborn, tough, fearless Eskimo woman with an uncanny sense of direction, a love of Isaac Newton's theories, and a gift for mathematics. She treasures her aloneness, successfully hiding her vulnerability under a near-impenetrable facade of aggressiveness. What a character!

Jungersen, Christian - In Jungersen's only novel translated into English, The Exception, four women employed at the Danish Centre for Genocide Studies are receiving death threats. They suspect a Bosnian torturer and war criminal is the culprit, but then they discover that it could be someone in their very midst. Again, this is another book I haven't read yet, but it sounds like a masterpiece of psychological suspense.

Norway

Fossum, Karin - Fossum writes a series about Inspector Konrad Sejer. The second in the series and first to be translated into English, Don't Look Back, won the Glass Key. Here, the residents of a small village northwest of Oslo are torn asunder by the murder of a much-loved 15-year-old girl. Sejer, an aging, secretive cop still grieving for his late wife, must probe the psychological ticks of members of the seemingly idyllic community to solve the crime. I hear great things about this series.

Holt, Anne - Holt has written two series and several stand alone novels, though many haven't been translated. Her Stubo/Vik series follows the partnership of Norway police commissioner Adam Stubo and troubled FBI profiler Johanne Vik. Personally, I'm really looking forward to the first book to be translated into English from her Hanne Wilhelmsen series, which is coming out on December 27. In 1222, travelers on the Oslo to Bergen train are stranded by a blizzard in a decrepit hotel, where one of their number begins killing off the rest. I love a good locked room mystery!

Nesbø, Jo - I have to try not to get carried away when I talk about Nesbø's Harry Hole series. Hole is a classic loose cannon in the police force, with few close friends and unorthodox methods. He's a smoker and an alcoholic, always in the process of recovery or relapse, which puts his boss, Bjarne Møller, in difficult situations when he's forced to save his brilliant detective's job. In my opinion, Harry is one of the best-written characters I've ever read, and Nesbø's novels are intricately plotted, fascinating, and strongly written. The first in the series, The Bat Man, won the Glass Key. The first translated into English is The Redbreast.

Sweden

Jungstedt, Mari - I chose to include Jungstedt because her novels are set on the island of Gotland, which makes a nice change from Stockholm. The series features Detective Superintendent Anders Knutas and the journalist Johan Berg. (Jungstedt herself has worked as a journalist for many years.) In the title we own, The Inner Circle, students working on an archaeological dig to uncover an ancient Viking fortification become caught up in a web of horror when a young woman turns up dead, naked, and hanging from a tree, the victim of a ritual killing. Dark enough for you?

Läckberg, Camilla - Läckberg's American debut and first in the Erica Falck/Patrik Hedstrom series is The Ice Princess. After she returns to her small west coast hometown, Fjällbacka, biographer Erica Falck learns that her friend Alex was found in an ice-cold bath with her wrists slashed. She researches her friend's past in hopes of writing a book and joins forces with Detective Patrik Hedstrom, who has his own suspicions about the case. I like the premise of a professional and an amateur working together, plus it sounds like there may be a bit of romance. Also, there are many empty houses in the small village's off-season, and I've read that the quiet creates a chilling atmosphere in which silence drives suspense. Sounds awesome.

Mankell, Henning - Mankell won the inaugural Glass Key in 1992 for Faceless Killers, the first novel in his Kurt Wallender series, and was an international bestseller before Steig Larsson had been published. Inspector Wallander works in the southern town of Ystad,  has few close friends, and is known for his less-than-desirable lifestyle—too much alcohol and junk food, too little exercise, and some anger issues. He  investigates on a very personal level, throwing himself into catching criminals and going against the orders of his superiors to try to solve a case. In Faceless Killers, he finds himself coping with a wave of anti-foreigner sentiment when he is put in charge of the investigation into the brutal murders of an elderly couple.

Marklund, Liza - Some mystery/thriller readers might recognize Marklund as the coauthor of James Patterson's Postcard Killers. She has also written her own series about journalist Annika Bengtzon. In the American debut of the series, Red Wolf, a journalist is murdered in the northern Swedish town of Lulea during the freezing winter. Annika suspects that the killing is linked to an attack against an air base in the late sixties. Against the explicit orders of her boss, Annika continues her investigation of the death, which is soon followed by a series of shocking murders. With terrorism and communist splinter groups abounding, this sounds like quite an exciting read.

Sweden seems to dominate the Nordic crime genre, so I've only detailed a few authors here. Also try: Karin Alvtegen,  Åke Edwardson, Kjell Eriksson, Lars Kepler, Åsa Larsson, Steig Larsson, Håkan Nesser, Leif Persson, Anders Roslund, Maj Sjöwall & Per Wachlöö, and Helene Turseten.

Finland

So far I haven't been able to find any Finnish crime authors in our collection, but they might be hiding from me! If you're looking for something from Finland, let me know!

Iceland

Arnaldur Indriðason - A two-time Glass Key winner, Arnaldur Indriðason has written a few stand-alone books and 11 novels featuring Detective Erlendur. (Icelanders are called by their first names since their second name is a patronymic.) In his American debut, Jar City, Erlendur Sveinsson investigates the murder  of an elderly man named Holberg, who was found with a cryptic typed note reading, "I am HIM." Murder in Iceland is rare, and Erlendur is just coordinating his probe when two other crimes demand his attention: the assault of geriatric twin sisters in their home and the disappearance of a bride shortly after her wedding. Sounds like the type of moody, psychological, twisty Nordic mystery that we love!

Ridpath, Michael - Okay, so Ridpath is actually British, but I included him because I recently read his book Where the Shadows Lie, which takes place in Iceland. I thought he did really good research and the book felt Nordic, so it gets a special guest spot on the list. Sequestered to the Icelandic Police Force after a drug cartel puts a bounty on his head, former Boston detective and native Icelander Magnus Jonson is forced to confront difficult truths while investigating rumors about a priceless ancient manuscript. Norse mythology, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, details of life in Reykjavik, stunning settings, an interesting detective... I thought this was a real winner, and I'm looking forward to the next installment, 66 Degrees North.