These are the best of the best as awarded by the International Thriller Writers on July 10 . Awards were presented by literary luminaries Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritsen, Walter Mosley, Karin Slaughter and R.L. Stine.
Best Hardcover
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron Books)
Best First Novel
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco)
Best Original Paperback
What Lies Between Us by John Marrs (Thomas & Mercer)
A glimpse into how man becomes god. The 2020 Nobel Prize winner, Jennifer Doudna, A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution details her role, her work and her expectations for the groundbreaking work in our ability to edit the genome. Clear and layman level reading for those interested in the new frontier of science.
SO – as a hard-core fan of mystery, thrillers and all things where I’m trying to figure out who the bad guy is and how to stop them, I rifle through Netflix and Amazon Prime as well as the world of books. I suspect you do the same.
For the build of suspense and the sheer tension of sharply conflicted characters, experience WISTING. You will be rewarded. Dialogue is spare but effective. You get the profile of each character clearly within seconds of introduction. You’re wary of them all. No, they’re not the perps but you instantly recognize there are hidden agendas – subtle but potentially contrary to cooperative detecting.
Just as the folk you work with yourself, you’re going to feel that push back from those who see the situation through a different lens and want to impose their approach on the case at hand. Yes, sometimes, you’ll see that studied frozen stare of recognition and think “deer in the headlights?” Just keep going.
True thriller storylines unwind across the magnificent Norwegian landscape. The two series on ACORN TV are based on novels by former police detective Jorn Lier Horst. His Detective Chief Inspector, William Wisting, is played by Sven Nordin. You may have seen him before in Valkyrien and Lilyhammer.
Wisting is head of homicide at Larvik police station, a small town just outside Oslo. Series one is comprised of 10 episodes, telling two stories which have been adapted from Lier Horst’s novels The Caveman and The Hunting Dogs – with five episodes apiece.
Watch the trailer. Decide for yourself. I’m betting you’ll opt in.
Reading Experience – There’s a reason Cara Malone maintains high rankings on Amazon. Her books are expressive and have strong clarity. The reader will find her narrative easy to follow the action and to differentiate characters.
Characters – If you like strong women who are not unrelentingly hard-boiled, you’ll love her series protagonist, Mel Pine, a disciplined police officer who gets her shot on solo patrol. Perfect job for the loner that she is. Still, she’s not so lone wolf that she is not caring.
Mel is the loving caretaker for her ailing grandmother. Equally attractive is the eager and less edgy, Court Wilson. She’s young brave; she’s open; she’s willing to take her chances.
Author Malone draws her secondary characters with no less a finer pen. Especially well done is Nonna, Mel’s grandmother who brings A-game strength to her battle with cancer. Malone clearly gives each of the secondaries a unique personality with specific individual motivations.
Story – The story line on the main plot is the murder/cover-up. The reader gets a clear line of action towards solving the case. Conflicts in the case arise and Mel and Court doggedly pursue the obstacles in the way. No machina ex deus here! True detective and police work take the reader to its natural conclusion.
The secondary storyline is the increasing attraction between Mel and Court. The reader experiences the tension between the two. The reluctance, the bonding, the danger of the case spins the two into a believable romance.
Specs Pages: 234 Lending: Enabled Available: Kindle, Paperback Recommendation Get it. Read it. As we said in the beginning – there’s a reason Cara Malone maintains high rankings on Amazon! https://amzn.to/2TpgNCk
