Thrillers in my Past. My Recommendations Pt. 3

These are some of the best thrillers I’ve read in the last ten years. A fun list to make. I highly recommend them all.

Robert Galbraith’s (J.K. Rowling) Cormoran Strike series:

I have to be upfront about my reading history. I have only read the first Harry Potter book. I thought it was good, but I wasn’t motivated to continue… I think my reluctance to continue the series has as much to do with my phobia of series than anything else. I read a lot of first books in series, but many times don’t continue because of a fear of missing out of other books. BUT… I loved Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series.  Her character of Strike is well-drawn and tasked with solving some great twisted mysteries. His background and the other characters, notably his new secretary Robin, are equally as absorbing. All three books are very good reads. Highly recommended series.

 Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke

Winner of the 2018 Edgar Award for Best Novel. Racial tensions in East Texas are at the center of this fantastic regional thriller.  Two women murdered, one white and one black, start to stir up deeply-rooted forgotten issues in a small town. Black Texas Ranger Darren Matthews tries to separate himself from his job, his family, and his past to solve the cases, but all three creep back and create a complex and unforgettable character and plot. Loved this one!

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes:

Incredible international terror thriller. A perfect hit on a lone woman in an apartment in Manhattan starts this story of intrigue. Two men who have hidden themselves from the world for years are now on opposite sides of the globe racing towards their goals. One trying to reek havoc on the world and one trying to stop him. This is a complex book, and it is rather long, but it is worth it. Probably the best thriller I have read in recent years.

IQ series by Joe Ide:

A unique and fresh character enters the thriller scene in Joe Ide’s IQ and continues in  Righteous. Admittedly, I haven’t read the second book, but I have it, and plan to read it soon. IQ is young man with MENSA-level smarts who lives in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. His neighbors know that he can help them solve the cases that the LAPD are too busy for or don’t deem important. In the first book, a rap star’s life is in danger, and IQ is asked to help find and stop the threat. Excellent book.

Child 44 trilogy by Tom Rob Smith:

Communist Soviet Union is a place where crime is nonexistent, and when one man starts to look into a string of murders, he and the cases are swept under the rug. Filled with great characters and an all-consuming atmosphere of paranoia, this book is a great representation of Stalin’s regime. The string of child murders is pegged on undesirables, the quick fix, the easy solution. But children continue to show up dead.  This is an excellent series that any fan of the genre should read. Highly recommended.