Customer Reviews

First Thrills: High-Octane Stories from the Hottest Thriller Authors

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As with many readers of genre fiction of my age, I cut my teeth on thrillers and mysteries with short stories, beginning with Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown and The Thinking Machine, and then working my way into the Hardy Boys before making a quantum jump to Mike Hammer and Shell Scott. Short stories in general are beginning to make a comeback, even if the venues for such material remain somewhat scarce.

The International Thriller Writers Organization has been doing something about that, publishing collections of original short thriller and crime fiction on a regular basis. The latest of these, FIRST THRILLS, is a masterpiece, comprised of 25 stories that each possesses some quality for recommendation. Nicely balanced between well-known authors and those who will be soon, it is a smorgasbord for readers who require an introduction to the thriller genre but are unsure where to begin. Those who are familiar with some of the contributors will enjoy encountering them in a somewhat different context --- short fiction --- as well as discovering new authors to place on their "must read" lists.

If there is one pervasive element that runs through FIRST THRILLS, it is the apparent inclination of at least some of the authors to take steps outside of their respective comfort zones. John Lescroart's "The Gato Conundrum" is an example. Lescroart, best known for his legal thrillers featuring Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky, here taps into his inner Robert Ludlum with a haunting tale of espionage that is complete in less than 20 pages. Lee Child's "The Bodyguard" is not a Jack Reacher story. It's a very clever piece of work, one involving a personal security job that goes bad and gently tugs your expectations one way until you wind up somewhere that is totally unexpected, yet is quite consistent with what has gone before.

And Karin Slaughter? Incapable of disappointing, she takes us far away from the environs of Georgia in "Cold Cold Heart," a grim tale of domestic one-upmanship that is played out between a mismatched couple long after their marriage has ended. 'Til death do they part, indeed.

I would be remiss if I did not mention "Last Supper" by Rip Gerber. While Gerber's work to date would best be classified in the techno-thriller genre, there is nothing at all techno, as that term is commonly used, about his contribution. It is instead a smart tale of revenge with an ending you might see coming but that strikes from an unexpected direction.

As will happen with any set of stories that are almost evenly matched in terms of quality, my personal favorite in FIRST THRILLS keeps changing. A couple of days ago I was reading and re-reading "Scutwork" by C. J. Lyons. Remember what I mentioned earlier about stepping outside of comfort zones? "Scutwork", as one might expect from Lyons's previously published novels, is set inside a hospital to a great extent. Don't expect a medical story, though; this is a crime story that, as with the best of the genre, serves as a cautionary tale as well. Yesterday, my favorite story was "Children's Day" by Kelli Stanley. Stanley, whose CITY OF DRAGONS is one of this year's most impressive books, works her magic once again in a prequel to that title. Set in 1939 San Francisco and dealing with a missing child, "Children's Day" is a somber examination of an ongoing societal problem that continues to fester to this day. And today's favorite story? That would be "Underbelly" by Grant McKenzie. How can I describe it without giving it all away or making it sound mundane? Well, it's about a small burglary on a bus that is cut short in an unexpected way. That's all I'm going to say. I wish my dad was still alive so he could read it. I can't think of a better recommendation than that.

I've had other stories from FIRST THRILLS on that favorite list --- such as "The Thief" by Gregg Hurwitz and "Eddy May" by Theo Gangi --- but I refer back to what I said earlier. Each and all of the stories included in this collection, for one reason or another, is a keeper. Give yourself a halfway-to-Christmas present and start reading.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

This twenty-five suspense thriller collection is an interesting way for readers to meet new writers while established authors have an opportunity to thank the audience and the publishing companies by providing entries to First Thrills. "The Dead Club" by Daniel James Palmer and Michael Palmer is the best bet as wagering on death mirrors real life gambling pools. Other strong entries include "The Thief" by Greg Hurwitz and Ken Bruen's "Wednesday's Child". None of the entries from the veterans or the rookies are bad, but few are excellent. Still fans will enjoy dining with Rip Gerber, Sean Michael Bailey and other newcomers and vets like Stephen Coonts, John Lescroart, Karin Slaughter and Heather Graham as each provides readers with plenty of chills and thrills.

Harriet Klausner

Another offering from the International Thriller Writers Inc - a very active organisation that promotes the work of its established writers while introducing us to new writers. A worthwhile cause and endeavour - this one is presented and edited by Lee Child who contributes a short story (although I am not convinced that the short story is really his thing). Some other big names have contributed Stephen Coonts, Jeffery Deaver, Gregg Hurwitz and Karin Slaughter - it's 12 known writers and 13 new ones. This follow on from "Thriller" and Thriller 2" in that it provides a mix of writing, ranging from the very good to the fairly awful (but that is my taste - the good news is that there are lots of them and they are shortish, so lots of small tastes!)

Lee Child's entry is short and nothing to write home about - don't buy it just for that, Hurwitz has an interesting entry based on someone with learning difficulties, Deaver's was a fun story about a dead bestselling author, Coonts was slightly obvious with the story of a recovered UFO - but there was lots here to enjoy. The one I liked least was a Dan Brown like bit of nonsense from established author John Lescroart.

So a mixed bag, and probably better then both Thriller and Thriller2.

Great compilation! Some of the listed "newcomers," have stronger work than many of the "pros," that Child lists in the Intro. I read one or two a night and have thoroughly enjoyed the book.

FIRST THRILLS edited by Lee Child provides a fine collection of intense stories profiling many of the Thriller Writers Inc. group's best writings. Works by Stephen Coonts, Jeffrey Deaver, Child, Michael Palmer and more provide many top listens, performed by various narrators. A top pick for any audio collection!

I really enjoyed this. I don't often read short stories, but this gave me quick reads and the chance to discover new writers (New to me)

This is a collection of 25 short stories by 28 authors (including 3 co-authors) so you get a lot for your money. They are of mixed length and quality and, like most short story collections, you will like some better than others. You can read them in any order. You will find some of your favorite authors, and some new to you. Some of the authors are well established, and some are just starting out. I have read and reviewed full novels by many of the authors, and the collection provides me with some leads to others. Short story collections are always a good way to sample authors.

In the Introduction, Lee Child notes the difficulties for a new writer to get started. The days of pulp fiction and slick magazines are long gone. However, ezines have emerged. The problem is that ezines and small press literary magazines come and go from the scene. I did find one editor that liked my short stories and published two in ezines - but on the verge of publishing a third, she folded up shop and moved on to do other things. So it takes some hard work to keep track of emerging venues for publishing and to match up with an editor.

The International Thriller Writers has provided an opportunity for some emerging writers, both in this collection and earlier collections. They are worth sampling. Earlier collections pointed me to some very good novels that I read and reviewed on Amazon. I expect that this collection will do the same.

This collection did not rate as high with me as the anthologies Thriller and Thriller 2. The majority were quite lackluster given the caliber of writers assembled. It seems they dusted off mediocre efforts and to be truthful there is not one entry where I was blown away. I like aspects of some of the stories like the bodyguard profession in Child's contribution but the story itself did not satisfy. And the revenge scenario with an 'ever-so-slight twist' became common by the fifth tale resulting in repetitive plots. I felt like it was cashing in on the success and demand from previous collections without providing the same level of content. Still I do not want to absolutely beat up on it - there are a number of stories here that other readers may enjoy and it could be a fine companion on a plane or beach as a breezy read.

This book proved to be a very good collection of entertaining short stories. There are veteran writers who you
will recognize immediately as well as beginning writers that will be stars in the future. One of the stories is about a man who becomes a former bodyguard written by Lee Child. Another story called " When Johnny Comes Marching
Home" by Heather Graham goes beyond being a normal civil war story. Another good story is "Savage Planet" by
Stephen Coonts. This story describes the discovery of a flying saucer. Gregg Hurwitz writes a good story called "The
Theif". It tells of a child with sticky fingers. These are just a few of the short stories that are featured in this book. The authors featured in this book are members of the International Thriller Writers. This is a very good book. Be sure to read it.

Very poorly edited, almost as if by someone for whom English is a second language. Lots of missing "an", "a", "the", and so forth. Quite distracting from the stories, which I found mostly far-fetched anyway.