Customer Reviews

Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

There are a few reasons you should read this book. First, it is likely you will get a taste of the writings of authors you otherwise would not have ever tried.

Second, there are variations here on what defines a "thriller." Don't be prejudiced by your own definition of the term -- read these with an open mind to possibilities.

Third, if your life is as hectic as mine, it is great to be able to dip in for 20 or 30 minutes and enjoying a complete quality story; there are many of them in this collection.

Finally, many reviewers here write about how the collection was weak except for... and then they name the few stories they think were best. Peruse the reviews and you will see they are not all the same few stories... all in all, most of the stories were enjoyed by someone here! Which is to say that the lower ratings are because of TASTE, not QUALITY. Enjoy the breadth, indulge in your favorites, and don't be deterred by the selective ratings of the reviewers here.

A quality anthology -- can't wait for Vol 2!!

Several mystery/thriller authors have gotten together to form a new professional organization and this book is a first - a thriller anthology. Thirty thriller writers have contributed short stories; James Patterson introduces each author and his/her story.

The settings are varied - France, England, New York, old west and anywhere the writers' imaginations take them. The time periods vary - anywhere from the 1700's to present day. I confess I started a few of the stories and had to skip to the next one. But most are quick reads with a twist at the end. I hope to see another book from the group.

THRILLER, an anthology of short fiction --- where all contributions are from members of the International Thriller Writers Organization --- is, if you will, a literary annual report, a statement of where the thriller genre is at the present time and where it is going. In concept and execution, it's nothing less than perfect: 30 stories from 32 authors, the majority of which has never seen publication before. Together, they create an exhaustive compendium of the breadth and range of the subject matter and the depth of literary talent with which the genre is presently blessed.

When I think of the thriller genre, I generally think of works like David Morrell's FIRST BLOOD, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's THE RELIC, or literally anything Robert Ludlum ever wrote. The genre does not immediately or easily lend itself to shorter fiction. Yet each and every offering here illustrates what makes a thriller a thriller. The stories themselves simultaneously serve as an introduction to new readers while providing additional exploits to the canons of familiar characters.

Lee Child's "James Penney's New Identity" is an excellent example of this. Heretofore published with only very limited distribution, it includes a brief but pivotal appearance by Child's Jack Reacher. Readers unfamiliar with Reacher will find their appetites whetted for more, while fans of the enigmatic wanderer will enjoy the novelty of a story in which their protagonist is relegated to a supporting role. J. A. Konrath, on the other hand, uses "Epitaph" as a vehicle for Phin Troutt, a secondary character in his fine Jack Daniels series, not only shifting primary characters but also mood in this dark tale of double-barreled revenge.

Preston and Child, writing their first short story together (amazingly enough), have contributed "Gone Fishing." It serves as a solo tale for Vincent D'Agosta, usually seen in the company of Special Agent Pendergast. D'Agosta does quite nicely on his own in this chilling story that begins, simply enough, with the investigation of the theft of a rare artifact and ends...well, you'll have to read it to find out.

Obviously, it's difficult to pick a winner in a collection stuffed to the rafters with them. Stalwart authors such as David Morrell, Gayle Lynds and Eric Van Lustbader are featured; a long out-of-print, posthumous contribution from dearly-missed Dennis Lynds is included, as is "Man Catch," an unsettling tale of jealousy, betrayal and revenge from Christopher Rice. There are diverse, exciting stories from Chris Mooney, Alex Kava, Grant Blackwood and Brad Thor --- the work of these and other authors makes picking a favorite almost an impossibility.

If I had to pick one, however, it would be "The Portal" by John Lescroart and M.J. Rose. Lescroart and Rose normally fly solo, a state of affairs that makes the product of this collaboration --- a seamless, tightly drawn tale where things go from bad to awful --- all the more noteworthy. Rose's Dr. Morgan Snow is here, but only briefly --- and to greatly understated effect --- in a story that begins in New York and ends, catastrophically, in Lescroart's San Francisco.

By the way, if this list of authors is not enough reason to read this book, consider this. Each story is prefaced by an introduction from James Patterson that talks about both the story and the writer's work.

Now, consider this: I have not named even half of the noteworthy authors who appear in THRILLER. If you have a favorite thriller writer, prepare yourself for the thrill of reading one of their heretofore unpublished stories and the opportunity to put 31 new favorite authors on your reading list. And if you've never encountered the genre before, set aside a day or two and feed your mind at a rich and bountiful literary buffet. Highest possible recommendation.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Great read for both old-time thrill readers or anyone new to this genre. Short stories from some of the best "thrill" writers around. Many of the writers use characters that they have developed in their other books. A must read for anyone that enjoys a good "thrill". Thanks to James Patterson (editor) and the International Thriller Writers, Inc. I hope they are willing to put together a Thriller II.

Thriller, edited by the ubiquitous James Patterson, is the first publication of the recently formed International Thriller Writers Inc. To publicise (and help fund) the ITW, Patterson has compiled a collection of thirty stories donated by well-known thriller writers, all using "a familiar character or plotline" from their novels.

Unsurprisingly, the result is something of a mixed bag. Not all novelists are masters of the short story form, and many of these writers seem uncomfortable within its confines. Some of the stories skimp on characterization, and some on plot; some work well as stand-alones, but others rely too much on the readers' knowledge of characters and organizations from the writers' novels. That said, there are some gems inside.

Patterson leads with one of the strongest stories: `James Penney's New Identity', by Lee Child. Penney, a Vietnam vet, suffers from post-traumatic syndrome, and has been retrenched after seventeen years in the same job because of a poor attendance record. Going slightly crazy, he sets fire to his house before fleeing in his prized Firebird, but the fire spreads. Soon he's wanted for arson - and then, he encounters military cop Jack Reacher. It's a neat little tale, and all you need to know about Reacher for it to work is his idea of honour.

J. A. Konrath's `Epitaph' is less surprising, but it's a well-written and punchy story involving Phin Trout, one of the colourful sidekicks of Whiskey Sour's heroine "Jack" Daniels. In James Rollins's amusing and fast-paced `Kowalski's in Love', Sigma Force's heroic but less-than-brilliant Joe Kowalski has to fight his way past booby traps and rabid baboons to loot a mad scientist's island laboratory before the Brazilian government fire-bombs the place. In F. Paul Wilson's `Interlude at Duane's', unarmed career criminal Repairman Jack has to hunt for improvised weapons in a drug-store held up by a heavily armed team of enthusiastic amateurs; the action is frantic, and the results gruesome, but the tone is light-heartedly anarchic.

More serious is James Siegel's `Empathy', a grim and claustrophobic stand-alone about a masseuse who suspects that a client is a paedophile, but lacks proof. David Morrell's `The Abelard Sanction' features a tense armed stand-off between enemy spies in a sanctuary; it starts with several pages of background, but Morrell manages to make this as interesting as his conflicted characters. Dennis Lynds's `Success of a Mission' and Grant Blackwood's `Sacrifical Lion' are well-constructed accounts of dangerous undercover missions - one in the Middle East, the other in Stalin's Russia.

Two of the stories make use of the September 11 attacks and their aftermath. David Dun's `Spirit Walker' pits Tilok tracker Kier Wintripp against the Anthrax letter bomber, and in Steve Berry's `The Devils' Due' - one of the gems in the collection - Osama Bin Laden arranges a meeting with Cotton Malone and offers to surrender.

For fans of historical conspiracies, there is Katherine Neville's `The Tuesday Club', in which Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson look for secret messages in `Frere Jacques'. David Liss pits 18th century thief-taker Benjamin Weaver against a cunning highwayman, and Ted Bell spins a yarn of Napoleonic-era sailors and pirates in `The Powder Monkey'.

Christopher Reich's `Assassins' and Robert Liparulo's `Kill Zone' are little more than character studies, but Liparullo does a particularly good job of showing us the viewpoint of police sniper Byron Stone.

Alex Kava's `Goodnight, Sweet Mother' and John Lescroart and M. J. Rose's `The Portal' are both enjoyably twisted, but Heather Graham's `The Face in the Window' is rather predictable. Michael and Daniel Palmer's `Disfigured' is an intriguing tale of a deranged kidnap plot, but needed to be at least twice as long.

James Grippando's `Operation Northwoods' feels more like a teaser for his next novel - as do Gayle Lynds's `The Hunt for Dmitri', Brad Thor's `The Athens Solution', and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's `Gone Fishing', despite their promising beginnings.

Chris Mooney's `Falling', Denise Hamilton's `At The Drop of A Hat', Christopher Rice's `Man Catch', and M. Diane Vogt's `Surviving Toronto' all feel more like compressed novels, with too many scenes and characters reduced to ciphers and most of the tension left out. Raelynn Hillhouse handles the short story length better in `Diplomatic Constraints', an exciting prologue to `Outsourced', but I still felt I was missing something.

This book is rather like a smorgasbord for thriller readers. Even if you don't like everything on offer, chances are you'll find something you'll want to try again.

This collection of short stories was very impressive.You have

a very impressive gathering of noted authors.You also have every

type of story that you could hope to read.Within this book there are spy thrillers,police stories,medical stories,military

thrillers,as well as mystery stories.

I was also intorduced to several authors that I had never before read.Heather Graham,Lee Child,Gayle Lynds,James Seigel,

Steve Berry , Alex Kava, and David and Michael Palmer mightily impressed me.Gayle Lynd's story"The Hunt For Dimitri" and Heather Graham's "A Face In The Window" were definitely keepers.

This book also featured authors that I have been reading for years.Brad Thor,Grant Blackwood,Christopher Reich,Gregg Hurwitz, and David Morrell also shined in this book .

"Sacrificial Lion" by Grant Blackwood and "The Athens Solution" wre also standouts.Also in the story "Abelard Sanction" David Morrell gave us an update on Saul Grisman a hero

from previous novels.

This is a very good that I enjoyed reading.You will find it to be a page turner.

"Thriller" delivers an enjoyable volume of stories, maybe not spectacular, but not mediocre, either. The book is good fun for longtime mystery/thriller fans for a couple of reasons. First, many of the stories feature the lead or supporting characters from today's most popular mystery and thriller series, so you're basically getting extra doses of your favorite series characters while waiting for the next novels where they'll appear. Second, each story is preceded by an introduction by James Patterson which gives a little insight into the author in question and how his or her popular characters and/or series came about. So, you get good stories and fascinating background material.

I do have one caveat, however. I listened to the unabridged audiobook version of "Thriller", and while the variety of narrators and performances were all top notch (mystery and thriller stories really lend themselves to audio dramatization), each new story began literally ONE SECOND after the previous story ended. With audio collections of short stories, you really need at least a few seconds for the final moments of one story to sink in before the next story begins. Many collections utilize a short, moody musical interlude for such a purpose, and that would have worked to good effect here. Instead, though, we hear a dramatic or moody ending of one story and IMMEDIATELY start hearing the introduction to the next story. The audio producers really could have done a better job in that area.

But, if one is discussing just the actual book, "Thriller" is well worth your time. As well as giving you that extra little dose of a favorite character or series you already enjoy, it'll likely turn you on to a series or two you haven't tried out yet.

It is impossible to publish a collection of 30 stories by different thriller writers in which every story is a winner. That being said, I found over two-thirds of the stories to be interesting and well-written, but was happy to skim the clunkers. My clunkers will probably be some other readers' favorites, however. I don't like historical thrillers and found that I also don't like historical thrillers in short-story form.

My favorite stories were by David Morrell, Michael Palmer, and MJ Rose. Of those authors, I was encountering Rose for the first time, but have read everything by Morrell and Palmer. Brad Thor is another author whom I've never read before, but now will be tempted to try.

I found James Patterson's introductions to be poorly written, and think that the next time a compilation like this is done, the writer of the intros should be someone who is still penning their own books, and not relying on ghostwriters and co-authors to get the job done.

Overall, this was an entertaining book, but to give it 5-stars means you loved every story. That's highly unlikely.

As an avid reader - over 150 books per year - thrillers and books with suspense in them are my favorites!! As a long time advocate of the International Thriller Writers website, I LOVED and HIGHLY recommend this anthology.

First of all, it allows you to sample - like a Chinese food menue - different authors. Then, if you like the story, you can search Amazon for additional works by that Author.

I've discovered some new authors this way, and have had HOURS of fun.

Run - do NOT walk - and get this book. I'm certain that you too will find many hours of enjoyment within its covers.

Thrillers is a manifesto of sorts for the recently formed International Thriller Writers organization, meant to demonstrate the vitality and range of this type of fiction while showcasing the talents of a broad cross section of the organization's membership. As such, it is a decidedly mixed bag, a Whitman's sampler of short stories where the subject matter of the stories offered and the quality of the writing therein varies widely--as Forrest Gump might opine, the book is literally like a box of chocolates, because you never know what you're going to get.

Fortunately, the good stories outnumber the bad, so you won't find yourself biting into one only to spit it out after a brief taste. Highlights include Lee Child's "James Penney's New Identity" Grant Blackwood's `Sacrificial Lion", Greg Hurwitz's "Dirty Weather", David Liss' "The Double Dealer", and Chris Mooney's "Falling". Each of these authors is worth checking out, both in this anthology and in their longer, novel length work.

Among the best of the thirty tales this book has to offer are those from writers who have strong ties to the horror field, including the team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (authors of Reliquary and Still Life With Crows), David Morrell (Creepers) and F. Paul Wilson (The Keep). Each of their respective stories deals with characters who have appeared in their novels: "Gone Fishing" by Preston and Child features Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta, who first appeared in Relic; Morrell's "The Abelard Sanction" stars Saul from The Brotherhood of the Rose, and Wilson's "Interlude At Duane's" features his most famous character, Repairman Jack. Although each tale stands alone, knowledge of these characters' previous exploits can only enhance the reading experience.