Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night: James Penney's New Identity\Operation Northwoods\Epitaph\The Face In The Window\Empathy (Hardcover)

~ James Patterson (Author), David Liss (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The blurry line between mysteries and thrillers gets even fuzzier in this outstanding anthology of 32 new stories by such top genre names as Lee Child, James Grippando, Denise Hamilton and David Morrell. Patterson, in his introduction, talks about the "intensity of emotions" that thrillers share—as well as "the force with which they hurtle the reader along." This description fits such fine efforts as Gayle Lynds's "The Hunt for Dmitri," which takes the heroine of The Coil, Liz Sansborough, into an adventure involving her father, the infamous CIA assassin known as the Carnivore. But other extremely readable stories, like Alex Kava's "Goodnight, Sweet Mother," would qualify as straight mystery. Readers who favor one category or another may at first be a bit baffled, but lovers of crime fiction in general and well-told action tales in particular will be well rewarded. Would-be thriller writers can learn a lot about research and technique from Patterson's introductions to each story. Many of the contributors will be attending the first International Thriller Writers convention in Phoenix in June. (June)
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Review

"Child is a master." -- Denver Post

"Mooney's work is dark and desperate, but filled with genuine human emotion, sympathetic characters, and intriguing plots." -- Boston Globe

"Palmer is reaching the top of a demanding craft." -- Publishers Weekly

"Reich does for finance what John Grisham does for the law." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"Rice's novels are becoming as addictive as those of his mother, Anne." -- London Times

"Rose writes erotic better than just about anyone . . . and does thrillers just as well as the big boys." -- BookBitch.com

"[David Morrell] has always combined literature with entertainment to create highly rewarding novels." -- Associated Press

"[Gayle] Lynds knows how to propel her people into action." -- New York Times

"[Greg Hurwitz is] a thriller writer to be reckoned with." -- Kirkus Reviews

"[Raelynn Hillhouse is] the new queen of intrigue." -- Borneo Bulletin Weekend

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Mira; BCE edition (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778322998
• ISBN-13: 978-0778322993
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #99,584 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An astounding work of short fiction, June 7, 2006

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

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

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Collection Of Short Stories!, June 11, 2006

By	Melvin Hunt (Cleveland,, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thrillerish allsorts, June 16, 2007

By	Stephen Dedman (Bayswater, WA Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.