Booktalked at the September 14, 2004 meeting of the MLS Readers Advisory S. I. G.

What is a Thriller?

Thrillers are often a mix of elements from many different genres: horror, romance, mystery, or science fiction. Essentially, the reader can expect the worst to happen to the main character, related through short chapters featuring cliffhanger endings. Thrillers are plot and action driven, so character development is brief. One can also expect plot elements to be far-fetched. Heroes and heroines are placed in dangerous situations repeatedly and plots will make use of violence and graphic descriptions to increase anxiety and suspense. There is always a villain and a hero or a struggle of good versus evil. Although a thriller doesn't need to have a happy ending, the resolution must be satisfying to a reader expecting that good will prevail and or that the fight can continue.

Thrillers are different from mysteries in that the focus is on the crime and the (usually known, at least to the reader) perpetrator, not on discovering who committed the crime and their motive. The thrill lies in the chase, not in the in the solution. Mystery lovers will not find the familiar procedural details in a thriller. However, other details, such as forensic details and psychology may appeal to mystery fans.

We reviewed several different types of thrillers, which can be placed into one of six rough categories. Again, many elements may be used in the same story. Categories were taken from Genreflecting and the Adult Reading Round Table, then tweaked to make room for books that didn't seem to fit.

1. Bio-Thriller/Medical Thriller: A biological agent, such as a doomsday virus, is the major element in these thrillers. There is usually an outsider struggling against a powerful, sinister corporation or even the government to narrowly avert a cataclysmic disaster. A disaster can be caused by a madman or by science going tragically awry. Medical details provide a glimpse into the lives of scientists and doctors.
2. Financial / Political Thriller: Greed is the backbone of the action. Whether the story focuses on a sinister multinational corporation, a government conspiracy, embezzlement, or some sort of political corruption, money is at the heart of the problem.
3. Legal Thriller: One of the most popular types, the action centers on courtroom drama, as a lawyer must use his/her intellect to overcome adversity or save a client. Usually, it is the discovery that a client is guilty or a conspiracy that aims to conceal truth that places a lawyer in danger. The protagonist can also be a judge or law student, but it is usually a defense lawyer.
4. Espionage or Spy Thriller: Political intrigue and heavy use of current events, such as the rise of terrorism, are now the defining elements of these thrillers. Older novels written in this style made heavy use of the Cold War, the KGB, CIA, the British Secret Service and the rest of the international alphabet soup agencies. May also share elements of financial thrillers and technothrillers, as money or the gadgets used to save the world may get more than a passing mention. Expect to see a larger than life male lead character. Most definitely a tale of good versus evil, with the good guys triumphant by story's end.
5. Psychological Thriller/ Crime & Caper Thriller: Perhaps the most difficult category to describe, the psychological or crime thriller features a wide array of novels about revenge, blackmail, serial killers, forensic experts, psychologists, victims and criminals. Again, it is the thrill of the chase and not a solution that drives these stories. For example, a thriller won't describe how a police officer investigates a crime (procedure), but rather the cat and mouse game the killer plays with the police and the media. Readers will be exposed to the criminal mind and a victim's fear as the story races to the final confrontation. A main character can be a victim, a criminal (who must basically be likable, despite crimes), a cop, a coroner&really, the possibilities are endless.
6. Technothriller: The gadgets or technology used in the story occupy such an important role, that they are practically characters themselves. This goes far beyond the cool toys of James Bond. In these thrillers, an item such as a submarine or computer program is the main plot point. It propels the action-the technology must be fixed, found, returned, destroyed etc. The fear and suspense centers on what could happen and the fight to prevent a disaster.

Neanderthal by John Darnton. (1996) 368 p. , Bio-Thriller.
Two anthropologists are drawn into a search for their missing college mentor in the mountains of central Asia. The mentor was working for an institution interested in the prehistory of man and in his work discovered a 25 year old Neanderthal skull, and sent it to his employer; who in turn used it to lure the other two anthropologists into the search. The trek into the mountains leads them to a campsite that points out the direction that the mentor has gone, and leads the team into a cave system where they encounter a violent tribe of Neanderthals. One of the expedition leaders seems to know about some special abilities that the Neanderthals may have and helps the others escape, and this unfortunately leads to his capture. The two anthropologists find themselves in a hidden valley occupied by a settlement of peaceful Neanderthals where they also find their former mentor who has fallen prey to a massive ego problem. They believe by studying this culture they could solve why present day Homo sapiens were able to become the dominant species on the planet. This society is under attack from the violent Neanderthals and the anthropologists see that it is not the peaceful society that nature has chosen to select but their more organized and violent counterparts. During this time, the mentor explains that the organization is a front for the government who captured a Neanderthal 20 years ago and wants more for a biological weapons program. The main characters have to devise a plan to thwart the government and try and save the peaceful community from their more violent counterparts. By the end of the book, the reader learns why modern man was able to overcome Neanderthals and what the future holds for Neanderthal man. Lisa Korajczyk, Richton Park Library

Bloodstream, by Tess Gerritsen. (1998) 324 p. Bio-Thriller
Dr. Claire Elliot has moved to a small resort town in Maine, along with her troubled teenage son, Noah, following the death of her husband. The townspeople are slow to accept her, and things get worse when a teenage boy under her care becomes suddenly violent. As more teens succumb to a strange wave of violence, Claire gradually learns that a frightening pattern has been forming over generations, and that it may be tied to nearby Locust Lake. Is nature to blame, or is something more insidious going on? An exciting medical thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Audience: Adult or YA. Debbie Darwine LaGrange PL

Mount Dragon, by Douglas & Lincoln Child. (1996) 494 p. Bio-Thriller
The quest to improve humankind through genetic manipulation leads to paranoia and violence among a secluded group of scientists working in the New Mexico desert. At first, Guy Carson is thrilled to be hand selected to join the top-secret work at GeneDyne's desert facility, Mount Dragon. He views his latest assignment as the opportunity to save billions of lives. GeneDyne hopes to take the gene for flu immunity from the bonobo and transfer it to humans. As Guy labors under the intense pressure and frightening safety measures, his desire for glory gives way to fear. The more he and his coworkers manipulate the DNA/virus mixture, the more contagious and virulent it becomes. Guy is working with an engineered virus that causes the brain to explode and the situation is about to get worse. Why is his old professor breaking into the lab's network to warn him about his work? Why did his predecessor go insane before finishing the project? What if a worker is exposed to the virus? What if they have already been infected? With GeneDyne's mysterious CEO watching over his every move, Guy struggles to continue his work and uncover the secrets of Mount Dragon. Suitable for YA. Jennie Milojevic Riverside Public Library

Berlin Game, by Len Deighton. (1983) 344p. Espionage/Spy Thriller
Deighton is a master of the cold war spy thriller and this first novel in a three-part tale (the others are Mexico Set and London Match) is an excellent introduction to his writing. Following British Secret Service agent Bernard Samson through a complex maze of espionage, betrayal, and political maneuvering, Deighton writes the story in the first person. This immediacy, coupled with Bernard's acid comments on his fellow agents and his domestic situation, helps grab the reader's attention and immerse them into the story. The dry writing style will attract male readers. Suitable for older YAs. Nancy Bent LaGrange Public Library

The Unlikely Spy, by Daniel Silva, (1996) Espionage/Spy Thriller
German spies in England try to get crucial information about D-Day back to Germany. The primary character focus is on a German sleeper spy who is assigned to sleep with and gain the confidence of an American engineer in order to steal plans. A British officer in MI5, a former university don, is sent to track down the spies. The excitement comes from not knowing who is really playing straight and who is playing whom. Although a bit long for a thriller, it was really suspenseful. This was Silva's first novel and the beginning is a little shaky. Debbie Wordinger Indian Prairie Public Library

A Calculated Risk, by Katherine Neville. (1993) 485 p. Financial Thriller
When Verity Banks' boss nixes her proposal to beef up the bank's security system, she decides to prove its vulnerability by moving money from the wire transfer system around inside the bank where it can't be found. Her mentor, Dr. Zoltan Zorr, discovers her scheme and offers a bet. She will steal from the wire transfer system and he will steal from the New York and American stock exchanges. Whoever can make thirty million dollars from investing the stolen funds is the winner. But, unsuspected by Verity, someone else scheming at the bank could cause all their plans to come crashing down. Sue O'Brien Downers Grove Public Library

A Small Death in Lisbon, by Robert Wilson. (2000) 440p. Financial Thriller
Two storylines, the murder of a 14-year-old girl in the late 1990s and the sale and smuggling of tungsten out of Portugal to Germany during WWII, intersect. Of all the characters, only the present day police detective is likable. The book has lots of sex, some of it moderately graphic in description. In the end, family vendettas, rooted in the tungsten deal, have caused much of what has happened. This book is kind of a mess. The plot is all over. The connection between the two storylines is something closer to seven degrees of separation than a direct cause and effect. Many of the characters are downright depraved. The writing can be on the baroque side, but this was still very readable and I'd read others by the author. Debbie Wordinger Indian Prairie Public Library

False Witness, by Lelia Kelly. (2000) 312 p. Legal Thriller
New Atlanta Assistant District Attorney Laura Chastain is still recovering from her lover's murder as she leaves private practice to work for the prosecution. Her first major case involves the murder of Christine Stanley, who was killed in a botched burglary attempt. Or was she? Things don't add up and Laura comes to believe Christine's husband had a hand in her death, even though he has an airtight alibi. The intricate plot keeps the reader guessing until the end in this fast paced legal thriller. Sue O'Brien Downers Grove Public Library

Past Due, by William Lashner. (2004) 474 p. Legal Thriller
Down on his luck, lawyer Victor Carl agrees to meet up with his dead-beat client Joey Cheaps. Twenty years ago, Joey was involved in murder and the theft of thousands of dollars. He never knew much about his victim. The guy's name was Tommy, he had a big suitcase filled with money and he needed to be taught a lesson. Now, the past has come back to haunt him. A group of men have chased him down and they want their suitcase back. Joey had an accomplice, but he won't reveal anything about him. Before Victor can see what legal loopholes he can exploit for his client, Joey turns up dead. Victor may have a loose code of ethics, but he is always loyal to his clients, dead or alive. He vows to uncover Joey Cheap's murderer, unprepared for the twists and turns of the dangerous path ahead. It seems the more questions Victor asks, the worse his clients fare in court. Is this just a coincidence? And what about his newest client, Edward Dean? Why does he want to help Victor? Just who did Joey Cheaps kill that fateful night and why are powerful people trying to cover it up twenty years later? More than a legal thriller centered on a courtroom drama, Lashner's novel involves colorful criminals, a cynical lawyer, and an emotional side-plot about familial ties. Jennie Milojevic Riverside Public Library

Wild Justice, by Phillip Margolin. (2000) 362 p. Legal Thriller
In this gory legal thriller, young Portland, OR attorney Amanda Jaffe defends client Vincent Cardoni, a surgeon who is accused of illegal organ harvesting and who may or may not be a serial killer. When Cardoni is released on a technicality, then disappears, he is presumed dead when investigators find his severed hand in a mountain cabin. But Cardoni had claimed that he was being framed, and there is no shortage of potential suspects in the fast-paced story. As the bodies of tortured victims turn up, Amanda works with a police detective to stop the killer, putting herself in danger. Audience: Adult. Debbie Darwine LaGrange PL

The Legacy, by Stephen Frey. (1998) 296 p. Political Thriller
Deeply in debt, Cole Egan is working as a trader for a prestigious brokerage house in New York City when he receives a key to a safe deposit box. In the box, Cole finds a video of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, proving there was a second gunman. Cole quickly learns various factions want to suppress the tape. He then goes on the run to protect himself and the tape, so he can sell it and share it with the world. Assisted by an ambitious newswoman and a friend of his late father, Cole dodges and outsmarts his enemies, who are ready to kill, in this fast-paced political thriller full of twists and turns. Sue O'Brien Downers Grove Public Library

The Abduction, by James Grippando. (1998) 386 p. Political Thriller
Allison Leahy, the U. S. attorney general, is running for president in this political thriller. Her opponent is a conservative, African-American retired general named Lincoln Howe. In the week before the election, Howe's granddaughter is kidnapped, and against his wishes Allison directs the investigation and because eight years earlier, her own adopted daughter was taken from her home, never to be found, and Allison thinks the cases may be related. The political maneuvering gets uglier as Election Day nears, and the life of a 12-year-old girl is on the line. Audience: Adult. Debbie Darwine LaGrange PL

The Good German, by Joseph Kanon. (2001) 482 p. Political Thriller
An American journalist goes to Berlin in the spring of 1945 to find his mistress who he hasn't seen since before the war. The body of an American soldier leads the hero to investigate the disappearance of the mistress' husband, a gifted mathematician. The topics explored in this book are the beginnings of the Cold War, the switch from Germany to Russia as the bad guy, and the forgiveness of war sins, as long as the sinner has something the U. S. wants. This book was too long to make it as a thriller and with too much about the girlfriend. It was a good read as an historical novel with strong thriller elements. Debbie Wordinger Indian Prairie Public Library

The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. (2003) 454 p. Psychological Thriller
The ultimate page-turner-see what all the fuss is about when you dip into this one! The action all takes place in roughly 24 hours, as a murder in the Louvre sets off the ultimate chase for the Holy Grail. Players include an American professor of religious symbology, a French policewoman who is an expert cryptologist, an albino monk who is on a mission from Opus Dei, and the protectors of the Grail, the Priory of Sion. Full of red herrings, historical details, infighting within the Catholic Church, and intricate codes, this complex story will keep the reader going until the last page. Audience: adult & YA. Nancy Bent LaGrange Public Library

Still Life with Crows, by Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston. (2003) 435p. Psychological Thriller/ Crime & Caper Thriller
A serial killer is loose in a small Kansas town and the local sheriff is overwhelmed by the press and the thought that the killer may be a local resident. People are being killed in a variety of odd ways such as skinned and boiled in sugar, stuck on pole surrounded by dead crows and gutted and filled with snakes, lizards and dog tails. An FBI agent, Pendergast, hears about the first crime and decides to use his vacation time to help catch the killer. He is an extremely well educated man with expensive tastes and sticks out in small town America and local law enforcement are not thrilled to have him around. He asks a local teenage girl (school outcast) to be his assistant and tell him all he needs to know about the town. Also, at the same time the University of Kansas is planning on planting genetically altered corn in a filed in one of surrounding towns with our particular town in the running. The sheriff believes that this must be the motive for the killings and starts to investigate a major businessman of that community. A variety of clues lead the FBI agent and the local sheriff to believe that the killer is living a system of caves that run under the town. The assistant to the FBI agent has the same idea and goes on her own to investigate and is captured by the killer. The chase in the darkened cave by the police leaves numbers of them dead and the FBI agent alone to help the young girl. The killer is revealed and the girl leaves the town for a better life with the help of agent Pendergast. Lisa Korajczyk Richton Park Library

The Apprentice, by Tess Gerritsen. (2002) 344 p. Psychological Thriller/ Crime & Caper Thriller
This is Gerritsen's second book that features Det. Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles. Here, a serial killer is killing couples in the Boston area. He incapacitates the husband and then rapes the wife while the husband is forced to watch. The killer will then kill the husband but keep the wife alive for a short time and then murder her and have sex with her corpse. The police are outwitted by the killer and soon another serial killer, who Det. Rizzoli had put in jail, escapes from prison and the two join forces. Soon, the two killers are stalking the detective and it is a race to see who will catch whom first. There is plenty of action and gore here. Beware, this book is not for the faint of heart. Lisa Korajczyk Richton Park Library

Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay. (2004) 288p. Psychological Thriller/Crime & Caper Thriller
We meet Dexter Morgan as he lays in wait for his next victim. He isn't the only serial killer on the hunt in Miami, but he's the only one you can actually like. Perhaps this is an odd trait for a serial killer, but Dexter hates blood. As a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department, he has always found it to be nasty and unclean. He doesn't delude himself into believing that he is a vigilante with a higher law on his side. His victims may be monsters, but so is he. It's why he is so good at finding them. He is following the rule of Harry, which he learned from his foster father (a cop)-he can choose who to kill and when to do it because there are plenty of people who deserve it. Meanwhile, another serial killer is on the loose. Dexter is completely fascinated with this other killer. It's almost, he admits, like a schoolgirl's crush. His crime scenes are so clean and perfect. There is no blood. Dexter's sister, Deborah, stuck working undercover as a hooker, hopes that these murders will propel her into Homicide. Since Dexter is so good at uncovering obscure clues, she begs him to help her. Dexter isn't so sure he wants this killer to be caught, but she is his sister and Deb really doesn't have a clue about politics. When a publicity hungry detective is assigned to the case, Deb is clearly in over her head and quickly on her way to meter maid duty, unless Dexter can point her in the right direction. Considering his head is unraveling, this may be easier said than done. First, come the bad dreams and Dexter finds that his "Dark Passenger" is urging him to kill again. It also seems that the killer knows he is watching. Sure, some of the plot elements are far fetched, but readers will root for Dexter anyway. Should be ok for mature YA. Jennie Milojevic Riverside Public Library

Acceleration, by Graham McNamee. (2003) 210p. Psychological Thriller/ Crime & Caper Thriller
Duncan is stuck working for the summer in the lost and found department of the Toronto Transit Authority. Bored to tears, he starts examining the lost items and finds a disturbing diary, which records the thoughts of an arsonist and serial killer. After the cops dismiss the diary as uninteresting ("You make this scrapbook all by yourself?"), Duncan and his friend decide to find the killer themselves. Written with the vocal mannerisms of a seventeen-year-old, and genuinely tense, this is an excellent choice for teen males. For YAs. Nancy Bent LaGrange Public Library

Rules of Prey, by John Sandford. (1989) 317p. Psychological Thriller/ Crime & Caper Thriller
The first in the long-running Lucas Davenport series introduces us to this Porsche driving author of elaborate computer games, who also happens to be a homicide detective. A serial killer is on the loose in the Twin Cities. Lucas must balance the press (one of which is his pregnant girlfriend), the cops, and his own intellect against the killer known as Mad Dog. Violence and language are typical for the genre, but this is a terrific first effort that leaves the reader wanting more. Audience is adult and carefully chosen YAs. Nancy Bent LaGrange Public Library