Thrillers

'The Professionals' serves up likable criminals

"THE PROFESSIONALS." By Owen Laukkanen. Putnam. $25.95.

In his excellent debut, Owen Laukkanen mixes the economic downturn and a bleak job market for a suspenseful and insightful thriller about four out-of-work, newly graduated college friends who become kidnappers.

Chaon's latest collection is quietly haunting

"STAY AWAKE: STORIES." By Dan Chaon. Ballantine. $25.

A father, fretting about a young son's night terrors, is gradually haunted by his own terrors from an alcohol-fueled past.

Another man, marooned as a single parent since his wife's tragic death, decodes meaning out of the scribbled scraps of paper and debris left behind by strangers.

Sociopathic photographer on the brink in stunning novel

"AVAILABLE DARK." By Elizabeth Hand. Minotaur. $23.99.

In addition to introducing many readers to international mysteries, especially those from Scandinavian countries, Stieg Larsson's heavily tattooed heroine has allowed unconventional characters to flourish.

Jack the Ripper resurrected in cerebral thriller

"NOW YOU SEE ME." By S.J. Bolton.Minotaur. $25.99.

The fascination with Jack the Ripper, who terrorized London's Whitechapel area beginning in 1888, never seems to wane. For more than 120 years, facts and myths about the deranged killer have melded until even Ripperists find separating reality from fiction difficult. Jack the Ripper, who was never caught, has spawned a plethora of nonfiction books about who he might have been and just as many novels that use those crimes as a background.

Advertisement
  +

Recent Comments

Latest Blogs

Blogging the Rambler
Herbert, who hates all things fed, demands more fed...
By: Charles Trentelman

Thursday, March 28, 2013 - 3:58pm

The Political Surf
Review of three indy books include Mormon presence,...
By: Doug Gibson

Wednesday, May 15, 2013 - 12:55pm

Me, myself... as mommy
Time to get my post-baby butt back to the gym
By: MeganSanders

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - 12:13am

Why Are You Crying?
Legislative marriage counselors
By: Mark Shenefelt

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - 4:37pm

Standard-Examiner Sports Blogs
Weber State, Ogden City to honor “special guest” from...
By: Roy Burton

Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - 12:37pm

Latest Tweets