Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "political-thriller"

Black Sunday by Thomas Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Thomas Harris' debut novel centres around a terrorist plot on American soil and the international effort to hunt down the terrorists.

Members of Black September, a terrorist group, are making the final arrangements for an attack within the United States. Ambushed in Beirut as part of an Israeli-led mission, their numbers are severely depleted. But, underestimated by those who brought down the cell, Dahlia Iyad escapes with her life and returns to America to continue facilitating the planned attack.

Michael Lander, an ex-marine and Vietnam veteran, feeling betrayed by the American government after his years of service and what he was subjected to as a prisoner of war, is determined to seek revenge in a demonstration that will also claim maximum casualties. Together, he and Dahlia plot to construct and detonate a bomb that will claim millions of lives.

David Kabakov, an agent with Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, travels to America, determined to hunt down the surviving members of the terror group and foil their plot when it becomes clear that the mission in Beirut has not neutralised the threat.

Character-driven rather than action-driven, the novel's shining moments are the detailed explorations of the characters' psychology, backstories and personal relationships, reminiscent of Harris' later psychological thrillers. With a backdrop of the global political climate of the 1970's - this is the midst of the Cold War and in the aftermath of the Vietnam War (a conflict that drew in both the US and USSR) - you are also immediately struck by how little the world has changed; conflict in the Middle East continues to this day - significantly the conflict between Israel and Palestine; and between extremist Islamist terror groups and the West, significantly the US. Terror attacks over the last twenty years, notably 9/11, lend a chilling plausibility to events and the novel does not suffer for reading it over four decades later.

In a race against time, Kabakov hunts the terrorists to the eleventh hour, building to a dramatic action-packed climax as the terror plot unfolds. A gripping political thriller that hooks until the very end, 'Black Sunday' is an early demonstration of Harris' skill at exploring the horrors human beings are capable of inflicting on each other.



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The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A gripping high-stakes thriller that unlocks an international conspiracy masterminded by Auschwitz’s Angel of Death.

In September 1974, a group of men gathers at a Japanese restaurant at the behest of one man, who enlists them to murder ninety-four men across Europe and North America. All of these men are former SS officers, still loyal to the Nazi cause. The man who has called them to action is Dr Josef Mengele, who escaped to South America after the Second World War, avoiding capture and trial.

Yakov Liebermann, who investigates war crimes and is famed for bringing multiple Nazis to justice in recent years, receives an urgent telephone call from a young man who claims to have a recording of a meeting at which Mengele discusses a plot to bring about the Fourth Reich. Despite the call being cut short, it troubles Liebermann and he decides to look into the man’s claims.

Liebermann uncovers evidence that suggests what the caller claimed may have been true. Men have begun dying – men of the same age, all with younger wives and teenage sons. But why have these victims been selected, and what connects them? The answer provides terrifying implications for the future and the truth behind Mengele’s scheme, one which began many years before as he conducted his cruel experiments at Auschwitz.

In a race against time, Liebermann strives to bring an end of Mengele’s plot, the fate of the future hanging in the balance.

Ira Levin is a true master, his novels intricately plotted and devastatingly realised. ‘The Boys from Brazil’ is an outstanding thriller, all the more chilling as it was inspired by the true events of the Holocaust and features Mengele, who, at the time of publication in 1976, was still alive and in hiding in South America. Levin was always ahead of his time; his plot hinged on the concept of human cloning – all the more unsettlingly plausible in today’s climate.

Raising many ethical and moral questions, the novel twists and turns, tightening its grip as it hurtles towards the climatic showdown between Liebermann and Mengele. It is both a gripping drama and a study of humanity, as well as a warning from history that the past can never be allowed to repeat itself.

Levin’s novels are often the blueprint of their respective genres – this is no exception, a precursor to many conspiracy and political thrillers. The novel was also adapted into a film in 1978, starring Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier. In whatever medium, Levin's storytelling remains immortal.

‘The Boys from Brazil’ is classic Ira Levin – a study of evil and the nefarious schemes that are bred in the dark shadows of the human mind.



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The City in Flames by Michael Russell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An enthralling historical crime thriller set primarily in London during the Blitz, featuring Irish detective Stefan Gillespie.

In the fifth in the series, set in autumn 1940, Stefan finds himself suspended from Special Branch, ostracised by his colleagues and the community at large. Currently helping his father on the farm in Wicklow, they are both suspicious when a local man is found dead and his death deemed a suicide. Stefan’s interference is not welcomed by the local constabulary and he has little time to explore his suspicions, as he is whisked away to London on the orders of his superiors.

Meanwhile, German agents are dispatched to the UK, seeking IRA support to undermine Ireland’s position of professed neutrality, while one of the agents has her own hidden agenda. First, she journeys to London, evading British intelligence services. From there, she will continue her journey to Ireland.

Enlisted in an undercover mission, Stefan takes up a job as a barman, having left Ireland under a cloud. Under the threat of German bombs, he soon finds romance to while away the time, unaware that this draws him closer to a nefarious murder plot with potentially devastating political ramifications. Between the dangerous streets of wartime England and the hills of rural Ireland, Stefan wades through the darkness and subterfuge in his continual quest for the truth.

Seamlessly blending local, national and international crime and intrigue, ‘The City in Flames’ gives an insight into life during the Second World War from multiple perspectives. I have eagerly devoured each entry in this series since the first novel; this, the fifth, is another intricately plotted and well-written chapter, packed with imagery that evokes the daily danger and uncertainty of wartime London, but also the human resolve to continue with everyday life against this bleak, unforgiving backdrop. Behind the scenes, the machinations of German, British and Irish intelligence services influence and direct events. One of the strengths of the series is its depiction of historical context and how this weaves with Stefan’s own story and those of the crimes he investigates. Real-life characters also feature, while the politics of multiple countries and the horrors of war and prejudice constantly lurk in the background.

Deeply absorbing and slow-burning, combining elements of police procedural, espionage and political intrigue, ‘The City in Flames’ is another superb entry in Michael Russell’s high-quality series; which continues with the sixth novel, ‘The City Under Siege’.



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Spin by Patricia Cornwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Captain Calli Chase returns in the second in Patricia Cornwell’s space-science thriller series.

After averting disaster following a NASA rocket launch gone wrong, Calli is finally returning home when she is diverted to an isolated location and finds herself targeted by an assassin. Coming face to face with her twin sister Carme, Calli is about to discover that they have unknowingly been part of a top-secret programme that is now in jeopardy.

While adjusting to newfound technological advancements, Calli finds herself both pursued by and in pursuit of a dangerous and powerful adversary, who will stop at nothing to achieve their ends. Calli and everyone she knows are in danger – yet, she fears she knows too little to be able to prevent personal and potentially international catastrophe.

As the true extent if their foe’s scheme becomes clear, Calli discovers she may have to undertake her own perilous mission in order to prevent a terror event with ramifications for the entire planet and beyond it.

Picking up in the immediate aftermath of the events of ‘Quantum’, ‘Spin’ continues the story of NASA cybercrime investigator and Space Force pilot Captain Calli Chase, who faces personal demons and family skeletons while unearthing a criminal conspiracy on a political scale. Calli is highly skilled and knowledgeable, as one would expect in her field of expertise, and her work is both her life and her passion. As with the first novel in the series, the story is told from her perspective, the reader plugged into her internal monologue, experiencing her thoughts and feelings as she blindly navigates a path others have chosen, kept largely in the dark by those around her, including those whom she trusts.

Cornwell brings her forensic attention to detail to this series, which is impeccably researched, including detailed insights into procedures and technology (some of which we hope is entirely fictional and/or firmly rooted in the research phase of such a project). Cornwell’s fascination with technology has been evident throughout her Scarpetta series – in recent novels, technological advancements having taken centre-stage alongside the detailed forensics and procedural details. The Calli Chase series feels like the natural evolution of Cornwell’s passion and research.

This is on some levels a crime thriller, on others a political thriller, with elements of sci-fi at its core. The beauty of the advanced technology of sci-fi is how it expands on concepts which may or may not be based in reality, while being highly sought after by governments and large corporations, either to further human civilisation and/or the planet, or for pure financial gain. The Machiavellian schemes and aspirations of the central villains can become chillingly realistic, psychologically if not always technologically. Cornwell plays with those concepts in this novel, crafting realistic scenarios playing alongside the sci-fi elements to create a thriller that may be more plausible than we care to be comfortable with.

Culminating in an intense launch into space, we are left with many answers to questions raised throughout both ‘Quantum’ and ‘Spin’, but, with the conspiracy at play seemingly far from resolution and justice not yet done, left hanging as if in the vacuum of space for more to come.

While a third novel has not yet been confirmed, the narrative feels as if it will run to at least a trilogy. In the meantime, we have the highly anticipated return of Kay Scarpetta to look forward to in ‘Autopsy’ – which, as well as a return to the sharp-edged forensics, promises more crime and intrigue in space.



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Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A riveting forensic thriller that sees the long-awaited return of Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

A young woman's body lies in the morgue, her throat cut, her hands severed from her body, having been discovered displayed beside a railway track. A ritualistic killing? The beginnings of the work of a serial killer? Or her mutilation simply an attempt to prevent identification?

Called upon to examine the home of a missing young woman, Scarpetta must determine if she is the unidentified victim. Having worked at a medical research facility, it opens up the line of inquiry that the woman's death may be connected to her work.

Scarpetta is then summoned to aid in a situation that may escalate into an international emergency. With threats lurking from within her own home to beyond the planet, she must decipher an overwhelming tangle of evidence in her continuing fight for justice.

'Autopsy' is the twenty-fifth novel in Patricia Cornwell's series featuring Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, picking up her story several years after the events of the previous novel. Scarpetta has returned to Virginia, once again in the position of Chief Medical Examiner, the first woman to do so when she originally held the post over thirty years before. But she barely recognises her former home, which has suffered the effects of the lapsed decades, recent political and social unrest and the somewhat abated but ever-lingering global pandemic.

Other characters make their return alongside her - her husband and psychologist Benton, now working for the US Secret Service; Marino, who desperately misses investigative work and the early days when he and Scarpetta were a duo fighting crime; and her niece, Lucy, who has become withdrawn and distant, surrounded by her technology, following a tragic loss. The dynamics between each of these characters have driven the series since the very beginning and continue to drive the narrative and the emotional elements of the plot.

One of the elements I have enjoyed most about this series is the breadth of the aspects of forensic analyses and investigative procedures it explores, allowing it to retain its grit and realism. The narrative voice is Kay's, driven first and foremost by the pathology and crime scene analysis, with her knowledge, insight and personal and professional relationships providing a wider perspective - psychological insights through Benton, police procedure through Marino and other police officers, and digital forensics and the use of technology in detecting and solving crime.

Not only a crime thriller, the novel also has shades of political thriller, brushing up against elements more commonly associated with sci-fi. Cornwell's fascination and detailed research underlie every chapter; as ever, with close attention to detail, not only in the forensic science and investigative methods, but also with groundbreaking technology and our exploration beyond this planet. The scenes featuring the remote examination in orbit are fascinating.

Cornwell also beautifully captures the combined sense of nostalgia and alienation when taking a retrospective view on life, something which the pandemic brought into stark focus for many across the planet; with this novel we gain insights into Scarpetta's experiences of that. Long-term readers cannot help but find reminders of Scarpetta's early years, particularly to the first novel, 'Postmortem', bringing the series full circle while simultaneously taking it in exciting new directions.

'Autopsy' is an exhilarating and welcome return for Kay Scarpetta; a gripping entry in the leading forensic science thriller series that continues to push the boundaries of the genre over three decades later.



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1979 by Val McDermid

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The first in a brand new thriller series featuring journalist Allie Burns.

Rookie reporter Allie finds herself relegated to writing insignificant pieces and 'women's stories' at the Daily Clarion. But her budding friendship with fellow reporter Danny also promises a blossoming working relationship as they work together to expose crime and corruption.

Uncovering a tax evasion scheme, Danny is convinced it may finally put him on the road to realising his dream of becoming an investigative reporter. He enlists Allie to assist with the story, while struggling with the implications that exposing the crimes will have on his family.

Meanwhile, Allie stumbles across the beginnings of a terrorist plot that she becomes determined to pursue and prevent, while simultaneously enabling her to tell the story which will prove her worth. But undercover journalism is uncharted territory for both Allie and Danny, posing a danger that threatens to spiral out of control for them both.

'1979' is the first in Val McDermid's series featuring Allie Burns, who has recently joined a local newspaper after returning to her Scottish homeland. I immediately warmed to Allie's character - she is passionate, morally driven, friendly and endearing, and perhaps a little naive. This is her story and it drives the multiple plotlines, juggling and intertwining personal and professional narratives as the novel evolves.

This isn't just a crime thriller that happens to be set in 1979, but also a distinct historical thriller with its social and political backdrop of 1970s Scotland and the wider UK, with elements of political thriller moulded throughout. We witness the beginnings of the devolution and independence movements, something that will no doubt feature more heavily as we move through the decades as the series continues.

McDermid's conception of the series was almost an antidote to the changing world in response to the challenges and tragedy of the global pandemic. By going back in time, we escape that world, we as readers travelling back along with its author. The series is set to continue with '1989', and culminate, presumably, with a fifth book set in 2019.

There are moments throughout reminiscent of Lynda La Plante's 'Tennison' series, both in the way it transports us back to the 70s, instilling nostalgia for a time before I was even born, and in its portrayal of a woman in a man's world, fighting the sexism and having to work even harder to prove she is both capable and worthy of her profession. Already this series feels like it will do for journalism what 'Prime Suspect' did for the police service.

A thrilling exposé of time and place, '1979' is a gripping and immersive first chapter; I eagerly anticipate meeting Allie once again a decade on.



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Rosy & John by Pierre Lemaitre

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A short, sharp thriller with a delicious twist.

A bomb is detonated on a Paris street, luckily resulting in no fatalities and only minor injuries.

The bomber hands himself in to the police, claiming there are six more bombs planted around the city. He says he will cooperate, but with one stipulation - he will only talk to Camille Verhœven.

Temporarily assigned the case, Verhœven listens to the bomber's demands. With the clock ticking down to the next detonation, Camille and the team find themselves trapped in a race against time to prevent further calamity.

'Rosy and John', a companion novella to Pierre Lemaitre’s trilogy of novels featuring Commandant Camille Verhœven, is an intense, fast-paced thriller, told from the dual perspectives of the police investigating the case and the bomber himself – packing elements of both police procedural and psychological thriller into a tightly woven narrative, events spread across a period of only three days.

I loved ‘Irène’, ‘Alex’ and ‘Camille’, and ‘Rosy and John’ is a thrilling addition to the trilogy. Set between the events in the second and third novels - 'Alex' and 'Camille' - the novella is intensely plot-driven, capitalising on the series’ earlier character development to focus on events, building the suspense as the clock counts down to the final revelation. Including spoilers for the first two novels and also subtlely foreshadowing the third novel, I would recommend reading them in either publication or chronological order and to avoid starting with this story.

Thoroughly gripping and entertaining, ‘Rosy and John’ is a relentless police thriller and a welcome return to the world of Camille Verhœven.



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Without Fail by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jack Reacher receives a plea to thwart an assassination plot.

Reacher is approached by Secret Service team leader Froelich - her responsibility to protect the Vice President Elect - requesting he undertake an independent assessment of their procedures.

Reacher finds himself persuaded to help, but the situation is far more severe than he is initially led to believe - threats have been made against the incoming Vice President that the Service have reason to take seriously.

Becoming evermore embroiled in an increasingly dangerous situation, Reacher experiences lines blurring as the mission grows more complex. Perhaps, this time, the enemy may prove the victor.

'Without Fail' is Lee Child's sixth novel featuring ex-US Army Major Jack Reacher, now a wanderer with no fixed abode, journeying from place to place having left his life behind, often becoming embroiled in trouble along the way and attempting to right injustices. In this installment, we delve a little more into his past and his relationship with his brother, Joe, who died several years earlier.

With a high-octane plot and ever-increasing stakes, the novel presents as a political thriller entwined with a heavy dose of action, mystery and a touch of romance. We are plunged immediately into the unfolding drama, the Secret Service tracking Reacher down shortly after Election Day, disturbing his anonymity. From the corridors of power to unforgiving rural terrain, against the backdrop of harsh winter, we hurtle onwards to an intense climax, Lee Child once again delivering a gripping, suspenseful and action-packed adventure.

Like many action thriller series, there is something oddly comforting about the Reacher novels, despite its violence, imposing threat and military themes. Partly formulaic, while also exploring different sub-genres in a different setting in each novel, you have confidence that Reacher will always successfully stop the villains in their tracks, by whatever means necessary. He works outside the law, outside society, to his own moral code, an antihero not averse to a touch of vigilantism or all-out vengeance if the need arises.

Engrossing and fast-paced, 'Without Fail' is another solid chapter in the Reacher series, leaving you anticipating where the next step in his journey will take him.



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Livid by Patricia Cornwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A dangerous and sinister case for Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

While testifying in a controversial trial, Scarpetta finds herself called to a crime scene at the judge's home, her sister having been found dead.

In a complex case with links to national security concerns and evidence that dangerous technology is in use, events become increasingly alarming as protests surrounding the murder trial escalate.

With tensions threatening to grow more volatile, Scarpetta finds herself drawn into the centre of the hunt for a psychopathic and sadistic terrorist intent on devastating carnage.

'Livid' is the twenty-sixth novel in Patricia Cornwell's forensic science thriller series featuring forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Following on the heels of 'Autopsy', when Kay had first returned to Virginia to once again take on the position of Chief Medical Examiner which she held when we first met her over three decades ago in ‘Postmortem’, we are reacquainted with Kay in the middle of her testimony in a case she reviewed, originally investigated by her deceased predecessor. With the story narrated by Kay herself, we gain insights into her professional and personal life and experience her responsibilities to the dead.

Through Kay's relationships with her close colleagues, friends and family, we witness the investigation from different angles of law enforcement and through the lens of multiple agencies. In addition to the forensic science and investigative procedure, the novel also blends elements of psychological profiling, political intrigue and national security, and experimental advanced technology. Cornwell’s passion for her subject matter is always evident in her work, incorporating the latest research, allowing us to share this fascination.

Cornwell's forensically detailed prose creates vivid scenes that live and breathe in your mind and linger there - in particular scenes in the courtroom, the crime scenes and the post-mortem examinations, and even an evening conversation around Kay's dinner table, all developed superbly. The novel explores many themes, such as vigilantism and public faith in government and law enforcement, which feel particularly topical considering events in recent years, set very much in the socio-political present. As the narrative takes an unexpected twist, ratcheting up the suspense, we plummet into a tense conclusion which ties all the threads together seamlessly. As Cornwell's plots develop, I often wonder how everything can possibly be wrapped up by the end, yet she never fails to deliver; an expert still at the top of her game.

Fascinating and gripping, 'Livid' is an intense, cutting-edge thriller, with modern science and retrospective mystery as entwined as a strand of DNA.



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1989 by Val McDermid

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Allie Burns returns in pursuit of moral and social justice.

Burnt out and emotionally exhausted, Allie is determined to rekindle her passion for investigative journalism with an exposé on the failure of medical institutions to care for the sick and dying.

Through her investigation, Allie stumbles upon an experimental drugs trial exploiting society’s vulnerable despite evidence to suggest the drugs are unsafe.

Her determination to expose the truth leads Allie into peril beyond the Iron Curtain, while an intricate plot for murder comes to fruition at home.

'1989' is the second book in Val McDermid's series featuring journalist Allie Burns. We catch up with Allie a decade since we last saw her, and a lot has changed in her life. Having relocated from Edinburgh to Manchester, she is now a small cog in a media empire, the dream she realised of becoming an investigative reporter having been dashed with her paper’s acquisition by publishing mogul Ace Lockhart. No longer content with her job; her exposure to the raw emotion of others simply to turn over reporting for her managers has taken its toll and she has become disenchanted, her job satisfaction steadily ebbing away, while she still dreams of putting her passion and skills to work for something that matters. Allie is a superb character and I love the passion she brings to her work. Also, in refreshing juxtaposition to the darkness of the plot, she is in a stable, healthy relationship with her partner, Rona – all the more refreshing to witness a lesbian couple at a story's heart, which even today still feels a rarity.

In an authentic journalistic thriller, McDermid once again demonstrates her prowess at intricate plotting, with a plethora of genre themes and character perspectives explored. The novel delves into the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union, as well as insights into the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing and the travesty of the Hillsborough disaster, while the shadow of the horror of the Holocaust lingers across Europe. Allie’s investigations are both fascinating and emotive, the exploration of the treatment of HIV/AIDS victims a piece of retrospective investigative journalism beneath this layer of fiction, while the explorations into Soviet satellites perfectly evoke the social unrest, stirring of rebellion and hope for revolution; the chilling threat the regime poses and Allie's realisation of danger.

With subtle displays of prejudice in the underlying presence of sexism, homophobia and racism, there is also social commentary – whether in the hierarchical capitalism of the West’s business empires or in the East’s contemporary communist regime, no matter a society’s state system or political philosophy, discrimination and mistreatment appear to be universal, albeit on different scales at different times. Looking back to history and the ramifications of extreme nationalism and fascism solidifies the concept that perhaps we’re never getting this right, with the ghosts of these mistakes still lingering today – some of them made afresh. At its core, this is a story about humanity in both its frailty and its endurance.

Having highly anticipated ‘1989’ ever since enjoying the opening installment ‘1979’, it proved to be as brilliant as expected; intensely gripping from the opening scenes and also incredibly moving – particularly in the stories of the HIV/AIDS victims and the fate of a Polish village during the Second World War. There is so much depth beneath the pages, while the story maintains its lightning pace throughout, back and forth between character perspectives and revelations until its satisfying conclusion.

Blending historical fiction, detective fiction, and political intrigue, ‘1989’ is a riveting, atmospheric thriller, as timely and relevant to the present day as its eponymous year and the history it delves into. I cannot wait to see what the next decade has in store for Allie.



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