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Scot Harvath
Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night
Featuring North America's foremost thriller authors, Thriller is the first collection of pure thriller stories ever published. Offering up heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises are thirty-two of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning names in the business. From the signature characters that made such authors as David Morrell and John Lescroart famous to four of the hottest new voices in the genre, this blockbuster will tantalize and terrify.
Lock the doors, draw the shades, pull up the covers and be prepared for Thriller to keep you up all night.
Lock the doors, draw the shades, pull up the covers and be prepared for Thriller to keep you up all night.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
637 people are currently reading
5906 people want to read
About the author
James Patterson
955 books355k followersOfficial US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 340 reviews
December 6, 2019
I liked the idea of a collection that introduces readers to various writers of a certain genre.
Looking back the story that must have made this biggest impact was the Lee Child’s one - as I’ve read most of the Reacher books since!
Looking back the story that must have made this biggest impact was the Lee Child’s one - as I’ve read most of the Reacher books since!
June 19, 2022
This is an awesome collection of thrillers. I highly recommend it to all.
March 5, 2021
একদম শুরুর দিকে মনে হচ্ছিল রেটিং 5 দিতে বাধ্য হব, আস্তে আস্তে বইয়ের মাঝখানের দিকে যেতে যেতে মনে হচ্ছিল, আমি নিরাশ হতে চলেছি এই বইটা নিয়ে। কিন্তু না, শেষে গিয়ে আবার সেই আগের মত টুইস্টে ভরপুর থ্রিলার গল্প পেলাম। ব্যক্তিগত মতে, "জেমস পেনি'জ নিউ আইডেন্টিটি ", " দ্য ফেস ইন দ্য উইন্ডো", আর " গন ফিশিং" - এই তিনটাই বেশি ভাল লেগেছে ।
আর,.... ১৫ জন অনুবাদকের অনুবাদ একসাথে পড়ার অনুভুতিটুকু নইলে অব্যক্তই রইল। তারা আলাদা আলাদা করে জনপ্রিয় হচ্ছে, হয়ত একে অপরকে ভুলেও যেতে পারে। কিন্ত এই সংকলন, এতজন অনুবাদকের স্মৃতিটুকুকে আগলে রেখে অমর করে রাখবে ।
[আর সর্বশেষ, ভুমিপ্রকাশের প্রতি বইটার অবশ্যই অবশ্যই হার্ডকপি পাঠকের হাতে পৌঁছে দেওয়ার অনুরোধ রইল। ]
আর,.... ১৫ জন অনুবাদকের অনুবাদ একসাথে পড়ার অনুভুতিটুকু নইলে অব্যক্তই রইল। তারা আলাদা আলাদা করে জনপ্রিয় হচ্ছে, হয়ত একে অপরকে ভুলেও যেতে পারে। কিন্ত এই সংকলন, এতজন অনুবাদকের স্মৃতিটুকুকে আগলে রেখে অমর করে রাখবে ।
[আর সর্বশেষ, ভুমিপ্রকাশের প্রতি বইটার অবশ্যই অবশ্যই হার্ডকপি পাঠকের হাতে পৌঁছে দেওয়ার অনুরোধ রইল। ]
March 2, 2015
THRILLER - How can I get a snapshot of thirty established—and, rising writers--in the thriller genre? I love to read but don’t always have as much time as I would like. That’s the phenomenal thing about Thriller, edited by James Patterson, something not seen often in publication. Sure, there are anthologies focused on single authors, examples like the Norton Anthology or the Best-of-the-Year compilations. It’s awesome to have these short stories compiled. I read one when I have time and take long breaks between, when I get busy. As an added bonus, you get a smattering of everything: western, legal, police, military, etc. If you love thrillers, action and horror as much as I do, this is the book for you!
July 30, 2015
I enjoyed 75% of this book.
As always some stories were better than others.
As always some stories were better than others.
Read
April 6, 2012I find myself enjoying short story anthologies more and more these days so I was looking forward to reading this one.
I actually read this while reading the third anthology in the series and I found the commentary from James Patterson before each story to be so long and tedious. I much preferred Sandra Brown’s in Thriller. I read this book for the short stories and while I find a little bit of commentary interesting, I don’t need another short story telling me about the short story before I start the short story.
I felt after the first few stories the rest of them were really amazing. The first three were the kind of thrillers that I’m not that fond of. The rest however, were full of awesome twists and just kept me interested through them. Of course, I did come upon some that weren’t as good as the rest but that’s to be expected.
While almost all of these stories are related to series or books the authors have previously written about them it was quite easy to follow the stories without getting lost or anything like that. I certainly have not read every book by all of these authors so I don’t see how anyone else could have to be honest.
The collection has a wide range of thriller authors so I feel like there’s something for everyone. Before reading this book I hadn’t really noticed that there could be so many different types of thrillers but there are. I know now that I don’t really like the gritty thrillers that are highly reminiscent of action movies. I know that I’m more of a suspense thriller person.
Overall, Thriller: stories to keep you up all night is a good book if you like short story anthologies. I didn’t like every single story in the book but there were a lot that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I actually read this while reading the third anthology in the series and I found the commentary from James Patterson before each story to be so long and tedious. I much preferred Sandra Brown’s in Thriller. I read this book for the short stories and while I find a little bit of commentary interesting, I don’t need another short story telling me about the short story before I start the short story.
I felt after the first few stories the rest of them were really amazing. The first three were the kind of thrillers that I’m not that fond of. The rest however, were full of awesome twists and just kept me interested through them. Of course, I did come upon some that weren’t as good as the rest but that’s to be expected.
While almost all of these stories are related to series or books the authors have previously written about them it was quite easy to follow the stories without getting lost or anything like that. I certainly have not read every book by all of these authors so I don’t see how anyone else could have to be honest.
The collection has a wide range of thriller authors so I feel like there’s something for everyone. Before reading this book I hadn’t really noticed that there could be so many different types of thrillers but there are. I know now that I don’t really like the gritty thrillers that are highly reminiscent of action movies. I know that I’m more of a suspense thriller person.
Overall, Thriller: stories to keep you up all night is a good book if you like short story anthologies. I didn’t like every single story in the book but there were a lot that I thoroughly enjoyed.
May 11, 2010
I thought this product would be a good way to broaden my horizon of thriller writers, especially since I drive a lot and get sick of the radio. It certainly includes a lot of stories from a lot of writers, many of them famous. But I was disappointed. The stories are weak, compared to the novels of those writers I've read. One of the best stories is the first, by Lee Child, who is probably my current favorite thriller writer. Beyond that I would say there are three stories that really work out of the whole bunch. There must be 30 or so in all. It's a long wade through mediocrity to get to the good, and the good are just good, not great
October 28, 2021
I really wish that I was eating this higher than I did. I love the idea of it! The amount of stories was wonderful. The length of each story was perfect. There was good variety. But unfortunately, the amount of stories I enjoyed was a lot lower than the amount of stories I either disliked or gave up on.
I wrote (very short) individual reviews with ratings for each story, so here they are:
1. James Penney’s New Identity - Lee Child
4/5 - This was a really good story to start this anthology with! It was a bit slow at times, but the ending totally surprised me, in a great way!
2. Operation Northwoods - James Grippando
2/5 - I was just kind of bored with this one, to be honest. It certainly didn’t fit into the ‘keep me up all night’ category.
3. Epitaph - J.A. Konrath
1/5 - I didn’t care for this story. I didn’t like the main character, the actual story never hooked me in, and I honestly couldn’t get into the writing style.
4. The Face in the Window - Heather Graham
3/5 - This was okay. The timeline was a bit confusing at first, but then it straightened out. I guess I just never felt thrilled by the story. But it was fine.
5. Empathy - James Siegel
4/5 - I liked this story! I thought it was exciting. It felt longer than it was, but in a good way. It was well developed considering it’s short length.
6. Kowalski’s In Love - James Rollins
3/5 - I thought that this story was pretty good. Nothing about it really wow’ed me, but it was entertaining enough.
7. The Hunt For Dmitri - Gayle Lynds
1/5 - Even though this was short, I found myself skim reading most of thing because it just didn’t interest me.
8. Disfigured - Michael Palmer & David Palmer
3/5 - This was an interesting story. It was a quick read, and I didn’t expect what happened.
9. The Abelard Sanction - David Morrell
2/5 - Overall, I didn’t care for this story. But the ending (last few pages) intrigued me. Unfortunately before that, it would have been a 1/5 because I found it quite slow, despite the action that occurred.
10. Falling - Chris Mooney
3/5 - This story was actually really intriguing, but I didn’t like the ending. It honestly felt kind of unfinished, and I don’t like that.
11. Success of a Mission - Dennis Lynds m
DNF - I tried & gave up on this story twice, and that was enough for me. If I can’t get into it after trying it a couple times, it’s time to move on to the next story.
12. The Portal - John Lescroart & M.J. Rose
4/5 - I enjoyed this story! I didn’t love how it started, but it quickly intrigued me and I wanted to keep reading to see what happened.
13. The Double Dealer - David Liss
DNF - I didn’t like the writing style of this story, so it was a pretty quick DNF for me.
14. Dirty Weather - Greg Hurwitz
5/5 - This story deserves 5 stars just for the fact that I did notttt expect the twist to happen. It’s such a short story, the fact that it even had a twist, and one done so well, is awesome.
15. Spirit Walker - David Dun
DNF - Apparently I’m struggling with some of these stories lately. Couldn’t get into it. Onto the next.
16. At The Drop of a Hat - Denise Hamilton
2/5 - The end of this story felt very anti-climactic to me. The story in general never really won me over, but I was at least hoping the ending would make it better but it never got there.
17. The Other Side of the Mirror - Eric Van Lustbader
1/5 - I didn’t care for this story at all. My biggest issue with it was probably that there were a lot of details that just seemed unnecessary. It was a short story, yet seemed to have quite a few random details that I just didn’t enjoy.
18. Man Catch - Christopher Rice
3/5 - This was fine, and had potentially to be really interesting, but I feel like some things were left unanswered. Most of the short stories in this anthology are around 20 pages, this was half that & I feel like that showed.
19. Goodnight, Sweet Mother - Alex Kava
2/5 - My issue with this story was the characters. I quite liked Maggie, but her mother (Kathleen) drove me insane. The others were also very unlikeable. The ‘twist’ was pretty unexpected, but also very anti-climactic.
20. Sacrificial Lion - Grant Blackwood
1/5 - I was bored with this one, to be honest. It was okay, but certainly didn’t ‘thrill’ me.
21. Interlude At Duane’s - F. Paul Wilson
3/5 - I was entertained by this story, but nothing about it really seemed memorable to me. It’s not going to stick with me. But it was still a fine read.
22. The Powder Monkey - Ted Bell
DNF - I didn’t care for the dialogue. I skim read most of the story, but ultimately just ended up DNF-ing it.
23. Surviving Toronto - M. Diane Vogt
3/5 - This story was pretty exciting. Some details seemed a bit repetitive, but I enjoyed it.
24. Assassins - Christopher Reich
1/5 - Wow am I bored by this story. And it ended really abruptly? Not a fan.
25. The Athens Solution - Brad Thor
DNF - Just didn’t hold my interest at the beginning, so I decided to move on.
26. Diplomatic Constraints - Raelynn Hillhouse
2/5 - The ending seemed very abrupt. Kind of unfinished, to be honest. Didn’t love this one.
27. Kill Zone - Robert Liparulo
2/5 - This was fine, but just kind of bored me. I won’t remember this story at all.
28. The Devils’ Due - Steve Berry
DNF - I am DNF-ing a lot more stories in this anthology than I expected. That’s really disappointing.
29. The Tuesday Club - Katherine Neville
DNF - Am I just being too picky at this point? Am I just over this anthology? Who knows.
30. Gone Fishing - Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
3/5 - This story was actually really intriguing, not a bad way to end the book, but the ending wasn’t my favourite.
If you’re a thriller fan, I do recommend checking this out because you may have different tastes than I do and really love it. Anthologies are tough, because even if you love story, it’s hard to want to rate the overall book high when there’s some stories you just really didn’t enjoy.
I wrote (very short) individual reviews with ratings for each story, so here they are:
1. James Penney’s New Identity - Lee Child
4/5 - This was a really good story to start this anthology with! It was a bit slow at times, but the ending totally surprised me, in a great way!
2. Operation Northwoods - James Grippando
2/5 - I was just kind of bored with this one, to be honest. It certainly didn’t fit into the ‘keep me up all night’ category.
3. Epitaph - J.A. Konrath
1/5 - I didn’t care for this story. I didn’t like the main character, the actual story never hooked me in, and I honestly couldn’t get into the writing style.
4. The Face in the Window - Heather Graham
3/5 - This was okay. The timeline was a bit confusing at first, but then it straightened out. I guess I just never felt thrilled by the story. But it was fine.
5. Empathy - James Siegel
4/5 - I liked this story! I thought it was exciting. It felt longer than it was, but in a good way. It was well developed considering it’s short length.
6. Kowalski’s In Love - James Rollins
3/5 - I thought that this story was pretty good. Nothing about it really wow’ed me, but it was entertaining enough.
7. The Hunt For Dmitri - Gayle Lynds
1/5 - Even though this was short, I found myself skim reading most of thing because it just didn’t interest me.
8. Disfigured - Michael Palmer & David Palmer
3/5 - This was an interesting story. It was a quick read, and I didn’t expect what happened.
9. The Abelard Sanction - David Morrell
2/5 - Overall, I didn’t care for this story. But the ending (last few pages) intrigued me. Unfortunately before that, it would have been a 1/5 because I found it quite slow, despite the action that occurred.
10. Falling - Chris Mooney
3/5 - This story was actually really intriguing, but I didn’t like the ending. It honestly felt kind of unfinished, and I don’t like that.
11. Success of a Mission - Dennis Lynds m
DNF - I tried & gave up on this story twice, and that was enough for me. If I can’t get into it after trying it a couple times, it’s time to move on to the next story.
12. The Portal - John Lescroart & M.J. Rose
4/5 - I enjoyed this story! I didn’t love how it started, but it quickly intrigued me and I wanted to keep reading to see what happened.
13. The Double Dealer - David Liss
DNF - I didn’t like the writing style of this story, so it was a pretty quick DNF for me.
14. Dirty Weather - Greg Hurwitz
5/5 - This story deserves 5 stars just for the fact that I did notttt expect the twist to happen. It’s such a short story, the fact that it even had a twist, and one done so well, is awesome.
15. Spirit Walker - David Dun
DNF - Apparently I’m struggling with some of these stories lately. Couldn’t get into it. Onto the next.
16. At The Drop of a Hat - Denise Hamilton
2/5 - The end of this story felt very anti-climactic to me. The story in general never really won me over, but I was at least hoping the ending would make it better but it never got there.
17. The Other Side of the Mirror - Eric Van Lustbader
1/5 - I didn’t care for this story at all. My biggest issue with it was probably that there were a lot of details that just seemed unnecessary. It was a short story, yet seemed to have quite a few random details that I just didn’t enjoy.
18. Man Catch - Christopher Rice
3/5 - This was fine, and had potentially to be really interesting, but I feel like some things were left unanswered. Most of the short stories in this anthology are around 20 pages, this was half that & I feel like that showed.
19. Goodnight, Sweet Mother - Alex Kava
2/5 - My issue with this story was the characters. I quite liked Maggie, but her mother (Kathleen) drove me insane. The others were also very unlikeable. The ‘twist’ was pretty unexpected, but also very anti-climactic.
20. Sacrificial Lion - Grant Blackwood
1/5 - I was bored with this one, to be honest. It was okay, but certainly didn’t ‘thrill’ me.
21. Interlude At Duane’s - F. Paul Wilson
3/5 - I was entertained by this story, but nothing about it really seemed memorable to me. It’s not going to stick with me. But it was still a fine read.
22. The Powder Monkey - Ted Bell
DNF - I didn’t care for the dialogue. I skim read most of the story, but ultimately just ended up DNF-ing it.
23. Surviving Toronto - M. Diane Vogt
3/5 - This story was pretty exciting. Some details seemed a bit repetitive, but I enjoyed it.
24. Assassins - Christopher Reich
1/5 - Wow am I bored by this story. And it ended really abruptly? Not a fan.
25. The Athens Solution - Brad Thor
DNF - Just didn’t hold my interest at the beginning, so I decided to move on.
26. Diplomatic Constraints - Raelynn Hillhouse
2/5 - The ending seemed very abrupt. Kind of unfinished, to be honest. Didn’t love this one.
27. Kill Zone - Robert Liparulo
2/5 - This was fine, but just kind of bored me. I won’t remember this story at all.
28. The Devils’ Due - Steve Berry
DNF - I am DNF-ing a lot more stories in this anthology than I expected. That’s really disappointing.
29. The Tuesday Club - Katherine Neville
DNF - Am I just being too picky at this point? Am I just over this anthology? Who knows.
30. Gone Fishing - Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
3/5 - This story was actually really intriguing, not a bad way to end the book, but the ending wasn’t my favourite.
If you’re a thriller fan, I do recommend checking this out because you may have different tastes than I do and really love it. Anthologies are tough, because even if you love story, it’s hard to want to rate the overall book high when there’s some stories you just really didn’t enjoy.
February 28, 2018
Disclosure: I did not read the whole book. In fact, I read only one of the short stories included inside its covers, Kowalski's in Love by James Rollins. I love his Sigma series and requested this from the library to specifically read this particular tale. Rollins does not write romance and I was delighted that the character remained true to his straight forward self and laughed at the end. It was a fun add-on, little extra snippet of one of the supporting characters to his more than a dozen book series. I'm looking through the rest of the book to see if there are more short stories I wish to read while I have it, but if not, this was the one I took it home for and I'm glad I did.
October 5, 2019
Добра селекция от криминални и шпионски истории, повечето свързани със съответната серия романи на създалия ги писател.
Най ми хареса "Двойна измама" от Дейвид Лис, единственият разказ разположен в XVIII век, останалите в сборника са с по-съвременна тематика и местоположения.
Най ми хареса "Двойна измама" от Дейвид Лис, единственият разказ разположен в XVIII век, останалите в сборника са с по-съвременна тематика и местоположения.
May 5, 2018
Ще си призная, че подходих към тази компилация без големи очаквания, а тя взе, че ме изненада приятно. Ето по няколко думи за всеки от разказите (Фнимание, може да има тънки с Бойлери):
НОВАТА САМОЛИЧНОСТ НА ДЖЕЙМС ПЕНИ - ЛИЙ ЧАЙЛД
Вече бях чел разказа в сборника Без второ име. Един от фаворитите ми и тук. Фабриката, в която работи Джеймс Пени решава да направи драстични съкращения на персонала и той изхвърча на улицата. Афектиран, драсва клечката на дома си, мята се на единственото ценно нещо в живота си - червен понтиак "Файърбърд", после отпрашва накъдето му видят очите... без да прецени, че покрай неговото жилище ще изгорят още няколко, а в Южна Калифорния умишлените палежи се преследват много строго от закона. Е, пътят му ще се пресече с капитан от военната полиция, който има доста по-различно чувство за справедливост от официалните власти...
ЕПИТАФ - ДЖ. КОНРАТ
Абсолютният ми фаворит! Мръсна, кървава история за престъпление и наказание, която залага повече на първичните емоции, отколкото на някаква фабула. Много, ама много ги обичам такива, все една аз дърпам спусъците на пушкалата! А и краят е сила! Видяло се е, ще се издирват романите "Уиски Сауър", "Блъди Мери" и "Ръждив Пирон", излезли до момента на български от този автор (Дж. Е. Конрат), защото ако и там стилът е на същото ниво... уау!
ЛИЦЕТО НА ПРОЗОРЕЦА - ХЕДЪР ГРЕЪМ
Три за щастие, викат хората, ама с третия разказ се получи греда. Не ми хареса. Буря връхлита южната част на Флорида Кийс, а из острова щъка сериен убиец... слабо ми се видя и като идея, и като изпълнение...
ЕМПАТИЯ - ДЖЕЙМС СИЙГЪЛ
Преди време доста харесах романа Извън релси на този автор, по който има заснет и читав филм с Дженифър Анистън, Клайв Оуен и Венсан Касел. Тук пак се подвизава фатално пиче, но главният герой е такъв лапнишаран, че даже последователите на вълшебника Илиян и катерицата Беатрис, са като квантови физици спрямо него. Тц, не намерих логика във фабулата...
ЛЮБОВТА НА КОВАЛСКИ - ДЖЕЙМС РОЛИНС
Бряазилски остров, изпуснат от контрол мутирал вирус и един матрос от военноморсия флот на Америка, завършен тъпанар, като героя от предния разказ, но по симпатично смешен начин. Харесах.
ЛОВЪТ НА ДМИТРИЙ - ГЕЙЛ ЛИНДС
Шпионска история, започнала през годините на Желязната завеса, а след вдигането ѝ, изродила се в нещо лично. Прилично изпълнение.
ПАДАНЕ - КРИС МУНИ
Тайнствен бивш профайлър се укрива от ФБР, а за главата му е обявена тлъста награда. Прилично изпълнение.
УСПЕХЪТ НА МИСИЯТА - ДЕНИС ЛИНДС
Писан е още през 1968, но е яката, яката работа. Главните герои трябва да проникнат в армейския щаб на вражеска държава и да вземат едни секретни данни. Звучи невъзможно, но дали е така?
АТИНСКОТО РЕШЕНИЕ - БРАД ТОР
Терористичната организация от маляки "21 август" слага ръка на могъща електронна джаджа... Кофти изпълнение. Лошите говорят, говорят, говорят и дават време на добрите да ги набият, набият, набият... ама пак нема хепи енд - шит мада фака...
ДВОЙНА ИЗМАМА - ДЕЙВИД ЛИС
Свеж разказ от първо лице за английски разбойници от ХVІІІ век. И любимият ми персонаж в него - Дан Пръдльото, о-о-о, да!!!
МРЪСНО ВРЕМЕ - ГРЕГ ХЪРУИЦ
Лоши атмосферни условия, крайпътен бар... прилично изпълнение.
ЗА РИБА - ДЪГЛАС ПРЕСТЪН И ЛИНКЪЛН ЧАЙЛД
Чел съм някакъв роман от този тандем ("Натюрморт с гарвани", май се зовеше), баш с най-известния му герой - агент Пенделвайс, опс Пендергаст... никак, ама никак не харесах. За разлика от разказчето - як, та як край!
ПОВЕЛИТЕЛ НА ДУХОВЕТЕ - ДЕЙВИД ДЪН
Авторът се е опитал да набута сюжета на цял роман в кратката си творба. Е, не му се е получило.
ДЪЛЖИМОТО НА ДЯВОЛА - СТИВ БЕРИ
Конспиративни теории за Осама бин Ладен. Прилично изпълнение.
НОВАТА САМОЛИЧНОСТ НА ДЖЕЙМС ПЕНИ - ЛИЙ ЧАЙЛД
Вече бях чел разказа в сборника Без второ име. Един от фаворитите ми и тук. Фабриката, в която работи Джеймс Пени решава да направи драстични съкращения на персонала и той изхвърча на улицата. Афектиран, драсва клечката на дома си, мята се на единственото ценно нещо в живота си - червен понтиак "Файърбърд", после отпрашва накъдето му видят очите... без да прецени, че покрай неговото жилище ще изгорят още няколко, а в Южна Калифорния умишлените палежи се преследват много строго от закона. Е, пътят му ще се пресече с капитан от военната полиция, който има доста по-различно чувство за справедливост от официалните власти...
ЕПИТАФ - ДЖ. КОНРАТ
Абсолютният ми фаворит! Мръсна, кървава история за престъпление и наказание, която залага повече на първичните емоции, отколкото на някаква фабула. Много, ама много ги обичам такива, все една аз дърпам спусъците на пушкалата! А и краят е сила! Видяло се е, ще се издирват романите "Уиски Сауър", "Блъди Мери" и "Ръждив Пирон", излезли до момента на български от този автор (Дж. Е. Конрат), защото ако и там стилът е на същото ниво... уау!
ЛИЦЕТО НА ПРОЗОРЕЦА - ХЕДЪР ГРЕЪМ
Три за щастие, викат хората, ама с третия разказ се получи греда. Не ми хареса. Буря връхлита южната част на Флорида Кийс, а из острова щъка сериен убиец... слабо ми се видя и като идея, и като изпълнение...
ЕМПАТИЯ - ДЖЕЙМС СИЙГЪЛ
Преди време доста харесах романа Извън релси на този автор, по който има заснет и читав филм с Дженифър Анистън, Клайв Оуен и Венсан Касел. Тук пак се подвизава фатално пиче, но главният герой е такъв лапнишаран, че даже последователите на вълшебника Илиян и катерицата Беатрис, са като квантови физици спрямо него. Тц, не намерих логика във фабулата...
ЛЮБОВТА НА КОВАЛСКИ - ДЖЕЙМС РОЛИНС
Бряазилски остров, изпуснат от контрол мутирал вирус и един матрос от военноморсия флот на Америка, завършен тъпанар, като героя от предния разказ, но по симпатично смешен начин. Харесах.
ЛОВЪТ НА ДМИТРИЙ - ГЕЙЛ ЛИНДС
Шпионска история, започнала през годините на Желязната завеса, а след вдигането ѝ, изродила се в нещо лично. Прилично изпълнение.
ПАДАНЕ - КРИС МУНИ
Тайнствен бивш профайлър се укрива от ФБР, а за главата му е обявена тлъста награда. Прилично изпълнение.
УСПЕХЪТ НА МИСИЯТА - ДЕНИС ЛИНДС
Писан е още през 1968, но е яката, яката работа. Главните герои трябва да проникнат в армейския щаб на вражеска държава и да вземат едни секретни данни. Звучи невъзможно, но дали е така?
АТИНСКОТО РЕШЕНИЕ - БРАД ТОР
Терористичната организация от маляки "21 август" слага ръка на могъща електронна джаджа... Кофти изпълнение. Лошите говорят, говорят, говорят и дават време на добрите да ги набият, набият, набият... ама пак нема хепи енд - шит мада фака...
ДВОЙНА ИЗМАМА - ДЕЙВИД ЛИС
Свеж разказ от първо лице за английски разбойници от ХVІІІ век. И любимият ми персонаж в него - Дан Пръдльото, о-о-о, да!!!
МРЪСНО ВРЕМЕ - ГРЕГ ХЪРУИЦ
Лоши атмосферни условия, крайпътен бар... прилично изпълнение.
ЗА РИБА - ДЪГЛАС ПРЕСТЪН И ЛИНКЪЛН ЧАЙЛД
Чел съм някакъв роман от този тандем ("Натюрморт с гарвани", май се зовеше), баш с най-известния му герой - агент Пенделвайс, опс Пендергаст... никак, ама никак не харесах. За разлика от разказчето - як, та як край!
ПОВЕЛИТЕЛ НА ДУХОВЕТЕ - ДЕЙВИД ДЪН
Авторът се е опитал да набута сюжета на цял роман в кратката си творба. Е, не му се е получило.
ДЪЛЖИМОТО НА ДЯВОЛА - СТИВ БЕРИ
Конспиративни теории за Осама бин Ладен. Прилично изпълнение.
July 6, 2018
I read this off and on throughout the past year or so, usually one or two stories a month. Billed as "the first collection of pure thriller stories ever published," THRILLER was released by International Thriller Writers, Inc., with James Patterson serving as editor. I'm guessing Patterson's "editing" boiled down to calling up his writing buddies to ask them for submissions and brief personal bios. (He claims to have written the author bios himself, but I call total B.S. on that.) Patterson also came up with the book's brief introduction, as well as the idea of having each author focus on a character he or she is well-known for--characters like Lee Child's Jack Reacher, F. Paul Wilson's Handyman Jack, or Brad Thor's Scot Harvath.
This concept makes the book either more special or less so, depending on your perspective. Some readers will love that these are not just random stories, but ones involving well-established characters. Other, more cynical, readers will see it as an extended commercial for one popular book series after another.
Reading THRILLER, it's easy to see why short story collections of this stripe aren't really a thing. To be satisfying, thrillers need to provide a twisty, elaborate plot along with buckets of full-throttle action. But the short story format makes it difficult to do both, which is why authors end up just focusing on one or the other. As a result, many of these stories are either non-stop action with little story and no surprises, or slow buildups to some kind of shocking plot twist. Either way, you feel like something is missing.
Although most of the stories were OK, there were definitely a few standouts and dishonorable mentions. I thought some of the spy stuff worked best in this format, particularly the stories by Dennis Lynds and Grant Blackwood. In terms of prose, I was most impressed with J.A. Konrath and Raelynn Hillhouse (two writers I knew nothing about). Christopher Reich contributed the one story that felt truly pointless, whereas James Rollins' story ended up being the dumbest, despite stiff competition from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. THRILLER does offer a good deal of variety in terms of subgenre, and I enjoyed David Liss, Ted Bell, and Katherine Neville's attempts at historical intrigue, even though these efforts were marred by awkward prose and/or lame plot twists.
Overall, THRILLER is a book I'd recommend if you are already a fan of some of these authors or are trying to find some new writers to get into. Interestingly, the stories I most enjoyed were not written by the genre heavyweights whose names drew me to the book in the first place.
This concept makes the book either more special or less so, depending on your perspective. Some readers will love that these are not just random stories, but ones involving well-established characters. Other, more cynical, readers will see it as an extended commercial for one popular book series after another.
Reading THRILLER, it's easy to see why short story collections of this stripe aren't really a thing. To be satisfying, thrillers need to provide a twisty, elaborate plot along with buckets of full-throttle action. But the short story format makes it difficult to do both, which is why authors end up just focusing on one or the other. As a result, many of these stories are either non-stop action with little story and no surprises, or slow buildups to some kind of shocking plot twist. Either way, you feel like something is missing.
Although most of the stories were OK, there were definitely a few standouts and dishonorable mentions. I thought some of the spy stuff worked best in this format, particularly the stories by Dennis Lynds and Grant Blackwood. In terms of prose, I was most impressed with J.A. Konrath and Raelynn Hillhouse (two writers I knew nothing about). Christopher Reich contributed the one story that felt truly pointless, whereas James Rollins' story ended up being the dumbest, despite stiff competition from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. THRILLER does offer a good deal of variety in terms of subgenre, and I enjoyed David Liss, Ted Bell, and Katherine Neville's attempts at historical intrigue, even though these efforts were marred by awkward prose and/or lame plot twists.
Overall, THRILLER is a book I'd recommend if you are already a fan of some of these authors or are trying to find some new writers to get into. Interestingly, the stories I most enjoyed were not written by the genre heavyweights whose names drew me to the book in the first place.
September 2, 2011
I was hesitant about reading this one as James Patterson's name is on the front but once I realized it was a collection of short stories by various authors I decided to try it out. Like most books with a variety of authors sharing a short story you will find some you read just to get through the book and some you read where you wish the story would just go on. This is a good way to get introduced to some authors you have probably never even heard of. Go ahead and try it but do not be fooled by the subtitle, "Stories to keep you up all night" because that is just wishful thinking on the part of the publisher. This book probably did keep the publisher up all night just wondering how they were going to make their money back from publishing this book.
December 15, 2012
I'll be brief: This is a 500+ book with a LOT of stories. Some of them are good, others are pretty boring, and some I had to FORCE myself to finish. If you're the type that can pick up a book of short stories and ONLY read the ones that interest you . . . . go right ahead! If you're the annoyingly anal type that has to read a book cover to cover . . . . you may want to plunge needles deep into your eyes to make it stop. There are a lot of spy/espionage thriller stories that just aren't my favorites. I was hoping for more horror type stories instead of the many, many spies, "hard-boiled," BORING stories. I'm a huge fan of James Patterson and I do like a lot of the included authors but it really wasn't worth it in the end. I was happier to be finished than to have read it.
February 1, 2024
Another book of short stories! I was able to manage more than usual, nearly halfway through, before I got bored. A couple of vaguely memorable stories, but definitely nothing to encourage me to keep reading, or hang onto it. Going in the donation box.
June 27, 2016
I severely miss the development of novels. Short stories leave me unfulfilled. Hence, I am finished with short stories. 2 of 10 stars
February 16, 2012
Based upon my ratings I go with a 3.1....I would probably call it 3.5 just because I love short story anthologies and found this fun. I enjoyed the chance to get to read some stories by authors whom I have heard but not really read, as well as to meet characters from their mostly reknowned series. Through this collection I found some authors I will certainly check out in the future, while others I will continue to ignore. I am not sure that the title thriller is appropriate as close to half of the stories are sorely lacking in that department.
James Penny's New Identity- Lee Child- 3.5 stars
While I have heard of Lee Child, I have not previously read any of his work (I assume he is a he?). I have also heard of The Jack Reacher series, but as already mentioned have not read any. Reacher's role in this story is kinda small and basically secondary. There really was not enough about him for me to determine if I would be interested in more. Jack Penny was a likeable enough protaginist, and it was fairly easy to empathize with his situation....although he could have used a little more common sense, about how his behavior can actually impact and/or damage others. The narrator did not do a bad job, and I found myself enjoying this story. I again have never read Lee Child before, and while I am not certain that I am going to add him to my must check this author out more list...I wouldn't avoid him either.
Opperation Northwoods- James Grippando- 3 stars
As above I have heard of grippando, but have not read any of his work. Unlike above I have not really heard of Jack Swyteck. This story had a very promising storyline, and had me waiting to see how it would play out. As far as the characters go, they were not really majorly significant in the development of the plot. I would say this story was much more plot driven than character driven. I certainly didn't encounter anything here to make me want to add Swyteck to my reading list anytime soon. The narrator was brilliant and if I could give a rating whoever did this reading should get 5 stars. I liked the story but am not likely to be inside of any grippando books in the near future!
Epitaph- J.A. Konrath- 1 star
Before I begin to look at the story the narrator was so irritating that not many stories could be tolerable with that voice scratching the chalkboard!!! As far as the story goes had it not been a short story and/or an audio book, I am quite certain that I would have skipped the remainder of the chapter and forged ahead! I have not heard of Konrath, nor of Jack Daniels (OK I have heard of Jack Daniels...just not this one!). The main character (forgive me for forgetting his not so memorable name), has a suplementary role in Jack Daniels series...I can only hope that he is more interesting and less crass there. I found him one of the most unlikeable protaginists that I have ever encounterd. I struggle to find any redeemable quality in him, and come up empty...I hope not to offend any fans of this series, but I seriously doubt that I will ever sit down with this author/series to see if I have reacted to quickly!
The Face In The Window- Heather Graham- 5 stars
While I have heard the name Heather Graham and see her books frequently at bookstores and the library I have never happened to pick one up...That will soon be changing! The narrators in this story were excellant! And the male and female narrators played off of each other wonderfully. I am not certain which characters were from her previous work, but assume it was the married couple. There really is not enough time in most short stories to get deeply aquainted with the characters and this was not an exception. The plot was a little surreal and implausable, but really did not detract from my enjoyment of this story. The suspense and thrills (The first real thrills I have encountered in this collection), had me on the edge of my seat. The actions and reactions of the suplementary characters was not real believable, but again that did not stop me from being in suspense. Great job from Graham...I am sure that I will be adding her to my soon to read list....anyone have a recommendation from her????
Empathy- James Siegel- 3 stars
I couldn't really get into the narrator, and enjoyed the story inspite of his grating voice. I have never even heard of Siegel, and do not even know if he recycled any characters for this??? If so maybe this was just his way of getting rid of them??? The main character was difficult to like, but also difficult to hate....and while I had empathy with his background, I can't justify his decisions...even his final one! The main reason I gave it a 3 is the ending, caught me totally off guard and I love a nice twist. Like most of the other books in this collection there has been little thrills and even less suspense...This one does not deliver on either account, but is still an easy lite read with a twist. Nothing against Siegel, but I doubt that I will be inspired off of this to try for more.
Kowalski's in love- James Rollins- 3 stars
Once again although I have heard of James Rollins I have not previously read any of his work. The female narrator of this story was OK, but her male counter part and his rendition of a bronx accent to enhance the theatrical value of this story was extremely annoying and his voice grated on my every nerve!!!! This was a nice story of a little rescue mission, through a hostile enviroment on a number of levels. I found the female lead of the story an interesting character, and even without the annoying reader I found kowalski to a boring one dimmensional typical boorish brute of a man...but I get the impression that it is part of the paln. I kept waiting for the love aspect to develop and when a second female was thrown into the pictur I wondered if it would switch direction...His actual love interest was quite unexcpected and humerous. I would say this was much more of an action adventure type story than a thriller per se...but than again even though I have enjoyed this collection it has not exactly been high on the thriller angle so far! I would consider checking rollins out in the future (In this brief story I detected a slight crichton type feel????), but probably won't be rushing out to add him to my list either.
The Hunt For Dimitri- Gayle Lynds- 4 stars
This is the first author who I have actually read in this collection. I think she is an excellant author of the spy/espinoge genre, and this was very good. Layers upon layers of deception and subterfuge to keep you guessing along the way. I found myself taking the bait every time, and was wrongly hooked several times. I was not familiar with characters, yet for a short story she was able to craft them with quite a bit a depth. I am looking forward to checking out more, to get a better feel. I would recommend Gayle Lynds to any who like the spy thriller genre (The Last Spymaster is a great choice), and this short story reinforces that rec. The narrator was not to bad untill she tried to theatrically portray russian accents to enhance the story,,,for me it did everything but enhance it!
Disfigured- Michael & Daniel Palmer- 4 stars
I have heard of Michael Palmer and even read a few of his books....I have enjoyed all of him that I have read and this was no exception. The narrator did a brilliant job of conveying attitudes and emotions through her reading, maybe the best job (Operation Northwoods was good as well) so far. The plot/story line while it has probably been done to death...you know the story a kidnapping, don't call the police, do exactly as i say or your child will die...was still done very well. The twist of who the kidnapper was, was a very nice twist. Although the mother/father did not act in a totally believable way, and seemed to have magical connections to those on the fringe of the law it did not detract from the tension. A very nice story with a pleasant surprise twist. I like Palmer and as always, plan to readmore of him inthe future!
The Abelard Sanction- David Morrell- 3 stars
I have heard of morrell and read something of his (although I cannot remember what, and am too lazy to look it up at the minute!). The narrator was ok. The plot was decent, and the character fairly well developed and likeable for such a short story. The dogged determination of the main characters was, very believable as was their devious creativity at dealing with their problem. I will probably chack out more of morrell's stuff (although the length of my to read list makes me wonder, when???).
Falling- Chris Mooney- 3.5 stars
I have never even heard of Chris Mooney, and have no idea who he/she is??? The narrator did a decent job, not great but not as bad as some audio books. This was a very good spy thriller, and drew me in imediately. A compelling case, a compelling spy...mis information, subterfuge, ethics, revenge...I have no idea what else Mooney has written, and while I am open to reading more...I am also not going out in search of anything. But a very nice short story.
Success of a mission- David Lynds- 5 stars
Again never heard of david Lynds (Not sure if there is a relation with Gayle?)...The narrator was borderline ok, semi annoying,but the story was so gripping that it soon became irrelevent who was reading. A couple with a deadly mission, to break enemy lines and unearth secret documents without letting the enemy know that you have them...the task seems impossible....the ending is not what I excpected...but it was probably better than what I had in mind! Very good read!
The Portal- John Lescroart & M.J. Rose- 2 stars
The narrator was the best part of this story. I have no clue who Rose is, Lescroart on the other hand I have read several of his legal thrillers. This story had an interesting premise, and a very sad plight...but the characters never gripped me and drew me into the story...a thriller with no thrills. Not bad, but I doubt I would ever reread it either.
13 The Double dealer- David Liss- 1 star
This was a totally unenjoyable story...The narrators theatrical accent was so annoying that no story could be interesting through that babble...But even without it the story just did not resonate with me. I don't know if this is comprable with all of Liss's work, but I am highly doubtful that any of his work will cross my shelf in the future.
14 Dirty Weather- Gregg Hurwitz- 2 stars
Yhe narrator was so-so...the story was as well. The story might not have been so lowly rated had this been another type of antholgy, but thriller???? For 90% of this story I felt like I was in an alice munroe story (Probably not a fair comparrison to her), but again not a thriller...by the time I was totally disinterested the story tries to build to a crescendo towards the end. I like a short story to develop a little quicker than this one did. I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters, so when it did..it really didn't matter. I had never heard of hurwitz, and it is doubtful that I will become better aquainted with his work in the future.
15 Spirit Walker- David Dunn- 3 stars
I have never heard of Dunn either. The narrator did a very nice job. Not a bad story, but it could have been somuch better. The way the main character magically discovered intuitively who the real perpetrator was..to me was majorily lacking in reality and/or believability. Other than that the suspense, the set up, the end were all very well done. I just don't get into any type of storues where the main character has a paranormal type ability or insight/reasoning process. It reminded me a little of a David Wiltse type story.
16 at the Drop of a Hat- Denise Hamilton- 5 stars
I have never heard of Denise hamilton prior to this, and while I get the impression that her crime series may differ slightly from this spy/espionage thriller...I am making plans to check her out as the year progresses...feel free to make a rec!!!! Anyway the narrator did a very nice job as well. the characters develop very rapidly, as did the plot...a couple of nice slight twists as the story progresses...very well done!
17- The other side of the mirrior- Eric Van Lustbader- 3.5 stars
Never heard of Lustbader prior to this, but hearing in the intro that he is continuing Ludlums series (no offense but ludlum books always bored the heck out of me!) my hopes imediately plummeted. In spite of that (and a boring monotone narrator), the book pulled me in...so much so that I had to go over it twice, and I still have not fully decided what happened or who is who. Not a great thriller IMHO, but the story is engaging enough that I still want to know did he or didn't he...and why did his son??? was he telling the truth...was he crazy...Oh well!
18 Man catch- Christopher rice- 3 stars
Never heard of rice (although I have read mom), and based upon a certain proclivity he seems to induce into many of his works, I doubt that I wll go down that road. But this was a very nice story of how a person can jump to conclusions, and how anger can make a seemingly normal person go to pieces....then when they find out they are wrong...very short, even for a short story but very engaging right from the gate. I still doubt that i will be checking out more, but this was very interesting!
19 Goodnight Sweet mother- Alex kava- 2 stars
A so-so story, another non-thriller under the banner of thriller. I have never heard of kava prior to this, and am unlikely to get any better aquainted with her work in the future. The narrator did a decent enough job. This was basically a mundane story about a dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship, in the midst of an uninteresting day together. A simple fender bender, seems to unravel and become anything but rutine. Enter a sophmoric type idiot, upset over an accident, add an inexperienced, chauvinistic, egotistical state trooper and an elderly woman in the stages of dementia...and a rutine traffic offense become anything but rutine...or interesting. A nice little twist at the end of the story saves it from being a 1 star affai, and I could concievably go to 2.5...Certainly not thriller material.
20 Sacrificial lion- Grant Blackwood- 4 stars
I have never heard of Blackwood, and concievably could go 5 stars on this one. I am adding him to my soon to check out list (whatever that means w/ my to read list as it is.). The narrator was so-so, but that did not diminish from the story. Henry Caulder (not sure if i spelled it right) embarks upon a sucide type espionage mission, in spite of constant persuit he is undeterred. he keeps, going as far as he can on this suicide mission, racing the clock to complete his task...just when it seems like he has failed, the brilliance of the scheme hits home...The epilouge of sorts gives a nice sense of completion to his efforts.
21. Interlude at Duane's- F. Paul Wilson- 2 stars
The narrator alone made me want to give 1 star to this story, the absolute worst! I have never heard of Wilson prior to this and in spite of his being a jersey boy, I find it highly unlikely that he will frequent my bookshelf anytime in the foreseeable future. His main character...well I found him quite annoying (perhaps the narrator was to blame!).
22. The Powder monkey- Ted Bell- 2 stars
This again could easily have been a 1 star...The narrator again was not very favorable for me. The story just seemed to lack any energy at all. The protaginist was just plain boring, and his tale never seemed to gain any momentum.
23. Surviving Toronto- M. Diane Vogt- 3.5 stars
Nevr heard of this lady before, and although this was a decent enough story, that in itself is not likely to make chase down more of her work outside of a rec or something else. The narrator did a decent enough job as well. The charchters were well enough done, and the plot was intruiging enough. I did find the climax, end result a little unplausible but it was still a good short story.
24. Assassins- Christopher reich- 2 stars (generously)
Never hear of reich, and not likely to get better aqauinted with his work. The narrator was so-so. The narration of a resteraunt scene was ok...but the charcter did not full develop for me (perhaps different for those aqauinted with him through reichs other works), the plot never developed, and the ending if it can even be called that was anti climactic in a story that was not very interesting to begin with. A story with no climax, no thrills, no action and no suspense in a collection called thriller is a bigger mystery than I have encountered in some time.
25. the Athens project- brad Thor- 4 stars
I have never read thor, but have heard of him. I have a cousin who loves him, and says I need to add him to my must read list...Perhaps I will. I enjoyed this narrator, and was one of the few theatrical voices that did not annoy me. The plot developed very quicky and was very gripping. The only thing that kept it from 5 stars was the unbelievable uncanny rescue and the dreaded open ending.
26. Diplomatic Constraints- 4 stars- Raelynn Hillhouse
I have never heard of Hillhouse but after reading her author profile, and having done this story I may have to change that. the narrator did a decent enough job as well. the characters were done well for a short a story. The plot was very plausible as it dealt with a forgotten or u nheralded story from 1979. The double sided naraitive from the vantage points of both sides lended itself to make for a very enjoyable read.
27. kill Zone- Robert liparulo- 3 stars
The narrator was so-so (i think I recognized his voice from an earlier story i did not like...if so he did a better job this time around). the story was kind of OK hence the rating, the fact that it was not real even for the sake of the story detracted from it a little in my mind. I dod really like the character and his sense of worth of human life, as odd as that may sound for one whos profession often requires them to end it. The character was very deep, and might be worth checking out in the series that surrounds him.
28. The devils due- Steve berry- 3 stars
I have heard of berry and have actually tried to read the amber room on 3 different occasions, but have yet been able to get into it...perhaps I will try again. This was a nice twist on Osama Bin laden and a fictious account of his capture and death (I am guessing prior to the real thing???). The layers of subterfuge and political agendas were well crafted for such a short story.
29. The Tuesday Club- Katherine Neville- 2 stars
I have nevr heard of neville and am doubtful that I will become more aquainted with her work in the future..The narrators were very irritating to me personally. this is a story that I found not only short on thrills, but could not really hold my interest at all. The plot of going back and revisiting Ben franklin, Thomas jefferson and others intrigued me from the start...but that would be the most intersted I would become. The story just never got going for me, and went nowhere very fast!
30. Gone Fishing- Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child- 4 stars
I am sure I have heard of both of these authors, but cannot attribute any work that I know of to them? The narrator did a so-so job but the story excelled in spite of that! This was a cool story of two wanna be criminals who think they have mad a big time score...along the way they have double crossed some big time people....along the way their arrogance and uncothness gets them into trouble time after time...this time they seem to have upset the wrong person...but who????
James Penny's New Identity- Lee Child- 3.5 stars
While I have heard of Lee Child, I have not previously read any of his work (I assume he is a he?). I have also heard of The Jack Reacher series, but as already mentioned have not read any. Reacher's role in this story is kinda small and basically secondary. There really was not enough about him for me to determine if I would be interested in more. Jack Penny was a likeable enough protaginist, and it was fairly easy to empathize with his situation....although he could have used a little more common sense, about how his behavior can actually impact and/or damage others. The narrator did not do a bad job, and I found myself enjoying this story. I again have never read Lee Child before, and while I am not certain that I am going to add him to my must check this author out more list...I wouldn't avoid him either.
Opperation Northwoods- James Grippando- 3 stars
As above I have heard of grippando, but have not read any of his work. Unlike above I have not really heard of Jack Swyteck. This story had a very promising storyline, and had me waiting to see how it would play out. As far as the characters go, they were not really majorly significant in the development of the plot. I would say this story was much more plot driven than character driven. I certainly didn't encounter anything here to make me want to add Swyteck to my reading list anytime soon. The narrator was brilliant and if I could give a rating whoever did this reading should get 5 stars. I liked the story but am not likely to be inside of any grippando books in the near future!
Epitaph- J.A. Konrath- 1 star
Before I begin to look at the story the narrator was so irritating that not many stories could be tolerable with that voice scratching the chalkboard!!! As far as the story goes had it not been a short story and/or an audio book, I am quite certain that I would have skipped the remainder of the chapter and forged ahead! I have not heard of Konrath, nor of Jack Daniels (OK I have heard of Jack Daniels...just not this one!). The main character (forgive me for forgetting his not so memorable name), has a suplementary role in Jack Daniels series...I can only hope that he is more interesting and less crass there. I found him one of the most unlikeable protaginists that I have ever encounterd. I struggle to find any redeemable quality in him, and come up empty...I hope not to offend any fans of this series, but I seriously doubt that I will ever sit down with this author/series to see if I have reacted to quickly!
The Face In The Window- Heather Graham- 5 stars
While I have heard the name Heather Graham and see her books frequently at bookstores and the library I have never happened to pick one up...That will soon be changing! The narrators in this story were excellant! And the male and female narrators played off of each other wonderfully. I am not certain which characters were from her previous work, but assume it was the married couple. There really is not enough time in most short stories to get deeply aquainted with the characters and this was not an exception. The plot was a little surreal and implausable, but really did not detract from my enjoyment of this story. The suspense and thrills (The first real thrills I have encountered in this collection), had me on the edge of my seat. The actions and reactions of the suplementary characters was not real believable, but again that did not stop me from being in suspense. Great job from Graham...I am sure that I will be adding her to my soon to read list....anyone have a recommendation from her????
Empathy- James Siegel- 3 stars
I couldn't really get into the narrator, and enjoyed the story inspite of his grating voice. I have never even heard of Siegel, and do not even know if he recycled any characters for this??? If so maybe this was just his way of getting rid of them??? The main character was difficult to like, but also difficult to hate....and while I had empathy with his background, I can't justify his decisions...even his final one! The main reason I gave it a 3 is the ending, caught me totally off guard and I love a nice twist. Like most of the other books in this collection there has been little thrills and even less suspense...This one does not deliver on either account, but is still an easy lite read with a twist. Nothing against Siegel, but I doubt that I will be inspired off of this to try for more.
Kowalski's in love- James Rollins- 3 stars
Once again although I have heard of James Rollins I have not previously read any of his work. The female narrator of this story was OK, but her male counter part and his rendition of a bronx accent to enhance the theatrical value of this story was extremely annoying and his voice grated on my every nerve!!!! This was a nice story of a little rescue mission, through a hostile enviroment on a number of levels. I found the female lead of the story an interesting character, and even without the annoying reader I found kowalski to a boring one dimmensional typical boorish brute of a man...but I get the impression that it is part of the paln. I kept waiting for the love aspect to develop and when a second female was thrown into the pictur I wondered if it would switch direction...His actual love interest was quite unexcpected and humerous. I would say this was much more of an action adventure type story than a thriller per se...but than again even though I have enjoyed this collection it has not exactly been high on the thriller angle so far! I would consider checking rollins out in the future (In this brief story I detected a slight crichton type feel????), but probably won't be rushing out to add him to my list either.
The Hunt For Dimitri- Gayle Lynds- 4 stars
This is the first author who I have actually read in this collection. I think she is an excellant author of the spy/espinoge genre, and this was very good. Layers upon layers of deception and subterfuge to keep you guessing along the way. I found myself taking the bait every time, and was wrongly hooked several times. I was not familiar with characters, yet for a short story she was able to craft them with quite a bit a depth. I am looking forward to checking out more, to get a better feel. I would recommend Gayle Lynds to any who like the spy thriller genre (The Last Spymaster is a great choice), and this short story reinforces that rec. The narrator was not to bad untill she tried to theatrically portray russian accents to enhance the story,,,for me it did everything but enhance it!
Disfigured- Michael & Daniel Palmer- 4 stars
I have heard of Michael Palmer and even read a few of his books....I have enjoyed all of him that I have read and this was no exception. The narrator did a brilliant job of conveying attitudes and emotions through her reading, maybe the best job (Operation Northwoods was good as well) so far. The plot/story line while it has probably been done to death...you know the story a kidnapping, don't call the police, do exactly as i say or your child will die...was still done very well. The twist of who the kidnapper was, was a very nice twist. Although the mother/father did not act in a totally believable way, and seemed to have magical connections to those on the fringe of the law it did not detract from the tension. A very nice story with a pleasant surprise twist. I like Palmer and as always, plan to readmore of him inthe future!
The Abelard Sanction- David Morrell- 3 stars
I have heard of morrell and read something of his (although I cannot remember what, and am too lazy to look it up at the minute!). The narrator was ok. The plot was decent, and the character fairly well developed and likeable for such a short story. The dogged determination of the main characters was, very believable as was their devious creativity at dealing with their problem. I will probably chack out more of morrell's stuff (although the length of my to read list makes me wonder, when???).
Falling- Chris Mooney- 3.5 stars
I have never even heard of Chris Mooney, and have no idea who he/she is??? The narrator did a decent job, not great but not as bad as some audio books. This was a very good spy thriller, and drew me in imediately. A compelling case, a compelling spy...mis information, subterfuge, ethics, revenge...I have no idea what else Mooney has written, and while I am open to reading more...I am also not going out in search of anything. But a very nice short story.
Success of a mission- David Lynds- 5 stars
Again never heard of david Lynds (Not sure if there is a relation with Gayle?)...The narrator was borderline ok, semi annoying,but the story was so gripping that it soon became irrelevent who was reading. A couple with a deadly mission, to break enemy lines and unearth secret documents without letting the enemy know that you have them...the task seems impossible....the ending is not what I excpected...but it was probably better than what I had in mind! Very good read!
The Portal- John Lescroart & M.J. Rose- 2 stars
The narrator was the best part of this story. I have no clue who Rose is, Lescroart on the other hand I have read several of his legal thrillers. This story had an interesting premise, and a very sad plight...but the characters never gripped me and drew me into the story...a thriller with no thrills. Not bad, but I doubt I would ever reread it either.
13 The Double dealer- David Liss- 1 star
This was a totally unenjoyable story...The narrators theatrical accent was so annoying that no story could be interesting through that babble...But even without it the story just did not resonate with me. I don't know if this is comprable with all of Liss's work, but I am highly doubtful that any of his work will cross my shelf in the future.
14 Dirty Weather- Gregg Hurwitz- 2 stars
Yhe narrator was so-so...the story was as well. The story might not have been so lowly rated had this been another type of antholgy, but thriller???? For 90% of this story I felt like I was in an alice munroe story (Probably not a fair comparrison to her), but again not a thriller...by the time I was totally disinterested the story tries to build to a crescendo towards the end. I like a short story to develop a little quicker than this one did. I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters, so when it did..it really didn't matter. I had never heard of hurwitz, and it is doubtful that I will become better aquainted with his work in the future.
15 Spirit Walker- David Dunn- 3 stars
I have never heard of Dunn either. The narrator did a very nice job. Not a bad story, but it could have been somuch better. The way the main character magically discovered intuitively who the real perpetrator was..to me was majorily lacking in reality and/or believability. Other than that the suspense, the set up, the end were all very well done. I just don't get into any type of storues where the main character has a paranormal type ability or insight/reasoning process. It reminded me a little of a David Wiltse type story.
16 at the Drop of a Hat- Denise Hamilton- 5 stars
I have never heard of Denise hamilton prior to this, and while I get the impression that her crime series may differ slightly from this spy/espionage thriller...I am making plans to check her out as the year progresses...feel free to make a rec!!!! Anyway the narrator did a very nice job as well. the characters develop very rapidly, as did the plot...a couple of nice slight twists as the story progresses...very well done!
17- The other side of the mirrior- Eric Van Lustbader- 3.5 stars
Never heard of Lustbader prior to this, but hearing in the intro that he is continuing Ludlums series (no offense but ludlum books always bored the heck out of me!) my hopes imediately plummeted. In spite of that (and a boring monotone narrator), the book pulled me in...so much so that I had to go over it twice, and I still have not fully decided what happened or who is who. Not a great thriller IMHO, but the story is engaging enough that I still want to know did he or didn't he...and why did his son??? was he telling the truth...was he crazy...Oh well!
18 Man catch- Christopher rice- 3 stars
Never heard of rice (although I have read mom), and based upon a certain proclivity he seems to induce into many of his works, I doubt that I wll go down that road. But this was a very nice story of how a person can jump to conclusions, and how anger can make a seemingly normal person go to pieces....then when they find out they are wrong...very short, even for a short story but very engaging right from the gate. I still doubt that i will be checking out more, but this was very interesting!
19 Goodnight Sweet mother- Alex kava- 2 stars
A so-so story, another non-thriller under the banner of thriller. I have never heard of kava prior to this, and am unlikely to get any better aquainted with her work in the future. The narrator did a decent enough job. This was basically a mundane story about a dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship, in the midst of an uninteresting day together. A simple fender bender, seems to unravel and become anything but rutine. Enter a sophmoric type idiot, upset over an accident, add an inexperienced, chauvinistic, egotistical state trooper and an elderly woman in the stages of dementia...and a rutine traffic offense become anything but rutine...or interesting. A nice little twist at the end of the story saves it from being a 1 star affai, and I could concievably go to 2.5...Certainly not thriller material.
20 Sacrificial lion- Grant Blackwood- 4 stars
I have never heard of Blackwood, and concievably could go 5 stars on this one. I am adding him to my soon to check out list (whatever that means w/ my to read list as it is.). The narrator was so-so, but that did not diminish from the story. Henry Caulder (not sure if i spelled it right) embarks upon a sucide type espionage mission, in spite of constant persuit he is undeterred. he keeps, going as far as he can on this suicide mission, racing the clock to complete his task...just when it seems like he has failed, the brilliance of the scheme hits home...The epilouge of sorts gives a nice sense of completion to his efforts.
21. Interlude at Duane's- F. Paul Wilson- 2 stars
The narrator alone made me want to give 1 star to this story, the absolute worst! I have never heard of Wilson prior to this and in spite of his being a jersey boy, I find it highly unlikely that he will frequent my bookshelf anytime in the foreseeable future. His main character...well I found him quite annoying (perhaps the narrator was to blame!).
22. The Powder monkey- Ted Bell- 2 stars
This again could easily have been a 1 star...The narrator again was not very favorable for me. The story just seemed to lack any energy at all. The protaginist was just plain boring, and his tale never seemed to gain any momentum.
23. Surviving Toronto- M. Diane Vogt- 3.5 stars
Nevr heard of this lady before, and although this was a decent enough story, that in itself is not likely to make chase down more of her work outside of a rec or something else. The narrator did a decent enough job as well. The charchters were well enough done, and the plot was intruiging enough. I did find the climax, end result a little unplausible but it was still a good short story.
24. Assassins- Christopher reich- 2 stars (generously)
Never hear of reich, and not likely to get better aqauinted with his work. The narrator was so-so. The narration of a resteraunt scene was ok...but the charcter did not full develop for me (perhaps different for those aqauinted with him through reichs other works), the plot never developed, and the ending if it can even be called that was anti climactic in a story that was not very interesting to begin with. A story with no climax, no thrills, no action and no suspense in a collection called thriller is a bigger mystery than I have encountered in some time.
25. the Athens project- brad Thor- 4 stars
I have never read thor, but have heard of him. I have a cousin who loves him, and says I need to add him to my must read list...Perhaps I will. I enjoyed this narrator, and was one of the few theatrical voices that did not annoy me. The plot developed very quicky and was very gripping. The only thing that kept it from 5 stars was the unbelievable uncanny rescue and the dreaded open ending.
26. Diplomatic Constraints- 4 stars- Raelynn Hillhouse
I have never heard of Hillhouse but after reading her author profile, and having done this story I may have to change that. the narrator did a decent enough job as well. the characters were done well for a short a story. The plot was very plausible as it dealt with a forgotten or u nheralded story from 1979. The double sided naraitive from the vantage points of both sides lended itself to make for a very enjoyable read.
27. kill Zone- Robert liparulo- 3 stars
The narrator was so-so (i think I recognized his voice from an earlier story i did not like...if so he did a better job this time around). the story was kind of OK hence the rating, the fact that it was not real even for the sake of the story detracted from it a little in my mind. I dod really like the character and his sense of worth of human life, as odd as that may sound for one whos profession often requires them to end it. The character was very deep, and might be worth checking out in the series that surrounds him.
28. The devils due- Steve berry- 3 stars
I have heard of berry and have actually tried to read the amber room on 3 different occasions, but have yet been able to get into it...perhaps I will try again. This was a nice twist on Osama Bin laden and a fictious account of his capture and death (I am guessing prior to the real thing???). The layers of subterfuge and political agendas were well crafted for such a short story.
29. The Tuesday Club- Katherine Neville- 2 stars
I have nevr heard of neville and am doubtful that I will become more aquainted with her work in the future..The narrators were very irritating to me personally. this is a story that I found not only short on thrills, but could not really hold my interest at all. The plot of going back and revisiting Ben franklin, Thomas jefferson and others intrigued me from the start...but that would be the most intersted I would become. The story just never got going for me, and went nowhere very fast!
30. Gone Fishing- Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child- 4 stars
I am sure I have heard of both of these authors, but cannot attribute any work that I know of to them? The narrator did a so-so job but the story excelled in spite of that! This was a cool story of two wanna be criminals who think they have mad a big time score...along the way they have double crossed some big time people....along the way their arrogance and uncothness gets them into trouble time after time...this time they seem to have upset the wrong person...but who????
Want to read
December 14, 2019*Freebie from work! What can I say; my patients love me; LOL*
February 13, 2017
There are times when no matter how hard you press down on the accelerator, the vehicle does not seem to go any faster. The needle appears to stay stationary and you feel frustration welling up inside you. Until I finished this book, I had bucketed these feelings to the time spent on a vehicle. There is a sense of stasis that this book imparts which is hard to break free of. While occasionally there are stories which help you breathe free, most of the reading experience is like swimming in amber. Every story is a good 20 pages and by the time you make sense of the characters, the story is over. It speaks volumes about craft as much as it does about a lack of interesting stories.
This anthology of short stories serves more as a follow-up to major novels that the contributing authors have written during their careers. You have backstories, minor characters from earlier novels that the author wants to explore and develop a tad more, a short incident in the life of an erstwhile major character etc. This essentially means that there very few standalone stories here. What I also felt as a reader was that most of the authors are well versed in the art of writing a longer story or a novel and what works in the novel form might not always work in the short story territory. This leaves the reader with stories that reach neither here nor there and sometimes are a chore to get through.
With the exception of a few good ones, the rest are pretty much in the meh ! territory.
Not really recommended unless you are a fan of the authors and want to get more of them.
This anthology of short stories serves more as a follow-up to major novels that the contributing authors have written during their careers. You have backstories, minor characters from earlier novels that the author wants to explore and develop a tad more, a short incident in the life of an erstwhile major character etc. This essentially means that there very few standalone stories here. What I also felt as a reader was that most of the authors are well versed in the art of writing a longer story or a novel and what works in the novel form might not always work in the short story territory. This leaves the reader with stories that reach neither here nor there and sometimes are a chore to get through.
With the exception of a few good ones, the rest are pretty much in the meh ! territory.
Not really recommended unless you are a fan of the authors and want to get more of them.
September 4, 2017
তিনটা তারা যে কম, তার দায় আমার ব্যক্তিগত অপছন্দকে নিতে হবে। থৃলারে ছোটগল্প ঠিক নট মাই কাপ অফ টি। বড় পরিসরে, জমিয়ে পড়তে না পারলে থৃলারের মজা পাইনা ঠিক-ঠাক। প্রচ্ছদটা ভাল বেশ কিন্তু বইয়ের অলংকরণ প্রচ্ছদের মান রাখতে ব্যার্থ হয়েছে। অনুবাদ ভালই হয়েছে কম-বেশি। একটা বা দুটো গল্পে নাখোশি আছে।
নতুন প্রকাশনীর জন্যে শুভকামনা রইলো, আরও ভাল করুক। একটু ভাল কাগজ রাখলে আর অলংকরণে অযাচিত বাহুল্য বাদ দিয়ে সোজা-সাপ্টা রাখলে দৃষ্টিগত আরাম পাওয়া যায় পড়তে পড়তে। এই ব্যাপারগুলো পাঠকের রিডিং টাইম আর প্রতিক্রিয়াকে খুব সূক্ষ্নভাবে প্রভাবিত করে। সেদিকে প্রকাশনী দৃষ্টি দিলে ভাল হবে ব্যাপারগুলো আগামীতে।
একটা গল্পের কথা বলতেই হবে, “এম্প্যাথি”। দারুণ লাগলো। ঠিক ধানী মরিচের মতো। ছোট হলেও ঝাঁঝে পিছিয়ে নেই। ভাল লাগার ছোট তালিকায় টুইজডে ক্লাবের নামও থাকবে।
নতুন প্রকাশনীর জন্যে শুভকামনা রইলো, আরও ভাল করুক। একটু ভাল কাগজ রাখলে আর অলংকরণে অযাচিত বাহুল্য বাদ দিয়ে সোজা-সাপ্টা রাখলে দৃষ্টিগত আরাম পাওয়া যায় পড়তে পড়তে। এই ব্যাপারগুলো পাঠকের রিডিং টাইম আর প্রতিক্রিয়াকে খুব সূক্ষ্নভাবে প্রভাবিত করে। সেদিকে প্রকাশনী দৃষ্টি দিলে ভাল হবে ব্যাপারগুলো আগামীতে।
একটা গল্পের কথা বলতেই হবে, “এম্প্যাথি”। দারুণ লাগলো। ঠিক ধানী মরিচের মতো। ছোট হলেও ঝাঁঝে পিছিয়ে নেই। ভাল লাগার ছোট তালিকায় টুইজডে ক্লাবের নামও থাকবে।
February 15, 2018
This book is fairly mediocre. I would rate most of the stories a 'C,' with just a few as 'B's.' Several of the plots have interesting premises and some have good writing, but few have both.
Some reviewers at Goodreads were put off by the amount of introduction provided by Patterson, but I found it interesting. In many cases the background that resulted in each story was often more interesting than the story itself. In many cases the writing was better as well.
This is a book that could be kept on whatever e-reader you carry to have available for unexpected downtime, such as waiting at the doctor's office or the BMV. It is an easy book to put down and then resume since the stories are unrelated to each other.
Some reviewers at Goodreads were put off by the amount of introduction provided by Patterson, but I found it interesting. In many cases the background that resulted in each story was often more interesting than the story itself. In many cases the writing was better as well.
This is a book that could be kept on whatever e-reader you carry to have available for unexpected downtime, such as waiting at the doctor's office or the BMV. It is an easy book to put down and then resume since the stories are unrelated to each other.
November 17, 2013
I read a lot of short stories when my children were young and I couldn't have finished anything else and have since gotten out of the habit. "Thriller" short stories were authored by some of my favorites, Lescroart, Child, Konrath, Berry, just to name a few, which I enjoyed. I was also introduced to many authors I haven't read before, Denise Hamilton, Gregg Hurwitz, David Morrell, James Siegel, just to name a few, and will be adding to my TBR list because of it! A definite win/win situation.
April 19, 2017
The good thing about an anthology is that you can read 15-20 pages and get a complete story. Some of these were so-so, others were too deep in espionage and/or politics for me, and a handful were really good page-turners. The last story, though, belonged in a horror anthology because it was creepy and scary to the extreme (and graphically violent). Why do I feel as though that's the one that's going to take up permanent residence in my mind?
January 8, 2021
A collection of 25-30 stories, which were less horrifying than full of suspense. Most of the contributors chose to submit a story about a character from their ongoing series. The introductions at the beginning of each story helped put it in the right context for readers who aren’t following those series. Some were good, others were just average stories. In all, this was an entertaining read but not one that I’d remember five years from now.
April 28, 2014
Most of the stories in this anthology are excellent. I have discovered several new authors whose novels I'm eager to explore. Some of the stories have really stuck with me, making me think and ask new questions.
May 25, 2024
All in all this was a decent collection of stories. Very disappointed that the cover was so misleading. Most of the stories are not horror thrillers as I initially thought. If you like spy thrillers though, this is the book for you.
Saw that some people rated each story so I thought I’d do that, too.
James Penney’s New Identity - 3/5
Operation Northwoods - 2/5
Epitaph - 4/5
The Face in the Window - 2/5
Empathy - 5/5
Kowalski’s in Love - 3/5
The Hunt for Dmitri- 2/5
Disfigured - 4/5
The Abelard Sanction - 2/5
Falling - 2/5
Success of a Mission - 2/5
The Portal - 4/5
The Double Dealer - 1/5
Dirty Weather - 3/5
Spirit Walker - 4/5
At the Drop of a Hat - 3/5
The Other Side of the Mirror - 5/5
Man Catch - 4/5
Goodnight, Sweet Mother - 3/5
Sacrificial Lion - 4.5/5
Interlude at Duane’s - 4/5
The Powder Monkey - 2/5
Surviving Toronto - 4.5/5
Assassins - 2.5/5
The Athens Solution - 4/5
Diplomatic Constraints - 3/5
Kill Zone - 2/5
The Devils’ Due - 2/5
The Tuesday Club - 0/5
Gone Fishing - 3.5/5
Saw that some people rated each story so I thought I’d do that, too.
James Penney’s New Identity - 3/5
Operation Northwoods - 2/5
Epitaph - 4/5
The Face in the Window - 2/5
Empathy - 5/5
Kowalski’s in Love - 3/5
The Hunt for Dmitri- 2/5
Disfigured - 4/5
The Abelard Sanction - 2/5
Falling - 2/5
Success of a Mission - 2/5
The Portal - 4/5
The Double Dealer - 1/5
Dirty Weather - 3/5
Spirit Walker - 4/5
At the Drop of a Hat - 3/5
The Other Side of the Mirror - 5/5
Man Catch - 4/5
Goodnight, Sweet Mother - 3/5
Sacrificial Lion - 4.5/5
Interlude at Duane’s - 4/5
The Powder Monkey - 2/5
Surviving Toronto - 4.5/5
Assassins - 2.5/5
The Athens Solution - 4/5
Diplomatic Constraints - 3/5
Kill Zone - 2/5
The Devils’ Due - 2/5
The Tuesday Club - 0/5
Gone Fishing - 3.5/5
May 30, 2020
Simply outstanding short stories by a wide variety of outstanding suspense writers. Many of the stories are more enjoyable than some novels by the same authors. Enjoying the stories one of two at a time was like attending a dinner party that serves nothing but your favorite appetizers from three or four of your favorite restaurants.
February 28, 2019
This one is tough to rate because there are various authors. Some of the stories are good, others not so good. If you'd like to get to know each author before you buy one of their novels, this would be a good book for that.
January 8, 2021
Read around 6 stories and can't drag myself to read more.
Read
July 4, 2020It$s pretty throlling!
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