Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Thrillers Book Reviews Available Now (page 6)


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Cover art for SHAKE OFF
FICTION
Released: Aug. 14, 2012

"An entertainingly complex, quick-moving psychological thriller."
In Hiller's (Sabra Zoo, 2010) second thriller, Michel Khoury is a skilled linguist, a supposed student at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, and a PLO operative controlled by the mysterious Abu Leila. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE SPYMASTERS
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"A knowing thriller in which the world must be saved on several fronts from the fascist threat."
The seventh installment of Griffin's Men at War series dramatizes a pivotal moment in the campaign against Hitler, who plans on hitting London with "aerial torpedos" laced with nerve gas--this while the U.S. is still developing the atomic bomb back home. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BROKEN ONES
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"A flawlessly assembled thriller."
In the strange, devastating aftermath of Gray Wednesday, when the Earth's poles suddenly switched, the world is in even greater chaos, climatic distress and financial ruin than it is now. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE PROPHET
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"A compulsively readable novel about brothers on opposite sides of life."
Friday Night Lights meets In Cold Blood in this powerful tale of distant brothers whose torment over the murder of their sister when they were teens is compounded by the murder of another targeted teenage girl--a killing one of the brothers is determined to avenge even if that means committing murder himself. Read full book review >
Cover art for YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW
FICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2012

"Melodramatic and filled with a lot of pointless meanderings, but Jackson's many fans will still enjoy it."
New York Times' bestselling author Jackson puts her touch on this dark thriller and tale of forbidden romance. Read full book review >
Cover art for BLACK LIST
FICTION
Released: July 24, 2012

"A fair but predictable thriller."
Thor (Full Black, 2011, etc.) returns with his latest thriller featuring ex-Navy SEAL and counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath.In this installment, Harvath's name has been put on a secret enemies list, and he quickly finds himself the target of assassins. Read full book review >
Cover art for KILL DECISION
FICTION
Released: July 19, 2012

"A confident thriller that leaves us wondering not whether its fictional premise will one day become reality, but when."
In this Crichton-esque thriller, a female scientist specializing in ant intelligence is drawn into a nightmarish plot involving swarming drones launching terrorist strikes on U.S. soil--on their own, not as programmed by humans. Read full book review >
Cover art for CLOSE YOUR EYES
FICTION
Released: July 17, 2012

"A not-so-thrilling thriller that leaves readers wishing that the bad guys were better shots."
Johansen and her son, Roy, team up for their fourth collaborative effort (Shadow Zone, 2010, etc.). Read full book review >
Cover art for DISCRETION
FICTION
Released: July 3, 2012

"Better editing could have made this memorable, but even with Leotta's tendency to provide character fashion reports on every page, this is worth the read."
Former federal prosecutor Leotta covers some familiar ground in her second legal thriller. Read full book review >
Cover art for RANSOM RIVER
FICTION
Released: June 28, 2012

"It's hard to remember a time when a damsel was quite so distressed by so many different heavies. The tension, though synthetic, is so unrelenting that you'll cheer when Rory finally walks away from it all."
Gardiner shelves hard-used series heroine Jo Beckett (The Nightmare Thief, 2011, etc.) in order to put even more wear and tear on an employed, overcommitted California lawyer. Read full book review >
Cover art for HEARTBROKEN
FICTION
Released: June 26, 2012

"Unger knows how to write a taut thriller, but one improbable character keeps this book from being extraordinary."
Unger's latest offers a triumvirate of strong women pitted against a shared past and dangerous future. Read full book review >
Cover art for HUNT THE WOLF
FICTION
Released: June 26, 2012

"SEAL aficionados and action addicts will find a couple engaging hours of reading here; everyone else can wait for the inevitable movie."
A year ago, a team of Navy SEALs impressed the world by killing Osama bin Laden. In this book, the SEALs go a few steps further by capturing a leading terrorist, breaking up a sex-trafficking ring and scaling K2 for good measure; all in a few days with little apparent food or sleep. Read full book review >