Writing began for me in 1994 when I quit a good job to see if I could be a writer. I chose the political thriller genre because my books describe characters trying to figure out how to achieve practical ends non-violently. Kendall Smith pursues this goal, usually while working in the mysterious Sahara Desert. Despite the awesome nature of the challenge and the numerous life-or-death circumstances that he experiences, he begins to suspect that there is a spiritual component to his quest for peace, mirrored in nature and the human journey. My attempt to present that phenomenon, no matter how ephemeral, is the ultimate goal of my writing.
It was thrilling for me to find, some time ago now, Clive Cussler’s Sahara.
This novel is full of action and adventure with its elaborately crafted plot twists and provocative historical references. The beautifully constructed, rich, and evocative language brings the adventures and the characters to life. It’s exciting for me that Mr. Cussler brings his story-telling expertise to the mysterious Sahara Desert, which is where my novel follows a Stealth Bomber on its way to bomb a uranium-enrichment plant in the desert.
Both novels prompt important questions about America’s foreign policy and its history in sub-Saharan Africa.
The eleventh classic Dirk Pitt novel, where the adventurer is drawn to a secret in the burning African desert, which could destroy all life in the world's seas.
A CREEPING RED TIDE OF DEATH
Deep in the African desert, Dirk Pitt discovers that a top secret scientific installation is leaking a lethal chemical into the rivers, threatening to kill thousands of people - and to destroy all life in the world's seas.
To warn the world of the catastrophe, Pitt must escape capture and death at the hands of a ruthless West African dictator and French industrialist, and undertake a…
I have been transfixed by this novel for as long as I can remember because it describes in compelling detail the complexities of global politics and the human cost of war.
Follett’s novel focuses on the disaster that war wreaks on people and ultimately the world, as World War II rages and spies try to outwit spies. The characters are as compelling as the storyline, and the prose catapults the reader forward.
This is the book that led me to want to write modern-day political thrillers and examine the potential of a less violent – and more humanistic – approach to America’s current foreign policy. There is no clear answer, but there is no more important question.
The worldwide phenomenon from the bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, A Column of Fire, and The Evening and the Morning
His code name was "The Needle." He was a German aristocrat of extraordinary intelligence-a master spy with a legacy of violence in his blood, and the object of the most desperate manhunt in history. . . .
But his fate lay in the hands of a young and vulnerable English woman, whose loyalty, if swayed, would assure his freedom-and win the war for the Nazis. . . .
Two small-time journalists take on an international cartel who try a hostile takeover of a Canadian mining company.
Lucas, a veteran journalist, sees a big story brewing within a strike at a local mining company when explosions rip through the plant, but he gets bumped by Jamie, a junior reporter.…
Barry Eisler is a superb writer who casts a talented and likable character into a career as an assassin.
John Rain chooses this life because he hopes his actions will deter greater acts of violence. It is a rationale that so often accompanies violence in our society, and here, Eisler reduces it to its basics. It is also a question that confronts the main characters in my first novel as they face off against terrorism. As for Rain, he has his share of confusion and self-doubt as he goes about his business.
This thoughtful novel flows frictionlessly from beginning to end, convincing me that no one is writing better political thriller novels these days than Barry Eisler.
Previously published as Hard Rain and Blood from BloodAll John Rain wants is to get out of the killing business. But with his discretion, his reliability, and his unique talent for death by "natural causes," no one is willing to let him just retire. So when an old nemesis from the Japanese national police force comes to him with a new job-eliminate Murakami, a killer even more fearsome than Rain himself-Rain knows he can't refuse.Aided by an achingly desirable half Brazilian, half Japanese exotic dancer he knows he shouldn't trust, Rain pursues his quarry through underground no-holds-barred fight clubs, mobbed-up…
In my opinion, Louise Penny is one of today’s foremost writers in the mystery and political thriller genres.
The Grey Wolf integrates many of her memorable characters from her series of Armand Gamache books and takes the reader on a fascinating tale of duplicity and intrigue. In the townships of Quebec, the complexity and horror of the potential terrorism threat grow as Armand and associates investigate. As usual in her novels, Penny squeezes every drop of tension from the action.
One of the reasons I include this book in my list is that wrote a novel in 2006 with a very similar plot, only it was set in the Santa Barbara party town of Isla Vista. No Gamache in my book, but plenty of action and perhaps also likable characters.
The 19th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series.
Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.
Palmer Lind, recovering from the sudden death of her husband, embarks on a bird-watching trek to the Gulf Coast of Florida. One hot day on Leffis Key, she comes upon—not the life bird she was hoping for—but a floating corpse. The handsome beach bum who appears on the scene at…
David Baldacci’s Strangers in Time is a compelling and sensitive tale about displaced people finding each other – and perhaps themselves – as they struggle to survive World War II in war-torn London.
The intense reality of war leads to inventive approaches to daily life and unbreakable bonds with each other. It’s a novel that resonates deeply with me in my own writing, as I present characters with vastly differing views on war, as well as visions of how to achieve peace in America’s foreign policy and throughout our modern, violent world.
The political thriller, Priority One, unfolds in the vast and mysterious Sahara Desert, where terrorists are surreptitiously enriching uranium. A B-1 Stealth bomber is bearing down on the desert mountains as gung-ho Homeland Security agent presses reluctant water expert Kendall Jackson Smith into action and a seductive Russian agricultural worker suspiciously offers assistance.
Challenging a foreign policy where the U.S.’s economic concerns reign supreme. Kendall walks a tightrope between his pacifistic principles and the need to avert catastrophe. In the midst of fast-paced action and a distinct set of characters, Priority One asks the crucial question of how much violence is required to deter violence in the complex world of global terrorism.
What Happened to Frank? is the first book in the Meg Sheppard Mystery Series. Meg is an amateur sleuth who owns racehorses and lives on a horse farm. Her beloved border collie, Kelly, is usually at Meg's side as she investigates murders and solves other mysteries. The books are action-packed…
Wed in an arranged marriage to a man nearly fifty years her senior, sixteen-year-old Eileen O'Connell goes from being one of five unmarried sisters to becoming the mistress of Ballyhar, the great estate of John O'Connor, one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Ireland.
