Our Roundup Of Political and Espionage Thrillers
Need some heart-pounding, page-turning thrills in the form of espionage and political thrillers? We’ve got you. Sometimes it’s nice to escape into the “good person saves the day” feeling after being left standing on the edge of a cliff for a few hundreds of pages of intense spycraft. Or maybe you just like action and fight scenes. Here are some great reads with all the things you want from the best thriller suspense books.
Imagine minding your own business while robbing someone only to end up trapped in the closet and witnessing Secret Service agents murdering a billionaire’s wife. That’s exactly the bad luck—or karma—that finds Luther Whitney. On his way out, Whitney took evidence that places the President, who, by the way, recently harassed the murder victim, at the scene of the crime. He better hope former public defender Jack Graham can help him because the President is on a manhunt.
Four men meet weekly in Washington, D.C. to discuss all the political conspiracy theories they believe are happening, in hopes of finding a way to help. Not much has come of this until one night, during their meeting, they see a member of the Secret Service murdered and end up having to team up with the agency. Conspiracies abound.
For fans of Ian Rankin who are completists, Westwind (originally published in the 90s) is one of his early novels that were out of print and has now been re-released. We open with a technician noticing that a spy satellite is no longer online in Britain. Then a space shuttle crashes in the U.S. It’s a thriller, so there is obviously a connection—especially since the only shuttle survivor and the technician are being sequestered in their respective countries—but what is going on, and why?
While the country mourns the death of the U.S. President, a sniper who seems to be out for blood starts by killing a U.S. Senator. Solving the murder will be a family affair, as Alex Cross is tasked by the new President to get with the FBI and solve this case, while his wife Bree Stone finds her new position as chief of DC detectives threatened if she can’t successfully close the case quickly.
The NYPD's most elite task force must protect the city from a shadowy killer with a vendetta in this New York Times bestselling mystery.
The richest of New York's rich gather at The Pierre's Cotillion Room to raise money for those less fortunate. A fatal blast rocks the room, stirring up horrifying memories of 9/11. Is the explosion an act of terrorism . . . or a homicide?
A big-name female filmmaker is the next to die, in a desolate corner of New York City. Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald investigate. But the crimes keep escalating as a shadowy killer masterfully plays out his vendetta—and threatens to take down NYPD Red in the bargain.
Related: Explore the Forthcoming NYPD Red 6 By James Patterson and Marshall Karp
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Jamie Canavés is a Book Riot contributing editor and Tailored Book Recommendations coordinator. She writes the Unusual Suspects mystery newsletter, never says no to chocolate or ‘80s nostalgia, and can hold a conversation using only gifs. Tweets: @Oh_Dinky.