Negotiator / Frederick Forsyth 183 p.

A fast-paced, plot-driven, suspenseful thriller about an international campaign of terror starts with the kidnapping of an American Oxford student. The best hostage negotiator, the retired Quinn, responds to an appeal from the parents--the President and his wife. A complex plot involves global factions each with an agenda that involves overthrowing an oil rich country’s government, to bringing down the President and stopping a giant arms-reduction treaty between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The operation goes bad and Quinn goes after the perpetrators.

Ice Cold / Tess Gerrisen 322 p.

Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli searches for Maura Isles, a medical examiner and friend. On the spur of the moment, Maura joins a group going on a ski trip. When their SUV stalls during a snow storm, they end up isolated and stranded. The group finds refuge in the remote Kingdom Come, where something mysterious has occurred: meals are left on tables, cars still parked in garages, and no sign of residents. Footprints reveal someone is around, watching. Jane receives the news that Maura’s body has been found in a car crash. Jane, her FBI agent husband, Gabriel Dean; and Fr. Daniel Brophy, Maura’s lover, travel to Wyoming to conduct their own investigation. A local social worker clues Jane into the actual doings at Kingdom Come. The story alternates between what is happening to Maura and to Jane. Many plot twists, vivid depictions make this a story for the stout of heart.

One Scream Away / Kate Brady 443 p.

Seven years ago Beth Denison’s testimony puts serial killer Chevy Bankes away. Bankes is out and using dead women’s phones to call and taunt her, driven by his psychotic need to hear her scream. Ex-FBI agent Neil Sheridan investigates this chain of murders that similar to a troubling case from his past. Neil is sure Beth is keeping a secret tantamount to the case – a secret she will do anything to keep. Bankes heinous crimes escalate as he moves in closer and closer. Neil and Beth’s romance is slow to develop. Bankes twisted psychology and the tension of the interplay between Bankes, Beth and Neil, overshadow the romance. Thriller readers will love this one.

2010 RITA Winner for Best First Book