It’s finally here, the latest blockbuster pairing of an author and a political figure. The hotly anticipated new book, State of Terror, pairs Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton for a breakneck, plot-driven, political thrill-ride that is sure to have you turning pages deep into the night. Secretary of State Ellen Adams and her childhood best friend Betsy Jameson are in a race against time to stop a cabal of terrorists from turning the US into a satellite state of Russia. It’s a political thriller penned by women, starring women, but likely anyone that picks it up is sure to be captivated.

So, as there are currently over 200 holds on this book, you’re going to need something to read while you wait for your turn. Here are a few I can recommend:

American Spy, by Lauren Wilkinson: Like Penny and Clinton’s decision to place two highly professional and intelligent women in opposition to a world of corrupt and egotistical men, so too does Lauren Wilkinson challenge the genre by writing a woman of color, and a mother, into the role of international spy during the Cold War in the 1980s. The narrative is told in the form of a letter from our spy, Marie Mitchell, to her sons, revealing her activities as a CIA operative employed to develop relations with a charismatic, intensely popular Marxist president of Burkina Faso, a country that sits in opposition to US interests. Marie learns to negotiate her world in a way that only she can, all the while keeping in mind the contradictions and the nuances of being an African-American female spy for the US against an African Country fighting against western dominance. It’s a refreshing take on a traditional genre. For another great cold war spy thriller featuring a compelling female protagonist, try Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews.

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams: Want more fiction from a political superstar? Stacey Abrams’ recent thriller centers on the dealings in the Highest Court in the Land. Avery Keene’s boss, the infamous Supreme Court Justice Howard Wynn, has fallen into a coma, at the very same time he is expected to rule on a highly controversial case for which he would be the swing vote. Avery must go on a chase to uncover  corruption, a path that leads through very powerful corridors. Will Avery unravel the conspiracy in time? For a first effort at a legal/ political thriller from a very busy woman, this is a very entertaining read.

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete unless we did include a classic entry in the political thriller genre. Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series, beginning with American Assassin from 2010, casts his CIA assassin against all sorts of political nemeses and terrorists, foreign and domestic. Rapp often has to be “creative” in his thinking and actions, and work around common protocols to get the job done. Other notable political thrillers include Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath series, Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series and Joseph Finder’s Nick Heller novels.

A Slow Fire Burning is the latest tale of psychological suspense from the author of the blockbuster bestseller Girl on the Train. A young man, Daniel Sutherland, has been gruesomely murdered, and it turns out there are a number of people that could have wished him dead. Daniel is the twenty-something year old son of Angela, who died under mysterious circumstances a few years before, and through the inner testimonies of the other characters, we come to see that Daniel was extremely troubled, and had a mostly negative impact on each suspect. Also weaving through the narrative is a novel within a novel, a suspense tale penned by one of the suspects, Theo Meyerson, a novel that may have been plagiarized from the very real, unpublished memoir of another suspect, Miriam. Moving in and out of the main plot is Laura, a challenged young woman, who, besides ending up as the chief suspect in the murder, has her own tragic backstory.  With so much packed into this intricate plot, it’s no wonder there are over 200 holds!

So, put yourself in the queue if you haven’t already, and while you’re waiting for your turn, try one of these similar titles, sitting on our shelves right now:

The Girl Before, by JP Delaney: In The Girl Before, a young woman named Emma moves into a strikingly-designed, architectural masterpiece of a house. As much as she loves the house and the comfort it brings her, she must adhere to the increasingly restrictive, borderline oppressive rules of the house’s architect. When Emma dies suddenly and mysteriously, the house welcomes a new tenant, Jane, who unknowingly follows the same horrific path as her predecessor. Like A Slow Fire Burning, the plot unfolds through the alternating perspectives of the characters, twisting and turning around the central mystery that readers won’t see coming. For another great thriller where elegant living arrangements come at a twisted, possibly deadly cost, try Peter Swanson’s Her Every Fear.

The Furies, by Natalie Haynes: A combination of past trauma and the claustrophobic atmosphere of a high school in Edinburgh, Scotland causes one drama teacher to descend slowly into madness. This novel is an excellent example of the unreliable narrator which features prominently among the characters of Hawkins’s novels. In the midst of the cold, dark Scottish winter, Alex, the teacher, begins to suspect that her students, a group of troubled teens, are playing a dangerous game with her, but is it really just all in her head? For more Campus lit, thrilling and otherwise, check out the current display in the library, or our recommendations, here.

Disclaimer, by Renee Knight: As with A Slow Fire Burning, Disclaimer has a book within a book, ostensibly of the fictive variety, except to one character for whom the mysterious book tells a story that hits way too close to home. Documentarian Catherine Ravenscroft discovers the novel on her nightstand, though she has no recollection of how it got there. Even more mysterious, the novel seems to be telling her story, an accounting of a secret from her past that if revealed would certainly spell the end of her seemingly perfect life. For another great twisting psychological thriller that uses the book within a book motif, put yourself on hold for The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

This Summer’s blockbuster book is Malibu Rising, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and if it proves to be as entertaining as her previous novels, it should be worth the hold-queue wait. The novel begins by introducing us to the adult Riva children, in the early 1980s, getting ready for a massive bash at their Malibu mansion. By this point, all of the children are pretty successful, and all of their success comes through their connections to Malibu’s surf culture, even though they are also the children of mega rock star Mick Riva. The story flashes back to the mid-50s, when Mick meets June, their mother, in the days before his career really took off. Mick and June’s romance is all encompassing and they quickly marry and have the first two children. Mick then abandons the family for another woman, though not before landing June with the other woman’s child. June breaks down, becomes overly dependent on alcohol, and the children are left to more or less raise themselves. Nina, a beauty, becomes a model in order to support the family and raise the younger children, and her success means the younger children are able to thrive despite the abandonment. There are many other secrets and joys along the way, leading up to the novels main focus, the day of the party. The ensuing evening of celebrity and party madness will result in the total destruction of the mansion by fire (this is not a spoiler, by the way, but to reveal the cause would be). The main plot covers just a 24-hour period, and the book is atmospheric and propulsive, and lots of fun to read.

While your waiting for your copy, here are some other favorites you might enjoy:

The first of these is Daisy Jones and the Six, Reid’s novel from a couple of years ago and another book loaded with cultural touchstones. Told in the form of a behind-the-scenes documentary, Reid collects the stories of the members of a fictional 1970s rock band. The members all have their struggles and resentments, particularly the two main figures of the band, Daisy and Billy, whose fire-and-ice romance has a heavy influence on the band’s success, as well as it’s ultimate dissolution. The book is full of the atmosphere of LA in the 1970s, and I couldn’t put it down. If you’ve already read that one, you might also try The Final Revival of Opal and Nev, by Dawnie Walton. Watch a review of that one here, in the second part of this Book Spots episode: https://www.instagram.com/tv/COgKckcJgV6/

The next book I would suggest checking out, if you’re looking for another in which a family must contend with the fallout of a truly bad father, is All This Could Be Yours, by Jami Attenberg. The domineering patriarch of the Tuchman family has succumbed to a heart attack, and the rest of his family, his two children and long-suffering wife, are called to his bedside in his final hours. The daughter arrives, but the son, Gary, remains at a distance and instead his wife attends. Over the course of the brief but intensely sharp narrative, we learn the long held family secrets the members won’t reveal to each other, no matter how fervently they are urged. What drove the mother to stay with her abusive, criminal husband, even though he was making life so unbearable for his children? What brings Alex, the older daughter, back to the heat of New Orleans to be by his side, even though the wounds from her youth are still open? Even Gary’s wife, Twyla, seemingly innocuous, has secrets to be revealed. Jami Attenberg writes with poignant humor and treats her characters with grace amidst the pain. You might also try The Nest, by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.

If you’d prefer your family saga beach-side, try Elin Hildebrand’s recent Summer of ’69. Set in the year of the title, on the island of Nantucket, the Foley-Levins are gathered at their home, All’s Well. Each member of the family has their own issues to contend with. The eldest daughter is pregnant with twins and suffers under the depressive tendencies of her astrophysicist husband; Tiger, the only son, has been recently drafted to the War; and youngest sister Kirby, was recently arrested for protesting the war and is currently fleeing disapproval for an interracial relationship. Hildebrand weaves in many familiar markers of the tumultuous period, creating a portrait at once personal and culturally resonant. If you’d like to throw a little glamour into the mix, you could also try High Season by Judy Blundell.

Need even more suggestions? Check out our new library displays, our Reading Room Page, or join us for our next Book Brunch virtual book share!