Off the rack (addendum)

Because someone asked, here’s a list of a dozen thrillers published or reprinted in the past decade or so – easily-found books – that I enjoyed and recommend.

Not all qualify as ‘off the rack’ – the Dent, the Lange (a Michael Crichton pseudonym), and the Schow are from the small publisher Hard Case Crime (‘bespoke,’ if you will); the Littell brushes up against Quality Lit (without, however, skimping on its duty as a page-turner).

Nearly anything by Abrahams or Perry is a satisfying read; to my mind, Perry is the best thriller writer of my era, so he gets two titles here.

Hopefully, a reader predisposed to the genre will find these books niftier than the latest offerings from the cyborgs that bottleneck the top of the bestseller lists.

Lights Out, Peter Abrahams

Man of the Hour, Peter Blauner

Honey in His Mouth, Lester Dent

The Second Saladin, Stephen Hunter

Black Cross, Greg Iles

Grave Descend, John Lange

Vicious Circle, Robert Littell

The Butcher’s Boy, Thomas Perry

Death Benefits, Thomas Perry

Gun Work, David J. Schow

Missionary Stew, Ross Thomas

For The Dogs, Kevin Wignall