Thursday, March 22, 2012

American/Washington Political Thrillers

Hi everyone – just a quick post to ask for recommendations. I’m interested in reading more thrillers, and I particularly like American political thrillers with a focus on Washington. In the past few weeks, I’ve really been in the mood for this type of novel, so I’d really like some suggestions.

Here are the authors I already know and like:

- Vince Flynn

- Brad Thor

- Kyle Mills

- Stuart Woods

- David Baldacci

- Mike Lawson

- Alex Berenson

- Andrew Britton (R.I.P.)

Can anybody recommend any others?

I’ve tried one of Steve Martini’s, but I found it quite slow – anybody know if they improve? Also, I’m going to check out Philip Margolin, Richard Hawke and Margaret Truman.

Thanks!

3 comments:

  1. Can I take everybody's silence to mean that my readers are predominantly sci-fi/fantasy/comics fans...?

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  2. A couple of classics first (and apologies if these are obvious). They're out of print, but shouldn't be too hard to track down:
    - Seven Days in May (Fletcher Knebel). This is the yardstick, the American coup novel to which Washington thrillers are perpetually compared.
    - Advise and Consent (Allen Drury). Not exactly a thriller, but a compelling tale of political in-fighting. The later books in the series get increasingly hysterical and cartoonish, but this is great (though not a fast read by any means).

    Both of the above were also made into excellent films.

    More contemporary stuff:
    - Father's Day (John Calvin Batchelor). Another coup novel, good fun.
    - anything by Stephen Hunter. Terrific writer, great sense of pace and suspense. I would start with the first of the Bob Lee Swagger novels, Point of Impact.
    - P. T. Deutermann. Have only read Train Man by him, but enjoyed it immensely.
    - David Hagberg. His stuff is more in the military/technothriller vein. Really liked High Flight.
    - Stephen Coonts has great fun sending Washington into chaos in Under Siege (no relation to the movie).

    Finally, in self-serving mode, I'll plug my most recent (Washington-set) thriller, The Valedictorians: amzn.to/ITnTOg

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  3. Thank you for the suggestions, David! Much appreciated. I'll also see about checking out your series (are they available for Kindle...?)

    While I remember, there are another couple of authors I've discovered (or, more accurately, remembered) since browsing the bookstore in Toronto, of all places:

    - William Bernhardt
    - Michael Palmer
    - Howard Gordon

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