Twisting, Turning Political Thrillers to Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat

As if the real world of politics isn’t enough of an intrigue with twists and turns, good guys and bad, there is a genre of fiction called the “political thriller.”  Many of these are fast-paced reads that keep us on the edge of our seats - perfect for a day at the beach, a rainy summer weekend, or a long cross-country plane trip.

There are several authors that are go-to political thriller authors. Try some of the following:

David Baldacci – a lawyer who starting writing late at night for the love of it, a bestselling author, known for the Camel Club series.

Dan Brown – first he taught English at Phillips Exeter Academy, now he writes, known for his wildly popular The Da Vinci Code.

Tom Clancy – has written 14 bestsellers including Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games, "He constantly taps the current world situation for its imminent dangers and spins them into an engrossing tale."—The New York Times Book Review.

Stephen Coonts – joined the Navy and took part in combat in Vietnam War, was a flight instructor, so he understands character Jake Grafton, a fighter pilot.

Vince Flynn – after being disqualified from the Marine Corps, he needed another occupation; he started writing, an unusual choice since he was diagnosed with dyslexia since grade school, writes about terrorism so well that the CIA even recommends his books.

James W. Huston – partner in an international law firm, former Navy Flight Officer, battled Multiple Myeloma, writes from what he knows including The Balance of Power.

John Lecarre – is really David John Moore Cornwell from England, served in the British Foreign Service, but describes himself as a writer about spies rather than a spy himself.

Brad Meltzer – another lawyer turned writer, has used former presidents as part of his research,  for Inner Circle, President Bush let him see the secret letter he left on the Oval Office desk for President Clinton.

Deception Point by Dan Brown (Adult fiction paperback) is an example of one of those books that starts quickly and doesn’t slow down.  It is a page-turner for sure!  Senator Sedgewick Sexton is challenging the incumbent president in the next election and is banking on the recent mistakes of NASA to catapult him into office.  He argues that he can cut expenses and increase efficiency simply by privatizing space operations. 

When the President announces that a NASA satellite has discovered a huge meteorite filled with fossils of huge lice-like creatures in the ice of the Arctic, Sexton feels that his campaign is doomed.  But not everyone can be believed and there is enough scandal to go around.  Soon the CIA, a celebrity TV oceanographer and the Senator’s daughter are all mixed up together in a life and death struggle that reaches all the way to the White House.

These authors will be on display at the .