Females ARE Deadlier than the Male~~~~

"Book lovers never go 
 to bed alone...."

Anonymous

Read one of these ladies and you might not want to go to bed at all. The reaction I get when I recommend a woman thriller writer is almost comical. I have had men look at me as if I've lost my mind when I suggest one, and women will even do a little hem and haw~~~mainly because they don't believe that a woman can write a tough, noir potboiler as well (in some cases better) than a man.....or that a female can be deadlier than the male. Not only did I pick women thriller authors, but I wanted the  main character to be  a woman too. Meet some women whose ruthless streak can surprise even themselves when it appears. Here are a few of my favorite ladies that I suggest to folks and I love when they come back, tell me how much they enjoyed her and grab another book by the same author.

Chelsea Cain~~Besides being one of  the top thriller writers of the genre, Cain introduces one of most brutal serial killers you'll meet, Gretchen Lowell. Set in Portland, Oregon, the weather~~rainy, grey and damp~~gives the series that grey, norish feeling. Great characters, besides Lowell. Portland detective, Archie Sheridan, and reporter, Susan Ward. The connection between Sheridan and Lowell will give you pause, especially when you realize what brings them together. The series will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Pick up the entire series so you can keep going:   

Heartsick

Sweetheart

Evil at Heart
The Night Season ( her newest one)

Vicki Hendricks~~This is one author that grabs you by page one and you hold on until the last page. Hang on for a ride that will leave you breathless. Set in Florida, in Hendricks first book, Cruel Poetry, we first meet happy hooker Renata (Rennie) and her pet python....and some men who feel the need to save her. This is trailer-trash noir at it's best..the hot sun, beach, kooky characters, sex, humor and of course~murder. Even keeping the air conditioner on while reading you will still break out in a sweat. As Ken Bruen fittingly said "...(Hendricks) you write like a demented banshee!"  ***Warning~~Hendricks books can be considered on the, um,  risque side.

Zoe Sharp~~Sharp hit the big time in 2001 with Killer Instinct. You may have heard of her co-author, Lee Child?Meet Charlotte (Charlie) Fox, Sharpe's all action, macho, tough talking "heroine," who was in the Special Forces until they kicked her out. During the early books, Charlie Fox drifts through doing odd jobs, then everything kicks into gear when she meets up with her old military instructor, Sean Meyer~~who she holds a grudge against. Charlie finds out how much her military training comes in handy when she goes to work for Meyer as a bodyguard for hire. Fox is amazed at herself when she finds out how violent and  cold blooded she can be, but most frightening of all is how far she will go to do her job. I like Fox; she's strong, compassionate and adheres to her principles. Good series that opens up the characters with    each new book.

Charlie Fox series:
Killer Instinct

Riot Act

Hard  Knocks                                                    

First Drop

Road Kill

Second Shot
Third Strike
Fourth Day
Fifth Victim (her newest one)

Lisa Unger~~ If you scrape away the layers of a family, what do you find? While Unger has a recurring character in a few of her books, Ridley Jones, most of her books are stand alone.She does keep you turning the pages with the twists, turns and surprises that are uncovered. I love Unger's development of  her characters and that once the book takes off, it is fast paced action at it's best.
Ridley Jones books:
Beautiful Lies
Sliver of Truth
**I highly recommend Fragile~~loved it!

Christa Faust~Love pulp fiction? Here is one of the best. Faust gives us tough talking, a**kicking Angel Dare, who will "gobsmack" you as soon as look at you. Angel is a former porn star, who we first meet in Money Shot, where she takes on the sex slave trade and ends up in the Witness Protection Program...of course a lot goes on in between. Angel's next book is Choke Hold, coming out in October....and I can't wait! Faust is the first women author in the history of Hard Case Crime! That alone should make you run out and pick a copy of her books. Be careful not to pick up her other genres~~not that they aren't worth reading, but they aren't thrillers (**Remember my warning about Vicki Hendricks? She's mild compared to Faust. I doubt I could put her book covers up on this blog)

Lisa Gardner~~Gardner has two series with strong women as lead characters. FBI profiler Kimberly Quincy and Police Detective D.D. Warren. Both series are terrific...and disturbing, but I love them. 
The D.D. Warren series:
Alone
Hide
The Neighbor
Live to Tell
Love you More (her latest in the series)


FBI Profiler series with Kimberly Quincy:
Gone
Killing Hour
Say Goodbye




Look at those faces? Do they look like the face of someone who can write about grisly, bloody murders? A pedophile that loves spiders so much he has eight eyes tattooed all around his head? Entire families murdered on the anniversary of a family killing from years ago? Police detectives who forge a strange bond with a serial killer? Ah yes~~and when the past comes back to bite, is anything what it once seemed? Good stuff.

There you have it, a few of my favorite women thrillers writers with great women characters. You can't go wrong with any of them. When I get to the part of the book where our leading lady is about to go head to head with the bad guy, or woman, I get an earworm of Pat Benatar singing "Hit me with your best shot...fire away!"  I just start to chuckle because they have no idea what they are up against.

I'd love to know what you think of my choice of ladies....and what yours are.

Happy Reading!

Moscow Rules

I've traveled the world twice over,

Met the famous; saints and sinners,

Poets and artists, kings and queens,

Old stars and hopeful beginners,

I've been where no-one's been before,
Learned the secrets from writers and cooks,

All with one library ticket

To the wonderful world of books.

Unknown

Great quote, and I think it fits my review of this book beautifully!

Moscow Rules

Daniel Silva

Moscow Rules is the 8th book in the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva. If you haven't read any of the series, let me introduce you to Gabriel Allon: one of the top agents in the Israeli-Intelligence agency, Mossad; talented, gifted, moody, but when he has to go on a mission his fellow operatives line up to work with him. His true passion is art restoration and Allon is one of the top art restorers in the world. The time, care, respect and love he gives his paintings overflows into his missions. No matter how many times Allon has told Mossad he is retired, when they need him, off he goes.

How has Russia changed since the fall of communism? Is Russia happier? Is life better? Besides Russia becoming a country of very wealthy people, how have they fared since the Cold War? Silva, who went to Moscow for his research, doesn't give that impression. Here he gives us insight on the current political climate, Russians are still anti-American, they smile at your face, but be careful turning your back. The new (rich) Russians have easy access to all of Europe and brought back to Moscow what they consider the best of Europe, but made it bigger. It is mentioned several times that Russia has to have the biggest of anything and everything in the world, the biggest this, the biggest that, so it would stand to reason that they would have the biggest arms dealer in the world.

In Moscow Rules, Allon is sent to bring down Russian businessman Ivan Kharkov, who is the world's biggest arms dealer. He sells to the highest bidder, no matter who they are. Kharkov is very wealthy, powerful and ruthless....and plans to stay that way. If anyone gets in his way, they won't be there for long. Two newspaper reporters who attempted to investigate him and his dealings have ended up dead. Since his current clients include al-Qaeda terrorists, America and Israel are very interested in him. To accomplish their mission it is decided to use Kharkov's wife, and luckily, she is an art lover.

It is very unusual, but we have the Israelis. Americans, British and French secret agencies working together to accomplish this very intricate, delicate, dangerous mission that takes the agents all over the world, and into Moscow, where people still can disappear. It seems there really are Moscow rules, every spy and intelligence agent knows them---no matter which agency they are attached to.

In the Allon series, when all the pieces have been put together, when it's time to put everything in motion, when the players are all in place and the clock has started ticking.... the pace picks up and I don't care what time it is, I am going to get to the last page....I just need to know how it ends.

I read Silva's first book in 1996, The Unlikely Spy, and he had me hooked. This is one of my favorite books to recommend to people and when they come back and rave about it I like the fact it is still holding up. For me, Silva is one of the best espionage writers today; he has been compared to Forsyth, Ludlum and le Carre. (Okay, personally....I don't think anyone can touch le Carre, especially his early stuff.)

Daniel Silva has another page turner. I enjoyed it, couldn't put it down. After reading this, I will not be going to Moscow...ever. (I don't think Silva should go back either.) Silva usually takes current events and entwines them in his thrillers. If you haven't read Daniel Silva, give yourself a treat and pick one up. I recommend him to anyone who enjoys thrillers and they come back and rave about him.

I am looking forward to Gabriel Allon's next adventure in The Defector this summer. From what I have read and heard, it will be a continuation of Moscow Rules. Someone Allon thought was a friend, well, let's just say that things aren't always what they appear.