Anthony Franze's Reading List

"I’m not a judge – I just coordinate the process – but I can tell you why I personally admired One Good Deed : Baldacci writes a damn good story, and he doesn’t stick to convention. He’ll write a tender family drama one year, political or FBI-based thrillers the next, now a unputdownable noir crime novel set in the post-war 1940s. One Good Deed follows a WWII combat vet who is just out of prison and gets offered a job to collect a debt—and soon finds himself embroiled in a small-town murder. Beautiful prose, a compelling plot, but it’s the anti-hero protagonist who makes this book shine. Recurring characters always have been, and likely always will be, a mainstay in fiction. I think they are beloved because they allow readers to experience the characters’ growth and evolution over the long haul."

"I really hope Clifford reconsiders making this the last in the series. Previously on the run when he was wanted for murder, protagonist Jay Porter has been cleared and returns to his hometown in New Hampshire out to avenge his addict brother’s death. The book is gritty and full of memorable, if not always likeable, characters. Clifford often gets compared to Dennis Lehane , for good reason. There’s a raw authenticity to his work, and Rag and Bone proves that even five books in a series novel can stand on its own. Clifford is a writer to watch."

"Recursion is part sci-fi , part twisty thriller, part epic love story . I read this last summer while in Italy and missed my train stop because I was so engrossed in the novel. NYPD detective Barry Sutton encounters a woman who appears to have False Memory Syndrome, what some believe is a contagion that is spreading rapidly in which those inflicted have memories of a different life. But it’s not a syndrome at all, and instead the result of an invention of neuroscientist Helena Smith. Barry and Helena ultimately intersect to try to save each other – and the world. I can’t do the storyline justice, but it lives up to every bit of its ambition."

"Then Hall puts a clever, thought provoking, spin on the classic tale. Miriam Macy thinks she’s going to a remote island to compete on a reality television show, but soon learns that she and six others were brought to the island under false pretenses. Soon each guest’s secrets trickle out – and they start dying. Hall is known for her acclaimed series featuring detective Elouise Norton, but this standalone is a breakout. Hall’s another rising superstar."

"Yes, the premise is brilliant. A thirteen-year-old girl is kidnapped, and her mother is told that to free her, she must kidnap another child, in what turns out to be a chain-mail-like ransom scheme that goes on forever. The pace is intense and the premise plays on the central question: how far would any of us go to save our child? It’s an emotional, edge-of-your-seat read that lives up to the hype. I think this has always been the struggle of the arts and artists in general. Without a “day job” or financial support from a spouse or family many novelists wouldn’t be able to survive. I’m just glad McKinty found his way – he’s too great a talent to throw it in."

"In this Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, the protagonist Anna McDonald has a connection to a true-crime podcast and sets out on a road trip to uncover the truth, drudging up secrets and a tragedy from her past. The book explores celebrity and the modern penchant for using private trauma for public entertainment in a hugely entertaining story told at a lightning pace. Mina has been called the “modern crime queen” and this book warrants a bend of the knee. In a typical year, which this obviously is not, the winners are announced at an awards gala filled with literary royalty at ITW’s ThrillerFest conference in New York. The conference is cancelled this year, but ITW is presenting the awards during ‘Virtual’ ThrillerFest , on Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 2pm (EST), which will be streamed on Facebook live. We have a few surprises in store, so I hope everyone checks it out to honor the nominees and winners."

"Yes. November Road blew me away. It’s a period piece—not something I’m normally into—set in the aftermath of the assassination of John F Kennedy. A mobster and a young mother intersect as they both are on the run from very different things. It’s crime fiction at its best: heartfelt, thrilling, and leaves you with a lump in your throat. I love that. I don’t think I have a criminal mind, but a curious one. I think I gravitated toward thrillers because they allow me to explore questions about people. Why do good people do bad things? Why do bad people do good things? Why are we more likely to be killed by someone we love than a stranger? I could go on. But given the success of November Road , maybe I ought to be thinking more like a criminal!"

"Publishers Weekly got it right, the novel is artful and elegant and—as always with Heaberlin—the setting itself is a character. Like November Road , the story involves a road trip, but this one with a possible serial killer. A young woman, obsessed with finding who killed her sister more than a decade ago, thinks she’s identified the culprit, an ageing photographer who lives in a halfway house. She’s linked his photos to a string of missing girls. The rub is that the man suffers from dementia. Pretending to be his daughter, the woman takes him on a road trip to try to jog his memory about past crimes. Lyrical prose, characters with hidden agendas, and a non-stop undercurrent of tension make this a must read. Yes, and there are other recent great examples, such as Wendy Walker’s All is Not Forgotten . It’s a testament to the skill of writers who can take a somewhat familiar premise but add a fresh new twist and make it compelling and original. Often the stories focus on the protagonist’s memory, but Heaberlin ratchets up the tension by focusing on the secrets that may, or may not, be locked up in the antagonist’s head."

"Great title for a great book. Hillier’s breakout novel is a modern Silence of the Lambs . It centers around Georgina Shaw, whose best friend disappeared when they were teenagers. Fourteen years later, her friend’s remains are found, and Geo’s life as a successful corporate executive is turned upside down when she’s sent to prison for her role in helping her then-boyfriend—now serial killer—commit the gruesome crime. Now she must testify against him. Dark, twisty, and unflinching—and full of teen angst and obsession—it’s no surprise this book has garnered so much acclaim."

"I suspect Karin Slaughter doesn’t think much about whether a book will be a hit and just tries to write the best book she can. And, frankly, that’s enough to make a hit. There’s a reason she’s considered one of the greatest crime writers in the world. “There’s a reason Karin Slaughter is considered one of the greatest crime writers in the world” The story here starts off with a bang when a mother and daughter are having lunch at a diner when gunshots ring out. To the daughter’s surprise, the mother snaps into action and heroically, and skilfully, puts an end to the carnage. And from there we learn that there’s more to Mom than anyone would have ever expected. Pieces of Her not only has an explosive, intriguing plot, but the characters are what makes it such a standout novel and classic Slaughter."

"I’ll never forget reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road , and thinking that no one should even try to write an end-of-the-world novel after that. I mean, what would be the point? But then Tremblay comes along with his haunting, literary twist on the home invasion story, with the invaders believing that they are the only ones who can stop an impending apocalypse—by destroying a loving family. It’s tense and obviously original—heartbreaking and uplifting too—and stays with you for a long time after you finish the final page. Thank you for the insightful questions and for putting a spotlight on the Thriller Awards. I hope your readers will check out all of this year’s nominated books and short stories . And to answer your question, yes, absolutely. Many say this is the Golden Age of Television, but I think the books discussed above—and the other works nominated for Thriller Awards—make it clear that we’re living in the Golden Age of Thrillers, written by some of the world’s best writers of any genre."