Suspense & Thriller Reading Challenge

Its a sickness...I'll admit it...I can't stop joining challenge! I may need an intervention.

I found this one from Joy on Thoughts of Joy and its being hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog: Suspense and Thriller Reading Challenge.

Dates: January 2008 - December 2009

You need to read 6 different subsets of thrillers in 08 and 6 more different subset in 09. There is a list of subsets with great descriptions over at the site. I love thrillers.

BOOK LIST WITH SUB-GENRES

Action--often feature a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. Treasure hunt, search for a lost archeological site, the world's lost meteorite, a mystery lost to time--action-adventure brings back our childhood fantasies of being the adventurer. Examples are Sahara by Clive Cussler, Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston

Conspiracy
* The Third Twin--Ken Follett

Crime--offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. This subgenre often focuses on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. I think the Dexter series would work well here.

Eco--is where the protagonist must avert or rectify an environmental or biological calamity - often in addition to dealing with the usual types of enemies or obstacles present in other thriller genres. This environmental component often forms a central message or theme of the story. Examples include Nicholas Evans's The Loop, C. George Muller's Echoes in the Blue, and Wilbur Smith's Elephant Song, all of which highlight real-life environmental issues. Futuristic Eco-thrillers are of the Science Fiction genre that proposes ideas that will or may occur and include such works as Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy and Ian Irvine's Human Rites Trilogy.

Historical
* The Alienist--Caleb Carr

Horror
* Rosemary's Baby--Ira Levin
* Society of S--Susan Hubbard
* Relic--Douglas Preston

* Dracula--Bram Stoker (audio book)

Legal
* Fifth Angel--Tim Green
* Cold Hit--Linda Fairstein
* Unbidden Truth--Kate Wilhelm

Medical
* The Syndrome--John Case

Political--where the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. Good examples are Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn, Presidential Games by Alvin E. Hargis, and Happy Holidays: A Political Thriller by J.D. Smith.

Psychological
* The Wasp Factory--Iain Banks
* Flesh & Blood--Jonathan Kellerman

Religous

* The Reckoning--Thomas Monteleone (2.8.08)

Sci-Fi
* Deep Storm--Lincoln Child

Serial
* Chill Factor--Sandra Brown

Spy--also a subgenre of spy fiction) are where the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Examples include From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, and television series such as Mission: Impossible and 24 (the latter demonstrating a break from the norm by Robert Ludlum, as it is as much a psychological thriller as a spy thriller.)

Supernatural
* Pig Island--Mo Hayder

Techno--are work that usually focuses upon military action, in which technology (usually military technology) is described in detail and made essential to the reader's/viewer's understanding of the plot. Tom Clancy defined and popularized the genre with his The Hunt for Red October, and is considered to be the "Father of the Technothriller."

True Crime--The most famous book in this nonfiction genre is Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (1966). The author spent months in the Midwest painstakingly retracing the steps of two young rural killers -- and then wrote about it chillingly. Another excellent and more recent true-crime book is Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule (2004), the true story of the notorious Green River serial killer who terrorized the Seattle area for decades.

Forensic
*Faithless--Karin Slaughter
*Trace--Patricia Cornwell
* Cruel & Unusual--Patrical Cornwell (3.16.08)

Locked Room--mystery in which the crime is apparently committed under impossible circumstances (but eventually elicits a rational explanation).

Hard Boiled--is tougher and grittier than soft- or medium-boiled stories. They often incorporate violence, no-holds-barred descriptions of crime scenes, and sexual encounters. They usually feature a lone-wolf private detective who is cynical yet quixotic. Think Sara Paretsky, Ian Rankin, Raymond Chandler, Michael Connelly, James Elroy, Clyde Ford (The Long Mile).

Private Detective--Focused on the independent snoop-for-hire, these have evolved from tough-guy "hard-boiled" detectives to the more professional operators of today.