Recommendations based on "The Ackerman Thrillers Boxset: 1-6"

A poor art student living in New York stumbles on a bag of diamonds . . . but they come at a price in this unforgettable novel from "America's #1 storyteller" (Forbes).Matthew Bannon, a poor art student living in New York City, finds a duffel bag filled with diamonds during a chaotic attack at Grand Central Station. Plans for a worry-free life with his stunning girlfriend Katherine fill his thoughts - until he realizes that he is being hunted, and that whoever is after him won't stop until they have reclaimed the diamonds and exacted their revenge.Trailing him is the Ghost, the world's greatest assassin, who has just pulled off his most high-profile hit: killing Walter Zelvas, a top member of the international Diamond Syndicate. There's only one small problem: the diamonds he was supposed to retrieve from Zelvas are missing. Now, the Ghost is on Bannon's trail but so is a rival assassin who would like nothing more than to make the Ghost disappear forever.From the world's #1 writer comes a high-speed thrill ride of adrenaline-fueled suspense you'll never forget.

Philadelphia police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are working a new beat: the Special Investigations Unit, aka the cold case squad. Ironic, given that it’s the height of a blazing hot August. But even these hardened homicide veterans are chilled to the bone as a dormant murder case stirs to life–leading Byrne and Balzano into the dark heart of their city, their souls, and a psyche of pure evil.Months before, a teenage runaway’s body was found in the desolate, dangerous North Philly district dubbed the Badlands. Dead runaways were no novelty on these mean streets, but the Caitlin O’Riordan case was different. Her corpse was found in the basement of a rancid tenement apartment, the inexplicable cause of death: drowning. In the end, nothing was solved and the case was closed.Now a confession to the bizarre murder on the police tipline sends Byrne and Balzano rushing to make an arrest. But instead of a killer, they discover a ghastly scene: a jar containing human remains–along with a cryptic clue leading to an unlikely witness. Laura Somerville lives far from the squalor of the Badlands, and seemingly light-years from any connection to a murdered runaway. But moments after discussing the case with this elegant lady, Byrne and Balzano make another grisly discovery, and find an enigmatic word spelled out in Scrabble tiles.Across town, another victim’s shallow grave reveals deeper mysteries. Her secret diaries portray a woman haunted by a shocking past, and obsessed with finding a depraved killer.Now, as the body count grows, a terrifying design literally takes shape. Pieces of a gruesome puzzle are being set into place by the cruel hands of a madman using the city as his game board. His playthings are the innocent, and his opponents–and pawns–are Byrne and Balzano, who must, before time runs out, decipher the truth about a shadowy house of horrors and its elusive master.Internationally acclaimed author Richard Montanari works his black magic to spine-tingling perfection in Badlands, conjuring all the relentless suspense, dark twists of intrigue, and full-throttle action that make his brilliant, engrossing novels required reading for thriller fans.

Steve Berry’s bestselling thrillers have mesmerized suspense fans around the world, but his novels alone can’t contain all the exciting exploits of death-defying agent Cotton Malone and his smart, sexy sidekick, Cassiopeia Vitt. Catch all the action between the blockbusters in this trio of suspenseful short stories that capture Cotton and Cassiopeia at their history-hunting, heart-stopping best. Read them as prequels to Cotton’s full-length epics or stunning stand-alone adventures. Either way, this eBook bundle packs all the punch adrenaline junkies have come to expect from the bold imagination of Steve Berry.   “In Malone, Berry has created a classic, complex hero.”—USA Today   THE BALKAN ESCAPE Prequel to The Emperor’s Tomb   As a favor to enigmatic billionaire Henrik Thorvaldsen, Cassiopeia Vitt treks into Bulgaria’s Rila mountains in search of a buried stash of exceedingly rare artifacts from a bygone civilization: the ancient tomb of a Thracian king. But when her presence is discovered by a shadowy group of Russians secretly mining the area, she needs a way out. Whom can I trust? becomes the question, and her life depends on making the right decision.   THE DEVIL’S GOLD Prequel to The Jefferson Key   For eight years he’s been plotting, waiting, scheming to kill Federal agents Christopher Combs and Cotton Malone, whom he blames for the loss of his career. But as rogue agent Jonathan Wyatt prepares for a final confrontation in a remote South American village, he makes a discovery that stretches back to the horrors of World War II, to the astounding secret of a child’s birth, to Martin Bormann and Eva Braun—and to a fortune in lost gold.   THE ADMIRAL’S MARK Prequel to The Columbus Affair   Cotton Malone never cared for the shady dealings of his brother-in-law, Scott Brown. But after Scott dies while scuba diving, Malone heads to Haiti where he learns that, beneath the crystal clear waters, his brother-in-law had found the sunken wreckage of the Santa Maria, the fabled flagship of Christopher Columbus. Setting out to piece together what happened, Malone quickly realizes that he’s not the only man there with questions—and that he’ll have to fight just to get out of Haiti alive.

The stakes are higher than ever for Alex Cross as he faces his most personal enemy yet: a criminal who threatens his family.Detective Alex Cross is a family man at heart: nothing matters more to him than his children, his grandmother, and his wife Bree. His love of his family is his anchor, and gives him the strength to confront evil in his work. One man knows this deeply, and uses Alex's strength as a weapon against him in the most unsettling and unexpected novel of James Patterson's career.When the ones Cross loves are in danger, he will do anything to protect them. But if he does anything to protect them, they will die.Cross My Heart is the most powerful Alex Cross novel ever, propelled by the ever-ingenious mind of James Patterson, the world's #1 bestselling writer.

Caught in a web of assassins, Alex Cross enters the final battle with the all-knowing genius who has stalked him and his family for years. Dr. Alex Cross and Detective John Sampson venture into the rugged Montana wilderness--where they will be the prey. They're not on the job, but on a personal mission. Until they're attacked by two rival teams of assassins, controlled by the same mastermind who has stalked Alex and his family for years. Darkness falls. The river churns into rapids. Shots ring out through the forest. No backup. No way out. Fear no evil.

Detective Lena Gamble knows how to handle the hottest cases--do it fast and keep her head down. Because if it all goes south, the department won’t hesitate to make a scapegoat out of her. So when she gets called to the scene of a double murder at Club 3 AM, the latest A-list hangout for Hollywood celebs, she knows the fun is only beginning.And she's not wrong. It's just much worse than she imagined. As expected, one of the victims is club owner Johnny Bosco, one of the most well-connected men in Hollywood politics. But the shocker comes when Lena sees the other victim: twenty-five-year-old Jacob Gant, acquitted just days ago of murdering his sixteen-year-old neighbor, after L.A.'s latest trial-of-the-century. But are these victims of a father's righteous anger or is something bigger at play?Robert Ellis delivers all the twists and turns fans have come to expect in this bestselling series with plenty to spare in Murder Season, his most outstanding white-knuckled thriller yet.

CIA agent John Wells returns in a cutting-edge novel of modern suspense from the #1 New York Times-bestselling writer. Early one morning, a former CIA agent is shot to death in the street. That night, an army vet is gunned down in his doorway. The next day, John Wells gets a phone call. Come to Langley. Now. The two victims were part of an eleven-member interrogation team that operated out of a secret base in Poland called the Midnight House. For two years, they put the screws to the toughest jihadis, men thought to have knowledge of imminent threats. The interrogators used whatever means necessary. When they were disbanded in the wake of public controversy, they were given medals for their heroism, Prozac for their nightmares. Now Wells must find out who is killing them. Islamic terrorists are the likeliest explanation, and Wells is uniquely qualified to go undercover after them. But the trail of blood he discovers will lead him and his boss, Ellis Shafer, to a place they wouldn't have imagined-and leave Wells facing the hardest of questions about the men of the Midnight House. Berenson's work has been called "superior entertainment" (The Washington Post), "heart- stopping adventure" (USA Today), and "a superb yarn reflecting the myriad dangers confronting our country today" (The Providence Journal). He is one of the world's best new thriller writers-and he is just getting started. Watch a Video

'Action-packed and totally thrilling, there is also an emotional depth to Lancaster’s writing often missing from high octane dramatic stories. A terrific read' LIZ NUGENT A DEADLY BOMBING When renowned author Dr. Daniel Solomon is killed in a devastating explosion in York, authorities quickly attribute the attack to Islamic extremists. But as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. A DARK CONSPIRACY DS Max Craigie uncovers a chilling connection between a series of brutal murders, each victim linked by a secret that someone is determined to protect. A DANGEROUS GAME With the number of victims growing and an elusive figure known as The Cashier operating in the shadows, Max must navigate a web of corruption and hatred. Can he unravel the truth before more lives are lost?

"Turn. Up. The. Heat" (New York Times) with this psychological thriller as New York City detective Michael Bennett faces his most terrifying killer ever. It could be anyone. They could be anywhere. A killer uses fearsome precision to take out impossible targets. Detective Michael Bennett teams with a shooting expert--a former Army Ranger and sniper with NYPD's Emergency Services Unit. But Officer Rob Trilling seems more comfortable with rifles than he is with people. When his new partner begins to log unexplained absences from duty, only Bennett can prove whether the decorated officer is a lonely hunter or a hardened assassin.

Manhattan prosecutor Butch Karp is back - playing the game he both loves and hates by rules he knows are made to be broken. Karp's game is convicting killers, and he brings to it all his mean street smarts and hard-won wisdom in the often perverse ways of the New York City judicial system. And his very pregnant wife-partner Marlene Ciampi is out there taking risks and following leads even the cops are not eager to track. But now Karp is into another city game as well. Marion Simmons, star forward of the New York Hustlers pro basketball team, has been found in his Caddy Coupe de Ville with two bullets in his head. It's up to Karp to see if it's really the open-and-shut case of a drug kill that the city's big brass and behind-the-scenes power brokers desperately claim it is. Trouble is, Karp has just resigned his job as chief of the Criminal Courts Bureau because he suspects the D.A. and some other movers and shakers of New York law enforcement of conspiring to destroy a case for political reasons. But Karp, committed to the investigation, can't let go and continues on as a free-lancer. So it doesn't take long before he and Marlene are tangled in a maze of lies - and every foul move in the book - to muddy the terrible truth about the savage death of Simmons. Also on the case is Harry Bello, a burnt-out cop whose best days are a thousand bottles in the past, and a list of suspects that include a Jamaican mobster who literally likes to take apart his enemies, a pair of out-of-town hit men who unstintingly do what they do best, a high society blonde beauty with a taste for black athletes, and a line-up of city big guns and big shots playing together as an all-star terror team. As Karp andMarlene move into the middle of a money-and-murder game, even they realize that blowing the whistle may be the last breath either of them will ever take. Robert K. Tanenbaum has been hailed as a master writer of crime thrillers. With this exciting, lightning-paced, suspenseful nove