Suspense (discussion November 13, 2007)
Compiled by Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale Public Library

According to bestselling author Dean Koontz, the suspense novel can be summed up in one word—“anticipate.” These tales focus on what’s about to happen rather than on what’s already taken place. As compared to its close cousin the thriller, the suspense genre features more measured pacing with slowly building tension. There’s strong character development, and narratives tend to be on a smaller, more personal scale. Many of the books we read were strongly atmospheric and focused on dysfunctional characters. Several creepy small towns were depicted in settings both historical and contemporary. Violence was often implied, but rarely graphically described—much was left to the imagination. We also found that many of our favorite stories were written by British authors.

Ablow, Keith. Psychopath. 2003
Overall, I have a hard time lumping serial killer crime thrillers into the suspense category. Many of them lack the strong character development found in suspense tales and are propelled by action rather than plot development and tense hints, despite any probing of troubled psyches that may occur. Psychological thrillers and novels of suspense may have many elements in common, but they are not the same thing. That being said, Psychopath has enough plot and character development, psychological detail and tension to serve as a good example of a suspenseful serial killer story. Readers know from the very beginning exactly who the killer is. What follows is a creepy game of cat and mouse between two damaged psychiatrists—one a brutal killer, the other struggling to keep his personal life in check. The killer’s motivation is slowly examined in graphic detail, making him more than some shifty deranged criminal. An impending sense of danger gives the story momentum until the final explosive resolution.
Jennie Milojevic, Riverside Public Library

Airth, Rennie. River of Darkness. 1999
Inspector John Madden from Scotland Yard is sent to investigate a murderous attack that has killed five people in the small Surrey village of Highfield. Set in England after World War I, this novel captures the heartbreak and loss of the era.
Peggy Hanlon, Orland Park Public Library

Blauner, Peter. The Last Good Day. 2003
When Lynn Schulman returns with her husband and two children to the suburban New York town where she grew up, she expects a safer and less hectic life for all of them. But when her best friend from childhood is murdered, and her unstable high school boyfriend (now a police officer) resumes his old habit of stalking her, Lynn is forced to confront secrets from her past and must fight to protect her family. Warning: There is a grisly scene involving a pet. This fast-paced story of the dark side of life in the ’burbs is recommended for adults.
Debbie Darwine, La Grange Public Library

Carlon, Patricia. Hush, It’s a Game. 1967
Six-year-old Virginia is left with a neighbor over the Christmas holiday while her widowed father pursues a job opportunity. At first, the visit is merely unpleasant; the neighbor, Isobel, is a virtual stranger who considers Virginia a nuisance. But then her ex-boyfriend, Frank, recently paroled from prison and bent on revenge, drops by unexpectedly, and the situation takes a more sinister turn. What will Frank do when he discovers that a young witness to his crime is locked in Isobel’s kitchen? A quick read with a growing sense of menace. Recommended for adults and teens.
Debbie Darwine, La Grange Public Library

Cook, Thomas H. Instruments of Night. 1998
In a truly disturbing story, mystery writer Paul Graves goes to a small NY town to come up with a plausible story for the death of a young woman years before. Paul writes mysteries to express his own demons from the death of his own sister, a death that involved torture. As he investigates his own secrets, the secrets of the Hudson Valley town and his own fictional characters entwine until Paul can finally face the truth.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Dobyns, Stephen. The Church of Dead Girls. 1997
Told in the first person by a rather mysterious character, this is the story of three young girls who go missing from a small town in upstate New York. After the first disappearance the town begins to turn on itself, accusing and even threatening anyone deemed “different.” After each disappearance the tension within the town expands and the narrator’s fears for a young neighbor girl grows.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Gardner, Lisa. Gone. 2005
Former FBI profiler Pierce Quincy learns that his estranged wife Rainie and her gun are missing when her car is found, still running, with her purse on the seat. Carlton Kincaid leads the investigation of her kidnapping, announced by a notice given to the local paper ahead of time. The ransom amount is only $10,000, and Rainie may be suffering withdrawl symptoms without her medication for depression. Quincy’s daugher, an FBI agent, talks with a Dougie, disturbed foster child Rainie’s been working with, and he immediately asks if Rainie is missing. While we learn of the tragic cases Quincy and Rainie have worked in the past, and of Rainie’s obsession with stories of crimes against children; the book has relatively little actual violence. The ending of the book, while dramatic, is not very suspenseful. Recommended for adults.
Brenda O’Brien, Woodridge Public Library

Goddard, Robert. In Pale Battalions. 1988
Lt. Franklin, a young WWI soldier, goes to recuperate at the manor house home of a fallen comrade. There, at Meongate, he finds the lovely widow, her scheming, manipulative step-mother-in-law, and a slimy American making a play for the women and the estate. Franklin, trying to unravel family secrets and protect the young widow, might only be putting everyone in greater danger.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Goodman, Carol. The Drowning Tree. 2004
In an insular upstate New York town, stained-glass restorer Juno McKay investigates the suspicious death of her friend, a scholar studying the mysterious lives of a Victorian artist and his mentally ill sister-in-law. Meanwhile, Juno learns that her ex-husband, a man whose own personality disorder culminated in an attempt on her life, has been released from his psychiatric hospital. Detailed descriptions of the Hudson River Valley and the numerous allusions to art and classical mythology enhance the creepy atmosphere of this contemporary Gothic.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale Public Library

Holden, Craig. The Narcissist’s Daughter. 2005
An obsessive affair with his boss’ wife leads to danger for 23-year-old pre-med student (and narrator) Syd Redding. When working class Syd discovers that he has been a pawn in a sick game between the wealthy Kesslers, he plans to use their teenage daughter, Jessi, to get revenge. A series of bad decisions by most of the characters leads to violence and murder. Recommended for adults.
Debbie Darwine, La Grange Public Library

Iles, Greg. 24 Hours. 2000
Joe Hickey has come up with the perfect plan for kidnapping. Targeting doctors, he waits until the doctor is away at a medical conference. He then confronts the mother, while an accomplice kidnaps the child and a third accomplice stays with the father. The family must come up with $200,000 in 24 hours or the child will be killed. The relatively small amount of ransom money has always been paid and the child returned, leaving the family shattered, but alive. But when Hickey targets Will and Karen Jennings, they manage to battle the clock and fight back, leading to a truly tense page-turner that is impossible to put down.
Nancy Bent, La Grange Public Library

Perry, Thomas. Death Benefits. 2001
An absorbing suspense novel about fraud in the insurance industry and murder. Young data analyst John Walker is asked to help consultant Max Stillman investigate a fraudulent $12 million payout on a life insurance policy and also find Ellen Snyder , the missing agent who released the check. Walker ends up in Miami to help with post-hurricane insurance claims, and another agent goes missing. Stillman and Walker, along with a beautiful computer hacker, end up in a deadly confrontation in an isolated New Hampshire town in an exciting ending. Walker is appealing, Stillman enigmatic, and the story moves smoothly and is hard to put down. Recommended for adults.
Brenda O’Brien, Woodridge Public Library

Rendell, Ruth. 13 Steps Down. 2005
A masterfully crafted tale about obsession and murder. A disturbed young man, fascinated by serial murderer Reggie Christie, stalks a model and quickly unravels. He rents an apartment in a large, dusty home owned by an elderly woman obsessed with lost love and her past. Each turn of the page brings increasing discomfort. All elements of suspense are utilized. Readers know the young man will snap and kill, but when will it happen and who will his first victim be? He has to be caught, right? Will he betray himself or will he be found out? What will happen to the old woman, all alone in that big house with a killer? And will the model avoid her stalker or suffer a frightening ordeal? Don’t expect blood and guts. This story is about obsessive characters—seemingly ordinary people, who happen to hide monstrous secrets. Rendell provides a wealth of psychological detail, giving us an uncomfortable closeness to some fairly unlikable souls. The result is riveting.
Jennie Milojevic, Riverside Public Library

Rendell, Ruth. The Water’s Lovely. 2007
Ismay is a beautiful young Londoner haunted by memory—ten years before, her stepfather drowned, and ever since she has suspected that her beloved sister, Heather, murdered him. Now Heather is about to marry, and Ismay struggles with telling the fiancée about what (may) have happened. Rendell—arguably the world’s greatest writer of psychological suspense—effortlessly ratchets up the tension with dark wit, complex characters and twisty storylines that relentlessly push toward an unsettling conclusion.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale Public Library

Savage, Tom. The Inheritance. 1998.
Holly Smith, adopted daughter of a nice middle class couple, one day finds out that she is actually Holly Randall, heir to not only the Randall fortune but to the beautiful mansion on expansive grounds above Long Island Sound. With the estate come the aunt and uncle who feel cheated out of their inheritance, the reclusive great-uncle who hides in his room, and various other mysterious retainers. Will Holly survive her return to her roots, or will someone else inherit the family fortune?
Nancy Bent, La Grange Public Library

Schorr, Mark. Borderline. 2006
Brian Hanson is a substance-abuse counselor in Portland, Oregon. A Vietnam-era veteran, he has had abuse problems in his past and so can relate to his clients. When one of those clients, Tammy LeFleur, turns up dead, Hanson begins to investigate after the official police investigation hastily concludes.
Peggy Hanlon, Orland Park Public Library

Trevor, William. Felicia’s Journey. 1995
Naïve, pregnant Felicia travels from Ireland to England in search of her unborn baby’s father. Instead, she meets Mr. Hilditch, a jolly good Samaritan whom the reader soon learns has extremely sinister intentions. Irish novelist Trevor’s evocative, unadorned prose illuminates both the horrifying plot and its oh-so-subtle political subtext.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale Public Library

Wakling, Christopher. The Immortal Part. 2003
Lewis Penn is a 27-year-old attorney at the London firm of Madison & Vere. In this story he relates what has happened to him when he thinks he has lost/mislaid an important file. In his efforts to retrieve the file, he sets in motion a series of events that threatens to destroy all the things he holds dear.
Peggy Hanlon, Orland Park Public Library

Walters, Minette. Acid Row. 2002.
“Acid Row” is what the residents call their decaying, crime-ridden housing project. Sophie Morrison is an idealistic young doctor assigned to the local health center, and when she is called to a patient living in Acid Row she unwittingly finds herself in the middle of an incipient riot. It turns out that the patient is a known pedophile and someone has leaked his identity to the housing project’s residents. We watch the riot unfold from multiple points of view as it gathers steam, and wonder if Sophie and her patient will survive.
Nancy Bent, La Grange Public Library