Looking for an exciting book? Eleven tips from NRC

1 John le Carré: Off-duty spy

Spy off duty, the twenty-fifth thriller by John le Carré (1931-2020) – the British former spy who became the grandmaster of the espionage genre – has lost none of its relevance four years after its release. In the excellently translated novel, Le Carré gave vent to his concerns about the fate of Europe in an equally witty and villainous way a year before his death. According to the writer, the political vandalism of the Brexiteers and Donald Trump undermine European unity. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Rob van Moppes (Agent Running in the Field). Luitingh-Sijthoff, 336 pages. € 22.99

2 Lee Child: Night trading

Night trading is a seven-year-old book about a subject that is unfortunately becoming increasingly topical: the illegal trade in oxycodone and fentanyl, the strong painkillers that cause so many fatalities. The British writer Lee Child (1954) wrote 24 books, all of which are good to excellent. The main character is Jack Reacher, a homeless American former soldier who fights injustice armed with his intelligence, muscle strength and folding toothbrush, an exceptionally romantic character. Warning: avoid Lee Child adventures released after 2020. These were written by brother Andrew Child. Writing talent is not genetically determined. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Jan Pott (The Midnight Line). Luitingh-Sijthoff, 416 pages. € 24.99

3 SA Cosby: One last escape

The American writer SA Cosby (1973) is a new star. In his forties, he published four film noir-like thrillers in prose that crackles with energy. Two of them have been translated. It was published this year Razor sharp tears was recently announced UN named ‘Thriller of the Year’. For a thriller writer, Cosby tackles special themes: prejudices about skin color, origin and gender are recurring topics. A final escape (2022) is about a garage owner, a loving husband and a hardworking father, who, after financial problems, decides to take up his old job as a getaway car driver once again. Heartbreaking. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. Joost van der Meer and Bill Oostendorp (Blacktop Wasteland). The House of Books, 320 pages. € 12.99

4 RJ Ellory: Scratched Souls

Just like Lee Child, RJ Ellory (1965) is a Brit who always writes about America. He is a research junkie who loosely weaves contemporary historiography into his stories, always with new main characters and playing in different times. All his fifteen novels are worth reading. They deal with major themes such as loss, retribution and redemption, are blood-curdlingly exciting and extraordinary in style. A good title to start with is Scratched souls (2011). The opening line sets the tone: ‘By her mid-twenties, Carole Kemper had had her fill of men.’ Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Kris Eikelenboom (Bad Signs). The Fountain, 448 pages. € 15,-

5 Kim Faber & Janni Pedersen: Winterland

When a bomb kills dozens of people at a Christmas market in Copenhagen, detective Martin Juncker is stunned. Normally he would lead the investigation into the perpetrators. But he was demoted for drunkenness. Winterland, the debut of two Danish journalists, was the thriller of the year in 2020: exciting, with an original and crystal-clear plot, about a current topic (social tension about immigrants) and with two lifelike main characters. Successor High summer (2021) is almost as successful. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Corry van Bree (Vinterland). HarperCollins, 416 pages. € 15,-

6 Robert Harris: Regicide

British bestselling author Robert Harris (1957) wrote several formidable faction thrillers: novels largely based on historical facts and characters. His most recent book, Regicide (2022), is hung on a milestone in British history: the deposition and beheading of King Charles I, in January 1649. Harris describes the manhunt for two of the regicides, soldiers who fled to America. Thrillers are rarely this intelligent, rich and well written. It’s Robert Harris at his best. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Rogier van Kappel (Regicide). Cargo, 464 pages € 15,-

7 Philip Kerr: Forgive and Forget

The Scottish author Philip Kerr (1956-2018) also wrote faction thrillers: fourteen great books about the German detective Bernie Gunther, which tell stories about the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. Books that make it clear that almost everyone gets their hands dirty in times of war. Books that, no matter how dark and dramatic the setting, bring a liberating smile to the reader on almost every page. Forgive and forget (2019) is set in decadent Berlin in the 1920s. Young detective Bernie Gunther hunts a serial killer who scalped five prostitutes. So beautiful to cry. And hilarious. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Jan Pott (Greeks Bearing Gifts). Library, 414 pages. € 22.99

8 Ian McGuire: The North Water

The North Water (2017), a historical thriller by British university lecturer Ian McQuire (1964), is largely set on board a nineteenth-century whaler. There a battle ensues between the farting harpooneer Henry Drax and the ship’s doctor Patrick Sumner, an opium-addicted Homer reader who has been dishonorably discharged from the army. Brilliant in style and extremely witty, a thriller that nods to literary masterpieces, and from the first to the last page has a physicality that is as chilling as it is precious. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Luud Dorresteyn and Otto Biersma (The North Water). Cargo, 320 pages (only available second hand). Ebook: €6.99

9 Deon Meyer: Donkerdrif

South African former journalist Deon Meyer (1958) has become an international bestseller over the past decade. Rightly so! In particular, his eight books about Bennie Griessel, the alcoholic detective of the Valken, the serious crimes department of the Cape Town police, far exceed average thrillers. In Darkdrift (2021), Griessel has sworn off the drink for some time. But the policeman still behaves like an alcoholic. He is gloomy and feels that his career is dying out, ‘like a candle blowing out in the darkness of futility’. With his companion Vaughn Cupido, his opposite in almost every respect, he tries to solve the disappearance of a wealthy businessman. Warning: Meyer’s books are addictively good. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Martine Vosmaer and Karina van Santen (Donderdrif). AW Bruna, 444 pages. € 15,-

10 Ane Riel: Resin

From the first sentence – ‘It was dark in the white room when my father killed my grandmother’ – you must read on in this grim, fairytale-like thriller by the Danish writer Ane Riel (1971). Into the first person Resin (2015) is the only 6-year-old Liv Haarder. Can she escape the loving stranglehold of her father, a carpenter and Christmas tree grower who turns out to be a hoarder? That is the question that keeps the reader gripped for almost 300 pages. Liv has little to expect from her mother: she starts eating and eating, and grows into a gigantic character who can no longer leave her bed. Almost as fascinating is successor Beast (2020), about the mentally handicapped giant Leon, who gets himself into trouble with his extreme muscle strength. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Translated by Kor de Vries (Harpiks). Prometheus, 272 pages. € 12.50

11 Colson Whitehead: Harlem Shuffle

The American success author Colson Whitehead (1969) wrote with Harlem Shuffle (2021) his first thriller, starring Ray Carney, an opportunistic furniture salesman who knows his way around the corrupt and racist Harlem of the 1960s. A hard-boiled crime novel in the tradition of Raymond Chandler that is extremely successful due to its sublime style and dark humor. Part two, set in the seventies Crime manifesto (2023), is also very worthwhile. Whitehead has promised a third volume about Harlem in the 1980s. Read the entire review.

●●●●● Ed. by Harm Damsma (Harlem Shuffle). Atlas Contact, 395 pages. € 17.50