It’s a profession synonymous with pursuing the truth, no matter the peril those answers may be hidden within. A vocation where its practitioners follow leads to reveal vast conspiracies, government cover-ups and deadly gambles for power. With such high stakes and adrenaline-pumping action, it’s no wonder some thriller authors have turned to journalism as the career of choice for their protagonists.
It’s a match made in literary heaven, if you think about it. Journalists straddle a line between detectives and spies, probing into top-secret schemes with the freedom to move around, untethered to a police station or a government agency. And while some of the protagonists in this line-up do have some powerful strings they can pull to help their inquiries along, others just so happen to stumble head-first into a breaking story — one that will spell their own demise if they’re not faster than their foes.
If you’re intrigued by these stories, read ahead to check out the five heavy hitters we’ve uncovered for your reading pleasure. These stories put the investigative in investigative journalism — so grab your notebook, your voice recorder and some good shoes to run in, just in case things get dicey.
To the Lions by Holly Watt
A Londonite reporter for the Post, Casey Benedict is no stranger to tracking down well-hidden information, no matter how dangerous the chase. If it has the potential to be the next big story, Casey’s on it. So when she overhears a conversation in a private club — a conversation about a young British patrician dead from a rather suspicious suicide — she dives headfirst into the investigation. The clues soon lead her to a group of the wealthiest men not only in the United Kingdom, but the world — many of whom are gathering in Libya for an exclusive wildlife hunt. With every moment, it becomes less likely that this young socialite’s death was an accident. But the answers to this mystery lie in North Africa — so with her fellow reporter Miranda and veteran friend Ed for company, Casey heads into the lion’s den.
Check out some other books we think would pair well with To the Lions here.
The Scotland Project by Matthew Fults
Mathieu James has every reason to devote himself to the job of an investigative journalist. As a child, he was orphaned by the 2005 London bombings, and he hasn’t been able to rest after hearing whispers of an elusive fifth bomber who’s evaded capture. So when the 2015 Paris attacks unfold just a decade later, James dives head-first into a deadly investigation to root out the culprit once and for all. Good thing he has some damn useful connections — given that he happens to be a secret CIA operative.
Alongside his colleague Ana-Marie Poulin and the MI5 veteran Conan MacGregor, James races against time, brushing with death as he embarks on a terrifying game of cat and mouse against the killer that destroyed his family and his childhood. Likened to the work of Vince Flynn and Jack Carr, The Scotland Project is a tour de force of suspense, vengeance and a look at the inner demons that threaten to overtake even the most noble of agents when the mission gets personal.
Squeeze Plays by Jeffrey Marshall
“Take a rich, lazy and arrogant tabloid owner, a hard-charging bank executive who can’t keep his pants zipped and add a powerful Russian oligarch with buckets of money. Top it all off with a hard-working journalist intent on exposing financial misconduct and you have all the key ingredients for an exciting financial thriller.”
This excerpt starts our full review of Squeeze Plays off with a bang, perfectly mimicking the magnetic appeal and breakneck speed of the book itself. At the center of this wild inquiry is Bob Mandell, a reporter for the Financial Times who’s just begun to sniff out a scheme of corruption, deception and greed. He begins a trek from New York to Nantucket, then across the pond to London and the English countryside, following the trail of global banking and dirty money. The author’s own experience as a business and financial writer shines through his prose, adding an extra layer of authenticity to this half-satirical, half-chilling and completely engrossing financial thriller.
The Soul of Viktor Tronko by David Quammen
Originally published in 1987, David Quammen’s intricate tale of espionage still captures the attention of modern readers. And little wonder, when it’s based off a real-life story of CIA moles, KGB defectors and government turmoil that resonates all too much, given our current political climate. Now republished in 2014, The Soul of Viktor Tronko pulls readers in with the story of science journalist Michael Kessler as he stumbles upon a conspiracy unlike anything he’s reported on before. His source? Former CIA officer Mel Pokorny, who shows up right on Kessler’s doorstep to tip him off to a rumor about a high-ranking KGB mole in the CIA — codename “Dimitri” — who has evaded discovery for decades. Kessler descends into a near-obsessive search as he comes upon clue after clue, desperate to find answers. But all the while, enemies have caught onto his investigation, and it’s a race against time to see if Kessler can finish the job before the job finishes him off.
The Armageddon Secret: A Novel Inspired by Actual Events by Robert Burnham
The world is teetering on the edge of World War II, and journalist Alex Drake has every reason to be on edge himself. Not only is he an American foreign correspondent in a Berlin, but he’s suffered a personal tragedy at the hands of the Nazis — the murder of his father just a few years earlier. Even with this motivation, he’s reluctant when approached by the Black Orchestra, a secret organization determined to halt Hitler’s rise to power. But that all changes when he learns of the Nazi A-Bomb project, which might very well spell the death of all humanity.
So begins Robert Burnham’s breath-stealing international thriller. And is it any wonder that this is such an engrossing tale, when its author is a real-life, professional forensic engineer — one whose career led him to the terrifying hypothesis that Hitler’s scientists could have been first in the world to produce the Ultimate Weapon. This novel is a thrilling look at the heroism forced into the shadows during such a horrific time.
Read our full review of The Armageddon Secret here.
English (US) · 