5 great summer holiday reads
12.7.2024
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Holidays at last! Time to kick back and discover new places. How about a bit of action and suspense? Here come five gripping thrillers for your vacation – from book to book series to comic.
An erupting volcano, the rise of a dock worker to powerful gangster boss, the world of espionage and the mafia underworld, the corrupt fight against the drug trade or a dystopia with only one remaining childhood hero. My recommendations include five suspenseful thrillers that either impressed me or simply piqued my interest. Not all books are currently available in English. Please check the language carefully to avoid disappointment.
Eruption by James Patterson and Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton and James Patterson are two of the biggest and most well-known authors of fiction. For this novel, they didn’t work together, but did so consecutively. Eruption was a project close to Michael Crichton’s heart. The author of Jurassic Park died of cancer 15 years ago. His widow, Sherri Crichton, sent Patterson the unfinished manuscript and asked the 77-year-old to complete the novel.
In the story, the largest volcano on earth, Mauna Loa in Hawaii, is about to erupt. But beneath the volcano lurks a secret closely guarded by the US Army. This secret threatens to destroy all life on planet earth if the lava erupts. At least that’s what the book’s blurb says. The main character of the novel is John MacGregor, a daring scientist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and a passionate surfer.
I haven’t read the book yet, but when I heard about it, I was immediately hyped up. I’m familiar with both authors and have devoured several of their books. Eruption became a New York Times number one bestseller and also made the top ten of the German «Spiegel» bestseller list.
The book is also to be made into a film. The novel was recently rumoured to have been purchased by Sony at auction for a seven-figure sum, as the American online film portal Deadline reported. The film’s set to be directed by husband and wife duo Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. In 2019, they won the Oscar for the best documentary film for Free Solo. Keanu Reeves is being considered for the lead role.
The book was published on 3 June in the US and on 12 June in German-speaking countries.
The Danny Ryan series by Don Winslow
The saga of Danny Ryan is the latest series by successful US-American author Don Winslow, who’s now thrown in the towel as a novelist to focus on his political activities. The series consists of the books City on Fire, City of Dreams and City in Ruins. In other words, City in Ruins, which was published in April this year, is Winslow’s last book.
In this series of novels, readers are thrown into the world of organised crime in the USA. The main character of the trilogy is Danny Ryan, who works his way up from being a dock labourer to a powerful gangster boss in Providence, Rhode Island. The trilogy spans several decades and shows crime in all its complexity. Winslow sheds light on the power struggles and brutality of the underworld, and also on the social and political background that favours organised crime.
He paints a detailed picture of the locations and characters, which doesn’t spare readers the moral grey areas and the darkest parts of human nature. His language is direct and vivid. I become so familiar with the characters as the story evolves that I start to feel for them, despite their immoral, criminal or downright wrong behaviour.
Sony Pictures is currently working on a film adaptation of the first novel. Austin Butler will take on the role of Danny Ryan.
The Russian by Ben Coes
As an author, Ben Coes got me hooked with his Dewey Andreas series and has become one of my favourites. I buy each new novel fresh off the press and read it as soon as I find the time. With The Russian, Coes has kicked off his second series of novels. This time, he’s focussing on Rob Tacoma, whom I’m already familiar with from the Dewey Andreas books.
Coes remains true to his strengths in The Russian. The US-American bestselling author whisks you away into a fast-paced adventure set in the dangerous world of international espionage and the mafia. I particularly appreciate Coes making his characters complex. He also manages to keep the suspense up right to the very end, throwing in a few twists and turns.
The book was published on 28 March 2024.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
What would a list like this from me be without a comic book? As a comic lover, it would just feel wrong. And although The Last Ronin was published in 2020, I only discovered this comic, including its first sequel, The Last Ronin: Lost Years, this year. Each of the five issues of the second instalment, The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution, are also set to be published later this year. An anthology is due to follow in December.
In The Last Ronin, you’re immersed in a dystopian future in which New York City’s ruled by a brutal clan called the Foot Clan. The once heroic Ninja Turtles have fallen and only one has survived: Michelangelo. Plagued by grief and loss, the last Ronin seeks revenge. Driven by the memory of his fallen brothers, he forges a plan to overthrow the Foot Clan and restore justice for his family.
The story of The Last Ronin was thought up by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Together with Tom Waltz and colourist Ben Bates, they’ve created a gripping thriller. In my opinion, the dark atmosphere and adult themes set this series apart from your typical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories. The Last Ronin is a poignant tale of loss, family and the search for hope in the darkest of times.
Fiction
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years
German, 2024, Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman
Fiction
Matthias Penkert-Hennig
German, 2023, Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Matthias Penkert-Hennig, Peter Laird
What’s also interesting is that the story’s being made into a live-action movie. My coworker Kevin wrote an article just before it came out.
The Cartel trilogy by Don Winslow
Here’s Don Winslow again with another trilogy: Days of the Dead, The Cartel and The Years of the Hunter. In my opinion, the Cartel trilogy is a great epic that sheds light on the brutal and corrupt fight against the drug trade between Mexico and the USA.
With great precision and captivating storytelling, Winslow has transported me into the merciless and exciting world of the cartels, the DEA agents and those caught in the crosshairs of this merciless war.
To me, the Cartel saga’s a masterpiece thriller. Winslow’s detailed research and candid writing style paint a harrowing picture of the drug war and its devastating effects on individuals and societies. The trilogy’s more than a thrilling read, it’s an important indictment of a corrupt system that breeds suffering and misery. It’s become one of my absolute favourite books. I could hardly put the novels down.
The books of the Cartel saga came out in 2005, 2015 and 2019. FX is currently working on turning them into a series.
My interests are varied, I just like to enjoy life. Always on the lookout for news about darts, gaming, films and series.