Life for Hobbes was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”. We can identify with some or all of those some or all of the time. At the very least life can be regimented, grey and boring.
That’s why the literary genre that includes thrillers, mysteries and detective stories is so appealing – a shot of adrenaline delivering via the printed word, referencing the darker elements that naturally appeal to our subconscious minds, the kind of thing that doesn’t feature in most people’s day to day existence.
And the people who write thrillers well are technically proficient specialists. Any novelist should be able to generate interest and engagement, and many can add excitement and suspense; but these are the primary goals of the thriller genre, and the best thriller writers have a laser focus in keeping the reader involved.
It’s a special skill, and it’s always interesting to meet the kind of people who have that skill – the ability to generate plots, build character, create suspense and buy our commitment. That’s why we’re pleased to report that for the second year, the Sharjah International Book Fair includes a three-day Thriller Fest that brings a group of best-selling authors to Sharjah.
This mini festival-within-a-festival takes place from 8-10 November within SIBF at Expo Centre Sharjah. It’s organised in partnership with the well-established Thriller Festival NY, so most of the roster comprises American authors. In any case all of those invited are best-selling writers; some are undoubted masters of the mystery/thriller genre, all are very readable.
We’ve summarised them below, and all will be available for signings.
In addition, they’ll be participating in two panel discussions each day – on 8 November for instance Ivy Pochoda leads on the techniques and strategies used by authors to create suspense and keep the reader interested, Max Seeck discusses adapting thrillers for the screen – and there will be two meaty two-hour practical workshops as well. At 11am on 8 November JD Barker and KJ Howe are running ‘Mastering the Art of Thrillers: How to Craft Suspenseful Narratives’. On day two Candice Fox will a workshop titled ‘Revealing the Enigma: Learning Compelling Suspense in Plot and Character Development.’
Alex Finlay
Finlay’s novels are regularly on ‘best of the year’ lists, have been translated into 19 languages, and all have been optioned for film and TV,. Every Last Fear (2021) was a really gripping high-energy page-turner, but is cleverly constructed too – the story is told through multiple points-of-view and alternates between past and present. His latest, What Have We Done, has only just been published; Kirkus said “fast-paced action and a compelling study of friendships power this suspenseful thriller”, Publishers Weekly called it a “top-notch mystery thriller”.
Candice Fox
Fox has written nine solo novels, all of which have bee shortlisted for Australia’s prestigious Ned Kelly Award – and three have won it. She also has several TV and film adaptations in production. Her style is the contemporary thriller, with damaged policeman (accused but not convicted of a brutal abduction) leaving the big city to keep a low profile amidst the steamy Queensland wetlands of Crimson Lake. There he encounters more crime, and more demons … There are three books in the series, all with complex, relatable characters and a meaty story with dark overtones. She has a great sense of place, too. Fox is another who has collaborated with James Patterson, and every one of their seven novels together have been New York Times best sellers.
Danielle Trussoni
A New York Times best-selling author, Trussoni has become known for inventive and entertaining Gothic extravaganzas that blend science, myth, and mystery. The extra plus is that her writing is better than Dan Brown’s … A personal favourite is her latest, The Puzzle Master – celebrated puzzle constructor Mike Brink can solve puzzles like no-one else, so he’s the obvious candidate to solve the puzzle drawn by silent convicted murderer Jess Price. “As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape …” Great fun.
Felix Francis
The prolific UK author is the son of (and one-time collaborator with) the celebrated thriller writer Dick Francis, and Kirkus said Felix’s novels are “fully worthy of the family name”. Francis has written a dozen novels; his stye is a little flat for magpie’s taste, but there’s no doubting that he can produce a nicely layered thriller, slightly complex without being too taxing.
Ivy Pochoda
A former professional squash player, Ms Pochoda has written half a dozen novels. Her latest, Sing Her Down, is described (by her own website) as “No Country for Old Men meets Killing Eve in this gritty, feminist Western thriller”. It’s actually much more subtle and more carefully constructed than this implies, her prose is vivid, and the story – a group of stories, in fact – is really meaty; as the NYT review says, “this is a story about violence by women, against them and within them”. Right at the start we’re told that the story of the relationship between two female ex-convicts will end violently; the skill of the novelist is to keep us engaged as the story moves inexorably towards that conclusion. Recommended.
JD Barker
Barker’s creepy witchcraft-laden debut Forsaken won him worldwide acclaim, a place on the swards lists, and a contract to co-author an official prequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. His second, The Fourth Monkey, is even better – a portrait of a serial killer with a twisted vision and no mercy. As well as writing his own books, Barker has collaborated with American author James Patterson; their novels together – The Coast-to-Coast Murders and The Noise – are New York Times bestsellers.
KJ Howe
Winner of several honours – including the Best First Novel Thriller Award – the American author has made a speciality of the kidnap-and-ransom world in novels characterised by exotic locations, intricate plot twists, breathless pacing, and richly drawn characters. Prime among is international kidnap and ransom specialist Thea Paris, who stars in Howe’s first two books – The Freedom Broker and Skyjack (“with this nail-biter, Howe seals her place as a first-class purveyor of adventure stories”). KJ Howe is also the executive director of ThrillerFest, the annual conference of International Thriller Writers.
Kathleen Antrim
The award-winning and bestselling author has also been a political commentator and correspondent; her political thriller Capital Offense is accordingly loaded with realistic detail in support of a riveting plot (is the First Lady planning to overthrow the President?). Antrim has been Co-President of International Thriller Writers; she also serves on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Writers’ Conference and is the International Thriller Writers’ USO Director. She’s currently working on her next novel.
Max Seeck
The Finnish novelist is widely regarded as the leading light of a new generation of Nordic crime writers, thanks to his exceptional storytelling, his way with plots, and the chilly, chilling situations in his books. He has a dozen titles, but look out for The Ice Coven and and The Last Grudge. His best-selling English-language 2016 debut, The Witch Hunter, will give you a flavour of his work – someone is committing the horrific crimes in a Nordic noir bestseller, and a detective with secrets of her own has to crack the case.
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