With his very first novel, David Morrell created an iconic character, now as famous as Tarzan or James Bond: “His name was Rambo, and he was just some nothing kid for all anybody knew, standing there by the pump of a gas station on the outskirts of Madison, Kentucky.”
So begins Morrell’s electrifying and morally unsettling “First Blood.”
Hank Wagner may not write novels, but he certainly knows modern horror, fantasy, mystery and science fiction. He’s the co-author of “The Complete Stephen King Universe” and of “Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman.”
Both the novelist and the critic are members of the 6-year-old International Thriller Writers organization. Its goals “include educating readers about thrillers and encouraging ITW members to explore the creative possibilities of the form.”
To this end, the group decided to compile this annotated guide to essential thrillers. Enjoyable in itself, the book also offers 100 possible answers to that perennial summer conundrum: What book shall I pack for the beach?
“Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads” opens with the Greek legend of Theseus and the Minotaur and, by fudging the supposed cutoff date of 2000, closes with Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code.”
Each of the chosen titles — one book per author — is accompanied by a brief biographical note, followed by a two- or three-page essay of reminiscence, analysis and appreciation by a member of the association.
Among the essayists are Lee Child, Sandra Brown, James Grady, R.L. Stine, David Baldacci, Katherine Neville and F. Paul Wilson.
No one could seriously argue with the recommendations up to the mid-1970s. Here are Wilkie Collins’ “The Woman in White” (1860), Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (1901), John Buchan’s “The Thirty-Nine Steps” (1915), Eric Ambler’s “A Coffin for Dimitrios” (1939), and even what is, arguably, the single most famous adventure short story of all time, Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” (1924).
Many of the essayists comment on craftsmanship. Writing about Brian Garfield’s “Death Wish” (1972), John Lescroart quotes the novel’s brilliant first sentence — “Later he worked out where he had been at the time of the attack on Esther and Carol” — and then details how Garfield immediately shifts to describing scenes from Paul Benjamin’s ordinary working day.
“These scenes become excruciatingly, almost unbearably, suspenseful.” What, precisely has happened to Esther and Carol? How and when will Paul learn about them? What will he do?
Three observations: First, be warned: The accompanying essays sometimes contain spoilers revealing key plot turns and outcomes: Second, in looking through the biographical notes about the contributing essayists, I realized that these writers — many of whom were new to me — have already won important awards, produced best sellers, been translated into multiple languages.
In this respect, Morrell and Wagner’s guide can lead the thriller fan to many more than just the 100 main selections.
And third: How could the editors have left out George MacDonald Fraser, creator of Flashman, and Ruth Rendell and Dick Francis and. . .
FICTION
Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, by David Morrell and Hank Wagner, $40
