1. Billy Boyle by James R Benn
Great murder mystery that takes place during WWII. If you're a fan of mysteries or the WWII era, you'll really like this book.
Plot Summary: Billy Boyle is the youngest member of the Boyle clan in the Boston Police Department. A tightly knit Irish family, their fierce loyalties extend little beyond each other, Ireland, and the police force where Billy’s father and uncles also serve. The year is 1941, and they have paved the way for Billy’s promotion to Detective through the time-honored traditions of politics and patronage. Then World War II breaks out. The family’s political connections secure Billy a commission and post with a distant relative of Mrs. Boyle’s, a general serving with the War Plans Department in Washington D.C. where Billy is to safely sit out the war. Unfortunately for the Boyles, that unknown general is Dwight David Eisenhower, who whisks Billy off to England when he is appointed Commander of U.S. forces in Europe . This is definitely not what Billy expected, nor is really qualified for. He must rely on his native wits to keep himself alive and avoid humiliating his family as he conducts his first investigation into the death of an official of the Norwegian government in exile (http://www.jamesrbenn.com/works.htm).
2. American Assassin by Vince Flynn
Prequel to Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series. If you haven't yet read any of the Mitch Rapp series this is a great place to start. Espionage, assassins, terrorists and more make this one of Vince Flynn's best yet.
Plot Summary: Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist's worse nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athelete without a care in the world.....and then tragedy struck (http://www.vinceflynn.com/).
3. The Athena Project by Brad Thor
Ladies and men alike will be interested in this latest installment by Brad Thor.
Plot Summary:
From behind the rows of razor wire, a new breed of counterterrorism operator has emerged.
Just as skilled, just as fearsome, and just as deadly as their colleagues, Delta Force’s newest members have only one thing setting them apart—their gender. Part of a top-secret, all-female program codenamed The Athena Project, four of Delta’s best and brightest women are about to undertake one of the nation’s deadliest assignments. When a terrorist attack in Rome kills more than twenty Americans, Athena Team members Gretchen Casey, Julie Ericsson, Megan Rhodes, and Alex Cooper are tasked with hunting down the Venetian arms dealer responsible for providing the explosives. But there is more to the story than anyone knows (http://www.bradthor.com/).
Go ahead and pick one of these books up for the thriller/mystery reader in your family. I promise they won't be disappointed finding one of these novels under the Christmas tree.
