Can you give me ideas: Thrillers for teenage boys

I don't read thrillers on my own but am getting requests by boys for thrillers in our high school library.
We are a very conservative area so I would prefer something that doesn't have graphic violence or sex.
Ideas?

Hmmm. If I remember right, the Clive Cussler is pretty light on the sex, and the violence isn't graphic. James Rollins' Sigma Force novels starting with Sandstorm (I think) are also pretty light on the sex, but tend to be a bit more violent (although still rather action-movie-ish).

Look into Anthony Horowitz's books.

ETA: Okay, I don't recognize the titles that show up with the Touchstone. My child has read the Alex Rider series by Horowitz...it's kinda like a teenage James Bond.

Deathman, Do Not Follow Me by Jay Bennett was a good one and I think he has written others. I thinks teens would probably enjoy most things by Alistair MacLean especially ones such as Breakheart Pass, Where Eagles Dare, Caravan to Vaccares or The Way to Dusty Death

I've heard good things about Anthony Horowitz, and Charlie Higson's Young Bond series would fit the bill too, which relate the adventures of a teenage James Bond during his time at Eton and have the approval of Ian Fleming's estate. There are four in the series so far, Silverfin, Blood Fever, Double or Die and Hurricane Gold.

I used to enjoy John Buchan when I was a teenager (OK, I still do...!) - I don't know how modern teenagers would react to it, but I think they might enjoy it if they're open-minded enough to give something from 90 years ago a try. Nothing that could cause real offence, although you might have to explain that some of the characters have views about people of other races (and genders!) that wouldn't be acceptable today.

I remember being very much taken with books by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett when I was a teenager, chiefly because of the taut writing, but that world of the 1930s and 1940s may be too distant now for teenagers today.

Wolf Rider by Avi

A teenage boy I know is a David Baldacci fan, particularly the Camel Club series.

I would say Alfred Hitchcock And The Three Investigators Series, The Hardy Boys, Alfred Hithcock's Haunted Houseful, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Museum, Alfred Hitchcock's Sinister Spies.

There are other Alfred Hitchcock books too.
I grew up reading a lot of Alfred Hitchcock books and other mystery books as well. I also read Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories For Late At Night. In fact I still have all my old Alfred Hitchcock books I used to read as a child. It is fun to go back and reread them every now and then.

beatles1964

The Three Investigators series is aimed at a much younger level than high school, though perhaps a boy with below-grade level reading skills would go for it. Unfortunately, the series is out of print and getting harder & harder to find in libraries as copies "die." I am nursing along the ones we still have--really their condition should put them in the weed category, but they are heavily read and I am keeping them until they give up the ghost. Unfortunately I can't convince the city to allow me to buy used copies in good condition; they are strict sources of book purchases.

I would think any Tom Clancy, Stephen King,
Clive Barker, Anne Rice, Star Wars,Tolkien, etc.would be suitable for HIgh School aged boys. I think it would be very hard to find good thriller books without graphic sex or violence. I would think High School boys would be used to reading books that contain graphic sex and violence. It's very hard to think of anything along those lines without looking into it further. Of course there is always Autobiographes about great Political Leaders, Rock Musicians, Athletes, Military Leaders, Science Fiction, Mysteries, How-To's and Auto Repair books too if all else fails.

beatles1964

Clive Cussler would definitely fit the bill: No explicit sex, no explicit violence, and nothing in the plots that would bring out the torches-and-pitchforks brigade.

Jack Higgins is also a good bet. The Eagle Has Landed is a superb WWII adventure, and his later spy stories featuring Sean Dillon are good, if formulaic.

If you can *find* them, Alistair MacLean's thrillers are excellent, and enjoyable even by less-adept readers (I discovered them at 12 or so and loved them), though written for adults. The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, The Golden Rendezvous, The Black Shrike, and The Way To Dusty Death are all nicely done.

Early Tom Clancy, like The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games, is a good bet, as is early Dale Brown Flight of the Old Dog, Night of the Hawk. Both authors' books, however, got flaccid and preachy as they in mid-career.

Teenage boys would probably love the loner-hero and stylized violence of Lee Child's books (akin to, say, a "Die Hard" movie), but the amount of violence might make them questionable for a school library. They are excellent thrillers, however, and "recommendable" to mature teens.

Finally, consider Robert B. Parker's "Spenser" mysteries, which have strong thriller elements, understated violence, and a highly moral hero in a committed (albeit unmarried) monogamous relationship.

John Jakes, Louis L'Amour, Zane Gray, or any of the Western Writers too.Robert Louis Stevenson,H.G. Wells, etc.

bealtes1964

My son at 14-15 loved the Cherub series by Robert Muchamore. Now that he is 16, I'm not sure if he's still interested, but he sure chewed through a lot of them in the last couple of years. Cherub (as I understand it - haven't read the books myself) is a secret organization which uses teenagers as spies.

I'm busy buying many of the books you have all suggested. Thank you- I take back something I said about never reading this kind of book before- I have read several Clive Cussler books and enjoyed them very much. Our students enjoy reading Anthony Horowitz too as we have many of these books even in our middle school library. I sometimes question how much graphic material I should allow in our school library- With our limited funds I want to buy books our students will enjoy & read but also support our conservative community without censuring books too much. Any experience with this while selecting books for young adults?

Today I went with my list of authors and books you suggested to a used bookstore. The owner was both helpful & generous. She donated $150 dollars worth of paperback books. Most are in excellent condition and were half off the cover price. I was able to find almost every one of the books all of you suggested as good reads and more. I'm really excited to take them to our school library tomorrow.