Monthly Sub-Genre Challenge: What type are you? February 2017

Each month a randomly selected sub-genre of Mystery and Suspense will appear. We want you to discuss your favorite books and make recommendations. You may choose books to read in this sub-genre and post comments or reviews about the books read. Even a sentence or two will do!

The sub-genre for the month of February 2017 is...Techno-Thriller

These are the adrenaline pumping, edge-of-your-seat books that often have the fate of the world at stake. As defined by www.dictionary.com, a techno-thriller is “a suspense novel in which the manipulation of sophisticated technology, as of aircraft or weapons systems, plays a prominent part.” Wikipedia defines the sub-genre in more detail, “Techno-thrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration.”

The Oregon Files series by Clive Cussler that we have been doing as the Group Read in Mystery and Suspense is an excellent example of this sub-genre. Another well-known example are the books by Michael Crichton – Prey, Sphere, Congo and The Andromeda Strain, to name a few.

This is one of my favorite genres and I have listed a few that I have read and really enjoyed. Please add any suggestions that you might have also. They are always welcome.

Dangerous Ground by Larry Bond
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
State of Fear by Michael Crichton
The Martian by Andy Weir
Deception Point by Dan Brown

Here are a few links for more suggestions.
http://www.ranker.com/list/techno-thriller-books-novels-and-stories/reference
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/24177.Best_Technothrillers_Ever
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-Technothrillers/zgbs/digital-te...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Techno-thriller_novels
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2015/07/books/fiction/military-technothrillers....

Happy Reading ❤

>1 bhabeck: We must be on the same wave length. I have Deception Point but hadn't gotten "around tuit" yet. Now I have a challenge that can be started filling. You did a great job of the challenge also, Brenda. Maybe I'll watch The Hunt For Red October again for the 50th or so time:) I absolutely love the movie but just couldn't get through the book for some reason.

>2 Carol420: thanks Carol. I had big shoes to fill 😊

The links have some great books listed...more for Mt. TBR.

>3 bhabeck: Well thank you but you had absolutely no problem.

Another book that fits this category that I read a few years ago is The Kraken project by Douglas Preston. There are parts of it that become very, very technical but overall it's a good book.

Not sure what books fit this category so may have to do some more research.

Thanks for this Brenda.

Thank you for posting! Sorry I was getting impatient. This is one of the monthly challenges that I focus on ever since we started it, so I didn't want to miss out! Like, Andrew, I'll have to do a bit of research. I already have a few "thrillers" lined up and/or books by authors who write thrillers, so I might even see if any of them fit. If not, I'm sure I'll come up with something!

(The ones I'm reading this month, anyway, but not sure if they fit are:
Miracle Cure / Harlan Coben
Trust Your Eyes / Linwood Barclay
Still Life With Crows / Douglas Preston.

ETA: Looks like the Barclay has "technology" as a tag, in addition to "thriller" so maybe it will work!

Another possibility with both "technology" and "thriller" as tags that is on my tbr is:
Click Here for Murder / Donna Andrews

>6 LibraryCin: Trust Your Eyes sounds almost like a high-tech Rear Window. I'm going to put it on my wishlist for the Library. Got really good reviews on here as well

love the description for Click Here for Murder that they have on Goodreads -- "Artificial Intelligence meets Miss Marple..."

>6 LibraryCin: no worries - I probably should have given you a day or two advance notice so you could line up your monthly read. I'll keep that in mind next month and post the Challenge a couple days before the end of the month.

>8 bhabeck: Just an fyi that Click Here for Murder is, I believe the 2nd book in a series! If it sounds interesting, you might want to start with the first one.

Let me check the name of it for you...
You've Got Murder

>9 bhabeck: I do like a couple of days notice to figure out what I'll be reading, so that would be great! Thanks so much!

I own those books by Donna Andrews so may read them.

Have checked the lists, did enjoy :
Ice Hunt by James Rollins.
Sandstorm by James Rollins
Black Order by James Rollins

Think I will target Ice Station by Matthew Reilly for this month.

The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton is on the Goodreads techo-thriller list too. I may read that one too. Can't understand how this is a techno-thriller but it's on the list. I'm not much for science fiction of techno books but I think I would be able to handle this one.

>14 EadieB: I'm not sure how a few of them are on the list.

>15 Andrew-theQM:
Map of Bones is on there too.

I thought Zero Alternative and Screen Shot from the Goodreads list sounded good.

>16 EadieB: True and this is the third one I have read in the Sigma Force Series. Also surprised these are on the list as I wouldn't have considered them techno thrillers. I do want to continue with this seres and had hoped we could do it as Group Reads but the first book didn't even come third. 😟

>18 Andrew-theQM:
Keep bringing it up. I'm sure it will pass eventually. Too many good ones this time.

>13 Andrew-theQM: If you're planning to read Ice Station turn the phone off, have your meals delivered, and hire someone to do any of the other tasks you might have to do, because you WILL NOT be able to stop reading! It's my favorite book by Matthew Riley.

>20 Carol420: Think I'll read it over the half-term holiday then when I can give it a day without distraction. You have certainly whet my appetite Carol. :) If it's to become my favourite Matthew Reilly it will be fantastic.

>19 EadieB: The problem is there is always so many great books, had also hoped Coffin Road would win!

>22 Andrew-theQM:
I're read both Sandstorm and Coffin Road that's why I didn't vote for them.

>23 EadieB: I have read Sandstorm some years ago but would have been happy to re-read.

>24 Andrew-theQM:
I read it in December 2014 so I wouldn't mind re-reading it either.

>25 EadieB: 1st May 2011! How time flies.

>26 Andrew-theQM:
I was thinking that myself. It felt like I read it last year.

>18 Andrew-theQM: - I would like to read the Sigma Force books too. I think the problem with voting is they all look good and we have too many. Would you consider only allowing one or two nominations per member? It can be so overwhelming some months.

>28 Olivermagnus: May be a good idea, we have had a lot of nominations recently and very difficult to choose. What do we think, 1 or 2 nominations per member?

If people are happy I'll add The Sigma Force Series to the other two group reads each month, although be second half of the year before we get to them.

It's alright by me if you want to just add them.

I've come across another techno-thriller on my shelf. Didn't look to see if it was on the lists but the title is Influx by Daniel Suarez. It's says on cover that he is 'A Legitimate heir to Michael Crichton.'

>31 EadieB: quite a few of Daniel Suarez's books are on the techno-thriller lists that I linked

>29 Andrew-theQM: I don't think it would change much, since most people don't nominate more than 2 books.

Maybe rather than monthly nominations and voting, we should do this quarterly. And rather than having only x number of votes, we could all say either yes or no to each book and read the top three together over the next months. I would limit the nominations to one or two per person though - otherwise we might fill the spots for the next year in one go ;-)

>29 Andrew-theQM: It's fine with me also to add Sigma Force. As to the nominations...there are usually 6 of us that nominate on a regular basis which with the 3 we can currently nominate makes 18 books to choose from some months....and that is so very very hard. By the way... aren't you proud of me for doing math??? I like Sushi's suggestion of letting each of us say yes or no to each of the books...or just say that everyone only gets one nomination. I wonder if there are people that don't have this "too many books they want to read" problem?

Oh guess what's at the library waiting for me??? You guessed it...Long Time Coming

>35 Carol420: And wasn't it just!

>35 Carol420: >34 sushicat: Would be a different way of doing it. May give it a try some time.

Sigma force is not for me. I seem to be in a minority (of one?) who is not a big fan of this type of book. I find we have a good balance per month currently with
- a book of the more action focused type
- a book of the more investigative type
- a book we've voted on

>38 sushicat: If, and when, we read the Sigma Force it would take the place in the month of the action focused book.Not on top of it. As you say Sushi this is a good balance. I personally like the James Rollins type of books but we can't all like the same sub-genre of books.

Trust Your Eyes / Linwood Barclay
4 stars

Ray’s father has died in an accident. He father lived with and took care of Ray’s adult schizophrenic brother, Thomas. Thomas spends all his time online, memorizing city maps/streets – all cities around the world. He thinks he is helping the CIA. When Thomas thinks he sees a murder in one of the windows from the street map/view he is memorizing, he insists Ray go check out what happened. In the meantime, Allison has had an affair with a politician’s wife and is now blackmailing her. It doesn’t take long for this to go horribly wrong.

It took a little while to set this one up, but about 1/3 of the way in, it really got going and with 1/3 of the book left, it cranked up another notch. There were an additional couple of surprises at the very end.

Deception Point by Dan Brown
4.5 Stars

From the Book:
When a new NASA satellite spots evidence of an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory...a victory that has profound implications for US space policy and the impending presidential election. With the Oval Office in the balance, the President dispatches White House Intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton to the Milne Ice Shelf to verify the authenticity of the find. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic academic Michael Tolland, Rachel uncovers the unthinkable: evidence of scientific trickery—a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy.

But before Rachel can contact the President, she and Michael are attacked by a deadly team of assassins controlled by a mysterious power broker who will stop at nothing to hide the truth. Fleeing for their lives in an environment as desolate as it is lethal, their only hope for survival is to find out who is behind this masterful ploy. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all.

My Thoughts:
It started out rather slow but by the fourth chapter had started to really pick up the pace...and from there the story moves very fast and is full of twists and turns. It has a very clever plot in which you are never completely sure just who is 'the good guy". I loved that I was never completely sure what was going to happen or what I really wanted to happen. I can't say too much more without giving away the next reader's joy of immersing themselves in this very entertaining book. I did think that the author did a marvelous job of tying up the story lines into a very well done ending. The only thing that was missing in this one was all the puzzles that readers have come to associate with Dan Brown books.

The Voynich Deception by Michael Lancashire
#1 in the Architect Series
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Found this book free on Amazon list of techno-thrillers and read it because of the connection to the Voynich Manuscript. I quite enjoyed the set up of this book, although it took a bit to get going. Not the best writing I've ever read but did really enjoy the plot and was going to give it 3.5 stars but really enjoyed the twist at the end and so this raised it up to 4 stars. Will be interested to see how this series and writer develops.

>42 Andrew-theQM: I've found quite a few free books on Amazon that were surprisingly good or very promising. Often, they are the first in the series and seem to need a bit of work but I've developed a list of authors whose later books I would like to check out

>44 Andrew-theQM: I agree, I have found some good new authors though these free books including Alex Lukeman, L J Sellers (really enjoyable Detective Series : Wade Jackson), J F Penn, Simon Toyne, Daniel Leston, Eva Nelson and Jana DeLeon. Sure I've missed some too.