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TYPES OF SUSPENSE / THRILLERS:
HARD-EDGED SUSPENSE: detailed; graphic; suspense generated through action; protagonist often detective; relentless pacing
SOFT-EDGED SUSPENSE: less grisly detail; threatened danger; suspense generated through atmosphere,; resourceful protagonist, often female; roller-coaster pacing
LEGAL THRILLER: legal details & technical language; sympathetically portrayed heroes and heroines; moral and social issues; justice prevails in the end; page-turner
MEDICAL/SCIENTIFIC THRILLERS: plot-driven stories focusing on newsworthy themes; fast-paced; less fully developed characters; medical and scientific details important
POLITICAL THRILLERS: current issues; danger with national implications; hero operates according to his own moral code; plot twists and intricate story lines; realistic details
ESPIONAGE: protagonist is trained spy or has similar skills; intricate plots; political focus; dark tone; violence
TECHNO-THRILLERS: protagonists usually male; exotic weaponry and problem solving skills; technical expertise; right wing political affiliation; military activities with an international scope
(Based on:
Saricks, Joyce G. The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago: ALA, 2001)
MUST-READ MASTERS (& MISTRESSES) OF SUSPENSE..CHECK ONE OUT TODAY! David Baldacci (political thriller) Updated 3/14/2005
Larry Bond (techno-thriller)
Dale Brown (techno-thriller)
Tom Clancy (political / techno-thriller)
Mary Higgins Clark (soft-edged)
Mary Jane Clark (soft-edged)
Robin Cook (medical thriller)
Stephen Coonts (techno-thriller)
Jeffrey Deaver (hard-edged)
Len Deighton (espionage)
William Diehl (legal thriller)
Joy Fielding (psychological)
Ian Fleming (espionage)
Ken Follett (espionage)
Frederick Forsyth (espionage)
Erle Stanley Gardner (legal thriller)
Phillipa Gregory (psychological)
John Grisham (legal thriller)
Thomas Harris (hard-edged)
Patricia Highsmith (soft-edged)
Greg Iles (hard-edged)
John LeCarre (espionage)
Robert Littell (espionage)
Robert Ludlum (espionage)~ Jason Bourne series
Eric Van Lustbader (espionage)
Patricia J. MacDonald (soft-edged)
Helen MacInnes (espionage)
Michael Palmer (medical thriller)
James Patterson (psychological)
Richard North Patterson (legal thriller)
Thomas Perry (hard-edged)
Ruth Rendell (psychological)
John Sandford (hard-edged)
Lisa Scottoline (legal thriller)
Carol Smith (psychological)
Scott Turow (legal thriller)
Minette Walters (psychological)
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