‘Thrillers: 100 Must Reads’

In the fall of 2004, a group of authors meeting at the Bouchercon conference in Toronto founded the International Thriller Writers organization. One of their first orders of business was to compile a list of thrillers, each title picked on the basis of the impact it had on the genre. Although the list could have included hundreds of titles, an arbitrary number of 100 eventually was agreed upon.

One of the first titles to be listed was Wilkie Collins’ 1860 shocker, “The Woman In White,” considered by many to be the “first novel of sensation.” Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel, “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,” made the cut, as did an array of modern classics including Jeffrey Deaver’s “Bone Collector” (1997), James Patterson’s “Along Came a Spider” (1992) and Lee Child’s “Killing Floor” (1997). Only one book published after 2000 was listed, Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” (2003).

As the list began to expand, recommendations were requested from such heavy-hitters as Sandra Brown, Michael Palmer, R.L. Stine and David Baldacci, along with advice from several noted thriller reviewers. Each contributor was asked to back up his or her choice with a short essay examining each work’s significance, impact and influence.

The final list had many classics that you might expect: “Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” “The Hounds of the Baskervilles” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” No big surprise. Among the choices that were not so obvious is Edgar Rice Burrough’s 1912 classic, “Tarzan of the Apes.” Until I read W. Craig Reed’s brilliant essay, I considered “Tarzan” more of an adventure story than a thriller, even though it does, indeed, have elements of both.

Lists are fun, and this highly readable anthology provides both historical and personal perspectives on some of the best thrillers ever written. ¦