Thriller Thursday

Every Thursday I give two crime-related book recommendations, one fiction and one non-fiction. And the debut selections are:

FICTION:

First up is SKIN RIVER by thriller writer Steven Sidor.

Here's the plot:
Buddy Bayes, a man with a shadowy past is trying desperately for a second chance at a peaceful life as a tavern owner in small-town Gunnar, Wisconsin. But just as things are beginning to look up, he stumbles across the severed hand of a missing girl in a nearby river. Soon he’s back in the sheriff’s radar and is forced to hide his past and protect his loved ones as carnage ensues.

My opinion:
Sidor can write. It's hard, fast, and gritty. If you like "cozy" mysteries this may not be your cup of tea but I'd still encourage you to give it a try. He has a way of summing up a person or atmosphere in just a few, perfect words.

Other opinions:
"SKIN RIVER is an incredible debut-unforgettable, spellbinding, and darkly suspenseful. Steven Sidor must have sold his soul to the devil to write this well."-Steve Hamilton, author of ICE RUN

"Skin River is a sharp, breathless upcountry thriller. Steven Sidor keeps the pacing piano-wire taut and selects his words with a vivisectionist's diabolical care."-Stewart O'Nan, author of THE NIGHT COUNTRY

Sidor's debut novel maintains the tension throughout as the serial killer continues to thwart and taunt investigators.... Exquisitely plotted, with a well-realized main character.
From Booklist
Connie FletcherCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


NON-FICTION

My first selection, although not very original, just has to be IN COLD BLOOD.

The first, the best, simply a classic.