Grisham. Patterson. Connelly. Baldacci. Bell. I suppose my challenge has been answered in the form of the hardest hitting male writers around. But I can’t say I blame you all, because when these masters of suspense crank out their latest, we all scramble to the headphones and stay transfixed. Last time we had a refreshing sense of variety, but when it comes down to the cold blustery months in the dead of winter, sometimes we need the old familiars to keep the heat up. Let’s keep it going next time, and we’ll see what it’s store for us in the ol’ Top Five.

The Whistler
John Grisham
DB 86026 / CL 16398
A previously disbarred lawyer–now with a new identity–goes after a Florida judge who was secretly involved with the construction of a large casino on Native American land. The Coast Mafia financed the casino and is now helping itself–and the judge–to a sizable skim. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.

Missing: A Private Novel
James Patterson
DB 85772 / CL 16344
Craig Gisto promises Eliza Moss that his elite Private Sydney team will investigate the disappearance of her father. After all, as the CEO of a high-profile research company, Eric Moss shouldn’t be difficult to find. Except it’s not just Eric himself–every trace of him has also vanished. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.

Wrong Side of Goodbye
Michael Connelly
DB 86195 / CL 16349
After thirty years with the LAPD, Harry Bosch is California’s newest private investigator. Bosch is soon hired by a reclusive billionaire to find the long-ago love of his life. Meanwhile–unable to leave cop work behind completely–Bosch volunteers for a tiny police department and tracks a serial rapist. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.

No Man’s Land
David Baldacci
DB 86197 / CL 16388
Special Agent John Puller’s mother, Jackie, vanished thirty years ago from Fort Monroe, Virginia. Now, military investigators, armed with a letter from Jackie’s friend, arrive in the hospital room of Puller’s father–a legendary three-star now sinking into dementia. They reveal that he has been accused of murdering Jackie. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.

Somebody I Used to Know
David Bell
DB 85246
Twenty years ago, Nick Hansen’s college girlfriend died in a fire. Now he sees her doppelganger in the grocery store, but she runs off. The next day the police inform Nick that the look-alike has been found murdered–with his name and address in her pocket. Some strong language. 2015.