A collection of thrillers by different authors. Good read, but not great. ( )

A collection of thrillers by different authors. Good read, but not great. ( )

A collection of thrillers by different authors. Good read, but not great. ( )

A collection of thrillers by different authors. Good read, but not great. ( )

First Thrills, edited by Lee Child, is a curious compendium of short stories by well-known thriller writers (Jeffrey Deaver, John Lescroart, Stephen Coonts, Child himself) and first-time authors. The general theme is that of stories dubbed "thrillers," but within that category one finds hard-boiled, noirish horrors as well as spy stories, aliens-among-us tales, out-and-out horror tales, cons both large and small, vampires, ghosts and even a bit of poignancy. As with any such anthology, there were stories I liked and ones I didn't, and any other reader will find a different grouping of likes and dislikes. Overall, however, the quality of the writing was quite high and the stories were diverse enough that I never felt that I was reading rehash after rehash of the same idea, a problem that can frequently ruin a perfectly good anthology, at least as a book that one wants to read cover-to-cover instead of just dipping in and out of it every now and then. Not everybody's cup of tea, and there are certainly some scene of serious violence here, but for those who enjoy a loose definition of "thriller," this is a decent summer read. Mildly recommended. ( )