The Best Thriller You're Not Reading

While I'm an avid reader (it's part of the job description of being a writer), I'm embarrassed to admit I'm a painfully slow reader.  I generally read a book a week, which allows me, on average, to read roughly fifty books a year.  They range from okay to excellent.   Above this "excellent" category exists are rare pantheon of thrillers that produce a narcotic, dream-like state where time stands still and the only thing I care about is finishing the damn story.  No matter what's going on in my personal life - deadlines, social and family obligations, etc. - I need my next fix, damnit, and I will do anything short of murder to finish the book in rapid speed.  

As I'm sure you know, such books are very, very rare.  The first one I encountered was during high school when I read Stephen King's Misery.  Then I lucked out and discovered Thomas Harris'sThe Silence of the Lambs followed by Red Dragon.  After that came Pat Conroy's The Lords of Discipline (a work of literature, yes, but it reads like a thriller).  Then I had to wait years for Dennis Lehane's Mystic River and Shutter Island.  And now, this year, I was fortunate to discover Gregg Hurwitz's You're Next.

Hurwitz's book made an impression on me for two reasons: 1. I know Gregg well and have always secretly envied his talent as both a storyteller and writer; and 2. You're Next is one of the best thrillers I've ever read.

I'm not bullshitting you.  You're Next is that good.

I'm not going to use publishing jargon and say that You're Next is a "thriller-ride extraordinaire" and a "masterful page-turner" and that you need to "lock all your doors, windows, etc."  Sure, the book is all of these things, but much like the way Dennis Lehane's Mystic River transformed the mystery genre, You're Next proves that thrillers can be works of substance.  Hurwtiz accomplishes what the grand-daddy of thriller writers, Thomas Harris, does so effortlessly in Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs: create an addictive page-turner that packs life into each and every scene, each and every line.  And if that wasn't enough, You're Next accomplishes a major feat: the story and its characters continue to haunt and linger well after you've turned the last page.  It's been about two months since I've read it and I'm still thinking about the characters and that perfect ending - one of the best I've read.  

You're Next was, not surprisingly, a huge bestseller this past year in the U.K. (it spent five months on the bestseller's list).  Thrillers like You're Next come around once every few years, so do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.  You don't want to miss out on this one.