Dear Penguin crime and thriller fans,

Get ready for a rollercoaster of spine-tingling thriller rides this summer. From blockbusting action adventure to heart-pounding conspiracy novel and nail-biting psychological suspense – the Penguin crime and thriller list has a huge variety of treats on offer for everyone who is stocking up for their beach reads, or for those simply wanting to relax with a fun chiller in the park. Summer, sun and suspense – find it all in this season’s latest Most Wanted issue!

Clive Cussler, the king of the action adventure, returns with two smashing thrillers from the Numa and Oregon files. And while Kurt Austin has to save the world from a secret new virus that could destroy the lives of millions of people, Juan Cabrillo’s task isn’t much easier – he and his team have to deal with a powerful cult that’s obsessed with the end of the world. Will they be able to prevent a sinister madman from using the secrets of the past to destroy the future? Your time has come to find out. Click here for an exclusive extract from Medusa . . .

Next in this roundup is Daniel Silva – the man who has frequently been described as a worthy successor to such legends as John le Carré and Frederick Forsyth. Moscow Rules was a No. 1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon and if you haven’t yet met Daniel’s hero, secret agent Gabriel Allon, you now get to the chance to do so in a double-pack of pure spy action fun . . . A former KGB colonel is about to sell Russia’s most dangerous weapon to al-Qaeda, and unless Allon can intervene in time, the world will suffer its deadliest terror attack since 9/11. Film rights to this series have recently been sold to the makers of the Jason Bourne movies, and I can’t wait to see Gabriel Allon on the big screen! If you want to find out more, why not take a look at our interview with Daniel Silva about The Defector.

For all fans of Chris Kuzneski and Raymond Khoury we have something very special on offer this July: C. M. Palov’s Stones of Fire, which takes you on a life-or-death hunt for the Ark of the Covenant. Steve Berry says this ‘super debut’ offers all the things he ‘craves for in a story – intrigue, treachery, history and a wealth of secrets’ and, having just finished reading it, I couldn’t agree more! This is a splendid beach thriller which will make you hold on very tight to your beach lounger while you desperately try to turn the pages as fast as you can to discover what will happen right at the end. The fascination with the Ark of Covenant is perennial, and Chloe Palov explores the roots of this fascination in PMW...

Meanwhile, CSI Darby McCormick has to deal with an entirely different case in Boston. A mother and her son have been executed in their home, and fingerprint matches show their attacker died twenty years ago . . . but how can a dead serial killer return to haunt the present? The answers lie in the darkest corner of The Dead Room, but will Darby be able to handle that fine line between the living and the dead? Chris Mooney is a wonderful thriller talent who has written five previous novels, two of them featuring Darby. He very much reminds me of another writer whose work I adore – Richard Montanari – and I truly recommend The Dead RoomM if you’re looking for a great new voice in this genre. And if you want to get to know Chris Mooney a little better before you buy a copy of his book . . . have a look at this.

Dan Waddell’s novel The Blood Detective was published in paperback last year, and within a very short period of time Dan has achieved something remarkable. The eBook version of his genealogy thriller has become the bestselling title in this format in Britain to date, which is very exciting news! The Blood Detective introduced a totally new idea to the world of crime fiction. Inspired by his earlier non-fiction work, the bestselling Who Do You Think You Are?, Dan created Nigel Barnes, a genealogist who, together with cop Grant Foster, embarks on a scintillating murder investigation using a family tree. In Blood Atonement the two men are given a brand new murder case which again finds its roots in the past. To unlock the secret that’s now having bloody repercussions in the present, Nigel has to fly all the way to the States to the hometown of a rather peculiar religious following . . good that he is accompanied by the lovely DS Heather Jenkins.

Jonathan Kellerman is hailed as one of the big masters of the American psychological thriller and he regularly tops the New York Times bestseller charts. Compulsion is exactly one of those No. 1 bestsellers and guarantees enormous thriller fun. Three baffling murder cases are linked only by a lack of motive, until psychologist Alex Delaware and LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis stumble upon a clue. A stolen luxury car is found undamaged and unblemished – except for a tiny, solitary bloodstain. Dive right into this heart-pounding thriller with our exclusive extract.

Tony Pollard’s The Secrets of the Lazarus Club is a wonderfully rich and intriguing Victorian thriller. Set in 1857 it features the young surgeon Dr George Phillips, who is consulted in a series of brutal murders. Several corpses are pulled from the Thames and suddenly Phillips himself is suspected of being involved in the crimes. With his reputation on the line he eventually stumbles over a secret society that has obvious connections with the crimes committed. Praised by the press as ‘a riveting yarn’ (The Times) and ‘a rip-roaring historical thriller’ (Metro) this is novel which offers you much more than just a fabulous crime plot. It also provides the opportunity to meet some of the greatest minds of an exceptional generation – Brunel, Nightingale, Darwin and many more. Tony Pollard, a senior academic at the Archaeological Department of the University of Glasgow, writes about his experience of recreating history in a fictionalized context...

And for a spectacular conclusion to this bimonthly roundup, let’s go right to the centre of the Vatican City. Following in the footsteps of great religious conspiracy blockbusters such as The Da Vinci Code and The Righteous Men, The Last Pope is an ‘immensely entertaining book’ (USA Today) which hit the New York Times bestseller charts on its first week of publication. Young journalist Sarah Monteiro receives a mysterious package, and all of a sudden she seems to hold the key to unveiling a deadly secret – a plot that implicates unscrupulous mercenaries and crooked politicians, and all traces back to the Vatican City on 29 September 1978 when Pope John Paul I was found dead just a month after his accession. But who can tell you better about this amazing story than the author himself. Read on for riveting Q&A with Luis Miguel Rocha.

Enjoy. And please visit us again at PMW, where you’re always guaranteed to meet some of the most dangerous suspects in the world of crime and thriller publishing . . .

Best Wishes