The Modern Adventure Thriller

By Barry Forshaw

When it comes to one of the most popular of genres — the high-energy adventure thriller — certain writers have been much written about and discussed — from John Buchan to Ian Fleming. But talented though these novelists are, they are merely the tip of the iceberg. There is much exemplary writing in the field yet to be examined and celebrated, often from craftsmen who may please readers but do not enjoy the attention of literary editors. 

The crime fiction and film specialist Barry Forshaw, who has spent a good deal of his life reading and writing about this material, has covered the better-regarded names in such books as The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction and British Crime Writing: An Encyclopaedia. But now he has produced an invaluable guide to some writers who are unquestionably underappreciated, and sometimes looked down upon — and who need to be brought readers’ attention again. What’s more, there are some bestselling thriller writers who (while hardly needing their sales figures massaging) have not enjoyed any serious critical attention — an omission that Forshaw remedies here.

In The Modern Adventure Thriller, he provides an exuberant examination of a massively popular genre and offers a shopping list that will have readers plugging some gaps…

Barry Forshaw’s latest book is Death in a Cold Climate: A Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction; his other work includes British Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia and The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction, along with books on Italian cinema, Film Noir and the first biography of Stieg Larsson. His next books are British Crime Film and a study of Thomas Harris and The Silence of the Lambs. He has written for various national newspapers, edits Crime Time, and is a talking head for ITV and BBC TV documentaries. He has been Vice Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association. 

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