In Too Deep by Lee Child & Andrew Child (Delacorte) is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

In his 29th thrill-laden adventure, ex-military investigator Jack Reacher wakes up to find himself handcuffed to a table. He’s not sure how he got here, but he remembers hitching a ride and getting run off the road. Thinking that Reacher was the driver’s accomplice, his captors have plans to make him talk, but Reacher soon escapes and uncovers an art forgery scheme and plans for a heist. He teams up with suspended police detective Jenny Knight to take down the crime syndicate.—LJ Reviews

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne (Minotaur: St. Martin’s; LJ starred review)

Desmond “Dez” Limerick was a mercenary specializing in getting locked doors open and keeping them open until the mission was over. He’s retired, but that doesn’t mean his skills have vanished. When he sees a sniper on a building across the street from his hotel, he knows that he could choose to stay out of it, or to help. The woman he saves from being kidnapped is the daughter of a CEO of a major military contractor. She’s not only grateful, but as she has no idea whom she can trust, she asks for his expertise. What appears to be a simple investigation turns into a conspiracy with significant ramifications across the entire country, and death and destruction are only part of the planned chaos. VERDICT Though the author, who’s worked for decades in journalism and politics, has written this thriller under a pseudonym, it is clear that they know how to write a gripping and compelling story. It’s a mixture of the best black op novels like a Brad Thor or Mark Greaney, with a hint of the TV show Leverage. Dez has a bright future ahead, and this one is a true keeper.—Jeff Ayers

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby (Flatiron; LJ starred review)

On the surface, the only thing Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee Jenkins have in common is that they’re both ex-cons. Ike, who’s Black, has changed his life since leaving prison and now owns a successful landscaping business. Buddy Lee, who’s white, is still a good ol’ boy who drinks heavily and runs around. When Ike’s and Buddy’s sons married each other, both fathers rejected them. That was before someone shot Isiah and Derek dead in Richmond, VA, in what appeared to be a targeted attack. When Isiah and Derek’s tombstone is vandalized, Ike wants revenge. He teams up with Buddy Lee, and they plan to have one violent confrontation with the murderer. Instead, the fathers learn that someone with powerful connections is behind the murders. Over the course of their violent spree, Ike and Buddy are forced to uncover their own feelings of grief, pain, and failure when it came to their relationships with their sons. VERDICT Cosby follows his award-nominated Blacktop Wasteland (an LJ Best Mystery selection for 2020) with another stand-alone mystery that’s already been optioned for a film. His story of fathers and sons, of men learning to respect others’ lives, has an unexpected depth for such a violent, confrontational book. This powerful book should be in every library.—Lesa Holstine

The Collector by Daniel Silva (Harper)

New York Times best-selling Silva offers a riveting page-turner with this 23rd installment in the Gabriel Allon series (following Portrait of an Unknown Woman). Retired Israeli master spy Gabriel Allon, along with his wife and their two children, are living a quiet life in Venice. While investigating the murder of shipping tycoon Lukas van Damme, the Italian police discover an empty picture frame and stretcher the exact size of a Vermeer painting stolen from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the 1990s. General Cesare Ferrari, commander of the Italian police’s Art Squad, convinces Gabriel to come out of retirement and search for the missing painting. Ingrid Johansen, an enigmatic new character who is a brilliant career thief and cyber-hacker, is persuaded to join the investigation, and together they prevent a nuclear disaster. VERDICT With stolen paintings, the threat of nuclear disaster, and a beloved protagonist, Silva’s latest mystery/thriller will satisfy Gabriel Allon fans.—Ilka Gordon