Category

Thriller

Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Oct 21: Brad Meltzer – The Thrill Master Who Never Fails to Thrill

October 21, 2026

The Viper, A Zig & Nola Novel.

The Viper – A Zig & Nola Novel with Brad Meltzer

He writes the thrillers that keep you up at night. And hunts down the secrets history hoped you’d never find.

Brad Meltzer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, the mind behind The Inner Circle and The Escape Artist. He’s also the host of Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and Lost History, and the creator of the Ordinary People Change the World series, which teaches kids that heroes are made, not born.

So what drives a man to chase conspiracies, crack historical codes, and inspire the next generation?

This week on Conversations Live, Vicki St. Clair sits down with Brad for a conversation about storytelling, curiosity, and the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things. And of course, Brad’s latest thriller, The Viper.

Meet Brad Meltzer

Emmy-nominated Brad Meltzer is #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Rod, The Escape Artist, and 11 other bestselling thrillers. He also writes non-fiction books like The JFK Conspiracy, and the Ordinary People Change the World kids book series, which he does with Chris Eliopoulos. In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the bestseller list for Non-Fiction (The Nazi Conspiracy), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children’s Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and even comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award. As the host of Brad Meltzer’s Lost History and Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel, Brad is responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag.

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Craft of Writing, Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Oct 07: Beyond Honor, A Thriller with K. B. Brodsky

October 7, 2026

He started the story. She helped finish it. The story behind the story.

Beyond Honor with K.B. Brodsky

Writing as K.B. Brodsky, husband & wife team Karen & Bill Brodsky discuss their debut thriller, Beyond Honor.

In the early morning hours, before anyone else woke, Bill Brodsky began writing a novel. As the story took shape, he shared it with Karen, inviting her to join him as coathuor.

What followed was a true creative partnership, with all the give and take that comes with developing a manuscript, while maintaining a happy marriage.

In this candid conversation, the couple take us behind the scenes: What sparked the idea for Beyond Honor, how they shaped characters (and who are their favorites). What they learned about teamwork, the writing process; and what they discovered about themselves and each other along the way.

Whether you’re a reader, a writer, or simply curious about what happens when two people create one book, this is a conversation worth hearing.

Meet K. B. Brodsky

K. B. Brodsky is the pen name of Karen and Bill Brodsky, a husband-and-wife writing team based in New York and Colorado. Beyond Honor is their first book, and the first novel in a three-book series. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says Beyond Honor fuses the DNA of the great old-school espionage novels, with today’s modern action thrillers.

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Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Sep 23: New Thrills in Target Down – A Matthew Redd Thriller

September 24, 2026

Aaron Decker needs to collect on a 20-year-old debt, and Matthew Redd races to the challenge.

Target Down – A Matthew Redd Thriller with Ryan Steck

Ryan Steck returns to discuss Target Down, the craft of writing, and what a decade-plus of storytelling has taught him.

Aaron Decker faked his own death twenty years ago to protect his family. Now someone’s found him, and the only man he trusts to help is former Marine Raider Matthew Redd, a man who doesn’t leave debts unpaid. That’s the spark behind Target Down, the fifth entry in Ryan Steck‘s Matthew Redd series, blending military-thriller tension with the soul of a modern Western.

We dive into the full story, how Redd and this cast have evolved across five books, and the instincts Ryan has sharpened over more than a decade in the thriller world. We also learn why connections are important to authors, and why Ryan says his “bosses” are his readers.

Meet Ryan Steck

Ryan Steck is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Real Book Spy, one of the thriller genre’s most trusted voices, and author of the bestselling Matthew Redd series, including Fields of Fire, Lethal Range, Out for Blood, Gone Dark, and now Target Down. He also continues the late Ted Bell’s iconic Alex Hawke series, most recently with Warmonge; and has launched a new series with The Second Son. Ryan lives in Michigan with his wife and six children.

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Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Sep 16: Brad Taylor on Sleepwalking Toward Armageddon

September 17, 2026

Bestselling thriller author on the real-world fault lines behind his explosive new novel, Shadow Strike – A Pike Logan Novel

Shadow Strike – A Pike Logan Thriller with Brad Taylor

Brad Taylor returns to Conversations Live to pull back the curtain on Shadow Strike, his latest pulse-pounding thriller. Brad walks us through how the book came together, from the geopolitical tensions that sparked the idea, to research trips that took him from South America deep toward the edge of Antarctica.

We dig into the craft of writing believable characters, and the strange, unsettling experience of watching headlines catch up to a plot Brad already finished writing months before. Hamas, Hezbollah, Patagonia, and Argentina all collide in ways that feel ripped from today’s news.

Brad also shares why he believes the world is sleepwalking its way toward Armageddon. Is too late for us to wake up? Join us to find out. 

Meet Brad Taylor

Brad Taylor retired from the army as a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. During his 20 plus years in the army, Brad held numerous Infantry and Special Forces positions, including eight years in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, where he commanded multiple troops and a squadron. He’s conducted operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other classified locations. Brad’s final assignment was the Assistant Professor of Military Science at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. When not writing, he serves as a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies. 

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Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Jul 29: #1 NYT Bestselling Author Brad Meltzer with The Viper

July 29, 2026

Brad Meltzer returns with his most personal thriller yet.

The Viper – A Zig & Nola Novel with Brad Meltzer

In The Viper – the third installment in his acclaimed Zig and Nola series – Brad Meltzer sends his favorite characters back into the field to untangle a secret buried deep enough to kill for. The trail runs through the guarded corridors of Dover Air Force Base, into the shadow world of witness protection, and straight into the wounds veterans carry home.

Classic Meltzer, The Viper is meticulously researched, emotionally charged, and impossible to put down.

In this conversation, Brad takes us behind the curtain – how he builds characters that readers can’t stop thinking about, the surprising research that shaped The Viper, what it’s like moving fluidly across genres, and how he decides which story gets told next. And after all the twists, the danger, and the darkness his characters navigate, Brad leaves us with something a simple piece of wisdom for making sense of this chaotic world.

Meet Brad Meltzer

Emmy-nominated Brad Meltzer is #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Rod, The Escape Artist, and 11 other bestselling thrillers. He also writes non-fiction books like The JFK Conspiracy, and the Ordinary People Change the World kids book series, which he does with Chris Eliopoulos. In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the bestseller list for Non-Fiction (The Nazi Conspiracy), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children’s Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and even comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award. As the host of Brad Meltzer’s Lost History and Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel, Brad is responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag.

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Craft of Writing, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Uncategorized, Writers on Writing

Jul 15: A Mother’s Reckoning – Kate White on Her 19th Novel, I Came Back For You

July 15, 2026

What it takes to write a page-turning psychological thriller.

I Came Back For You with Kate White

Unwilling to let her daughter Melanie’s murder stay buried, Bree begins unraveling a past that turns out to be far more complicated – and far more dangerous – than she ever imagined. The deeper Bree digs, the more she’s forced to question everything she believed: About the crime, the killer, and the daughter she thought she knew inside-out.

Kate White joins us to talk about what it really takes to build a psychological thriller, from plotting and pacing, to the art of the slow-burn reveal.

Kate also takes us behind the scenes of her own remarkable story: Her years as editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, her life now in Uruguay, her passion for eco-tourism. And advice from a fellow author that changed how she approached writing novels. It’s a conversation about craft, reinvention, and the courage it takes to keep chasing the truth – on, and off, the page.

Meet Kate White

Although she loved her magazine career, Kate White decided to leave it behind 12 years ago to concentrate full-time on another passion: Writing suspense fiction. She is now the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 19 novels of suspense: 11 standalone psychological thrillers, including the latest I Came Back for You and eight Bailey Weggins mysteries. A former Glamour magazine Top Ten College Women Contest winner and cover girl, Kate had a long career in the media world, which included running five national magazines. For 14 years she was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, which under her leadership, became the most successful magazine in U.S. single-copy sales.

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Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

May 06: Brad Taylor on Shadow Strike: Assassins, Geopolitics, & Writing the World He Knows

May 6, 2026

Celebrating the 20th exciting Pike Logan mission

Shadow Strike – A Pike Logan Thriller with Brad Taylor

Brad Taylor has spent two decades writing thrillers that blend fiction with overseas intrigue, and real-life, boots on the ground action.

Shadow Strike – the 20th installment in Taylor’s Pike Logan series – begins when a rogue cell within Iran’s Revolutionary Guard orchestrates the escape of the world’s most dangerous assassin, a man known only as the Ghost. His mission, to kill the Israeli prime minister.

Brad shares how Shadow Strike came together, from the geopolitical fault lines that inspired it, to the research trips that took Brad from South America to the edge of the Antarctic. We talk about writing credible characters; what it’s like to watch real-world events catch up to a plot you finished months earlier. Hamas, Hezbollah, Patagonia, and Argentina. And, why Brad says we are sleepwalking our way to Armageddon.

Meet Brad Taylor

After more than 21 years, Brad Taylor retired from the army as a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. He held numerous Infantry and Special Forces positions, including eight years in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, where he commanded multiple troops and a squadron. He’s conducted operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other classified locations. Brad’s final assignment was the Assistant Professor of Military Science at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. When not writing, he serves as a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies. 

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Fiction, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Apr 29: The Mediator with Bestselling Author Robert Bailey

April 23, 2026

A riveting legal thriller about a disgraced lawyer facing the legal battle of her life as she tries to redeem herself—and save her son

The Mediator with Robert Bailey

Robert Bailey joins us again, this time with the first book in his new Max Ringo legal thriller series, The Mediator.

Once a courtroom superstar at an elite law firm, a car accident left Max Ringo addicted to painkillers, and her life in shambles. Fresh out of rehab, Max has a chance to make a comeback as a mediator … until her son is kidnapped by a ruthless criminal who tries to sway the outcome of The Mediator.

Will Max risk everything to bring her son home safely? Would you?

Robert discusses the story that inspired his new series, how he developed his characters, and why he loves writing about the south. He also shares what to know if you ever need a mediator.

PreOrder now – The Mediator releases May 12, 2026.

Meet Robert Bailey

Robert Bailey is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Max Ringo series, THE BOOMERANG, the Jason Rich series, the McMurtrie and Drake legal thrillers, the Bocephus Haynes series, and the inspirational novel, THE GOLFER’S CAROL. Loved by readers around the world, Robert’s books are imbued with a keen sense of justice and a profound understanding of what drives people to commit the worst crimes and fight hardest for those they love, gained from his decades as a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.

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Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Apr 01: New York Times Bestselling Author Kate White with I Came Back For You

April 1, 2026

When her daughter’s murderer makes a deathbed confession, a mother risks everything in search of truth and justice.

I Came Back For You with Kate White

“Bree will do anything to find justice for her daughter and finish this nightmare forever. The real killer could still be out there, and as Bree begins digging through her daughter Melanie’s past, she questions everything she was led to believe — about the crime, the killer, and Melanie.“

Kate White joins us with her 19th novel, and new psychological thriller, I Came Back For You.

We discuss everything from the storyline and plot, and what it takes to keep a psychological thriller moving and suspenseful, to Kate White’s experience as editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan, living in Uruguay, eco-tourism, and winning advice she received from other authors when she first began writing novels.

Meet Kate White

Kate White is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 19 novels of suspense: 11 standalone psychological thrillers, including the latest I Came Back for You and eight Bailey Weggins mysteries.

A former Glamour magazine Top Ten College Women Contest winner and cover girl, Kate had a long career in the media world, which included running five national magazines. For fourteen years she was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, which under her became the most successful magazine in single copy sales in the U.S. Though she loved her magazine career, she decided to leave twelve years ago to concentrate full-time on another passion: Writing suspense fiction.

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Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Writers on Writing

Mar 04: NYT Bestselling Author Caitlin Rother’s New Thriller – Hooked

March 5, 2026

His Case. Her Story. Their hearts on the line.

Hooked – A Thriller with Caitlin Rother

In Caitlin Rother‘s new thriller, Hooked, two biotech execs from a company developing a new drug turn up dead in the ritzy enclave of La Jolla, San Diego. Things don’t add up. But when journalist Kate Chopin and surfing homicide detective Ken Goode show up to investigate … well, sparks fly for more than one reason.

Caitlin Rother shares insights into: How she developed her storyline. How and why she wanted both lead characters to be “good” ethical people; how she kept them interesting and slightly flawed. Challenges of writing fiction.

We also discuss shared connections between protagonists Kate and Ken, and author Caitlin, of losing someone close to suicide. And Caitlin shares her nostalgia for the days of good old-fashioned newsrooms, when the truth came out, no matter what the cost.

Meet Caitlin Rother

Caitlin Rother is a New York Times bestselling author, Pulitzer-nominated investigative reporter, and the woman behind 16 true crime books — including Death on Ocean Boulevard, the haunting investigation into the mysterious death of Rebecca Zahau that’s now being developed as a TV series. She’s appeared on 20/20, Investigation Discovery, and Netflix. Caitlin Rother has a degree in psychology and a masters in journalism. Her first novel Naked Addiction introduced homicide detective, Ken Goode. Today he returns in Hooked.

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