If you’re taking off in July for a European vacation, or to your beach house in the Hamptons, this won’t interest you. If, on the other hand, you expect to be in the city the weekend of July 11-13 and want a thrill, head over to the Grand Hyatt for the ThrillerFest convention, which features most of America’s greatest writers of that genre (and maybe a few who aren’t all that great, but still…).

The event is sponsored by International Thriller Writers Inc. It seems an inclusive organization, embracing such authors of genuine international thrillers as Lee Child, Brad Thor, Steve Berry, Gayle Lynds, and Eric Van Lustbader, as well as more domestic mystery writers such as Kathy Reichs, Jonathan Santlofer, Sandra Brown, and even the wonderfully talented children’s best-seller R.L. Stine. Other major figures at the event include James Patterson, Steve Martini, David Morrell, Joseph Finder, Andrew Gross, Douglas Preston, Barry Eisler, Lorenzo Carcaterra, and Iris Johansen.

Certain to be a blast at the event will be a presentation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, featuring Special Agent Joseph Green of the local field office, who will discuss what the bureau has been doing to protect America from terrorists, both foreign and domestic.

Since there have been no successful attacks in the city or the rest of the country since the attacks of September 11, 2001, it seems the ATF has been doing the job (with more than a little help from local police departments, the FBI, the CIA, and whatever other alphabetic agencies are involved in thwarting the nasties). The ATF will also demonstrate the weapons its agents use, which may put at risk some of those fancy chandeliers at the Grand Hyatt.

It sounds like a great event, with an astonishing all-star cast, and only one drawback: To attend all the events costs an equally astonishing $975, which makes that trip to Europe or the Hamptons seem a lot more affordable.

For more information and a complete schedule, go to thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest.

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Speaking of terrorist threats, thriller writers might now be at risk themselves, simply for writing stories.

Best seller Brad Thor’s latest novel, “The Last Patriot” (Atria, 352 pages, $26), takes us back to the time when the prophet Muhammad was alive and busily writing the Koran. Most Muslims believe that holy text was dictated by God, and that Muhammad merely transcribed it, verbatim, making the book immutable.

But a new discovery indicates that there have been missing pages and other inconsistencies in the text that were known to Muhammad’s own disciples, who murdered him to prevent him from delivering his final commandment — a commandment significant enough to destroy radical Islam. As one might suppose, there are forces that do not want this discovery made public, which is why the book is a thriller.

Conservative radio host Glenn Beck had Mr. Thor on his show and warned him radical Muslims would regard this entire notion as blasphemy and that he could very well become the target of assassins. One might think this a mite extreme unless we remember the fatwa called by Iran’s ayatollahs against Salman Rushdie for his book “The Satanic Verses,” and the worldwide riots that ensued when a Danish cartoon was regarded as not funny. Islamic extremists with a sense of humor are harder to find than Judge Crater.

Another recent thriller, this one by the multiple Edgar Award-winning Andrew Klavan, “Empire of Lies” (Harcourt, 400 pages, $25), is also under predictable attack, though no one has yet actually locked and loaded a weapon to hunt Mr. Klavan down.

In this white-knuckle novel, Jason Harrow, a religious Christian, uncovers a terrorist plot targeting New York City. It is secretly orchestrated by a radical Muslim professor whose virulent views are openly stated but tolerated and excused, even encouraged, by a liberal academic environment and an equally left-leaning media.

It will be no surprise that the early reviews have savaged the book for intolerance, right-wing bias, and, implicitly, its racism. The great hope, and the warm comfort, in which this country can continue to enjoy freedom and democracy is that the echo chamber of the closed-minded left is so predictable as to be laughable.

Mr. Penzler is the proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in Manhattan and the series editor of the annual Best American Mystery Stories. He can be reached at ottopenzler@mysteriousbookshop .com.