Over the last year, author and conservative commentator Glenn Beck has interviewed 40 thriller writers, from David Baldacci to James Patterson, becoming a coveted new stop on the book tour trail for publishers.

In a NY Times article about this phenomenon, thriller author Brad Thor quipped: "He's our Oprah ... God love him, we're very fortunate." According to the article, Beck reaches 9 million radio listeners every week and 2.7 million television viewers every day. On the Morning Media Menu today, we pondered why the thriller appeals so strongly to Beck's audience.

Former GalleyCat reporter Sarah Weinman wrote about the gender politics underlying these figures: "Beck definitely has a line into what his viewers--especially the 800,000-odd people in the coveted 25-54 demographic--might be interested in reading. Chances are they are not avid book buyers, lucky to put a couple of hundred bucks' total into publishers' coffers. Beck's viewership also skews predominately towards white males, and at the risk of gross overgeneralization, fall into the stereotypical category of those who shy away from reading books outside their own gender (or ethnic and cultural worldview.)"