Do you read Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson and Cathy Reichs?

[cccm]

Agree with PP who said Diane Mott Davidson and Joanne Fluke.

Anne Perry is great! She does Thomas Pitt, William Monk and WWI series. I am behind on the WWI series but have read every Pitt and Monk book.

 

[PenguinWaiters]

I enjoy:

Robert Crais' Elvis Cole novels - wisecracking LA private detective, set in the here and now

Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone (alphabet) novels - wisecracking Calif. private detective (hmmm... I see a pattern) - sort of set in the here and now. When the author began the series in the early 80's, she didn't want much time to have passed between books, even though they were published years apart. So, slowly, Kinsey has fallen behind the times, aging only a few years even though the series is 20 years old. So, she is a private detective in the 1980's - it is interesting as it is really pre-cell phone and laptop so she uses more traditional private eye detection methods.

Michael Connely's Harry Bosch novels & stand alone novels - excellent, set in LA, here and now

Jonathan Kellerman's - Alex Delaware novels - LA psychiatrist who works for the police - HEY why are all of these set in California??? Anyway, also set in current time. Also try the two books by his son Jesse Kellerman - I also thought they were good. OTOH, I didn't really get into the ones that his wife, Faye Kellerman writes, although she is a very popular mystery writer as well.

I could go on and on as I LOVE to read and currently read almost exclusively mysteries - I just finished Kissing Christmas Goodbye by MC Beaton (I enjoy both her Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth novels), am currently reading Archer Mayor's Chat (another great series - Joe Gunther is the main character, set in VERMONT, not Calif!), and have Patricia Cornwell's Book of the Dead up on deck. After that will be Richard Russo's new novel for a change of pace.

Happy reading!

Terri

 

[RNMOM]

I have read and enjoyed many of these books too but I love Dean Koontz. He has a series called "Odd Thomas". Set in the present and there are two more and hopefully more to come. They are really good mysteries with a little occult thrown in.

Kellerman, DeMille, Patterson, Deaver, Grafton are all favs of mine.

I like historical mysteries too.

 

[PhotobearSam]

Thanks for all your help guys...DH just showed up with the Whole "Jason Bourne" series for me because I loved the movies.
SEE....DH's can listen...LOL


I will have to make a trip to the bookstore to look at some of your suggestions.

I bought a few more James Patterson novels (Alex Cross) at a used bookstore yesterday but I did not have the list of the suggestions from all of you with me so I will have to go back.

 

[Christine]

Try Greg Iles. His books are FABULOUS. Dead Sleep was the first I read and it was great. His writing style is much more complex than James Patterson (which to me is sometimes written at a 6th grade level ) but the stories are much the same in that they keep you on the edge of your seat.

Start with his older books and work your way to the latest books.

 

[PhotobearSam]

Is it a series with the same character?

 

[Tazicket]

Faye Kellerman (Pete Decker series)
Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware series)

These are two of my favorites. The (Nora Roberts writing as) J.D. Robb "In Death" series is also fabulous. It's more into the mystery genre as opposed to romance.

 

[Christine]

Is it a series with the same character?

If you are referring to the Greg Iles books, not really. All the books kind of stand alone, but you will see one or two characters "feature" in some of the stories.

 

[RUDisney]

His writing style is much more complex than James Patterson (which to me is sometimes written at a 6th grade level

It's so funny that you mention that. I keep telling my 6th grade DS that he should read When the Wind Blows to start up with the Maximum Ride series. I just have to check to see if it's on Accelerated Reaer so he'll get credit for reading it.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Sue Grafton, Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, Elizabeth Peters, Janet Evanovich

I spent years loving Cornwell but have found her last couple books disapointing and didn't even bother to get the current one.

 

[Tazicket]

Also, John Grisham...Any thoughts?

John Grisham stuff is great if you don't mind a little legal minutia thrown in. For me, they usually take several chapters to get in to, but I really enjoy them once I'm there. My first Grisham book was The Client - very good.

 

[Christine]

It's so funny that you mention that. I keep telling my 6th grade DS that he should read When the Wind Blows to start up with the Maximum Ride series. I just have to check to see if it's on Accelerated Reaer so he'll get credit for reading it.

James Patterson hasn't always written like this. Some of the earlier Alex Cross series and books like "Kiss the Girls" are more complex. Then all of a sudden, I noticed that his paragraphs were extremely short, chapters very short, and it was quite "easy" reading.

While I have always found his plots to be interesting and suspensful, his books are no longer very "meaty" to me and I can't really involve myself with them anymore. I do think they are great "starter" novels for younger teens as long as the content is okay.

 

[RSoxFan]

I didn't read all of the replies, but I love Tess Gerritsen. I didn't like The Mephisto Club, but the Jane Rizzoli ones are great. My favorite by her is called Harvest.

 

[RUDisney]

James Patterson hasn't always written like this. Some of the earlier Alex Cross series and books like "Kiss the Girls" are more complex. Then all of a sudden, I noticed that his paragraphs were extremely short, chapters very short, and it was quite "easy" reading.

While I have always found his plots to be interesting and suspensful, his books are no longer very "meaty" to me and I can't really involve myself with them anymore. I do think they are great "starter" novels for younger teens as long as the content is okay.

This is exactly what I think about his work. However, most of his recent books have been cowritten, so that could be a part of his "non-meatiness."

"You've Been Warned" was the book DS kept asking about reading. That was one hot book that he needs some age and maturity behind him before I'll let him read that.

 

[rcraw45425]

ANother vote for John Sandford, and the early Nelson DeMilles are great. Stuart Wood has some good older books , haven't read anything by him lately. I picked up the new Cornwell last night, it was $16 at B&N so I'm cool with that, concidering paperbacks are $8. I just finished Dennis Lehane's Gone Baby Gone, good but disturbing, I bought some more of his last night, hee hee. Patterson is just pumping them out now, no real thought needed. I still love Clive Cussler, am reading his newest one, new character, takes place 1900 and 1950, really different era for him to go with the new character. So far I love it, it's called the Chase. I generally utilize the library now unless it's a favorite author of mine. That reminds me I need to request Double Cross by Patterson!

ETA: Iris Johansen, Kay Hooper, ELizabeth Lowell, Jayne Ann Krentz,and Catherine Coulter

 

[Darcy03231]

I haven't gone through this thread so forgive me if these are repeats:

Kay Hooper
Heather Graham
Nora Roberts/JD Robb
Iris Johansen (sp)
John Sanford
Robert Tannenbaum
Linda Howard
David Baldacci (sp)
Lisa Jackson
Tami Hoag
Suzanne Enoch (Rick Addison & Samantha Jellicoe series)
Sue Grafton
Harlen Coben
Elizabeth Lowell
John Kellerman
Faye Kellerman
Robert Parker
Karin Slaughter
Jeffrey Deaver
John Grisham (tend to be legal thrillers)
Mariah Stewart
JA Jance
Lisa Gardner
Catherine Coulter
Mary Higgins Clark
Sandra Brown
William Bernhardt (sp)
Dan Brown
Stuart Woods

I guess you can tell I read a lot!

 

[U2_rocks!]

I think you'd really like Jeffery Deaver - the Lincoln Rhyme series. His character doesn't change that much over the series, but another character in the same series, Amelia Sachs, does. I really like her. Start with the Bone Collector. http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Collecto...r_1_27?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195140248&sr=1-27

ETA: I also like JD Robb's futuristic series - but it's heavier on the romance and sex scenes than Cornwell, Reichs etc. I have also enjoyed the Catherine Coulter FBI series, though those are a lighter read.