I Need Some Mystery/Thriller/Crime Recommendations Based on These Authors - Page 2

sun surfer · 12-13-2012, 12:48 PM

You guys are amazing. So much to choose from now!

We're only buying maybe like ten, maybe less, maybe more depending on the total price. So any repeat recs or seconds or thirds to any of these authors or books will help me out on deciding too! I think I'm going to do about half the ones that sound good that she probably has the least chance of having read before, and the other half ones that have most recs in this thread or best reviews elsewhere and just hope she hasn't read them, to give her a good mix of more obscure and more popular to choose from.

For my own reference, to have them in one place, here's what I'm going to look into:

Brad Meltzer (thrillers)
John Hart (mysteries)
Peter May's Enzo Macleod books (like Dan Brown)
Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne books
Val McDermid - The Mermaids Singing (first in series, police woman and criminal psychologist)
Robert Crais - The Monkey's Raincoat (first in Elvis Cole series, nominated and won mystery awards)
J. D. Robb's In Death series (sci-fi set 50 years in future)
P. D. James
Carol O'Connell
John Verdon - Shut Your Eyes Tight (excellent psych thriller)
*Dennis Lehane's Kenzie-Gennaro series starting with A Drink Before War and Darkness, Take My Hand
Tom Rob Smith - Child 44 (thriller, first of trilogy)
Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee Mysteries (Native American investigators)
**Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak Mysteries by (Native American investigators) (FIRST ONE FREE - a cold day for murder, see links)
Dana Stabenow's Liam Campbell mysteries (FIRST ONE FREE - fire and ice, see links)
*Kathy Reichs (like Patricia Cornwall, Bones tv show based on it but very different)
Jefferson Bass' Body Farm series

jgaiser's recs:
Craig Johnson
James Elroy
Lawrence Block
Truman Capote (In Cold Blood)
Raymond Chandler
Lee Child
G.K. Chesterson (Father Brown??)
Reed Farrel Coleman
Michael Connelly
Sue Grafton
Dashiel Hammett
Georgette Heyer
Laurie R. King
John Le Carre
Ed McBain

free classics:
Josephine Tey's Alan Grant mysteries (possibly free)
Agatha Christie's first books, Mysterious Affair at Styles (free)
Sherlock Holmes (free)
Wilkie Collins - The Woman in White, Moonstone (free)
Dorothy L. Sayers (free at mobileread)
Edgar Wallace (free)

And thanks cassidym for the Literature Map rec. There's so many recs here and I can't get them all, so I may use that to see which of these recs might be close to some of her favourite authors.

Synamon, that's a great idea, I hadn't even thought of filling it up with free older ones (even when you first mentioned free in your first post, heh)! I'm guessing she'll probably stick mainly to the newer/newest ones that she's now used to if she uses the e-reader at all, but no matter, it's still a great idea since it's free and will fill the library out and she just may get the urge to revisit one or try one sometime. Now I'll be able to fill it up with all sorts of classics, maybe even some non-mystery ones she might like, so she can have not just some books but a good sized smaller library on it ready to go right from the start.

So definitely, if anyone else has any free classic mysteries to recommend that I might not think of, I'll take those recs too, thanks!

ETA - If I missed either commenting on or listing anyone's recommendation, it was only by accident so let me know, but I think I got them all.

alansplace · 12-13-2012, 01:02 PM

Please don't leave out the 2 quite extensive series featuring Native American Investigators:

The Leaphorn & Chee Mysteries by Tony Hillerman
The Kate Shugak Mysteries by Dana Stabenow

Dazrin · 12-13-2012, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alansplace

Please don't leave out the 2 quite extensive series featuring Native American Investigators:

The Leaphorn & Chee Mysteries by Tony Hillerman
The Kate Shugak Mysteries by Dana Stabenow

Good suggestion for the Kate Shugak mysteries. I know you can get the first of the Kate Shugak and the first of the Liam Campbell mysteries by Dana Stabenow for free on the Kindle. They would be good starting points for those two series and wouldn't cost you anything more. It isn't clear what e-reader you are getting though, so this may not apply in your case, but maybe they are free at other sources too if you don't have a Kindle.

A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak 1)
Fire and Ice (Liam Campbell 1)

alansplace · 12-13-2012, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Good suggestion for the Kate Shugak mysteries. I know you can get the first of the Kate Shugak and the first of the Liam Campbell mysteries by Dana Stabenow for free on the Kindle. They would be good starting points for those two series and wouldn't cost you anything more. It isn't clear what e-reader you are getting though, so this may not apply in your case, but maybe they are free at other sources too if you don't have a Kindle.

A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak 1)
Fire and Ice (Liam Campbell 1)

A better source would be here where you get a zip file with a epub and a mobi both DRM free.

issybird · 12-13-2012, 01:49 PM

Several of the Dorothy L. Sayers books are available here at MR, I believe.

Edgar Wallace is fun and pd, not sure if he's here, though.

DianNC · 12-13-2012, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

A Cold Day for Murder (Kate Shugak 1)

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the short account at the beginning of this book of Dana's being notified by her editor on winning the Edgar Award. It's pretty funny (from taking the advice she'd read about in a Coco Chanel book to alter a top to almost missing the award ceremony when she couldn't get a cab back to her hotel after visiting the Statue of Liberty).

My copy is from Amazon, but it's probably included in the other versions, as well.

alansplace · 12-13-2012, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianNC

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the short account at the beginning of this book of Dana's being notified by her editor on winning the Edgar Award. It's pretty funny (from taking the advice she'd read about in a Coco Chanel book to alter a top to almost missing the award ceremony when she couldn't get a cab back to her hotel after visiting the Statue of Liberty).

My copy is from Amazon, but it's probably included in the other versions, as well.

It is. And I agree, I loved that 'Word from the Author'.

FizzyWater · 12-13-2012, 11:56 PM

I really enjoy the JD Robb series, but it is a little different than most of the authors you listed - it's set approx 50 years in the future (when she started the series, it was more like 60-70 years, but the books haven't covered more than 3-4 years so far in the series!) I have one friend who won't read them because she considers them "too sci-fi".

If she likes Patricia Cornwall, I would imagine she'd like Kathy Reichs. Very similar main characters.

I also second the recommendation for the Lehane Kenzie-Genarro series.

mediax · 12-14-2012, 08:52 AM

For any Patricia Cornwell fan, I agree with FizzyWater's suggestion of Kathy Reichs (which bears little resemblance to the Bones TV series that was based on it) - and I'm surprised no-one's suggested Jefferson Bass' Body Farm series yet (if they have, I'm less surprised that I've missed it

)

sun surfer · 12-15-2012, 11:03 AM

I've added all the new recs to the list in my post above, thanks.

The Kate Shugak mysteries already have so many recs in here in the last few posts that I would've gotten it for her anyway, but then the first one is free, so even better as it leaves room for even more. And not that it matters so much, but the character being Native American sounds interesting. The person we're giving this to has a little Native American ancestry, so I think she'd like that.

Also with the second rec and since I was leaning towards a Lehane anyway but not knowing which one to get, I'll probably also definitely get her at least the first of that series, A Drink Before War.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazrin

...It isn't clear what e-reader you are getting though...

We have indeed gotten her a Kindle, a Kindle Paperwhite with 3G. For her, we wanted the simplest, easiest to use device possible, all things considered, to maximise chances of her actually using it and getting used to it. If she does use it, I doubt she'll ever even connect it to her computer. And if I weren't setting everything up for her, she might never even set anything up. Once and if she reads the books we're pre-loading, hopefully she'll get used to it and like it and then want to buy more e-books of her choosing. Then at best I think she will only use the Kindle store on her device and only buy books directly from the e-reader.

jgaiser · 12-17-2012, 10:40 AM

*I* have to thank you all for the Dana Stabenow recommendations. Finished "A Cold Day for Murder" this morning and immediately purchased "A Fatal Thaw". A quick and satisfying read.

Moonraker · 12-17-2012, 10:54 AM

The authors who keep me turning the pages are:

Brad Meltzer
Christopher Reich
Peter James
Jo Nesbo (his Headhunters is brilliant)
John Grisham
Ken Follett
Gregg Hurwitz
Lynda La Plante
Mo Hayder (Scary)
Ruth Rendell
Ann Cleeves

Mel Comley · 03-09-2013, 06:10 AM

My fav thriller authors are:

Karen Rose
Karin Slaughter
Linda Prather
L J Sellers
Early James Patterson books
Michael Wallace
Lisa Scottoline

MickiTee · 03-12-2013, 12:05 PM

You don't say which ereader you're buying, but you might want to stick to non-DRM and public domain ebooks. This will avoid all the problems with buying DRM'd books using one email account and the ereader being registered to another.

12-13-2012, 12:48 PM	#16
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44637926 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	You guys are amazing. So much to choose from now! We're only buying maybe like ten, maybe less, maybe more depending on the total price. So any repeat recs or seconds or thirds to any of these authors or books will help me out on deciding too! I think I'm going to do about half the ones that sound good that she probably has the least chance of having read before, and the other half ones that have most recs in this thread or best reviews elsewhere and just hope she hasn't read them, to give her a good mix of more obscure and more popular to choose from. For my own reference, to have them in one place, here's what I'm going to look into: Brad Meltzer (thrillers) John Hart (mysteries) Peter May's Enzo Macleod books (like Dan Brown) Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne books Val McDermid - The Mermaids Singing (first in series, police woman and criminal psychologist) Robert Crais - The Monkey's Raincoat (first in Elvis Cole series, nominated and won mystery awards) J. D. Robb's In Death series (sci-fi set 50 years in future) P. D. James Carol O'Connell John Verdon - Shut Your Eyes Tight (excellent psych thriller) Dennis Lehane's Kenzie-Gennaro series starting with A Drink Before War and Darkness, Take My Hand Tom Rob Smith - Child 44 (thriller, first of trilogy) Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee Mysteries (Native American investigators) Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak Mysteries by (Native American investigators) (FIRST ONE FREE - a cold day for murder, see links) Dana Stabenow's Liam Campbell mysteries (FIRST ONE FREE - fire and ice, see links) Kathy Reichs (like Patricia Cornwall, Bones tv show based on it but very different) Jefferson Bass' Body Farm series jgaiser's recs: Craig Johnson James Elroy Lawrence Block Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) Raymond Chandler Lee Child G.K. Chesterson (Father Brown??) Reed Farrel Coleman Michael Connelly Sue Grafton Dashiel Hammett Georgette Heyer Laurie R. King John Le Carre Ed McBain free classics: Josephine Tey's Alan Grant mysteries (possibly free) Agatha Christie's first books, Mysterious Affair at Styles (free) Sherlock Holmes (free) Wilkie Collins - The Woman in White, Moonstone (free) Dorothy L. Sayers (free at mobileread) Edgar Wallace (free) And thanks cassidym for the Literature Map rec. There's so many recs here and I can't get them all, so I may use that to see which of these recs might be close to some of her favourite authors. Synamon, that's a great idea, I hadn't even thought of filling it up with free older ones (even when you first mentioned free in your first post, heh)! I'm guessing she'll probably stick mainly to the newer/newest ones that she's now used to if she uses the e-reader at all, but no matter, it's still a great idea since it's free and will fill the library out and she just may get the urge to revisit one or try one sometime. Now I'll be able to fill it up with all sorts of classics, maybe even some non-mystery ones she might like, so she can have not just some books but a good sized smaller library on it ready to go right from the start. So definitely, if anyone else has any free classic mysteries to recommend that I might not think of, I'll take those recs too, thanks! ETA - If I missed either commenting on or listing anyone's recommendation, it was only by accident so let me know, but I think I got them all. Last edited by sun surfer; 12-15-2012 at 10:36 AM.

12-13-2012, 01:02 PM	#17
alansplace Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,886 Karma: 464403178 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: 33.9388° N, 117.2716° W Device: Kindles K-2, K-KB, PW 1 & 2, Voyage, Fire 2, 5 & HD 8, Surface 3, iPad	Hillerman & Stabenow Please don't leave out the 2 quite extensive series featuring Native American Investigators: The Leaphorn & Chee Mysteries by Tony Hillerman The Kate Shugak Mysteries by Dana Stabenow

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12-13-2012, 01:49 PM	#20
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,210 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	Several of the Dorothy L. Sayers books are available here at MR, I believe. Edgar Wallace is fun and pd, not sure if he's here, though.

12-13-2012, 11:56 PM	#23
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	I really enjoy the JD Robb series, but it is a little different than most of the authors you listed - it's set approx 50 years in the future (when she started the series, it was more like 60-70 years, but the books haven't covered more than 3-4 years so far in the series!) I have one friend who won't read them because she considers them "too sci-fi". If she likes Patricia Cornwall, I would imagine she'd like Kathy Reichs. Very similar main characters. I also second the recommendation for the Lehane Kenzie-Genarro series.

12-14-2012, 08:52 AM	#24
mediax Readaholic Posts: 255 Karma: 1058454 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Swindon, UK Device: Sony PRS-T2 (previously 505 and 650)	For any Patricia Cornwell fan, I agree with FizzyWater's suggestion of Kathy Reichs (which bears little resemblance to the Bones TV series that was based on it) - and I'm surprised no-one's suggested Jefferson Bass' Body Farm series yet (if they have, I'm less surprised that I've missed it )

12-17-2012, 10:40 AM	#26
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	I have to thank you all for the Dana Stabenow recommendations. Finished "A Cold Day for Murder" this morning and immediately purchased "A Fatal Thaw". A quick and satisfying read.

12-17-2012, 10:54 AM	#27
Moonraker Addict Posts: 314 Karma: 1002965 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: UK Device: ILiad. Gen 3, PocketBook 360, Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Oasis 2	The authors who keep me turning the pages are: Brad Meltzer Christopher Reich Peter James Jo Nesbo (his Headhunters is brilliant) John Grisham Ken Follett Gregg Hurwitz Lynda La Plante Mo Hayder (Scary) Ruth Rendell Ann Cleeves

03-09-2013, 06:10 AM	#28
Mel Comley Addict Posts: 318 Karma: 602031 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: France Device: none	My fav thriller authors are: Karen Rose Karin Slaughter Linda Prather L J Sellers Early James Patterson books Michael Wallace Lisa Scottoline

03-12-2013, 12:05 PM	#29
MickiTee Guru Posts: 838 Karma: 3976266 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: London, UK Device: Sony PRS-505, Pocketbook TL3, TL4, TL5	You don't say which ereader you're buying, but you might want to stick to non-DRM and public domain ebooks. This will avoid all the problems with buying DRM'd books using one email account and the ereader being registered to another.