Crime Fiction Recommendations

[ruth1304]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Ian Rankin (Rebus).
Colin Dexter (Morse).
Ruth Rendell (Wexford).
P.D. James (Dalgliesh)

I have enjoyed all of these, but sometimes I'm in the mood for something with a more lighthearted approach, and then I read Lindsey Davis who has written about Falco, a detective in Rome in the 1st century ad. Something a bit different, and it ties up with all the Roman history I learnt at school!

I don't read these as ebooks though - I only read detective stories once so I borrow them as pbooks from the library.

I have also read some Dick Francis. He's not one of my favourites but I have really enjoyed dramatisations/readings of his books on the radio. (I think I prefer them because they're cut down versions and it brings out the drama of the stories.)

[snape]

I love Will Thomas's Barker/Llewelyn series. Billed as "Victorian whodunits", but without the cozy feel of other Victorian-era novels. Great action, dry humor.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by benham

Harry have you read Dick Francis?

No, I haven't. Do you recommend his books? I know that they are all about horse racing.

[Penforhire]

I've also read an enjoyed all of Connolly's books except his latest (Scarecrow?). My wife and I are both Harry Bosch fans.

Too many others to mention. Both Kellermans, Deaver, Patterson, Coben, W.E.B. Griffin, Sandford, Block, ...

[BruceW]

Dick Francis books are just great. I have read everyone numerous times. His books are some of my favourite “comfort books” that I reach for when I am not feeling well or just need time with “an old friend”.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ruth1304

I have enjoyed all of these, but sometimes I'm in the mood for something with a more lighthearted approach, and then I read Lindsey Davis who has written about Falco, a detective in Rome in the 1st century ad. Something a bit different, and it ties up with all the Roman history I learnt at school!

Yes, I love the "Falco" books, too!

[ylefox]

i read mostly sci fi books but now and again i like to read ed mcbain 87th precinct novels

[benham]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, I haven't. Do you recommend his books? I know that they are all about horse racing.

Absolutely! They aren't usually about horseracing itself but his characters are generally involved with the sport in some way. If you like crime fiction he did extensive research for his books. Now his son Felix is also writing with him and seems to be doing well also He doesn't rights series, although a couple characters show up in more then 1 book. Pick any book and try it out!

[poohbear_nc]

For something really offbeat, try Colin Cotterill's series about a 78-year old coroner in post-war Laos. They are laugh-out-loud funny, spiritual, philosophical, and totally entertaining.

http://www.amazon.com/Coroners-Lunch...4481680&sr=1-2

[ruth1304]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

For something really offbeat, try Colin Cotterill's series about a 78-year old coroner in post-war Laos. They are laugh-out-loud funny, spiritual, philosophical, and totally entertaining.

Thanks for the recommendation - I'd never heard of these before but I'll definitely look out for them now

[poohbear_nc]

Louise Penny's "Three Pines" series - set in Canada - is a lovely, slow atmospheric mystery series set in a town populated by misfits from the big world.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/series/9415...kindle_edition



Reminds me of the early chemistry of the characters in the Martha Grimes Richard Jury series.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/series/553/...tion=hardcover

[Raduz]

Originally Posted by benham

Absolutely! They aren't usually about horseracing itself but his characters are generally involved with the sport in some way. If you like crime fiction he did extensive research for his books. Now his son Felix is also writing with him and seems to be doing well also He doesn't rights series, although a couple characters show up in more then 1 book. Pick any book and try it out!

He was actually a jockey, and rather successful one (he was jockey to Queen Mother for some time). He has retired from racing in 1957, and has been writing since then. I remember reading a lot of his books when I was teenager, and loved them at the time.

[wayspooled]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

For something really offbeat, try Colin Cotterill's series about a 78-year old coroner in post-war Laos. They are laugh-out-loud funny, spiritual, philosophical, and totally entertaining.

http://www.amazon.com/Coroners-Lunch...4481680&sr=1-2

I'm following up on this one too, thanks for the recommendation.

[PDS]

In no particular order ......

Dick Francis
Michael Connelly
Jonathan Kellerman
J A Jance
James Patterson

[Madam Broshkina]

I enjoyed Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. Here is the synopsis via Fantastic Fiction.

How do you solve an impossible crime?

It is a society that is, officially, a haven for its citizens. Superior to the decadent West, Stalin's Soviet Union strives to be a paradise for its workers, providing for all of their needs: education, health care, security. In exchange, all that is required is their hard work, and their loyalty and faith to the Soviet State.

Leo Demidov knows this better than most. A rising, prominent officer in the State Security force, Leo is a former war hero whose only ambition is to serve his country. To defend this workers' paradise--and to guarantee a secure life for his parents, and for his wife, Raisa--Leo has spent his career guarding against threats to the State. Ideological crimes--crimes of thought, crimes of disloyalty, crimes against the revolution--are forcefully suppressed, without question.

And then the impossible happens. A different kind of criminal--a murderer--is on the loose, killing at will. At the same time, Leo finds himself demoted and denounced by his enemies, all but sentenced to death. The only way to salvage what remains of his life is to uncover this criminal. But in a society that is officially paradise, it's a crime against the state to suggest that a murderer--much less a serial killer--is in their midst. To save his life and the lives of his family, Leo must confront the vast resources and reach of the security forces with only Raisa remaining at his side, to find and stop a criminal that the State won't admit even exists.