Thrillers! Detective fiction type stuff - what's good?

[RubyBlue]

I'm reading The Brutal Art by Jesse Kellerman at the moment and finding it very good indeed, so an in-progress recommendation from me.

I've read his first 2 books - sunstroke and another one - didn't realise he had a 3rd one out - I'll have to look - I enjoyed the first 2.

 

[RubyBlue]

Thanks to this thread, I am reading a Peter Robinson and am gripped so ta for that. Only name I could remember - need to print the thread out and put it in my bag

Another vote for Peter Robinson - enjoyed his books so far. I'm reading a Mark Gimenaz right now.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Mo Hayder is great - Birdman, The Treatment, Ritual, Pig Island.

Ritual annoyed me slightly with some errors but if you're not Bristolian it won't really matter.

http://www.mohayder.net/books.html

I've read Tokyo, Pig Island and The Treatment. Good enough. Particularly like Tokyo.

 

[RubyBlue]

I don't think anyones mentioned Minette Walters - I think her stuff is great! Maybe she's more crime then thriller / detective?

 

[Limejuice]

I recommend the Nic Costa books by David Hewson. The series is mostly set in Rome and starts with A Season for The Dead.

 

[mentalchik]

John Connolly is a favourite of mine..........

 

[cyberfairy]

I don't think anyones mentioned Minette Walters - I think her stuff is great! Maybe she's more crime then thriller / detective?

I like her stuff too despite the endings often being wrapped up a bit too quickly a neatly-a common fault with the genre I find.
Reading lots of Agatha Christie at the moment-The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is superb.

 

[Fedayn]

Got a link? I'd love to read the interview.

Don't think it's on the www 'anymore'. The interview was 10 years ago...

 

[madamv]

Ooh I was just about to suggest Agatha...

I like Jeffrey Deaver, the books can be read really quickly and the stories are well rounded.

Patricia Cornwell is another in a similar vein to Deaver, but I do find her a little less intelligent. She has lots of cooking in her books too, my mum bought me her recipe book for xmas

My hub reads alot of the 2 of £7 quids in Tesco.... McDermaid, Coben, Patterson, Grisham, Koontz, Rankin type stuff...

 

[Geri]

I've read Tokyo, Pig Island and The Treatment. Good enough. Particularly like Tokyo.

I haven't read Tokyo, I might get that one next. I think she has a new one coming out as well.

 

[Shirl]

Thanks to this thread, I am reading a Peter Robinson and am gripped so ta for that. Only name I could remember - need to print the thread out and put it in my bag

I've been looking for something better than Peter James and decided to check out urban recommendations. I just bought Gallows View which was the earliest I could find on kindle.

 

[trashpony]

I've been looking for something better than Peter James and decided to check out urban recommendations. I just bought Gallows View which was the earliest I could find on kindle.

This is an old thread!
Weirdly I have just read a Peter James because it was all I could find in the garden centre when I was waiting for my broken down car to be collected last week. I don't think I've ever read one before. Perhaps I'll try Peter Robinson again

 

[Shirl]

This is an old thread!
Weirdly I have just read a Peter James because it was all I could find in the garden centre when I was waiting for my broken down car to be collected last week. I don't think I've ever read one before. Perhaps I'll try Peter Robinson again

I discovered Peter James about 18 months ago when I was staying one night a week with my sister when she was very ill. She loves his books and I picked up a couple to read in bed. I liked to stories but I don't really like his writing, I don't think he really gets women. I tend to download one onto my kindle whenever I'm stuck for something in a hurry and every time I think I should find something better.
I'm hoping for more from Peter Robinson

 

[yardbird]

A seven year bump for reading material - excellent.
I have trouble reading books but can do kindle strangely enough (it's an MS thing) so I'll read this thread and see what I can download.

 

[Shirl]

A seven year bump for reading material - excellent.
I have trouble reading books but can do kindle strangely enough (it's an MS thing) so I'll read this thread and see what I can download.

I like that I can make the kindle print as big as I want it

 

[discobastard]

I found Peter James' Inspector Grace novels got a bit samey and dull as they went through the series - and agree he really doesn't get women. And the 'disappeared wife' thing drags out far too much. Have stopped reading them a couple of novels ago.

Peter Robinson - some great novels early in the series, but again, they got weaker and weaker and he is also very one dimensional in his characterisation - single male detective who has to make extended comment about every single woman he meets and what they wear. Flogging a dead horse.

BUT

Steve Mosby is a writer I have really enjoyed over the past 3-4 years. Quite disturbing and brutal crime novels, and quite unlike any others I have read. Black Flowers is particularly imaginative and compelling and is one of the best narratives I have come across in a long time. He's from Leeds

the left room

Harry Bingham's series of novels about a young Welsh police detective, Fiona Griffiths (there are five of them now), also rank as some of the best crime fiction books I have ever read. Read the first one (Talking to the Dead) and I suspect you'll chew through the next four straight away. Totally fresh and as far away from the hackneyed, bullshit, opera/jazz loving, alcoholic, tortured, divorced male detective shtick as you're likely to get. A really welcome and creative voice in a genre that needs a kick up the arse.

Harry Binghams books

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I like that Icelandic bloke - Arnaldur Indridson. The first one I read opened with a scene of a dead bloke dressed as Santa with his cock out which kind of sets the tone...

Mr M used to like Maj Sjowal and Per Wahlloo from Sweden but I couldn't really get on with them. Good stories but too deadpan for me.

 

[discobastard]

I like that Icelandic bloke - Arnaldur Indridson. The first one I read opened with a scene of a dead bloke dressed as Santa with his cock out which kind of sets the tone...

Mr M used to like Maj Sjowal and Per Wahlloo from Sweden but I couldn't really get on with them. Good stories but too deadpan for me.

I don't think I read the Santa/cock story (possibly a good thing) but I read some of the other Indridason stuff and really liked it. Bleak but worth pushing through it. As with most of the Scandi stuff - it translates quite deadpan, but the Wallander stuff works quite well for that. Some of the Anne Holt stuff is good (think the recent Modus thing on BBC4 was based on one of her novels). And also Jussi Adler-Olsen (which I think was also recently on BBC4).

 

[Shirl]

Thanks discobastard I'm still reading the first Peter Robinson but I've just bought The 50/50 Killer and Talking to the Dead. I'll try them both.

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

Anyone mention PD James yet?
Love all her books.

 

[nogojones]

Another vote for James Ellroy and I don't think anyones mentioned Jim Thompson yet, who I really love and Chester Himes

 

[rubbershoes]

I read a couple by Harry Bingham recently. They're pretty good

 

[moomoo]

I've really enjoyed the two books by Claire Mcintosh. Especially 'I let you go' which I finished yesterday. It was unputdownable with lots of twists and turns. I'm just waiting to see if a friend in hospital would like it but if not, would you like me to send it to you trashpony?

 

[A380]

Elmore Leonard, but few detectives in those, mostly criminals...

Elmore Leonard is the only crime writer I like. His plots are great but his prose is fantastic, It looks so simple but isn't. It's how I wish I could write.

His Raylan Givens 'Justified' series are about a detective.

 

[Manter]

I love Robert Wilson- a small death in Lisbon, the ignorance of blood. In fact I need to check if he has written any new ones

 

[Manter]

Also- CWA gold dagger a good way to discover new authors.

 

[trashpony]

I've really enjoyed the two books by Claire Mcintosh. Especially 'I let you go' which I finished yesterday. It was unputdownable with lots of twists and turns. I'm just waiting to see if a friend in hospital would like it but if not, would you like me to send it to you trashpony?

Oh thank you, that's really kind but I've already read them (obviously I had to look them up to check ). Good though

 

[Shirl]

I read the four Kate Atkinson 'Jackson Brodie' books a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed them and keep hoping she'll write another.

 

[BoatieBird]

I like Kate Atkinson too Shirl.
Also Denise Mina - both her Garnethill trilogy and the DI Alex Morrow series.

 

[weltweit]

I have read a lot of Ian Rankin and they always hit the spot for a quick read. Mark Billingham is also good and I read a couple by Stella Rimington which were ok.