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I really love mystery & detective novels, so here are some of my favorites: Dick FrancisOne of my all-time-favorite authors, Mr. Francis always constructs an engaging situation with a little bit of danger, a little mystery, a little lovin', and a satisfying ending. Mr. Francis himself was a very esteemed jockey in England, his career sidelined by a tragic fall. He's still writing, but now with his son as a co-writer; I've only read one of these 3 books they've written together, and the elder Francis' voice is still very apparent, though I found the book itself to be a little formulaic. My favorite of his books are the Sid Halley series, Odds Against (1965), Whip Hand (1979), Come to Grief (1995), and Under Orders (2006). Forty years in the making, but Sid is truly one of his most engaging and relatable characters. Check out his great website: www.dickfrancis.com
Patricia CornwellMy favorite of Cornwell's books are her Kay Scarpetta series, a medical examiner with a bumbling cop sidekick, Marino, and Lucy, the rebellious genius niece. I like her strong and intelligent, but imperfect, female characters, and the development of Lucy's character especially. Yes, she's written other mystery series, and biographies and cookbooks, but this series is my favorite of her work. I haven't read her latest, The Scarpetta Factor (2009), but I'm on the wait list at the library.
Check out more at her website, including book excerpts: www.patriciacornwell.com David BaldacciIt has to be hard to start your career with such acclaimed success as Baldacci did with his first novel Absolute Power (1996) that was a best-seller and made into a Clint Eastwood movie within a year. But he's really just getting better, and he's got 2 really great series going, as well as a handful of stand-alone books that are really fun to read. Besides the crime-thriller genre, he also writes "other" books, but I didn't enjoy those as much.My favorite Baldacci series are the Camel Club books: The Camel Club (2005) The Collectors (2006) Stone Cold (2007) Divine Justice (2008) Featuring Oliver Stone and a group of elder misfits, there is a lot of humor, intrigue, fear and conspiracies. They're all great reads, and though they all stand on their own, I'd recommend reading them like a series. My other favorite Baldacci series is the King/Maxwell series: Split Second (2003) Hour Game (2004) Simple Genius (2007) First Family (2009) These involve two ex-Secret Service agents, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, who are both great characters who fall into really exciting circumstances. Baldacci writes so that I really feel the excitement of the situation, and I really get to know the characters. I also recommend his stand-alone books, particularly these: Absolute Power (1996) Total Control (1996) The Winner (1997) The Simple Truth (1998) Saving Faith (1999) Last Man Standing (2001) True Blue (2009) - I haven't read this one yet, but I'll let you know how I like it...Check out David Baldacci's website at: www.davidbaldacci.com |