The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I'm looking into trying to find some series to read, which are your favorites?

i enjoy tess gerritsens rizzoli and isles series also karin slaughter has a few series that are good

David Baldacci: King & Maxwell
Lawrence Block: Matt Scudder
Rhys Bowen: Molly Murphy
C. J. Box: Joe Pickett
James Lee Burke: Dave Robicheaux
Steven J. Cannell: Shane Scully
Lee Child: Jack Reacher
Michael Connelly: Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller
Cleo Coyle: Claire Cosi
Deborah Crombie: Kincaid & James
Nelson DeMille: John Corey
Earl Emerson: Thomas Black
Linda Fairstein: Alex Cooper
Andrew Greeley: Bishop 'Blackie' Ryan
J. A. Jance: J. P. Beaumont, Johanna Brady
Jonathan Kellerman: Alex Delaware
Jonathon King: Max Freeman
Dennis Lehane: Kenzie & Gennaro
John D. MacDonald: Travis McGee
Margaret Maron: Deborah Knott
Archer Mayor: Joe Gunther
Ed McBain: 87th Precinct
Robert B. Parker: Spencer, Jesse Stone
Ridley Pearson: Lou Boldt, Walt Fleming
Kathy Reichs: Temperance Brennan
David Rosenfelt: Andy Carpenter
John Sandford: Lucas Davenport, Virgil Flowers
Lisa Scottoline: Rosato & Associates
Martin Cruz Smith: Arkady Renko
Julia Spenser-Fleming: Fergusson & Van Alstyne
Will Thomas: Barker & Llewellyn
Victoria Thompson: Sarah Brandt
Stephen White: Alan Gregory
Stuart Woods: Stone Barrington, Holly Barker

I like Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series and Michael Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer

Dave, your list is too short. I want a longer list.

Marie-Jo, I can add more if you're serious.
Those are just the ones I really like.

Carol O'Connell, The Mallory series.
Dana Stabenow The Kate Shugak series.

without a doubt, I highly recommend Tana French's "Dublin Murder Squad" series.

Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series
Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri Paiboun series
Tana French's Murder Squad
Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q
Max Allan Collins's Quarry
Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins

I like:

P J Tracy: Monkeywrench series

Elizabeth George; Inspector Linley
series

Martha Grimes: Richard Jury series

Preston-Child: Pendergast series

Also like:

Chris Kuzneski: Jonathon Payne and
David Jones series

Jasper Fforde: Thursday Next series

James Rollins: Sigma Force series

Steve Berry: Cotton Malone series

I know there's more, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment. I'll just have to add them later. :)

Dave wrote: "David Baldacci: King & Maxwell
Lawrence Block: Matt Scudder
Rhys Bowen: Molly Murphy
C. J. Box: Joe Pickett
James Lee Burke: Dave Robicheaux
Steven J. Cannell: Shane Scully
Lee Child: Jack Reacher..."

Great list, Dave!

Carlos wrote: "I'm looking into trying to find some series to read, which are your favorites?"

There are great lists in this thread. I would add Craig Johnson: Longmire and Tony Hillerman: Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee.

I read many series but my favorites are Lucas Davenport, Virgil Flowers, Rizzoli and Isles, Andy Carpenter, Kinsey Millhone and Lincoln Rhyme to name a few.

I'm not sure about the Jack Reacher series anymore, not since Tom Cruise!

Donna Leon - Inspector Brunetti
Giles Blunt - John Cardinal
L.R. Wright - Karl Alberg
David Rotenberg - Zhang Fong

James R. Benn- Billy Boyle
Leighton Gage- Inspector Mario SilvaCara Black - Amiee Leduc
Andrea Camilleri - Montalbano
Peter Lovesey - Peter Diamond
Henning Mankell- Wallander

The Roy Grace series by Peter James is one of my favorites. Has anyone else in the group followed this one? What were your impressions?

Peter Spiegelman- John March PI
Ross MacDonald- Lew Archer
Jo Nesbo- Harry Hole
Lars Keplar-Joona Linna
Michael Connelly- Bosch
Karin Fossum-Sejer
Janwillem van de Wetering-Grijpstra/DeGier
If you have access to a good used bookstore I have found Soho Crime Press and Black Lizard Press are two imprints to look for when browsing the stacks.

A lot of good series are listed already but I'd like to add James Patterson and Maxine Paetro's Women's Murder Club series, Sue Grafton's Kinzie Milhone series, and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.

Olivia wrote: "A lot of good series are listed already but I'd like to add James Patterson and Maxine Paetro's Women's Murder Club series, Sue Grafton's Kinzie Milhone series, and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum..."

I enjoy those as well!

Another series I like,(but is a tough read and not for all tastes) is J Robert Janes' Jean-Louis St-Cyr/ Hermann Kohler investigation. The setting is Nazi occupied France, so there is the under current of distrust combined with the task of investigating ordinary murder in an extraordinary difficult time period.

@ Stephen, I'm not familiar with that series but it sounds interesting. I will definitely look into that. Does the author glorify the Nazis?

13 in all starting with Mayhem (1992)
Carousel (1992)
Kaleidoscope (1993)
Salamander (1994)
Mannequin (1994)
Dollmaker (1995)
Stonekiller (1995)
Sandman (1996)
Gypsy (1997)
Madrigal (1999)
Beekeeper (2001)
Flykiller (2002)
Bellringer (2012
No the nazi are not glorified, but Hermann Kohler is Gestapo in rank but really just a Munich Det. whose character is revealed as the series progress.The mistrust is part of what makes it a very interesting read. Author is Canadian and has a website. I am up to Sandman but I needed a break. Janes is not the easiest read.

All J Robert Janes' books are ebooks now and he has switched publishers and is now with Mysterious Press.
You also can buy used Janes on Amazon for cheap.

Rhian wrote: "i enjoy tess gerritsens rizzoli and isles series also karin slaughter has a few series that are good"

I also enjoy Alex cross series by James Patterson

Eve Duncan Series by Iris Johansen are super good

Kay Scarpetta serie by Patricia Cornwell are super good

William Tapply - Brady Coyne novels. I love this character.

Smoky Barrett in books by Cody McFayden...totally different

Diane S. wrote: "Carol O'Connell, The Mallory series.
Dana Stabenow The Kate Shugak series."

Love both of these!

My favorite established series is Charlie Fox by Zoe Sharp. For new authors, Seeley James is releasing the second Pia Sabel story (Trench Coats) after The Geneva Decision.

hi Ward i started by reading the 7th roy grace book and enjoyed it so i've now started at the beginning and read the 1st 3 which i enjoyed

I just started rereading the Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd. There's a new one coming so need to reaquaint. Ian Rankin's Rebus series. Peter May's The Enzo Files. Elizabeth George (Linley) and Martha Grimes (Richard Jury). Louise Penney's Canadian detective series(can't think of his name). Donna Leon's Brunetti, love Venice! And Carol O'Connell's Mallory books.

hi Rhian. I started with one of the later books as well. I've enjoyed them all but the one involving the 9/11 attack was my least favorite (too fragmented).

i've not yet got to that one ward

I LOVE :

Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti
Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon
Agatha Christie's Poirot

and have all their books!

R.M.F wrote: "I'm not sure about the Jack Reacher series anymore, not since Tom Cruise!"

It is very difficult to extract the movie character from the book character once you've seen the movie huh?

Amelia Peabody series
IN DEATH
Joanna Brady
JP Beaumont
The Camel Club
The Pink Carnation Series
Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky
Anna Pidgeon
The Spellman Series
Tess Monaghan Series

I've just finished two books by Conor Fitzgerald. The series is about a commissario, Blume. The Dogs of Rome and The Fatal Touch.

Carlos wrote: "I'm looking into trying to find some series to read, which are your favorites?"

Hi Carlos,
I'm wondering what sorts of books you like? There's a lot to choose from in the mystery/thriller/crime genre. A lot of diversity! Do you like more hard-boiled stuff? Or quirky characters? Are you opposed to a supernatural element? I tend to like quirky characters and sometimes I'm in the mood for the supernatural, so I like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books for the former and the *early* books in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series for the latter. But those aren't for everyone! Hamilton's series, in particular, really disappointed me as it progressed. But I'd say the first five books are worth reading. :) Then again, you may be into medical thrillers... have you tried F. Paul Wilson (try Implant or The Select, for instance)? He's also got some supernatural stuff in some of his other books, of course. I remember thinking Coma by Robin Cook was fascinating. And then there are legal thrillers, like those by John Grisham. What have you read that you've liked?

I can recommend you Alex cross series by James patterson
Eve Duncan series by Iris Johnasen
Kate scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell
Rizzoli and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen
Harper Collins series by Charlaine Harris

I also recommend Wendy corsi Staub books ( are really good)
R.l stine books
Erica spindler, kim Harrison, Heather graham, Mary Higgins clark

I am more into historical mystery/thrillers like James Rollins Sigma Force series, and catch the serial killer types as well, I just got into military/political thrillers as Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series.

In that case i recommend you chris KUzneski books they are really good.

Have you read the Dexter books? If you like serial killers... and of course there's the Thomas Harris series with Silence of the Lambs, which I think is actually book 2.

I have to recommend Ken Follett's historical novels, in particular The Pillars of the Earth, even though it's not a mystery and it's a stretch to call it a thriller... really more of a drama, but it's sooo good. I never thought I'd be so fascinated by a book dealing with cathedral architecture, but the characters are just that compelling. In the thriller genre, Follett's earlier spy novels are often very entertaining, too.

I like J.T. Ellison books and J.A. Janice's Ali Reynolds series.

Hands down, a no brainer for me, Travis McGee.

I've read the entire Justice Series by MA Comley. I really enjoyed the books. The first on is

Just love Tallis'
Max Lieberman series. No one ever writes about them.
YOU should read them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Camel Club by David Baldacci

The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyers