Books on the Nightstand discussion

Hello everyone! My boyfriend is turning into quite the reader since getting his nook. He has read all the Lee Child's and all the Vince Flynn's (barring the latest ones, he still has those left). He is going to be asking where to go next and I have some ideas, but crime series aren't really my thing, exactly. I've read the Millenium trilogy, he loved the movies, but isn't going to read the books. I would say he likes the macho tough guys - spies, ex-military or cops - that kind of thing. I know he would prefer something that has several books in the series.

So, any ideas?

Ann, the Book Whisperer, I'd love your thoughts as well because you've never steered me wrong so far. :)

Has he tried Andrew Vachss's Burke series? (The first one is called Flood). My brother with very similar taste enjoys those.

He might like the following series:

Michael Coneely's Harry Bosch series (first in series: The Black Echo);

James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series (first in series: Neon Rain);

John Sandford's Luca Davenport series (aka the "Prey" series; first in series: Rules of Prey)

Also, there's a great web-site that indexes just about every mystery/thriller/suspense author/title that you can think of: www.stopyourekillingme.com
There's even a Job Index which identifies the career of the protagonist!

The Scudder series by Lawrence Block
The Parker series by Richard Stark (pen name of Donald E. Westlake)
The Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald
I'll second the Burke series by Vachss
Anything by James Ellroy
The Nathan Heller series by Max Allan Collins

Check into Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy as well.

Clive Cussler (Dirk Pitt series) and Nelson Demille (John Corey series) are my dad's favorites.

Wow, you guys rock.I love the BOTNS community! Everyone is so helpful. :)

Roger John Ellory (not really series)
Jo Nesbo

Dennis LeHane (2 votes) :)
Steve Berry
Barry Eisler
F.Paul Wilson
Harlan Coben
S.J. Bolton
Elly Griffiths

Nelson Demille sounds right up his alley

Robert B. Parker's Spenser series, especially the early ones (pre-1995, maybe? that's when I stopped reading them), can't be beat -- I have converted many a non-reader into a reader by giving them Spenser novels.

I second the Dennis LeHane and Michael Connelly recommendations. Also John Sanford, who I think has remained remarkably good after a gazillion books. And yes, Harlan Coben.

Steve Berry, while different, is still a good recommendation. Especially if he read and loved the DaVinci Code.

I think everyone here beat me to all of the good recommendations.

Here's one I don't see listed: early Patricia Cornwell. And I do mean early. But the first ones are fantastic.

I second Eric's recommendation of the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald. The first in the series is "The Deep Blue Goodbye". It's old school - as in published in the sixies. There's a newer writer named James W. Hall who has a series set in the same area with a protagonist called Thorn that is pretty good. "Under Cover of Daylight" is the first, but I think "Mean High Tide" is the best.

Hello :)

Has he read anything by Scott Mariani? He has a series about a guy called Ben Hope he is ex-military, a bit tortured, likes shooting bad men and finding things/people and saving girls and the likes. They're easy reads, but fun!

I haven't heard of that one but will look it up. Are they anything like Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. Sounds a bit like it.

Yeah a little bit. I think the storylines are more mystery and conspiracy based, but still with lots of angst and shooting people!

Well, everyone beat me to all the good recommendations, so I'll just second a lot of them.

Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series (make sure he reads them in order)

Lawrence Block - Matt Scudder novels

James W. Hall

Barry Eisler


I would also recommend:

One Rough Man by Brad Taylor (I interviewed the author on my podcast)

Gray Man series by Mark Greaney (Again, I interviewed the author)

Thomas Perry - both the Jane Whitefield series and the Butcher Boy novels.

And one series that I seriously think he might like - though it does not have a contemporary setting - is the Richard Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwall. Sharpe is a rough and tumble British soldier during the Napoleonic era. The books have lots of action, a little romance sometimes, and they're fun page turners.

A couple of others that I should have mentioned.

Definitely James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels - someone else mentioned those. They would be at the top of my list!!

Also, Robert Crais' Elvis Cole novels.

My favorite mystery author just came out with her 10th of a series (she has two stand alones, too). The author is Carol O'Connell.

I became aware of her through an A+ review in the Dayton Daily News for her fifth (and first stand alone) . The review said, "When an author's debut is as well-written as O'Connell's was, we wait for the imminent fall. We're still waiting, she continues to reach high levels."

The series starts with and the reviews for the latest are superlative ("before there was Lisbeth Salander there was Katherine Mallory").

She has not disappointed me and I will continue to be getting the book the day it is published.

I need to go back and re-try this series. I read the first one a gazillion years ago and didn't care for it, but I can't remember why. But Linda, if you like it, I know that I should. Will try again, but I'll have to start with #1 again.

Hello, all. I would recommend Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series and Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone's series. Both are really good and contain more than 20 volumes so it also takes some time to work through them.

was very good indeed. I'll be reading more Harry Hole novels.

Ann wrote: "I need to go back and re-try this series. I read the first one a gazillion years ago and didn't care for it, but I can't remember why. But Linda, if you like it, I know that I should. Will try agai..."

I'll still love you even if you don't, Ann. I've recommended the series or the first book to others who have not been as enamored as I.

On the other hand, my book discussion's most recent book, most of us thought was a dog (not a cute puppy!) - the opinion of most of the book group. The author is well-known, often on bestselling lists and even the book we read has 4/5 stars from readers on many sites.

Same reason we don't all wear the same clothes, we don't all read the same books.

Anyone know what New Comment -1 means?