[knightrider]

So...the horror book thread got me thinking. I love mystery / suspense novels and have read my share of James Patterson, Sydney Sheldon and the like...curious what your favorite books are and who your favorite authors are...

[Sonesta]

Michael Connelly
Lee Childs
James Lee Burke
Tami Hoag

[Fred]

John Sandford
Tami Hoag
Patricia Cornwell
Anne Perry
Donna Leon

[stryder]

Laurie King's Mary Russell series. The best writing I've read in a long time. Mary Russell becomes Sherlock Holmes's apprentice. The series is written from Russell's perspective.

[ccoronios]

Nelson deMille
Rita Mae Brown
Michael Crichton

[kathy s.]

Harlan Coben
Dennis Lahane
Stephen White
Michael Connelly
Greg Isle

[JanM]

Sarah Graves, Joanne Fluke, Joanna Carl, Mary Anna Evans series is great, but read it from the first book. John Verdon, Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman, Archer Mayor, Kathy Reichs, Ann Rule, Karin Slaughter series about the detectives in Atlanta, Laurien Berenson (her dog show series is great, and I understand another one is scheduled), Jane Haddam, Susan Wittig Albert (the Herb shop series), Nevada Barr, Riley Adams, Jussi Alder-Olsen, Mary Kay Andrews (lighter, but still fun and not really mysteries), Kate Atkinson's Jason Bodie series, Donna Ball (Dog series, and the Ladybug Farm is more a domestic series but good), Jessica Beck donut shop, Lorna Barrett (book store series), Linda Castillo is good, but hers are very graphic; Lila Dare, Ellen Crosby, Robert Crais, Margaret Coel, Edie Claire, Chris Cavender, Susan Conant (doesnt' seem to be writing new ones), Kjell Ericksson, Janet Evanovich bounty hunter series, Zoe Ferraris-about Saudi Arabia; Earlene Fowler, Dick and Felix Francis, Dorothea Benton Frank has some mystery elements, but really good relationship books; Elaine Flinn, Sarah Graves; Carloyn Haines; Steve Hamilton (Michigan detective series books),; Margaret Maron; Julie Dramer (but read in order); Inger Ash Wolfe; Joseph Wambaugh; Nicolle Wallace (political thrillers by a real DC insider); Elaine Viets; Marcia Talley; Lyndon Stacey; L.J Sellers series about a detective; Les Roberts; Sandra Parshall; Jan Neuharth (set in hunt country); Ken Mercer; Leslie Meier; Jenn McKinlay (bakery series).

I have Amazon Prime and a list of books, and I love mysteries.

[lilitiger2]

Anything by Robert Tanenbaum (and his ghost writer Michael Gruber prior to Hoax)
Scott Turow
Carl Hiaasen
Michael Gruber
JF Freedman
Jonathon Kellerman (some)
Stephen White (some)
Mary Roberts Rinehart (old but a great writer)
Chris Bojalian

and writers who should take up macrame, or bowling, and never, ever write again
Faye Kellerman
Robin Cook
Diane someone who writes cooking mysteries and includes recipes, doesn't help

[Guin]

Huge fan of Ridley Pearson's Lou Boldt series and Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series. Also the British author Michael Robotham. Also Linwood Barclay.

And Donna Leon.

[lilitiger2]

i like the bosch series and lou boldt-not all but most!

[Guin]

You should really seek out Michael Robotham. He is very good but not widely known in the US.

[ShotenStar]

With the Kindle app on my iPad, I have gotten into the older/classic authors, like Dorothy Sayers (love Lord Peter) and Agatha Christie (Miss Marple).

*star*

[Guin]

Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series.

[Lord Helpus]

In most of these series, is it important to read the books in order? Sometimes it is hard to tell what the order of the books is.

[cranky]

In most of these series, is it important to read the books in order? Sometimes it is hard to tell what the order of the books is.

It's easy to check the order of series by going to this site: FictFact

Plug in author, book name or main character name and it will list the series and the book order. I use the site A LOT.

[ambar]

I had a delightful time last week working my way through JM Hayes' Mad Dog and Englishman series. I started with the latest one (English Lessons) but it probably would have been more fun to read in order (start with Mad Dog and Englishman). Fair warning, they're not so much figure-it-out oh-so-serious whodunits as hilarious farces wrapped around a mystery. And yes, they're available on Kindle (the first one is free at the moment: http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Dog-Englis.../dp/B004SIRG3E )

[JER]

Dick Francis
Graham Greene
Tana French

[Windmill Blue]

I love Love LOVE Minette Walters. Her first books are more traditional mysteries, and her later books are more psychological thrillers - you can't be expected to solve the crimes from clues dropped in the text (but they are solved in the end), but you get a sense of how bewildering it would be to have this drama / mystery unfold around you.

[anotherfinemess]

John Sanford Lucas Davenport (Prey) Series and Virgil Flowers series
Dick/Felix Francis
Linda Castillo
Tami Hoag
Kathy Reichs
Laura Crum Horse related
Earlene Fowler
Rita Mae Brown Sister Jane series
Scott Turow

[Kryswyn]

Lyndon Stacey: both her horse novels and her new Michael Whelan dog series.