I don’t read as much I’d like to but having read all the Andy McNab / Chris Ryan books and many non-fiction modern war books, I’d like to try some crime/thriller books. I enjoy prog’s like Luther, Whitechapel etc. and would like a decent read that’s not too epic. Can you recommend a decent author/book?

Ian Rankin’s Rebus books are ace.

Though if you’ve not read ’em, I’d have a go at the original Sherlock Holmes as well.
Great stories and a window into another time.

I like David Baldacci books…

Complicity by Iain Banks. One of my all time favourite books.

rankin + 1

he’s written plenty to keep you going for a while.

Lee Child and Vince Flyn are both goof IMO.

Try ‘The Winter Queen’ by Boris Akunin. It’s set in the 1870’s and concerns the exploits of a Russian Police Officer (of sorts) named Erast Fandorin. Clever, fun and not too taxing.

Chris kuzneski ,reading Death Relic at the moment.

http://www.chriskuzneski.com/

Anything by Elmore Leonard, short stories, excellent plots and chracters.

Certainly Sherlock Holmes, I also liked girl with the dragon tattoo but the sequels not so much.

Not exactly what you were asking for, but the last series of books that gripped my imagination were the Bernard Cornwell’s ‘Saxon’ stories.

The description of viking battles (and approach to battle) should appeal to you if you liked the Chris Ryan/Andy McNab books, but they are much more bloody and gruesome!

anything by Stuart Mcbride

Michael Connelly. Lee Child’s are further removed from literature but thoroughly gripping.

Connelly’s great, as is Rankin, but both need a fair bit of commitment compared to the Ryan/McNab books.

Lee Child provides instant gratification and lots of action, with decent characters and writing.

I’d give one of the Lee Child books a go, writing is probably a good cut above Ryan/McNab.

Tom Cain and duncan falconer are same as Ryan and mcnab etc.
The Bourne books are good and there’s a good few of them.

There are options ^ up there for sure but is anyone aware of a website (not trying to selling you anything) that works along the lines of “if you like reading this…. you might want to try this….”

The Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly

The Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais.

The first is the better written and the second has the higher body count.

lee child/David Baldacci as mentioned
Robert Ludlum (of bourne fame) but the covert one series
Just read C.J Box “nowhere to run” It was really good I’ll try more of his
Jason Pinter. Start with “The Mark” then “the Guilt”
Peter James Roy Grace series start with “Dead Simple” Policeman based in brighton, really good reads
Linwood Barclay is good as well

Jo Nesbo . Make sure you read them in the correct order though as they all sort of link together.

nick great thread mate ,going to read some of these myself 😀

Crikey, just logged back on and loads of replies thanks all. I shall take a look at these on amazon and see what takes my fancy.

I’m more of a magazine kinda reader so books have to grab me quickly to keep me interested. I’m a bit of a simple soul when it comes to books, I like the Ryan/McNab books as they don’t require too much brain power, have plenty of action and I can pick them up for a quick read here and there and be kept interested enough to read through them.

Anything along a similar vain would be good. Cheers once again.

I really enjoyed “The Penal Colony” by Richard Herley which was recommended on here as a free Kindle download.

Otherwise if you have never read Flashman by GMF do so – a great treat instore.

Joseph Wambaugh is a bit of a genius.
Does both fiction and non fiction, both great.

The Dangerous Davies novels by Leslie Thomas are well worth a read.

Oh, and anything by Ed McBain.

James Patterson (Alex Cross books not womens club)and Lee childs I would say- not heavy and move quite quickly
I would go in the charity stores – pick them up for under £1 and its a good cause

I’ll reiterate what others above have said, Lee Child is your man!

There’s a fair number of Sherlock Homes, Lee Child and Ian Rankin Rebus books when browsing those series/authors – any particular stand out books in each of these to look out for?

Good idea on charity shop pop larkin plenty in town will go searching!

I’ll 2nd the James Patterson ‘Alex Cross’ books but my faves are the Nelson Demille ‘John Corey’ ones. Start with ‘Plum Island’ & go from there. Proper New York cop black humour.

I just started reading Agatha Christie “and there was one”

Quite good.

Anything by jo nesbo, stieg larsson, andrew taylor, and bernard cornwell for historical fiction works for me, lee child too.

Another vote for Michael Connelly – I’d never heard of him, but was given about 6 of his books that someone else had finished with. Couldn’t put them down, especially the Harry Bosch ones.

right,

go and get Killing Floor by Lee Child
Its the first in the Jack Reacher series
If you don’t love it from what you’ve said you like I’ll be staggered

Broaden your horizons and try Alexander McCall Smith.. lovely books.. 🙂

If you like the McNab/Ryan books then give Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope series a try. I have just finished them, good books, hard to put down at times. I’m just about to start Duncan Falconers fiction series, read his factual book First in to Action many years ago when it first came out, and recall it was better writen and more believable than B20 and Immediate Action.

Also consider Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series, these are a little heavier than McNab/Ryan but still a good relatively light read, all have some historic mystery element to the story kinda like Da Vinci Code.

right,

go and get Killing Floor by Lee Child
Its the first in the Jack Reacher series
If you don’t love it from what you’ve said you like I’ll be staggered

+1

Though you don’t really have to worry about reading out of sequence, they all stand alone just fine. And there are millions of them!

just found cj box myself too and he is very good. Read most of the above mentioned authors.

But really like James Lee Burke who should keep you going for a while.

Although I think a lot of thriller writers have a similar flawed hero as the centrpeice.

Some of my favourtie series are, I like travelling through reading, are

Connelly – Bosch & the Lawyer ones – Los Angeles
Donna Leon – Brunetti – Venice
Michael Dibdin – Zen novels, all over Italy, can be a bit whacky.
James Lee Burke – Robicheaux – New Orleans and Louisana
Nesbo – Hole – Oslo
Rankin – Rebus – Edinburgh
Robert B Parker – Spenser – Boston
Mankell – Wallender – Ystad

James Elroy, Elmore Leonard and George V Higgins are also worth reading. Carl Hiassen for a comic thriller.

Others from late 20th century:
Simenon – Maigret – Paris
Freeling – van der Valk – Amsterdam
van de Wetering – A trio of Police Officers – Amsterdam
Ed McBain – 87th Precinct – New York

The Classics:
Sherlock Holmes, Dashiel Hammett’s novels, Raymond Chandler’s, James M Cain’s, Chesterton’s Father Brown etc.

I could go on and on.

Michael Marshall, Jeff Abbott, Mark Billingham. Also a fan of Michael Connelly and David Baldacci. Michael Marshall – ‘Blood of angels’ is fantastic but the backstory from the prequels helps.

For real “old school” thriller try Alistair McLean (Ice Station Zebra, etc.) Robert Ludlum is no good after a couple of beers as the plots are so convoluted

I tried an Ian Rankin Rebus book and found it really boring. I’m more a fan of the easy full of action stuff like Lee Childs Reacher books.

Have you read Stieg Larssons Millenium Trilogy? Well worth a read.

Carl Hiaasen – he’s written a series of books which are all one-offs, but are all set in the same area (Florida) and feature many of the same characters, often the main character in one will feature as a very minor character in another, so when you read a few you recognise the events of another book going on in the background.

They’re all crime/investigative type thrillers, although perhaps ‘thriller’ isn’t the right word, very much filled with cynical black humour though. The general background for the books is corrupt politicians/businessmen/rednecks causing environmental damage, and someone out to stop them.

Very, very funny books with a crime theme, highly recommended.