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I'm not an avid reader but enjoy to read on holidays and for the last few trips I've read a couple of the lee child novels. I haven't done them all but they those I have are a little bit "samey", good, but a bit familiar now.
So rather than just try and tick all the series off, does anyone have any recommendations for novels or authors in a similar genre?
Thanks
The original Bourne series by Robert Ludlum.
I had the same problem with the Jack Reacher books, whilst entertaining they are a bit predictable with the same format. I have enjoyed reading the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo and well worth reading in order as many characters crop up in later books.
Try an author called stephen leather and his dan shepherd books. Undercover cop with a photographic memory getting in to some tight spots, really good read. Also a british author called matt hilton is worth looking at.
Loved the frequently aviation themed novels of Gavin Lyell
the vince flynn books are good as is the bob lee swagger series
Try a Robert Goddard novel . Set in the UK mostly and easy reading and 1 level up from Lee Child IMO
As a one off rather than a series, I Am Pilgrim is a great read.
The Dennis Lehane kenzie-gennaro books are good. As are his other books shutter island and live by night
I've just had a similar quandary, just as the Booker long list was published. A list of 13 new books, all of which have won enough acclimation to make it onto the list.
There are worse ways to select books of course.
Try James Patterson s Alex cross novels- similar but more believable IMO to the jack reacher/Steven seagal vibe
Christopher brookmyre, his novels are set in scotland, very funny some of them and very violent
@Straightliner: how did you get past the massive shark-jump about 500 pages in? I carried on for another chapter at that point, then thought: nah, had enough!
Go left field.
Carl Hiaasen.
Just finished the third Jack reacher book today and came to a similar conclusion.
Really enjoyed I am pilgrim.
Any other must read thrillers?
Christopher Brookmyre +1. I've read all his books and can recommend them.
Christopher Brookmyre +1. I've read all his books and can recommend them.
+2
(more recent stuff misses the mark, but the early jack parlabane stuff is awesome.)
Christopher brookmyre
Another vote here, very entertaining. If you like Brookmyre, try Colin Bateman - particularly the "Mystery Man" series, but the "Dan Starkey" collection is good too.
Something a bit different would be Phillip Kerr - really enjoyed these. They are Detective novels set in Berlin just before, during and after the Nazi's were in power. They are very reminiscent of Raymond Chandlers "hard Boiled detective" style, but a little faster paced. important to read them in order though.
I've been reading the Jim Knighthorse books from J.R. Rain recently. They're alright in a private detective monologue kind of way. Not very challenging though which is good at times. Mostly cheap or free on kindle.
Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series is worth a look
The best Reacher book IMO was "One Shot" as it's a little different to the rest. That's the one the film was based on..
For a book similar to Lee Child, try Tom Clancy's "Without Remorse" - it's basically an ex Navy Seal killing drug dealers with non of the usual Tom Clancy political intrigue to slow things down.
If you're ever in a jumble sale and see Desmond Bagley's "Bahama Crisis" that's a good read too...
David Baldacci's books are worth reading if you enjoy Reacher books
[url= http://stephencollier-author.com/ ]How about a new crime author[/url]
+1 for Christopher Brookmyre
+1 for Carl Hiassen
+1 for I am Pilgrim - best book I've read this year.
Eric Van Lustbaders Nicholas Linnear series are good, he went on to author some of the later Bourne novels after Ludlum passed away.
You definately need to suspend reality for a while and imagine you're reading them in the 80's in between playing with your nunchuks and shuriken that you have hidden from your parents (as they would kill you if they knew you were throwing them at the shed door when they're not at home)
I read the first book (Ninja) in '88 when I was 13 and it blew my mind. Was the first book I'd read with saucy bits 🙂
A second for Tom Clancy, I like most of his but Without Remorse is definitely one of the best.
Also have a look for the Charlie Fox books by Zoe Sharp.
I read all of the Ryan/Clark books (including the awful new ones) on a long business trip. They're decent but I'd really not noticed when I first read them how much of the books follows the politics of the American right.
There are some good historical fiction novels to try too. I'd try the Inspector Pekkala books by Sam Eastland (well actually some other bloke writing as him) and the Bernie Gunther books by Philip Kerr.
This is great...thanks for all the tips.
As an update, I picked up a cheepy book from sainsburys at the weekend.
Siege by Simon kernick.
Very good, tense and lots of plot lines intertwining, recommended.
+1 on Without Remorse by Tom Clancy. Great book.
Not really the same genre, but Mark Billingham has written some great murder/crime books.
G/f says the Robert Crais "Elvis Cole/Joe Pike" books are along the same lines (one of em being a double hard bastard, who she reckons could eat Reacher for breaky) but much better.
Read everything Bernard Cornwall has written, start with the Sharpe Series, read Sharpes Eagle which was the first book then follow the peninsular campaign first, the rest got added later as the TV series made him a bit more popular.
The Athurian Legends in the Warlord Chronicles are also well worth a read, historically a lot of it is accurate and well researched, he's a bit of an anti christian (Cornwall) so it should suit the taste of most who read these boards.
The Grail Quest is excellent as are the Saxon Storys of the period when Alfred the Great eventually unified the country, so you get action and some historical education you might have missed. All suitably bloody, gory and superbly written, thoroughly recommend them.
I find Tom Clancy OK but a bit heavy on the padding, his Jack Ryan novels were good but boring in places where you got the feeling he was just trying to write a thick book.
If you've not read them, the James Bond novels by Fleming are actually a good read, nothing like the movies for the most part and definitely not PC so maybe not that tasteful for some of you.
Other favourites of mine are anything written by Michael Chrichton and some of that legal stuff from John Grisham.
G/f says the Robert Crais "Elvis Cole/Joe Pike" books
The early ones are especially good. I read lots of LA crime writers the best imo are James Ellroy, Michael Connolly, Joseph Wambaugh and Robert Crais.
Hemingway.
I went from Jack Reacher to Alex Cross
For me it's James Lee Burke...love the way he writes.
The Rebus books by Ian Rankin (grimy crime in Edinburgh, with a realistically likeable 'hero')
For something different - The Son by Philip Meyer - historically based mini epic about frontier Texas (on a similar theme Lonesome Pine is an older book, but excellent and an easy read)