Pulp Fiction

No, not the movie

Any recommendations for some trashy crime novels?

Been reading the Jack Reacher series – which I liked – so something similar

I’ve started reading the Dave Robicheaux series with the first one but it’s not holding me

When my STW petition for a Thread Description Act gets through to the mods this kind of thread title will be prohibited.

Try the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly, bit darker than the Reacher stuff, but excellent reading. And you won’t have your mental images of that destroyed by the news that TOM **** CRUISE will be playing Reacher in the film of “One Shot”.

TOM **** CRUISE will be playing Reacher in the film of “One Shot”

Really?
They’ll have to get an awfully big box for him to stand on

Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out

Sam Bourne is good, as is Jeffrey Deaver. Been liking Matthew Reilley (See Jack West books or Scarecrow ones. Brilliant if more action-y than Reacher)

I heard that Tom Cruise will be playing the 6’5″ 220lb character Jack Reacher.. mmm
I’ve been reading some of the David Baldacci stuff.. the camel club series is good.
I also like the Robert Ludlum Covert one series.. worth a look

George P Pelicanos – I used to like his books, not keen on the recent ones
Malcolm Pryce – Aberystwyth series are fun books with lots of noir references, nice alternative history of the Welsh Vietnam…
Walter Mosley – Easy Rawlins series, noir noir if you know what I mean, ace – gritty, based in LA in the 50s. He has also written some quite odd sci-fi too
Paul Johnston – Matt Wells series- a series based on a conceit, and becoming increasingly far fetched, the first 3 are ok, not convinced about the 4th one, also his Alex Mavros series – set in Greece with a backdrop in the endpiece of fascist rule

Anything by Carl Hiassen.

And also anything by Joseph Wambaugh. Not trash, just very, very good.
Start with this:

It’s brilliant.

James Crumley – These 3. Buy it now!

and Charles Willeford

Utterly brilliant.

If you’re after pulp you can’t go too far wrong with John D MacDonald’s Travis Magee books, or Robert B Parker’s Spenser ones. Start at the beginning of the series and it’s like another world.

Gotta start with Raymond Chandler, that daddy of them all. Also Ross Macdonald.

Forget all that, the original pulp fiction writer is Elmore Leonard. Start with the Western Stories (which is westerns, mega stylish, complex, subtle and often funny) and then get into all his later crime novels. Awesome dialogue and framing of scenes.

I really liked Partricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series.

+1 David Baldacci’s camel club series.
I also like Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme novels.
James Patterson’s Alex Cross series are worth a look.

Have they really cast Tom Cruise as Reacher? That’s ridiculous.

Reading James Ellroy at the moment – just finished American Tabloid. Very good.

Have they really cast Tom Cruise as Reacher? That’s ridiculous.

Cruise bought the rights and cast himself. Child is supporting him, but i reckon that’s more to do with the money

and +1 for baldacci.

Scarpetta was good for the first half dozen books but then went off the boil, more or less when she went arty-farty and started writing in the present tense

Ooh, try the Kinsey Millhone “alphabet” series, set in the late 80s (so pre-mobile phone era)

I think I would have cast Thomas Jane as Reacher.

He looks more like that chap what played Highlander!

Another one for John Connolly. I also like Alex Barclay and Karin Slaughter.

Was going to suggest James Elroy myself. If you like off the rails lawmen, you will enjoy the Lloyd Hopkins trilogy.

Not trashy but brilliant IMO are Chester Himes books about 2 Harlem detectives.