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I'm about to leave for a three week vacation, and I'd like to bring along a bunch of mass market paperbacks. Thrillers of various sorts, I'm thinking. Although I have a definite taste for junk, I'm picky about it: I dislike Da Vinci Code, Michael Connelly, David Baldacci... I really like Scott Turow, Stephen King, Ed McBain. Can anybody recommend to me some light reading? Legal thrillers? Police procedurals? (No serial killers, please - I'm easily spooked).

― David Elinsky (David Elinsky), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 15:45 (twenty-one years ago)

If you're at all into sci-fi i could suggest loads of trashy but engrossing reads.

― Wooden (Wooden), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

James Hadley Chase?

― Fred (Fred), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I've enjoyed a few sci-fi books - a couple by Philip K. Dick, one by Arthur C. Clarke - and I'm a bit wary of harder core SF, but, all that taken into account, I'd love some reccomendations

― David Elinsky (David Elinsky), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Any Michael Crichton up to and including Jurassic Park (except maybe that one about Vikings).

― eat fudge banana swirl (Nick A.), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I was really into the Kay Scarpetta series for a while. Try Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell.

― Vermont Girl (Vermont Girl), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Regarding sci-fi - try any of Iain M. Banks' novels. 'Player of Games' is probably the best starting point. I wouldn't describe him as trashy, but he's very readable. Lots of spaceships and big guns, but coupled with a moral seriousness rare in sci-fi.

Also, peter F. Hamilton's 'Fallen Dragon'. His writing's very inelegant, but he tells a good story. Don't bother with the overblown, 3000+ page 'Night's Dawn' trilogy, though.

Not in the least bit trashy: 'The Disposessed' by Ursula le Guin. Probably the best political sci-fi I've read. Including '1984'.

I'm just getting into Alistair Reynolds. I find his books quite depressing though, so probably not the best holiday reading.

― Wooden (Wooden), Wednesday, 18 August 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

JA Jance has some good mysteries. She has three series. I much prefer the one starring JP Beaumont and set in the Pacific Northwest. I also enjoy Kathy Reichs forensic series- better writing than Cornwell by a taddy bit. Have you tried Richard North Patterson? Good lawyer books. Michael McGarrity? He can't write very well, but his books are very evocative of place and read like popcorn eats. And he really was a "lawman" in New Mexico before he turned to book larnin'. If you're willing to wander through the sixties and early seventies, you can't beat Dell Shannon's cookie cutter in places, yet somehow vivid, police procedurals set in California.

― Rabin the Cat (Rabin the Cat), Thursday, 19 August 2004 02:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Helen MacInnes! international espionage!

― derrick (derrick), Thursday, 19 August 2004 05:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Robert Harris - 'Enigma' and 'Fatherland' for thrillers.

Chester Himes' 'Harlem Cycle' or Carl Hiaasen for crime.

Alfred Bester's 'The Stars My Destination' for sci-fi.

― Mog, Thursday, 19 August 2004 09:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I rather enjoy a spot of Ian Rankin (any of the Rebus novels) - it's more detective than legal thriller, but a good light read anyway. I'll also second Mog's Carl Hiaasen suggestion for crime. And PD James is good too (again detective novels, but rather more literary ones).

― Cathryn (Cathryn), Thursday, 19 August 2004 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)

'The Constant Gardener' by Le Carre.

― Wooden (Wooden), Thursday, 19 August 2004 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I would also recommend Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko series - very enjoyable if slightly dated detective series whose lead character is a detective in the moscow militia.

Also just read the Winter Queen by Boris Akunin which is a another russian detective/spy story this time set at the end of the 19th century. Has the making of a pretty good series.

― oblomov, Thursday, 19 August 2004 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Henning Mankell(sp?). Brilliant. Plus, not to be weird but....Patricia Highsmith always.

― aimurchie, Friday, 20 August 2004 12:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Round our way the kids go mad for Christopher Brookmyre.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Friday, 20 August 2004 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Argh. Can't stand Brookmyre. Terrible writing, terrible plots - and when there are so many good trashy noir books to choose from, why would you do that to yourself?

― Mog, Friday, 20 August 2004 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I recently read S.L. Viehl Blade Dancer which was total trash sci-fi and a hoot.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Saturday, 21 August 2004 05:25 (twenty-one years ago)

You should read the Mc Nally series by Lawrence Sanders.

― Fred (Fred), Saturday, 21 August 2004 09:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker Robert B Parker

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 23 August 2004 09:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Tony Hillerman's Navajo cops books are pretty cool, all revolving around life on the reservation, Indian culture, etc., but with good mysteries and murders and whatnot.

― spittle (spittle), Wednesday, 25 August 2004 05:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm a little late on this one, but I'd add any of the "Burglar Who..." books by Lawrence Block.

― Mr. Jaggers, Friday, 27 August 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread should be connected to my Indie Guilt ILBooks thread but I can't remember what it was called.

― n.a. (Nick A.), Friday, 27 August 2004 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

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