Crime Writers

Tristram

Who are peoples favourite crime writers?

Two that spring to my mind are Harlan Coben and Walter Mosley.

Eoin

Michael Connelly would be my favourite. He wrote (among others) "Blood Work" which was sadly made into a God awful Hollywood movie with Clint Eastwood.

John Connolly (U.S. based Irish author) is another favourite of mine

Tristram

Michael Connelly seems to be very popular alrite.Havnt read ne of his stuff yet.Nething in particular u wud recommend.Iv seen "Blood Work" and whilst Im sure the book is far superior reading it wud remind me of that goddamn awful experience of sitting thru the film in the cinema.

Eoin

The book is better than the film, but still not one of his best - I have a suspicion that it was written specifically for the big screen. There is a sequel to the book which is much better, but probably / hopefully won't be made into film, as the film changed too many important details in the book.

Most of Connelly's books are about a Hollywood Detective called "Bosch" (edit: by Hollywood I mean based there, not a movie star). These books are very good, and I would recommend them highly. They do reference each other occasionally, and in order to avoid ruining the outcome of another book, check that you are reading the first one in the series.

Eoin

Tristram

Ill have to give em a shot after exams.Thanks.

tabatha

paul britton i would say is one of mine...he is true life crime....he is one of englands top psychologist's and a great writer.

Eoin

tabatha wrote:

paul britton i would say is one of mine...he is true life crime....he is one of englands top psychologist's and a great writer.

Good call - I read "Picking Up the Pieces", very good book indeed.

tml

Michael Connolly would be my favourite too, have read all his and they are fantastic particularly the Harry Bosch series, loved Void Moon too, i enjoyed Blood Work, didnt watch the film cos i heard how they destroyed it!

Also like Robert Crais..............very similar style of writing to Harlan Coben.

Female crime writers - think Karin Slaughter is excellent thats about it!

Manach

Tend to historical crime capers.
The Falco series by Lindsay Davis.

Eoin

tml wrote:

Michael Connolly would be my favourite too, have read all his and they are fantastic particularly the Harry Bosch series, loved Void Moon too, i enjoyed Blood Work, didnt watch the film cos i heard how they destroyed it!

Also like Robert Crais..............very similar style of writing to Harlan Coben.

Female crime writers - think Karin Slaughter is excellent thats about it!

The sequel to Blood Work is brilliant, I found it better than the first - probably because Bosch is brought in to it. Can't remember the name of the book at the moment.

Robert Crais does the Elvis Cole books right? I like him as well, but the books are a bit formulaic, so you have to space out reading the books.

I have come to absolutely hate James Patterson - his books are now filled with Hallmark card sentiments, and the main character (Alex Cross) has become a perfect human being who can do no wrong at all. Even though some of the story lines are excellent, the saccharine writing ruins it for me. Also, the standard twist at the end is becoming very predictable.

tml

yeah the sequel to Blood Work was really good think it was called "A darkness more than night" just bought the new Harry bosch one so looking forward to reading that tonight!!

Completely agree with you about James Patterson, i used to love his books but they have just become ridiculous and I dont find Alex Cross believable (or even likeable) as a character any more...............give it up James its run its course!! Plus i find the really short chapters incredibly irratating, the books are full of half empty pages!

Eoin

tml wrote:

yeah the sequel to Blood Work was really good think it was called "A darkness more than night" just bought the new Harry bosch one so looking forward to reading that tonight!!

Completely agree with you about James Patterson, i used to love his books but they have just become ridiculous and I dont find Alex Cross believable (or even likeable) as a character any more...............give it up James its run its course!! Plus i find the really short chapters incredibly irratating, the books are full of half empty pages!

"A darkness more than night" - that's the one, good stuff.

What book did you get - "The Narrows"? I read that before reading "The Poet" which was a bit of a pain

tml

no its not the Narrows its the latest one called the Closers......didnt even know it was out yet, just walked by a book shop at lunch and saw it.....Harry Bosch has returned to the LAPD working cold cases......looks good

Eoin

tml wrote:

no its not the Narrows its the latest one called the Closers......didnt even know it was out yet, just walked by a book shop at lunch and saw it.....Harry Bosch has returned to the LAPD working cold cases......looks good

Excellent - didn't realise one was due out, I thought the Narrows was only out recently as well. I hope to God they don't turn anymore of his books into films, would totally ruin it for me.

tml

apparently the rights for the Harry Bosch series have been sold to some film company but there are no definite plans as yet to actually start filming.......hopefully they wont EVER make films from them because they couldnt ever capture all the different twists / suspense properly on film i just know they would be dreadful!!

Eoin

tml wrote:

apparently the rights for the Harry Bosch series have been sold to some film company but there are no definite plans as yet to actually start filming.......hopefully they wont EVER make films from them because they couldnt ever capture all the different twists / suspense properly on film i just know they would be dreadful!!

Oh Christ - could you imagine? I can just see the checklist the producers will have for the film:

from this site
Do you feel an uncontrollable desire to start your car by punching through the glass of the drivers door, then ripping wires from under the steering column?
Whenever you shift into gear and release the handbrake, does Kenny Loggins start playing?

Did you start your day at loggerheads with a hotheaded young buck, only to develop a grudging respect for their methods as the day wore on?
Do you cross the road by running into heavy traffic causing cars to squeal their brakes while you steady yourself on their bonnets?

Has your black superior officer given you just "twenty-four more hours" to crack this case"? Will he "have your badge" if you "screw up"?

And before bedtime, do you feel it is likely you will be lured into some kind of climactic shoot-out in a hall of mirrors?

Are any of the following people nearby, sneering: Michael Ironside, Joss Ackland, Lance Henriksen, Carl Weathers, James Belushi, Eric Roberts, Jon Voight, Gary Busey, Danny Trejo, Christopher Walken, Tim Curry, Kiefer Sutherland, Bolo Yeung, Brion James, Frank Langella, or Will Patton?

Are you divorced and live in a cruddy little flat because your wife got the house and custody of the child, whose birthday you nearly always forget?

Is the arch-villian's base conveniently situated in an abandoned chemical factory near the old docks. Helpfully, does it have miles of ventiation ducting which, for no clear reason, has been built big enough to hold a man?

Before heading to this base, do you have a strange urge to wordlessly prepare and sheath guns, knives, grenades and a crossbow?

When shown on network television, does your dialogue contains words like "motherfarmer", "freak you" and "sockcutter"?

Does the arch-villain have a female martial arts sidekick of questionable sexuality who appears to want to duff up your female sidekick in a lengthy yet strangely bloodless fight?

Does a sort of 'king' henchman who is larger / blonder than the rest and doesn't really say much keep appearing?

Have you ever run from a burning building and flung yourself headlong behind a conveniently placed mound of earth at the precise moment the building explodes, thus ensuring you are not blown to smithereens, but merely have a few streaks of dust on your face?

Have you sustained wounds that would fell an adult elephant? But do you only grimace slightly then totally ignore them for the rest of the film, until your arch rival thrusts rusty metal spikes into them in the final confrontation?

Have you recently done something so spectacular that a nearby drunk has rubbed his eyes in disbelief before staring accusingly at his bottle?

Has the sardonic leader of a group of European terrorists spent the last ten minutes climbing somewhere absurdly high, only to plummet to his death, when he would have been perfectly OK had he stayed on the ground and just shot you?

At the conclusion of the movie, does your tough, uncompromising black police chief tell you: "You're suspended for two weeks with full pay - now get your ass to Miami Beach. (Then do credits role with hero cop in a bikini jam with cocktail and hot-rocking babe in hand)

tml

oh God NOOOOOOOOO I can just see them doing this!!

Tristram

roflmao

great post eoin s.reckon thats the checklist alrite.

Ive read one Robert Crais book not sure bout the title.Enjoyed it.

ne James Lee Burke fans?They are quite formulaic but i spose that can be said bout most crime series."In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead" is one of my favourites id say.Gotta love those books set down south New Orleans, not Cork.

Eoin

I took out one of his books, but found it quite hard to get into and never got around to getting it out again. Must give him another go.

The John Connolly books are mostly set in places like New Orleans, and it is refreshing to read well written American crime books (by American I mean set there - I know the author is Irish) that are not set in the major cities. The books are also pretty dark and depressing unlike the "Elvis Cole" books which tend to be a lighter read.

James Ellroy is another good one - he wrote LA Confidential. Though from what I remember he wrote using the slang of the time which was quite hard to follow sometimes (sort of like reading Irvine Welsh books)

sleepwalker

james elroy and james lee burke are great, the whole new orleans/down south enviroment that burke creates is great and elroy is just an incredible writer go checkout "american tabloid"

i really enjoy harlan coben and michael connolly aswell

patterson has just become irritating especially with that lynsdey boxer series down with girl power is what i say

Tristram

What is Ian Rankin like?Iv heard sum peoplel speak quite highly of him.

Mr E

Pattersons Womens Murder Club series is pretty good (but thats because he has writers helping him out on them). Starting the latest (4th of July) this weekend.

His last few Cross books were godawful.

My favourite crime writer by a long chalk is Lee Child. His Jack Reacher books are clever, violent, and Reacher is one of the coolest mofos in fiction.

Eoin

TmB wrote:

Pattersons Womens Murder Club series is pretty good (but thats because he has writers helping him out on them). Starting the latest (4th of July) this weekend.

His last few Cross books were godawful.

My favourite crime writer by a long chalk is Lee Child. His Jack Reacher books are clever, violent, and Reacher is one of the coolest mofos in fiction.

Forgot about Lee Child - excellent good books as well, but probably fit into the thriller genre more than crime.

TBH, I find the Patterson Womens Murder club books overly P.C. and totally unbelievable. It's a shame because some of his earlier plots (mainly the serial killer ones etc) were excellent.

sleepwalker

i read one jack reacher book awhile ago very enjoyable something cold about child's writing but it works well for the character

Tristram

Never heard of Lee Child have to say

Looking at the bookshelf there earlier and realised I forgot to mention Steve Hamilton.Absolutely love his books.I think a lot of it has to with the setting.Harsh cold kinda reflects the stories.

Gaskell

Tristram wrote:

What is Ian Rankin like?Iv heard sum peoplel speak quite highly of him.

Wonderful writer! Been a fan for years. Gutsy, believable thrillers based in Edinburgh, with a strong main flawed character.

Eoin

Gaskell wrote:

Wonderful writer! Been a fan for years. Gutsy, believable thrillers based in Edinburgh, with a strong main flawed character.

I have read a few of his books as well, and they are pretty good. Very believable stories and characters. No Hollywood endings also which is as bonus.

Horatio

Jeffrey Deaver is very good as well, but only
the Lincoln Rhyme novels, the others don't hold up well

gimmick

Re comment toward James Patterson, I think that your frustaration with his last offering "London Bridges" is totally justified, it was a great read until the last 7-8 chapters when it kust went crazy stupid. Agreed also about Alex Cross. He has become totally unrealistic and irritating.

However, his other series, with Lindsay Boxer is still quite fresh. ive started JULY 4th, and so far so good.

Connelly is another great writer, my favourite being Angel Falls (?), and the worst without doubt being "City Of Bones". "Chasing the Dime" is a good read also.

My favourites are Micheal Connelly and Ian rankin. I think the reason both succeed so well is that they create beliveable situations and characters.

Good news for Rankin fans, Ken Stott of the Vice has replaced John Hannah as Rebus in the new episodes. Hannah was decant but far too clean cut to portray Rebus.

I do believe that a Bosch film could work. Kurt Russell would be perfect in the main role. Throw in Clint Eastwood and a decant script andyou could be on to a winner.

Shank

Gotta say I enjoy almost all mentioned already and I'm also a fan of Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder series.

The new Bosch one is great btw.

Eoin

Deleted User wrote:

I do believe that a Bosch film could work. Kurt Russell would be perfect in the main role. Throw in Clint Eastwood and a decant script andyou could be on to a winner.

Oh no, have to disagree with you there - Clint was already in a film from a Connelly book (Blood Work), and it was absolutely terrible. Couldn't see Kurt Russell as Bosch either.

<edit>
Gimmick - are you thinking of "Angels Flight"? probably his best Bosch book IMO
</edit>

Velvet Vocals

My favorite crime writer has to be Kinky Friedman... if you haven't ready any of his stuff, I highly recommend it.
I also love Agatha Christie and PG Woodhouse

Tristram

Ive read some Kinky Friedman, not in a while thought, cant remember what it was, will have to look at the bookshelves.Very, very enjoyable.Great flowing style and a good sense of humour.

Velvet Vocals

He's just great! Very, very funny!!