Having just finished the great thriller Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, and following on from last weeks list of women's fiction authors I have composed a list of my favourite authors in the crime / thriller / horror field.
1) James Patterson. I love his style of crime writing, as well as the collaborations other authors. The Alex Cross series is brilliant. I have read them all and am constantly looking out for the next. The last one was such a cliff hanger ending I couldn't bear it. I keep checking his website but he is leaving us in suspense with no mention of the next instalment, The Michael Bennett series is fantastic as are the books in the Private series. The first of the NYPD series also showed promise. The short chapters make the books easy to dip in and out of, although inoevitably I quite easily read the whole book in just a couple of sittings. The style of writing flows and he builds up a relationship with the characters so easily you anticipate the next book to catch up with their lives. The baddies are also excellently written.
2) Karin Slaughter. I love this lady. Her Grant County series are my particular favourites. I love them. They are crime novels which involve Jeffrey and Lena as police officers investigating murders and crimes, with Sara as the local doctor. If you haven't read them yet it is well worth it, and do start at the first book, Blindsighted. Sara, Jeffrey and Lena are formidable and likeable characters. As the series develops I develop stronger ties to each of them. Karin also writes stand alone novels which are fantastic. Infact I spied just this morning that her next book is due out in June / July....can't wait!
3) Beverly Barton. I stumbled across Beverly's books whilst at my local library and thought I would give her a whirl. In the same style as Karin Slaughter, Beverly writes amazing crime stories, both part of a series and stand alone novels. The Griffin Powell series is particular good. Lots of suspense and you get to feel like you are part of the investigating team.
4) Shaun Hutson. This man to me is a horror genius (even if he is a Liverpool fan!). I have always loved horror both in book and film form and came across Shaun's books years ago. I have found them hard to hunt down in libraries over the years but now, with the renewed interest in horror his books seem to be reappearing. Gruesome and gross sum up at least a couple of books. I love the style of writing. His books often comprise of many short chapters which allow you to flick between crime scenes and other characters. Stories flow well because of this and dont leave you overly traumatised. If you are of a nervous disposition I wouldn't read these before bed!
5) Chris Mooney. I discovered these books whilst browsing the crime and thriller section in Brixton library. Again, like many of the books I like the books form part of a series in which CSI Darby McCormick leads various investigations into murders that have taken place. The characters are very likeable and the style of writing is fast and detailed which really helped me get into the books. The latest book was released in 2012. The Killing House will introduce us to a new series featuring a former profiler named Malcolm Fletcher. I haven't read this yet but fully intend to now I have stumbled across it!
6) Sean Black. Another author I stumbled across thanks to Brixton Library. Again another series,this time featuring bodyguard Ryan Lock. These books are somewhat edgier than the other authors I have listed. They delve more into gang lands, prisons and the rougher end of the world. I loved them and tore through them. Like all good leading men he also has a great sidekick.
7) Chevy Stevens. The book Still Missing by Chevy is by far the most traumatic book I think I have read. Absolutely brilliantly written it tells the story of a woman, who is abducted and abused by her kidnapper. It had me gripped from the start and didn't let go for a minute. I usually hand my books straight to my Mum or daughter to read but this was the first one I couldn't do that with straight away, so horrific some of it was. Her other 2 books are great too, but nothing like the first.
8) Dennis Lehane. I went to see Shutter Island at the cinema and came out totally confused about the ending, so decided to read the book. Have to admit I am still not totally clear, but I digress. Dennis writes great books, some of which including Shutter Island and Mystic River have been made into films, good meaty detective stories which also introduce you to the personal lives of the detectives make for great reading.
9) Stephen King. I have been a fan of Stephen King films for more years than I care to remember but I have only recently read one of his books. The book was Misery and it was even better than the film. Certainly gory in parts but very well written I really enjoyed it and will be reading more of his books from now on.
10) Jack Kerley. Yep, another random find, but a good one. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to making sure I read books in order. The first couple of these books I could only find in hard back so looked totally old school carrying them round. This series centres around Carson Ryder who is a detective and is set in the UK. The most interesting character is his brother Jeremy. You will see why if you read them. Gritty books with some gruesome murders, very well written.
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