# What are some of the very best suspense/mystery books you’ve read



## MulliganAl (Nov 11, 2010)

over the past few years?  I don't like books that are overly gruesome, I just like those 'sit on the edge of your seat' suspense and mystery type books.

I'm currently reading 'the woman with the dragon tattoo' which has been a good read so far.  Now I want a few really good suspense/mystery books that I can read in front of the fire over the holiday break, any good suggestions?


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

A few that I've enjoyed in the last few years are *Smilla's Sense of Snow*, *The Tenderness of Wolves* (this is historical fiction, as well), and *Still Life with Crows*.


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## Manley (Nov 14, 2010)

Well, I really like Dennis Lehane's  Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro detective series (starting with A Drink Before the War). Those books have kept me awake and reading well past when I should have went to bed. Very good stuff.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

You're looking for recently written books, I think? If you like historical suspense novels (by that I mean written now, but about the past) try Michael Cox's "The Meaning of Night."



Or David Liss' "A Conspiracy of Paper."



If you don't mind classics, then you can't go wrong with Wilkie Collins! Those will keep you flipping the pages, "Moonstone" and "The Woman in White" especially.


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

I'm a big fan of Dorothy Sayers and have just read "Gaudy Night" - as well as a mystery to unravel there is a satisfying love story, a moral debate about the importance of professional versus personal (emotional) integrity (pre-feminist question of work/family balance) - and lots of beautiful Oxford.


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

_The Lion's Game_, (thriller), Nelson DeMille (may be a bit gruesome in parts, however); _Spencerville_ and _The Charm School_, (both thrillers), Nelson DeMille (older works but still good); _Plum Island_ (mystery), Nelson DeMille; _Burnt Sienna_, (thriller), David Morrell; _Extreme Denial_ (mystery, thriller), David Morrell; _Double Image_ (mystery, thriller), David Morrell.

Those will get you started on some pretty good tales.

For pure mystery with a little romance, you might try _Not What She Seems_ by Victorine E. Lieske.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

Patricia Cromwell's earlier work is pretty good. Definitely kept me on the edge of my seat but it can have some gruesome details in it about the murders.
Mary Higgins Clark's earlier work is excellent too. Although the last few books she has put out have been pretty predictable. They aren't overly gruesome and have usually a slight romance interest in them as well. 

If you like Historical Fiction type mysteries then Deanna Raybourn writes an excellent series, Lady Julia Gray. I believe the first book is Silent in the Grave. There is a bundle of three for only $9.99 for Kindle.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

R. Doug said:


> _The Lion's Game_, (thriller), Nelson DeMille (may be a bit gruesome in parts, however); _Spencerville_ and _The Charm School_, (both thrillers), Nelson DeMille (older works but still good); _Plum Island_ (mystery), Nelson DeMille; _Burnt Sienna_, (thriller), David Morrell; _Extreme Denial_ (mystery, thriller), David Morrell; _Double Image_ (mystery, thriller), David Morrell.
> 
> Those will get you started on some pretty good tales.
> 
> For pure mystery with a little romance, you might try _Not What She Seems_ by Victorine E. Lieske.


The Nelson DeMille titles are among my favorites, too. He also co-wrote the book, _Mayday_, with Thomas Block, and it's very good. (Just don't read it before flying.) I think that Nelson DeMille is probably my favorite author.


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## MulliganAl (Nov 11, 2010)

Cindy416 said:


> The Nelson DeMille titles are among my favorites, too. He also co-wrote the book, _Mayday_, with Thomas Block, and it's very good. (Just don't read it before flying.) I think that Nelson DeMille is probably my favorite author.


Thanks everyone, I've put a number of books in my Amazon wish list that have been listed here. I just talked with a coworker who also suggested Nelson DeMille so I'll probably start with one of his books for the holiday season but I'm still trying to decide on a few others.


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## terrireid (Aug 19, 2010)

I enjoyed Maureen Tan's books - "aka Jane" and "Run, Jane, Run"
http://www.amazon.com/K-Jane-Maureen-Tan/dp/0892966580


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

R. Doug said:


> _The Lion's Game_, (thriller), Nelson DeMille (may be a bit gruesome in parts, however); _Spencerville_ and _The Charm School_, (both thrillers), Nelson DeMille (older works but still good); _Plum Island_ (mystery), Nelson DeMille; _Burnt Sienna_, (thriller), David Morrell; _Extreme Denial_ (mystery, thriller), David Morrell; _Double Image_ (mystery, thriller), David Morrell.
> 
> Those will get you started on some pretty good tales.
> 
> For pure mystery with a little romance, you might try _Not What She Seems_ by Victorine E. Lieske.


I just downloaded a David Morrell book, "The Brotherhood of the Rose." Now another book in my ever growing list of TBR!


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

I don't really like genre mysteries that much, but I have enjoyed:

Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris -- more suspense than mystery, gruesomeness level about equivalent to the Steig Larssen book you're reading.
Fingersmith, Sarah Waters -- unconventional and full of surprises; no "detective" but the characters involved musst unravel what's happening; contains lesbian content if that's an issue.
The Big Sleep and Farewell My Lovely, Raymond Chandler -- glorious hardboiled detective stories, poignant and wildly entertaining.
Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane 

I love Jim Thompson, but none of his best -- Hell of a Woman, Pop. 180, Killer Inside Me, The Grifters -- are out as eBooks.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

DYB said:


> I just downloaded a David Morrell book, "The Brotherhood of the Rose." Now another book in my ever growing list of TBR!


That's a great trilogy, I just re-bought them when those were finally released on Kindle a few weeks ago. It was good to re-read them again.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Steph H said:


> That's a great trilogy, I just re-bought them when those were finally released on Kindle a few weeks ago. It was good to re-read them again.


_Trilogy?!_ I actually didn't realize that. What are the other two titles?


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

Love Mary Higgins Clark's early works (and stuff she does with Carol). _He Sees You When You're Sleeping_ is one of my favs 

Sandy


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

DYB said:


> _Trilogy?!_ I actually didn't realize that. What are the other two titles?


The good news is that you got the first one.  It's kind of a loose trilogy, the second book (_Fraternity of the Stone_) has mostly different main characters, though one or two minor semi-major (if that makes sense ) characters are the same. Then the third (_League of Night and Fog_) includes characters from both of the first two books.

If you like _Brotherhood_, you'll want to read the other two. If you don't really like it all that much, then you won't *need* to read the other two, the first one ends on its own just fine.


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## Carolyn J. Rose Mystery Writer (Aug 10, 2010)

I'm a huge fan of Stephen Hunter's early Bob Lee Swagger Books, Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, and most everything by Dennis Lehane.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Daphne said:


> I'm a big fan of Dorothy Sayers and have just read "Gaudy Night" - as well as a mystery to unravel there is a satisfying love story, a moral debate about the importance of professional versus personal (emotional) integrity (pre-feminist question of work/family balance) - and lots of beautiful Oxford.


While I'm not a big fan of Dorothy Sayers (sorry) as a whole, I love the Lord Peter/Harriet Vane series and have re-read them many times. There are what, three or more books in the series, part of the larger Lord Peter series? Great mystery AND love story. I don't believe they are available for Kindle, at least they weren't when I first got mine. Off to check... By the way, Gaudy Night is not the first in the series...

Edit: Still aren't...sigh. Though there are two "new" Lord Peter/Harriet Vane novels by Dorothy Sayers and someone else? Anyway, that's off topic. Here is the series in order:

STRONG POISON, HAVE HIS CARCASE, GAUDY NIGHT, and BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON.

Betsy


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

terrireid said:


> I enjoyed Maureen Tan's books - "aka Jane" and "Run, Jane, Run"
> http://www.amazon.com/K-Jane-Maureen-Tan/dp/0892966580


I haven't heard mention of those books in years--they were really, really good. Loved them!


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## joanhallhovey (Nov 7, 2010)

I write supsense, so that is the genre I most enjoy reading.  An author I've only recently discovered is the late Patricia Highsmith, of the Riley books. Once I read one of her books, I began to devour everything she'd written.  Even bought a hard cover biography titled Beautiful Shadows.  Her best book, in my opinion, (though they're all great,) is Deep Water.  I highly recommend it.  

Joan Hall Hovey


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## terrireid (Aug 19, 2010)

MariaESchneider said:


> I haven't heard mention of those books in years--they were really, really good. Loved them!


Me too!! I wish she'd write more!


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

There are just so many. I personally love John Connolly's books and most of John Harvey's. My favorite "new" author is Arnaldur Indridason.


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## Luke King (Nov 4, 2010)

joanhallhovey said:


> I write supsense, so that is the genre I most enjoy reading. An author I've only recently discovered is the late Patricia Highsmith, of the Riley books. Once I read one of her books, I began to devour everything she'd written. Even bought a hard cover biography titled Beautiful Shadows. Her best book, in my opinion, (though they're all great,) is Deep Water. I highly recommend it.
> 
> Joan Hall Hovey


I have to admit that I love Deep Water also, though my favourite is This Sweet Sickness.


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## Music &amp; Mayhem (Jun 15, 2010)

Lisa Gardner writes excellent suspense ... some of her more recent titles are: 

Gone
Hide
Say Goodbye

She spoke at a writers meeting that I once attended and I was very impressed. She does an enormous amount of research, talks to many law enforcement and mental health professionals (ha ha, so she can get a handle on the messed-up bad characters). As a writer, I study her books for inspiration.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

Joan, thanks for the shout-out to Patricia Highsmith

Ryne, I thought for years that A Simple Plan was written by Stephen King under a pen name!

Ira Levin's A Kiss Before Dying and most anything from William Goldman are awesome. James Lee Burke is a true artist.

Scott


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## kindleworm (Aug 24, 2010)

I am now reading Executive Privelege, by Phillip Margolin.  I have read 35% and so far it is full of suspense.


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## M. G. Scarsbrook (Nov 22, 2010)

For me, Wilkie Collins is the master of suspense - take a look at THE WOMAN IN WHITE.

For a more recent novel, I also like Robert Harris's series on Cicero and ancient Rome (his latest is CONSPIRATA). Political intrigue galore!


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> While I'm not a big fan of Dorothy Sayers (sorry) as a whole, I love the Lord Peter/Harriet Vane series and have re-read them many times. There are what, three or more books in the series, part of the larger Lord Peter series? Great mystery AND love story. I don't believe they are available for Kindle, at least they weren't when I first got mine. Off to check... By the way, Gaudy Night is not the first in the series...
> 
> Edit: Still aren't...sigh. Though there are two "new" Lord Peter/Harriet Vane novels by Dorothy Sayers and someone else? Anyway, that's off topic. Here is the series in order:
> 
> ...


Dorothy Sayers started (but never finished) another Lord Peter/ Harriet Vane book - _Thrones, Dominations_ - which was completed by Jill Paton Walsh. As a huge Sayers fan I found this book to be completely in keeping with Sayer's style and thoroughly enjoyed it. I believe the first third is Sayers - and I've tried to spot the "join". Honestly, if you enjoyed the other books and haven't read this, you are in for a treat. Peter, Harriet and children also appear in _Striding Folly_- short stories by Dorothy Sayers.


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

mgscarsbrook said:


> For a more recent novel, I also like Robert Harris's series on Cicero and ancient Rome (his latest is CONSPIRATA). Political intrigue galore!


May I also endorse Robert Harris: I saw the film "The Ghost" and then read the book - _brilliant_ (and I do think Robert Harris had Tony Blair firmly in mind.)
Update: I think the film was released as "The Ghost Writer" in the US.


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> While I'm not a big fan of Dorothy Sayers (sorry) as a whole, I love the Lord Peter/Harriet Vane series and have re-read them many times. There are what, three or more books in the series, part of the larger Lord Peter series? Great mystery AND love story. I don't believe they are available for Kindle, at least they weren't when I first got mine. Off to check... By the way, Gaudy Night is not the first in the series...
> 
> Betsy


They are available for download free on the mobileread website--in mobi/prc format. At least they were about six months ago--I got them all.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

My favorite lately has to be Ira Levin's The Boys from Brazil: A Novel. I love the combination of suspense with weird science, and I think Levin pulls this off brilliantly. He also wrote Sliver: A Novel, which I read in paperback years ago. Creepy concept but it doesn't look like it's available for Kindle. Sigh . . .


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## ArthurC (Aug 4, 2010)

'Five Red Herrings' by Dorothy L. Sayers


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## zwarbles (Dec 4, 2010)

I really enjoyed the Linda Castillo Kate Burkholder Series....Sworn to Silence and Pray for Silence.


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## 5711 (Sep 18, 2009)

James Lee Burke, like Scott said. Fantastic writer. And Patricia Highsmith, of course.

Seems like mystery/suspense and history go well by the fire -- a couple historical mystery/suspense novels I liked recently are: _A Trace of Smoke_ by Rebecca Cantrell, and _City of Dragons_ by Kelli Stanley. Also, any of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther novels set in 1930s/40s Berlin are worth a look.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

purplepen79 said:


> My favorite lately has to be Ira Levin's The Boys from Brazil: A Novel. I love the combination of suspense with weird science, and I think Levin pulls this off brilliantly. He also wrote Sliver: A Novel, which I read in paperback years ago. Creepy concept but it doesn't look like it's available for Kindle. Sigh . . .


I loved Ira Levin years ago when I read his books. _The Boys From Brazil_ was the first that I read, and I quickly followed it with _Rosemary's Baby_ and _The Stepford Wives_. Thanks for the reminder. I'll have to see which of his books are available for Kindle.


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## Mark Adair (Dec 4, 2010)

Daphne said:


> I'm a big fan of Dorothy Sayers and have just read "Gaudy Night" - as well as a mystery to unravel there is a satisfying love story, a moral debate about the importance of professional versus personal (emotional) integrity (pre-feminist question of work/family balance) - and lots of beautiful Oxford.


Yes, Daphne, I completely agree. Dorothy L Sayers "Guady Night", "Murder Must Advertise", etc. are some of the best mystery books ever written.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

How about Harlan Coben? He writes lightweight cozy thrillers, if there is such a thing, but they're as addictive as popcorn once you start one.


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## j.m.zambrano (Jul 16, 2010)

My personal favorite for psychological suspense is Elizabeth George.  Her novels are wonderfully complex and her characters, even the minor ones, are developed in depth.
If choosing one of hers for the first time, I would avoid "What Came Before He Shot Her," as this is really a social commentary and not typical of her work.  It is valuable to those of us who have read her other novels in that it fills in some information that involved main characters in a previous novel, and the social commentary is in itself valuable, but probably not for someone looking for a suspense read.


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## SteveCamp (Dec 5, 2010)

Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Cindy416 and Scott~

Always great to see more Ira Levin fans! 
And I second Scott's rec of A Kiss Before Dying (though it doesn't seem like it's on Kindle yet--rats)

Also, I would like to recommend The Double Bind. I posted about this book on the F. Scott Fitzgerald thread, but it seems like it would fit here too. Bohjalian really messes with the reader's mind in this one, and I love it. It was one of those books that left me uneasy for days after reading it.


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## Andrew Ashling (Nov 15, 2010)

I like both historical novels _and_ mysteries. So a combination of both is a treat for me.

I very much liked Josephine Tey's _The Daughter of Time_ in which a bedridden detective investigates if Richard III really had his nephews murdered in the Tower. I know, there is still a lot of heated discussion going on over the historical evidence, but as someone put it _"I never looked at Shakespeare's Richard III in quite the same way again"_.

A second is _Catilina's Riddle_ by Steven Saylor. Was Catiline really the destructive rebel against the legal government, or, as we would say today, a freedom fighter against an oppressive regime? Was the so called conspiracy actually staged by Cicero? The questions are all intriguing though I'm told Saylor is on shaky historical grounds here. A nice read.


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## cargalmn (Sep 29, 2010)

There are some really good recommendations here...if I might add to them - I really, really love the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman (When the Bough Breaks is the first, though not necessarily the best), and William Bernhardt's Ben Kincaid series (Primary Justice is the first, though again not necessarily the best).

Both series are really good - with characters that grow and progress throughout the life of each series.  The Alex Delaware series is sort of a psychological mystery / suspense series and the Kincaid series is more of a legal thriller/mystery series.


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

cargalmn said:


> There are some really good recommendations here...if I might add to them - I really, really love the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman (When the Bough Breaks is the first, though not necessarily the best), and William Bernhardt's Ben Kincaid series (Primary Justice is the first, though again not necessarily the best).
> 
> Both series are really good - with characters that grow and progress throughout the life of each series. The Alex Delaware series is sort of a psychological mystery / suspense series and the Kincaid series is more of a legal thriller/mystery series.


You reminded me of my current favorite crime writer, Faye and Jonathan's son: Jesse. Jesse is more than a chip of the old block, he's got a fresh voice and slightly tilted way of looking at things. His books feature normal people caught up in circumstances that force them to make moral and ethical choices -- but there is plenty of suspense and adventure. To me he is compulsively readable.


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## cargalmn (Sep 29, 2010)

unknown2cherubim said:


> You reminded me of my current favorite crime writer, Faye and Jonathan's son: Jesse. Jesse is more than a chip of the old block, he's got a fresh voice and slightly tilted way of looking at things. His books feature normal people caught up in circumstances that force them to make moral and ethical choices -- but there is plenty of suspense and adventure. To me he is compulsively readable.


Get outta town - they have a son who writes too

{waves goodbye} off to Amazon I go!!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Steph H said:


> The good news is that you got the first one.  It's kind of a loose trilogy, the second book (_Fraternity of the Stone_) has mostly different main characters, though one or two minor semi-major (if that makes sense ) characters are the same. Then the third (_League of Night and Fog_) includes characters from both of the first two books.
> 
> If you like _Brotherhood_, you'll want to read the other two. If you don't really like it all that much, then you won't *need* to read the other two, the first one ends on its own just fine.


I just recently got _Brotherhood of the Rose_ for the Kindle. I've been debating for weeks whether or not to go dig out the VHS tape I have of the mini-series that was made from it. I recall it being pretty good.

I'd second the recommendation for the trilogy.

I'd also suggest checking out Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series. Over half the books have been Kindle-ized so far.

Mike


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## M. G. Scarsbrook (Nov 22, 2010)

DEATH IN HOLY ORDERS by PD James is quite good -- lots of intelligence and complex characters, but doesn't sacrifice on a suspenseful plot.


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## JackNolte (Oct 28, 2010)

I'm a huge fan of all of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books.  There's around twenty of them and I've devoured all of them.  They still really hold up.  Most mystery writers working today really point to him as one of their major influences.  

Beyond that, has anybody mentioned Dean Koontz?  He's definitely hit and miss for me, but when he's on, he's really quite good.  Sometimes the endings can be a bit silly, but the ride getting there is a blast.


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## Music &amp; Mayhem (Jun 15, 2010)

Daphne said:


> May I also endorse Robert Harris: I saw the film "The Ghost" and then read the book - _brilliant_ (and I do think Robert Harris had Tony Blair firmly in mind.)
> Update: I think the film was released as "The Ghost Writer" in the US.


Hi Daphne, yes the film was released as The Ghost Writer in US. It was a fantastic movie, Pierce Brosnan played the Tony Blair character. However, since it was directed by Roman Polanski, personna non grata in the US, it probably got less attention than it should have. Thanks for pointing out Robert Harris. I'll try and read some of his books, assuming he's written more than The Ghost.


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

I don't think I'm seeing it mentioned here yet, so let me suggest Joe Finder's "Company Man" about an executive dealing with corporate warfare while he's also the target of a murder investigation. 

I like Lee Child's "Echo Burning" as well, kind of the middle of the Reacher series, I think.


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## Layton Green (Sep 27, 2010)

Anything by James Lee Burke.  Start with Neon Rain


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## DonnaFaz (Dec 5, 2009)

Oh, my goodness! I have to get out of this thread! I just bought three books and haven't finished reading the first page. 

Thanks for the recommendations! 

~Donna~


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