who reads crime?

[red crayon]

are there any other crime afficionados out there? i love it. i'm drawn to the more hard boiled stuff which probably says more about me than i would like it to. i love ian rankin, val mcdiarmid, michael connelly, james ellroy, lawrence block and robert crais. for a laugh i love janet enanovich and shane maloney. who's your favourite?

[drewid]

I like a good bit of forensic crime...Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs.

Don't get to read it much anymore though. Bit disappointed with the latest PC one too :(

[draught]

I don't mind a bit of crime (reading that is!) myself. I used to love Patricia Cornwall but stopped reading a few years ago when they disappointed me too.
Spencersmum -have you tried any Jodi Picoult? Not strictly crime but some crime and lots of lovely twists along the way.

[Puk]

I'm a huge crime/forenic crime fan! I have read Ian Rankin, Val McDiarmid, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, Kathy Reichs.....um there's heaps more but i can't remember their names! :p I'm a reader! I'm never without a book, when i ran out of crime novels to read once i started on my husbands fantasy books and fell in love with that genre too!

[Maggiesmum]

ME TOO!! I love Patricia Cornwell - except the Jack the Ripper one just couldn't get into that one and James Patterson I've got all their books. I like the series, I hate it when I finish a book and there's not another one to follow it, I hate saying goodbye to beloved characters!

I've often picked up an Ian Rankin and wondered what it would be like, but since so many of you have liked him I wont be putting it back again! :)

[melfunction]

I love crime books too.

My favourite is a true story called Mindhunter by John Douglas. He is a crime profiler at Quantico in the US. His book is about all the cases he has been involved with throughout his 30yr career.

Some mind blowing stuff in the book. I had nightmares after reading it. :o

[WeThree]

yes im this type of stuff too, i'll read anything really, but i do enjoy a good crime/forensic/mystery :)

[sweetvanilla]

Anything true story crimes, i'd enjoy it most of the times. because it also make me think and figure out all the WHY's . hehehe......

Dun hv the favourite one so far. But whilst I dun mind watching Forensic Investigations on Ch7, there are way too much adverts and and just kept repeating the lines from the earlier script. It usually yawn me before it finish.

Also I enjoy reading true stories on the still existing love,marriage, die of honour stuffs in the middle eastern region. I remember until today abt this gal (the author herself) in got tricked by her own father to go to Yemen for a holiday but ended up got abducted. But her younger sister remains there still.

[channy]

I love crime novels. James Patterson is my favourite. His books are great. I also love court room type crime books like Steve Martini.

[red crayon]

Great to hear from all you crime readers! Yesterday I went to one of a couple of bookshops here in Hanoi that have english language books and bought myself a P D James and an old classic, Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone" which I read as a kid and loved.

Draught, Nicole79 and Maggiesmum - i used to love Patricia Cornwell too but stopped reading them as well. The main characters were getting far too irritating to enjoy the stories. And as the risk of offending anyone, I don't think she's as great a writer as she thinks she is.

Kaidensmum - I have Mindhunter too. Great book but really disturbing. John Douglas has written a few others and they're just as interesting.

Thanks for all the recommendations. I love trying out new writers. KB and sweetvanilla - I don't mind a bit of true crime.

And Maggiesmum - you have to try Ian Rankin - you won't be disappointed.

[drewid]

I agree, PC isn't all she is cracked up to be. I think the characters took some wrong turns along the way and have sort of lost their way - its hard to care about them the same way.

Plus, her last few books have been written from a different perspective - I liked the original ones, where they were written from Kay's perspective. I think the stories lose a lot now. Plus, you never get any resolution - I mean, Benton came back from the 'dead' and yet in the 3 or so books since, he and Kay have NEVER talked about it?? It seriously annoys me.

Anyway thats my little vent.

Wish I had more time to read!!

[Rainbowbrite]

I too am a Crime lover :) Patricia Cornwell is still one of my faves, though i'm yet to read the new one. Honestly though, I didn't like Hornets Nest or Southern Cross. Didn't even finish them :rolleyes:

RB

[MariaO]

Hi, I am new to posting here so I hope you don't mind me joining in.

I am a relatively recent crime novel reader. I love Lawrence Block - particularly the Matt Scuder novels. I also really like George P Pelecanos.

[red crayon]

Hi Oldermum - you're a woman after my own heart. i love the matt scuder books - in fact i have to confess i fell in love with matt scuder at one stage. does anyone else do that? fall in love/lust with book characters? i've also read a few George P Pelecanos books too. love the hardboiled stuff.

[madvoice]

I've currently been reading all of my hubby's Robert B Parker books. They're a very easy read. For something even more mind numbing, I suggest Janet Evanovich's books. Patricia Cornwall is good too :). I also like to read a lot about true crime. I can't put my finger on any Authors at the moment though :)

[ThomasMum]

I love Minette Walters's stuff, she's fantastic, her stories are surreal. I came across of her work purely by accident, one of my friends from uni left her book in my car. Within a week I went around hunting MW's books and totally addicted to her stuff!

"MINETTE WALTERS- This author is, arguably, the best of the newer crop (1990's) of British mystery writers. "The Ice House" won the John Creasey Award for Best First Crime Novel and "The Sculptress", her second novel, won the Edgar Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year; her third novel, "Scold's Bridle", won Britian's Gold Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers Association. Need I say more? She is not writing a series, so each book stands alone"

Ref: M Walters (http://www.minettewalters.co.uk/)

T'sMum

[Puk]

Does anyone else do that? fall in love/lust with book characters?

YES! I do it often! My most memorable one though wasn't from a crime novel, it was Garion from David Eddings, The Belgariad series! I loved him so much i swore i would name my first child Garion, now my husband is holding that over me as he still wants it and i don't! :p

I've noticed that a lot of people don't really enjoy Patricia Cornwell and i have to say that when i first read them i thought they were the best but i've read much better books since and so i was quite disappointed when i read them the second time and found they weren't as good as i though! :rolleyes:

Oh and ThomasMum, i love Minnette Walters as well! :D

[MariaO]

I must admit I was/am mad about Matt Scuder myself, both when he was drinking and going to AA. They made a film of 8 million ways to die but not a very good one. Firstly it was set in LA rather than New York and Jeff Bridges was cast at Matt Scuder - it was disastrous.

I have not yet read Ian Rankin and Patricia Cornwell, but I picked some crime novels in a garage sale yesterday that included them so hopefully I soon will.

[red crayon]

TM and Puk - I enjoy Minette Walters too - she's the sex, drugs and rock n roll queen of crime.

OlderMum - I didn't know there'd been a film made of 8 million ways to die. Jeff Bridges, hey. I like Jeff Bridges too. I don't know who I'd cast as Matt. I reckon you'll enjoy Ian Rankin.

Anyone read any Val McDermid?

[willsmum]

I'm into true crime. Ann Rule rules. And I LOOOOVE the crime channel on Foxtel.

Don't mind a bit of fantasy - Piers Anthony, Tom Holt.

[MariaO]

I have read a few Val McDiarmud - with the detective Carol xxxx as the main protagonist - very enjoyable.

I like Jeff Bridges myself but he did not suit (at least my idea) of mr Scuder

I also like James Lee Burke, a lot of his tales are set in New Orleans and various parts of Louisiana if my memory serves me correctly. The character name might be Dave Robichaux....

[Mary_T]

I love to read crime some of my favourites are Elizabeth George her latest was great, PD James, Harlem Cobern, JA Jance, Janet Evanovich and Faye Kellerman

[sopolicha]

I used to read a lot of crime and I did for a while enjoy Patricia Cornwell - but like someone else said the characters have just gone into the realms of the ridiculous - and who really cares that Kay Scarpetta drives a bloody black Mercedes.

Anyway that is my rant for the day, the latest ones we have gotten onto are written by Henning Mankell. His Kurt Wallander novels are translated from Swedish and are pretty good - and Wallander does not drive a Merc. The old inspector is handing the torch over to his daughter and she might be a better character than her old man.

Any other Henning fans out there?

[red crayon]

I've read the first Kurt Wallander book. My Director is a big fan and lent it to me. I enjoyed it but boy he's not the happiest of fellas, is he? How many books in the series are there now?

[sopolicha]

He is a complete misery - he is better in some books than others, but his daughter is pretty good and I think that cheers him up a bit. I think there is about nine that I have read that have been translated. Another one was supposed to come out in September but I haven't seen it yet.

[bpato]

I am with you nicole79 go Pactria Cornwell and Kathy reichs. However I only like the Kay Scarpetta series of Patrica Cornwell novels.

I have read them all up to trace, but have a copy of blow fly and can't wait to read the new one (after i finish the other two).

My fav was the body farm. How about yours????

Belinda

[red crayon]

Thanks Sopoli, I'll have to keep reading the Kurt Wallander books.

Bpato - I started reading Kathy Reichs and I liked the first couple but then I lost interest. I'll have to try her new one.