What mystery/suspense novel would you say is your all-time favorite and why?

For me, it is Jeffery Deaver's THE COFFIN DANCER because I loved the shock in the first chapter and the ending was just as shocking to me. It hooked me into reading. I now know what to expect from a Deaver novel but it is, still to this day, my all-time favorite book.

Ran to my bookcase to make sure I had this one. I'm a Deaver fan as well, but there are times when I stand in front of my shelves and can't decide what to read and of course I want to read the best ones first and leave the others for later.

Mike wrote: "What mystery/suspense novel would you say is your all-time favorite and why?

For me, it is Jeffery Deaver's THE COFFIN DANCER because I loved the shock in the first chapter and the ending was ju..."
Well, Mike, I have 4 Dreaver TBRs but haven't read any yet. I can't possibly choose an obvious favorite, but I went through my reviews and picked out a couple, 2 are debut books: KillRod: the Cross of Lorraine Murders by Bill Ison; The Archangel Project by C.S. Graham; Invisible Armies by Jon Evans; A Grave Breach by James Macomber. On another level, I'd say Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. This is not a genre I've had much experience with, but I know I have read some good ones in the past. I picked these for different reasons. The Archangel Project, Invisible Armies,and A Grave Breach are political, and in a way so is Killrod. Joe Hill's book is basically a ghost thriller, but very taut. All are well-written. The Archangel Project deals with remote viewing, Invisible Armies with exploiting poor & isolated people by large corporations, and A Grave Breach deals with genocide. I have reviews of all these books on my profile.

With two Dreaver fans to ask right here, maybe you could give me an idea of which one I should read first? Here are the titles on my TBR list:
The Stone Monkey, The Empty Chair, Speaking in Tongues, Garden of Beasts (the last one I don't have at home right now)
Any thoughts?
Betty

Betty - Of the four you mentioned, I would say THE EMPTY CHAIR - probably my second favorite of his Rhyme novels.

Hope You Enjoy It,
-MO

Thanks Mike.

I thought I had some books by Jeffery Deaver, but I don't, does he write serial killer books or just what kind of books does he write? I have about 5 books by John Sanford I haven't read yet, hopefully they are good since I seem to be collecting them. Do any of you have any thoughts on his books before I buy any more?

Read them in order is my suggestion. Look at the copyright dates. Then, get James Lee Burke...he is my favorite...read those in order, too! I'm envious you get to read them for the first time!

I don't have either of these authors, it looks like it time to go to the half prive book store!

Kay - I haven't read alot of John Sanford but I have read 1 or 2 and he is good. Jeffery Deaver has written 24 novels and they all twist-filled thrillers. His most popular series, Rhyme/Sachs, centers around a quadriplegic criminalist who solves cases from his bedside with the assistance of a young up-n-coming female detective. For me, it is the closest thing to riding a roller-coaster while reading a book.

Kay wrote: "I thought I had some books by Jeffery Deaver, but I don't, does he write serial killer books or just what kind of books does he write? I have about 5 books by John Sanford I haven't read yet, hopef..."

I've read and enjoyed all of John Sandford's books and many of Jeffrey Deaver's. I've read all of the Lincoln Rhyme series.

I thought the Rhyme character sounded familiar, so I checked my DVD's and I have the Bone Collector, now I'll need to go buy some of his books,, because I loved the movie.

Do I have to pick just one?
I totally love Deaver, J.L. Burke, Amelia Peabody series and the Maggody mysteries. YOu couldn't find a more diverse group, but they are my favorites...and Robert Parker...maybe my favorite is Nero Wolfe.

I just bought a book ON OFF by Colleen McCullough, have any of you read any of her books? It sounded good , plus the book store had the hard back marked down to $5.98, so thought I'd give her a try.

I can't pick one favorite all-time book, but I have narrowed it down to three, The Silence of the Lambs,and Ghoul and Headhunter (the original versions) by Michael Slade who is really 4 people under the one name. Oh,just thought of another one -Mystic River.

I have about 5 books by John Sanford I haven't read yet, hopef..."</i>

I love Sanford's Prey series, but it is a good idea to start at the beginning. You'll tear through them, they're great.
I'm currently reading Barry Eisler's Rain series about assassin John Rain, very compelling.

I've only got about 6 of his books(John Sanford), I don't have his 1st. or 2nd. books, the ones I have of the Prey Series are
Chosen
Naked
Rules
Broken
Invisible
I always like to start with the first in a series, if I can find them, wish me luck

Oh, and I could never choose a favorite book ever, although I think Silence of the Lambs is pretty close to perfect.

a word about Sanford...the first one I picked up was about a lady who lives on Lake Minnetonka in MN and loves to read and is being stalked at a bookstore.

I live on Lake Minnetonka, love to read and go to bookstores all the time. Had to put THAT one down! But I've read several others and they are really good!

Kay wrote: "I thought the Rhyme character sounded familiar, so I checked my DVD's and I have the Bone Collector, now I'll need to go buy some of his books,, because I loved the movie."

My granddaughter (20) watched The Bone Collector and now she is reading the entire series.

It's so hard to name one favorite, but I really loved Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane. Great characters, plotting, and plenty of moral ambiguity. I loved Lehane's Kenzie/Gennaro series, and I wish he'd write more of them!

MBP, while it's doubtful that Lehane will be writing anymore Kenzie/Gennaro books, I thought SHUTTER ISLAND was an outstanding suspense novel! Lehane is just a phenomenal writer all the way around.

did the movie follow the book?

I liked the movie a lot and also Lehane's books
-am starting his latest Any Given Day
anyone read it - what think of it?

Jim wrote: "did the movie follow the book?

I liked the movie a lot and also Lehane's books
-am starting his latest Any Given Day
anyone read it - what think of it?

"
I read the book Gone, Baby, Gone before the movie came out, but I didn't see the movie. I would, however, think the book was well-written with maybe a movie in mind. Did anyone both read the book and see the movie? I haven't yet read Any Given Day but I agree that he is a wonderful writer, very suspenseful.

I saw Gone Baby Gone after reading the book and wasn't overly impressed by the movie. I think Ed Harris did a phenomenal job. I think Casey Afflect played a decent Patrick, but at the same time he seemed a little young for Patrick. The treatment of Angie in the movie was poor at best. They completely changed her character which changes the dynamics in the relationship between she and Patrick. It didn't work for me, personally. Most people who haven't read the book thoroughly enjoyed the movie, though.

I have Gone Baby Gone recorded, but haven't watched it yet, to me the books are always better than the movie, I haven;t read the book.

Jen wrote: "MBP, while it's doubtful that Lehane will be writing anymore Kenzie/Gennaro books..."

Even though he's said a million times over the last few years that he didn't see himself returning to the series, Dennis Lehane mentioned in an interview a couple of weeks ago that his next novel will, indeed, be a Kenzie/Gennaro book.

Wow! That must be a VERY recent decision. He made statements during his book tour this year for The Given Day that he was definitely finished with Kenzie and Gennaro. I wonder what sparked the change in thinking. I'm also curious that if it does come to fruition how much it will differ from the books presently in the series. He's definitely grown and changed as a writer. Very interesting. Thanks for the info.

Here's a recap of the event Dennis Lehane did at the Poison Pen just a couple months ago in October, and what he had to say about Patrick and Angie then:

http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/2...

He was at Murder and Mayhem in Muskego on November 8. He was interviewed by Michael Koryta and mentioned the new Kenzie/Gennaro book. The news quickly made the rounds of various Mystery and Crime blogs like “Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind” and “The Rap Sheet.”

Jen wrote: "I saw Gone Baby Gone after reading the book and wasn't overly impressed by the movie. I think Ed Harris did a phenomenal job. I think Casey Afflect played a decent Patrick, but at the same time h..."
Hi Jen! I can't believe they did that with Angie! Sometimes they get it so wrong I think when they do the movies. Their "creative process" is so often off the mark I wonder what they thought made a book so popular to begin with.

I have to go with The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, my favorite mystery book of all. As for suspense, I could probably differentiate between mystery and suspense and come up with one soley for suspense, but I have to give that a little more thought.

That's great news about another Kenzie/Gennaro book from Lehane - definitely something to look forward to!

I saw the movie of Gone Baby Gone, and I agree with the comments about Gennaro being a very different character from the book (and I wasn't impressed with Michelle Monaghan's acting either). I thought the movie was just OK, but I can see where someone who hadn't read the book first might enjoy it more, since they aren't comparing it to something better.

ATTENTION!
Just finished Deaver's "Bodies Left Behind".

GO AND GET IT RIGHT NOW. IT IS THE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR. ABSOLUTELY RIVETING.

Bodies Left Behind. Definitely a good book. I started it on a Friday night and read straight through the weekend. There are some great twists in this book.

We've had a lot of good posts since I started this topic...thank you to all! I enjoy this website because there seems to be alot of die-hard mystery/suspense/thriller lovers and that is great because I am definitely one that loves to discuss and recommend "good reads".

I was happy to see the topic shift strongly to Lehane and his books/book movies as he is one of my top 5 authors. I did read then see GONE BABY GONE and I thought the book was an excellent read and the movie was a very good movie. Movies do have a tendency to skew the book in some aspect. I think Angie's character was the 'skew' for me. When I read the books, I think of it as "Patrick and Angie" and I think the movie was more centered on Patrick's character. Also, the movie "Angie" wasn't tough enough for me (probably a product of Ben A's movie production).

I did read THE GIVEN DAY (my review is on this website) and I am interested to see how this one turns out on the big screen. I think I may like the movie more than the book because I think they will be able accentuate the movie production with costumes and scenery of the book's era.

I also thought DL was done with Kenzie and Gennaro but was very excited to learn that K & G is the next book he is working on. I thought his next book was going to be associated to THE GIVEN DAY based on something I had heard or read.

I also have read Jeffery Deaver's THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND and enjoyed this standalone alot (review on this site coming soon). His next book is going to be from his Kathryn Dance series and the title is ROADSIDE CROSSES due out June '09.

Last but not least...author BRIAN FREEMAN has really impressed me with his first three books IMMORAL, STRIPPED, and STALKED. Book #4 is due out in April titled IN THE DARK. Great series if you haven't read it yet.

Thanks, MO

What kind of books does Brian Freeman write? I really like serial killer books, and suggestions?

Kay - Brian Freeman writes a PI detective series with Jonathan Stride and Serena Dial. I suggest you read them in order which would be IMMORAL, STRIPPED, then STALKED. The setting is Minnesota for IMMORAL and STALKED and Las Vegas for STRIPPED. He pulls you in with a very good Prologue and he does a great job describing a scene. He is probably my third favorite author with Jeffery Deaver and Michael Connelly who are well established in the industry. But if I walked into a Borders and they had a new release of JD, MC, and Brian Freeman...it would be a very difficult decision for me on which book I would decide to read first. On Amazon, his third book STALKED has received (53) 5 star ratings of 61 total! I feel that is pretty darn good for an author which is still trying to get his name out there in the industry with the main players. I enjoyed STALKED the most of the three but that was contingent on reading the first two books to get the characters established in my mind.

If you give him a try then I hope you enjoy. There is another author named Brian Freeman. Here is the website for the one I recommend:

http://www.bfreemanbooks.com/

Thanks, MO

Thanks, Mike. I'm going to the half price book store this morning, I hope I have some luck finding some of the books you mentioned.Usually just about every time I go there hunting for an author, they never have any books. Maybe I'll have better luck this morning.

I really like Michael Connelly to, I think I have all of his books to, I just haven't went back and re-read them again like I usually do.

So many good ones...my favorites:
C.J. Sansom
Jim Butcher
Barbara Hambly
Dick Francis
Harlan Coben
James Lee Burke
Lee Child
John Dunning
F. Paul Wilson
James Siegel
Sue Grafton

Kevin - A few I've never heard of....will check them out. Thanks, MO

Small Town by Lawrence Block

Mike - which is you favorite Connelly book? Thanks, Kevin

Sorry...with my list I changed Mike's subject. :) One of my favorite suspense novels is Harlan Coben's "Tell No One"...truly grabs you! I have given this book out as a gift to 5 people...all claimed they loved it. I could not put this book down...it reads like the movie "The Fugitive."

I enjoyed Coben's Tell No One, too, Kevin. I've read around 6 of his books, and Tell No One and The Woods are my two favorite. I had to read Tell No One after meeting Harlan Coben and hearing him talk about his books at a book festival. He is very entertaining in person.

Kevin - For Michael Connelly books, I like THE CONCRETE BLONDE the most with THE POET a close second. I have enjoyed all of his books but those two stand out most to me. I am reading THE BRASS VERDICT right now and hope it gives them a run for their money. I definitely feel that reading the Harry Bosch series in order is the best thing to do and it helped TCB jump to the #1 spot for me with MC books. Also excited that his next book, THE SCARECROW (2009), will feature Jack McEvoy and Rachel Walling.

I am not as much a fan of Coben as you but I do enjoy his books. I usually listen to the Coben books. Not sure if that takes anything away from them as I seem to have been more wow'd when reading a book versus listening to it (in my car). My "TELL NO ONE" is "IMMORAL" by Brian Freeman...everybody that I have recommended to read that book has been hooked on the series ever since.

Thanks, MO

Elmore Leonard is also a HOOT! I listened to Downtown and it was so hilarious. I love Get Shorty, too...I read the books before the movies and loved both!

Kathy wrote: "I enjoyed Coben's Tell No One, too, Kevin. I've read around 6 of his books, and Tell No One and The Woods are my two favorite. I had to read Tell No One after meeting Harlan Coben and hearing him..."

I would also recommend "No Second Chance" as a crowd pleaser. Have a good one!

Mike wrote: "Kevin - For Michael Connelly books, I like THE CONCRETE BLONDE the most with THE POET a close second. I have enjoyed all of his books but those two stand out most to me. I am reading THE BRASS VE..."

Thanks, Mike...I will give them a try.