Are you more likely to read a fiction thriller that is inspired or based on real events? Recommendations?

[Brian]

I find that a novel based on or inspired by actual events adds an extra element of intrigue. I'm always wondering what the author fictionalized and what was taken from the real life story. I just have to research the real life events. It’s an entirely new layer to reading a good thriller. Does anyone else seek out these types of books and/or do the same? What are some of the recent thriller suspense inspired by real events books that you recommend?

[Ann]

Brian: I agree, a book based on or including actual events adds a layer to consider as you read or review the author's intent or meaning of a book. It also adds to my enjoyment when I consider the research involved and how it must have driven the direction of the narrative. I have enjoyed two Amy Stewart books in 2016 that are based on true characters in New Jersey. In the author notes she mentioned the rich newspaper sources she mined for the details of the Kopp sisters in first Girl Waits with Gun and in Lady Cop Makes Trouble. Amy Stewart

[Shomeret]

Historical mystery Speakers of the Dead was inspired by the actual murder of Mary Roger. Edgar Allen Poe moved this case to Paris inThe Mystery of Marie Rogêt. By the way, Poe is a minor character in Speakers of the Dead.

[Dan in AZ]

While I like the idea of books based on actual events, I do not like "true crime" books. IMO there is too much author bias that often distorts or ignores many facts of the case to allow the author's conclusions more credence.

[Ann]

Dan, I'm not a fan of true crime either. I hadn't put my finger on the reason exactly but think you have hit on part of it (plus true crime just creeps me out)
Dan in AZ wrote: "While I like the idea of books based on actual events, I do not like "true crime" books. IMO there is too much author bias that often distorts or ignores many facts of the case to allow the author'..."

[Carol/Bonadie]

Love true crime. I used to inhale every book Ann Rule wrote. I would just settle in for the ride and they were always incredible tales. I don't read it so much any more, actually, but I consider myself fond of it.

Brian's request for some reason made me think of the Smoky Dalton series by Kris Nelscott. Smoky Dalton operates on the fringe of real life events, the first book involving him in the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Don't know what I think of this as a device but Nelscott wrote a heck of a book that I couldn't put down. I only see two in the series listed in Audible, wonder if she kept going. In the second one the riots around the 1968 Democrat National Convention in Chicago loom large. Maybe Dan appears in there somewhere.

[Ann]

Carol
Looks like seven books in the series....I'll have to try the first one!
.https://www.goodreads.com/series/7007...

[Melodie]

Ann wrote: "Carol
Looks like seven books in the series....I'll have to try the first one!
.https://www.goodreads.com/series/7007..."

I think you'll really like them, Ann. I read 1 through 6 and rated every one 5 stars. Just really good!

[Dan in AZ]

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Love true crime... In the second one the riots around the 1968 Democrat National Convention in Chicago loom large. Maybe Dan appears in there somewhere.

Sorry, Carol. I was in Viet Nam saving the free world at that time.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Dan in AZ wrote: "Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Love true crime... In the second one the riots around the 1968 Democrat National Convention in Chicago loom large. Maybe Dan appears in there somewhere.

Sorry, Carol. I was in Viet Nam saving the free world at that time. ..."

My head is spinning with all the possible ways to respond to this statement.... but what I *will* say is very glad you made it home.

[G.J.]

I am not keen on true crime books but do quite like a novel that is loosely based some true event, I enjoy the authenticity this usually brings to a novel. Two examples Codename Lazarus: The Spy Who Came Back From The Dead and The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared

[Ann]

Dan: Ditto what Carol said, very glad!
Dan in AZ wrote: "Sorry, Carol. I was in Viet Nam saving the free world at that time. ..."
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "My head is spinning with all the possible ways to respond to this statement.... but what I *will* say is very glad you made it home."

[Dan in AZ]

Carol and Ann: Me too!