A Good Thriller discussion
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What Is The Book That Started You On Thriller/Mysteries
Like most South Asians I began reading Sidney Sheldon foremost. Bloodline and Windmill of the Gods are quite good.
The Lawrence Sanders books. The book that got me away from America only and into the fabulous world of British thrillers is Now You See Me by Sharon Bolton.
This may sound weird but the books that got me interested in mysteries/ thrillers were the Goosebumps books. I read them when I was a kid and that's when I developed my love for suspense.
Val wrote: "Perri wrote: "For me, I guess it would be the Nancy Drew books :)"Yes, Perri! Same for me." The same for me, Perri...Nancy Drew, then the Hardy Boys when I'd read all of the Drew books -- and haven't looked back yet.
Does anyone remember the Encyclopedia Brown series for kids? Those were great because as the reader you were able to figure out the solution to the mystery along with the main character and check out your accuracy at the end of each short story.
Sean wrote: "We all love thrillers and mysteries of all kinds...But what book started you on this genre.
For me I guess as a teenager I started reading Alistair MacLean.
So I guess it would be books from hi..."
I was very young when I started reading Alistair McLean and those books prepared me a bit for TKAM, in showing me that not all books had a happy ending or that not all characters survived.
Famous Five by Enid Blyton as a kid. Patricia Cornwell as an adult. Her earlier Scarpetta books were great.
Deb wrote: "Does anyone remember the Encyclopedia Brown series for kids? Those were great because as the reader you were able to figure out the solution to the mystery along with the main character and check o..."I do.
Alister MacClean did it for me too. Bear Island, Breakheart Pass, Ice Station Zebra, and Where Eagles Dare were all favorites of mine while growing up.
I also read an author called Sven Hassall.
War books, but gripping and shocking, as true stories based on his career in the war
War books, but gripping and shocking, as true stories based on his career in the war
Maureen wrote: "Sean wrote: "We all love thrillers and mysteries of all kinds...But what book started you on this genre.
For me I guess as a teenager I started reading Alistair MacLean.
So I guess it would be ..."
Oh, I loved those! I remember finding some of the interesting ones in our local used bookstore.
Do not know which book of the series or maybe it was the whole series, but the Nancy Drew books. After that when I was older, I cannot recall what got me pretty much only reading this genre. Carol Higgins Clark? I read a lot of here way back.
the first mystery i read was Not a Penny more Not a Penny less by Jeffrey ArcherThe first thriller I read was The concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly - as you can guess I developed my love for reading a quite a mature age - it was never encouraged in my childhood days - I loved the Little Golden Books back then - does anyone remember them - however my parents always snatched them away and would demand I go outside in the sunshine - how sad hey ! I actually grew to believe that fiction reading was a waste of time - how tragic - now I simply can't get enough time to devour all the wonderful literature available to me. Reading reviews is also one of my favourite pastimes xx
Enid Blyton's mystery series and Agatha Christie. And when I was little older Sidney Sheldon's books.
I'm not sure which book it was that made me enjoy thrillers and mysteries, but I used to love reading the Choose your own Adventure books when I was a kid.
Wow, I don't really remember what the first mystery/thriller book I read was, but I have always loved the genre. It could have been Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie or maybe Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders
The earliest mystery/thriller books that I read were Nancy Drew books. I also read Encyclopedia Brown, Trixie Beldon, & the Hardy Boys series when I was a kid.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie was an unforgettable book.I recently read it again and enjoyed it every bit as much as I did all those years ago.
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. My mom had this two volume set of mysteries on the shelf for years: A Treasury of Great Mysteries. And carried over from the spine of one to the other was a sinister silhouette of a man in a fedora and cape or something like that. And I always liked film noir and mystery movies and had heard of Chandler and seen the film, so one day I picked up this book and read The Big Sleep and was hooked ever since. And that was a long time ago.
Encyclopedia Brown! The books that got me hooked on series mysteries are Travis McGee, and when I discovered Lord Peter Wimsey I was hooked forever
Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews. Back in high school, this buddy kept raving about this novel. He let me borrow it and once I started it, I did not finish. I read that book through the night and did not sleep. It was also the book that opened my mind and interest to novels (up until this point it was just about comic books, Poe and horror story anthologies). After this, I picked up a few early Stephen King paper books and my reading began with great earnest.
Eric wrote: "Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews. Back in high school, this buddy kept raving about this novel. He let me borrow it and once I started it, I did not finish. I read that book through the night and..."Yes! Flowers in the Attic was one to get a thriller addiction started!
Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys when I was young. When I got older I dipped into the Ed McBain books, but I have forgotten what I read by him, so at some point I need to do a re-read of his books. :)
Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew as a young child. As a teen I liked Gothic Historical Mystery who done it books, and also loved Poe. I think my first psychological thriller was in an English class called the Psychological Implications of Literature in High School. Can’t for the life of me remember what the book was. I remember The Great Gatsby but not the thriller. LOL not like it wasn’t 40+ years ago. Basically let’s just say that I was hooked at See Jane Run, See Dick Run. 📚
I read "The Three Investigators" series when I was a kid, but the first "adult" mystery I read (at around age 10) was "A Murder Is Announced" by Agatha Christie. Aft that, I was hooked.
Books mentioned in this topic
The Famous Five Collection 1: Books 1-3 (other topics)The Way to Dusty Death (other topics)
The Mystery of the Missing Necklace (other topics)
The Barrakee Mystery (other topics)
Behind Closed Doors (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Enid Blyton (other topics)Arthur W. Upfield (other topics)
Christopher Pike (other topics)




















But what book started you on this genre.
For me I guess as a teenager I started reading Alistair MacLean.
So I guess it would be books from him especially favourites.
Where Eagles Dare
Ice Station Zebra
and the best The Guns Of Navarone....