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My criteria for liking a book are often based on how much I like the characters. Because I focus on mystery series, I want my characters to grow and to surprise me. I keep a list of what I've read and try to rank them with terms like Excellent or Poor in an effort to keep track. Perhaps the most consistently excellent writer I have noted is Harlan Coben, who writes about modern-day situations that result in choices that don't always turn out the way most would expect.
I pride myself on being somewhat of a shoot from the hip, independent person, so cozies with nosy, manipulative women turn me off. But I do like to read about women, since they are over fifty percent of the population. So I have difficulty with the all male action and spy dramas. I also like reality-based stories, so I'm not inclined to read about comic-book style heroes. Of course there are exceptions to all these rules (including my recent guilty pleasure in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse vampire series), and it depends upon my mood.
If you dislike getting caught up in a series, there are many great stand alones. In fact, you don't have to read an entire series to appreciate a good story, and many authors have stand out books among their series. One of my favorite stand-alone legal thriller writers is Scott Turow. Start with Personal Injuries. Minette Walters has strong female characters set in England. I thought Shape of Snakes was her best.
Deep South and Blood Lure by Nevada Barr were two of her best works in her series about a female park ranger. I enjoy the historic turn of the twentieth century series by Rhys Bowen with a female detective. Try In a Gilded Cage as one of her best. Michael Connelly's earlier works were great, but recently I have learned to be more particular. I recommend Lincoln Lawyer, City of Bones and Lost Light.
If you want something light with some romance and a few laughs, I recommend Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. If you want light, but thought provoking mixed with charm and an exotic locale try Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective series set in Botswana, Africa. If you want a better than average cozy with likeable characters, but not too much violence try Distant Blood about a male librarian by Jeff Abbott or Sunshine and Shadows by Earlene Fowler, which is set in central California.
Some books stand out in my mind above and beyond all others. Robert Crais' L.A. Requiem, Nelson DeMille's Up Country, Jonathon King's Blue Edge of Midnight, the whole Stieg Larsson series set in Norway, Laurie King's Touchstone and The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Carol O'Connell's Find Me and John Dunning's The Bookman's Wake are just a few. Like Harlan Coben, you can never go wrong with Dennis Lehane, whether reading his series or his stand alones. These are the standouts for those who have to be more selective with their reading time.
If you want to read good writing I recommend James Lee Burke and Barry Eisler for setting a scene and atmosphere, Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford for on-the-edge-of-your-seat pacing and Karin Slaughter and C. J. Box for character driven stories that are full of surprises and not for the faint of heart. If you like futuristic mysteries with lots of hot romance consider J. D. Robb's Origin in Death or Divided in Death. If you like historic mysteries I haven't read much better than Margaret Lawrence's Blood Red Roses, Burning Bride and Hearts and Bones, which takes place after the American Revolution.
I'm sure I'm leaving out many other great authors I have yet to discover. However, for those who make an effort to read and want a recommendation from someone who reads a lot, here are a few books that should keep you entertained for the next couple of years.
Copyright 2012 by Linda K. Murdock. Linda wrote Mystery Lover's Puzzle Book, Crosswords with Clues from Your Favorite Mystery Series. In it she reviews 29 mystery writers, lists all of their book titles and creates a puzzle for each series. Download a FREE sample crossword on Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series or sign up for more mystery book reviews under Author Bio at http://bellwetherbooks.com
