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Rick Potter
01-06-2016, 1:25 PM
My favorite fiction author is Clive Cussler. I have all his books and have read them at least twice each. I have decided I really need to branch out a bit, and wonder if I could get some recommendations on a couple new authors I should try.

I have also gone through all the Jack Higgens, and John Grishom books, which might give you more clues to my taste. I like books that may not be in a series, but retain some of the main characters. Adventure novels based on some fact are my favorite. Cussler's Isaac Bell series is my current favorite.

Any suggestions?

William Adams
01-06-2016, 1:55 PM
Louis L'Amour? _The Last of the Breed_ is a lot of fun (but pushes a bunch of my buttons, so I'm not unbiased).

Pat Barry
01-06-2016, 4:06 PM
Used to be Tom Clancy was my favorite author however that was long ago and his books are clearly dated, but still fun to read. I gave up on him however when he enlisted other writers to help him out. I lately have been reading similar books by Vince Vaughn, however he just died and his newest books are being put out by other authors. Anyway, both of them focus on a main character in a series. Also books featuring main character Jack Reacher (can't remember the author at the moment) and the Bosch detective series.

Howard Garner
01-06-2016, 4:09 PM
Two that I would reccommend
Thomas Perry and the Jane Whitfield series
John Sandford - any of them

Ken Fitzgerald
01-06-2016, 4:15 PM
Three of my favorites......Tony Hillerman.......James Lee Burke.........Michael Connelly.

Hillerman's novels will have you solving crimes often on the Navajo, Hopi or Pueblo Indian reservations in the Southwestern United States.

James Lee Burke will has a Dave Ribicheaux series that will have you solving crimes in the New Orleans or Montana areas.

Michael Connelly has several main characters that on occasion even encounter each other in the course of a novel.

I have several others that I could recommend after checking my reading diary/log.

paul cottingham
01-06-2016, 4:21 PM
Connelly is a superb crime fiction writer. He was (i believe) a Pulitzer prize winning police beat writer for a paper in LA.

i can read him for his prose alone.

Mike Null
01-06-2016, 5:19 PM
I have read nearly all of W E B Griffin's works. Most are Marine Corps and the setting is pre-WW2 and forward. I find them quite interesting reading and though fiction there is some historical value to them. I like the characters he builds and the stories he tells.

Lee Schierer
01-06-2016, 5:31 PM
Try Stephen Coonts, W. E. B. Griffin or David Poyer (http://www.poyer.com/). David Poyer is a classmate of mine from the Naval Academy and he writes some really good Naval Action books. Many of Griffin's and Poyer's books are better read in sequence.

Jerome Stanek
01-06-2016, 5:39 PM
I like John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark Jonathan Kellerman

Chris Padilla
01-06-2016, 5:42 PM
Hit the library and try a book by Stephen R. Donaldson. He is known for his Thomas Covenant series of books.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_R._Donaldson

I like him but he isn't for everyone. My mother tried him at my suggestion but she couldn't get through one of his books and she always has a book or two going for as long as I can remember. My mother without a book is not my mother. :)

Mike Chance in Iowa
01-06-2016, 7:44 PM
I'm not into many fiction books so I haven't read these, but Tom Selleck did a bunch of TV movies based on the Jesse Stone books. Looks like the author is Robert B. Parker and he's written maybe a dozen or more books. (My mother-in-law is a TS fan and she liked the movies. My guess is the books are probably a lot better with much more detail than a movie can fit.)

David L Morse
01-06-2016, 9:46 PM
Eric Flint's 1632 (aka Ring of Fire) series can be fun. A chunk of modern day West Virginia is transported to 1632 Germany and then things get, well, interesting.

William Adams
01-06-2016, 10:57 PM
There’s a web site for this sort of thing: http://www.literature-map.com/

Eduard Nemirovsky
01-07-2016, 9:35 AM
David Baldacci and Child Lee - I like both, have all books on Kindle. Highly recommend.

Ed.

Eduard Nemirovsky
01-07-2016, 9:49 AM
William - thank you for good bookmark. Very useful and easy to use.
Ed.

There’s a web site for this sort of thing: http://www.literature-map.com/

Jim Becker
01-07-2016, 11:31 AM
One of the great benefits I've gained by using Kindle Unlimited is that I'm constantly finding new authors and series to read. I love the Cussler and many of the other "big" name, commercial authors, but got tired of paying big bucks for the privilege, especially when so many of the books these days are co-written or completely written by contract writers. (many of whom have great work under their own names) I read 5-6 books a month or more and can't justify the cost anymore. Th fixed $10 a month for Kindle Unlimited has been great.

So while I'm not going to make any specific recommendations, I'll suggest that you consider exploring new authors and those experienced writers who are turning out good material without the marketing cost uplift. There's an incredible amount of material to read and enjoy!

Dave Richards
01-07-2016, 12:00 PM
Patrick O' Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series.

Rick Potter
01-07-2016, 1:13 PM
Thank you folks,

A lot of new authors to try, as well as suggestions about authors I forgot about, like Alistair Maclean, and Donald Hamilton. Maclean's book 'HMS Ulysses' was really good.

That website is interesting, and also brings up some great ones, like Michael Creighton. Looks like I could settle in for the winter.

Rick

Ole Anderson
01-07-2016, 6:22 PM
I was going to suggest Clive Cussler, Issac Bell Series to start. The Chase got me started. There is always the 50 Shades series;). Actually pretty well written, don't ask me how I know... Just Read The Wright Brothers. Iris Johansen is another favorite author.

Mark Blatter
01-07-2016, 9:24 PM
Funny how people suggest the same books using different methods. Michael Connelly is a favorite of mine. He writes the Harry Bosch series. I also suggest Baldacci, and Lee Child (Jack Reacher) as pretty good authors. David Poyer is a pretty good read, but love Stephen Coontz. I read his Flight of the Intruder years ago when I was still an active drilling reservist in the Navy and knew right off the bat the guy had been there, done that. He is sort of like Tom Clancy was in the first few books. One I have started reading is CJ Box who writes about a Wyoming game warden.

On a different note, if you like scifi at all, I have bee reading some of David Weber. He has several different series that are pretty good. If you enjoy older novels, a favorite of mine was Alexander Kent. He wrote a series on naval warfare from the 1780s or so. Battles between the English and French navies. As someone else mentioned, Louis Lamour is always pretty good for a short, quick read.

One last suggestion. I have started reading books by Robert B Parker. His books inspired two TV series, the Spencer for Hire and the recent Stone series of movies with Tom Selleck. Finally, perhaps my favorite books are Ender's Game / Ender's Shadow, Battlefield Earth and of course The Lord of the Rings.

Good Reading

Andy Haney
01-07-2016, 9:51 PM
I don't read a lot, but I was totally hooked on WEB Griffin's Brotherhood of War series. Much of my addiction related to me being an Army brat growing up around the Army aviation business. While this series is fiction, it is based on real people. I actually knew some of those people growing up in the 60s.

Andy Haney

Jeff Bartley
01-08-2016, 8:15 PM
I'll second the Patrick O'brian recommendation, I'm 5 or 6 books into the Aubrey-Maturin series and I love the fact that many of the books are historically accurate to the naval movements. If you've seen the movie 'Master and Commander, the Far Side of the Earth', it was based on the Aubrey-Maturin series.
Ken Follets 'Pillars of the Earth' is also a book I enjoyed. Cathedral construction is part of the story so for me it was interesting to imagine that job site.
I'd love to know how many books are in our house!

Myk Rian
01-08-2016, 8:34 PM
Another vote for Steven Coonts. I just finished reading "America". Very well written action thriller.

Jerome Stanek
01-08-2016, 8:40 PM
I also enjoy Ken Follet

Ole Anderson
01-09-2016, 9:53 AM
We have Kindle Unlimited and find it of limited value as popular authors are often not included in the covered selections.

Jim Becker
01-09-2016, 3:48 PM
We have Kindle Unlimited and find it of limited value as popular authors are often not included in the covered selections.
But there's so much good stuff available from other, lesser known authors, even if you spend the money for the "name" author book occasionally, the ten bucks a month for the subscription gets you access to a ton of material. When you read as much as I do, that's important.

Stew Hagerty
01-09-2016, 4:52 PM
Hands down. .. Dale Brown & James Rollins.
Dale Brown writes military adventure novels. His books are in series. He has 3 or 4 different series, but each has some ties to the others.
Website:
http://Megafortress.com

James Rollins novels are a mystery/adventure/fantasy blend.

I highly recommend both authors. Their books are page-turners that you just can't put down.

Bill Orbine
01-09-2016, 6:01 PM
I love the early Clive Cussler with Dirk Pitt, Al Giordano, Admiral Sandecker the main characters. Tom Clancy was another top favorite. His Red Storm Rising really keep me up until I finished it. Red October....oh that's some good reading! Some Stephen King books (Misery is my favorite). Stephen Coontz. Robert Ludlum. Will have to explore some other suggestions mentioned before me.

John Grider
01-10-2016, 10:25 AM
I really enjoy the Longmier Series by Craig Johnson. Also Everything Robert B Parker has written, the Jesse Stone books and the Spencer books.

Bill Bukovec
01-10-2016, 4:57 PM
Mo Hayder, lead character Jack Caffery. She has quite the imagination.

Harry Hagan
01-11-2016, 11:24 AM
James Lee Burke, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, Michael Crichton, Vince Flynn, William Forstchen, James Rollins, John Sandford, Daniel Silva

Harry Hagan
01-11-2016, 11:56 AM
But there's so much good stuff available from other, lesser known authors, even if you spend the money for the "name" author book occasionally, the ten bucks a month for the subscription gets you access to a ton of material. When you read as much as I do, that's important.


Here's an ebook site that will email you a daily list of discounted or free books so you can sample new authors. You have the option of downloading them from Amazon or Apple iBooks:

https://www.bookbub.com/home/