Monday, October 17, 2016

Who Never Disappoints?

I am going with Tana French. Although I was not as much in love with THE LIKENESS as her other books, (I just couldn't buy the major premise) all of her others have been strong and interesting studies of Dublin, of the Irish, of social problems, of the police in Ireland for me. Maybe a tad too long for my taste, but lovely writing, lovely plotting.

Who never (or rarely disappoints you?

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good question, Patti. For me, anyway, Michael Connelly doesn't disappoint. Neither does Angela Savage or Paddy Richardson. Others, too, but those'll do for one comment... ;-)

Jeff Meyerson said...

Bill Crider
Michael Connelly
Margaret Maron
Joe Lansdale


There are many others but these came to mind.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Joe Lansdale is a good one and, of course, Bill Crider.
Connelly doesn't speak to me for some reason.

Charles Gramlich said...

James Reasoner

Unknown said...

Rachel Howzell Hall's Elouise Norton detective series

pattinase (abbott) said...

I am not familiar with that one, Nancy.

Anonymous said...

Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series is always interesting. I like the way he tends to land on his feet--even when it's unintentional.

Deb

George said...

Loren Estleman and Bill Pronzini. And, sadly, Ed Gorman.

RTD said...

Colin Dexter (e.g., Morse novels) never disappointed me.
Neither did John Mortimer (e.g., Rumpole stories).
Two writers not from crime-fiction genre: Flannery O'Connor and Samuel Beckett.
A poet who never disappoints but almost always puzzles me: Emily Dickinson.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I so agree about Dexter and also O'Connor. Good observation about Dickinson.

Rick Robinson said...

Bill Pronzini, William Kent Krueger, John D. McDonald, Colin Dexter, Raymond Chandler, others, I'm sure.

Dana King said...

With the caveat that all authors write some things I enjoy more than others, I am never disappointed by Declan Burke, Dennis Lehane, John McFetridge, or Adrian McKinty. There are a few others but those pp to the top of my head.

TracyK said...

Rex Stout Nero Wolfe series would be the one that comes immediately to mind for me.

Of others mentioned here, I agree with Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series and Bill Pronzini. For Pronzini I have only read the Nameless series and only up to book 25.

Bernadette said...

This is always a hard question for me to answer...so many of the authors I used to read religiously have disappointed me...to the point that I wonder if it's me rather than them :) For that reason these days I really don't have that many authors on my 'must read' list that have written loads of books. There are a few that I can still rely on though...Karin Fossum, Sulari Gentill (Australian historical crime), Andrea Camilleri, Sharon (or S.J.) Bolton and Chris Grabenstein (although it appears he's given up writing for adults entirely now which is disappointing)

pattinase (abbott) said...

Loved the Brodie series. Wonder if she'll go back to it.
I've read a lot of Fossum and enjoyed them. Been meaning to try Bolton. Good list, Dana. All fantastic writers.

Cap'n Bob said...

Stout, Crider, Gorman, Chandler, Pronzini, Reasoner, Harlan Ellison, Lisa Black, Warren Murphy, and more.

Gerard said...

Crider.
Charlie Stella.
Lee Child.
Anthony Neil Smith.
Victor Gischler.
Olen Steinhauer.
Lemony Snicket.
Don Winslow.
Johnny D. Boggs's westerns.
Steve Hockensmith.
Timothy Hallinan.
Stuart Neville.

TracyK said...

How could I forget Olen Steinhauer. I have read almost all of his novels and loved them all.

Steve Oerkfitz said...

Raymond Chandler
Ross MacDonald
Ross Thomas
Robert Charles Wilson
Michael Connelly
Timothy Hallinan
Don Winslow
Jack Vance
Owen Steinhauer
Joe Lansdale
Ian Rankin
Cormac McCarthy
Christopher Priest
Brian Evenson

pattinase (abbott) said...

My husband is a greatvSteinhauet fan.