Invasion!toys&collectibles: September 2010

Hey - thought I would share a list of my must-read writers in the world of fiction;
below is a random list of my current favourite writers - I usually read horror, crime, police procedural, spy / espionage thrillers.

1) John Sandford
Former journalist (real name John Camp) famous for his "prey" novels featuring detective tough guy Lucas Davenport, Sandford is a prolific writer and usually produces at least two novels a year; with Davenport putting on years / gotten married, he spun off a recurring character called Virgil Flowers into his own series and has proven to be another best seller.

The new Virgil Flowers book called "Bad Blood" is out soon and features a cult religion.

Mr Sandford writes in an easy manner and his standout characterization of both the good guys and the bad guys that elevates his books beyond the usual police / crime thrillers.

2) Jefferey Deaver
Famous for his plot twists, Mr Deaver created the unlikely combo of multiple paraplegic Lincoln Rhyme, a forensic expert, and his protege / long term companion Amelia Sachs, rookie police woman (and daughter of slain cop father) in solving crimes a-la CSI style; the first book "The Bone Collector" was made into a movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie; there have been other works since and each is a compelling read for the author's famed plot twists and uncanny insight in crime scenes, clues and forensic science.

The new Lincoln Rhyme novel "The Burning Wire" was just released last month.

3) Stephen King
needs no introduction right ? The King of horror fiction, but this is a lazy title to bestow on this best selling author as he is capable of writing more than horror tales (remember the film Shawshank ? It was based on Stephen's short novella).

King is number 1 in his trademark understanding and usage of past and present "pop" culture / everyday scenarios and his fictional characters are rarely unforgettable and always believable - like your next door neighbour: King is a natural born story teller. His son (Joe Hill) inherited some talent and is a best selling author himself.

4) John Burdett
A recent success story, Burdett's "Bangkok" stories revolve around the Buddhist detective Sonchai Pritchaleep who is of mixed European-Thai heritage. Set in the seedy underworld of Thai underworld and deals openly with all manners of police and army corruption, vice, porn and drugs, Mr Burdett treats the reader with an inside look (warts and all) into Thailand's almost irresistable charms and hidden dangers.

I just finished his 4th book featuring Sonchai - "The Godfather of Kathmandu".

5) Greg Iles
Another prolific writer, hard to pigeon hole as he has written a mixed bag including stories set during WW2, politics, law, murders, etc; a common theme though would be his setting of Natchez, Mississippi where the author hails from.

Mr Iles does not sugar coat his fiction and has been known to go into great detail on grisly murders / crime scenes including rape, incest, extreme violence and sexual content, which makes my heart pound and a compelling page turner and I have been known to devour his latest book in a day or two!

His latest best seller (last year) was "The Devil's Punchbowl" and dealt with the illegal dog fighting and gambling; featured his recurring hero Penn Cage, a lawyer and now mayor of his home town.

Penn Cage returns early next year in new novel "Unwritten Laws". I can't wait!

If you have any recommendations for other author's works I would be most happy to hear from you.

Cheers and happy reading!

20-September-2010

PS - many of the books mentioned above can be found in our great local library!