New author please!

June 28, 2005 11:03 AM

Help me find a new author in the style of Patricia Cornwell, Iain Banks, Christopher Brookmyre, Ian Rankin etc.

I've read almost every single book available from the above authors and am looking for something new to fill my shelves. Please help!

posted by Leud to media & arts (13 comments total)

I like Rankin a lot, and I also like the novels of Michael Connelly, especially the Harry Bosch books. Try The Poet. Then try The Narrows, but only in that order.
posted by Mekon at 11:14 AM on June 28, 2005

Layer Cake by J.J. Connolly. (Skip the film unless you've read the book, and even then....)
posted by IndigoJones at 11:26 AM on June 28, 2005

Henning Mankell--I agree with Mekon's recommendation and would add Mankell--as far as I am concerned he is the best of the best--Swedish with wonderful absolutely transparent translation---- I find the main character "Inspector Wallander" compelling, utterly human, and believable. Good procedural, supporting characters and always set in a broader cultural context/struggle without any moralizing--besides--Mankell is quite simply a good writer--the characters develop over time so you might consider starting with some of the earlier ones--good reading
posted by rmhsinc at 11:34 AM on June 28, 2005

That's right, Henning Mankell. I'm reading The Dogs of Riga right now. Quite good. Thanks for reminding me.
posted by Mekon at 12:00 PM on June 28, 2005

I would suggest looking into Roald Dahl (yes, of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame), he has a series of adult oriented books and short stories that are incredibly well written.
posted by fenriq at 12:11 PM on June 28, 2005

Try the Dalziel and Pascoe Mysteries by Reginald Hill .
posted by BoscosMom at 12:12 PM on June 28, 2005

I'm having trouble seeing the similarity of style in the writers you list but, how about Minette Walters?
posted by Zetetics at 2:17 PM on June 28, 2005

I am reading right now A Small Death In Lisbon, which is a pretty good literary-ish mystery with some similarity to Ian Rankin.
posted by Mid at 2:56 PM on June 28, 2005

Reginald Hill definitely, but also try the Inspector Alan Banks series by Peter Robinson.
posted by maudlin at 4:16 PM on June 28, 2005

Thank you so much for asking this question. I'm a big fan of Cornwell, and have had much difficulty finding similar authors.
posted by invisible ink at 5:54 PM on June 28, 2005

I know Cornwell, but not the other authors you've mentioned. (Actually, I know Iain Banks pretty well as "Iain M. Banks", when he writes sci-fi, but not his other books.) Nevertheless, I'd seriously recommed P.D. James as an author of very, very well-written mystery books. They're all a bit quaint/Agatha Christie-ish, on one level, but she really does a great job of getting into all the different characters' emotional and psychological mindsets--even though she does a great job of maintaining suspense, her outcomes are always a clear result of the people. It takes an effort to step back into a kind of a time capsule, but it's totally worth it.
posted by LairBob at 7:36 PM on June 28, 2005

You might give Elizabeth George a try. An American who travels to Britain regulary to research, they are steeped in contempory, not quaint, British life.

Generally, her novels are excellent: well-plotted, character-rich, and long enough to really immerse oneself in the story and setting and provide a satisfactory read. I was a little disappointed in A Place of Hiding, which didn't compell me as much as her earlier books. However, overall her books are very good, not only as mystery novels, but simply as novels.
posted by Savannah at 7:20 AM on June 29, 2005

I wouldn't have put Cornwell in with those others but try Kathy Reichs for stuff similar to Cornwell's.
posted by biffa at 9:43 AM on January 4, 2006