Ask a Bookseller: Broadening Horizons in Fiction

Ask a Bookseller: Broadening Horizons in Fiction
by McNally Robinson - Thursday Mar 13 2008 2:25 pm
Posted in: SciFi & Fantasy, Mystery & Crime, Ask a Bookseller, Romance

Shelley asks:

"I'm looking for some new authors to read. I mostly enjoy mystery/thrillers, suspense, etc. Some of the authors I enjoy reading include: Sandra Brown, Mary Higgins Clark, Catherine Coulter, Christine Feehan, Lisa Gardner, Julie Garwood, Tess Gerritsen, Kay Hooper, Linda Howard, Lisa Jackson, Iris Johannsen, James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Karen Robards, J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts, and Mariah Stewart. Any suggestions of authors along these lines would be greatly appreciated."

Thanks for your question, Shelley. That certainly gives us a lot to work with. Three booksellers -- Chadwick, Gord and Steve -- have come up with some books and authors that should suit your taste....

Chadwick says that a fan of Christine Feehan should try Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson novels, a fast paced urban fantasy series with a paranormal romance influence. Mercedes Thompson is a strong protagonist who still manages to get in over her head more often than not.

In a similar vein, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series combines a strong mix of fantasy, crime and horror. Harry Dresden is no ladies man, but he does have a great sense of humour. Marcus Sakey's The Blade Itself and At the City's Edge are both excellent crime novels with blistering pace and great characters.

Finally Chadwick recommends Kate Brallier's The Boundless Deep, a paranormal romance dealing with reincarnation. The story bounces back and forth between past and present as the heroine seeks to find the answer to a murder over one hundred years old.

Gord took a look at the authors you like to read and suggested anything by the following writers: Harlan Coben, J.A. Jance, Erica Spindler,Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth Lowell, Janet Evanovich, and Lori Foster. We've included one or two examples of popular titles by each author below.

Steve had four books he thought you might like. The first is To Pleasure a Lady, an unabashed romance novel by Nicole Jordan, one of the genre's more popular authors at the moment. Next is Dark Lover by J.R. Ward. Dark Lover combines romance and horror -- it's all about a woman in the thrall of a man who may be the last vampire on earth.

For a full-blooded thriller, Steve suggests Tami Hoag's The Alibi Man, which is all about a former undercover cop who finds herself drawn back into the elite world of Palm Beach when her friend is murdered. And finally, for something a little different, Steve recommends Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell, author of Sex and the City. Lipstick Jungle follows three powerful New York women at the top of their fields as each navigates her way through business, relationship, scandal, success, and betrayal.

For more in the way of romance novels, you should also check out Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books. The site's owners, a self-proclaimed pair of "smart bitches who will always give it to you straight", review countless romance novels of all kinds in scathingly honest and brutally funny fashion. It's easy to get snobby about books, and it's always refreshing to see intelligent book-lovers unabashedly proclaim their love for books outside the pale of "literature."

All Ask a Bookseller answers.

Previously:

Mercedes Thompson Gets Her Own Comic.

The Dresden Files Comic.

A review of The Boundless Deep.

An interview with Kate Brallier, author of The Boundless Deep.

Kate Brallier will be giving a reading at our Grant Park store on March 22.

See:

Blood Bound - mass market paperback

By Patricia Briggs - $10.99 - add to cart