Big Al Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) Lee Child (like many authors before him) has hit on a successful formula of basically writing the same book over and over again, with enough tweaks to keep it different enough. For me they're very much 'holiday' books to read on the beach in Thailand, a good yarn and has that satisfying 'good guy kicks butt' element. Here is a Jack Reacher plot: 1. Jack Reacher gets a lift with someone or has a bus ride and ends up in a strange town 2. Gets in trouble with some locals/cops 3. Discovers an injustice/crime 4. Sleeps with a pretty female character 5. Deals with some jeopardy and risk 6. Arms himself then goes in and kills all the bad guys 7. Walks out of town 8. Goto 1 ; Absolutely true. I read half a dozen before I realised it though. I class them as Mills and Boon for men. What about some of the James Patterson books featuring Alex Cross? Edited February 17, 2014 by Big Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) Chosing Tom Cruise to play him in a movie was a real mistake. It ruined the character for me. I also think Lee Child's own ego it getting out of control. I saw an interview with hun when the film came out and he came across pretty full of his own importance. He also felt the need to play a role in his own film- Tarantino style- another needless egotistical act. In my opinion. Edited February 17, 2014 by Big Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOLDCREST Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) William Lashner....Victor the penniless anti system lawyer...sounds boring ,but a different twist to the usual hero. Jack Kerley...........In the Blood, The death collector, The hundredth man, Her last scream etc Brian Freeman.....Immoral, The watcher, The burying Place.. John D Macdonald.....All the Travis Magee series...they all have a colour in the title..A bit dated maybe but excellent stories...One of my favourite fiction writers. Stephen Leather...Jack Nightingale series...Nightmare, Nightfall,Midnight etc. Andrew Vachss...Bit more graphic than the usual stuff, but well written stories. A J Quinnell....The ex mercenary Creasy...Man on Fire made into a film, but nowhere near as good as the book..There are about six books in the creasy series. Edited February 17, 2014 by GOLDCREST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Lee Child (like many authors before him) has hit on a successful formula of basically writing the same book over and over again, with enough tweaks to keep it different enough. For me they're very much 'holiday' books to read on the beach in Thailand, a good yarn and has that satisfying 'good guy kicks butt' element. Here is a Jack Reacher plot: 1. Jack Reacher gets a lift with someone or has a bus ride and ends up in a strange town 2. Gets in trouble with some locals/cops 3. Discovers an injustice/crime 4. Sleeps with a pretty female character 5. Deals with some jeopardy and risk 6. Arms himself then goes in and kills all the bad guys 7. Walks out of town 8. Goto 1 To the OP, even though they are dated now, have you read the original Ian Fleming James Bond books? Jack Reacher is too "perfect" for me - never makes a mistake, never fails, never has doubts etc. The Fleming James Bond books are infinitely better in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nial Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Off topic slightly but the last book(s) I read that I _really_ enjoyed was George MacDonald Fraser "McAuslan" series.... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-McAuslan-George-MacDonald-Fraser/dp/0006513719 The amazon review score is about right! I think I'll be looking at some of the suggestions in this thread now. Nial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Another suggestion - Reginald Hill - The Woodcutter. He's written lots of other stuff (including the Dalziel and Pascoe books) but The Woodcutter was the first of his I found, and it's really good. I've moved onto others of his too, but Woodcutter is the best so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Jack Higgins books with Sean Dillon as main character are on a par with JR books. It's the sort of relatively low grade stuff I read for pure entertainment when the wife is watching those dreadful soaps on TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Excuse my ignorance but is Spenser a private eye that lives in Vegas or am I in a different area? He is a private investigator (sort of), but he doesn't live in Las Vegas, he lives in Boston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 He is a private investigator (sort of), but he doesn't live in Las Vegas, he lives in Boston. Ah, There used to be a TV series in the 80's called Spenser that featured a PI that lived in a lock up in Vegas, just thought it might have been the same guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdfish Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I have read all the jr books, got the t shirt ( honestly, I have). Try a Robert Crais, Elvis cole is the pi. Wisecracking but had a sidekick called joe pike who is very similar to reacher. I once at a talk by lee asked lee child who would win in a fight . The answer is they would not fight each other as they are both too clever as neither could win. If you want to move to the next level, slightly more grown up, try the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly . He has an insight in to the dark side of life and a pair of gay hit men who watch his back. He also has a pair of musclemen he uses from time to time who when sent to a mental institute, the drugs made them even more violent. Pulp noir at it's very, very best. James Lee Burke is also very very good. I also have the t shirt advertising clete' detective agency Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfick Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Vince Flynn is supposed to be very good. His first is on my shelf awaiting a time I can read it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_seagrave Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 On a smilier note look at Dan (Da Vinci Code) Brown, his prose is eye-wateringly clunky at times, but he's got a few quid hasn't he..? If you can come up with plots and write books where the reader simply has to turn the page, great literature doesn't really come into it. I thought Da Vinci Code was some of the worst writing I've ever experienced (and I read PigeonWatch) - however, I couldn't put the bloody book down, and read it cover to cover in one sitting! Astonishing how someone can write like that. As Thunderbird said, it's turned out alright for Dan Brown! A book I've just re-read for about the fourth time is CP Snow's 'The Masters' - the writing, the sheer economy and tact with which it is written makes me nostalgic for an age I never knew. Curiously, I've never read any of his other books - The Masters is one of a set of about half a dozen. In the same vein as Jack Reacher, any of the Stephen Leather books get my vote. Especially 'The Chinaman', which was the first one I read. And why not give some Wilbur Smith a go? It's been more than ten years since I read any, but he's a great storyteller. And, although it pains me greatly to say it, I thought that the first 'Game of Thrones' book was excellent. However, I thought it was a standalone novel, and didn't realise it was part of a series. I was pretty fed up when I got to the 'end' and it hadn't ended. :( When I have forgiven the author for royally mugging me off, I will probably give in and get the rest (although I'll bet that the quality deteriorates when the series catches up with the TV tie-ins). LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puggers Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I can only, in part, repeat what has been said about the "same ole, same ole" of super-hero Reacher. I used to enjoy the books to a limit and then started to think I was re-reading something I'd seen several times before, but just located in another part of the US and with all the characters renamed. There are glimpses of freshness but all too infrequently and as has been said, Lee Childs is cashing in on a money-spinning formula but why should he care if books he's already written years ago are republished under a new name just because Tom pitches up with a potential series of films based on the premise of an implausibly perfect male lead. You can sense I'm a cynic! That said, if you like a good story, believable characters that are built in-depth and in story lines which are grisly and punctuated with the blackest of black humour, try Aberdeen's own Logan McRae series by Stuart MacBride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted February 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Thanks for all the replys guys, plenty there to go on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingo15 Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Find some "Harry Bosch" books written by Micheal Connelly. Regards, Mark. All his books are pretty dam good tbh. I struggle to put them down once I start them, which can be a nightmare sometimes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdfish Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I can only, in part, repeat what has been said about the "same ole, same ole" of super-hero Reacher. I used to enjoy the books to a limit and then started to think I was re-reading something I'd seen several times before, but just located in another part of the US and with all the characters renamed. There are glimpses of freshness but all too infrequently and as has been said, Lee Childs is cashing in on a money-spinning formula but why should he care if books he's already written years ago are republished under a new name just because Tom pitches up with a potential series of films based on the premise of an implausibly perfect male lead. You can sense I'm a cynic! That said, if you like a good story, believable characters that are built in-depth and in story lines which are grisly and punctuated with the blackest of black humour, try Aberdeen's own Logan McRae series by Stuart MacBride. Must agree Lazarus McRae series absolutely brilliant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byjovecarruthers Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 The Flashman Papers - George McDonald Fraser Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC is the ultimate antihero. A series of hysterical historical romps which are strangely educational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 I thought Da Vinci Code was some of the worst writing I've ever experienced (and I read PigeonWatch) - however, I couldn't put the bloody book down, and read it cover to cover in one sitting! Astonishing how someone can write like that. As Thunderbird said, it's turned out alright for Dan Brown! A book I've just re-read for about the fourth time is CP Snow's 'The Masters' - the writing, the sheer economy and tact with which it is written makes me nostalgic for an age I never knew. Curiously, I've never read any of his other books - The Masters is one of a set of about half a dozen. In the same vein as Jack Reacher, any of the Stephen Leather books get my vote. Especially 'The Chinaman', which was the first one I read. And why not give some Wilbur Smith a go? It's been more than ten years since I read any, but he's a great storyteller. And, although it pains me greatly to say it, I thought that the first 'Game of Thrones' book was excellent. However, I thought it was a standalone novel, and didn't realise it was part of a series. I was pretty fed up when I got to the 'end' and it hadn't ended. :( When I have forgiven the author for royally mugging me off, I will probably give in and get the rest (although I'll bet that the quality deteriorates when the series catches up with the TV tie-ins). LS It doesnt The rest are really well written apart from one, But he does tell you that at the start, it sort of goes really off track and could have been deleted from the series, I thoroughly enjoyed them and await the next one, Although I am at least 1 possibly 2 series ahead of the tv show now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraivi Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 (edited) Anyone on here read the Jack Reacher books? I have read them all, and just waiting on his latest to be released on paperback. I find them very good reading but question is what do I read next? Any suggestions welcome, as long as they are in the same vein as Reacher.I have read most of the Jack Reacher stuff. I found them entertaining.Have a look at David Baldacci, I have been through a couple, and very enjoyable reading. Edited due to damned predictive text! Edited February 18, 2014 by wraivi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 The Flashman Papers - George McDonald Fraser Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC is the ultimate antihero. A series of hysterical historical romps which are strangely educational. Oh yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misser Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 anything by jo nesbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rushjob Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 anything by jo nesbo +1, excellent series following Harry Hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rushjob Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Exactly...I don't even want to watch the film...Wrecked the image completely, why not choose an unknown "big" actor instead of a vertically challenged midget. Nothing to do with the fact that Tom Cruise bought the film rights to the book, it's his bat and ball now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 I have read most of the Jack Reacher stuff. I found them entertaining. Have a look at David Baldacci, I have been through a couple, and very enjoyable reading. Edited due to damned predictive text! I would say , David Baldacci is perhaps my Favourite author, so many twists and turns , the camel club editions are excellent , and last man standing is brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOLDCREST Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Nothing to do with the fact that Tom Cruise bought the film rights to the book, it's his bat and ball now. AH....Didn't know that, now it makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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