Books make great gifts. But choosing the right books for your fiction lover can be tricky. Reading tastes are very individual, and a book that one person loves may leave another reader completely cold. Even if you know someone’s reading tastes, there’s always the risk of giving them a book they’ve already read. So the trick can be to find books in a genre they enjoy, by authors that aren’t so well known but who are gaining a reputation for good books.
Here are some suggestions:
Action/adventure thrillers: (authors like Lee Child, James Patterson and Stuart Woods)
Red Right Hand by Chris Holm – A hero with nothing left to lose takes on a vast criminal conspiracy.
Guilty Minds by Joseph Finder – Explores how even the most powerful among us can be brought down by a carefully crafted lie.
Conclave by Robert Harris – A page-turning thriller where the power of God is nearly equaled by the ambition of men.
The One Man by Andrew Gross – A riveting and intense World War II thriller.
*First Strike by Ben Coes – An international thriller that asks the question: Have we created our worst enemy?
Domestic Psychological Suspense: (similar to Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train)
The Passenger by Lisa Lutz – A woman creates and sheds new identities as she crisscrosses the country to escape her past.
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda – A nail-biting, breathtaking story about the disappearances of two young women—a decade apart—told in reverse.
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lupena – A twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives.
*Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris – A chilling thriller that will keep you reading long into the night
The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter – Secrets bind them. And secrets can destroy them.
Hard-edged mystery: (similar to Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Patricia Cornwell)
Rise the Dark by Michael Koryta –A masterful mystery set in Montana and Florida.
Manitou Canyon by William Kent Krueger – A dramatic Northwoods setting, an intriguing view of the Objibwe culture, and an enigmatic crime.
*Redemption Road by John Hart – A boy with a gun waits for the man who killed his mother.
The Second Girl by David Swinton – As slippery and charming an antihero as you’ve ever met unravels a mystery of startling intensity.
Say No More by Hank Phillipi Ryan – Her career is all about the truth–but now, keeping silent may be her last chance to stay alive.
The Trespasser by Tana French – Make only one assumption: All of your initial assumptions are wrong
Traditional/Cozy Mystery:
British Manor Murder by Leslie Meier – At Moreton Manor, privileged life isn’t always tea and crumpets
Title Wave by Lorna Barrett – Tricia and Angelica have booked a pleasure cruise, but they’re going to need their life jackets because a murderer has also booked passage.
Better Late Than Never by Jenn McKinlay – Library director Lindsey Norris is hot on the trail of a cold case.
*Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton – Edinburgh bookshop employee Delaney must solve a murder and find a missing artifact.
Dead Cold Brew by Cleo Coyle – Coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi’s bridal bliss is put on hold when a chilling mystery brings deadly danger.
~Mary G.